Chapter 182: Florida Woman Invites Homeless Priestess Home to Convert Her Husband. He Returns Home and Marries the Priestess.
"Dammit. I should have searched for men, beastmen, or some dwarfs. What's the matter with the women in this world?! Why are they so… thirsty?"
Felix smacked his forehead while he flew home. He regretted attempting to recruit a band of women.
As Felix hadn't given up on the quest yet, he consulted Jessica and Jiji, hoping for alternative solutions.
"Girls, do you know anything about dwarfs or beastmen? Why do they live?"
Jiji answered without hesitation, "Solaris Commonwealth Empire for dwarfs. For demi-humans, I heard some are living in other provinces."
Jessica added, <Based on the memory of the dead transmigrator that you killed, demi-humans and barbarians of Crimson Desert co-exist, but Solaris Commonwealth Empire hates them. They also exist overseas and they ally with Divine Forest.>
A new name was brought up, but Felix only focused his attention on two countries—Crimson Desert and Solaris Commonwealth Empire. However, he needed a world map to plan for his next moves.
"Do any of you have a world map?"
<No. The database still requires more information. Please convert more local population into mana to extract more information. I suggest you start looking for people from other provinces or countries for specific intel.>
"…"
Sometimes, Felix doubted Jessica. The system always provided him hi-tech items and perks, but it could not give him basic information, such as the world map and geographic information.
Without a choice, Felix returned home for now. He planned to consult with Diana, Clover, Zen, and Jagged Beard later.
.
.
While Felix was busy training, Diana used her familiar authority to transfer Zen and her followers to Felix's flying island, teleporting the entire truck and its passengers.
The truck, Zen, and others appeared at the Fate Plaza. As it was their first time teleporting, everybody peeked out of the vehicle, stunned by the rapid changes in the scenery. .net
Zen got out of the vehicle and turned to the crystal in the middle of the plaza. She was interested in its functioning. The others also hopped out of the military truck and looked around, curious about the promised land.
The next moment, the paladins and priestesses screamed, horrified by the sight of five Lamias, carrying a purple log from the corrupted forest to the southern lake. The lamia workers also glanced at the newcomers and were surprised as well.
"Eleanor's priests?!" One of the lamias hissed in anger.
"Foul abominations!" A paladin unsheathed her sword, preparing to fight for her life.
Fortunately, Zen and Diana were there to stop them. Diana reverted to her lamia queen form while Zen faced the paladin, deescalating the situation.
Diana explained to the lamias, "This is our new guests and potential immigrants. Do not harm them."
Zen also warned the paladin and the others, "We are their guests. Do not fight, or we all will perish here. Remember, we are here to explore and evaluate if we should establish a branch here. They are our potential allies."
Both sides were reluctant. But in the end, the lamias snorted and acknowledged the order of their former queen. As for the paladins and priestesses, they put their weapons away, but they remained cautious of the local monster girls.
Clover also showed up to manage the group. The alraune and Diana looked at each other and nodded respectfully. As they had already chatted, they accepted their new roles and chose not to meddle with each other's affairs.
Zen watched Clover closely, observing the way she commanded the lamias. She let out a long sigh of relief.
"This place is unique. Where did Felix find you all?"
Diana smirked, "Big Zoot's slave market."
"That's quite embarrassing. My condolence to you."
"Don't apologize to me. Say that to them, especially the beastmen."
"…I see."
Diana guided Zen and her company to tour the eastern district of the island, which was designated as farmland. They found Felix's farmland and a cultivated land, tended by Clover's subordinates.
The difference between the two farm plots caught Zen's eye. The small land was full of soft glossy black soil as if they had been mixed with top-quality fertilizer. As for other land, the plowed brown dirt was still full of rocks and withered weeds, which needed improvement.
In addition, the black land was full of potato plants. Their giant leaves sprouted and covered half of the land. Two lamias on the farm were busy pulling giant heads of potatoes off the ground and putting them in a wooden basket.
Looking at the fertile land, Zen believed that she could help improve this place with her water spells and new holy spells. However, it would be a waste to settle in this area as the rich soil was too precious to waste.
"Say, Monster Queen," Zen addressed Diana, "I don't think the land is suitable for our new home. Are there other places?"
