Chapter 620: After the Battle (Part 2)

Very quickly, the Mao Mao got busy, collecting the corpses of their fallen companions and guarding the wooden house where the metal ingots were stored.

Especially for the latter, several Mao Mao leaders dispatched half of their subordinates to specifically guard around the house; there were even seven or eight Mao Mao warriors squatting on the roof.

"It's almost dark, everyone. In a moment, the villagers will be rescued. They need enough space to rest, so clear out a sufficiently spacious open area for them, then set up all those soldiers' tents again. The women and children among the villagers need a safe, sheltered place to rest."

Jier hung the sword of the Knight Hartna together with the Hunting Sword, tucked the Knight's metal shield behind his left shoulder, and began directing the returning warriors to organize the camp.

The house storing the grain needed to be extinguished of fire. The wooden house where the Knight Hartna had been staying could not be occupied due to a foul stench, but some personal items belonging to the Knight Hartna and the Adjutant Piluo inside could be taken out for use, and the corpses of the dead Defeated Soldiers could be stored there.

This would also facilitate the subsequent measure of burning the corpses directly. As for the destroyed house of Yeluba, Jier checked the things there and found that, apart from some property and unrecognizable monster organs and tissues, there was nothing else of value, so he ignored it.

"Light enough campfires; take the burning wood from the furnace in the camp."

Jier directed, pushing flat some scattered soldiers' tents and having the warriors set to work, rearranging these tents neatly across a single open area, with a campfire in the middle and seven or eight tents distributed around it, all very orderly.

"Remember, no matter what food you find in these damn Defeated Soldiers' tents, don't eat it; throw it into the campfire and burn it. That stuff is poisonous. If you don't want to crap your pants, listen to me."

Aoni and the others returned to the camp first, followed by Xueya Site and his group. The weapons and bows seized from the Defeated Soldiers were piled into a large heap, and various helmets, boots, and Soldier Armor were piled into a small hill as tall as a person; these things were Jier's greatest harvest from this trip.

Of these weapons and equipment, a single Long Sword could sell for nearly one Gold Coin on the market, and a set of Soldier Armor could sell for several Gold Coins. Another valuable item was the Soldier Bow used by the soldiers; this standard-issue bow had decent power and range, and when paired with arrows with metal tips, its lethality was quite good.

Several dozen sets of these weapons and equipment were worth hundreds of Gold Coins; Jier had suddenly become wealthy.

"Heh heh, as expected, fighting and killing is the fastest way to make money. Sigh, no wonder some people always say: 'Taking by force is better than bitter plowing'?" Jier muttered, looking at the warriors under his command and the hill-like pile of valuable weapons and equipment, unable to help but think of last year's events.

At that time, for a tiny bit of bounty, he had risked great danger to confront a large number of Bandits, yet the harvest gained from that life-risking adventure was not even one-fiftieth of what he had now.

From the bodies of the Defeated Soldiers, the ruined tents, and even the dead Mao Mao warriors, quite a few coins and small items of property had been searched out. At this moment, these things were all piled in a heap, and Weier and Sipulu were even consciously helping Jier guard these valuables.

After the warriors defeated the enemy, they calmly searched the bodies of the Defeated Soldiers they had killed and treated it as their own spoils of war. But when facing enemies they had not killed themselves, they were no longer embarrassed to take these items as spoils, but instead honestly handed them over.

As for some people secretly pocketing a few coins, no one cared about such trivial matters. Because there were too many things, and everyone was short-handed with too much work to do, they just turned a blind eye to this situation.

Compared to the mere property and coins, Jier was quite interested in some special items obtained from the Knight Hartna and Yeluba.

These miscellaneous things looked quite strange. The warriors who searched them initially thought these things were trash; after all, many items were still stained with suspicious blood and, having not been carefully cleaned, emitted a strange odor.

But since they were special monster materials, as long as any normal person touched them, they could sense that something was wrong.

The most numerous of these materials were monster claws, teeth, and sharp horns. These items, stained with blood and even uncleaned flesh, had a foul smell, but the sharp teeth and claws, which were sturdy and flashed with a dangerous luster, were clearly not ordinary things.

There were even two sharp horns as long as a palm, faintly emitting an eerie fluorescence that could illuminate things in the dark.

"Likely some monster materials, count as Magic Material? But they are definitely valuable and can be put to use," Jier said affirmatively.

Besides these common things, there were other strange objects found, such as a monster eyeball that had been carefully wrapped, just a single one. A tiny heart that was still beating slightly, just that single heart, was soaked in a water bottle, constantly pumping the clear water it was immersed in.

There were even two bundles of leafy vines that looked like they had been casually picked up from the Forest. The warrior who first discovered this thought the enemy had used them as temporary Rope, but after he touched them, his palm went slightly numb, and he realized these vines carried a paralyzing toxin and should not be touched.

