"Creak—"
The cellar door, wrapped in thick soundproofing cotton, was opened, and then a group of burly men climbed out.
"Everyone, go about your business for now. I'll make the arrangements for what we're going to do."
Washizu climbed out of the dark cellar and, after taking a deep breath, said to the people around him.
"Alright then, Village Chief, take care."
"I trust the Village Chief to handle things!"
"Just give the word if you need anything."
Hearing Washizu's words, the crowd didn't dally. They waved at Washizu and then walked away.
"Sigh—"
After everyone left, a worried expression reappeared on Washizu's face. He sighed deeply, squatted on the threshold of the granary door, looking preoccupied.
"Why the sighing? Since you've decided to act, then prepare thoroughly. Looking like this, have you perhaps changed your mind?"
Ember, seeing this, also squatted on the threshold with Washizu.
"No, I'm not worried about that." Washizu shook his head, then said with a determined look, "A man of his word, I'm not someone who changes his mind easily."
"Then why are you sighing?" Ember asked curiously, seeing that Washizu had no intention of backing out.
"Let me explain." Dan Oni Roku also joined Washizu and Ember, sitting on the threshold.
The door to Higi Village's granary was much larger than a typical door, but it still felt a bit crowded with three burly men squatting in front of it.
Dan Oni Roku shifted his body, and after feeling more comfortable, he spoke:
"He's actually worried about the food supply."
"Food? Didn't you say we could last this month? Don't worry, I'll definitely get things done within this month."
As soon as he heard Washizu was worried about food, Ember immediately patted his chest and said with great confidence.
If Washizu said Higi Village's food could last this month, then there was no problem. Because Ember felt he could definitely reach the Tenshukaku within this month.
"Under normal circumstances, yes." Dan Oni Roku replied, and seeing Ember didn't understand, he continued to explain:
"But now it's not normal circumstances. Usually, everyone in Higi Village does less and eats less."
"But now that we've decided to execute the national traitor, everyone's training intensity will definitely increase. With strenuous training, naturally, they'll eat more."
"The amount of food currently stored in the village, I don't know how long it can last." Dan Oni Roku shook his head as he spoke.
As the chief instructor of Higi Village's eight hundred youths for some time now, Dan Oni Roku was extremely clear about the food consumption of the young adults.
Don't be fooled by how long Higi Village seems to be able to last; that's all based on the entire village scrupulously economizing.
If the intensity of training goes up, the food consumption of such a large group of young adults would undoubtedly be a terrifying number.
"So that's what it is." Ember nodded thoughtfully, then immediately stood up from the threshold and shouted loudly:
"I originally wanted to take it slow, but now I'm afraid I can't. Don't worry, I'll go call people now and try to finish things for you ten days early!"
With that, Ember ran towards the village entrance without looking back. Seeing this, Dan Oni Roku and Washizu, who were behind him, quickly followed.
"Where are you going to call people?!"
"Wait for me! You two beasts, why are you running so fast?!"
As they ran, the village was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Ember sprinted at the front, only stopping when he reached the Golden Tree at the village entrance.
Looking at the Golden Tree, Ember noticed that it had grown much better than the last time he had seen it.
It seemed that with the gradual sealing of the tatarigami, it no longer needed to expend so much power to help protect Higi Village.
"Looks good, it should be usable as a communicator." Ember nodded in satisfaction.
With this growth, it should be usable as a communicator. Otherwise, he would have to make a trip to Mondstadt.
Closing his eyes and pressing his head against the trunk of the Golden Tree, Ember's body gradually merged into the Golden Tree.
"You guys…"
"Shh!"
Dan Oni Roku, who had just caught up with the two, was about to complain about Washizu and Ember, but was immediately silenced by Washizu.
Seeing Dan Oni Roku quiet down, Washizu pointed in the direction of the Golden Tree.
Following Washizu's refer to direction, Dan Oni Roku saw Ember gradually merging with the Golden Tree.
A condensed yet incredibly obscure aura shot up from the Golden Tree, soaring into the sky, appearing only for a brief moment before vanishing.
Washizu and Dan Oni Roku couldn't perceive this aura; they only felt that for a certain moment, many "things" seemed to want to drill into their minds, but these "things" were firmly held back by a stronger presence, only able to rush towards the sky.
The strange aura disappeared, and everything returned to normal. However, Washizu and Dan Oni Roku made no new moves; they were waiting for Ember to emerge from the Golden Tree… "Dong—"
A loud bell rang, and a large building in Leyndell immediately became lively.
"Hey, hey, hey! Class is over, right?!"
"What's the use of class being over? You know Ordovis always likes to extend class, don't you?"
"Look, he's bragging about his past experiences again!"
The loud bell signaled the end of class, but in this classroom, it clearly wasn't so.
On the podium, a strange man completely shrouded in a wide robe was eloquently lecturing about something.
Calling the man strange wasn't because of his attire. In The Lands Between, both sorcerers and Prayer pastors wore wide wizard robes.
As one of the few intellectuals left in The Lands Between, teachers naturally also wore wide robes to display their status.
What was truly strange was the man's copper-red helmet. The helmet had a single horn on top, curved axe blades extended from both sides, and two paint black viewing slits in the middle, giving one a sense of mountainous weight just by looking at it.
But heavy as it was, a steel helmet with a wizard's robe, anyone who saw it would be confused.
However, no one had any objection to this, because the person before them was Ordovis, one of the two chiefs of the Crucible Knight.
Why was it "formerly"? Because the Crucible Knight had already been disbanded; after all, the Crucible Knight was originally established to follow the First Elden Lord Godfrey.
Now that the First Elden Lord was no longer king, the Crucible Knight naturally disbanded. But as one of the few intellectuals in the Knights of Favonius, Ordovis found new employment and became a teacher.
Mainly because there were plenty of people who could fight in The Lands Between, but very few who could write.
So even someone as strong as Ordovis was forced to become a teacher.
"I'm telling you, do you know why the King's parry technique is so skilled?"
"I don't know~"
The response was weak and listless.
"That's all because I taught him well!" Ordovis didn't care at all, and continued speaking with great enthusiasm.
"Teacher, but this is clearly a magic class, isn't it a bit… inappropriate for you to talk about martial arts like 'parrying'?"
Finally, someone timidly reminded Ordovis. He was not only extending class but also going off-topic.
"Magic? What's so good about learning magic?!" Ordovis, hearing this, immediately showed strong hostility towards sorcerers.
"Give me a shield, and I can even parry Comet Azur back!"
"Instead of learning magic, train your body!" Ordovis waved his limbs, but the branches of his body exposed from beneath his robe were still tightly bound by black bandages.
"Is that so? Is that why you and Nibon Reite were tricked into the cemetery to guard it?"
Ordovis was instilling his stereotypes about sorcerers into the students on stage. But before he could say much, he was interrupted by a female voice.
Ordovis turned his head and saw a crimson figure holding a tree spear. Ordovis was familiar with it, as this was what a Crucible Knight looked like in full armor.
"Siluria? Why are you here, and dressed like this?"
"I came to prevent you from misleading the young."
Siluria looked up at Ordovis, then turned and left, holding her great spear.
Seeing this, Ordovis immediately put down the book in his hand and hurriedly said to the students below: "Basic glintstone sorcery. Before I return, everyone must learn Great Glintstone Shard."
"If you can't learn it, I'll teach you how to parry! Understand?!"
"Understand!"
Ordovis nodded in satisfaction, seeing the students agree so quickly. Then he shouted outside the classroom and quickly followed her.
"Wait for me! Siluria!"
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