Chapter 39

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Chapter 39: Work

The people following the soldiers saw what they were working on.

Groups of soldiers lined up at the ruins of Angaso Forest, with many tools like shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows piled outside the forest. Under the command of the officer, they scattered to move large pieces of deadwood and clear rocks and dry branches to the side.

The collapsed dead trees on the ground were just empty shells, the dried logs were as light as loose corks on a wine bottle. Thick trees that could only be encircled by two hands could be lifted by just two people, which was quite remarkable visually. These decayed wood, hollow like radish dried, were not much heavier than a person, either shriveled or hollowed out as if eaten by insects. Many rain-soaked dead trees could not be lifted from the ground; the effort to pry them out would break them into pieces. In the end, the soldiers had to use shovels to smash the wood and then shovel the fragments into small carts to remove them.

The accompanying carpenters were greatly disappointed; these decayed woods worse than those eaten by termites were clearly unusable.

Angaso Forest was quite vast. The large army that initially brought the Magic Cannon could not clear a substantial area in one or two days, and the remaining soldiers could not expect to clear much in a day either. By the end of the day’s work, they had probably cleared about half of the square’s area. The captain stood on top of the piled wood, raised the bottle in his hand, signaling for all the soldiers and onlookers to look at him.

Everyone saw the captain take a water bottle the size of his palm after finishing eating. But none of the soldiers could get anything else from the stall in front of the hut afterwards. No one asked further, taking it as a special service for the commander. At that moment, Captain Halite raised the bottle and announced loudly, "Starting tomorrow, everyone will use the potion in this bottle to purify the land! However, no one is allowed to drink anything from it, or there will be no cure!"

The audience nodded in agreement, but the captain wasn’t done yet. He waved to the side, and his assistant brought a cage of big rats. Following the captain’s orders, he deliberately paraded the rats around the crowd to show how lively and active these local rats were.

After circling around, the rats ended up in the captain’s hands. Captain Halite opened a bottle and poured a little onto the cage.

People in the front rows could see a terrifyingly colored liquid poured out of the bottle, like moldy octopus ink. It was purple with a hint of green, turning black within the green. Nobody would want to drink it. But as soon as the captain opened the lid, a pleasant fragrance wafted out of the bottle, enticing everyone’s senses. The soldiers who had been working all day couldn’t help but swallow saliva. The rats evidently felt the same, as a few big domestic rats quickly stood up and jostled to lick the liquid on top of the cage. After a few licks, they suddenly flipped over.

When the assistant lifted the cage containing the dead rats for everyone to see, those who witnessed the horrific scene no longer had any desire to think about the liquid in the bottle.

"This is a special potion provided by our allies. It’s poisonous to live animals, but it works as a remedy for the contaminated land by using poison against poison, allowing it to gradually return to its previous state," explained Captain Halite in simpler terms. "Starting tomorrow, we will sprinkle this potion in suitable locations, just like this!"

Colonel Halite evenly sprinkled the remaining liquid from the bottle onto the pile of dry wood at his feet. Onlookers widened their eyes, watching as the branches and leaves soaked in the potion began to tremble as if they were set on fire. They were amazed by the strange reaction between the peculiar water and the strange wood, eagerly waiting for the commotion to settle and return to calmness.

As the dry wood pile showed no further changes, both soldiers and civilians looked expectant, hoping for some more vivid outcomes, such as the wood turning white, suddenly catching fire (of course, the captain would have to jump off first), or evaporating into thin air… and so forth. The current unfinished state, like a half-baked trick, somewhat disappointed those who were ready to witness Hybrid sorcery.

Ignoring the matter, the captain jumped down and ordered his assistant to burn the pile of dry wood. He told the soldiers, "There will be specific tasks assigned tomorrow. Remember not to eat it, and return the bottle after pouring. Understood?" After receiving affirmative responses, he began to organize the troops.

