Chapter 50: The grown-ups

The bartender seemed very happy to see my shocked expression, but just like a cunning hunter who has seen his prey take the bait, he kept silent.

But how could I let him keep quiet? I had to ask, “Married? Usually it’s the woman who marries someone else. How can a man be a ‘newlywed’?”

The bartender just smiled mysteriously and didn’t respond, and the noise from the crowd had gradually subsided. Although it was a bit strange, it was like a faucet that had been suddenly turned off, and the water was no longer flowing.

But the bartender glanced over there, his expression became serious, and he whispered, “This guy is making too much noise, and he’s disturbing the adults. Even if he has privileges, and even if he’s happy, he doesn’t need to do this.”

Although the grumbling was low and the mood was not obvious, I also had a hint of enlightenment. This bartender was loyal to the Holy Village, and I was afraid that he was fishing for my appetite for a certain purpose.

Nevertheless, the word “adult” still made me sensitive, and I remembered the man I met at the door, that inexplicable feeling of familiarity… So, I glanced back, and sure enough, it was that man who appeared here, and he seemed to have great authority. His appearance quickly calmed the situation.

There was nothing more to see, just a man with status in the village who had settled a dispute that probably didn’t even matter to him.

“How about buying some more wine?” The bartender probably thought there was nothing to see, and suddenly suggested this to me.

I was taken aback, and I thought I understood his purpose of whetting my appetite. I pretended to be moved and said, “The wine here is not cheap. I’m obviously not that wealthy.”

“It’s good to have a drink and chat. My job is not easy either, right?” The bartender said to me with a smile.

I nodded silently, then took out a few so-called point cards from my pocket and handed them to the bartender. In this village where life is strictly limited, it is obviously impossible for anyone to copy such point cards. It is the absolute currency here, but I never thought that a bartender working here also had a so-called “mission” to earn as many point cards as possible from people. Everything is just to force people to be more loyal and pious.

The wine was quickly placed on the table, and even I felt a strange pain, because here I was a complete pauper, and I instinctively felt that it was unbearable to spend money.

“Haha, it’s true that you are a newcomer and are happy, but if you weren’t a newcomer, how would you have asked me what it meant to be newly married?” The bartender smiled slyly, picked up my drink and took a sip, as if he was very happy, and then said seriously, “Do you know that this village exists for the gods? There are no so-called lowly human emotions here, such as friendship, love, family… Compared to the emotions of the gods, what are those? Therefore, everyone here belongs to the gods.”

I took a sip of wine, and a look of confusion and approval appeared in my eyes. In my heart, I silently cursed him as a “madman” and continued to listen to him.

“It belongs to God. Do you understand? Oh, since you are from our great village, you must understand this meaning… However, not everyone here can really get close to God if they want to.” At this point, the bartender’s face revealed a hint of secret mystery, and he whispered in my ear, “God really exists. He lives in a place that is so close to us, yet so far away…”

What does that mean? My heart was pounding, but I had a happy, crazy look on my face, and I was so eager to ask that the bartender had to pat me on the shoulder and tell me to calm down. Then he said, “It’s no secret here that our great God is merciful and naturally allows the pure and pious people of our village to have the opportunity to approach it and move towards a higher world! Do you understand? Those who are chosen to approach God and go to God’s place are the same as those who have completely dedicated themselves to God. They are originally God’s, and one day they can approach God. That is to say, they are completely married to God. This is “newly married.”

“Really? That’s amazing. How can I become a “new bride”? I can’t wait.” I tried to act as if I was overwhelmed with excitement, looking at the bartender.

At this moment, a faint laugh sounded beside me, with a penetrating meaning. If I hadn’t always had good hearing, I might have ignored the laugh in the midst of the noisy voices and music. I happened to hear it, but I couldn’t turn around. I caught a glimpse of the so-called adult sitting at the bar, but I couldn’t show any reaction. I could only pretend that I knew nothing.

When the adult arrived, the bartender, who was still talking to me and trying to brainwash me, immediately ignored me and ran over to the adult with unusual attentiveness. He said to the adult, “You must be tired. Why did you think of coming here to sit and listen to this meaningless nonsense?

But the adult didn’t seem to want to drink red wine. He silently ordered a bottle of beer. His mask seemed very sophisticated. He gently pushed it up, just enough to reveal a small part of his mouth and chin. He drank the beer in silence, looking very uncommunicative.

At this time, I wanted to stand in the position of the bartender because I had an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the so-called adult. From the side, I could only see a small part of his face through the mask, but the edge of the mask blocked my view, so I couldn’t see what that small part of his face looked like.

The bartender was still hovering in front of the adult, but the adult seemed to have a strange personality. Not only did he not like to talk much, but he also seemed to like being alone. He just waved impatiently and told the bartender to leave.

The bartender’s face was sullen, but he still came back… He said something to save himself: “It seems that the adults are not in the mood.”

I didn’t pay much attention, but I kept staring at him, waiting for him to give me an answer. I was inevitably tricked into buying a few bottles of wine, almost spending all the points on my body. Then the bartender said to me again, “The choice of a ‘new bride’ is only known to the adults in the village. How could a little person like me understand it? In short, it is not easy to get close to God. After all, people are not God. If you want to get to God’s place, you always have to go through many tests and pay a price. It is not necessarily a matter of achieving your goal. However, even so, I still want to be chosen as a ‘new bride.

After buying the wine, the bartender naturally had no reservations and gave me the answer in one breath. Perhaps he didn’t care, and he gave me a lot of information, such as the outer village and the inner village… At that moment, I actually knew something very clearly in my heart. The so-called “new bride” turned out to be a sacrifice. I don’t know why the sacrifice was made, or what happened in the middle. I just clearly saw the tragic fate of these “brainwashed” people.

Seeing the longing look on the bartender’s face, I felt bitter in my mouth. It was as if the beer I had just swallowed had not brought me any sense of refreshment at all, but had instead left only a bitter aftertaste. In order to wash away this bitterness, I could only swallow a few gulps of beer, and I had to put on a look of longing on my face even then.

Putting down the empty beer bottle, I asked, “What are the consequences if you fail to approach God? I’m just asking. I’m not worried. I believe that God will protect my soul… Even if the consequences are tragic, the soul will eventually be protected. I’m just purely curious.”

“You are very pious. Of course, your thoughts are similar to mine, and they are extremely correct. There is no such thing as consequences, and in the end, you will be protected! However, it didn’t work… If you have the opportunity to watch a sacrifice ceremony, you will naturally know.” The bartender answered me casually, not as straightforward as answering other questions.

I think that he is using information to ‘lure’ every newcomer here, and there are certain taboos. What can be said and what cannot be said are all defined. For example, you cannot say anything that will ‘scare’ the newcomers.

There is no so-called freedom here, nor is there freedom of speech. Everything is restricted, including this tavern that claims to be free to talk. Everything here has only one purpose, doesn’t it?

I didn’t ask any more questions. What I wanted to ask and know here was nothing more than this… However, this entertainment room is a good place. I think I also need to relax to save my nerves that are always tense, lest under this kind of regularity and dullness, I inevitably slide into the so-called “faith.”

I took a sip of my drink in silence, but then I heard a voice from the other side of the bar. It seemed that the gentleman was leaving. When he stood up, his mask was already on. He took the bottle in his hand and lightly stomped it next to me, as if to casually hand it to the bartender. He was very graceful and didn’t mind doing it.

However, I, who seemed to be unperturbed, felt that he had lightly placed something on my leg as he passed me by. I unperturbedly lowered my hand and covered the object.