[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re":3,"chapter-the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-215":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Vegetable-Growing Skeleton's Foreign Land Reclamation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2351696,4600,"Chapter 215: The Pope (Anthony) Sent Me","the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-215",215,"\u003Cp>“Ku Ba Da! This is what he called a safe, secret route?! Ku Ba Da, we shouldn’t have trusted him—this unreliable undead!” Nag Lisi  raged inside Ang’s soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ang tilted his head, scanning the surroundings—about twenty knights, their leader around level eight, roughly matching the level of the Mad Squad he’d encountered before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these knights were in far worse shape than Mad’s squad—their armor was old, battered, and rusted; leather seams at collars and joints were peeling and frayed; their weapons were poor, many with chipped blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felick calmly formed his shape, knelt with a thud, and pulled out five magic crystals: “I believe in the Light—I pay my taxes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  was stunned. This scene felt oddly familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead knight stepped forward, hefting the crystals in his hand: “So you’re a follower of the Light—then we’re allies. But the tax has increased. Pay a bit more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felick pulled out another crystal: “Small business, slow and steady—too expensive. Next time I’ll take another route.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knight hurried to explain: “You brought someone with you—no need. Next time I’ll give you a discount. After all, you have a sincere heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did they see a corpse drenched in death aura as having a sincere heart?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knight turned to Ang: “What about you? Do you believe in the Light? If you do, pay your tax.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  sighed: “Just pay. Save the trouble. Pay the same as Felick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Ang pulled out five magic crystals. Now the trouble had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? A rich man? Raise your hands! I suspect you’re smuggling contraband and possess weapons of mass destruction. Open your spatial artifact for inspection!” the lead knight barked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felick muttered bitterly under his breath: “Why did you give so much? I offered to pay for you! You should’ve claimed you had none—why show your spatial artifact? Now we’re doomed. Unless you bleed badly, these bloodsuckers won’t let us go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  roared: “Ku Ba Da! I’m furious! I was willing to get along with you, but you forced us to reveal our hand. Ang, show your Divine Knight badge!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ang pulled out Leonard’s Divine Knight badge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! Divine Knight! Oh, Fishing Inquisitor… Holy Spirit above, forgive me, my lord! We didn’t know your identity!” The surrounding knights dropped to their knees in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead knight knelt on both knees, trembling, holding up the eleven magic crystals with both hands before Ang: “Forgive me, my lord! We didn’t mean it—we didn’t know your identity. Please, have mercy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  shouted directly through Ang: “Does not knowing justify extorting ordinary people?! Does not knowing justify collecting taxes?! What department are you from?! I’m filing a complaint against you with your superiors!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know which department we’re from?” the lead knight asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  froze. Where would it know which department they belonged to?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I knew, would I be asking you? Speak!” Nag Lisi  snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, we apologize.” The lead knight hurled the crystals toward Ang, leaped backward, and shouted: “Brothers, run! Don’t get caught—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding knights scattered instantly. Before the lead knight even finished speaking, they were gone—no trace left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead knight didn’t even finish—because as soon as he said “don’t get caught,” Ang grabbed his neck and lifted him like a chick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knight’s holy power erupted—but before he could act, Ang summoned holy light, patted him once, and erased the holy power entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knight’s eyes widened in horror. This was deprivation! The legendary deprivation—only possible when one’s power utterly crushed the other’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing the “Divine Knight” before him was beyond his resistance, the lead knight’s face turned ashen, his body limp. After Ang set him down, he knelt obediently, forehead pressed to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  was also startled, asking inside Ang’s mind: “You’re this strong now? One-handedly subdue a level seven or eight knight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ang tilted his head, puzzled. Is that hard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever. Nag Lisi  had given up trying to understand Ang’s power. This skeleton could grow stronger from gardening, from picking up a druid manual, and had collected countless elf druid soul fragments—who knew what new ability he’d mastered now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since he could transform into Locke, Ang’s power had been beyond Nag Lisi ’s comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  turned attention back to the knight: “Name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I’m Brandu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Age.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forty-three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gender.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, my lord, isn’t it obvious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Answer when asked. No backtalk. Slap.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word “slap” left Brandu confused—was he supposed to slap himself? Before he could decide, Ang slapped him across the head, making his skull ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gender,” Nag Lisi  repeated. Asking questions obvious to the eye was part of obedience training—to break resistance, form reflexes, and make answering other questions easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he weren’t lazy, Nag Lisi  would ask how many times a day the man wet his bed as a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Male! Male!” Brandu blurted out quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you set up roadblocks and rob travelers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, we’re not robbing—we’re collecting taxes! You can’t label us like this!” Brandu raised his head, face twisted in distress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Defiance. Slap.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ang slapped him again, hard—his skull rang, stars danced before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you set up roadblocks and rob travelers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...We’re poor. But we’re not robbing. The garrison collects an eleven percent tax locally—it’s a right granted by the Light. We’re not robbing!” Brandu refused to admit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though their actions were essentially robbery—possibly even worse—they could never admit it. If they did, not only would he be finished, but others—and even their families—would be ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could this be a coincidence? He was starting to suspect entrapment. Who would a Divine Knight disguise as a commoner, wandering through mountains under an undead’s guidance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Poor?” Nag Lisi  hadn’t expected that answer. But seeing Brandu’s worn gear, it did sound plausible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t your superiors send funds? No equipment maintenance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this question, Brandu’s eyes welled up: “We haven’t been paid for months. Equipment hasn’t been maintained in years. Even cloth and rations are scarce—we’re barely surviving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No pay at all? Did your superiors embezzle it?” Nag Lisi  was astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brandu glanced at Ang, trying to read his expression—was he genuinely shocked, or setting a trap? But Ang’s face showed nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brandu hesitated, then bit his lip and shook his head: “No. Rumor says the eastern diocese of the Prime Plane split off, causing shortages—so salaries can’t be paid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Brandu’s hesitant, defiant nod, Nag Lisi  suddenly felt sympathy for these knights. He clearly feared Ang was setting a trap, too afraid to speak truthfully. Had the Church’s lower knights become this terrified?