Both soldiers and onlookers kept looking back towards the forest, unsure of what they were looking for. The captain mentioned that the Hybrids were still there, and this nearby area, far from humans, would make a good habitat. As the sun began to set, people could not help but search for traces of the Hybrids, either out of fear or anticipation. Naturally, they found nothing.

The forest is still messy, and the former forest residents now live under the forest.

Two teams who set up stalls in Red Gum County and Deer Horn Town closed up, leaving onlookers discussing whether the newly built cabin for four people was too crowded. "Don’t they need to wash up?" someone said. "How many beds do they need to sleep in?" another person asked. People outside gestured the size of the cabin, speculating that once a four-person bed is placed, there won’t be much room to move around, let alone the fact that they didn’t bring beds when they built the cabin. Then people began talking about the food that seemed to magically appear from somewhere, speculating that maybe it could be stored in a magical space for storing food.

"No matter how human-like they look, they are not humans after all," people finally agreed, "This is the work of Hybrid magic."

With that said, they no longer found it strange at all.

Neither Amazon nor Craftsman Dwarf have the ability to create space pockets. Tasha doesn’t either, dungeon is a very convenient cheat tool. The dungeon extended below the town, and the reason for the existence of the cabin was just to block the view. Under the wooden boards, the empty cabin only had one passage, which could be sealed off again when they returned. Gnomes’ excellent craftsmanship could make the ground as smooth as new, even if daring thieves visited, they wouldn’t find any trace of them inside the cabin.

The two teams on duty today returned, and their families and friends were already waiting on the way back, ready with a sumptuous dinner and warm embraces. There was a buzz of comforting words and answers, no one could listen to all of them at once – except, of course, Tasha who had all-knowing abilities. She sorted out a few conversations, listening to the talks between dungeon residents and their families, and also to the live stream discussions of the surface people by the ghosts, finding it quite amusing. It was like watching a group of zebras in a natural reserve pointing and discussing newcomers just like the researchers would observe the zebras.

No one knew which side was the zebras.

The Amazon warrior woman in Deer Horn Town, Dolores, sounded quite irritable, complaining to her sisters that she had to spend the whole day being stared at by a bunch of idiots, wasting time that should have been used for training. Tasha deliberately selected Amazons who had not lost any family or friends in recent battles with humans, but Dolores really didn’t seem well-suited for this, she sounded like she was ready to draw her sword after another day. Her twin sister comforted her, telling Dolores to come down and swap shifts with her when she couldn’t bear it anymore.

The older warrior woman, named Karlo, on the other hand, was relatively calm. She reported to the queen of the Amazons the approximate population of the city she visited, and roughly how many people of fighting age could be warriors. "Not worth mentioning," she said disdainfully, "They don’t even dare to look me in the eye." – Tasha was now sure she was deliberately glaring at people, a clerk using her gaze to intimidate/provoke all potential customers, quite the Amazon. Her tone was filled with a eager sense of responsibility, confident that the current setting up of stalls was just a Trojan horse tactic, ready to pounce and fight at any time.

The male Amazonian talked about the first time he saw a human town, discussing the people’s clothes, nearby shops, and their way of life. "Those people were so rude, their stares felt like they were sizing up precious animals, as if we wouldn’t feel uncomfortable," one person shook their head. Another person agreed, saying, "But at least they didn’t attack us, and their shoes did look nice."

"Next time, I’ll remember to cut off the enemy’s feet," his friend, a young warrior, said while resting his chin on his hand.

"That’s disgusting!" he grimaced, making a face like he was going to throw up, "I refuse to wear shoes made from dead people!"

"Then you can have them take off their shoes if they want something to eat," the warrior woman shrugged, "Those troublemakers destroyed our home, they owe us."

Many Amazonians showed agreement.

