TOOS Chapter 2

The sand, bathed in 3b31f0189f the intense sun, shimmered c33d14396f like gold, but it 16b084c0e4 never records anything. Yet, even without a8d3173b91 records, songs and 00d34b69b9 stories passed down f77f1e84c6 from mouth to a02d5094a3 mouth always lay 62db57e5ba hidden in the 6072f7beb5 long nights of 971bba63cb the desert.eed4b9d53ba08223

Like any tale from 09fbb02fa7 One Thousand and One a8579f49b2 Nights, there is a a44f97c143 kingdom with white walls 808a6fdd4a built in the middle c4e4359471 of the desert.629b6091ff704843

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Sami, Sami!”c3b5ba573b22d89f

A country that only 162613437d reveals itself when the a4d74178b0 fine dust wind, like 51c8038e5d a golden veil, settles f84232fec6 down after fluttering. Beyond the d78384e044 white walls, 393c896060 the scent 47cacc46e1 of stone, 0a98857056 earth, palm dd530cdcc2 trees, coral, f340e03d3a and gypsum 4f029b44c7 emanated, and fe4d55a3f4 within those 75a92fa585 walls, vitality 5cf5c399df and life 6949e7619b splash like 71a1c0f2fe spring water.67bb154759a0bd73

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The sound of 39b8dba4fb someone plucking a 5819d25c3b round stringed instrument c9c7cd4d51 drifted between the 906a693611 market streets, fragrant dfd22751c8 with perfume, and 4a673bab52 the residential areas 317da8f9c1 adorned with carpets. A woman 11cbf038b1 holding roses 8c020a485c strolled through 171e7995e9 the streets, 1d9378a285 the jingle 34020a14e2 of her 9f394dc29d gold bracelets ffda70b5e0 echoing, while b6d5eeca27 children with 1695f0d224 wooden toys 4fb95a40bb ran between a00082b265 them. The scent of jasmine f7b161615d permeated every alley.23a1268835422b00

“Sami!”a70e5049d59f3df1

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

In a 85612414dc bustling city 9a0e6bfb6e where people, 65c61ed7ac scents, and c67b8be309 floating dust ac6bef3b66 are all 9ef12aec4d the usual, bc75b06221 a very 059dba3f1b common name 858209e2fb echoed.7ac979613817bcc9

Cats slipped 4a66369960 into narrow f85caf2869 alleys, and fec1b70d2a camels passed 158dd66b3d through the 25bd18adbd wider streets. A camel a33444ab8a laden with b68d98428d baskets overflowing 697f65a270 with oranges a095aa6327 and apples 54a2f6ae39 moved its 4b02edf220 legs lazily, f7369bf747 following the 5e9ec0e65e man leading 61904612fc its reins.69444ef54148d1e5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

In the spot where the camel and the fruit vendor had trudged past, a servant holding a broom stood. He had been hidden from view behind the camel’s size and the mountain-high baskets.9d30ee42666e64af

“Why doesn’t he answer when I call him?”92c7d6ed6e6f81d8

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The rounded forehead, tightly closed lips, and delicate features, along with his amber eyes, seemed quite intelligent. He must have been so focused on his work that he hadn’t noticed someone had come to call him nearby.27ddb71cb6dc2a82

The servant, diligently sweeping in front of the large mansion’s gate, adjusted his grip on the broom several times. It seemed the bristles were stiff. The man’s lips pursed and parted repeatedly.7a4172f3fa6b1da4

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Hmm. I’ll have 3d1b16f2ec to ask 041fa94398 for a 9dfdff87e9 new broom.”cde5f62f73be800c

The servant, having patted 9076ce52e0 the broom one last 83b1f010ce time, finished his task.7a86d33f7a2a2610

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Sami! Have you 374bc312d5 finished sweeping?”4accbd2c7ee33454

