Chapter 151: Seedy Situation

Ping!

Rino's daily quest updated itself late, and the lich looked at the new requirements. Thankfully, it wasn't anything difficult.

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Daily Quest #17

Objective: Collect seeds

0/1 Wheat Seed

0/1 Rice Seed

0/1 Corn Seed

0/1 Soy Bean Seed

Time Limit: 5 Days

Tutorial here.

Reward:  Foraging Skill

Claim your reward here.

Penalty: Deduct 24 hours of sleep upon failure and [Curse of Overtime] until quest is forcefully completed.

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According to the tutorial, these seeds were usually found in specific locations fulfilling certain criteria.

Honestly, Rino had no idea about seeds and plants. Most of them looked the same to him, and he had experts to handle this tedious quest. All he had to do was let them know where to look and draw an image on a piece of paper for what they should be looking for. On the other hand, when in doubt, hoard everything. That never failed before, and Rino made toad skin bags for that very purpose.

After the fairies set off to locate the seeds Rino needed, the lich decided to invite Kragami over for some tea in his study. The barn design was progressing well, but he lacked manpower. Some of the spectres were already carrying the sky palanquin over to Spudville to bring back more materials and send Griffith back. Aiden was getting ready to visit Town Zera.

Yes, word about the new town's name already reached some of their ears. Rino wasn't very surprised about it. However, he did not expect Erika to ask if he needed assistance coordinating the building projects in the new town. Rino thanked her for offering but decided that he could have better peace of mind if she assisted Goblin Lord Gnut while Kragami was away from his post.

There were no spare fairies or gnomes in Noir Province so building the barn was going painfully slow. Rino half expected it to be done at the pace of the granary, but to date, the spectres were still struggling to set up the skeletal structure of the building. Rino couldn't blame them. Unlike Fronzo and the farmers who had experience building some other things with the gnomes showing them the ropes, these ex-bandits were like babies, and their progress reflected it.

Rino's mana was still low, so Kragami only allowed his student to help him lay some of the less intensive mana circuits at the perimeters. It was what the lich found himself doing as the Genesis fairies reported their findings by the river, in the jungle and in the meadow.

Why was a single fairy venturing the Woods of No Return? Rino had no idea. However, he was also talking about a fairy capable of wielding four types of elemental magic. So far, that was the only fairy excited about finding anything in her assigned location. He did not know why wild corn would grow in the jungle because Rino was expecting them to be found in fields. Leave it to the creation of this world to place corn in a dangerous place.

Not wanting to lose his Genesis fairy, Rino told the fairy leader to recall the powerful fae back once they retrieved what they set out for. The quad-elemental fairy decided to take a scenic path, not that Rino was worried about. With someone exploring the rocky terrain for any signs of edible plant life, Rino did not have to cover that ground after receiving the foraging skill.

Instead, he concentrated on layering the mana web circuits. The borders closer to the living cave meadow and Woods of No Return must be reinforced. He had lesser worries about the side facing the rocky mountains because Rino intended to fully explore the mountain range and take over every living cave in the area.

The lack of manpower was seriously starting to bother him, and even as Rino finished his part of the mana circuit laying, Kragami told him to retire for the night.

With a few hours to kill and not much to do around Town Zera, Rino excused himself and summoned Mutt to take a trip to that human village they found the previous time. He needed more slaves, and they were the most convenient slaves he could find. If they weren't dead yet, he would just end their miseries and resummon them for work. Mercy killing did not count as murder. Rino was sure of it. He might not be a good guy, but he sure as heck didn't want to be a bad guy. Irritating? Yes, but not evil.

The human village was in worse shape than Rino first found it and the lich quickly surveyed the area. Decaying bodies lay everywhere, and the stench of more than just rotting carcasses from the huts made Mutt want to empty his insides. Rino took pity on the wolf and told him to remain in his shadow while he cleaned this village out.

Back in his world, the dead were buried if they were poor and cremated if they were rich enough to afford a fancy family urn. Here, Rino was going to raze everything once he got what he came for.

There were more dead than alive people in the village. In fact, Rino also spotted one human child who was all skin and bones who barely breathed. His skin was full of sores, and his skin was yellow from malnutrition. There was no saving this kid even if Rino wanted to. The able-bodied villagers had chosen to abandon those infected and ill. They took everything they could from the village, including food, poorly made tools, barely sewn together clothes and medicine before leaving. There really wasn't anything much to steal, and Rino had to admit, only a necromancer could benefit from this seedy situation.

Mercy killing, Rino told himself as he cast a calming spell on the barely breathing child and gave him the best dream he could using illusions. Then, Rino killed him swiftly with a stab through the heart using a shadow tendril. This child would be his first shadow summon from the village.

One by one, the dead rose, feeling better than they did in weeks. Rino made them watch as he drowned their home in a sea of flames that lit the night sky as brightly as a blazing afternoon. From henceforth, he introduced himself using telepathy with the fire in his background as their new master.

"You need not fear to starve, feel cold or pain under my care. As long as you work hard, I will treat you well as your master. Kneel!"

The command struck fear and respect in every soul as they bent down on one knee to lower their heads before Rino.

Without inspiration for names, Rino asked the villagers for their original names before death. He would be using those instead. However, there was one child he felt bad for. It was the only villager who wasn't dead when he arrived, and Rino took responsibility.

"Your name is Zerg."

Zerg, the little boy, evolved after receiving his name and assumed his healthier appearance as a human. However, his pointed teeth and red eyes told Rino the child was dead. He never saw a tanned vampire before, but he supposed this was how they were created. No use in overthinking about it. He assigned them their first task.

"Once you return to Town Zera, ask the farming fairy in charge for farming tools. Your job is to plough the land assigned at night and work in the caves during the day. The gargoyles will show you around, mine for ores and tend to the mushrooms."

Instead of receiving an enthusiastic reply, Rino saw how the villagers only looked at each other cluelessly as if they had no idea what the lich was talking about. Was he taking things too fast? Did they need to get acquainted with the job or train in Noir Province for a while to get used to the work assigned?

Sometimes Rino wondered if he was managing his talents correctly. He had a feeling that as progress picked up, he had less patience with the newer slaves, expecting them to know what to do.

With a sigh, he unsummoned them for the time being and called Mutt out.

"Bring me back to Town Zera, and tell the spectres to prepare for a trip immediately after the sky palanquin returns."

Puzzled, Mutt settled into a gentle jog leisurely and asked why they needed a second trip so soon.

"The new villagers are liabilities. They knew nothing. It might be better for them to pick up the ropes of their tasks in Noir Province before they come over."

Honestly, Mutt did not think that was the main issue. Any creature who was attacked by harvesters lost its identity. Didn't Rino know that? Relearning how to do a job wasn't as important as understanding the desire to do or want something. Harvesters stole memories and emotions. Without the will to move or do anything, these new slaves were not just liabilities. They were deadweights.