Chapter 213: Young Man, Want to Go Matchmaking?

Hearing this, Negrilis found it absurd yet perfectly logical: in the society of undead, the cost of rule was extremely low, requiring no taxes to sustain it; if they needed resources—say, lacking ore or grain—they simply ordered low-grade skeletons to plant or mine, just like Ang.

Skeletons like Ang, who farmed, were virtually cost-free; after being taught planting once, they could work tirelessly for decades, making it unnecessary to enslave humans, whose enslavement demanded management costs and provision of daily necessities, far more troublesome than skeletons or zombies.

The only thing undead required was human corpses, so they feared humans would starve or become malnourished, occasionally providing food; according to Serina, if undead could grow enough themselves, they'd happily raise every human alive.

According to the script, shouldn't the undead have killed humans once they reached prime age, to obtain the strongest corpses?

No, they instead said: "Strong, healthy individuals should have children—how else will the group endure? If there are no descendants, what good are your corpses? And don't just give birth and abandon them—the more intelligent the child, the greater the chance it will awaken consciousness after death; ten thousand idiot skeletons and zombies cannot match a single lich. Raise them well, nurture them well, teach them well—abusing children will get your soul roasted."

Thus arose this absurd scene: humans under undead rule lived in peace and prosperity, while those under human rule suffered poverty and disease, so many who could no longer endure it risked crossing the mountains to escape here.

Each of Ang's group had a way down the mountain: those who could fly, flew; those who couldn't, like the little zombie, alternated two hoes into the cliff face, zipping down swiftly.

Lu Se was about to ask Serina if she could descend, but before he spoke, he saw her leap down, gripping protrusions on the cliff with hands and feet, slowing her fall, then leaping again—jump by jump—until she reached the base.

Well, clearly a mere cliff posed no challenge to these people. Each used their own method to reach the flat ground, and Serina turned and said: "Leave this little angel behind—otherwise, entering town might frighten everyone."

"No need, I'll tell it: 'Ooooh!'" Negrilis turned to the little angel.

Then came a grating sound of tearing wings, making Serina turn pale; after the wings were torn off, the little angel became a pink, adorable little girl.

After walking a long distance, they finally arrived at the small town.

Serina introduced: "Our town is called Qiaotoubao. There's a river outside, but it's dried up now—it only flows after Yongye begins…"

Just then, a cow-headed aunt suddenly emerged from a nearby depression, curiously eyeing Ang's group, then called out to Serina: "Hey, Lina, where've you been? Are these your matchmaking partners? Which one's your guy? Is it that handsome young man with the sword?"

Sword? Lu Se glanced around—he was the only one carrying a sword. Him? A handsome young man? What sharp eyes! Lu Se instantly warmed to the cow-headed aunt.

"Oh, Aunt Niu, don't talk nonsense! These folks are refugees from the west, and I just happened to meet them," Serina quickly denied.

The cow-headed aunt's eyes lit up. She clambered out of the depression with a clatter, excitedly saying: "Really not your guy? Such a handsome young man, and you're not interested? If you don't want him, then Auntie will take him…"

What? Auntie wants him? Seeing the aunt's frame—three times his size—Lu Se went pale. Was this the price of being too handsome?

Fortunately, just as Lu Se considered turning and running, the cow-headed aunt added: "I'll introduce him to Xiao Hua at the village entrance—she'll surely like this handsome young man."

Serina's face twitched, forcing a smile: "Auntie, you're joking. I was just shy and didn't admit it—he's my match. I just went to the city for matchmaking. Let Xiao Hua find someone else."

Serina leaned over, hooked her arm through Lu Se's, and cheerfully dragged him toward town.

The aunt scolded: "Child, what's there to be shy about? As long as you find a man, that's what matters."

Turning her gaze to Ang, the aunt smiled warmly: "Young man, want to go matchmaking?"

Matchmaking? Ang didn't understand. He shook his head.

The aunt wasn't disappointed. She turned to the little zombie: "Young man, want to go matchmaking?"

