Me! Cleaner!.

Chapter 1178 The Secret of the Holy Land and... Fu
Then there's no need to continue the cooperation.

After understanding the unspoken meaning in Leon's words, Frederica paused for a moment, then hesitantly began to explain:

“I didn’t mean to hide it from you, it’s just… it’s just that the Holy Land can only preserve a limited number of lifespans, and there are just too many of you in the mortal world. We’re worried…”

Are you worried that we might harm you for the sake of your lifespan?

"Then we can put this matter aside for now."

Understanding that it was normal for her to have such concerns, Leon nodded to indicate that he understood, and then bombarded her with questions:

"I want to know what the Holy Land is? What is the Holy Ox? Also, according to the traces that Director Armando found in the Old Land, there are at least nine million people left in your Old Land. Where are the rest of your people?"
Furthermore, your brother and grandfather both possess physical abilities comparable to a Level 1 Cleanup Officer, but why do they seem like ordinary people and haven't displayed any special abilities?

So many questions...

After blinking somewhat helplessly, and seeing that Leon wouldn't give up until he understood the situation, Frederica had no choice but to answer one question:

"The holy land is the holy land of our branch... Our ancestors were able to communicate directly through spirit, but there are still differences between people. So, gradually, according to their respective beliefs, they were divided into fourteen tribes, seven good and seven evil, and each had its own holy land."

After being attacked by the Four Pillar Gods, the ancestors of the other thirteen branches chose to abandon their respective holy lands and fled with the help of the Star Compass under the leadership of [Arrogance]. Our branch, guided by [Hope], took our holy land and moved into the depths of the old land to avoid disaster, and finally found this plane.

The sacred bull... was originally just an ordinary yellow bull, but because it was responsible for carrying the core of the holy land during the escape, it was heavily influenced by the environment for decades and now seems to have coexisted with the holy land, thus being regarded as the sacred bull.

Fourteen tribes... Sacred land and sacred cow...

After comparing it with the information he already knew, Leon tentatively accepted Frederica's explanation and continued to press for answers:

"So what exactly makes the Holy Land 'holy'? What's the status of the Holy Lands of the other thirteen tribes? And what about the rest of your people? Do they all live outside the Holy Lands?"

"As for the Holy Lands... all the other Holy Lands have been destroyed, and the Holy Lands of each tribe have their own effects. You can think of them as an anomaly that can affect the entire tribe, with strength similar to the Truth of the Pillar God."

For example, the Holy Land of Pride possesses the power of Domination, the Holy Land of Gluttony provides an endless supply of food, and our Holy Land of Hope can forcibly preserve a portion of hope when destruction comes.

Retain some hope?

Lyon frowned upon hearing this.

"Could you be more specific? What exactly do you mean by 'the hope that has been preserved'?"

"To be more specific... it means that no matter what disaster we encounter, we will not be completely wiped out. A few of us will definitely survive. No matter how insurmountable the situation may be, we will definitely be able to preserve something."

After thinking for a moment, Frederica explained:

"For example, the lifespan of my grandfather and us was actually preserved with the help of the Holy Land."

When the Four Pillar Gods were fighting over the 'treasure', our Holy Land intercepted a portion of the 'treasure'. Therefore, as long as you stay in the Holy Land and don't leave, you can continue to have a complete 'lifespan'.

However, the Holy Land only retains a small portion of [lifespan] and cannot generate new [lifespan], resulting in a very limited number of people it can support. Furthermore, once someone leaves, they cannot re-enter, and even consuming food and water outside the Holy Land will cause a loss of [lifespan], so…”

"So the vast majority of people gradually left?"

Upon hearing this, Lyon couldn't help but frown and say:

"You remnants of the old land are so... determined? Even if it means giving up five hundred years of your lifespan, you're still willing to leave?"

"Yes."

Frederica gave a soft "hmm," then nodded slightly and said:
"The Holy Land can only provide a limited number of [lifespan] slots, so whenever a child is born, the parents usually leave voluntarily, hoping to leave this [lifespan] to their child."