The atmosphere on the other side was much more lively. Almost all Craftsman Dwarves crowded in their grand dining hall, surrounding the four returning members like they were heroes. These Dwarves, who grew up in Wanderer Camp, had never been to a human town before – visiting a small village was fine, but encountering patrols in a town was possible, so a county town seemed as mysterious as a castle to them. What did a county town look like? Did it have castles? Were people riding horses? Were they all soldiers? Were there many Red Setters walking on the streets? Were humans fierce or not?… A hundred thousand questions rushed towards the surrounded individuals from all directions, voices buzzing like a group of noisy bees. Tasha saw the person being questioned nodding or shaking their head now and then, she doubted if these Craftsman Dwarves actually heard the questions, and if the ones asking knew which gesture was the response.

Two teams finished their work, but Tasha herself continued working.

She continued working in the kitchen, throwing vegetable leaves into a big pot without washing them, sprinkling some salt casually, and serving it after a quick boil. The skill of [Add One More Spoonful of Sugar] had to be completed through cooking, but there was room for trickery in "cooking" after all, preparing a grand feast and cooking a bowl of instant noodles both counted as cooking. After a series of experiments, the vegetable soup Tasha made now took the shortest time, used the least magic, and was the most cost-effective purification potion.

Marion assisted next to her, it was also part of the training. She was responsible for diluting the vegetable soup to the right consistency, coloring it (there was a type of berry in the new kitchen food, its juice would turn into a disgusting color after oxidizing, adding it to the soup helped avoid accidental consumption), then filling the bottles without spilling a drop. This patient work was also part of Marion’s emotional control training, as Tasha focused on her work here, acting as if she hadn’t seen Marion’s ears perk up and droop, hadn’t seen her silently hiss when accidentally spilling another bottle of potion, and a furry tail snuck out from under her skirt, swiping frantically.

Another person helping here must share half the blame for Marion’s anger.

"I won’t eat anything you make!" Saro Saint Child Samuel declared again, "I haven’t made any deals with you! I just can’t stand to see the land continue to suffer from such evil curses, that’s all!"

"Alright. Would you like some more milk?" Mavis asked kindly.

"…Half a cup, please." Samuel said softly, then raised his voice, "I’m not thanking you as a Hybrid like you! I’m only saying thank you because Saroism teaches us to be polite!"

Marion crushed the bottle in her hand, the low growl rumbling in her throat made Samuel’s hand holding the cup shake and the milk almost spilled out.

This was unavoidable as the potion to clear negative energy could only be made by Tasha herself, diluting the potion was the only way to increase efficiency other than cooking. The thinner the herbal potion, the smaller area it could purify, beyond a certain point, it might even fail, so how to mix and divide to let a pot of potion purify the largest area of land was not only about precise calculations but also accurate measurements.

Tasha could sense curses and purification, but it was just a vague feeling. The Saint Child of Saro could see with evil eyes working as a highly accurate measuring device here, responsible for coordinating experiments to find the best formula and then checking if each bottle of potion was properly diluted.

Having Marion and Samuel work together, how do I put it, it’s like walking a dog and a cat that don’t get along well at the same time.

There’s also someone creating chaos.

"Oh, oh, your little dog is about to transform! Do you think she will get so excited and bite off the throat of Saint Child of Saro?"

"Tsk, too scared to follow through."

"That priest took out the Prideful Sun Rod! Is this silly priest really going to try to whack the Orc with a rod? …Oh, Abyss, even more ridiculous than I thought! He actually wants to purify the Orc with the Prideful Sun Rod? Is he here to entertain us?"

"The little dog is really mad, Orcs act before they think, if something really happens, what will you do? Make her stand next to the dead body of Saint Child holding a sign saying ‘Sorry, I’m a naughty dog who bites people’ as punishment?"

"The priest is praying, be careful, before the suicidal attack by Saro’s crazy fanatics, we should be prepared. If you get bitten by a well-fed fly, I will mock you for at least fifty years."

