Chapter 444: The Field Full of Hope

The sudden natural disaster hit the pasture owner's heart, but as Skyler said, Xioden was actually a quite "benevolent" King.

At least he didn't hypocritically shed a few crocodile tears, then carry a fan to put out the fire, or chop the dead cattle and sheep into stuffing and wrap them into cakes to eat again.

The Green Forest Army was doing this, and it was with Kalian's acquiescence.

It must be said that people who are full still have better table manners than those who are hungry.

This, of course, was not because of the nobility or baseness of blood or soul, nor was it about justice or evil; it was purely because their different ecological niches determined the roles they inevitably played on specific stages.

If the one-in-ten-thousand miracle really happened, and Kalian and the twelve leaders really accomplished great things under the support of chaos, his children and grandchildren might not have had the chance to become the new Xioden.

It was very simple: give them a few hundred years, and let them be full like the Devalu family.

Considering the expansion of the population and the development of productivity with the changes of the era, maybe it wouldn't take a few hundred years.

If the Claw of Eternal Hunger, Urgos, hadn't burned the world to the ground or returned it to the Stone Age after influencing everything...

The boiling flames of war were still spreading toward Dusk City, and it would take some time for the dice of fate to settle.

However, all this chaos and curses seemed to have nothing to do with the Quemubao territory, which was blessed by the Holy Light.

Perhaps out of awe for Her Highness the Saintess, or perhaps out of fear of the divine power of the Son of God, the rat-men in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain range suddenly restrained their infiltration into the Quemubao territory, and even withdrew several nests they had planted in this area.

【One Leaf Knows Autumn】 was quite disappointed.

He felt that he was almost about to grasp that legendary "main line," but the main line flew away like a kite with a broken string.

"The rat-men invading the Quemubao territory suddenly retreated; we found traces of the boss in the empty nest, but nothing was left inside."

"Later, we heard from NPCs that the Campbell Principality's army is fighting the coalition of the Green Forest Army and rat-men in the Jingshuitan territory, and is suspected of having received the support of the dwarves. A reasonable analysis is that the retreating rat-man troops might be going to deal with the Campbell people."

"... Of course, I personally prefer to think that the dog planner hasn't made the follow-up plot yet, so he made this arrangement that looks reasonable but is actually unreasonable."

Official website forum, development exchange section.

One Leaf Knows Autumn updated the latest progress of investigating the traces of rat-man activities in the post.

As a rare technical high-player of "Tiancai OL," his posts were always very popular.

After all, most people read the plot at a glance, and rarely would they immerse themselves in the game world like him, and use logical reasoning to string together the clues discovered in the game world, thereby digging out hidden quests and rewards.

However, having said that, because his posts had high technical content, most people couldn't copy the homework, just felt good in their eyes, but their brains hadn't reacted yet.

Therefore, most of the players who came in to leave messages were not here to copy homework; they were either brushing 666, 999, or kneeling and begging the dog planner to come in and slash, otherwise this broken game couldn't be played.

【Gou Shi】: "Be content, your game experience is already enough! How much more do you want?! (Anger)"

Yikoumenle Chemical Pool: "Exactly! It's a huge loss that the dog developer let you guys 'freeload' so much open beta content!"

Ye Zhiqiu: "You can't put it that way. Nominally, we're self-funded testers. Rather than saying I'm freeloading off him, it's more like he's freeloading off me. (Side-eye)"

【Pig Directly Opposite】: "Vomit vomit vomit!"

【What is a Face】: "Too shameless!"

【Pig-headed Knight】: "That is! Isn't it appropriate to slash this? (Anger)"

【Minotaur Warrior】: "What are you joining in the fun for, wouldn't it be you who gets slashed together with me? (Sweat)"

【Hu Wan】: "..."

"..."

Only God can see all the cause and effect.

Sometimes things that seem unreasonable may not be truly unreasonable, it's just that the cognition of mortals is uneven.

As a t0-tier player, One Leaf Knows Autumn's cognition was clearly not low, but he couldn't have imagined that the Empire's "nuclear weapon" had moved into Wheatfield Village right under their noses.