However, when their children grow up, they often have the same idea: to leave their lifespan to their own children. Therefore, most of them will leave on their own before their children reach adulthood. Even some clansmen who have not given birth to children often follow their parents out of the sacred place.

So over time, apart from those who needed time to master skills such as medicine, medicine making, cooking, hunting, and rituals, and whose departure would cause inconvenience to others, most of the tribe members left the sacred land.

Although children born outside might occasionally come in for a visit, firstly, the external things they carry would affect their lifespan, and the grandfather didn't want outsiders to come in too often; secondly, their families weren't here, so they would usually leave after a short time and never return.

"..."

So the lifespan you saved by the Holy Land didn't really serve any purpose in the end. It only resulted in a nursery for the whole tribe, plus a few cooks and doctors who lived exceptionally long lives.

After barely understanding how the remnants of the Old Land used the Holy Land, Lyon fell silent, recalling Chief Armando's assessment of the remnants of the Old Land as having "more good than evil."

If this were in the modern world, even if they couldn't touch anything from the outside world and could only eat pterosaur meat, wear linen clothes, and drink spring water, they would still fight tooth and nail for that five-hundred-year lifespan.

But among the remnants of the old land, the vast majority were able to resist the temptation of living to five hundred years old, choosing instead to leave their lifespan to their descendants, departing with only a sliver of hope. This even left the vast holy land somewhat empty, which was truly...

After shaking his head in disbelief, Leon looked intently at Frederica and asked with a scrutinizing gaze:

"So your parents have already gone out too?"

"Yes, although they stayed much longer than the average person because they had so many children, they eventually passed away earlier. They should be as old as Grandfather now."

Frederica answered with her eyes lowered:
"Those who remain will have a long lifespan, but because they are inside the Holy Land, they cannot have any special abilities other than the most basic physical qualities. As a result, no matter how long they live, they are just ordinary people with exceptionally good health."

We believe there is hope outside, but to pursue hope, one must have enough strength. Strength is rarely born in an aging mind and body, so most people will leave voluntarily when they are young.

Although my brothers and I are still in the Holy Land, in about ten years we will all leave it, depart from our grandfather for a wider plane, and then... never return.

I see……

Although he still had many doubts and wanted to ask about the location of the holy site's core, Leon decided against it, considering that this was ultimately just a dream, and touching the core wouldn't reveal its reality. Furthermore, asking about the core's location would imply an attempt to seize it. Instead, he politely nodded and said:

"Thank you for your answer. I have no further questions for now... Do you have any questions?"

"?!"

Upon hearing Leon's words, Frederica paused for a moment, then blinked her big eyes and looked over in surprise.

Can I ask too?

"As I just said, the foundation of cooperation is honesty."

Although he didn't completely trust her, Leon believed in Chief Armando's judgment that "good outweighs evil," and he also felt that he got along well with her family in her dream. So he took the initiative to speak: "The Cleanup Bureau and I both value this cooperation, so I won't hide anything from you that I can tell you. If it's inconvenient for me to answer, I'll tell you directly... Is there anything you want to know?"

"I... do have a question that I've been wanting to ask you."

Looking at Leon, whose expression seemed quite sincere, Frederica hesitated slightly before cautiously speaking:

“We, the remnants of the old land, have no kingdoms, only tribes. So, in a sense, I, the tribal saintess, am equivalent to your princess or queen in this world. And I’ve heard that you have a certain… very peculiar collecting obsession with women of high status, so you…”

"Rumors! They're all rumors!"

Unexpectedly, this was what she wanted to ask. Leon's lips twitched involuntarily, then his face darkened as he said:

"I have absolutely no princess collecting fetish! That's all nonsense people make up!"

"But in the newspaper..."

"What wouldn't a newspaper dare to write for the sake of sales?"

Leon said with a long face:

"You should read less tabloids like The Sun and Gospel Alley and more official newspapers like the Royal Daily and Truth! That's where the truth is!"

"but……"

"In short, both they and I are innocent! The whole 'princess collecting fetish' thing is utter nonsense!"

Having obtained the information he wanted and achieved his goal of entering the dream, Leon made a move to leave:

"Do you have any other questions? If not, I'm leaving!"

"Ah wait!"

