Chapter 872: The Babtari Valley, the Middle-Aged Farmer, and the 'Prison

Jier prepared to begin his counterattack.

At this moment, the power granted by the Prayer Blessing of the Dwarf Warriors was rapidly fading, though it had not yet reached the point where they would revert entirely to ordinary warriors; meanwhile, the Dwarf Priest holding the Metal Box on the nearby residential path had no intention of intervening prematurely.

He had to strike while the iron was hot and quickly slay these three Dwarf Warriors!

By then, the only enemy he would face would be the Priest alone, along with two Dwarf Warriors who had lost their weapons.

Although the Priest could still provide Prayer Blessing to boost the strength of the unarmed Dwarf Warriors, without weapons and the shimmering Divine Power protecting their bodies, a simple surge in strength would not result in any substantial change in combat effectiveness.

With no protection for their flesh, a single sword strike would sever them; that was how it was.

Jier felt the sturdiness of the Dwarf Residence floor beneath his feet, realized it could still hold, then took a deep breath, actively circulating the Life Energy within his body, and let the Divine Power of the God of Agriculture replace the Life Energy to strengthen his physical functions.

The next moment, Jier lunged forward instantly.

The second-floor platform of the Dwarf Residence was not very large, no more than two hundred square meters, and it was planted with many plants the Dwarves favored, so the space for human activity was even smaller.

Therefore, as soon as Jier made his move, the direct distance between him and the Dwarf Warriors was only a few meters.

A few meters—Jier charged up in an instant.

This moment happened to be a flaw in the coordinated attacks of the Dwarf Warriors that Jier had long since seen through; after the three Dwarf Warriors attacked in sequence, there was a gap, and while they themselves did not think anything of it, to Jier, it was a golden opportunity.

His combat boots cracked the stone skin of the rock floor, and using the momentum to lunge, Jier instantly penetrated the Dwarf Warriors' attack range before their next offensive; in the astonished gaze of the hammer-wielding Dwarf, he pressed his Long Sword against the metal handle of the opponent's war hammer, sliding the blade along the handle and kicking up a trail of sparks, then immediately sliced off half of the Dwarf Warrior's right palm and a small section of his right forearm.

The sharp blade was as smooth as cutting through Grease, and the sword body, even with its white light, was not stained with a single drop of blood.

Before the Dwarf Warrior could let out a roar, Jier kicked off him sideways, not only slowing himself down but also taking the opportunity to kick the Dwarf Warrior flying, sending him off somewhere far away.

"You're courting death!"

The Dwarf Warrior using the Metal Stick immediately roared, and with no time to raise the stick for a heavy strike, he held it with both hands, one in front and one behind, and thrust it forward like a Long Spear.

If he were to be struck like this, even with Jier wearing armor, it would not be pleasant; it might result in ruptured Viscera or extensive fractures.

But that was assuming the Dwarf Warrior could hit him!

Unexpectedly, Jier released the hilt of his Hunting Sword with his right hand, his feet not standing firm but quickly switching to step back, his hands with ten fingers spread wide, *slap! *

He grabbed the Metal Stick tightly, just like the Dwarf Warrior.

"Now! Let's compare our strength!!!"

Jier shouted aloud.

He had waited a long time for this; didn't you Dwarves all have great strength? Now let's see whose strength is greater!

"Hah—"

Jier and the Dwarf Warrior exerted force together, but the Dwarf Warrior, whose Prayer Blessing was about to fade, lacked the stamina, and after pushing Jier back a few steps, the situation turned into a stalemate.

Seeing the situation about to reverse, the last Dwarf Warrior on the scene smashed his Metal Mace fiercely toward the Human Knight, cursing in Dwarven Language: "Damn Human! Die!!!"

This was an excellent opportunity; Jier had always relied on agile footwork and constant movement to dodge the Dwarf Warriors' attacks, which had actually made the Dwarf Warriors extremely uncomfortable—they clearly had the strength and weapons to kill the enemy in one blow, but they just could not hit him.