These things were clearly all materials obtained after the entire Knight Hartna led troops through the Southern Mountains to confront various monsters. Among them, the Knight Hartna possessed the lion's share, while Yeluba only had some monster teeth and claws.

From this, one could see that if the Knight Hartna had not been there, blocking in front of everyone, this team, even with the leadership of the long-haired cat Beast, would likely not have been able to make it through the entire Southern Mountains with only a one-third loss.

Jier handed these things to Xueya Site to handle, carefully wearing gloves to clean the monster materials thoroughly, then after wiping them clean, storing the same types in one bag.

After waiting for a long time, when the sky was almost dark, the Bata'er Jiaoshi finally led the villagers of Changmai Village out of the Mine.

As soon as they came out, many people covered their eyes with their hands to shield them from the sudden change in light intensity, which was irritating to their eyes. Some women who came out often were barely able to adapt to the outside light, while some young men, young girls, and some elderly people had not seen the setting sun again since they were locked into the Mine until this moment.

Many people felt fear at the suddenly vast world and the bright sun, and even subconsciously wanted to shrink back into the pitch-black Mine, which made the Bata'er Jiaoshi tear up even more.

The young Bata'er Jiaoshi had clearly cried more than once, and among the group of villagers, many had also cried, but because Jier had arrived earlier, everyone felt excited about the arrival of the Bata'er Jiaoshi, but not to the point of being desperate.

After all, the villagers' bulging bellies and mouths full of grease really made them reluctant to be desperate.

The villagers who came out were even carrying some iron pots, and in the pots was still-warm Poultry Bird meat soup; at this moment, they set them on the lit campfires, and they soon became boiling hot again.

The warriors saw this meat soup, then looked at the villagers' grease-filled mouths and faces and bulging bellies, and for a moment, they didn't know who should be pitied.

"However, Jier-daren really didn't lie; these villagers are truly in a state of being full. How did he manage that?"

"Who's to say? By comparison, I actually feel like we are the more pitiful ones? After all, this morning I only drank a large bowl of wheat porridge, and at noon while traveling in the Forest, I only ate a small handful of roasted dried meat."

"Hey, I even thought the dried meat I brought could earn the envious gazes of the rescued villagers, but look, instead, we are the ones having to accept the food they are feeding us. What a strange development..."

That was what they said, but the warriors had been traveling for most of the day and had fought a round with the Defeated Soldiers in the afternoon, so they were starving by now. Since the villagers were willing to share this delicious meat soup with them, they didn't stand on ceremony.

Taking turns to eat, every warrior was allotted a delicious Poultry Bird boiled in a whole pot.

After cooking for these two days, the farm women had gradually mastered how to process these Poultry Birds to make a pot of delicious food even with few seasonings on hand.

At least when the warriors held a bird leg in one hand and tore at the firm breast meat of the bird with their mouths, no one complained that it didn't taste good.

"Is there anyone left in the Mine?" Jier came to the side of the red-eyed Bata'er Jiaoshi and asked.

As he passed by the villagers, every villager respectfully made way for Jier and gratefully bowed their heads to him. Jier kept waving his hands to indicate they didn't need to do so, only then passing through the villagers' gratitude.

The Brave Instructor was also full of gratitude. He excitedly walked up and gave Jier a big hug, then patted Jier's arm and said: "I really don't know how to thank you, Brave Warrior Jier. Thanks to you, everyone's condition is much better than I expected. You don't know, when I heard about the situation here from the captured soldiers transporting grain, I had already prepared for the worst."

"But thanks to you, I was able to stand bravely in front of these villagers whom I had once failed, and bravely say to them: 'I'm so sorry, I'm late.'"

Jier smiled: "Along this journey, we are not only partners who have experienced all kinds of hardships, but also comrades-in-arms who have fought side-by-side, and good friends who have lived and talked together. Rescuing the villagers of Changmai Village is not only a mission entrusted to me by the Church and the Nongshen Believer, but also my inevitable duty as your partner, comrade, and good friend. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, yes. Jier... brave warrior, no, Jier, I want to thank you again. Without the help of you and your warriors, just by myself, I definitely would not have been able to achieve the current situation, and would not have been able to rescue the villagers."

Xueya Site walked over with a giggle. He handed his Heavy Crossbow to Jier and then asked with a smile: "What about me? What about me? I also helped a lot along the way."

The Bata'er Jiaoshi also stepped forward and hugged Xueya Site, forcefully patting the back of this Caravan guard: "Of course, there is also this friend of mine. Without your help, Jier and I could not have arrived here so smoothly. My friend, you supported us both all the way, especially me. I have too many words of gratitude that I don't know how to express."

"Haha, having these words from you is enough, Jiaoshi-daren, let's get moving! Although rescuing the villagers is a great thing, and they look very healthy, this is after all the edge of the Forest of the Southern Mountains. Taking the villagers back, whether to the previous Changmai Village or your New Hope Town, is not an easy task." Xueya Site scratched his head and reminded.

