Chapter 100 This is the taste of freedom!

"This is!"

Looking at the big red mushroom in front of her, Aina was shocked.

Because she felt a breath of fire from the mushroom that was stronger and more concentrated than lava!
"Are you sure you want to give this thing to us to grow?" she asked in disbelief.

"if not?"

Rhode curled his lips and said, "This thing can only grow in places with sufficient fire energy. Your volcanic area is just right."

"But, isn't it too expensive?" Ina confirmed again.

Others may not know it, but as a demon, she is very sensitive to fire.

Because among her people, there are several authentic lava demons, and they are also among the most powerful warriors in the entire demon clan.

She was certain.

Just eat this mushroom.

The strength of her tribesmen has definitely improved by leaps and bounds, and the problem of food source has also been solved.

This is simply priceless to them!
"What? Are you having trouble?"

Rhodes asked back.

He doesn't care about any of that mess, as long as he can be provided with a place to mass-produce flame mushrooms.

"No! We can grow it!"

This is the feeling of going from hell to heaven.

Ina took the flame mushroom, her arms shaking.

She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but when the words reached her lips, they were completely choked up.

at last.

She bit her lip and raised her arms with a determined look.

"I, Aina Lucifer, the 78th royal family of the Demon King's Court, swear in the name of Lucifer that I will never let you down! Otherwise, my soul will be destroyed and I will die!"

Uh……

Just growing some mushrooms.

As for?
Rhodes was stunned. He didn't expect this guy to be so straightforward. He swore an oath and even put his soul on the line.

He even felt a little embarrassed, as if he had tricked a black slave into signing an indenture.

Forget it.

fair enough.

At least he could rest assured to hand over the planting work to the other party, so as to avoid any trouble.

that's it.

The mushroom cultivation was soon decided.

Rhodes provided the strains and planting methods, and the demons helped with the planting.

And 80% of the output is sent over every month, and the remaining 20% ​​is divided among Aina and her friends themselves, depending on how much they can grow.

After negotiation.

Aina took the mushrooms and lantern seeds and hurried back excitedly, ready to gather the tribesmen to solve the problem of the lantern tree first.

The rest stayed in the volcano and planted mushrooms according to Rhodes's teachings, at least to get through the current difficulties.

……

A blink of an eye.

Two days passed.

Rhodes, who was casting a spell to water the wheat field, soon received a message from Ina using the gargoyle, saying that the lantern tree had been planted.

Immediately, he rode on Kaba and took the little thing to the Druid Forest to take a look.

Just as Aina said, there was a row of straight lantern trees extending outside.

He also deliberately avoided many dangerous places, such as the entrance to the druid's lair.

"This is quite efficient. Let's go and see if we can get out."

Rhodes had been looking forward to the world outside the forest for a long time and couldn't wait to go out and take a look.

Seeing that all the preparations had been made, he did not hesitate any longer and ran along the lantern tree, quickly going deep into the forest.

"Yeah!"

Suddenly, the little thing's cry rang out.

Less than a hundred meters ahead, two second-level druid cheetahs were running towards them at lightning speed.

"Keep running, I'll stop them!"

Rhodes shouted and took out his staff. With two bangs, he summoned two enhanced Thorn Guards in succession.

The two cheetahs were entangled by the guards just halfway through their charge, and they let out a series of angry roars.

By the time they broke free, Rhode and his companions were nowhere to be seen.

As there were more and more lantern trees around, he finally gave up the pursuit and disappeared into the forest.

By this method.

Rhodes and his team had a smooth journey.

I don't know if it was because of good luck or the powerful effect of the lantern tree, but apart from a few low-intelligence first- and second-level black beasts, I didn't encounter any major danger along the way.

After running for nearly half a day, the dead tree trunks around us gradually became sparse.

Thanks to Kaba, they were able to stay on the black soil for so long.

But even so, a lot of the supplies Rhodes brought were consumed. Considering that he had to go back, he had to be prepared to turn around at any time.

"roar~"

at this time.

Kaba beneath him let out a low growl.

The already sparse dead trees quickly disappeared, and the scene before my eyes suddenly became clear, turning into an endless expanse of sandy and black soil.

Out!
They actually came out!
Rhodes was excited as he looked at the scenery outside the forest. Although there seemed to be no difference, he felt that the air had become a lot fresher.

This is...the taste of freedom!

Rhodes opened his arms and took a deep breath, as if he was in a boundless wilderness.

“Wait a minute, why does freedom smell so bad?”

Suddenly, his expression froze.

I sniffed hard and found a faint stench in the air.

Even the little thing lying on Kaba's head raised its little hands to cover its nose, screamed and shrank back.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who smelled it.

Rhodes followed the smell and discovered that the black soil not far away was filled with corpses and bones of all kinds of races.

Moreover, it looked like it had just rotted away, and there were broken pieces of equipment scattered all over the ground.

"Didn't turn into a black beast?"

This was the first time that Rhodes saw a corpse that did not turn into a black beast after death, and he was inevitably surprised.

Just as he was stunned, he suddenly heard footsteps and the sound of conversation in the distance.

"These damn monsters actually caused me to lose several bronze zombies!"

Several figures walked quickly at the edge of the forest, cursing.

"Okay, let's go quickly. We don't have many supplies left. We have to get back to Crescent City quickly, otherwise we will be swallowed by the black soil." A man covered in a black robe said.

Vaguely.

You can also see his haggard face and his almost bony hands holding the skeleton staff.

