The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 443 Fields Filled with Hope

The sudden natural disaster played right into the rancher's hands, but as Skelle said, Theodore was actually a rather "benevolent" king.

At least he didn't feign crocodile tears, then go back to put out the fire with a fan, or chop up the burned cattle and sheep and stuff them into pancakes to eat again.

The Green Forest Army is doing this, and with Kailan's tacit approval.

It must be said that people who are well-fed still have better table manners than those who are hungry.

This is certainly not because of the nobility or baseness of bloodline or soul, nor is it related to justice or evil; it is simply because their different ecological niches determine the roles they inevitably play on a specific stage.

If a one in ten thousand miracle were to actually happen, and Kaelan, with the support of Chaos and his twelve leaders, were to truly accomplish great things, his children and grandchildren might very well have a chance to become the new Theodens.

It's very simple. Just give them a few hundred years, and let them eat their fill, just like the Devalo family.

Considering population growth and the evolution of productivity over time, it might not even take a few hundred years.

If Urgoth, the Claw of Eternal Hunger, hadn't burned the world to ashes or reverted it to the Stone Age after influencing everything...

The boiling flames of war are still spreading towards Twilight City, and it will take some time for the dust to settle on the dice of fate.

However, all this chaos and curses seem to have nothing to do with the Sparrowwood Territory, which is blessed by the Holy Light.

Perhaps out of reverence for Her Highness the Holy Maiden, or perhaps out of fear of the divine power of the Divine Child, the ratmen in the Ten Thousand Ren Mountains suddenly ceased their infiltration of Sparrowwood Territory, and even withdrew several nests they had planted in this area.

[One leaf heralds autumn] I feel quite disappointed.

He felt he was almost grasping the legendary "main thread," but then the main thread flew away like a kite with a broken string.

"The ratmen who invaded Sparrowwood Territory suddenly retreated. We found traces of the boss's presence in the empty nest, but nothing was left inside."

"Later we learned from the NPCs that the army of the Duchy of Campbell was fighting against the allied forces of the Stillwater Beach Territory, the Greenwood Army, and the Skaven, and it seemed that they had received support from the Dwarves. A reasonable analysis is that the withdrawn Skaven troops may have gone to deal with the Campbellians."

"...Of course, I personally tend to think that the developers haven't done a good job with the subsequent plot, so they made this seemingly reasonable but actually unreasonable arrangement."

The official website forum, a section for initial discussion and exchange.

Yi Ye Zhi Qiu updated the thread with the latest progress in the investigation of the rat-men's activities.

As one of the few technically skilled players in "Catastrophe Online", his posts have always been very popular.

After all, most people skim through the story and rarely immerse themselves in the game world like he does, connecting the clues they discover with logical reasoning to uncover hidden quests and rewards.

However, despite this, because his posts are so technically advanced, most people can't even understand them when copying them; they only get a visual treat without their brains processing them.

Therefore, the vast majority of players who come to leave comments are not there to copy strategies; they are either spamming "666" or "999" or begging the game developers to come in and nerf the game, otherwise this lousy game is unplayable.

Gou Shi: "Be content! You've already had enough gaming experience! How much more do you want?!" (Angry)

He downed the chemical pool in one gulp: "Exactly! The developers really let you get so much free content from the open beta, they're really missing out!"

One Leaf Knows Autumn: "You can't say that. Officially, I'm a self-funded tester. Rather than saying I'm getting freebies from him, it's more accurate to say he's getting freebies from me. (Winks)"

Directly opposite is a pig: "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

What is a face?: "How shameless!"

Pig-headed Knight: "Exactly! Isn't it fair to just slash him? (Angry)"

Minotaur Warrior: "Why are you joining in this commotion? If we're going to kill someone, won't we kill you too? (sweating)"

Suddenly, Wan: "..."

"..."

……

Only God can see the whole picture of cause and effect.

Sometimes what seems unreasonable may not actually be unreasonable; it's just that ordinary people have varying levels of understanding.

As a top-tier player, Yi Ye Zhi Qiu's knowledge was obviously quite advanced, but he could never have imagined that the Empire's "nuclear weapon" had actually moved into Wheat Field Village right under their noses.