No way, the name Gante was too common, and Steingraber wasn't a surname with much presence.

He and his "Sword Qi" were too niche for the entire Os Continent.

Although he achieved legend with the sword in his hand, what truly made him a demigod wasn't his sword technique. It was the simple morality and chivalry in the hearts of the people of the Os Continent, and the legend he established by responding to expectations with power.

In other words, if he were good at using a gun, he would be a Gun Saint.

And if one day, he suddenly realized the essence of faith and extraordinary power, and that Saint Xisi was not any "person," but the people themselves who believed in Him...

Then his domain would no longer be just a limited domain, but would become the entire world.

Not only that, he would also transcend himself, hear another voice in his heart, and thereby condense a divine personality—

Just like the Emperor, Gustav, and Lint Isaac had all experienced.

At the same time, in a corner of Wheatfield Village, the first "Rock Inn" in the Quemubao territory finally went online.

The mud-gray walls were simple but full of hard texture, just like the high chimney and its simple name, bringing the warmth of home to travelers staying here.

The two-story height wasn't high; the first floor was a hall that could hold more than twenty tables, as well as a spacious kitchen, storage room, bathhouse, and a small number of guest rooms. The second floor was all guest rooms; although each was narrow, the facilities were complete enough to block the wind and snow of the journey.

It stood quietly by the side of the road, like a sturdy farmer, holding up the first group of cooking smoke for travelers rising from Wheatfield Village.

As one of the key projects of the life-profession players active in the area, this project could be said to have condensed the creativity and sweat of many players.

After all, they unanimously agreed that not only should the inn be built well, but it should also be built with an authentic feel!

This was a great test of their understanding of architecture and architectural history, and they also had to add their understanding of the game "Tiancai OL" and Wheatfield Village.

Standing in front of the completed inn, 【Gou and Strong】 touched his angular chin and said creakily.

"Don't you think this name is dirty."

Earthly and Simple looked at him blankly.

"What's dirty about this?"

Gou and Strong smiled lewdly: "Rock... delay... hehe... you understand, brother!"

Earthly brother was silent for a long time, sighed, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay brother, don't say it, brother understands you!"

Gou and Strong was stunned; he didn't expect this grandson to have this reaction, and immediately became anxious.

"Holy crap?! I haven't used it, I'm just playing a meme, don't take it seriously!"

Earthly brother looked at him with care.

"Stop explaining, normal people wouldn't think of that, only you have such a rich imagination!"

Gou and Strong: "@#%!"

In the eyes of others, their hardworking and charming ancestors, because they had completed another great "major project," excitedly hugged each other.

It was just that for some reason, the two Holy Spirits rolled into the mud as they hugged.

Old Hanke was the first to react, and said with a flash of inspiration.

"Maybe it's a couple!"

This was very reasonable!

The Saintess didn't say that the Holy Spirits who came back to help them were all grandfathers; what if there were grandmothers?

The white bones entangled together, in his eyes, instantly turned into white arms.

The mother carrying the child next to him reacted immediately, and quickly covered the child's eyes.

"Don't look blindly!"

Several "pseudo-human" players with translation crystals next to them were laughing their stomachs off.

"Hahahaha grass!"

The imagination of this bunch of NPCs is too rich!

Just like that, Wheatfield Village finally had its first inn, and this village with a strong rural flavor finally had the atmosphere of a fantasy RPG.

Whether there are guests or not is not important, the atmosphere is important!

Just when the players were satisfied with their masterpiece, Gante was also moved by these enthusiastic villagers. He didn't expect them to value him so much, and even built such a big house for him, a stranger, based on a promise of a sentence!

Although it was built by the Holy Spirits, considering that the Holy Spirits were the ancestors of the villagers of Wheatfield Village, it was roughly equal to those living villagers.

Looking at these generous people, Gante couldn't help but think of Gray Stone Town... and Gray Stone Town before the people there "died."

This two-meter-tall sturdy man, for a moment, felt as if his eyes had sand in them.