"Hahahaha? Help, he wants to purify… hahaha… purify the elves? Why doesn’t he go purify unicorns? (laughing uncontrollably)"

If Victor’s comments are publicly aired, there is a fifty percent chance it will provoke a fight between the Worgen girl and the Pastor of Saro immediately, and the remaining fifty percent chance will temporarily put aside their grievances and fight together, first give Victor a beating. Tasha thought, if demons are all like him, in the end, the Abyss will become the scapegoat king and "peace ambassador" of all Aryan races, it’s truly self-inflicted.

Even demons can die from being reckless.

Tasha doesn’t mind this background noise, it feels like having the TV on while cooking, listening to a comedy show as entertainment. She laughed a few times, thankful for her poker face that made her seem mysterious, calm, and dignified.

Plus they wouldn’t really fight.

Tasha watched as Mavis walked between Samuel and Marion, ignoring their intense gazes. "Snack time!" She cheerfully placed a tray in Marion’s hand, with a small dish holding a pudding topped with jam. The pudding was shaped like a cute wolf head. Marion ate the pudding’s ears, and the tail under her dress swayed. Mavis mumbled to herself, "What to do, seems like there’s extra smoked fish in the kitchen, should we throw it away?"

"Saroism teaches us not to waste!" Samuel said firmly, "Let me handle this delicious leftover meal that should not be wasted…erm, I mean leftovers!"

"Thank you, respected nursery school director Mrs. Mavis," Tasha sincerely expressed her gratitude.

The next day, the soldiers heading to Angaso Forest found that someone had already arrived early.

They appeared like ordinary people, but dressed uniformly and stood out from the locals. The army was in turmoil: Captain’s army had never faced the Amazonians directly, but in the battle involving the Magic Cannon, some survivors from a defeated army were integrated into the Captain’s team. These people shouted upon recognizing familiar faces, realizing that the fierce enemies who had killed countless in the previous battle at Angaso Forest, those warrior women with superb archery skills, were standing just a few meters away, looking at them unfriendly.

The military officers in the team reprimanded these people, and some overly excited soldiers were singled out. Captain still led the team today. He briefly exchanged words with the leader of the women wearing head adornments, then led the team to a non-overlapping area and announced the start of the clean-up.

The tension between the construction teams on both sides remained high, ignoring each other and working hard. Occasionally, someone would glance at the other side with unfriendly looks. If the content of the hushed conversations reached the other side, it could trigger a small-scale scuffle. Fortunately, the area planned by Tasha was just right, neither side could ignore the other, nor could they hear each other.

The previously startled soldiers underwent some ideological education and soothing before being let go. After Captain’s speech and instructions from various officers, the soldiers knew they would cooperate with their former enemies and were mentally prepared. The Amazonians obeyed the queen’s command and knew that this group of soldiers at present hadn’t directly wronged them. In this way, they could coexist without conflict for the time being.

Besides that, there was a "third party" entering the scene.

When a part of the forest was cleared, a person in a robe appeared. He wore a crown on his head, held a staff in his hand, and the golden patterns on his white robe sparkled in the sunlight. Pastor of Saro held his head high, wearing clothing that had been hidden by his ancestors for hundreds of years. His fingers trembled slightly with excitement, but his steps were more steady and resolute than ever. The saints who could hear the words of God hundreds of years ago were with him, as well as the holy ones who had hidden and preserved the teachings in the darkness for centuries. This moment was worthy of being recorded in history, as the priest of the sun stood in the sunlight once again.

A mysterious force made most people stop their work, turning their heads to look at the young Saint Child in the sunlight. His face was covered with a layer of holy light, a radiance of believers that left most people speechless. Who could be disrespectful to such a person at this moment? Finally, a very blunt soldier couldn’t resist and greeted him.

"Doctor!" he exclaimed, "Why are you dressed like a big rabbit?"

Samuel’s holy expression shattered instantly. After holding it in for a while, he couldn’t bear it any longer and yelled, "This is Saro’s ceremonial robe!"