Unfortunately, the name Günter is just too common, and Steinggraber isn't a very well-known surname.

He and his "sword energy" are too niche to be considered in the entire continent of Os.

Although he achieved his legend through his sword, what truly made him a demigod was not his swordsmanship, but rather the simple morality and chivalry in the hearts of the people of the continent of Os, and the legend he built by responding to expectations with his power.

In other words, if he were skilled with guns, he would be a master gunsmith.

But what if one day he suddenly realizes the essence of faith and supernatural power, and that Saint Sith is not any single "person," but rather all those who believe in Him...

Then his domain will no longer be just a limited area, but will become the whole world.

Moreover, he will transcend himself, hear another voice within his heart, and thus condense a divine essence—

Just like what the Emperor, Gutaf, and Lind Isaac all experienced back then.

At the same time, in a corner of Wheatfield Village, the first "Rock Inn" in Sparrowwood Territory finally went online.

The mud-gray walls are simple yet full of a hard texture, just like the tall chimney and its unassuming name, bringing the warmth of home to travelers staying here.

The two-story building isn't very tall. The first floor has a large hall that can accommodate more than twenty tables, as well as a spacious kitchen, storage room, bathhouse, and a few guest rooms. The second floor is entirely filled with guest rooms; although each room is quite cramped, the facilities are adequate and sufficient to shield the room from the wind and snow during the journey.

It stood quietly by the roadside, like a sturdy farmer, holding up the first plume of smoke rising from Maitian Village, facing the travelers.

As one of the key projects for active lifestyle gamers in the area, this project can be said to embody the creativity and hard work of many players.

After all, they all agreed that not only should the hotel be built well, but it should also retain its original feel!

This will put their understanding of architecture and architectural history to the test, and they will also need to understand the game "Natural Disaster Online" and Wheat Field Village.

Standing in front of the completed hotel, [both cunning and resilient] touched his sharply defined jawline and said with a crunching sound.

"Don't you think this name is really dirty?"

She looked at him blankly, both unsophisticated and dull.

"What's so dirty about it?"

He grinned slyly, both cowardly and resilient: "Rock...delay...hehe...you know what I mean, bro!"

After a long silence, the civil engineer sighed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright bro, stop talking, I get you!"

Gou Jianqiang was taken aback, not expecting this reaction from his grandson, and immediately became anxious.

"Holy crap?! I've never used that before! I was just making a joke, don't fucking take it seriously!"

Brother Civil Engineering looked at him with concern.

"Stop explaining. No normal person would think of that. You're the one with the most vivid imagination, aren't you!"

Gou Jianqiang: "@#%!"

To onlookers, their hardworking and charming ancestors were excitedly embracing each other because they had accomplished another remarkable "great project".

For some reason, the two Holy Spirits, while embracing each other, rolled into the muddy ground to the side.

Old Hank was the first to react, and he had a sudden inspiration.

"Maybe they're a couple!"

That makes perfect sense!
The Holy Maiden didn't say that the Holy Spirits who came back to help them were all grandfathers; what if they had grandmothers?

The tangled white bones instantly transformed into white arms in his eyes.

The mother with the child nearby immediately realized what was happening and quickly blindfolded the child.

"Don't look around!"

The other "fake" players with translation crystals next to them were laughing so hard their stomachs hurt.

"Hahahaha, lol!"

These NPCs have such vivid imaginations!

And so, Wheatfield Village finally had its first inn, and this village, with its strong rural atmosphere, finally began to resemble the setting of a fantasy RPG.

Whether there are guests or not is not important; what matters is the atmosphere!
While the players were extremely satisfied with their masterpiece, Gaunt was deeply moved by the enthusiastic villagers. He hadn't expected them to value him so much, that a simple promise would lead them to build such a large house for a complete stranger like himself!
Although it was built by the Holy Spirits, considering that the Holy Spirits are the ancestors of the villagers of Wheatfield Village, it is roughly equivalent to those living villagers if we round it up.

Looking at these generous people, Gaunt couldn't help but think of Greystone Town... specifically, Greystone Town before its people "died".