Not just because of gratitude.

More importantly, he saw hope!

"Everyone, thank you for looking up to me so much; although I have nothing to repay you, I also want to express my heart... at least let me treat you to a meal!"

Looking at Gante with a solemn face, Old Hanke smiled and said.

"You, a mercenary, don't know anything about cooking, and where do you get the ingredients?"

Yurien heard this and immediately argued for his master.

"That's not true! My master's cooking is not delicious, but it's enough to be full! And there are magical beasts in the forest, wouldn't it be there if we hunt one or two back?"

The villagers around heard this young man say this, and were amused. No wonder this kid was gulping down white-water-like wheat porridge when he first came; it turned out that he was tired of eating game.

Although it was enviable, it didn't prevent them from teasing him.

"It's not that simple; cooking is not enough just with meat, you can't just boil it in white water, right? That's too shabby?"

"That is! Don't say you have money, the market here hasn't opened yet, you don't know who to buy from even if you have money!"

"By the way, the green vegetable leaves in my vegetable garden have just grown, why don't we just open a banquet!"

"Good idea, haha! I remember the potatoes in Old Hanke's field have also grown blocks the size of bird eggs! I haven't eaten stewed potatoes for a long time!"

"Hiss... I'm almost drooling, we've been eating wheat porridge for how long! It's time to improve the food... wait, how do you know how big the potatoes in my field are?"

"Hehe, I touched it by accident at night. Don't worry, I didn't steal it, I put it back!"

"Only the undead would believe your words! Touch my potatoes, don't even think about it, that's what I left for brewing wine!"

Although he said so, Old Hanke clearly wasn't a stingy person, and he planted quite a lot, so he finally gritted his teeth and decided to dig some out to satisfy everyone's craving.

Just like that, under everyone's chattering, the original proposal for Gante to treat everyone to a meal turned into everyone scraping together a meal.

When he came back to his senses, Gante found with a wry smile that the favor hadn't been repaid at all, but instead owed more and more...

On the other side, people returned to their homes, picking up whatever they had; those who really had nothing also picked up a basket of tree bark with red faces.

It was a pity that no one in the Quemubao territory ate that stuff anymore. Their hearts were accepted, as for the things, there was no need to throw them into the pot...

In just half an hour, a pile of miscellaneous fruits and vegetables appeared in front of the Rock Inn.

Mostly cabbage, as well as some wild vegetables and berries, as well as potatoes and white potatoes.

Before this year's harvest, these things were almost all the family property of the village.

However, on this day worth celebrating, they still took these things out without hesitation.

It wasn't because they were pretending to be fat, and not entirely to celebrate for the stranger carrying the greatsword; they were more for themselves, or to comfort the gods who cared for them—their lives were back on track, and they would soon say goodbye to the days of the past.

A month ago, when the green shoots just emerged from the ground, many people were pondering this matter in their hearts.

Gante's inn was just an excuse, and it happened to catch up...

Just when people were chattering and offering advice for this party, their charming ancestors seemed to have finally finished their business and crawled out of the mud pit.

That slender skeleton arm was raised high, and the cry that followed was his stubborn shout.

【Earthly and Simple】: "Wait, you guys want to eat a banquet?! Take me! I'm your father!"

It was a pity that no one could understand his creaking sound except himself.

Fortunately, a "Highlander" who was said to understand the undead language happened to pass by here, and the clever villagers found him.

Facing this big fool with a crystal ball hanging on his chest, the villagers looked at him with enthusiasm and asked for the wisdom of their ancestors.

Facing those pairs of fiery gazes, 【Lighter】 naturally wouldn't neglect everyone's kindness, and insisted.

"He said he wants to donate a big fat pig!"

No other reason.

He wanted to eat!

Although undead players couldn't enjoy the delicacies of the human world, pseudo-human players could!

It wasn't just this inhuman player who was swallowing saliva, but also the villagers of Wheatfield Village who were listening to the wisdom of their ancestors.

There is pork?!

Everyone was instantly boiling upon hearing this.

【Gou and Strong】: "@%#!!"

