Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest

Roman had previously heard from Moor but hadn't delved deeper.

Betrayal Knights, quirks of Dirty Physicians, the legendary Thieves, deserters of the battlefield...

These people were far more dangerous than any Hunter, basically all wanted criminals; otherwise, why would they flee to this remote area?

Moor still adhered to the principle of "well water does not interfere with river water."

Roman frowned, "There are no witches in the mountains?"

Moor was surprised, "I've never heard of it... Lord Roman, do you think the witch is looking for companions?" He thought of the eerie figure witnessed the night before last.

Roman was just suspicious, without proof.

The greatest obstacle to walking in the mountains was the rugged terrain, the torrential streams, the extreme elevation changes, difficult to navigate.

But that didn't mean there were no shortcuts.

There originally were no paths in the world; as people walked, paths were made.

Don't think of hunters as gods who can disappear and reappear in the mountains; to reside there for long, one must have a fixed dwelling and communicate with Sige Town, exchanging necessary supplies.

Having a fixed dwelling meant there were fixed routes.

In the long run, it was logical for the people of Sige Town to know about the group of hunters' camp.

Roman and his group followed this road, heading towards the settlements of the mountain people and the hunters.

Even in the mountains, lands had to be cultivated, sowing seeds into crevices or tilled patches of flat land.

But cultivating on his territory without paying tribute, that was simply preposterous!

Before reaching the hunters' residence, Roman suddenly furrowed his brow, sensing a premonition from a diagonal forest slope.

He practiced archery, and his skills were superb; when targeted by an arrow, he would feel a certain premonition.

If it were a sniper rifle, the effect would be even more pronounced.

Aaron also noticed something strange; some areas of the forest and bushes showed unnatural disturbances.

Aaron sensed someone attempting to surround them from behind, took off his round shield from his back, steadied his footing, and stood to Roman's left. Green's gaze also sharpened; he drew out his steel Big Sword mixed with mountain copper, and stood back-to-back with Roman, forming a triangular position.

Seeing the duo's reaction, the guards, belatedly aware and tense, spread out their formation.

"Do you all wish to be enemies of your Lord?" Roman called out loudly.

A voice came from the forest, "We have no lord."

Roman said calmly, "Now you do."

Creak~

The sound of bowstrings tensing repeatedly echoed through the quiet forest.

Both sides were poised for conflict.

Yet, Roman didn't draw his weapon; he declared openly, "You want to fight against the Conquest Knights? You can't. Come out now, kneel before me, and I will spare you."

Silence followed; Roman and Green, along with other keen-eared Transcendents, faintly heard whispering from the forest.

The hunters were discussing this matter, but clearly, some held different opinions, so it sounded more like an argument.

Moments later, a young hunter stepped out from the forest, "We just want a way to survive; if you're willing to let us live our lives, we can offer our hunted game to you in the future..."

Just as the hunter was about to state his conditions, he saw the astonished look and the odd expression on Roman's face.

His heart sank, fearing something was amiss, but then he heard Roman say, "Then pledge your loyalty to me."

The hunter's mind went blank, "..."

Roman scoffed lightly, "In this land, I hold all authority; everyone is my subject. State your name, my Envoy."

"Dota... Dota Gni."

...

[Two Stars Dota

Attack: E+, Defense: E, Speed: E+, Constitution: E+, Energy: E

Talent: Eye Power – enhanced observational skills of the environment

"Skill One: Tracking—Capture faint clues and infer the movements of the clue maker."

...

On the day of recruiting Angel Envoys, other modes of "Noah's Ark" unlocked.

For example, "Battlefield Simulation," "Dispatched Battle," "Integrated Combat," "Apostle Battle Group," "Heavenly Destiny Expedition," etc.

However, they were of no use to him now.

Combat operations and enough Angel Envoy units were necessary to use those functions.

Roman hummed lightly, "Take me to find the others in the mountains, all of them, and I will decide whether to let them pledge loyalty to me based on their performance."

...

In fact, every adult farmer from Sige Town was familiar with the mountains.

In certain famine years, when food was scarce, the farmers of Sige Town survived those tough times by foraging and hunting.

Not to mention, the mountains and forests were sources of firewood.

However, due to barbarism and ignorance, many only dared to explore the edges, and even experienced hunters did not dare to venture deep into them, as it was rumored that the mountains devoured people and housed ferocious Demon Beasts.

What Shasta saw were all forest and mountain rocks.

She couldn't help but sigh.

The mountain wasn't very tall, but the forest was dense and the trees grew wildly.

The narrow and enclosed space made one feel significantly oppressed.

She understood why there were sayings about mountains eating people.

In the perilous mountains, humans, wherever they went, seemed to be entering the mouth of a giant beast and could disappear without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Shasta had obtained a clue about the witch of Sige Town.

Following what the woman had said, she took a cloth bag containing two pounds of peas and explored upstream along a creek, eventually finding that huge, crooked dwarf chestnut tree in the complex terrain of the mountains.

Its branches were thick and lush, resembling a gigantic explosion of hair, and due to the rising temperatures, the dense branches sprouted green buds, adding a touch of spring.

Such dwarf chestnut trees were plentiful in these mountains.

Yet, few of their kind were as thick and twisted as this one, situated by the creek bank with its upper half bent as if dipping into the water to wash its hair, branches hanging down, touching the river surface.

Shasta tied the bag of peas under the dwarf chestnut tree, while she hid herself in a slightly elevated terrain nearby.

She spent the first day without seeing anyone and had to sleep in the forest, the early spring chill was heavy, and especially so in the mountain, fortunately, as a witch, not a regular person, she was not in immediate danger.

By the second day, Shasta finally saw a frail figure in tattered clothes standing under the dwarf chestnut tree, reaching on tiptoes to take down the cloth bag and lifting up her ragged clothes like an apron, pouring the beans inside it.

Then, she looked around, lowered her head, and quickly left the place.

Seeing this, Shasta immediately followed her.

She trailed behind the child to her dwelling—a makeshift shelter built from leaves and branches, hardly more than a place to shield from the wind and rain, which surprised Shasta, as even the most basic shelter should not have been constructible by a child alone; someone must have helped her.

That was normal—if no one had helped her, a child could not have possibly lived alone in the deep mountains for over a year.

Shasta felt a pang of heartache as she appeared in front of Gwivelle.

"Gwivelle!"

Gwivelle jumped in fright, spilling all the peas she was holding.

Her dirt-smudged little face looked terrified at the beautiful woman in front of her.

"I am Shasta, Gwivelle, don't be afraid, we are allies," Shasta said, releasing a faint wisp of black smoke from her body.

"You're a witch?!" Gwivelle exclaimed in shock, stepping back, disbelieving, as if she had encountered something horrifying.

"...You are also a witch."

Gwivelle, with a crying voice, forcefully said, "No, I'm not!"

"Do you want to deny your power? Or do you want to deny yourself?"

Gwivelle shook her head, sobbing, "I don't have evil powers, I'm not possessed by the devil, don't come looking for me."

Gwivelle staggered backward, as if preparing to turn and run, but Shasta was quick to react, she immediately lunged forward and held her in her arms, fearing she might lose control, comforting her, "Good girl, I know you are scared, but you don't have to be scared any longer, I will take you away, you will eat bread and oatmeal to your fill every day, you will sleep soundly on a soft bed without having to worry about enduring the elements. My sister, I will not let anyone hurt you again, we were not born into this land just to suffer, and our awakening should not be met with burning..."