Chapter 191: Are you the Great Compassionate Tree King? Or are you Nab·Marikat?

Just as the city-building work was in full swing.

Dixiya, who had gone to the desert to pacify the Gilded Travelers, finally returned.

She brought back few people.

Not counting the Blazing Light Hunting Beasts and Ahmar's Whiskers, there were only over a thousand people in total.

Compared to the several thousand tribespeople who initially participated in developing the New Oasis, the number of these mercenaries seems somewhat unsatisfactory.

But we must consider that.

The vast majority of the mercenaries have no families; they are essentially lone individuals.

Moreover, each mercenary is a seasoned warrior with rich combat experience and excellent equipment.

It can be said.

The combat strength of these over a thousand mercenaries is in no way inferior to that of the ten tribes that first arrived at Hope City.

And these people,

They were all subdued and won over by Dixiya relying on the Blazing Light Hunting Beasts and Ahmar's Whiskers, and in these past months they have no idea how many extremist faith fanatics similar to the God King's Remnant they have cleared out.

The hardships they endured along the way can be imagined.

"You've worked hard."

After arranging all these new-faced mercenaries, Luo De stepped forward and embraced Dixiya, whose face was full of weariness.

This was the first time he had done so.

"Wow~~~"

"Boss Kusele, look, look, our little lion is going to get married~~"

"Yo yo yo, Dixiya~~~ Luo De~~~ give a kiss~~~ hurry and give a kiss~~~"

Luo De's shameless act immediately provoked cheers and whistles from Ahmar's Whiskers and the Blazing Light Hunting Beasts.

The elders who had watched Dixiya grow up all wore relieved smiles, each celebrating with the similarly red-faced Kusele.

The mercenaries of the Blazing Light Hunting Beasts swept away their fatigue, loudly whistling and laughing noisily.

"Don't make a fuss, everyone's watching."

Initially still immersed in the joy of reunion, Dixiya came to her senses, her cheeks slightly flushed as she pushed Luo De away.

"Hehe."

Luo De gave a hehe laugh, then waved at the mercenaries and said, "Everyone, disperse now; I'll treat you tonight—no one leaves until drunk."

After the mercenaries made a ruckus for a while longer and then left one by one,

Luo De and Dixiya finally managed to find a moment to be quiet.

"Sigh——"

"This period has really been hard on you."

Walking side by side on the preliminarily formed streets, Luo De and Dixiya walked side by side.

Compared to before, they could still laugh out loud.

Now Luo De's face has become much more solemn and serious.

Although Dixiya has been doing her best to hide her fatigue, this life of months of toil and travel will inevitably reveal some signs of weariness no matter how hard she tries.

"It's fine; with what you gave me, it's not tiring."

Dixiya laughed triumphantly: "We've wiped out that menace, the God King's Remnant—not a single one left."

"Hmm."

As expected, Luo De was not at all surprised.

Or rather,

If even bringing the Academy's machine that can easily topple a Vision holder cannot crush the God King's Remnant, then that would be strange.

"Hmph——"

Dixiya pursed her lips and added, "I've also found those impersonating you."

"Oh? Who is it?"

Now Luo De became interested, eagerly asking, "Where are they? Did you bring them back?"

"No!"

Dixiya replied irritably, "I fed them all to the Red Eagle."

"Oh, what a pity."

Luo De's face was full of regret: "Who is impersonating me to cause trouble? A mercenary band? Or which tribe?"

Although the tribes in the desert do not worship the Red King, the desert people's faith has always been free.

It's not impossible for a tribe to borrow one's name to boost its prestige.

Dixiya's answer also confirmed that his guess was correct.

There's just one point: "Didn't expect that, huh?"

"Those impersonating you are several tribes each only slightly smaller than the Tanit Tribe—not just one, but several!"

Next,

Dixiya then recounted the whole process of investigating this matter from start to finish to the astonished Luo De.

In the Thousand Gullies Sandy Land, it's not only the Tanit Tribe that is a powerful tribe.

There are still several tribes with somewhat smaller power than it.

However, the Tanit Tribe has many subtribes under its command and also possesses many Evil Spirit Weapons as trump cards; if conflict arises with them, the best outcome is mutual loss, which is highly uneconomical.

Therefore, these major tribes whose strength is comparable to the Tanit Tribe have tacitly chosen to seek other suitable settlements, trying to avoid conflict with the Tanit Tribe as much as possible.