Looking at the Gou and Strong brothers surrounded by grandchildren, 【Earthly and Simple】 lying in the mud sighed.

"Forget it, forget it... at worst, buy a big one from Beifeng City and spend some money to get it over with the teleportation array."

It just so happened that the brick kiln was also about to open.

Just treat it as inviting everyone to have a meal, and take care of the ancestors' business more in the future...

The preparation for the banquet started quickly, and the atmosphere inside the Rock Inn was like the fire in the fireplace, lively and extraordinary.

In the end, what the players brought was not just a few big fat pigs, but also brought more than a dozen barrels of specialties from the Nightmare Township, as well as several life-profession players who were keen on cooking.

Among them was the Demon King's personal chef, Little Fish Cake Juice, as well as some new faces who had just joined the game recently.

The players set up big iron pots at the entrance of the inn, some killing pigs, some cutting vegetables, and some giving bad ideas and making trouble... the atmosphere was as lively as a festival, looking very lively!

Although there were no quest rewards, and no achievement rewards, happiness itself was the best reward.

Not all players were hardcore players pursuing numerical values; there were also a considerable number of players driven by fun.

It wasn't just the players who were lively; the NPCs were the same. Even because of the different species, they looked more like living people than players.

The players of "Tiancai OL" had already sighed more than once; this artificial intelligence was really getting more and more developed.

It was simply more human than people.

"Gante brother! Congratulations! Finally, there is a place to drink in our village!"

Looking at the lively entrance of the inn, Old Hanke, who had just dug potatoes from the ground, smiled and patted Gante on the shoulder; although his heart was aching, he also sincerely blessed this brother who was wandering around, finally able to live a stable life.

Although he had never thought about living a stable life, Gante still accepted the good intentions of this farmer and nodded in thanks.

"Hmm... thank you!"

"Hey, what are you thanking for! We are a family from now on!" Old Hanke smiled and patted him on the shoulder hard again.

It was strange to say, this guy's build was too sturdy; it felt like stone when patted.

Looking at his master with an "awkward" expression, the boy named Yurien couldn't help but curl his lips.

His master was not an emotional person; along the way, let alone rarely smiling, even the changes in expression were rare.

Speaking of which, this was his first time seeing his master smile so many times in one day.

Even if those smiles were unnatural, like someone swimming in the river for the first time, repeatedly testing the depth on the bank.

However, no matter what, this was a good start.

As the adopted son and apprentice of the Sword Saint, Yurien was sincerely happy for his master...

On the other side, the banquet was about to be ready, and the hall of the inn was crowded with nearly two hundred people.

The twenty tables couldn't hold the villagers of the entire Wheatfield Village, especially the brothers of the Salvation Army who also smelled the fragrance and gathered around, and even brought a wild wolf killed yesterday.

In order to accommodate as many people as possible, all the tables and stools in the village were moved to the entrance of the Rock Inn, and those who didn't grab a seat didn't care, simply squatting on the side of the road and waiting.

Anyway, they had long been used to eating like this.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen of the inn, an alluring fragrance was spreading.

I saw a "Highlander" as big as a person stirring the wind and clouds in a huge iron pot with a shovel as big as a shovel.

His ID was 【Authentic Master Chef】, and he was wearing a proper chef's hat on his head; although this hat looked ridiculous on his head, it didn't prevent his skills!

I saw the milky white soup bubbling in the pot, the pork stewed soft and tasty; although the sauerkraut floating in it was different from the traditional sauerkraut of the Lain people, the taste was not inferior to the latter, and was even clearly better!

No other reason.

Just because he poured half a bottle of pepper powder into it!

Although in the Necropolis with the Tree of Life and Dark Elves, spices were not rare things, in the Twilight Province, this was a luxury that even lords might not be able to use.

If this was a competition, he had already won!

That intoxicating breath soon attracted the ancestors of Wheatfield Village, and a group of skeleton soldiers read as "Holy Spirits" also squeezed into the kitchen, creaking and shouting.

"Banquet starts! Banquet starts!"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Leave us a seat, grandfather has the biggest seniority, grandfather wants to sit at the main table!"

