Chapter 844: Disputes and New Discoveries

"Gaga! Impudent human! You have angered me!"

The Great Bird God's voice was extremely loud, but if one listened carefully, one could detect a sense of embarrassment hidden within it that was hard to ignore.

Jier retorted mercilessly: "Wrong! A god who doesn't keep their promises, *you* have angered *me*—"

He counted off on his fingers: "Who spent their own money to get a batch of wooden statue carvings? It was me. And who risked being targeted by the Hunting God Church to promote the teachings of an ancient god? Still me. Ha, other than gaining the ability to see things clearly when I get close to them, what have I actually gained?"

"Nothing! What about your promise? When I was plagued by nightmares, where was the solution you promised? Where is it?"

Jier spat: "Fine, a god who wouldn't respond before, now that I've found another way to initially resolve the nightmares, you come crawling back with a shameless face?"

The black bird-shaped wood carving on his chest trembled, seemingly furious. The Great Bird God's voice rang in Jier's ears, defending itself in a flustered rage: "I did not come crawling back! I did not! Ga—"

Jier snorted through his nose and sneered disdainfully: "Everyone knows that this is exactly what crawling back looks like. Besides, explanation is just cover-up; you don't need to explain, haha, I understand, I understand~~"

Jier's final tone of mockery was so thick that it clearly infuriated the down-and-out god, and there was no more effective communication, only a continuous series of 'gaga' sounds ringing in Jier's ears.

This forced Jier to try and plug his ears, but wearing steel gauntlets made it inconvenient. So, he took out a clean piece of cloth, tore it, and stuffed it into his ears.

But it was useless; the Great Bird God's communication with him, while seemingly a normal exchange, actually had the other party's voice ringing directly inside his brain.

This made Jier quite irritable, his ears filled with the sound of 'gaga' calls.

"What you are doing is truly disgraceful. Where have the dignity and mystery of the gods gone?"

The calling stopped for a moment, but soon started up again.

Until Jier felt annoyed, unbuckled his front neck armor, and grabbed the black bird-shaped wood carving hanging on his chest, threatening: "Stop it, or I'll throw this thing away, you know?"

Jier made a move to snap the string the wood carving was threaded on. Sure enough, under this threat, the hoarse 'gaga' sounds filling his ears ceased.

"Hmph!"

Jier let out a cold snort and put the wood carving away.

He did not speak in a low voice, and the god inside the wood carving did not speak again either.

For a time, they fell into mutual silence.

"Impudent human brat, um, how have you been lately?"

After a while, the Refugee Team arrived at the foot of the rocky hills along a dirt road that was about to be covered by newly grown wild grass. Jier was also walking on the side of the team, riding his horse and letting Tianxuecao pace forward slowly to keep up with the group.

At this moment, the Great Bird God spoke up.

Jier rolled his eyes, and after a moment of silence, responded: "Can't you see everything I've done and experienced through the wood carving? What, do I need to give you a detailed report?"

The Great Bird God then said: "Impudent brat, gods are not omnipotent. I have believers and numerous birds that I need to contact and communicate with; I cannot keep my attention on you at all times."

The corner of Jier's mouth curled up, and sarcastic words came right out: "Yo, yo, yo, so you, this god, are so busy. It seems the promise wasn't completed not because you didn't want to or couldn't, but because you got busy and forgot, right? Some 'not omnipotent' god you are."

This made the Great Bird God quite embarrassed. Just as it wanted to let out a loud 'gaga', it noticed Jier had grabbed the black bird-shaped wood carving again, so it swallowed the 'gaga' calls that had rushed to its beak and changed its tune: "Impudent brat, you are much noisier than the noisiest crow. Don't forget, those damned hunters of the Hunting God Church, they have been sending large numbers of men to deal with me, as well as my believers and the flocks of birds."

Seeing that Jier had no reaction to this, the Great Bird God said again: "You don't know, those hunters are very formidable, and very cruel. They don't care about local rules at all; they strike as soon as they see my people."