In the past, their enemies were almost all Monsters that rushed out of the mountain forests to disturb the Treasure Mine; these Monsters had various abilities but were not very smart, and in a head-on fight, they always had the effect of settling the matter with one blow.

However, today they were extremely passive.

Even though they had the numerical advantage and were the attacking side, they were constantly toyed with by the Human Knight, wasting their energy and running themselves ragged.

But now it was fine; although he did not know the state of his companion with the war hammer, the companion with the Metal Stick had 'fixed' the opponent, giving him a chance to win with one blow.

'Watch me! Even if Shishou has become formidable, this battle still depends on me to win!'

The double-handed Metal Mace was very heavy, and the blunt metal studs on the head were shining from constant impact and friction; and now, perhaps they would get to taste the flavor of human flesh?

But facing this dangerous situation, Jier showed no sign of fear or retreat, because the Hunting Sword he had just released and dropped to the ground was now suddenly springing up, spinning from a side the Dwarf Warrior did not expect, and stabbing into the opponent's flank with one strike.

Even though the Dwarf Miners were all tough guys, this blow was too heavy and sudden.

The swung Metal Mace had not yet reached its maximum force when it suddenly lost its source of power, and it plummeted along with its owner onto the rock slab of the second floor of the Dwarf Residence.

"Scum!!!"

The Dwarf using the Metal Stick suddenly let out a wail, his mind in chaos, and the strength in his hands immediately diminished significantly.

Jier laughed loudly and kicked off with both feet, pushing the Metal Stick and the Dwarf Warrior on the opposite side forward all the way, knocking over stone flowerpots planted with Luminous Vine and wooden pots planted with low Fruit Trees, and shoved the Dwarf Warrior along with the heavy Metal Stick right off the second floor of the Dwarf Residence.

The Dwarf Warrior landed on his back first, and then, unluckily, was struck in the torso by his own weapon; although the warrior blocked his chest with his arms at the last moment, the hundred-kilogram Double-handed Metal Club falling from the second floor of the residence, which was over three meters high, was an impact that could not be blocked by willpower alone!

His arms broke immediately, folding back and striking his chest cavity along with the Metal Club.

It was fortunate that his arms blocked it like that, otherwise, the result for this Dwarf Warrior would not have been as simple as spitting blood and fainting.

Jier stood at the edge of the second floor of the residence and looked down, snorting with disdain, then turned around to see the Dwarf Warrior whose chest had been pierced by his long sword, stubbornly half-kneeling on the ground and struggling to swing the Metal Mace at him.

But Jier tilted his head and stepped lightly to the right, dodging the opponent's counterattack with extreme ease.

Opening his right hand toward the Dwarf Warrior, Jier called out easily: "Return, Hunting Sword! Return!"

Immediately, the already wounded Dwarf Warrior's expression changed drastically, and he looked at the human long sword stuck in his body with blood bubbling from his mouth and nose.

At this moment, the long sword was like a living thing, trembling and pulling out of his body in response to the damn Human Knight's call; this brought an extremely painful sensation to the warrior.

Fortunately, this torture was very short-lived; after the long sword vibrated itself out, it first landed on the ground, then sprang up from the ground, and its hilt fell right into the palm of Jier's open right hand.

Seeing the Dwarf Warrior kneeling and crawling on the ground having lost his ability to fight, Jier ignored him and turned to look at the Dwarf Priest not far from the residence, who wore a look of astonishment.

Pointing the Luminous Longsword, which was dripping with Dwarf blood, at the other party, Jier said to him: "Now it's your turn, Priest of the God of Strength."

The Wild Priest shuddered, his arms almost going limp, causing the Metal Box he was holding to nearly drop to the ground.

But fortunately, the Human Knight continued: "However, I don't want to offend your deity; ah, the God of Strength, right? Although today is the first time I've heard His name, I have witnessed the great power of this deity; there is no need to doubt it, I truly envy you Dwarves. Tsk tsk, such a powerful deity, I wonder if you could introduce me?"

The Dwarf Wild Priest widened his eyes, not expecting the Human Knight to say such unbelievable things.