For a moment, this burly man, who was over two meters tall, felt as if he had sand in his eyes.

It's not just because of gratitude.

More than anything, he saw hope!

"Gentlemen, thank you for thinking so highly of me. Although I have nothing to repay you with, I would like to do my part... at least let me treat you to a meal!"

Looking at Gunter's solemn face, old Hank grinned and said.

"What do you know about cooking, you mercenary? And where did you get the ingredients?"

Upon hearing this, Euryn immediately defended his master.

"That's for sure! My master's cooking isn't great, but it's enough to fill you up! Besides, there are magical beasts in the forest; we can just hunt one or two and bring them back, right?"

The villagers around him burst into laughter when they heard what the young man said. No wonder he was gulping down the plain wheat porridge when he first arrived; it turns out he was sick of eating wild game.

Although it's strangely enviable, it doesn't stop them from making endless jokes.

"It's not that simple. Cooking isn't just about having meat. You can't just boil it in plain water, that would be too shabby."

"Exactly! Don't think you're so great just because you have money. The market here isn't even open yet. Even if you had the money, you wouldn't know who to buy from!"

"By the way, the greens in my vegetable garden have just sprouted, why don't we have a feast!"

"Great idea, haha! I remember the potatoes in Old Hank's field have grown tubers the size of bird eggs! I haven't had stewed potatoes in ages!"

"Hiss... My mouth is watering! We've been eating wheat porridge for so long! It's time to improve our meals... Wait, how the hell do you know how big my potatoes are?"

"Hehe, I accidentally touched it last night. Don't worry, I didn't steal it, I put it back!"

"Only the dead would believe you! Don't even think about touching my potatoes, they're for brewing wine!"

That's what they said, but Old Hank was clearly not a stingy person, and he had planted quite a lot of them. In the end, he gritted his teeth and decided to dig some out to satisfy everyone's cravings.

And so, amidst everyone's chatter, what was originally Gaunt's suggestion to treat everyone to a meal turned into a situation where everyone scraped together a meal from various sources.

When Gunter came to his senses, he realized with a mix of amusement and exasperation that he hadn't repaid the favor at all; in fact, he owed her even more...

On the other side, people went back to their homes, picking up whatever they could find. Those who had nothing left still brought back a basket of tree bark, their faces flushed.

Unfortunately, nobody in Sparrowwood Territory eats that stuff anymore. Everyone appreciates his intention, but there's no need to throw the food in the pot...

In just half an hour, a pile of all sorts of fruits and vegetables appeared in front of the Rock Hotel.

The main crop is cabbage, along with some wild vegetables and berries, as well as potatoes and sweet potatoes. Before this year's bumper harvest, these were practically all the produce the village of Wheatfield possessed.

However, on this day worthy of celebration, they still took these things out without hesitation.

It wasn't just about putting on a show, or even entirely about celebrating the stranger carrying the greatsword; it was more about themselves, or rather, about comforting the gods who cared for them—their lives were back on track, and they would soon be saying goodbye to the past.

A month ago, when the tender green shoots were just sprouting from the ground, many people were already thinking about this.

Gunter's hotel was just a pretext; luckily, it happened to be there...

Just as people were offering their ideas and suggestions for the party, their charming ancestors seemed to have finally finished their business and climbed out of the mud.

The slender skeletal arm was raised high, accompanied by his defiant shout.

He was both rustic and resilient: "Wait, you're having a feast?! Count me in! I'm your dad!"

Unfortunately, no one but himself could understand the creaking sound he made.

Fortunately, a "mountain man" who was said to be able to understand the language of the dead happened to be passing by nearby, and the clever villagers found him.

Faced with this big, simple-minded man with a crystal ball hanging around his neck, the villagers eagerly sought his wisdom from their ancestors.

Faced with those burning gazes, [Lighter] certainly wouldn't ignore everyone's good intentions and insisted firmly.

He said he wanted to donate a big, fat pig!

No other reason.

He wants to eat!

While undead players can't enjoy the delicacies of the human world, pseudo-human players can!
It wasn't just this inhuman player who was swallowing saliva; the villagers of Wheat Field Village were also listening to the wisdom of their ancestors.