The Cult of Saul was once a popular sect in Aryan, and the clergy’s attire was very pleasing to the human eye, solemn, holy, and beautiful. The luxurious decorations on the ceremonial robe, passed down for hundreds of years, still shone brightly. The holy crown was magnificent, adorned with precious gems and golden tassels, making Tasha unintentionally respect the Saro believers who, despite being poor, refused to sell their attire. However, despite its subtle luxury, the ceremonial robe with golden patterns looked pure white at first glance. Two white and round pieces of cloth were attached to the front of the holy crown, hanging from the sides of Saint Child of Saro’s face to his shoulders, extremely eye-catching, making him look like a large floppy-eared rabbit.

Victor’s image in Tasha’s mind was so funny that she might have tears from laughing so hard. Between fits of laughter, he gasped and said, "That priest, he’s wearing the crown backward hahaha…"

Poor thing, it was hard not to laugh. The attire of the Saro priest was very complex, so it was understandable if there were minor issues with wearing it properly. Tasha looked compassionately at the Saint Child of Saro, who only had the chance to dress neatly once every few hundred years, and decided to tell him about it later.

Despite the failed entrance, work had to continue. Samuel was there to oversee the division of the area, responsible for observing the coverage of the purifying potion, marking grids, and checking for any missed spots after everyone finished watering. Wearing this outfit was probably for missionary purposes. His intentions were clear to Tasha, so she had no intention of stopping him, regardless of Victor’s previous exaggerations.

If the Cult of Saul is really as harmful as a pyramid scheme, how did its influence come to this point today?

Samuel’s joining not only helped in purifying the work in Angaso Forest, but also livened up the atmosphere – as he passionately explained that those were not rabbit ears, laughter could be heard from both sides of the crowd. He truly acted like a qualified pastor, making the tense situation peaceful, although not in the way he expected.

But it seems he was unaware of it.

On the fourth day, some soldiers teased him while they were resting. "Pastor! Mr. Pastor of Saro!" they shouted, "Come on! Show us the glory of Saro!"

"Is the glory of Saro something that can be summoned with just a few words?" Samuel said sternly.

"Praise Saro!"

People shouted knowingly, mimicking him as he uttered a few complicated prayer words. Samuel then smiled humbly, his face beaming with the satisfaction of successful preaching, raising the Prideful Sun Rod in his hand.

As the Prideful Sun Rod shone brightly in his hand, the soldiers applauded, and the Amazonian warriors also showed relaxed expressions.

As the week passed, a soldier gave a curious Amazonian youth a cigarette. Despite the youth coughing continuously and getting scolded by his mother for taking the cigarette, the next morning he still tossed a wooden flute to the soldier from a distance as a thank you gift for the cigarette.

In the second half of the second week, there was a delicious chicken soup for lunch. An Amazon warrior, who was very hungry that day, stood too close in line and forgot to keep a distance of half a meter from the soldier in front of her. She couldn’t resist peeking forward eagerly and the person in front suddenly said, "It smells amazing, I bet they added vanilla bean."

The Amazonian realized she was too close, but she never backed down. So she pretended like nothing was wrong and just mumbled, "Mm-hmm."

"Oh, I love vanilla bean. How did they get it? There’s none to buy in town. Those darn bandits have blocked the northern road, so we can’t get any. Those northern troublemakers." The soldier continued without looking back.

The Amazonian struggled for a full half minute, because she also loved vanilla bean, even though her family didn’t. Oh well, what harm could a few words do? The other person had said so much already, if someone had to give in, it should be the other side. Thinking this, she casually said, "Vanilla bean is nice."

The soldier turned around surprised, realizing the person behind him was not a fellow soldier. He remembered the boastful stories his comrades told about facing fierce Amazon women and how they would bravely outwit them with human eloquence. But this situation felt different. He was supposed to be insulting vanilla bean enthusiasts for no reason during lunchtime. Scratching his head in distress, he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again…

"What do you want to say?" the woman behind him crossed her arms, eyeing the soldier suspiciously, "Just say it!"

In the midday sunlight, she was as beautiful as a drawn sword.

"Uh, vanilla bean is awesome," the soldier said.