Hearing this, Jier narrowed his eyes and said with dissatisfaction: "So that means those who believe in you have it very miserable? And yet you still had me secretly spread your faith among the Refugee Team? That won't do."

"It might have been troublesome before, but you don't need to worry now. Ga! Those guys seem to have followed the trail all the way here and found a new target! Gagagaga! Flesh Demon! I hear that's what you call those guys?"

Once Jier heard this, his eyes began to roll: "Is that so? So, you really couldn't spare the attention these past few days? Too busy to remember my business?"

"Really! Ga! Really!"

But Jier set his face sternly: "I don't care what excuses you have. A promise is a promise. Whether you couldn't do it or were too busy, the fact is you didn't do what you promised before! Tell me, how can I still trust you?"

Facing Jier's stern questioning, the Great Bird God was actually not as nervous as before, because the reason it dared to initiate contact at this time was that the news it had just received made it feel secure.

"Ga! Impudent brat, these things can be set aside for now. How about we discuss something else?"

"Oh?" Jier became suspicious, because unlike its previous tone, the Great Bird God's words now carried a sense of confidence and smugness.

"I know that recently, besides being troubled by your soul being eroded by Soul Fragments, there is also the issue of the future of this little team of yours. You once promised others that you would lead them to find a safe and guaranteed place, allowing them to avoid the current and future chaotic situation, right?"

Jier gave a grunt. He knew that the black bird-shaped wood carving he carried with him at all times must have noticed he had been troubled by this recently. Although he had been putting on an incredibly confident front in the team to keep the vast majority of people at ease.

But in reality, he was panicked as hell.

Along the way, the Southern Province was filled with Bandit Groups that had grown powerful after the loss of balance in power, as well as empty villages where entire populations had fled.

Not only that, some larger towns also had their own troubles and problems.

The journey was not long, but the problems witnessed were many. A truly safe place was even rarer, and there was no place where he could confidently settle hundreds of young refugees.

What to do? He had no idea either.

Before, he could only take it one step at a time, hoping to encounter a reliable and safe place to settle the people in the team. And having reached this point now, Jier could only hope that in the process of rescuing the villagers of Changmai Cunzi, he could settle both the people from the Refugee Team and the rescued villagers in the remote Changmai Cunzi.

He had seen on the map in his hand and the local map of the Sasi Family that Changmai Cunzi was a very remote and safe place. If one didn't consider the defeated soldiers from last year who had abruptly crossed the mountains and forests to raid, because the place was remote, chaos and danger would find it hard to reach there.

Including the Flesh Demon that Yemei Town was currently facing.

Compared to the few remote and sparse villages in the south of Sasi County, no matter how one thought about it, if the Flesh Demon that could parasitize Humans wanted to expand its scale, the most ideal plan would be to spread as quickly as possible to other counties outside Sasi County and to Borisfa City, aiming to conquer large, densely populated towns before the departing Nobles and Knights could bring their troops back.

And at this moment, hearing the Great Bird God's words, Jier immediately had a guess.

"Since you say so, do you have a reliable solution?"

Jier asked with narrowed eyes, feeling suspicious.

He immediately added: "If you do, I hope it's not another promise that can't be completed. After all, hmph hmph hmph hmph."

"Ga! What are you doubting? The promise will be completed! It's just a bit troublesome at the moment. Once the trouble is resolved, what was promised to you will definitely be given to you! Although the impudent human brat makes this god unhappy, you will be satisfied with this news."

"News?"

Jier asked.

"It is a piece of news. Gaga, be secretly happy, brat. The problem that has been troubling you has already been solved by the great Buduolibuduolobuyika!"