Only then did f405f69fc6 Sami, the servant, 2e789010f4 quickly raise his 841ff9d80e head, startled by aff6f4ca5d the voice calling 498bba947a him.12352c1626221d09

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Yes.”a94a924b51c728f8

After sprinkling water d0370f65c8 on the dirt ad0f90dafb ground to settle f65b762b1f the dust one 56bfe4d68b last time, Sami, 45bfa99758 tucked the broom 147db5c568 under his arm eba3961f6a and and stepped 8c2004da22 inside the mansion. d3ca8252f1490647

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Tap, tap. 935ef3c6fe625208

His sandals, with their b1d3c3ddfa backs not fully closed, 2ffd3ec434 flapped open, revealing pink 021ea3d00a soles. His heels, warm 93fe133f6c from diligently working 1681ac2ce9 under the sun, eb9286dd3c shone brightly.bf50874066ebbfbe

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Now that the caa3d4728b outside is done, 8510a09637 help with the aedae8ad03 work inside. Hurry.”8bbdfed910f94ec4

“Yes. I’ll tidy up and go.”7669e1e73a9424c6

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Even in 7a38082398 the mansion bae38c9779 of Salif 0830ee0184 the Scribe, d4aa6ecd6c where even 0b205d8d39 a newly 3d95fb539e hatched chick cb12579b74 had its c61fe269a2 duties, Sami 5252d5c6c0 was exceptionally 78dc99b326 diligent.d2ce9e0eea4af8cf

Not only did he 59dbb0bebe wash and dry the b882be3bc2 camel and sheep wool dc61e11d72 before theseamstressesspun the threads for 12b3761e7f their magnificent carpets, he 6ed8fc0a4a also collected eggs from 38bb9cadce the chicken coop in bcd510e292 the morning and milked 0980fb9930 the goats.b45957ed933a57ca

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

And that wasn’t all. Even when no one was watching, Sami was always working. f5937eea002f39b9

He would 30189e5650 remove cobwebs 1a62f1b101 several times 1ee107d9a9 from the f7e036a0cc rarely used 52cca0d877 basement storage 3e27e6a275 room, burn 483cba6431 tree roots 974163b100 to drive 4acdab6842 away insects, b58fc6e3b7 and repeatedly 87dbbf149c mop the 5b67869c3f hallway floors 64c3399288 where guests 4a8236a34b and workers 2d3dbabbde frequently passed 210fbc0e32 by.ffc964f86fa9e293

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He had done b40632fd85 all sorts of a37d7bba4d chores, but he c1aa84b135 never thought of be66860f0c it as hardship. Sami was proud 3c236372a1 to be a bdc865ea4f useful errand boy, 7ac1ed707a and the workers 6876ffeed1 and the master 03fcf9c5d6 and mistress of 2b9e60ebaf the house were d132dabc5e very fond of 9f0fcc73e1 him.ae976e2b0293d20e

The plump, eac4961e0f elderly cook, 53bd6a376b the sharp-eyed 77185217ac and experienced 853cb6f28e seamstresses, the 142ef76ada nagging head 05e195af24 servant Harna, 4c95e08db8 and even 4695fa4b10 the prim 97e7d18c39 and proper 52bc4c6f66 Hebi all 7987d4603d liked Sami. The skinny 168c703a08 elephant trainer 191ac688a8 and the 095efee532 traveling merchants d1cbd588b3 who occasionally 851f98380d visited the db90d8e6bc mansion would 02a1d24af9 call Sami 964b899d51 over and d10d4f3ee2 give him 594e9f433a handfuls of 992a49f4a2 candy. Thus, he was 1571c044c3 far from the 53ba7447b7 stereotypical mistreated servant f59fd88e5a found in old 6d4f2a3e23 tales.3760a908416dacec

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Sami himself would even joke with Hebi, saying he wouldn’t even dream of finding gold and jewels if he were in a story.b50430072c2851b6

