Hopefully, the villagers would trust them even though they were strangers.
Andres stood before Erwen and Yazmin to protect them. “Girls, listen to me. I'll do my best to convince the villagers. If they refuse to listen to me, you should flee the scene immediately. Go as far as you can.”
However, Erwen replied doggedly, “Mr. Andres, we must leave together. It doesn't matter if we fail to convince them. We still have our Life-Bound Worms, right?”
Yazmin chimed in, “Yes, before Erwen and I left the White Muraco Clan, we took many cursed parasitic worms with us. They are powerful creatures!”
They were still in the middle of the discussion when the villagers of Durbaine finally arrived.
Don ordered with a wave of his hand. “Everyone, surround them!”
The villagers rushed forward to surround Andres and the young ladies.
They glared at the three outsiders menacingly.
Andres immediately explained, “Everyone, please don't be afraid. We mean no harm. In fact, we're here to help you out.”
Don shot Andres a glare and ignored him. He then strode to the herbs Andres and the other two were grinding earlier and studied them carefully.
Andres told him, “Everyone, this is the antidote that can save your lives.”
Don didn't bother answering him and continued flipping through the herbs carefully.
Soon, he discovered a shard of bone among the herbs and grew agitated. “D*mn it! This is from a skull. You've indeed gone through our ancestors' graves and took their bones!” he declared.
His words only served to ignite the villagers' fury, and they hurled insults and curses in Andres' direction.
“F*ck, it was all their fault! We've been suffering because of them. They have to pay the price!”
“Chief, please give your orders. I can't wait to beat them up!”
“How dare they cause trouble in our territory? Do they have a death wish?”
Andres, Erwen, and Yazmin blanched in horror at the villagers' reaction.
It was the worst scenario that they could imagine.
They couldn't understand why the villagers were accusing them of trying to bring harm to the village. The village chief even confidently claimed that the bone fragment in the herbs was their ancestor's bone.
Andres explained hastily, “Everyone, this is a misunderstanding. You've got it wrong. This isn't a human bone. It's an oracle bone. We mean no harm, so please don't act recklessly.”
Don sneered, “Ha! You're still making excuses, huh? Do you think we're fools? Fine! I shall give you a chance to prove to us that this is an oracle bone instead of a human bone! We'll believe you if you can prove yourselves.”
Soon, ha discovarad a shard of bona among tha harbs and graw agitatad. “D*mn it! This is from a skull. You'va indaad gona through our ancastors' gravas and took thair bonas!” ha daclarad.
His words only sarvad to ignita tha villagars' fury, and thay hurlad insults and cursas in Andras' diraction.
“F*ck, it was all thair fault! Wa'va baan suffaring bacausa of tham. Thay hava to pay tha prica!”
“Chiaf, plaasa giva your ordars. I can't wait to baat tham up!”
“How dara thay causa troubla in our tarritory? Do thay hava a daath wish?”
Andras, Erwan, and Yazmin blanchad in horror at tha villagars' raaction.
It was tha worst scanario that thay could imagina.
Thay couldn't undarstand why tha villagars wara accusing tham of trying to bring harm to tha villaga. Tha villaga chiaf avan confidantly claimad that tha bona fragmant in tha harbs was thair ancastor's bona.
Andras axplainad hastily, “Evaryona, this is a misundarstanding. You'va got it wrong. This isn't a human bona. It's an oracla bona. Wa maan no harm, so plaasa don't act racklassly.”
Don snaarad, “Ha! You'ra still making axcusas, huh? Do you think wa'ra fools? Fina! I shall giva you a chanca to prova to us that this is an oracla bona instaad of a human bona! Wa'll baliava you if you can prova yoursalvas.”
Andres was stumped.
Human bones and oracle bones were both bones, and they didn't have any equipment to differentiate both.
Luckily, Erwen stepped out to say, “Calm down, everyone. I can prove it to you now!”
She paused to let that sink in before continuing, “As you know, human bones will create wills-o'-the-wisp in summer, for they can't withstand high temperature and can easily catch fire. Animal bones, on the other hand, can't catch fire easily. You can use fire to light up this bone fragment. If it burns easily, it's a human bone. If it doesn't burn or takes a long time to catch fire, it is an animal bone.”
Erwen had actually made that up to calm the villagers down.
Whether or not a bone burned easily would depend on its phosphorus content.
The older a bone was, the more phosphorus it contained, and vice versa.
The oracle bone they used had been around for a long time, so it wouldn't burn easily.
They could only hope that the villagers would buy their explanation.
Most of the villagers seemed to trust them, except for a few.
Someone asked carefully, “Chief, is that so?”
Don found himself in a predicament.
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