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  decided to talk honestly, whispering to Ang in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ang nodded, then stomped the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh! Three mud pillars rose—two short, one tall. The tallest thickened, its top flattening into a table, then hardening. In moments, two chairs and a table stood formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  signaled Ang to bring out some fresh beetroot—some varieties tasted like fruit when fresh, sweet and crisp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sit. Eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brandu was stunned—shocked by Ang’s display. Though he sensed elemental fluctuation, it was too fast, too faint. But the scriptures described this exact scene—God’s will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light… God thought the room too empty, so tables and chairs appeared…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an ultra-high-level divine art. Who was this Divine Knight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat half on the chair, trembling, holding a beetroot but not daring to eat, nervously squeezing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a heartfelt conversation, Nag Lisi  finally understood the knights’ situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Brandu, the people of the Lands of the Fallen were divided into garrison troops and reinforcements. What were reinforcements? Armies from the Prime Plane, sent every four months to assist in battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These troops were well-equipped, highly trained, well-paid, and formidable in combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thousand years ago, all forces were such “reinforcements.” But as the war settled into stalemate—especially after the Lands of the Fallen Diocese was established—some troops were permanently stationed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These stationed troops rotated, but some stayed, bringing family and friends, marrying, having children. Decades later, their descendants became native inhabitants of the Lands of the Fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lands of the Fallen were harsh, barren, and resource-poor. Garrison troops suffered the heaviest casualties, losing their elite in droves. Over time, their combat effectiveness plummeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main force against undead became the reinforcements from the Prime Plane. The original garrison troops degraded into second-line defenders, guarding the long Central Mountain Range and human settlements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The few remaining elite garrison troops were concentrated in Shengbicheng, guarding the line before Eternal Night arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second-line defenders naturally received poor treatment. Combined with the Church’s irredeemable corruption from top to bottom, embezzlement and arbitrary levies were routine. With no choice, they resorted to self-reliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the Lands of the Fallen, how could one be self-reliant? Few undead merchants passed through. When one was caught, they dared not overexploit—fearing the merchant would flee elsewhere and cut off trade routes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Brandu’s village lacked clothing and food—not only were their rations severely insufficient and overdue, but their families and villagers were starving too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lands of the Fallen’s productivity could never support so many people—mainly because the Prime Plane’s rear had been continuously supplying them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But months ago, the eastern diocese of the Prime Plane declared independence, calling itself the Holy Church. A perfect excuse! Though the Church’s supplies hadn’t decreased, local corrupt officials had all, in unison, found reasons to increase their embezzlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, over the years, Brandu had grown used to it. The village grew what they could, organized patrols to collect taxes, and occasionally stormed up to complain—whatever they could get, they took. Barely enough to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who truly couldn’t make it? Just flee to the other side. They don’t collect taxes there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  was stunned by Brandu’s account. In the Prime Plane, he’d heard of the Church’s corruption from Anthony, Shamarah, and Phaler—but he hadn’t imagined the Lands of the Fallen were worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the front line! If they kept this up, wouldn’t the line break?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, you’re really not one of our local garrison commanders?” Brandu asked anxiously, repeating the question, terrified Ang was tricking him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I already said I’m not. Even my Divine Knight identity is fake. I’m a hermit from the Prime Plane, sent by the Pope to secretly investigate corruption in the Lands of the Fallen. To get the truth, I disguised myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Nag Lisi  spoke, he had Ang summon holy light, secretly adding “Anthony” to the Pope’s name. Anthony sent them. Later, get Anthony to issue a letter of appointment. The Pope of the Holy Church is still a Pope, isn’t he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure holy light was the best proof of identity. Brandu didn’t doubt Ang’s identity—only feared entrapment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on. Take me to your village,” Nag Lisi  said, turning to find Felick—only to see him peeking from behind a distant rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget him. Letting the undead merchant follow would only hinder them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brandu reluctantly led the way. After walking a distance, Ang suddenly turned toward the dense forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in the woods, a knight in tattered armor was anxiously peering this way. Seeing Ang notice him, he jumped, yanking his head back behind the branches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brandu saw him too, and sighed loudly: “Come out! The lord has forgiven us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-odd knights shuffled out from hiding—one by one, all present. Clearly, Brandu held great respect among them; not one had abandoned him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the youngest, a squire leaning on a cane, limped over and timidly called: “Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your son? What happened to his foot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He fell off a horse as a child—his ankle shattered. Holy magic could heal it, but couldn’t regrow broken bones,” Brandu said, heartbroken, rubbing his son’s head guiltily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  asked: “Don’t you have Holy Essence? Even if the ankle is shattered, just cut it off and regrow it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brandu and his knights exchanged glances: “My lord… you mean the legendary Holy Essence that regrows severed limbs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nag Lisi  was astonished: “Legendary? You’ve never even seen Holy Essence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Negril suddenly had an idea and told Ang to pull out a bottle: “I happen to have one right here—one thousand magic crystals per bottle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brandu’s expression shifted instantly from delight to disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if you cooperate with me to investigate corruption, I’ll give you this bottle of essence liquid—and cure your son’s leg besides. How about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>",2062,"2026-06-21T03:18:45.378Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f5ce2266a1c4fda4afbb07d850abaf1dbecb0ade11867f995c456a1f8a0aa40e","the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-216","the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-214",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-cover.jpg"]