110: Chapter 110 Entering the Mountains

Coming down from the mountain top, Zhang Mu asked the villagers busy in the fields and found his way to the front of Domit's house.

His wife and child were ordinary people, and because he didn't return often, their two-bedroom stone house sat by a patch of farmland at the foot of the mountain.

Seeing Zhang Mu come to him for a place to stay, he was somewhat happy.

Setting down the child he was holding, he turned and led Zhang Mu to an empty house just below Mihe's.

It was a one-bedroom apartment; no one had lived there for a long time, the air was a bit stale, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the floor and wooden table.

Zhang Mu didn't trouble him with the cleaning; he simply said, "Call me if you need anything," and strode away.

As for the cleaning, Zhang Mu finished it quickly; he placed the newly awakened Lia on the open ground in front of the door and cast a few Wind Blades, and that was it.

Before long, Domit brought bedding and some daily necessities and helped organize them.

He left the key to the Magic Array—a transparent crystal ball—and departed again.

Zhang Mu immediately took out a portable gas stove and placed it on the stone-built stove counter in the corner of the living room.

There were still many mutated herbs brought from Blue Star while in Bala City, so there was no need to make a special trip back to Blue Star to buy more.

This was also why he promised Mihe he would have it done in two days.

One by one, Zhang Mu threw the herbs for brewing Song of the Forest into the inner pot of an electric rice cooker. He picked up a pestle and worked until the herbs inside turned into a paste, then poured it all into a frying pan.

He added water and lit the fire.

Steady flames licked the bottom of the pan. Zhang Mu pulled over a wooden chair, sat down, and stared intently.

Song of the Forest was a very special potion.

As a "miracle medicine" that could increase the yield of wheat and other crops, the brewing process was slightly tedious.

The most grueling part was maintaining a stable flame temperature for 36 consecutive hours.

As everyone knows.

Food is one of the indispensable elements of human development; on Blue Star, food channels are the lifeline of a nation.

But on the Saul Continent, this thing was of little use to Magic Families that weren't very large or to solitary Professionals.

How much food could they eat? Would they care if ordinary people could fill their bellies?

Therefore, usually only the royal families of various countries would commission Apothecaries or order the Apothecaries they recruited and trained to brew it.

This resulted in the "miracle medicine" that could promote explosive population growth never being successfully mass-produced by any country on the Saul Continent for thousands of years.

It could only be used on a small scale.

Zhang Mu watched the pan without blinking, adding water every hour.

Just like that, the evening of the second day arrived.

Lia, who had been frolicking around the house to familiarize herself with the environment, ran back inside with cat ears speckled with bits of grass.

Placing his hands under her armpits, he lifted her onto his lap. Zhang Mu carefully picked the dried grass from the back of her cat ears: "Did you meet any children here?"

"Mm!" Lia narrowed her eyes comfortably, her tender white legs swinging back and forth. "No one hates Lia."

The exclusion of demi-humans in the Lake Kingdom became more severe in larger cities.

Conversely, it was much more relaxed in remote areas, which was why Zhang Mu felt safe letting her go out to play on her own.

Having cleaned off the grass bits, Zhang Mu stroked her head, his mind pondering the Resistance Army he had learned a little about.

First of all, as a "Resistance Army," they were highly incompetent.

Let alone an "army," Zhang Mu estimated that few villagers here were even ordinary people trained in combat techniques; they were purely a group of ordinary people taking refuge here.

He didn't know what Mihe was thinking, but he didn't seem to have considered training them.

Taking a pork floss bun from his pocket, he tore open the packaging and handed it to Lia, as Zhang Mu thought again about the affairs of the Lake Kingdom.

Armed conflicts are prohibited in human settlements; this is an ironclad rule that the Church has enforced for tens of thousands of years.

Zhang Mu didn't know exactly how long ago the Lake Empire fell, but he figured it couldn't have been more than ten thousand years.

This was very confusing.

How did the enemy country dare to act?

There was only one possibility: the Church's tacit consent, or even direct orders.

He thought for a while but couldn't reach a conclusion. When he met his senior sister, if he still remembered this matter, he would ask.

For now, Zhang Mu shifted his gaze to the frying pan emitting a fresh plant fragrance—the Song of the Forest was ready.

...

Mihe was a mage, but he rarely wore his magic robe daily, usually dressing like a villager.

Even after parting with Zhang Mu, when he prepared to enter the mountains to collect materials, he only went inside to grab his refined steel staff before walking out of the Magic Array.

When he returned to the house the next evening, the Storage Pouch at his waist was already stuffed full.

Sitting at the stone table in the middle of the small courtyard, he used his Mental Energy to send a message to Domit. About ten minutes later, the man hurried over.

"Mr. Mi He, is something the matter?"

Gesturing for Domit to sit opposite him, he pointed to the Storage Pouch on the table: "Deliver this to the guest later."

Then he asked, "Any news on the murderer of the village?"

"It's the eldest son of the Lord of Gur City. As for the Soldiers Mr. Zhang Mu brought back, I have them under guard."

Domit had been busy since returning and hadn't had the chance to interrogate them yet, so he first recounted all the information he knew.

Mihe frowned. "In that case..."

"Yes." Domit's expression was grim. "Unless we keep a long-term watch on Gur City, we won't have a chance to punish him."

"Hmm..." After a few seconds of silence, Mihe waved his hand. "Let's set this matter aside for now."

He nodded in agreement, then turned the conversation to Zhang Mu: "Mr. Zhang Mu, have you had a good talk with him?"

Recounting the matter of the Song of the Forest potion, Mihe said:

"Quite an interesting little fellow. Aside from the habit of boasting recklessly, he's otherwise acceptable."

"No, Mr. Mi He, your understanding of him is mistaken."

"Heh." Mihe chuckled. "Even if you're right, I can't believe he can solve the Resistance Army's plight."

"Even if he could, why would he help us?"

Recalling Zhang Mu repeating "not interested" several times, Domit's tone was low: "I trust Mr. Zhang Mu; he can create miracles."

"The farmland currently cultivated by the Resistance Army is not enough to feed everyone.

Added to the villagers you rescued, the land and food supplies within the Magic Array, which were already tight, won't last very long."

"And as for me, every time I step out of the Magic Array into the Silent Forest to hunt magic beasts to supplement our meat supply, there's a risk of being discovered by the Lord of Gur City,"

"Besides, their bodies won't be able to handle eating only meat."

Mihe narrowed his eyes and looked at the mountain fields in the distance. "I don't know where your trust in him comes from, but our dire situation is already irreversible."

"Mr. Zhang Mu might really be able to brew the Song of the Forest potion."

"Domit, on the Saul Continent, there are only divine signs, no miracles."

After a moment of silence, Domit stood up, took the Storage Pouch, and went all the way to Zhang Mu's house.

Entering the door, he didn't see Zhang Mu.

In the empty living room, Lia sat on a chair, leaning over the wooden table, smiling as she nibbled on a pork floss bun, with more piled on the table.

"Lia, where did Mr. Zhang Mu go?"

"Brother Zhang Mu said he had things to do and told Lia to stay in the house and not run around."

"Oh, and Brother Zhang Mu said that if Mr. Domit came, I should give this to him."

Lia looked back at the stove counter behind her, where the extinguished gas stove sat.

Walking over curiously, Domit first examined the unfamiliar appliance before lifting the lid.

A faint plant fragrance wafted into his nostrils, and he asked in surprise, "What is this?"

"Mm..." Lia pinched a bit of pork floss from the corner of her mouth and popped it into her mouth, her cat ears twitching. "I think... Brother Zhang Mu called it Song of the Forest."