Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 36

Drifting Ship Disturbance (2) – The Songstress

It was fascinating.

Her voice started as that of a little girl, but quickly changed to that of a young boy, and then changed again to a husky, deep voice of an adult man.

It was incredible to imagine that all of those different voices were coming from the same woman. A symphony was generated by the sounds of a foreign musical instrument that complemented the songstress’s singing. It seemed as though a musical instrument called ‘the songstress’ was being performed on stage at the time.

“Amazing…”

Lufa voiced her astonishment. Her eyes twinkled with childish adoration.

“Rufa, don’t lean on the balcony. You’re going to fall.”

We were on the second story of the building, with seats reserved by the lord. We were able to enjoy the performance without being swamped by the crowd.

However, I believe that a festival is best appreciated in the crowd. Perhaps it was because I was a commoner.

The songstress who was performing on stage was the leader of the traveling troupe known as Lu Pu Zhea. 

There were a number of traveling troupes that made a living by performing their talents around the continent. Each traveling troupe has their own set of specialties. Some traveling troupes specialized in acrobatics, while others specialized in singing, dance, or theater. A traveling troupe’s repertoire included singing, music, acrobatics, and theater.

When they arrived, the town became lively. The mayor will also welcome them with open hands, as their presence brought visitors to the town and provided enjoyable entertainment for the people living there.

Furthermore, it was considered a courtesy for the lord of the territory to provide lodging and meals for the traveling troupe, while the traveling troupe will earn money from the audience’s ticket fee.

The traveling troupe did not pay taxes and lived as they pleased, but in order to be allowed to roam from country to country, they needed to accomplish one crucial function in addition to performing their skills.

That role was to tell the lord and the kings of places they performed on the rumor they heard in other countries.

When the show finished and the drink was served, it was time to get back to their other work. They would interact with the locals and learn about the local news, gossip, and rumors.

Never underestimate rumors and gossip. They would be able to obtain trustworthy information as the number of rumors they gathered piled up. They may even get information that a particular country wanted to keep secret.

As an example, consider what happened to Wickhalrt. Regardless of what was revealed to the general public, the soldiers in Hakusha would know the truth. Those soldiers would then tell their families, and their families would tell their friends, and thus the narrative spread, and a rumor was born.

Collecting all of the numerous rumors regarding Wickharlt’s resignation would eventually lead you to the true story.

When I was traveling throughout the continent, I once traveled with a traveling troupe. That was why I was familiar with how they operated.

They… I wonder how they were doing…No, given that I met them in the far future, they must be doing well right now. Perhaps their troupe hasn’t even been formed yet.

The audience’s thunderous cheers pulled me back to reality.

The performance had come to an end. I stopped listening around halfway through. Since returning to the palace, I’ve felt that the amount of time I’ve spent lost in thought has risen. Was this the influence of Rays-sama?

“Isn’t the performance fantastic?”

The lord inquired, a brilliant smile on his face, as if he were the guy who had just performed on stage.

He said he had a good relationship with the Lu Pu Zhea. They visited this place on a frequent basis.

The citizens have always looked forward to Lu Pu Zhea’s performance, which occurs twice a year. Travelers and merchants who had heard of the popularity of Lu Pu Zhea flocked to the town simply to see their performance.

The more people that came to town, the more profit the town could make. As a result, even the lord went above and beyond to prepare the town for this twice-yearly occasion. That explains why the lord appeared pleased.

“I’m going to have dinner with Zodia, the singer who was just performing on stage. Would you like to come with me?”

Originally, we were going to have dinner in town, but after seeing Rufa’s excited expression, I couldn’t refuse the lord’s offer.

***

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zodia.”

With an elegant bow, Zodia introduced herself. We also began introducing ourselves. Zodia was taken aback when it was Wickhalrt’s turn.

“Wickharlt-sama? Wickharlt-sama, are you…the Blue Bow of the 6th Division?”

“You are correct. But, by command of the King, I was transferred from the 6th Division to the 10th Division.”

“I see… So, are you on a mission today?”

“Yes, but I can’t go into specifics.”

Wickhalrt responded politely. The two looked like they came out straight of a painting.

Dinner went off without a hitch after that. Wickharlt’s dull military experience and Zodia’s journey became the topic of discussion. Soon after we’d finished our meal, the lord clapped his hand and remarked, “Ah, right.”

“Zodia is not only a fantastic singer, but she is also a brilliant fortune teller What about as a sideshow…No, calling it a sideshow would be impolite to Zodia…How about one of you asking her to divine your future?”

“That sounds interesting. Rufa, do you want to try?” Wickharlt said. Then he asked Rufa.

Rufa, who was happily munching her sandwich, paused for a second before shaking her head.

“Then how about you, Roa-dono?”

Wickharlt didn’t seem interested in having his future divined, so he handed the opportunity to me.

“Hm? But I believe my fortune will be very boring, so…” When I was going to reject, Zodia responded, “You…”

“Yes?”

“Ah, how rude of me to try to divine someone’s future without their permission. Please accept my apologies.”

“Wait, you can divine my future by just looking at me like that?”

“Ah, no. I make it a habit to observe people before divining their future. It’s like a preparation for the actual fortune telling.”

“That’s intriguing…”

Zodia appeared to hesitate as she heard my appreciating statement, then opened her mouth, as if she had made her decision.

“This may be an impolite request, but…May I divine your future?”

Zodia fixed her gaze on mine, and I responded reflexively.

“I’m sorry, but…I have to decline.”

….I mean, fortune-telling sounded a little scary.

T/N: A new character appeared! By the way, this chapter reminded me of a story of a journalist who found secret military information just by gathering gossip. Rumor and gossip can be pretty powerful if you gather a lot of it.