There's pork?!

The crowd erupted in excitement upon hearing this.

Both humble and resilient: "@%#!!"

Looking at Gou Jianqiang, who was surrounded by his grandsons, the simple-minded man lying in the mud sighed.

"Forget it... At worst, we can just buy one from North Peak City and use a teleportation array to bring it over."

The brick kiln is about to open for business.

Consider this a treat for everyone. Hope you'll come and patronize our family's business more often in the future...

……

Preparations for the banquet began quickly, and the atmosphere inside the Rock Inn was as lively as a fireplace.

In the end, the players brought not only several large, fat pigs, but also more than a dozen barrels of Nightmare Land specialties, as well as several life skill players who were passionate about cooking.

Among them are the Demon King's personal chef, Little Fish Cake Juice, and some new faces who have only recently joined the game.

The players set up large iron pots at the entrance of the inn. Some were butchering pigs, some were chopping vegetables, and others were coming up with bad ideas and causing trouble... The atmosphere was as lively as a festival, and it was quite a lively scene!

Although there are no mission rewards or achievements, happiness itself is the best reward.

Not all players are hardcore gamers who pursue high stats; a significant number are driven by having fun.

It wasn't just the players who were having a blast; the NPCs were doing the same. In fact, due to their different species, they even looked more like living people than the players.

This isn't the first time players of "Catastrophe Online" have been marveling at how advanced artificial intelligence has become.

They're even more humane than people.

"Gaunt brothers! Congratulations! Now our village finally has a place to drink!"

Looking at the bustling hotel entrance, old Hank, who had just dug up potatoes from the ground, smiled and patted Gunter on the shoulder. Although his heart was bleeding, he also sincerely wished that his brother, who had been wandering around, would finally be able to live a stable life.

Although he had never considered living a peaceful life, Gunter still appreciated the farmer's kindness and nodded his thanks.

"Um... thank you!"

"Hey, no need to thank me! We're family now!" Old Hank laughed and patted his shoulder hard again.

Strangely enough, this guy was incredibly sturdy; he felt like a rock when patted.

Seeing his master's "awkward" expression, the boy named Euryn couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

His master was not a person with many emotions. He rarely smiled or even showed any change in expression throughout the journey.

To be honest, this was the first time he had ever seen his master laugh so many times in one day.

Even if those smiles were a little unnatural, like someone swimming in a river for the first time, standing on the bank repeatedly testing the waters to see how deep it was.

However you look at it, this is a good start.

As the adopted son and apprentice of the Sword Saint, Euryn was genuinely happy for his master...

On the other side, the banquet was almost ready, and the hotel lobby was packed with nearly two hundred people.

The mere twenty tables were far from enough to accommodate all the villagers of Wheatfield Village, especially the Salvation Army brothers who came over drawn by the aroma, and even brought a wild wolf they had hunted the day before.

To accommodate as many people as possible, all the tables and chairs in the village were moved to the entrance of the Rock Inn, and those who didn't get a seat didn't mind and simply squatted by the roadside to wait.

Anyway, they've long been used to eating like this.

Meanwhile, an enticing aroma was wafting from the hotel's kitchen.

A tall, burly "mountain man" was seen stirring up a whirlpool in a huge iron pot, wielding a shovel as big as an iron spade.

His ID is "Authentic Chef", and he wears a proper chef's hat. Although the hat looks ridiculous on him, it doesn't hinder his skills at all!

The pot was filled with a milky white broth that was bubbling away. The pork was stewed until tender and flavorful. Although the pickled cabbage floating in it was different from the traditional pickled cabbage of the Ryan people, the taste was just as good as the latter, and even better!
There is no other reason.

All because he poured half a bottle of pepper into it!
While spices are nothing special in the Great Tomb of the Living Tree and the Night Elves, they are a luxury item that even lords might not be able to afford in the Duskwood province.

If this were a competition, he has already won!
The intoxicating aroma quickly attracted the ancestors of Wheatfield Village, and a group of skeleton soldiers, pronounced "Holy Spirit," also squeezed into the kitchen, making a creaking and groaning noise.

"The feast is starting! The feast is starting!"

