In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

The minor drawback of sticking to teeth was quickly forgotten by Dixia.

Let's savor it carefully.

The lingering sweetness of the milk candy on your teeth is quite unforgettable.

Dixia liked the taste.

"If you like it, I'll make it for you again."

I learned how to make milk candy when I had nothing else to do (to amuse the kids), and it turned out to be quite to Dixia's liking.

And in the short time it took to say just a few words, she had already eaten several more milk candies.

"Make more next time, and I'll share some with my brothers too."

While eating, Dixia suddenly had a new idea: "Why don't you open a candy shop? I see that the merchants in Sumeru City who specialize in selling Yalda candy are doing quite well. Their candy isn't as good as yours."

However, as always, Rhodes rejected the proposal.

Even the reason given is exactly the same as before.

lazy.

Making money by hand is too troublesome.

Looking out at the vast expanse of land that Rod had plowed himself, the sandy land he had specially prepared for raising sand eels, and the cages in the yard used to raise livestock.

Desia's lips twitched, unable to tell for a moment whether Rhodes was joking or genuinely lazy.

The bonfire dinner lasted until the moon and stars were sparse.

Desia and the mercenaries of the Blazing Beast Hunter staggered back to their camp in the village.

Rod also got a good long sleep.

However, the night of revelry did not affect his daily routine.

The next morning, he got up on time as usual.

The sand eels have arrived, and we can start setting up to raise these little guys.

Do these preparatory work with him.

There's also Desia and Candice.

There's no one else to rely on; they were all completely drunk yesterday and are sound asleep right now, none of them have woken up yet.

Only Dixia, who remembered she was supposed to help, drank less and was able to arrive on time today.

As for Candice...

Rod didn't know why she, who was always so busy, would come here to help.

However, more help means more strength, so Rhodes didn't ask any questions and even generously directed Candice to load the box containing the quicksand eels onto the cart.

Candice didn't show any dissatisfaction; she did whatever Rhodes told her to do.

After packing up all the feed and boxes, the three of them set off.

along the way.

Rhodes and Desia chatted and laughed, while Candice only occasionally chimed in with a few words.

Compared to Rhodes and Desia, who were quite familiar with each other, her words seemed a bit too formal, and she didn't have much in common with Rhodes and the others to talk about.

Therefore, she spoke very little, spending most of her time listening to Rhodes and Desia chat.

It didn't take long.

The three of them then arrived at the sandy area prepared for the quicksand eels.

This sandy area is right next to Rhodes's experimental field, not too far away. You can see the situation in the experimental field from the side.

Habitual.

Rhoda stood on the edge of the sand and looked towards the experimental field.

But what met the eye was a scene of utter devastation, as if a thousand horses had galloped through it.

All the vegetables he brought back from the old house had been dug up, leaving not even the roots. The green leaves, clearly crushed and torn by human hands, were scattered all over the ground.

And it's not just these leafy green vegetables that are gone.

The carefully constructed grass grid was uprooted, and even the tamarisk wall was pulled up by the roots, scattered everywhere like garbage. This land, which had been tidied up, is now riddled with holes, full of pits and bumps, like a honeycomb, making it unbearable to look at.

"."

Both Desia and Candice, who witnessed the same scene, looked at Rhodes simultaneously.

He clenched his fists, trembling with anger, his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

Lean less.

A roar echoed throughout the entire wasteland, and even the villagers in Aru Village, far away, could faintly hear some of the sound.

"who is it!"

"Who dug up my land?!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 44 Cole

"Don't let me catch that little thief who stole my vegetables and ruined my land!"

"Otherwise, I would definitely hang her on the septuagenarian statue at the village entrance to feed the vultures!!!"

This was Rhodes's heartbroken declaration after discovering that his experimental field had been destroyed.

However, after the real culprit was caught.

He was stunned.

I don't know whether I should punish this petty thief severely, as I had threatened to do.

“Brother Rhodes, it’s this little brat.”

"When we caught her, she was using the wheat straw from your field to start a fire."

"Oh, right, there were fallen vegetable leaves where she slept, and there were also vegetable leaves on her mouth and inside her clothes."

"It must be her."

"You little rascal, you can really run fast."

“We found her a full three kilometers away from your experimental field.”

“If Hisham hadn’t said he saw a fire, we still wouldn’t have been able to find her.”

"Oh dear, this little rascal is quite fierce. Look at the teeth marks he left on me."

The one spitting at Rhodes is Harun of the Blazing Beast Hunter, the unlucky guy who got a black eye from Rhodes' punch.

Just as he said.

There is a very deep tooth mark on his right arm, it was bitten very hard, and there is still a large bruise on it.

The vegetable thief was bound hand and foot by the mercenaries of the Blazing Beast Hunter.

She was a very young girl.

She had shoulder-length, grass-green hair, and her face, tightly wrapped in bandages, revealed a pair of beautiful, light purple eyes that seemed out of place with her disheveled appearance.

She wore a cloth hat similar to a snow hat, and most of her exposed skin was wrapped in bandages. She had no shoes, and her bare feet were also wrapped in bandages. Rod, with his sharp eyes, noticed that the soles of her feet had been rubbed raw by the sand and gravel, leaving streaks of blood.

As you get a little closer, you can smell an indescribable stench, somewhat like the smell of rotting animal carcasses in the desert. Rhodes had smelled it many times when he was wandering in the desert.

"By the way, Brother Rhodes, be careful, this little brat seems to have some kind of disease."

Seeing Rod walk up to the vegetable thief, Harlan quickly reminded him again.

"Demon scale disease."

Desia, who was watching from the sidelines, sighed.

"what?"

Harlan and the mercenaries who had gone with him to catch the thief all turned around and asked a question.

"That's right, it's Demon Scale Disease."

"The same symptoms as those of other people in the village who got sick."

Candice also confirmed Desia's assessment.

Demon scale disease.

This is a disease unique to Sumeru, named for the grayish-black scaly tissue that appears on the patient's body.

In the early stages of the disease, patients may only feel numbness in the affected areas of their skin. However, as the disease progresses, they may experience a decrease in strength and occasional loss of sensation in their fingers and toes. Eventually, patients will become unable to control their bodies and completely lose the ability to move.

Even in the medically advanced Sumeru.

This disease is also an incurable terminal illness; once contracted, death is inevitable.

Upon learning that the vegetable thief was suffering from the Demon Scale Disease, Harlan, who had been nagging just moments before, immediately shut up and looked at her with a hint of pity.

So does everyone else.

A child who looks to be only about ten years old has been diagnosed with this terminal illness.

"Ugh--"

Rod sighed and walked closer until he was in front of the vegetable thief, squatted down and looked her in the eye.

Even when they were tied up.

But the vegetable thief was still struggling. When she saw Rhodes coming over, she suddenly lunged forward and viciously bit at him.

"Brother Rhodes, be careful."

Harun quickly reminded him.

Rhodes waved his hand, indicating that it was alright.

Looking at the little girl who had almost bitten him, his feelings were incredibly complicated.