Episode 17 of Orb: On Movements of the Earth (Season 1) introduces Draka, a resilient young nomadic villager who was orphaned at a young age and left in the care of her only living relative—an opportunistic, alcoholic uncle. Despite her harsh upbringing, Draka has carved out a place for herself in the community, earning both the respect and trust of the village Chief through her dedication and resourcefulness.
One day, while loitering in an abandoned village building, Draka’s uncle is captured by Bishop Antoni. Desperate to save himself, he strikes a deal with Antoni, agreeing to hand over Draka in exchange for his freedom. Unaware of the betrayal, Draka is lured to the abandoned village under false pretenses, where she stumbles upon a notebook left behind by Frei. Initially viewing it as a potential means of financial gain, she realizes a bit too late that she has walked into a carefully laid trap set by her own uncle.
This article contains spoilers.
Orb: On Movements of the Earth (Season 1) Episode 17 “I Could Make A Lot Of Money With This Book… Maybe” Recap:
The episode opens with a young nomadic girl, Draka, falling on a pile of coins, upset that this much money won’t be enough to save Draka from the fear of death. In a flashback, we see a nun give a young Draka a blood-stained cloth with a few coins that Draka’s father left behind. At present, Draka is a part of a village community and is helping the Chief of the village to draw maps of some abandoned villages.
Seeing the sketch, the Chief is impressed. The agreement was that Draka would draw a sketch, and the Chief had to listen to what Draka had to say. Now, Draka says that since all the money that is collected is distributed equally among the villagers, some villagers get lazy. So the solution is to reward the person who puts in a lot of effort. This way, there will be competition among the villagers to do better.
However, the village Chief is against the idea as it is not good to be greedy, and the villagers are happy with what they get. The Chief acknowledges that Draka is one person who thinks about the well-being of the villagers and works very hard. It is because of Draka that the villagers can collect fabrics and turn them into new products. Unfortunately, Draka needs more money, but the Chief is unable to understand why. Later that night, Draka gives dinner to her old uncle. At that time, Draka proposed a new system of labor. Draka’s uncle understands Draka but dismisses the idea as it will break the unity of the village and make room for disparity.
What are the three magic spells?
In a flashback, we see a young Draka crying every morning by the river. One day, Draka’s uncle confronts Draka about her reason for doing this every morning, which worries the villagers. She says it is to mourn for her father, and the reason Draka comes away from the tent is because she does not want to upset anyone, as everyone says Draka’s father is in heaven. Mourning her father means that Draka is going against God’s will. So Draka’s uncle teaches Draka three magic spells to conduct her life.
The first is to believe God does not exist. There isn’t proof of God’s existence, but that understanding is what makes everyone believers. By not believing in God, people have the choice to act in their own way and protect what they want. The second spell is to think. By thinking, it means learning to read and write and making connections to things that seem unrelated. Once these two steps are mastered, the third spell is conviction, which will unfold itself.
This leaves Draka thinking about her father’s death. The reason Draka’s father died was that the family did not have money, and because of this, Draka’s father had to take risks and earn money. The realization turned into a conviction for Draka to make so much money until her fear was gone. One night, Draka’s uncle hangs out in an underground basement where he stores wine.
As Draka’s uncle is drinking and reading, he can hear Bishop Antoni and his men coming down the stairs. Bishop Antoni arrests Draka’s uncle. Since Draka’s uncle’s conviction is to live no matter what, he makes an offer to Bishop Antoni. If Antoni lets him go, then Draka’s uncle will bring a girl in exchange. At this moment, three churchmen arrive to inform Antoni that they have lost sight of Schmidt and his men, but Antoni is more interested in Draka’s uncle.
Orb: On Movements of the Earth (Season 1) Episode 17 “I Could Make A Lot Of Money With This Book… Maybe” Ending Explained:
The next morning, Draka’s uncle tells Draka that her fate is going to change, and she needs to prepare for it. Since it is her uncle, Draka is prepared to take on any challenge. That night, Draka and her uncle arrive at the abandoned village. There, Draka’s uncle asks Draka to hang out in one of the houses. Inside the house, Draka finds the notebook Frei had left. After reading the book, Draka thinks she can make a lot of money from it. But before publishing it, Draka understands that this book is provocative. To make money from this, the topic needs to be widely accepted. As history suggests, something that is widely accepted is the concept of God. Although, from the time Draka is born, people have grown suspicious of the church and its ways, and this book can change the way people think.
Another thought arises as Draka thinks this book must be popular, and only Draka has not heard about it. A peculiar thing is there aren’t any names in the book nor the name of the author. Only in the end is there a mention of giving 10% of the profits to a man named Potocki. Suddenly, Draka hears her uncle and heads out to find Bishop Antoni and his troop waiting. When Antoni asks if Draka is the girl, Draka’s uncle affirms. Seeing Draka Antoni says he can get a lot of money. Now, Draka understands her uncle’s plan, but she does not seem to be frightened.
The man at the end of the last episode turns out to be a nomadic villager. Antoni has a huge troop behind him, and he seems to be doing all kinds of atrocious things. Draka is the child we saw in the previous episode who ran away to save her life. In this episode, we see the events prior to Schmidt and his men’s arrival at the abandoned village. Now that Draka has the notebook, she will take it seriously and publish it, bringing about a change in her society. However, before that can happen, Draka needs to escape and hide from Antoni. In the next episode, we may see Draka’s true warrior-like spirit as she fights against her uncle and Antoni.