He gritted his teeth, looked closely at the Human Knight, and then shook his head: "Impossible, you have a strong aura of a foreign god's Divine Power on you, it's impossible. Besides, you have harmed so many of our Dwarf kin, how could I let you accept the glory of the God of Strength!"

Jier snorted, flicked his long sword to shake off the blood on the blade, and the next moment jumped down from the Dwarf Residence.

In mid-air, his long sword erupted with a powerful Blinding white light, shooting straight at the Dwarf Priest.

The Dwarf Priest also reacted, straightened his body, held high the Metal Box containing the Statue of the God of Strength, and shouted at the human enemy leaping from mid-air: "Please, God, grant the Power of Fist!!"

In an instant, the palm-sized Statue of the God of Strength inside the Metal Box, which was glowing with a bronze light, began to move and threw a hook punch at Jier; the next moment, a massive force that did not distinguish between friend and foe vibrated the air in a circle and blasted directly toward the Human Knight who was attacking from the air.

On the ground, Jier might have been able to contend with this sudden, massive impact, but since he was in mid-air, he was pushed away through the air in one breath.

He was pushed a long way back.

The Dwarf Priest breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, the sound of rhythmic footsteps came from behind. The Wild Priest immediately became alert, holding the Metal Box high, his mouth ready at any moment to shout out another Divine Power Impact, which consumed a great deal of Divine Power.

But the people who arrived were five Dwarf Warriors clad in dwarf armor and holding sturdy Spears.

At this time, these Dwarf Warriors were no longer shouting slogans as they advanced; it was clear that they could also see the urgency of the current situation. However, it was precisely at such a time that their footsteps were very uniform, and the speed at which the five of them moved was not slow either.

It was just that these Dwarf Warriors were panting; clearly, they had been led around by Jier for a long time on the wild ground in the Valley outside the village, and they had consumed a lot of stamina. It was hard to say how much combat power they still had as they rushed back to the village now.

Seeing that they were companions from the mine, the Priest coughed violently twice, and after breathing a sigh of relief, he complained: "Why did you only just arrive?"

The leading Dwarf Warrior scanned left and right vigilantly: "Where is the enemy? We just heard the sounds of fighting."

"He was sent flying by the Divine Power Impact I summoned from the God of Strength..."

Saying this, the Wild Priest suddenly remembered that while he had indeed sent the enemy flying, such an enemy clearly would not be defeated so easily. He even wondered if his Divine Power Impact strike could even injure the opponent; it would depend on whether the opponent would be hurt when falling from mid-air.

Clearly, he had no idea how much power his attack, launched through the Statue of the God inside the Metal Box, actually possessed.

"He probably isn't dead, so be careful. That is a very, very troublesome enemy!! My teammates have all been defeated!"

Saying this, the Wild Priest immediately called for the newly arrived Dwarf Warriors to move the injured people, and the Wild Priest also hurriedly rushed to the side of the Dwarf Warrior whose arms had been smashed and broken, beginning to perform Prayer and consuming Divine Power to conduct emergency healing on the injured warrior.

Because it was possible—no, it was a high probability—that they would still have to fight, as the battle had not truly ended, the Wild Priest did not dare to consume too much of the Divine Power stored in the Statue of the God within the Metal Box. He could only stabilize the injuries of the wounded first so they would not worsen.

As for treatment, once the enemy was thoroughly defeated, combining it with traditional treatment methods would achieve twice the result with half the effort, saving Divine Power.

Jier had been sent flying on purpose.

He had anticipated in advance that the opposing Priest would not be defeated in a short while. After all, this type of professional enemy fought by consuming Divine Power, and their stamina and physical condition had very little impact on their actual combat power.

And since he did not have a reliable judgment on the extent of the opponent's prowess, Jier had to judge the opponent's strength based on their ability to provide Prayer to boost the strength of their subordinate warriors.

Or, since they both relied on the power of the God of Strength, perhaps that Priest also possessed the super-strong combat power of 'Shishou'.

Perhaps the consumption was quite high, so it wouldn't be used often? Or could it only be used once a day or within a certain period?