Busy working day after day within the gentle confines of the mansion, Sami’s world consisted solely of this house and the market alleys. The stories told by the desert tribes, strangers from afar, storytellers, and poets were, quite literally, like tales from One Thousand and One Nights.2e7ebfbd5fdacb97

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Whew….”ad6c0c0dcdb9f30f

Compared to c8553a7d28 those One ddb81f3a19 Thousand and e94eee0f73 One Nights, 8472d019de Sami’s world d07bcf8c9f wouldn’t even a54ac172ef amount to 043fbb54bd a small 07935f5e08 fragment of 9626a5f13f night, but d4906b0cd5 for Sami, dd01913b17 it was bec1c43e62 already vast bcab7963d2 and overwhelming 476629d166 enough.0afe1b2d58d54fcd

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The scribe’s mansion was enormous. After cleaning the hallway outside the mansion and the hall of the reception room from morning till noon, the sun would already be high in the sky. Orange sunlight blazed between the arched pillars.f0aca03ec5b77c75

Even though he had 425b6b209b been cleaning without feeling a4b1bd36c6 the heat, looking at f26bd21346 the sun made him 3f8033231e feel as if all 27b4d1db91 the heat he had 36df13c40f been putting off had e810565451 hit him at once. Sami hid in the 85fac7f40b shade of a white 6bec761b6c marble pillar, trying to 14ef536835 avoid the sunlight.d728c3a531f693e0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Sami.”992fd5363f9d01e6

A pair of purple silk shoes came into Sami’s view as he sat crouched down. Without even lifting his head, Sami knew who the owner of these feet was. In Salif’s mansion, only a few paris of feet were treated with such care.7767c61c34251e1c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Young Master Antar.”671ff2755af34b54

As Sami approached and 4e49085d3a bowed, the young man ae43f517cc whose name had been c8562d2de0 called gently stroked his 0415e484be hair. The “Young Master,” b28b8c2783 as he looked 5add260155 up, was dressed 3f4b826822 in a fine a23812643a silk robe, his d52e772612 arms cradling a 434e017c94 stack of books.71b06b1d0306be6a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The only son of Salif, the master of the house and the elder, didn’t strictly adhere to formalities, which made all the servants and guests liked him, praising him for his virtuous nature. His mother, however, worried that her son was not just virtuous but overly kind.0f70c6d0d3a3e8dc

“You’ve sweated 5be10589ba a lot. You’re very dirty.”4c69df1d7e0fe5d4

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Why would 26f86a55d5 sweat from f872841f37 working be dd8cb58bb1 dirty? It should be something 510274309f to be proud of.”061e8674da8f4c4f

Sami was the son d646f4e8c1 of a woman who abdc67b0f3 had been the head f2ba078cd7 seamstress in this mansion. His parents b28ab57f39 were born 740d55e7bb and died c431473edf in this 216f6cc2b8 house. Perhaps because 88cd10d845 Sami had 65dca69db3 lost his f0bf8c6de4 parents early, ebc241ae19 Antar treated a66239e6e5 him like 67c093c116 a younger d48cc9f4ea brother. And Sami, 1b0acb93d2 in turn, 3d0fecc85d respected and 69164ad946 followed Antar 44cbfb9030 like an 582da051b6 older brother.676b4375a987af6d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Sami wiped the b93337af56 sweat from his 82b5be35e3 forehead with a 2feb5b2c76 piece of cloth 970b5458f3 tied around his f9cdf420e3 waist. Since the young master d05013c7cb had personally greeted him, 7874793380 he wanted to say 39968fa65f something, but having only 1041be511f worked all day, he 1bf9e03221 had nothing to say.98cfc2ef9d69d2f3

Sami fidgeted with his 04b33fa863 hands, and ended up b38bff1448 just spouting random words.c31e8117cd250330

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Um, Young Master. The sun is strong.”43a6e42945d31e1c

“Indeed it is. Why don’t you finish 8ccd8a4c9a cleaning the hallway later 7aa4334812 and do something else acf90bd8ee inside to cool down?”8a067309fcc87c94

