Alligator: Lord Gator

Dustforget Manor is all gold inlay and jade masonry, yet in its pleasure pool floats a piece of "rotten wood".

That "rotten wood" is a grayish-brown lump, its back like old tree bark, its eyes like balls of muddy clay. Lying still, it really does look like a soaked, rotting log, utterly out of place among all the pearls and jewels, carved railings and painted beams.

Now and then a guest comes close and jumps back half a step in fright: "Why keep such a fierce beast? How ugly, and how frightful it looks."

But when a distinguished guest who has long stayed at the manor passes by the pool, they stop and respectfully call out to that rotten wood: "Lord Gator."

When someone is puzzled, they laugh: "Fierce beast? This is Lord Gator, an auspicious beast that guards the house and wards off evil, and draws in wealth and treasure. A thousand pieces of gold couldn't buy one."

Those frowning guests change their tune at once. The ones who had said "ugly" now cup their hands and marvel: "Dustforget Manor indeed, even what they keep in the pool is this precious."

The ones who had said "frightful" now say: "Look at that bearing, truly extraordinary." And men of letters and poets compose rhapsodies praising the beast as neither sad nor glad, full of Zen.

Yet it is neither rotten wood nor a lord. But who cares?

Fortune and misfortune, noble and base, beauty and ugliness, high and low: all are only what people say, and what people say is a fearsome thing.

Translated by AI from the Chinese game text. It is replaced automatically when the official English text ships.