There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

Cliff tried to catch up but I grabbed him.

"Don't get excited, let Gotz fly for a while. He's familiar with this mountain, so he can take charge, but you also have your familiar areas. Advisor, first give me a good analysis, what's going on with these insects in the pit?"

Cliff asked blankly, "A clerk? What's a clerk?"

I explained, "It's a magical creature whose upper half is in silver and whose lower half hangs on a tree... Anyway, since I've hired you, you have to come up with ideas for me, right?"

Cliff's young face was full of relief, as if he was happy to have found a meal ticket. He said eagerly, "No problem, Sheriff! I guess the reason these beetles gather here is because of the gel's attraction. The pheromones it contains strongly attract these insects, which is why the cluster effect occurs."

I nodded, but hesitated and said, "But the number and distribution don't seem like they're gathering spontaneously... Are the potato chips half price here too? Have you considered that maybe it's not the adult insects that are attracted, but rather a large number of larvae hatching and molting inside, eventually turning into this huge insect nest..."

Cliff said somewhat awkwardly, "Well... actually, this discovery was a coincidence. It's the first time I've found the origin of the insects... If we need proof, we'll have to find some more similar cases!"

I stepped on the soil, closed my eyes thoughtfully, but secretly opened the blueprint mode in the system, selected the building blueprint for the well, and silently entered the hydrological observation mode.

The world was silent for three seconds, then the sounds of collapsing mountains and tsunamis suddenly filled the entire world. Although I was standing on the ground, it felt as if I were on a ship crushing giant waves, with the sound of the tide repeating endlessly in my ears.

When I opened my eyes, the world had changed from bright colors to a monotonous blue and gray. In contrast to the gray world, only the blue underground water veins were instantly and clearly presented before my eyes.

"Come with me..."

Sure enough, I saw a clear dark blue water vein pattern on the ground, extending outwards like a spider web from afar, and the cave beneath my feet was located on one of its branches.

That makes things simple. I just need to trace the source of the groundwater, from the tributaries to the main vein, and then from the main vein back to the source. That should reveal more clues.

But this pattern is a huge burden on the mind. I kept quickening my pace and running forward, and unknowingly I ended up on the same road as Gotz, and finally we met again in a familiar mountain valley.

…………

"So you've been busy all morning, and then you've come down the mountain without doing anything?" Boss Dart looked at the three disheveled and dejected men in front of him in surprise.

I said with dissatisfaction, "What do you mean by 'nothing gained'? We clearly reached several consensuses on the current task after a thorough exchange of opinions, and strengthened our belief in working together to restore peace to Mineral Town!"

"Stop playing diplomatic games with me!" Boss Dart looked at Gotz with exasperation. "Gotz, why are you messing around with them as soon as you get back?"

Gotz dusted himself off, causing us to cough violently. "It's not like we didn't find anything... I confirmed that the ecosystem of Mount Mads hasn't been severely damaged, which is a good thing!"

"But you're the one who's ruining the ecosystem of my shop!" Boss Dart was furious.

Cliff was the most dejected of us. He had thought he was about to achieve his goal, but the result was still fruitless. He couldn't accept it and was eating his rice in despair...

"I'm really not good enough for this job... I'll have another bowl!"

I slapped the empty bowl out of his hand. "Stop eating! I think your sheriff's allowance doesn't match your digestion speed!"

Cliff reluctantly withdrew his hand and said to Boss Dart for me, "Actually, we found traces of insects at the mine entrance, but the situation inside is more complicated, so we have to come back and prepare our things before considering going in."

Boss Dart raised an eyebrow and asked, "What mine?"

I said matter-of-factly, "It's the abandoned mine by the hot spring! It's dark, damp, and gloomy in there, perfect for these insects to breed. I've become a breeding ground for them. I was afraid of encountering poisonous insects, so I retreated first. Boss, you don't know, do you? Back then, even Chen Yulou, the leader of the Mountain Moving Clan, was defeated in the Insect Valley of Yunnan. We can't repeat the same mistake this time..."

Mr. Dart absentmindedly wiped the table, enjoying the lazy summer sun. "Stop, stop, stop... Nobody knows what you're talking about. So what's your next plan?"

I slammed my hand on the table, and Boss Dart, who was heartbroken, glared at me. "Of course we'll forge ahead! With my secret technique of observing mountains and rivers, Marcus, the Tomb Raider, we've already figured out the mine's secrets. With the help of Gotz, the Unloading Ridge Warrior, and Cliff, the Moving Mountain Taoist, all we need to do is borrow a few things from you, Boss, and we'll definitely win big!"

