207: Newborns

Chapter 204: Newborn

Arthur looked at the decaying vineyard, and he could smell the same putrid odor as the Plantation in reality.

"But you have already killed her, though I can make her reborn, make her the key to your unmarking," the Old Woman said.

"What does that mean?" Arthur asked, confused.

Just then, a white crane, carrying the basket that had previously held grapes in its beak, descended from the sky.

The Old Woman looked at the basket and said with a smile, "It seems it's done."

In the barren vineyard, withered vines sprouted new shoots, and the cracked earth gradually became moist.

The woman cradled a sleeping infant from the basket and said softly, "You saved my subordinate deity, awakening him from a nightmare."

"Now, you have saved another life."

She walked towards Arthur with the infant, handing the child into his arms, "Take her, Messenger, she will help you remove the mark."

Arthur carefully took the infant, still full of confusion, and the infant, as if sensing something, stretched out a tiny hand and tightly grasped his thumb.

"What should I do?" he asked again.

"You will know."

The next second, Arthur suddenly woke up.

The surrounding flames had long since extinguished, leaving only a pile of ashes.

He fumbled through the ashes and finally found a scarlet seed.

The moment he held the seed, a strange memory suddenly flooded his mind. He saw a figure, or to be precise, a dried corpse.

Isgrasa, Arthur thought to himself.

He instantly understood everything: this evil entity had fused its phylactery with the grapevines.

His evil power corrupted this plant, which had already gained sentience, turning her into a guardian of the phylactery.

It was just that Isgrasa probably hadn't expected Arthur, holding the Goddess's staff, to break in here.

Nor had he expected the grapevine, which still retained some will, to sense the power of the staff.

Arthur carefully put away the scarlet seed, slumped to the ground, and heavily exhaled a breath of stale air.

The burn wounds on his body were now healing at a visible speed.

Presumably, it was the Goddess's tea that did the trick.

Arthur couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head, then stood up and walked outside.

The vines that had once covered the entire vineyard were now completely withered.

To restore this vineyard to its former glory, the vast expanses of dead plants would first need to be cleared.

Of course, that was a matter for later.

The most precious grapevines here had died, and Qingfeng Valley would probably no longer be able to brew Blood Grapevine Wine.

"My Lord! It's so good that you're alright!" Flora quickly rushed to Arthur's side.

"Are the others alright?" Arthur asked.

"They're all fine, only Venice, he—"

Flora's gaze turned to the withered vines, her voice gradually lowering, "Now we don't even know if his body can still be found."

Venice was the militiaman who had been dragged deep into the vineyard by the vines earlier.

At that time, the vines had pierced through his entire chest, and everyone knew there was no chance of his survival.

"What about Brand and Baker? How are they doing?" Arthur asked again.

"Their minds have finally recovered somewhat, but they're not yet fully conscious."

"Then let them rest well for a while," Arthur began to give instructions, "We can't make it back to town today.

"Let's camp here tonight and return tomorrow morning."

Flora's face showed some hesitation, and she asked uncertainly, "Is this place really safe?"

"I think there won't be any more enemies."

Arthur's gaze fell on the withered vines, "These vines have used almost everything they could absorb in the vicinity as nutrients.

"Even the Undead were no exception.

"That's why we didn't encounter any Undead creatures on our way here."

"I understand." Flora immediately took the order and turned to prepare for setting up camp.

After a morning of running around and effort, Godwin finally figured out the attitudes of the two religious factions within Lookout Fort.

The Mother Earth Church, represented by Juan, had clearly stated its support for Lord Arthur.

The Bastet Church's attitude, however, seemed somewhat ambiguous.

However, based on his own judgment, Godwin believed that Letizia, the leader of the local Bastet Church, had no good feelings towards the Black Goat Caravan.

Even if they couldn't ultimately win over the Bastet Church as an ally, they probably wouldn't side with the Black Goat Caravan.

All of this was thanks to the Little Finger Merchant Guild's extremely arrogant attitude.

Their negotiators probably believed that money could solve all problems.

If they could win you over with money, that was naturally best.

If not, they would then think of using money to get rid of you.

Such an attitude naturally pleased no one.

After dealing with these matters, Godwin went to discuss with the Refugees' leader.

He wanted these Refugees to set off for Qingfeng Valley as soon as possible to contribute to its construction.

The dwarf Bart did not object to this.

Most of the Refugees also hoped to settle down as soon as possible.

However, the Garbage Army led by Gasco still chose to leave.

This group of former bandits still chose to continue their unrestrained, free-spirited life.

However, Gasco still gave Godwin a promise.

He stated that the Garbage Army would never plunder the convoys under the Baron of Qingfeng Valley.

In response, Godwin also gave them some supplies as a gesture of goodwill.

Thus, that afternoon, Gasco took his team—a total of thirty-five people—and some necessary supplies, and left Lookout Fort.

"It seems we'll have to find other guards."

Bruce said to Godwin from the side.

"What's your opinion of them?" Godwin turned to Bruce and asked.

Bruce pondered for a moment before replying, "Judging solely by their appearance and demeanor, you know they've all experienced life-and-death battles.

"They are like wolves, difficult to tame, and capable of biting you back at any moment.

"Dangerous, arrogant, and uncontrollable.

"More importantly, they have their own tight-knit small group, and outsiders find it hard to integrate."

"You've disparaged them as useless," Godwin interjected, "So you think their departure is a good thing?"

"Most armies within Amn are pretty much like this," Bruce replied frankly, "But as long as they have combat power, these issues can be temporarily overlooked.

"And what we need right now is a group of wolves who know how to fight and are extremely fierce, isn't it?"

Before Godwin could ask another question, Bruce continued, "There's another point.

"Gasco is not just a wolf; he's a fox, a fox that can survive unscathed among a Wolf Pack.

"With him around, this already difficult-to-control group will only become more dangerous.

"Sir, I believe it's best we avoid any conflict with them in the short term."