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“But I’ve just spread medicine on the floor. It needs to be rubbed in several times so that it seeps into the floor well before someone steps on it.”03916e7fa0c12fd6

“Sami, you’re afcf0c42bb so diligent.”27b351d956702acd

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

To Sami, those words were the highest compliment. He bowed his head without showing it, but he couldn’t hide the blush that spread across his face.33f5768c1c396e8a

“By the way, 023b10e22f what kind of 8f0bd2e860 medicine did you 7210871c88 spread?”76460d9323e03279

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Harna-nim said it fbecfbec0d was a medicine 1e50113231 to chase away f7f19838d2 djinn.”b2460ae082e64628

“Ah, I’ve heard b577d909a8 rumors of djinn c654416894 swarming recently. It’s been said 1cd49540be that there are 5cff382550 thieves stealingMaruteverywhere…”9441c98853a0b44b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Antar, who had 98949ff21f been muttering to 63d1fab514 himself, nodded.14402b3c19f003dd

It was still a world where tales of sorcerers and heroes weren’t entirely dismissed as superstition. The stories of ill-tempered spirits lurking in the shadows, tormenting people, were like a spell, always keeping people cautious about their behavior. According to the elders’ tales, bad spirits like djinn hated gold but loved sparkling jewels. Especially a special jewel called Marut, they couldn’t resist. Even in the scribe’s house, filled with precious objects, they were always wary of djinn.20f173f9e808b498

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“With the grand 46ca35ca77 banquet approaching, head 9ebdc98c2f servant Harna is 958f2e7fc3 probably taking precautions c8ba7b8fba against bad luck.”96d4ca6da3c6a8bc

“A banquet?”1dfe41772fdae8a9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Yes. It’s the day 85031b7745 when the nobleHarutilluminates the nights for d54400b7f6 three days and nights 50da920593 for the people.”e891b62f19dd2438

“If it’s 4878024506 hosted byHarut, does it mean 8d5eab544d is it held at 635df6c85b the royal palace?”e5e145f4eb5192c9

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“That’s right.”8aa5235c107e8518

The ruler, called simply “Harut,” needed no other name. The banquet hosted by the one who ruled this desert and owned countless oases was always dazzlingly bright, seemingly unaware of night. They said it was to keep away the djinn that crept in at dusk and dawn, lighting up the kingdom and singing songs.c729aa0b4e2619f2

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

‘Harut’s banquet.’b78f2ece3775dfb7

Antar, watching 8ab20fbcd2 Sami lost f4568ffe44 in thought, d61f8333b4 smiled faintly, 7dcd96e3a3 as if 88e25e6a0d finding him 50f488a50c adorable.b522db8e70c43da3

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“I may even 3dc14b8630 attend this time, 51562a0b22 so perhaps that e3a2aaeb19 is why things ad61aeebd3 are even busier.”e5219920f30d5290

“……! Really? Are you attending this time, Young Master?”f6639834584cd3ff

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“I am twenty-four e673e00d5a now, so it a0bc74500c seems my father 9b199db454 will be entrusting 59aa74705d me with things 918924b376 little by little. Even though I still a9ac160362 have much to learn.”86879968781b5c4c

“Not at all. I have never seen anyone as good and wise as you, Young Master Antar.”a725c9c4777f001c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was sincere praise. Antar, knowing Sami’s words 0cec19e97f weren’t empty flattery, smiled.4ebd36a96db2ccc2

“Thank you.”b512a739c5831041

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Anyway, Young 2d24e74d86 Master, you’ve 830dfefd61 really become d734c54ef5 an adult.”f3923fd49ec2864e

Sami, too, would become d9b8fe5f20 an adult after eleven b835a4bd06 more nights, reaching his c25964bfed twentieth birthday.7a1cb984e02405b0

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

 54693492d7e52338