"Awoo awoo awoo! Time to eat, brothers!"

They were all skeleton soldiers who had contributed when building the inn; although they had already received the favor of the mysterious NPC greatswordsman and martial arts secrets as rewards, it didn't prevent them from being hungry and wanting to join in the celebration banquet!

Can't eat?

Doesn't matter!

Ways are all thought of by people; they have other ways to increase their sense of participation!

Seeing this bunch of guys swarming toward the bubbling iron pot, 【Authentic Master Chef】 was scared, and quickly waved his spoon to drive this bunch of guys away.

"Go, go, go! Go to the side! You guys don't even have a digestive tract, eat a fart, sit at the table with the offerings!"

That was a table set aside separately, with some fruits and bread on it, placed not far from the entrance of the inn.

By the way, this was not the tradition of the locals themselves, but taught to them by the players, saying that the ancestors liked this bite, and placing rich offerings could be used to sacrifice the souls of the ancestors.

The offerings after the sacrifice don't need to be wasted, just give them to the children to eat!

Making children happy is also something ancestors love to do!

As for whose bad taste it was, that was unknown. After all, where there are Necropolis players, the whims of players and the "evil wind" of the Necropolis are inevitable.

And more importantly—

The acolyte actually encouraged them to do so; it is said that it is also a way to consolidate faith.

In the case of a clear object of faith, the power of faith and cohesion are directly linked.

The skeleton soldiers who were driven away felt aggrieved at first, but after thinking about it, sitting at the offering table seemed to be a unique experience, so they happily followed suit.

In reality, they had never sat at the offering table!

Looking at the children who were almost crying with hunger, 【Gou and Strong】 teased them with the pastries in his hand.

"Little ghost, want to eat? Hehe, call me father!"

The child didn't speak, just stared at him straight and stubbornly.

Earthly and Simple: "Are you stupid, there is no translation crystal here, he can understand a fart."

And is this seniority falling?!

Gou and Strong: "Holy crap, hasty!"

In the end, the bad-tasting Gou and Strong comrade still gave the pastries in his hand to the child.

And the chocolate and white sugar cubes he secretly brought from the teleportation array... these were specialties of the Gana Continent.

Looking at the children grabbing and thanking him clumsily, the corners of his mouth were also grinning as if they couldn't close, experiencing the thrill of being an ancestor.

It's really good.

In reality, it would take a red envelope of several hundred to make children so happy, right?

His spiritual world was satisfied as never before, and he seemed to have found the correct use of underworld coins.

Although the power of the game world could not be taken to the real world, the resonance between souls could be mutually infected with these simple and pure feelings.

On the other side, Gante was also attracted to the kitchen by the fragrance he had never smelled before.

Looking at the golden vegetable leaves rolling in the pot and the soft and tasty thick meat chunks, he asked curiously.

"This is... what?"

【Authentic Master Chef】 turned his head and saw that the mysterious greatswordsman full of stories noticed him, and his whole person was excited!

Hidden quest!

Legendary secret book!

And hidden achievement!

He was full of these things now, and this excitement made his speech stutter.

"Au, authentic sauerkraut stewed authentic big fat pig!"

Gante was stunned.

"... What is that?"

Authentic Master Chef: "All, all authentic!"

Gante: "...?"

Authentic Master Chef was so anxious that he scratched his head.

He didn't know much Imperial language, and the crystal ball wasn't in his hand, so he searched his stomach for a long time and only came up with these two sentences.

Gante saw that he didn't seem very smart, and didn't make things difficult for him, finding a reason for him in his heart.

I heard that the mountain people in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain range had little communication with the kingdoms under the mountain, and perhaps this brother only knew these two sentences of Imperial language, which was normal.

However, Gante, who thought of this, was also infinitely emotional; how long had it been, and the villagers of Wheatfield Village were about to eat pork.

It's just...

Where did this pig come from?

He had seen the pigsty newly built in the village, but he hadn't seen any pigs raised in it? ===== CHAPTER 445 =====