Xueya Site was right. Although the villagers looked to be in good condition at the moment, in fact, many young and middle-aged people had already exhausted their bodies and needed proper recuperation to hold up. Otherwise, if they set off on the return journey now, many would likely snap like broken dry noodles, easily breaking and losing their lives.

Taking these three hundred or so villagers back from here was also a difficult campaign no less than defeating the enemy.

First, there was the place to rest tonight. Second, there was the food.

The place to rest was those tents of the Defeated Soldiers, because compared to lying directly on the ground, the tents had felt mats spread on the floor and simple bedding for warmth and moisture protection, making them much more comfortable to sleep in.

As for food, they couldn't keep feeding the villagers too much meat and drinking too much meat soup; after all, Humans are not creatures that can survive by eating only one kind of food. They need to eat meat, but they also need to eat grain.

The villagers were physically weak and needed nourishment, but they couldn't be over-nourished; after all, Jier understood the principle that a weak body cannot handle excessive supplementation.

So this was the time for the Bata'er Jiaoshi to 'perform'. He gathered the devout Nongshen Believers together, spread a few pieces of clothing on the ground, then raised his hands high and loudly prayed to the Nongshen, his whole body emitting a green light.

The villagers who gathered around, whether they were Nongshen Believers or not, also followed the Jiaoshi in prayer; the Jiaoshi would say a sentence, and they would follow with a sentence.

But soon, the Bata'er Jiaoshi frowned. It wasn't that his Church Divine Art ability had a problem; this Divine Art, which could be called a God's Miracle, had no problems at all, and was constantly pouring out plump wheat grains from between his hands, an endless supply, soon piling into a small hill on the clothes on the ground.

What made Bata'er Jiaoshi frown were the Nongshen Believers he had selected around him; some appeared to be praying piously along with him, but in truth, their hearts were not filled with pious Faith, and the addition of these believers had not been as helpful to him as he had anticipated.

His heart felt bitter, for he had already realized that after this painful experience, many of the suffering Villagers, including those who had once been pious Nongshen Believers, no longer believed in the Agricultural God or the Agricultural God Church.

Was he too late?

Should he have been captured along with the Villagers in the first place?

If he had been captured, perhaps he could have stayed by everyone's side the whole time, relieving the distress of the suffering Villagers and helping them withstand the pressure from the outside.

Perhaps, in the eyes of some, he had betrayed them? Was he a coward? A deserter? A traitor?

Escaping safely from the hands of those terrible, crude Soldiers, fleeing to a safe place, and then calling Jier to rescue them? And arriving here safely, without going through any bumps or hardships along the way?

After all, when it came to the rescue, the vast majority of the work was done by Jier; he had been unable to do anything, and had not been of any help at all.

"Many people must hate me, right?" Thinking of this, Bata'er Jiaoshi shed tears once again amidst his loud shouting.

However, although his eyes were shedding tears, Bata'er Jiaoshi had after all experienced many things; he was already a qualified Warrior, his mind had become strong, and he was able to use Divine Art while maintaining his own state.

Jier paid no mind to this; he was currently instructing the Warriors to tear the heraldic emblems of Knight Hartna off the tents of the Defeated Soldiers. These emblems, sewn separately onto the tent fabric, might be useful in the future, for instance, as evidence to identify that the subordinates of Knight Hartna had carried out the attack on the Village.

Woof, woof, woof...

A sound of barking that no one else could hear drifted over. Jier turned his head to look toward the south side of the Yingdi. While everyone else remained unaware, in the Forest to the south, a wooden house was walking toward this side, its height exceeding that of the Shulin, moving with a speed that seemed slow but was actually fast.

But fortunately, as it approached a distance where it would be seen by the Yingdi, the wooden house found a slight clearing and descended.

Subsequently, a blurry figure, invisible to everyone else and which Jier had to take out the 【Yamila no Me】 to enhance his perception to even barely "see," walked in through the wide-open gate of the Yingdi.

Jier carefully used the 【Yamila no Me】, not letting his eyes look in any other direction, and specifically avoided sinking his spirit into the various perceptions of his body, using it only to help himself detect Yamila as she entered the Yingdi.

"I truly regret selling something that allows others to see me so easily."

Beside Jier's ear came the sound of Yamila whispering. Jier kept his eyes fixed on the figure of Yamila as she entered; Yamila, seeing the Magic Tool Jier held in his hand, naturally knew that Jier saw her.

"Not easily; I don't even dare to look up right now, for fear of being frightened by those things in the sky. All around are the rescued Villagers and my subordinates; showing a terrified expression is not very conducive to the image I have built in their hearts."

Jier walked around in a seemingly casual manner, speaking in a low voice.

His voice was very soft, and only he and Yamila could hear it.

Yamila chuckled softly, and Jier asked with an expressionless face: "Why did you run over at this time?"

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