Seeing that Leon seemed to be getting impatient with her question and wanted to leave the dream world immediately, Frederica blinked, then quickly reached out and tugged at his sleeve, her eyes full of curiosity as she pressed him for an answer:
"I have another question! Your relationship with that red-haired chief of the Virgin Precinct... wait! Wait a minute!"

Wait for what?!
Finding that none of the questions she wanted to know were serious, Leon, feeling somewhat embarrassed by her questions, forcefully shook off her hand and withdrew from the dream.

When Leon left the dream, Frederica, who couldn't catch up, stopped and didn't follow him out of the dream. Instead, she looked up at the bright full moon in the sky and then calmly climbed onto the cow's back.

The result seems to be alright... Although he didn't completely fool them, he didn't have time to continue verifying it, so he barely managed to achieve his goal.

"Let's go."

Reaching out, she patted the old ox on the back, then Frederica gazed deeper into the holy land, her expression filled with nostalgia, and said:
"I originally intended to go by myself, but since he brought you here... Lord Holy Ox, please carry me up the mountain one last time!"

……

Is this...we've arrived?!

Just as Leon deliberately broke free from the dream, and Frederica rode the old ox toward the holy land, the Myriad Things Celestial Cicada, which had been shut out of the Abyss of Dreams, felt a slight stirring in its heart, and then looked down at its palm...

A small lighthouse mark lit up, and the eye in the top light chamber slowly opened, meeting the gaze of the anxious-looking Wanwu Tianchan.

"father!"

After letting out a cry of surprise and delight, the Myriad Things Celestial Cicada hurriedly spoke:

"Please hold your position! The Lord of Dreams has not yet grasped the spiritual core of the God of Food! If you go now, you may not be able to..."

"I know."

The eyes in the lamplight blinked, responding calmly:
"The God of Cookery is a bit special. His dreams are too strange. I haven't been able to glean any information about his origins either, and it's even hard to be sure if he's human or not... Don't run around!"

After a slightly disgruntled moo, Frederica's voice rang out, offering a somewhat resigned reassurance:

“Although this is my dream, I don’t want to pry into his life directly, and I don’t know where he hid those cigarettes… How about this, you carry me up the mountain first, and I’ll search his room for you when we get back?”

"Moo!"

"I'll definitely get it from him for you! Next time, for sure!"

She gently stroked the old ox's back twice, softly promising a future meeting, and then, Frederica... or rather, "Frederick," while coaxing the ox to continue carrying her up the mountain, calmly instructed, using the lighthouse-like markings on her tongue:

"Don't make any rash moves. Just continue to guard outside the Abyss of Dreams and try not to get involved directly."

Even though I'm still dreaming, I can already smell the stench on Number 7. Knowing his personality, even if he's not confident, he'll definitely force his way into Number 3's dream... well, maybe I shouldn't call him Number 3 anymore.

Riding atop the bull, Frederica gazed vacantly at the flock of pterosaurs rising and falling atop the mountain peak, and said in a slightly strange tone:
“I made a special trip to the mortal realm to take a look. The Root there hasn’t been unsealed yet, so Leon should be just an ordinary person who accidentally entered the Root, like that square-headed director. The real Number 3 probably hasn’t awakened yet.”

what? ! ! !

Upon hearing the message from their father, the two pillar gods, Qing and Hong, were immediately taken aback.

The true ruler of Plane 3 hasn't awakened yet? Even with the God of Food's immense power, he's not a descendant of the Root? He's just an ordinary person through and through?

"Although he is not one of my people, he is even stranger than my people in some ways. Even if he is unprepared, Number 7 may not be his match. You all need to be extra careful and not get involved in the commotion when they fight."

After giving a few gentle instructions, Frederica on the cow's back looked around. The lighthouse mark on the palm of the All Things Celestial Cicada also moved, and the eyeball in the lamp chamber swayed from side to side before finally locking onto the thrush behind the All Things Celestial Cicada.

"What's going on here?"

Looking at the thrush bound hand and foot with crimson ribbons, Frederica said:

"What did the thrush do wrong this time? Why are you tying him up?"

　Two-in-one... Or 2...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)