Diana shrugged and gestured north and west. "My lamias have already settled in the south, so I doubt you'd want to set up there. But if you're open to rugged terrain, the western mountain range could work. If mountains aren't your thing, you could try the north, though it's a bit corrupted. We'll need a lot of manpower and someone with purification skills to clear the miasma from the forest…"
She paused and stared at Zen, who tilted her head and grinned.
"Show me the forest."
"…Alright."
The group made their way north and reached the Purple Forest. It was still a vast land, covering over 100 square kilometers. The old road that connected Terra City and Aero City was still there, but the path got cut off because of the forest.
At the border of the forest, Zen found traces of deforestation. Tree stumps, piles of withered glasses, dry bushes, and purple tree logs piled around the lumber house nearby. A dozen beastmen and lamias worked together, processing the trees for construction materials.
When Zen approached the group, the monster girls and the beastmen grabbed their weapons, getting ready to fight the priestess. But when they saw Diana, the workers nodded at her and resumed working.
Zen smiled as she figured out the dynamics of this community. She figured out a way to get her people to mingle with the former enemies.
"I see how it is. By the way, Lamia Queen, I have a favor to ask you." Zen turned to Diana.
"What is it?"
"Can you ask everybody in your tribe and the other members to this place? I have something to show to them."
"Hmm."
Diana wasn't sure what Zen had planned, but she went along with it regardless. She returned to fetch Clover and the others, gathering everyone at the border of the Purple Forest.
The crowd arrived an hour later, gathering at the designated location. Everybody was curious about what Diana was doing.
Seeing how everybody quickly gathered, Zen took flight, hovering over the center of the forest. She then cast a combination of her water spell and the holy spell, which she had learned from the Eleanor Church—Holy Rain.
Gold clouds manifested over the forest. A minute later, gold raindrops showered the purple forest. However, the rain didn't land beyond the territory.
Every drop of rain illuminated the area like a shining sun. The light was so bright that everybody turned away from the forest, including Diana. Still, she created a water barrier around herself, protecting her eyes from the light hazard.
A minute later, the rain stopped and the clouds dispersed. The gathering crowd also recovered from the flash-bangs. But when their eyes adjusted to the moonlight, the crowd was stunned by the new changes.
The purple forest turned green. The mutated plants and trees reverted to their original forms. Moreover, fruits and vegetables grew and replaced the useless grasses and shrubs. Flowers bloomed and produced gold dew. Leftover tree stumps grew branches and leaves, returning to life.
The miasma was gone!
Zen flew back to the gathering area. She then smiled at the lamias and introduced herself.
"I am Zen, the headmaster of Ocean Tower. We, the followers of Eleanor Church, have decided to seek shelter under Lord Felix Ariel. I know that we have a long history together, and we are not on good terms. However, we wish to co-exist together with you in the same territory. To demonstrate my sincerity, I have purified this forest for you. All I hope is that you will respect our people when the others arrive."
After giving the speech, Zen landed on the ground and deeply bowed to the lamias.
The crowd was still stunned by the miracle and the power of Zen. Some gulped, intimidated by the strength of this woman. The others glanced at Diana and Clover, who were in charge of this place.
Diana wryly smiled as she understood Zen's intention and figured out her motive. She sighed, admiring her political abilities and scheme.
The move just now was to intimidate her people and establish an image of herself as a powerhouse. Unless Diana or Clover contested with her, her social status would rise further, only second to Felix.
As Diana didn't feel like fighting, she conceded the position of the strongest woman in this community. She lowered her head, bowing back.
"I also expect the same. Please instruct your people to show respect to our community as we have changed our ways."
Zen brightly smiled and lifted her head, "Then, let bygone be bygone. Everything in the past is water under a bridge."
Diana also lifted her head, "…Alright."
The two women walked toward each other and shook hands in front of the crowd.
Had this event taken place in a movie or somewhere on Earth, the crowd would have clapped and cheered. However, the residents and the newcomers looked at each other, unable to trust their former enemies.
The changes couldn't happen overnight. The group treated this event as a declaration of segregation. From that moment on, the north district would become the territory of Eleanor Church while the south remained as the district of monsters and demi-humans. As for the west and the east, they remained as shared territories.