CHAPTER 232: THE MEN WHO MARRY

"You two are lucky, you know," Bona said as he took a clean set of clothes from a wooden box in the corner and began to change. "Today’s the wedding of Dargo and Aphila! I was fishing to catch something special for their feast. Thanks to you guys, we’ll be eating like kings tonight. Come celebrate with us."

"That’s wonderful," Dominic said with a small smile. "I also have something I’d like to ask the villagers about, so we’ll join you."

"Oh? Something you want to ask?"

At that, Dominic pulled out a small stone fragment covered in ancient inscriptions. The carvings shimmered faintly under the light.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" he asked. "The symbols, letters, or markings similar to these, anywhere around here?"

Bona took the fragment in his hands and examined it closely, turning it over several times.

After a while, he shook his head and handed it back.

"Nope, can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like it. Around here, everything either sinks or gets buried over time. Nothing old tends to last long. But hey, I’ll ask around for you."

"That would be a big help. Thank you," Dominic said politely.

"Don’t worry about it," Bona replied, waving his hand and laughing again.

Watching him, Shiao Yi thought to himself how genuinely kind these people were. They didn’t seem corrupted or wary, they are very open toward new people and good-natured.

Following Bona, they made their way to the village square.

Most of the residents were already there, they were chatting happily as they chopped up the giant fish from earlier and tossed the pieces into large pots.

The skin and guts were scraped off and dropped through the gaps in the wooden planks, where they fell into the mud below.

Apparently, the fish living in the marsh would took care of the leftovers.

Nearby, there was a well or rather, a long hollow tube made of something that looked like thick bamboo.

It pierced through the wooden floor down into the ground.

The tube reached deeper than the muddy layer, drawing up clear water.

"You just stick one of these tubes into the ground anywhere," Bona explained while picking up one of the spare tubes lying on the side, "and then say the water spell. Easy as that."

So it was like a magic instant faucet.

This world was full of strange conveniences, Shiao Yi thought feeling amused.

"Even babies around here can do it," Bona bragged proudly.

Apparently, this was a kind of traditional water magic passed down in the Mare Village and the surrounding marshlands.

Even in places with less water, being able to pull groundwater up through a single tube would be incredibly useful.

The walkways of the village were uneven in places, but the square itself was made of sturdy, flat boards. Some people sat around casually while sipping tea and chatting while they relaxed.

On a slightly raised platform in the center of the square stood two young men side by side, likely the couple being celebrated.

They looked about the same age.

One had a build similar to Bona’s, average and strong, while the other was much larger, both taller and broader.

They smiled at each other often, their faces full of happiness and greeted everyone who came up to talk to them with friendly warmth.

Following Shiao Yi’s gaze, a large middle-aged man with a motherly look noticed what he was staring at and smiled as he leaned closer to explain.

"That pair over there," said the large, friendly man, pointing toward the raised platform. "They’re the stars of the day, the groom and the bride."

Shiao Yi blinked his eyes in confusion. "But... they both look like men."

"Of course they are," the man replied, looking at him as if it were obvious. "Most couples here are between men."

"What?" Shiao Yi’s voice cracked slightly, unable to hide his surprise.

The big man gave him a puzzled look.

"What, it’s not like that where you’re from? Aren’t you two a married couple?"

"Eh? Uh... well... yes, kind of..." Shiao Yi’s face turned bright red.

He didn’t know where to look.

An older man nearby stepped in to explain kindly. "It’s normal around here, but there are places where men can’t marry each other."

"Really? That’s strange," said the big man. "Wouldn’t that mean they’d run out of children and die out eventually?"

"Eh?" Shiao Yi blurted completely lost now.

Seeing their confused faces, the elderly man chuckled and explained patiently.

"You can probably tell by looking, but there are hardly any women here. The whole village has about fifty people, but only three are women. One’s an old grandmother, one’s a baby not even a month old and the last one isn’t much younger than me. It’s always been like that, far more men than women."

Shiao Yi felt his mind freeze. That ratio would destroy a species. It was nowhere near enough to sustain a population.

"That’s why," the old man continued calmly, "when two men become a pair, one of them changes and becomes female, so they can bear children. It’s been that way in this region since ancient times."

Shiao Yi nearly fell over.

A shock ran through him.

Then he remembered, back on Earth, there were creatures that could change their sex too.

Fish, frogs... certain species could shift from male to female when their population was threatened or when environmental changes made survival difficult.

"So," Dominic said beside him while leaning in with clear interest, "two men can have children together."

Of course he would be interested, Shiao Yi thought. Maybe Dominic really wanted a child of their own. Truth be told, Shiao Yi didn’t completely hate the idea. If it was Dominic’ child, maybe... maybe he wouldn’t mind having it.

The old man nodded his head thoughtfully, his eyes studying Dominic’ strong muscular frame. "You look like you’d father healthy children."

Then Bona suddenly spoke up, grinning. "Wait a second, have you two not had a wedding yet? You said there are places where men can’t officially marry, right?"