Such is the situation.

Until the Tanite Tribe was wiped out, the balance among the various forces in the Thousand Gully Sands was broken again.

Thus those big tribes that had previously managed to achieve peaceful coexistence began to stir restlessly.

Amidst surging undercurrents.

The order from the Red King Divine Envoy to massacre a small tribe sparked a frenzy of expansion among the big tribes.

Immediately after.

The big tribes capable of expanding their power all spread the news of the Red King Divine Envoy being at their own homes, and swiftly knelt, announcing that their tribe had now submitted to the Red King's faith, using Luo De's name as a pretext; in the desert they levied harsh taxes and extorted violently, everywhere slaughtering and exterminating tribes, while the affected small tribes were being exterminated, the big tribes also suffered mutual losses in the war, and many big tribes were defeated in the scheming warfare and were exterminated and assimilated by other big tribes.

By the time Dixiya traced the source,

Only three of the previously feuding big tribes remained.

Prolonged warfare.

This made it hard for the three tribes to maintain their pre-war scale, so they could only issue cease‑fire agreements to each other, temporarily keeping the peace for a while.

Dixiya knew that with her own people she could easily take a tribe, but she could not stand against three tribes.

If she attacked them one by one, she worried it would alert the enemy.

So she chose to contact Tade La for help.

Speaking of this.

Luo De interjected: "How's Tade La doing?"

Before, he hadn't been too worried about Tade La's progress.

But now, upon hearing Dixiya talk about the chaos over there in the desert, he began to worry that Tade La's group might not be able to cope.

"They,"

"They're doing fine over there."

"At least when I contacted them, their condition was somewhat better than ours."

Dixiya's words reassured Luo De considerably.

"Tsk,"

"If things are going smoothly, why haven't you come back?"

Luo De muttered to himself.

Compared to that bunch of mercenary fanatics,

Logically speaking,

tribesfolk are the sort that are relatively easy to win over,

it just depends on Luo De himself going out to recruit when he's free; now he can recruit over a dozen tribes to join the Hope City construction.

But Tade La has been out for three or four months—why does she show no sign of returning? "Because of your reputation,"

Dixiya gave Luo De a strange look.

"Uh?!"

Luo De stared, astonished: "Your reputation deep in the desert is far worse than it is here."

"Do you know what those tribes are up to when they borrow your name?"

"Massacring entire families is the mildest of what they do."

"Even the living are subjected to endless humiliation, and moreover—"

Saying this, Dixiya paused, hesitated a while, then said: "They even turn the people they slaughter into field rations."

"!!!"

Luo De's feet suddenly stopped, his head buzzed, his vision went dark, and Dixiya tried to help him calm down for a while but couldn't get his breath back.

"Beast!"

After finally regaining his composure, Luo De snarled through gritted teeth: "Where are they? Any survivors? Take me to find them!"

He finally understood why the small tribes on the edge of New Oasis react with a startle reflex the moment they hear his name.

After all that fuss, it turned out the problem was right here.

Those bastards impersonating him not only kill people, they even eat them!!! Such beast‑like tribes, if you don't dig up their ancestral graves, it's hard to quell the hatred in one's heart.

"None."

Dixiya kept patting Luo De's chest to help him breathe, then sighed: "You still don't know what kind of person Tade La is?"

"That girl worships you like she's gone mad."

"You said if she learned someone was impersonating your name and ruining your reputation, what would she do?"

Dixiya showed a troubled expression, as if recalling something unpleasant.

"."

Luo De's furious face eased a little, his lips twitched, and he asked: "Was it her who did it?"

"Not just her—all the hunting hawks are the same."

Saying this, Dixiya's face showed a hint of lingering fear.

She really hadn't expected that.

Those kids who usually look quiet and gentle turn out to be shockingly violent when they kill.

Luo De had said the hunting hawks were killing machines trained by the Tanite Tribe, but judging from their appearance she hadn't really believed it.

But when she saw Tade La leading the charge, one man with one blade, leaving rivers of blood and not a single intact corpse, and the other hunting hawks were just as brutal,

even Dixiya, a mercenary who'd spent over twenty years scrambling in the desert, felt a chill.

the Blazing Light Hunting Beast and Ahemaer's Whiskers, plus the mercenaries she had recruited, made everyone gulp and dare not meet the gaze of the murderous hunting hawks.

Just like that.