Jier did not know any of this, so when he saw and heard other Dwarf Warriors rushing over quickly from the second floor of the Dwarf Residence, he immediately chose this set of tactics: consume the Dwarf Priest's Divine Power and withdraw from the battlefield.

Jier flew at least dozens of meters in the air, over two or three Dwarf Residences, and finally crashed into a local Human house behind the Dwarf Residences.

Rumble! Rumble!

He smashed through the roof made of wooden planks and crashed into the interior of the house.

After smashing and breaking several wooden beds belonging to adults and children, Jier climbed up from the broken wooden beds and the large amount of Wheat Straw spread on them.

"Ah—it hurts like hell!"

Jier didn't need to look to know that his back must be heavily bruised from the impact. However, although it was painful, it did not affect his movement; after all, his cloak and armor helped him block a large amount of damage.

And honestly, after Knight Training, Jier felt that his ability to withstand blows was also slowly getting stronger.

If he were still in Kendall County, in the same situation, he would clearly have to lie where he fell for half a day before he could barely move.

"So, what should I do now?"

Jier lifted his Faceplate and scratched his chin.

His Long Sword vibrated slightly. Jier looked up at the stairs leading to this floor of the Farmer's house; he had long since heard the sound of someone coming up, which was much sharper than his Long Sword's perception.

Looking up, a middle-aged Farmer holding a Short Sword poked his head out of the stairwell, trembling. Behind this Farmer, a Farm Wife was also squeezed in, holding a laundry stick in her left hand and a dough-rolling pin in her right, looking over with a face full of terror.

Jier shrugged, closed his Faceplate, and strode over.

While walking, he took the opportunity to put away his Long Sword and also brushed off some wooden debris hanging on his body.

"Kn-Knight!"

The Farmer called out.

And the Farm Wife screamed: "The beds at home! They're all ruined!"

Jier clapped his hands, making a metallic clanging sound: "Not all of them, just a part."

"Alright, could you move aside so we can go down and talk?"

Jier spoke politely, but the two locals looked at a loss.

"Could it be that you intend to make me pay compensation? It's not a lot of money, but the problem is, I am fighting against the Dwarves; this is a battle for the interests of Humans! How can you ask me for compensation for a little bit of damage?"

Jier stood at the stairwell, looking down at the middle-aged couple squeezed on the stairs.

The middle-aged Farmer trembled and scrambled to retreat downstairs, but his wife spoke up: "But our roof! And so many beds for sleeping are all ruined!"

Jier shrugged: "What does this count for? You felt the ground shaking just now, right? That was the result of me fighting the Dwarf Warriors. Later, we went on to collapse several more Dwarf houses. You can climb onto the roof and look toward the center of the village; in just this short while, see how many habitable Dwarf houses are left."

These words scared the Farm Wife so much that she screamed and fainted, and her husband barely managed to catch her.

This Farmer's house was rectangular and actually a three-story building. The top floor was for living, and the middle floor was the main activity area for cooking and storing grain and tools. It could be seen that the local Humans had no problems with their living conditions; everyone had wooden beds to sleep on, and in the activity area on the second floor, there were even stone-built stoves and long wooden tables made of large pieces of timber.

On the wooden table, there were even metal Water bottles and dinner plates, which were much wealthier than ordinary Villagers in the outside world.

Jier casually found a round wooden stool by the wooden table and sat down, watching the Farmer lay his frightened, fainted wife flat on the floor. Then, the Farmer picked up the overturned Water bottle on the wooden table, shook it, and finding that there was water, poured a little onto his palm.

Jier happened to be thirsty, so he reached out and forcibly took the metal Water bottle from the Farmer's hand. The Farmer dared not refuse to let go, so he smiled awkwardly, covered his wife's forehead and cheeks with his wet palm, and leaned his lips close to his wife's ear, whispering her name.

Sniffing the water inside the metal Water bottle and finding no strange smell, Jier lifted his Faceplate and drank it in large gulps.