"Quickly! Save us a seat. We're the oldest, so we should sit at the head table!"

"Aww! Time to eat, brothers!"

They were all skeleton soldiers who had helped build the inn. Although they had already gained the favor of the mysterious NPC Greatswordsman and received martial arts manuals as rewards, it didn't stop them from being so envious that they wanted to join in the celebration banquet!
Can’t eat?
It's ok!
People come up with solutions; they have other ways to increase their sense of participation!
Seeing the group swarming towards the bubbling iron pot, the "authentic chef" was immediately startled and quickly waved his ladle to chase them away.

"Get out of here! You don't even have digestive tracts, what are you eating? Go sit at the same table as the offerings!"

It was a separate table with some fruit and bread on it, not far from the hotel entrance.

Incidentally, this is not a local tradition, but rather something taught to them by the players, who say that their ancestors loved this, and that setting out abundant offerings can be used to commemorate the souls of their ancestors.

There's no need to waste the offerings after the ceremony; just give them to the children!
Making children happy was something our ancestors loved to do!
As for whose quirky sense of humor it was, that remains unknown. After all, in places where there are players in the Great Cemetery, the players' sudden inspirations and the "evil influence" of the Great Cemetery are inevitable.

not to mention--

The acolytes actually encouraged them to do this, supposedly as a way to strengthen their faith.

When there is a clear object of faith, the power of faith and cohesion are directly linked.

The skeleton soldiers who were driven away initially felt wronged, but then they thought that sitting at the same table as the offerings would be a unique experience, so they happily complied.

In reality, they have never actually sat on the offering table!
Seeing the children who were practically drooling with envy, she cleverly and tenaciously tried to amuse them with the pastries in her hand.

"Little devil, want some? Hehe, call me 'Daddy' and let me hear it!"

The child didn't speak, but just stared at him stubbornly.

He was both unsophisticated and dull-witted: "Are you stupid? There's no translation crystal here, how could he possibly understand anything?"

And hasn't this generational ranking dropped?!

Both cautious and resilient: "Damn, I was too hasty!"

In the end, the perversely humorous Comrade Gou Jianqiang gave the pastries in his hand to the child.

There were also chocolates and sugar cubes that he secretly brought from the teleportation array... These were all specialties of the continent of Gana.

Watching the children excitedly snatch the food and clumsily express their gratitude, he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear, experiencing the thrill of being treated like royalty.

so good.

In reality, you'd need at least several hundred yuan in red envelopes to make kids this happy, right?

Having found unprecedented fulfillment in his spiritual world, he seemed to have discovered the correct use of ghost money.

Although the power of the game world cannot be transferred to the real world, the resonance between souls can be transmitted through these simple and pure feelings.

On the other side, Gunter was also drawn to the kitchen by the aroma he had never smelled before.

Looking at the golden vegetable leaves bubbling in the pot and the tender, fatty chunks of meat, he asked curiously.

"What's this?"

[Authentic Chef] turned around and saw that the mysterious swordsman with a story written all over his face had noticed him, and he was immediately excited!

Hidden mission!

Legendary Secret Manual!

There are also hidden achievements!

These things are all over his mind right now, and he's so excited that he's started to stutter.

"It's authentic sauerkraut stew with authentic fatty pork!"

Gunter was stunned.

"……what is that?"

Authentic Chef: "They're all authentic!"

Gaunt: "...?"

The authentic chef was so anxious he was scratching his head.

He didn't know many words of the Imperial language to begin with, and with the crystal ball not at hand, he racked his brains for a long time but could only come up with these two sentences.

Seeing that he didn't seem very bright, Gunter didn't make things difficult for him and mentally gave him an excuse.

I've heard that the mountain people in the Wanren Mountains rarely communicate with the kingdom below. Perhaps this fellow usually communicates with dwarves, so it's normal that he only knows these two phrases of the Imperial language.

However, Gunter was filled with emotion as he thought about this. It had only been a short time, and the villagers of Wheatfield Village were already eating pork.

only……

Where did this pig come from?
He had seen the newly built pigsty in the village, but he had never seen pigs raised inside.
(End of this chapter)