Without Dixiya and them needing to act, the hunting hawks already at the forefront, like tireless killing machines, spent a day wiping out the two remaining tribes that had been impersonating Luo De's name.

After that, we went our separate ways.

Dixiya sighed again and continued: "Tade La said they would keep investigating and hunting down anyone who dared slander your name, until the entire desert was completely cleansed."

Oh dear—

Luo De's head started hurting again.

He would never have imagined it, even if beaten to death.

Tade La actually took people to do this; no wonder he hasn't contacted or returned for so long.

No wonder Dixiya said those impersonators were all fed to the red hawks—they're dead beyond death, not fed to red hawks—"I'll go beg Nadixa to contact her, I must quickly summon her back, can't let her keep slaughtering like this."

Things have come to this.

Luo De naturally could no longer let the hunting hawks continue slaughtering in the desert.

He had said so.

He would not let Tade La and them return to their former lives.

Such slaughter now.

Once they get hooked.

They would likely be unable to turn back.

This is very urgent.

Luo De stopped worrying about other matters, directly bringing Dixiya to the World Source and placing his hand on the tree trunk.

Nadixa did not stay in Hope City all the time.

Even before settling the conflict between the tribesmen and the Red King's followers, she returned to Sumeru Cheng to handle affairs.

Before leaving.

She left her Gnosis in the World Source, allowing Luo De to contact her in real time via the Gnosis regardless of distance; if he encountered an insoluble danger, Luo De could also activate Hermanubis' power to barely draw some power from the Gnosis for self-defense.

Soon.

Luo De then explained the whole situation, and had Nadixa quickly recall Tade La and the hunting hawks to Hope City.

He now urgently needs the hunting hawks to return to normal life and properly wash away the killing intent on their bodies.

After communicating with Nadixa.

Luo De exhaled, turned his head, and walked toward Dixiya, who was crouching to one side.

He saw her curiously reaching out to poke the Pati Shalan in front of her; no matter how she poked, the flower could twist her fingers.

This sparked Dixiya's interest, her movements becoming faster and faster, even leaving afterimages.

Yet she still couldn't touch a single flower branch.

Huh?

This flower is so strange?

Seeing Luo De approach, Dixiya stood up, stroked her chin, and said: "Purple Pati Shalan, where did you get it? Nilou told me many times that this kind of Pati Shalan is already extinct; where did you get a stalk? I'll get one too and send it to Nilou."

Hmm

Luo De didn't know how to explain this.

He couldn't very well tell Dixiya that this is a deity, could he?

Eh? Wait, you can't see what's inside this flower bud?

Luo De, who was pondering how to explain, suddenly noticed a blind spot.

From Dixiya's earlier words.

It seems she can only see the purple Pati Shalan, and cannot see the Great Merciful Tree King inside this half-open flower bud.

Hmm?

Is there something here?

Dixiya blinked, confirming Luo De's feeling with her own answer.

Indeed, she can't see it.

Luo De turned his head to look at the Pati Shalan.

After several months of nurturing.

The flower bud, originally just a few slits open, has now reached a half-open state.

The Great Merciful Tree King's awakening can sometimes last a whole day or a whole night.

However, after Hope City began construction.

Luo De and Nadixa then designated the World Source and the nursery where the flower seedlings were planted as a prohibited zone; besides the two of them, no one is allowed to enter or leave.

So Luo De truly didn't realize that ordinary people actually cannot see the Great Merciful Tree King inside the flower bud.

How to explain it?

Luo De rubbed his chin, thinking.

Just as he was about to come up with a plausible excuse, a gentle, tranquil voice quietly drifted into his ears.

"Tell her, the Pati Shalan of Nabu Marikatana will bloom again on the land of Sumeru Cheng before long; then she can pick as many as she wants."

This was the Great Merciful Tree King speaking to himself.

Luo De froze for a moment.

He did not immediately respond to the Great Merciful Tree King's words, but was thinking of another question.

Will the extinct Pati Shalan ever bloom again on the Sumeru Cheng earth? This meant Luo De's expression suddenly tightened, as he thought of a problem he and Nadixa had never considered before.

He said nothing, just stared fixedly at the figure inside the flower bud, and in his mind asked the Great Merciful Tree King: "Are you the Great Merciful Tree King or Nabu Marikatana?"

(Wuwu, I overestimated myself, just wrote over eight thousand)

(End of chapter)