It turned out to be a necromancer who mastered the power of death!
"Tsk, you dare call it a city when it's just a small place?" A disdainful voice came from the side. "If the higher-ups hadn't sent us here to recruit them, I wouldn't have made a special trip."

"We should quickly find the plant they mentioned and bring back a sample."

"If there really are plants that can grow in black soil, it will definitely give us more say in the alliance."

The sound faded away.

After a while, the necromancers disappeared into the black soil.

They didn't notice at all that in the forest, three figures were hiding behind dead tree trunks, watching them silently.

After they walked away, Rhodes slowly appeared, looking surprised and amazed.

He didn't expect it.

He actually met other survivors here, and they were the necromancer that Augla had once told him about.

These corpses around are probably the zombie summons they just mentioned. No wonder they didn’t turn into black beasts.

Listen to a conversation between several people.

It seems to be related to the Crescent City mentioned by Ina, and he came from other places to recruit survivors from Crescent City.

"Could it be the Giant Tree Alliance?"

For the first time, Rhodes took this so-called survivor alliance seriously.

Because the leading necromancer just now was at least a fourth-level necromancer, and he could walk so easily in the black soil, it was obvious that he came prepared.

To know.

Necromancers believe in death, and the destruction of the Dreamgrove has the least impact on them.

But the problem is.

Why are there necromancers in the Dreamgrove?
Don't they believe in the God of Death?
"It shouldn't be..."

Rhodes touched his chin and glanced in the direction the other party left.

If we were to name the culprits responsible for the destruction of the Dream Forest, the God of Death would undoubtedly be the most likely suspect.

Because the power of death and the black soil are so similar, both devour life and transform corpses into emotionless monsters.

Moreover, death and life are originally opposite to each other and belong to the same level of forces.

If the two gods fight, it is hard to say who will win or lose.

The only thing that made him a little confused.

It's those few necromancers who seem unable to completely resist the erosion of the black soil. They are just a little easier than other races. This is very strange.

It seems that I have to pay more attention to the Giant Tree Alliance in the future, so that I can learn more about the Dream Forest.

"Let's go back first."

After saying that, Rhodes jumped onto Kaba's back, rushed back towards the altar, and disappeared into the dark forest in a blink of an eye.

……

the other side.

Inside the Crescent Gathering Place.

A fierce quarrel was going on at this time.

"If you want to leave, go ahead! I will never give up the place where I have lived for so long!"

"Stupid! Don't you know that you can survive better if you go to the Giant Tree Alliance?"

"We and our ancestors have lived here for three hundred years! This is our home!"

"No! This is a grave! A grave for a fool like you!"

The noise of the quarrel was so loud that it almost spread throughout the entire meeting hall.

The five leaders and representatives of other ethnic groups argued fiercely, completely losing their usual calmness.

In the open space outside the hall.

Members of various tribes had already gathered there and were divided into several distinct areas, listening to the quarrels coming from inside.

Everyone had a look of confusion and helplessness on their faces, and they hugged each other tightly.

The quiet scene was in stark contrast to the quarrel inside; even the orc, who was usually the noisiest, was silent.

"Mom, are we leaving here?"

In the Centaur tribe, a young Centaur who was only a few years old buried his head in his mother's arms, his body trembling slightly.

Not long ago.

She was still running in the open space with her human friends, playing together, and vowing to become stronger and protect the home where they lived together.

But now.

But suddenly someone told her.

They were leaving here, leaving the place where they had lived for so many years and sworn to protect.

"Yes, we have to leave. Only in this way can everyone survive."

The Centaur mother spoke softly, her head pressed affectionately against her daughter's.

But there was no trace of happiness in her eyes, instead there was endless nostalgia.

She lived here for half her life, met her husband, gave birth to a lovely daughter, and almost all of her memories are in this canyon.

Now that I suddenly have to let her go, I feel mixed emotions.

Vaguely.

One could even hear sobbing coming from the open space, echoing in every corner, like lambs waiting to be judged by fate.

Until half an hour later.

The noise of quarreling finally died down.

The leaders of each ethnic group walked out with dazed and dejected looks, and immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

There was a moment of silence in the clearing.

The five leading leaders stood up.

"We won't leave!"

A loud shout was like a heavy hammer, hitting the chests of people from all ethnic groups hard.

Except for a few people who were stunned on the spot, everyone instantly showed an expression of ecstasy, and cheers echoed throughout the canyon.

No need to leave, they don’t have to leave the place where they have lived for half their lives!

this moment.

The racial barriers disappeared, and they hugged each other and cried with joy. The old people had tears in their eyes and held their crutches tightly with trembling hands.

Continuation of the race.

It is often the thing that cannot be mixed with emotions.

But this time, they were completely willful and chose a more difficult path but one they would not regret.

It wasn't until the noise gradually died down that Brent stood up and said:
"If any of you want to go to the Giant Tree Alliance, you can leave with them. We won't stop you, but at the same time, you will have nothing to do with Crescent City!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed again and again, and they all began to hesitate.

After a moment's silence in the open space, some small tribes finally could not sit still and stood up one after another, including a dozen humans.

"you……"

Brent looked at his former subordinates with unspeakable disappointment in his eyes.

Those people didn't dare to look at him, and all lowered their heads: "I'm sorry, Master Sean, we just want to have a full meal..."

After saying that, he turned and left, joining the departing team.

In the blink of an eye, the number of people on the open space decreased by 20%. Everyone felt extremely complicated and didn't know whether their decision was right or wrong.

(End of this chapter)