The little zombie, clad in soul armor, tall and muscular, should've been more to the aunt's taste—but his helmet obscured his face, so she couldn't tell how he looked, hence her second choice.

Since Ang shook his head, the little zombie naturally did the same without hesitation.

The aunt chuckled: "No problem, no problem—matchmaking means you have to try it out."

Serina clung to Lu Se's arm, leading everyone toward home, slightly embarrassed: "I forgot to tell you—the town has far more women than men, so you strong young men are very popular. If you're willing to stay, tell Auntie Niu, and she'll arrange matchmaking for you. How about it? There are quite a few pretty girls here."

Back at Serina's home, it was a low stone cottage built from stacked stone slabs, pillars, and chunks, then plastered with mud. Every building in town followed this style, mainly due to lack of materials—not a single piece of wood to be seen.

The house was spacious enough, but dark.

After lowering the stone window shutters, the interior brightened considerably, and a breeze swept through, bringing a touch of coolness.

Serina looked around, groaned in distress: "Oh no! That damn cat knocked things over—I was just closing the windows to bathe! Haven't opened them for two or three days, everything's damp, and my bathwater's ruined."

Lu Se perked up, feigning indifference as he glanced inside. He expected a large tub—instead, he saw only a small wooden basin.

"Bathwater? You bathe in a basin this small?" Negrilis asked in surprise.

Serina replied matter-of-factly: "What else? Our river only swells after Yongye. Normally, we rely on reservoir water for cooking. This basin? I collected dew for days to fill it—and now it's ruined before I even used it."

Watching tiny insects floating on the water's surface, Negrilis nodded sympathetically: "Your conditions here are brutal. Where we come from, it's not nearly this hard—at least we have guaranteed water."

Though the Abyss of Rest always howled with wind, the underground cities were rich in water sources—no one had to hoard bathwater.

"With scarce water, how do you irrigate crops?" Negrilis asked.

"We use ponds, surface reservoirs, and nighttime dew."

"What does 'Yongye' mean?" Negrilis asked.

"Oh, here the sun rises and sets, but every three months, there's a month when the sun never rises again—that's Yongye. During this time, rivers swell violently, the undead awaken and move, then attack the defenses built by the Church in the mountains. Yongye's coming soon—we must leave quickly and find where the Big Cat is sealed, and free it."

Serina pulled out a small totem rod from under the bed, excitedly saying: "Found it! It'll guide us to where the Big Cat is sealed."

This was also their main reason for returning to town.

After gathering what they needed, the group stepped outside to leave—but outside the door, down the alley, over a dozen elegantly dressed young girls stood, alone or accompanied by parents or relatives, shyly gazing toward Ang and his group with hopeful expressions.

The scene made Lu Se nervous. He couldn't help asking: "Is matchmaking here always like this?"

The group fled in haste, but their arms were stuffed with handkerchiefs—not just Ang, the little zombie, and Lu Se, but even the little angel received several.

"The girls here are too enthusiastic," Lu Se wiped sweat from his brow.

Serina shrugged: "What can I do? All the men are dead. More women than men—if we're not eager, who'll ever marry in?"

Negrilis chimed in: "Where we come from, it's the opposite—more men than women. Maybe we can ask if anyone wants to immigrate? We've got plenty of water for bathing."

"Great! I'll ask around. Speaking of bathing, I really should've washed before leaving—the water tank still has water. Since Yongye's coming anyway, might as well use it all up."

"No need. Let Ang water you. Find a corner, have him pour water over you—it'll be far cleaner than that little basin."

As they chatted and laughed, they climbed back up the cliff to the cave where they'd started.

"It's getting dark. We'll rest here tonight and leave tomorrow," Serina said.

Though Ang and the others didn't need rest, Lu Se, Lei Ting, and Serina did.

Back in the cave, as soon as they entered, they saw several rats wandering through Ang's field, digging up the soil and pulling out seeds already buried.