Although the Great Bird God spoke cheerfully in his mind, Jier had already been deceived by the other party once. At this moment, he did not blindly believe the other party's words, but asked: "How was it solved? Found a safe refuge area? How is that possible, ha. The team isn't far from Yemei Town right now, and I can't even guarantee how far we are from the vortex of danger. As for the vicinity of Changmai Cunzi further south, I think it will only be somewhat safe after those defeated soldiers and rioters who kidnap people are wiped out, and it is ensured that no similar people will cross the mountains again."

"After all, that place, Changmai Cunzi, is indeed very remote." Jier added at the end.

"Gaga! Foolish human, impudent human, a safe place isn't necessarily far away. Many times, if you look left and right, the answer might just be right beside you!"

Jier shook his head: "Impossible! You mean Shichui Cunzi ahead? If that place were safe, the Farmers in the village wouldn't have gone to Yemei Town to take refuge. You have to know, this place is only two days away from Yemei Town; if I ride a horse, I can get there in half a day. Considering how troublesome the Flesh Demon-parasitized Monsters are, this place can't be called safe at all."

Although he said that, Jier still looked left, right, front, and back while on horseback, feeling that the environment around Shichui Cunzi was not bad. It was not far from a river, had a rocky hill that could serve as a backing, there was open wild land around, and not far away were several patches of sparse Shulin that extended all the way to the foot of the mountains.

If not for the Flesh Demon crisis in Yemei Town not far to the north, the environment here would be truly excellent; considering that one must pass through this place to head to the southern part of Sasi County, future development is also somewhat guaranteed.

If not for the Flesh Demon crisis, and if not for the impact of the war between the Southern Province and the neighboring country to the south over these past two years, it wouldn't take long for Shichui Cunzi to likely develop into Shichui Town.

By then, Yemei Town would also be upgraded to Yemei City, and Sasi County would certainly see new development.

If everything goes smoothly, that is.

But after all, these are all "ifs"; not to mention whether the Southern Province will win the war against the neighboring country this time, if they lose, according to Jier's understanding, the Earl of the Southern Province would surely have the Noble Lords conduct a new round of Soldier conscription, and the Bandit Groups that have rapidly developed in various places would likely be forcibly conscripted into the army to launch yet another military operation to retake territory.

After all, what was snatched away by the neighboring country was not empty natural mountains or a few border Noble territories with sparse populations, but resource-rich regions possessing large amounts of mineral deposits.

For the sake of those resources, this war will continue to be fought until victory is achieved.

Or until both sides suffer heavy losses and stop completely.

Besides this, Yemei Town in Sasi County also has a crisis caused by the troublesome Flesh Demon; if not handled well, it is hard to say whether there will be any living Humans left in the northern part of Sasi County afterward.

After thinking so much, Jier finally shook his head and said to the Great Bird Deity: "Please, just speak clearly."

"Caw! This is not the attitude of someone asking for a favor, caw caw!"

Heh, this Great Bird Deity is even putting on airs.

Jier shrugged: "My attitude is just like this, especially toward a deity who doesn't keep promises very well; if you want to say it, say it, and if you don't, then keep the secret that makes you happy to yourself and enjoy it on the side."

He patted the horse head of Tianxuecao, producing a *bang-bang* sound of metal colliding: "I will still act according to my original plan. At least this way I won't have to deal with a 'rude' ancient, down-and-out deity."

Jier's attitude left the previously smug Great Bird Deity in silence for a moment; seeing the young man really pull the Jiansheng to make Tianxuecao turn toward the Refugee Team, the Great Bird Deity really could not hold back.

He opened his beak and confessed: "Caw, fine, fine, I'll tell you now; listen with gratitude, and don't forget this deity's favor afterward."

"To the east of your team, that is, in the direction north of east from what you call Shichui Cunzi, there is a small river revealing an ominous color; follow the river upstream, and you will arrive before a Forest sandwiched between two mountains. Cross this Forest and go out, and inside the mountain range, there exists a Valley of no small area."

Jier frowned: "Just this? If it's a Valley..."

He looked left and right: "If I want to find one, I can still find some."