In a few gulps, he drank the water in the bottle. Jier estimated that the vibration caused by the previous super-strong strike from 'Shishou' had also knocked over the Water bottle on the table, causing a lot of the water inside to spill.

After drinking the water, Jier placed their Water bottle properly on the table. This gesture made the Farmer breathe a sigh of relief, and he soon woke his frightened wife.

After waking up, the Farm Wife became much calmer, and the two tools in her hands were quietly placed on the ground.

"Don't be nervous. I came here to save you."

Jier no longer lowered his Faceplate, just revealing his young face to talk to the two middle-aged locals.

Hearing this, the middle-aged couple looked at each other in surprise. The Farmer grinned, while the Farm Wife carefully rolled her eyes.

Did they really think Jier didn't see? Although the lighting inside the Farmer's house was poor, Jier's eyesight was very strong, and he could see clearly even in places with insufficient light. But he didn't care; after all, putting himself in their shoes, if he were in the perspective of the Farmer and Farm Wife, he didn't know how many times he would have cursed in his heart already.

"Let me ask one thing first: when did you come to Babotali Valley?"

The Farmer and Farm Wife looked at each other, then the two answered in turn: "We were both born in the village and have lived here since we were small."

Jier rolled his eyes: "What about your elders? When did they arrive here? They were immigrants from the Empire, right?"

The farm wife nudged her husband with her elbow, signaling him to answer.

The farmer pulled over two small wooden stools, letting himself and his wife sit down before answering: "My parents were both migrants from the Empire, and so was my wife's family; they all arrived in the Valley about forty years ago. At that time, we heard there weren't any terrifying legends about the Back Mountain Valley outside, so those migrants just happened to follow a path the Dwarfs had outside the Valley and walked right in."

Jier rested his elbows on his knees, his palms supporting the lower edge of his helmet, and nodded: "I guess these were the last batch of Imperial migrants to accidentally wander into this place, right?"

Both of them nodded: "Later on, only a few scattered people wandered in and lived here with the rest of us. I heard that when I was little, some people even broke in looking for relatives, but after that, only some bold fellows came in for adventure."

The farmer shrugged: "Some people wanted to leave, but they were all stopped by the Dwarfs. Although there are few Dwarfs, no one is a match for them, so everyone just lives here. Actually, life here is quite good."

The farm wife suddenly interjected: "When I was little, I wanted to go out and see, but later, after hearing people from the outside talk about life out there, I felt it wasn't as good as home, so I stopped thinking about leaving."

Jier shrugged: "Your life is indeed quite good."

"Then?" the farmer asked, puzzled, leaving the sentence half-finished.

Jier continued: "But all of this is fake."

"Fake?"

"False?"

The two of them did not believe it.

Jier smiled: "You might not understand some grand principles. Outside the Valley, everywhere you look are the vast kingdoms and lands of us Humans. We Humans farm, we Humans rule. Whether it's the East, the West, or the North, or the South, although everyone argues and bickers sometimes, it's all Humans, speaking the same language, with the same faces and physiques."

The farmer and his wife were a bit confused, and Jier continued: "And not managed and ruled by some shorties who don't even reach our chests."

The farmer had something to say, but he glanced at the faintly glowing Long Sword sheath at Jier's waist and said nothing.

But his wife spoke up: "There's nothing wrong with the Dwarfs managing the Valley! They trade sturdy, useful metal utensils for the grain everyone grows! I know, I've heard from young people who came from the outside that these metal utensils we use every day aren't cheap out there! But I've never really understood the coins and such that they talk about."

Jier smiled in response and didn't take up the topic.

He continued: "This is nothing more than a cheap means of bribery. To the Dwarfs, those few metal artifacts are of no use to them at all; on the contrary, without the grain you toil to grow, they truly couldn't survive. You've got the dependency relationship backwards—it's not that you need them, it's that they need you."

"If you ask me, the Valley should be ruled by Humans instead. In terms of numbers, we Humans are more numerous. In terms of survival needs, they are the ones begging Humans! Yet here, it is managed and ruled by Dwarfs."

