Chapter 338: Awareness

Dimea couldn't help smiling, though she wasn't sure if she was laughing at the fungus-man or at Luo De's earlier address of "pretty sister."

"You've grown stronger, Luo De."

Luo De waved his hand dismissively.

Sixth-rank strength is ultimately limited; it'll mean something only after I ascend to seventh rank.

"The fungus-man isn't affected by beastification disease—he should be useful here. Give him a good task. I'm giving Pan Ni two days off; she hasn't rested in nearly two weeks. Even a ghoul can't keep going like this."

Dimea nodded.

Pan Ni's ghoul legion has indeed done tremendous work during this period.

Especially as the frontline advanced, the mountain paths grew increasingly complex with branching routes; the ghoul legion's numerical advantage and immunity to death saved them from countless unnecessary losses.

Even now, Pan Ni's legion continues clearing operations at the very front.

"The fungus-man Toru in the jail—I sealed his spore-release orifices as you suggested. Last night, I observed him scratching at his chest in agony; he'll likely be ready to work soon."

Seeing everything trending positively, Luo De couldn't help smiling.

The two discussed matters of the frontline, then shifted to the influx of outsiders into Shi Ying Town.

The sudden population surge may have already reached Shi Ying Town's carrying capacity, and the number continues rising, bringing with it undeniable problems in public order, economy, and environment.

The most critical issue is employment: no job means no money, and without money, these outsiders—who lack local responsibility—might do anything.

The expansion of farmland areas eased some of this pressure, as did the opening of Xin Lanke Street.

Luo De planned to open the Henry Farm for hiring.

Pan Ni's ghoul husbandry plan had never succeeded; just hand it over. But management will still be handled by her and the banshee Krist.

Actually, it made sense.

Ghouls and skeleton soldiers, being low-intelligence undead, could manage simple tasks like wielding hoes or placing feed—but a farm requires more than just basic laborers. It's better to hire someone experienced.

Still, this wave of outsiders did bring one advantage: they could absorb trades and personnel previously absent from Shi Ying Town.

Though the pain period would likely be long.

The city hall had already begun controlling population growth, but the number of basic security personnel was severely insufficient.

Let's hope things improve soon.

"Ha————"

As they spoke, Luo De let out a huge yawn.

Tally had fallen asleep and refused to wake; she was snoring deeply in the shadows.

"Did I wake you from your nap just now?"

"I just relaxed a bit too much and wanted to nap."

"Sorry."

Dimea apologized.

She turned her head and spotted a girl with a spider's lower body at the forest's edge.

The girl stared at them—mostly at Luo De—without moving.

Wasn't she called Yuna?

Sharon had said she was a spider-elf rescued from the Fear Field.

Luo De followed her gaze and saw the spider-elf bowing to him from afar.

"Why stand so far away?"

He waved for her to come closer.

Yuna was the most obedient girl in the forest, and she had fully lived up to her vow to serve as his beast of burden.

The moment she saw Luo De wave, she immediately rushed toward him.

Her eight spider legs moved with perfect rhythm, swift and steady.

"She's called Yuna, right?"

"Mm. A very well-behaved girl."

Dimea's expression turned strange. "There are too many girls in the forest, Luo De. You should consider Sharon's feelings."

". You know?"

Luo De felt neither embarrassment nor surprise.

Frankly, the dog-girl Sharon was never good at hiding her emotions.

Many times, her gaze toward Luo De had burned with intensity, unrestrained—anyone could see it.

"That day—um, when you reshaped my magic pathways—I woke up a few times and saw you and Sharon… doing that… replenishing magic."

Behind the veil hanging from her hat brim, Dimea's baby-fat cheeks flushed pink.

"Uh."

"And before that, once when you visited my home, half-asleep, I heard you and Sharon… doing something for a long time right outside my door."

Well.

Being caught engaging in intimate acts outside someone's bedroom door was indeed awkward.

Luo De gave a few forced laughs.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I don't mind—no, what I mean is, next time, be more careful. As Sharon's good friend, I don't want you to hurt her."

"Don't worry. I'm serious about Sharon."

I'm serious about all the girls.

Luo De added silently in his mind.

Hearing this, Dimea felt a momentary dizziness, as if a wad of cotton had lodged in her chest—not blocking her breath, but making it difficult to breathe.

Fortunately, her face was hidden by the veil, or Luo De would have noticed her stiff, frozen smile.

The conversation ended there.

Neither spoke further.

Luo De took Yuna to inspect the waterline defense.

Calyste the elf's isolation field had been established three days ago—a blue barrier etched with complex magical patterns.

It did not impede the river's flow but blocked debris.

All that remained was to periodically retrieve the beastified corpses caught on the field.

But.

This field did not filter beastified blood. According to Calyste, the most commonly used filtration spell in current magical systems was the 【Liquid Filtering Bubble】, typically employed in spell experiments and potion-making.

Yet such filtering bubbles were extremely fragile and slow, often requiring five minutes to purify just one thousand milliliters of liquid.

The Hansen River's course featured significant elevation differences and was extremely turbulent.

Even if Calyste could create a 【Liquid Filtering Bubble】 covering the entire river, it would be utterly unable to withstand the water's force and speed.

Currently, mages were discussing better solutions.

Calyste was not among them—she had returned to the forest to prepare for her seventh-rank ascension ritual.

"Look, that corpse."

Luo De leaned against the cliffside, pointing Yuna toward the corpse behind the isolation field.

Both possessed the 【Spiderwalk】 spiritual art, allowing them to walk on sheer cliffs as if on flat ground.

"Remember the 【Mage's Hand】? Lift the corpse, then purify it."

"Yes, sir."

Yuna possessed the innate spiritual art 【High Concentration】; she would make an excellent mage.

Yet for some reason, she had never learned a single spell.

Even the basic 【Mage's Hand】 skill had been taught to her by Luo De.

The spider-elf strained to lift the bloated corpse, her delicate face wrinkling in discomfort.

After placing the corpse on relatively level ground, she began her clumsy purification ritual.

Not bad.

For a first attempt, it was quite clean.

"For the next while, I'll patrol the area occasionally. You'll assist me."

Hearing this, Yuna looked up at her master in delight, her eyes misty with tears, pitifully beautiful.

(End of Chapter)