Mr. Dart frowned and said, "What do you want me to produce?"

"Boss Nuomi, do you have this? This stuff can remove corpse poison and fight off evil spirits. Even poisonous insects will shun it when you scatter it!"

"No," Mr. Dart decisively indicated that he did not understand.

"Do you have those black donkey hooves, boss? These things can also ward off evil spirits and suppress corpses; even the most powerful zombies will have to submit!"

“No, not at all,” Mr. Dart continued, shaking his head.

I frowned, exchanged glances with Gotz and Cliff, and said, "If they don't have it, then we're in trouble..."

After a moment's hesitation, I continued, "How about this: replace the glutinous rice with regular rice, and replace the black donkey hooves with pig's trotters and ham!"

"So casually? These two things can help you get into the cave?" Boss Dart exclaimed in surprise.

"Sure, that's fine."

"How much?"

Overjoyed, I said, "One or two hundred catties of white rice and seven or eight hams will be enough!"

Mr. Dart was so angry that his beard almost stood on end. He gritted his teeth and asked me, "Do you still want me to cook you two hot dishes and heat up a pot of wine?"

I exclaimed happily, "That's wonderful! Cliff, look, our meals from now on will be..."

"Get out!"

Mr. Dart slammed his hand on the table, nearly flipping it over.

Facing the fuming Boss Dart, I quickly explained, "Boss, please don't be like this! We can talk this over. You help me collect some supplies, and we'll split the civilians' supplies 30/70, and return the gentry's things in full. How about that?"

"...Marcus, your intentions are too obvious. Dart, you should put down your knife too." Faced with Dart, who had drawn his sword, it was Gotz who stepped in to ease the tension.

Just before Boss Dart went berserk, thankfully Lynn came down from the second floor, hopping and skipping like a cheerful little bird to our side. "Marcus! You're here for dinner so early! Gotz, you're finally back!"

Boss Dart barely suppressed his anger. "Marcus, stop fooling around. The townspeople can help you gather whatever you need. Get to the point."

I scratched my head: "To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed, but I need quite a lot. I need to craft tools like the Centipede Mountain Ladder, the Whirlwind Shovel, the Flying Tiger Claw, and the Luoyang Shovel. I also need some animals to help us explore the mine shafts that haven't been visited in years. More importantly, I really need a batch of food to lure those insects to the open ground and prevent them from escaping and spreading..."

This was the conclusion Gotz and I reached after discussing it. To enter the mine without any mishaps, sufficient tools were essential. The fact that no one had entered the mine since Old Man Hook's time, and the entire terracotta wall I encountered, both proved that it was not a simple place inside.

For something that requires leveraging connections, of course you should go to Boss Dart!

"These aren't too difficult, but we need to offer some compensation to the town's residents before we can even start talking... What are you planning to do?"

I took out what I had prepared beforehand.

"Boss, I have some great stuff here, guaranteed to satisfy everyone!"

Mr. Dart asked, "Oh? So confident?"

I proudly declared, “Of course! The town’s food supply has been restored, but the supply of meat and other perishable foods is still not guaranteed. Fortunately, the food I have here has six times the protein of beef. Just remove the head and internal organs and you can eat it. It’s crunchy and tastes just like chicken!”

After my explanation, Mr. Dart became curious as well. "Is it a plant or an animal? If it's really as amazing as you say, then I won't hesitate to ask him."

I clapped my hands, and Cliff immediately carried a basket in from the doorway.

"It's right here! Boss, if we hadn't seen so many crunchy treats at the door, we wouldn't have been so happy to turn around and leave."

"What is your name?"

I hesitated and said, "This thing has a very complex composition, but it has a unified scientific name: 'ah'."

"Huh? Where does this naming convention come from?"

The owner of Dart stood behind the bar without coming out, gesturing for us to continue our introduction; he was listening.

I clarified, "It's not 'ah,' you need to draw out the sound a bit, raise your tone a bit, and ideally add a touch of crying, then it will be accurate."

Boss Dart didn't come over, but Lin, full of curiosity, took the initiative to come closer, "Let me see~"

I excitedly introduced, "Lin, come and see! These are lively little scorpions and giant red-winged locusts. The plump, white ones rolling around are woodworms, the pale yellow ones with black heads are bamboo shoot worms, and there are also easily recognizable mantises and cockroaches! Everything is clean and hygienic. Would you like to try some?"

After only a brief glance, Lin's face turned ashen, and then, in an extremely standard, professional, and expressive manner comparable to a voice actor, she called out the name of the basket of proteins...

"Aaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Lin transformed into a whirlwind and disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

I spread my hands and said to Mr. Dart, "Look, no matter how many times I go through the names of these insects, everyone will automatically know their real names!"

Mr. Dart leaned weakly against the table: "You should tone it down a bit. If I actually brought this basket of bugs to their door asking for help, they'd probably throw me into the sea..."

I said dismissively, "That's all prejudice! I've already eaten several on the way here. They have a delicate and full texture and taste amazing! Insects are actually deeply misunderstood, perhaps the most misunderstood of all. For example, the cockroaches in the basket aren't actually dirty; they're one of the few clean insects."

Seeing so many swarms of insects, Gotz felt a little disgusted and quietly moved his chair aside, whispering, "Marcus, I also think your plan isn't quite right. Most people wouldn't pounce on these cockroaches with eyes lighting up like you do..."

I said earnestly, "You're just applying a one-size-fits-all approach. Flies, mosquitoes, and fleas are indeed quite dirty; they're responsible for many diseases like malaria, plague, and the Black Death. But cockroaches are inherently friendly; unlike mosquitoes, they don't need to drink human blood to survive."

I picked up a cockroach and held it in my palm: "Besides, cockroaches are actually good for nature, eating dead leaves and helping with decomposition. It's just that they're ugly and a bit annoying, and their reproductive rate is too high, so they've earned this bad reputation. This is your demonization of them!"

The entire audience was captivated by my speech and fell into a momentary silence. Even Mr. Dart changed his dismissive attitude and asked with respect, "So what do you do when you see a cockroach at home?"

"Kill him," I said decisively.

"..."

Chapter 545 Moving Mountains and Unloading Ridges Has Its Own Wonders

The night was dark and the wind was high; withered grass stretched to the horizon.

The Mads Mountain Road was deserted in the dead of night. The trees on both sides of the road swayed in the night wind, casting a thick shadow over the road. Surrounded by rustling sounds, the shadows seemed like countless otherworldly creatures crawling by the roadside, struggling to escape the abyss and set foot on this land.

The gravel road had been untouched by human footsteps for a long time, thus restoring its natural state. In the dim light, it reminded me of the same road on a stormy night.

I felt a familiar figure was not far away, rushing ahead with a crowbar in hand. When I stopped, the figure turned around and looked at me with eager eyes, its mouth open as if it wanted to call out something.

I rubbed my eyes, only to find that I was experiencing syncope. There was nothing in the ambiguous darkness except for the rustling sound of my shoes scraping against the ground.

In an instant, the world seemed so vast and empty that I was all alone...

This desolate scene, with its howling wind and chilly Yi River, only intensified the sorrow in my heart, and my thoughts couldn't help but slide into the abyss of agnosticism. The distant road boundary began to blur, and the beginning and end of the road twisted and intertwined, connecting to form an endless Möbius strip, stretching the short road of the daytime into infinity.

But for the sake of this town, I had to muster my inner strength and make my steps firm. So my expression returned to calm, the hazy scene before me slowly dissipated, and the road gradually became ordinary. As the curve of the uphill slope lessened, I finally saw a hot spring house nestled in the mountain valley, and behind it, a dark, shadowy cave entrance…

"Okay, I'm determined to become the Pest Exterminator today!"

After a moment of preparation, I shouted towards the entrance of the mine, and then boldly entered the long-abandoned mine. But after only a few steps, I heard footsteps outside the mine again.

what's the situation?

Are there other people?

I quickly extinguished the torch in my hand and hid in the shadows of the mine, holding my breath as I watched the figure approaching from outside.

The man who came after me was tall and burly, clearly carrying many weapons and tools, but he walked through the hot spring house with unwavering determination and without any hesitation, and also arrived at the entrance of the mine.

"I'll protect Mineral Town! Come out and fight me to the death!" the man shouted from the cave entrance.

I was startled when I heard this, thinking that my whereabouts had been discovered. But after hearing the second half of his sentence, I realized that he wasn't talking to me, but simply trying to bolster his courage.

"...Gotz, are you trying to scare a ghost in the middle of the night?"

I spoke first, then emerged from the mine, covered in dust and grime, and met Gotz's embarrassed gaze. Gotz had always maintained that some unknown force was manipulating this insect plague. I hadn't expected that he and I would both choose this time to come.

This is like two people saying goodnight on WeChat and then immediately getting matched in the King of Glory game...

It was a bit awkward, but Gotz was clearly more embarrassed.

Indeed, anyone who has just made a rather childish remark and is then surrounded by an acquaintance, before they even have a chance to lower their hand after striking a pose, would feel equally distraught.