Seeing that his wife hadn't been scolded by the formidable Knight for speaking up, the farmer felt relieved enough to speak: "But the safety of the Valley and the Cunzi depends on those Dwarfs to maintain! Magic Beasts, Monsters, and wild beasts are all defeated and driven away by those Dwarfs. Without their protection, the Valley and the Cunzi wouldn't be safe at all."

Jier stretched out a finger and shook it: "Look at what you're saying. Does that mean the Human world outside the Valley is constantly being bullied by the monsters in the mountains? It's exactly the opposite. Without Dwarfs, Humans can protect themselves; everyone does it that way. The Dwarfs took over the protection work of the Valley and the Cunzi and have used it to prove the legitimacy of their rule here, right? But if Humans could protect themselves from the beginning, isn't their claim to legitimacy fake?"

The two of them clearly didn't quite understand these things Jier was talking about—this "rule" and "legitimacy"—though they understood the general idea.

Seeing their mouths opening and closing, yet not knowing how to use language to explain their thoughts, Jier patted his head: "Forget it. You've spent your whole lives in this small place; many topics you can't see, can't understand, and naturally can't explain. Anyway, you just need to understand that I came here for your own good."

Jier patted his armor's chest, making a clanging sound: "Look, I am, after all, a member of the Human race. Compared to those Dwarfs who live in the middle of the Cunzi with spacious houses, am I not more reliable?"

Once the topic turned to houses, the farmer and his wife understood immediately. They looked at each other and said to Jier in a low voice: "The houses in the center of the Cunzi?"

Jier's eyes darted, and he smiled: "Yes, outside, everywhere, we Humans live in the middle of the village. Where is there a place where Humans are the majority and the best places aren't occupied by Humans? That makes no sense, right? Dwarfs should live in stone burrows; they surely like it there anyway. They crawled out of the burrows, so they should go back. And the surface, under the sun, the best places should be enjoyed by us Humans."

The farmer frowned: "But the Dwarfs are too strong! In arm wrestling, three young men can't beat one Dwarf! Not to mention that every one of them has thick armor for protection."

Jier stood up, one hand resting on the metal belt at his waist, the other waving: "This is the key to everything. Why can they, the Dwarfs, use unimportant metal utensils to trade for the grain you need to survive, which you get through your labor? Why don't they, the Dwarfs, let you protect yourselves? By what right do they, the Dwarfs, occupy the best central location of the Cunzi, while the more numerous Humans live on the outskirts?"

"Why?"

"Yes, why?"

The couple asked in unison.

Jier swung his right hand downward forcefully: "It's just because their combat power is strong, their military might is strong, that's all! It's that simple!"

"Because their military might is strong, they can use metal objects that are easy for Dwarfs to obtain and manufacture to trade for large amounts of grain that Humans toil to grow! Because their military might is strong, they can take the initiative to occupy the military defense work of the Valley and the Cunzi, and use this to suppress the Humans' own military power! Because their military might is strong, they can occupy the center of the Cunzi and build spacious, comfortable houses! If I'm not mistaken, can one or two Dwarfs own a two-story house with a garden?"

The farmer and his wife said in unison: "They have one house per person!"

"Oho! Even more enjoyable than I thought. Then what about your family? How many people are squeezed into this three-story wooden house?" Jier asked with a teasing smile, which made the couple in front of him feel embarrassed.

"We, our family, nine people. My parents, the two of us, my unmarried sister, and the four children of my wife and me. There were five originally, but the oldest one drowned in the Cold Lake outside the village the year before last..."

The farmer said slowly.

Jier sighed: "I am sorry for the death of your oldest child; please accept my condolences."

"No, no need for you to offer condolences, Knight. The Cold Lake is a place the Dwarfs have always forbidden us from entering. It's all my child's fault; in such cold water, how could one possibly swim? Even in the summer, the water in the Cold Lake is too icy."

"Besides, where does everyone get their drinking water? Swimming and such is really not good."

The farmer and his wife said one after the other.

