Chapter 78: The Druid

Milson was a devout follower of the Nature God.

After attaining the beginner level of the Way of Nature, he began traveling the continent according to the teachings.

Preparing to find a territory to settle permanently and help the local nobility and serfs enrich the land.

Milson initially chose the border region because it was sufficiently barren and agriculture underdeveloped.

So he first selected a baronial domain.

After a year of hard work, with his help and guidance, the baronial domain achieved a bountiful harvest.

But just as the entire domain rejoiced, a band of bandits arrived upon hearing the news.

The town was breached, the noble died in battle, and the newly harvested wheat was looted clean.

Not only was the year’s labor stolen, but the serfs either died or fled—the domain lay in ruins and was reclaimed by the kingdom.

Milson believed he had brought disaster upon the baronial domain.

The harvest, more than double last year’s, had drawn the attention of powerful bandits.

He reflected deeply and then chose a viscountial domain.

Under his aid, that viscountial domain also flourished, achieving a harvest three times greater.

Moreover, as a viscountial domain, it had sufficient troops, and no foolish bandit group dared to raid it.

But just as Milson thought he might finally settle down permanently, a horde of demons attacked the viscountial domain.

The demons were countless; in the darkness, only screams and wails could be heard.

Milson remembered only the final moment: the viscount sent back a bloodied knight to escort him, the druid, away.

The knight carried him ten li out; when he turned back, the viscount’s castle was already engulfed in roaring flames.

Two days later, Milson returned to the castle and found it reduced to ruins.

As for the viscount and his knights, it was said that both wheat and humans were the demons’ favorite food…

From then on, Milson understood: the border was too dangerous; a domain’s bounty might not bring benefit to serfs or lords.

Instead, wealth beyond one’s capacity to protect became the root of disaster.

So he decided to leave and seek a territory in the kingdom’s heartland to settle.

Today’s Storm Domain would be his final stop on this border journey.

After a brief rest, he would head north along the coastline, seeking barren lands.

Eating black bread, a knightly detachment from the castle halted not far from him.

From their gazes, Milson knew they had come for him.

That was normal—any noble with even a trace of lineage recognized a druid’s attire.

And every druid was unquestionably a noble’s honored guest.

For druids cultivated the Way of Nature, devoted solely to aiding agricultural development; they would even forgo salary, asking only for enough black bread to avoid starvation.

Beyond that, the Church of the Nature God never recruited followers—they pursued nature and bestowed abundance.

Thus, a druid who could aid a domain’s growth without demanding anything in return, nor spreading doctrine to undermine noble rule, was every noble’s dream helper—anyone who encountered one wished to keep them in their domain.

“Druid Lord, allow me to introduce myself—I am Baron Gervas of Storm Domain. I am delighted you have come to my domain!”

Indeed, the noble approached with great politeness, never treating Milson as a common peasant or serf despite his linen robe.

Milson knew the noble’s intent, so to avoid trouble, he said bluntly: “Greetings, Noble Baron Gervas. I am Milson, a devout follower of the Nature God. I am honored to pass through Storm Domain, but…”

He paused, then continued, “But I shall depart soon, heading for the kingdom’s heartland. My journey to the border was solely to gather crop seeds.”

“My mission is complete. I return to the domain where I reside!”

With that, Milson bowed deeply.

It was a gesture signifying he already served a noble.

Though a lie, it was a kind one.

It spared both the noble and himself trouble, so Milson felt no shame.

Indeed, the noble frowned slightly, then nodded in farewell: “I see, Druid Milson. Then I shall not disturb you further.”

With that, the noble ordered his knights to leave behind a loaf of white bread and a piece of greasy roasted meat wrapped in oiled parchment.

“Thank you for your generosity, Noble Baron Gervas!”

…

“That’s truly a pity—he already has a patron domain, my lord! A druid! I’ve heard domains with druids become prosperous, and serfs live carefree lives!” As they moved away from Milson, Migen couldn’t help lamenting.

“My lord, why not try again? I heard Viscount Pat’s grandfather was once merely a baron—until a druid arrived and aided him.”

“Within thirty years, he transformed the domain into one of the rare fertile regions nearby, and Viscount Pat’s father leveraged that accumulated wealth to elevate the family to viscount status!”

Knight Captain Leimeng also spoke up, unusually.

Though poaching a druid from another domain was dishonorable, Leimeng understood better than Migen what a druid’s aid meant for domain development.

His former lord, the Pat family, had risen from baron to viscount precisely because of a druid.

Gervas sighed helplessly: “That druid sincerely has no intention of staying in our domain—otherwise, he wouldn’t have lied to me.”

“What? The druid lied?” Migen and the others were stunned.

“Correct. He claimed he came to the border to gather seeds. I ask you—if true, shouldn’t the noble have sent knights to guard him?”

“Why didn’t the noble simply dispatch knights directly? Gathering seeds—given a name and portrait, even knights in the Chaos Wastes could find them!”

“This is a druid! What a waste!”

Migen and the others suddenly understood, their disappointment deepening.

Though Gervas primarily deduced the druid’s lie through his intelligence network, his reasoning alone was enough to expose it.

And the fact that a druid would lie proved he was determined not to settle in Storm Domain.

Could they simply watch this druid leave?

The answer was no—Gervas would never accept it.

So he must devise a way to convince the druid to stay.

“Migen!”

“My lord? What is it?” Startled by Gervas’s sudden pause and sharp call, Migen jumped.

“Go immediately to Magistrate Thomas. Tell him to begin fertilizing at once, and transport a cart of bird droppings past the square. And tell the serfs passing the square that…”