"But those are all very small; how many Humans can they support? What I am talking about is not that kind of cramped Valley that can only support a few or a few dozen people, but an open Valley isolated by mountains and forests! It has enough open land inside; supporting several thousand people is no problem."

Hearing this, Jier became interested.

"And, you certainly wouldn't expect that place is not an uninhabited land; some Humans are already living inside. Although not many, that is."

The Great Bird Deity stopped here, smugly watching the changing expressions on the rude brat's face.

"How about it? Is such a piece of news considered important? Can it solve the problem bothering you? For such an important gift, you can't say anything more about me, caw! I said it before, the agreement will be fulfilled, it just needs a little time."

Jier didn't pay attention to the latter part of the Great Bird Deity's words; he straightened his body on the horse's back, attempting to look toward the east.

However, the undulating terrain limited his field of vision, so Jier set his gaze on the rocky hills nearby that the team needed to detour around.

He spurred his horse past the front of the team, then ran straight toward the rocky hills.

Considering that Tianxuecao was draped in heavy Horse Armor, when Jier rode to the front of the rocky hills, he stopped riding, fearing that the lush wild grass on the hills would hide the Suishi cracks underneath, causing the warhorse to injure its legs.

He jumped off the horse and let Tianxuecao wait on the spot; fearing it would be bored, Jier even unbuckled the bit from the horse's mouth so Tianxuecao could graze nearby at will. He himself tucked away the cloak behind him, rolled it up, and draped it over his left shoulder. Afterward, Jier climbed up the tens-of-meters-high rocky hill with quick leaps.

The top of the hill was smooth but regular; it was unclear whether the local Villagers had processed it or what, but the rocks at the top were convenient for people to go up and observe.

Jier used his hands and feet to jump up with effort; once up, he scanned the area and saw traces of a sentry post where someone had once worked and lived, but because the entire village of Shichui Cunzi had gone to Yemei Town to take refuge, this village sentry post had not been used for some time.

Jier ignored this, went to the highest point of the rocky hill, and with the help of the bright daylight in the sky, looked toward the north of east.

Sure enough, to the east of Shichui Cunzi, there was a small river, and the small river was formed by the confluence of two other small rivers further upstream.

One of these two small rivers, just as the Great Bird Deity said, was black-gray, looking not very clean.

The other small river beside it had clear green water, and the vegetation along the river was lush. The banks of the black-gray river were barren, looking not only unclean but also slightly ominous.

Jier, however, felt it looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he didn't think too much about it.

"How is it? How is it compared to what I said? The same, right!"

Jier ignored the Great Bird Deity's self-satisfaction and gave a grunt in response; his gaze followed the black-gray small river upstream, ignoring the surrounding Shulin and gentle slopes, and Jier finally saw that the black-gray small river flowed out from a dense Forest at the foot of a mountain.

And that dense Forest extended out from within the mountain range between two large mountains that were very close together. Unlike the environment where Jier stood, the place Jier was watching was filled with mountain mist, and the mist rose from the mountainside of the large mountains, extending all the way down into the dense Forest.

Although he could see a general idea from a distance, the more internal and clearer situation was hidden in the continuous mist.

"Cross that Shulin, and behind it is a wide Valley region? And there are Humans living and surviving there?"

Jier asked, and the Great Bird Deity replied affirmatively: "Of course, one of my Winged Messengers flew in the sky and saw it very clearly."

Hearing this answer, Jier snorted: "Is that the big raven that keeps wandering over the team, cawing loudly at night and disturbing people's sleep?"

"Mm, that's it. Is there a problem?"

Seeming to hear Jier's dissatisfaction, the Great Bird Deity was somewhat strange.

Jier rolled his eyes: "If it could be a bit quieter and not deliberately defecate on the heads of the Refugee Team from time to time, I think I would have no problem."

The Great Bird Deity cawed awkwardly a few times: "It's just a raven! You Humans cannot demand too much from a raven. Caw!"