Jier nodded and turned the topic back: "Nine people, right? Squeezed into one house with poultry and livestock—not only is the smell bad, but the hygiene isn't great either, and there's no garden! Wow, the Dwarfs all have a garden they like. Just now, when I was fighting those people, I saw quite a few plants I hadn't seen before."

The farm wife was clearly envious of the Dwarfs' two-story gardens, her eyes full of little stars, muttering: "Glowing plants—if we planted a few at home, it would be much brighter!"

But the farmer defended: "Our family—no, every household in the village has its own yard."

Jier smiled: "For poultry to move around, and for livestock to move around, right? What else have they bestowed upon you poor people? Tell me all about it."

After the farmer hesitated for a moment, he spoke up: "Every family has a large piece of land that can be cultivated! After establishing a new family, there is also a house and land allocated."

Jier pointed in the direction of the Huitou Forest: "It's the same outside. In places with few people, the Saint Hors Kingdom is actually still in the development stage. There are ownerless wilderness and land everywhere. As long as you cultivate it and are willing to pay grain taxes to the lord, you can get a certificate of land ownership, and that is your own land. As for houses, every family can build them according to their own ideas. If you toil and farm, you can trade grain for money and buy the furniture, utensils, beautiful clothes, exquisite beds, and delicious food you like."

"Let me see what you have. Ah, besides the metal utensils the Dwarfs trade for grain being exquisite and useful, what else? Forgive my upbringing for not being able to use many vulgar words to describe your impoverished life. Of course, your family's life is actually not bad, but you must understand that this life has a ceiling. In general, your current situation is already the best state."

"A closed Valley and Cunzi, unable to communicate or trade with people in other places—this makes your life and existence just a mechanical repetition of everything the previous generation did. Do you grow grapes here?"

The farmer shook his head.

Jier sighed: "That is a great pity. Grapes are not only delicious, but they are also wonderful for making wine. The bright red color, the mellow aroma, and the slightly sour and astringent taste are impossible to give up. I guarantee that you would like it after just one sip."

The farm wife's eyes lit up immediately.

"But unfortunately, unless you are lucky enough to encounter an adventurer who breaks in in the future and happens to carry some fresh grape fruits, you will never taste this kind of wine in your entire life."

The farmer said hurriedly: "We have ale here; it's very good!"

Jier smiled and shook his head: "Ale? Ale also comes in many varieties. Different origins, different climates, different soils, different water sources, different brewing methods, different wheat—the ale produced in the end is all different! So, how many different flavors of ale have you tasted?"

The farmer was stunned. He hesitated, counting on his fingers, and finally only held up a gesture for the number two.

"Let me guess: one kind of Dwarf ale, one kind of our Human ale, right?"

Jier's teasing smile made the farmer feel ashamed. The drink he had always thought was incredibly delicious turned out to be nothing at all.

He had never felt at this moment that his life and existence were restricted to such a small range.

Right in this village, right in this Valley, they couldn't go anywhere else. Even the gloomy and terrifying Huitou Forest was forbidden to approach, not to mention the Stone Wall on the other side of the Valley. To this day, only the three young Hunters who broke in a few years ago had caught the eyes of the Dwarfs and were allowed to go up on the wall together to defend against the beasts and Monsters in the forest outside.

And this kind of life, an identical life, was not just trapping him here, trapped here by the Dwarves, but also the others in the village.

His parents, his wife, his siblings, his wife's parents, his wife's siblings, and most importantly, his children. In the future, the children would also face a life identical to his, living in the same cramped houses, enviously watching the Dwarves in the village center tend to beautiful flowers and plants, drinking only two types of monotonous beverages, and ignorantly believing these two beverages to be the best-tasting things in the world.

He thought of, he recalled, his own parents sighing for no reason more than once. At those times, they would always gaze into the distance at the towering mountains surrounding them, and the Huitou Forest that led out of the valley.

He had never understood before, since they lived a happy and peaceful life, what exactly were they sighing about?

Now, this middle-aged Farmer raised his head, looked at the young Knight before him, and said heavily: "I think I understand what you mean."

Jier looked at this Farmer for a long while, then finally nodded: "As long as you understand, as long as you understand."

Afterward, Jier stood straight and struck his chest armor with a clenched fist: "Qiao-Jier, an Apprentice Knight from Kendall County, Northwest Province, Saint Hors Kingdom. I hope to obtain your help here in Babotali Valley. This is an operation that not only helps me but also helps yourselves."

The middle-aged Farmer stood up at a loss, not knowing how to express his excitement and formality, so he had to imitate Jier's action, also clenching his right fist and striking his chest hard, saying loudly: "Colin Dover, a Farmer of Torito Cunzi in Babotali Valley. This is my wife, and we cultivate a plot of land together. We are willing to assist you!"

The middle-aged Farmer's wife was at a loss, but she had to stand up with her husband. She could not say anything formal, so she just kept bowing, whispering complaints about her husband acting so recklessly.

Jier smiled to show his understanding, signaling that their whole family could return to the house.

"But the ground was shaking and vibrating just now! How could it be safe inside the house!"

Jier shrugged: "That was caused by a fight between me and a powerful Dwarf Warrior. Now that Dwarf Warrior is mostly unable to unleash any powerful attacks, so it is fine."

"Ah?"

"Ah? Caused by a fight?"

The middle-aged couple reacted differently; the Farmer's wife just felt it was bizarre, while the Farmer felt it was terrifying. After all, men did not have many recreational activities, and usually, when someone in the village fought due to an argument or a gambling dispute, that was already the most intense struggle they knew of.

To be able to cause a huge pillar of smoke, ground tremors, and house collapses—how powerful must the Warriors be to cause such destruction?

Only then did he have to re-evaluate how much ability this knowledgeable and eloquent young Knight actually had, and what kind of changes he would bring to the village later.

Afterward, the middle-aged couple called back all their family members in the courtyard. Jier spoke with the Farmer's elderly parents; Jier's good conversational skills quickly earned him the trust of these immigrants from the Empire, though it was hard to say if it was also due to Jier's status.

In any case, compared to the time-consuming conversation Jier had with the middle-aged Farmer and his wife, this pair of elderly immigrants expressed their support and trust in Jier quite straightforwardly.

"Back then, it was all ignorance and curiosity that caused the entire migration team to mistakenly enter this place along the Dwarves' road." The old man shook his head.

His wife, an old woman, followed up immediately: "Not telling the truth..."

Jier raised an eyebrow.

The old woman added: "At the time, everyone knew we had arrived at the Saint-something Kingdom, so everyone relaxed too much. There was so much good land everywhere that could be cleared for a village, but we became more and more greedy."

Jier became puzzled: "Greedy? In what way were you greedy?"

The old man embarrassedly covered half his cheek with his hand: "Let me say it. Back then, we immigrants looked here and there; every territory looked good, but we were greedy, always thinking there were better places for us to live, so we never settled down in one place."

"We disliked the sunny hillsides for not being flat enough, disliked the large open plains for having to dig wells to live, and feared flash floods in the summer near the river. In the end, we kept picking and choosing, walking and choosing all the way until we arrived in the nearby area. As a result, we discovered sturdy, non-slip roads built by Dwarves on the ground. Oh, don't be surprised; we encountered this stuff quite a bit along the way, so we all knew it was something left behind by the Dwarves who had already evacuated."

"Greedy, indeed. Everyone in the team thought that instead of building houses ourselves and choosing a place to settle, it would be better to just occupy the empty Dwarf houses. After all, Dwarves are also a different race that needs to live in houses and drink water."

The old man shook his head when he said this, but Jier could roughly guess what happened afterward.

After entering, they discovered there were still Dwarves in the valley who hadn't evacuated. Alas, they couldn't beat these Dwarves, and they couldn't leave even if they wanted to!

It really was a disaster caused by greed.

"So, this Jianlao, we hope you can break it!"

The old man finally said sincerely.

"Jianlao..." Jier's mouth curled in amusement.

The old woman had a look of regret.

The middle-aged Farmer and his wife had serious expressions.

And the middle-aged Farmer's sister and their four children looked puzzled.