Freed from the affliction of Oripathy.
Patriot's strength returned to its peak. In fact, under the enhancement of Lucas's Prayer Power from the previous two times, Patriot's current strength even surpassed his former peak.
Although the severity of the Oripathy on his body was still fatal to an ordinary person, it was *only* to an ordinary person. For the powerful body of a pure-blooded Wendigo, this ten-something percent Oripathy was as good as nothing, having almost no effect on his body.
Instantly.
Patriot, who had been somewhat listless like an old man, straightened his back. He was like a sharp spear piercing the clouds. Even his voice was full and resonant, like a strong, healthy young man of over two hundred years.
Although, for a Wendigo, whose lifespan often reached four digits, over two hundred years was indeed young. In human terms, he'd be in his twenties at most.
Besides Patriot, Lucas also helped FrostNova, Talulah, and Alina suppress their conditions.
Although this effect was powerful, it was very draining for Lucas. It not only consumed a large amount of the host body's Originium energy, but also a certain amount of Lucas's own Spiritual Power and mental energy. Therefore, Lucas could generally only use this ability on those close to him, or for emergency life-saving measures on the critically ill.
The Reunion Movement now had several hundred Infected. Even if they drained Lucas dry, he couldn't finish them all. They could only wait for Raythean Medica to be able to manufacture this special energy, condensed from his 'Rule', into individual doses of medicine.
Other than feeling physically lighter, Alina didn't change much. The same went for Talulah.
Because Alina and Talulah had been taking the Oripathy suppression medication regularly every week, their conditions were already well-controlled. FrostNova's change, however, was huge. Her Oripathy had been very severe, even showing serious, uncontrollable external symptoms, such as her body temperature dropping sharply. But, under Lucas's control, FrostNova's body temperature finally returned to that of a normal person, though perhaps still a little cooler than average.
But compared to her previous sub-zero body temperature, this was extremely normal.
FrostNova touched her own skin, finding it hard to believe.
She had been suffering from the torment of cold for so many years. Now that she had finally returned to normal, FrostNova couldn't quite believe it.
Alina walked over with a smile and grabbed FrostNova's hand. FrostNova subconsciously tried to pull away, afraid of freezing Alina, but Alina didn't let go. A smile appeared on her face.
"It's so warm, FrostNova."
"Warm..."
The slightly tense expression on FrostNova's face slowly melted, like snow under the sun.
Suddenly.
FrostNova took a deep breath. What she exhaled was no longer a cold vapor that could freeze stone, but a warm, moist stream of air. She subconsciously grasped Lucas's hand, her face blushing, and said softly.
"Is my hand... warm? Mr. Reeve."
Lucas was thrown for a loop by this. He was a Spirit, unable to feel temperature at all. Even if he solidified his hand, he still couldn't feel anything.
As for Patriot, standing nearby, he slowly turned around and sighed.
"Ah, to be old~"
"It's very warm, FrostNova."
Lucas smiled faintly, and FrostNova's face turned even redder.
After a while, Patriot, perhaps unable to watch any longer as a father figure, finally cleared his throat with a loud, resonant cough.
"That's enough. Let's take this opportunity to discuss our next steps."
With the Originium crystals near his vocal cords gone, Patriot's speech was finally normal, no longer stuttering and halting.
FrostNova finally realized that, in her excitement, she had just done something she would never normally do. Shame exploded in her mind. She covered her head, not hearing a word Patriot was saying.
"Mr. Reeve, next we have a rather sharp problem: food. Our previous food supply was perfectly adequate, but with Hoederer's unit joining our Reunion Movement today, our current food production likely won't be able to feed so many mouths. Also, although this place is far from the extreme north, Terra's environment is diverse. There is very little arable land here; the rest of the territory isn't suitable. Therefore, our top priority must be to expand our farmland."
Patriot spoke for a long, long time without pausing, probably trying to make up for the frustration of barely being able to string a single complete sentence together after minutes of stuttering.
With his Oripathy greatly alleviated, Patriot's whole mindset was much younger than before. The massive dark cloud hanging over his head had half-dissipated. How could he not be happy?
"Then, expanding the farmland? Have there been any surveys, Mr. Patriot? How far is the nearest arable area from our camp?"
Patriot had already investigated. He spread out a map in his hands.
As a qualified soldier, the moment he had arrived at the current camp, he had dispatched scouts to investigate the surrounding area and draw a detailed map.
"According to the reconnaissance from the scouts among the Shieldguards, there is a small village about twenty kilometers from our camp. The soil near the village is very suitable for cultivation."
"Hmm..."
Lucas nodded.
"Alright, how about this. Send a portion of our compatriots, under the protection of the Shieldguards and the Yeti Squadron, to that village. Have them disguise themselves as villagers and find a way to integrate. We'll use that village as our food supply point. We must be careful when selecting people, choosing only those with the highest loyalty. Of course, we must also improve the welfare and treatment for these compatriots."
"I think that's feasible."
Talulah nodded. The plan was workable.
Alina actively raised her hand. "I'll handle the selection. I'm very familiar with most of our compatriots, even more so than Talu. I know which of them have relatively higher loyalty, as well as better physical and mental fortitude."
"Thank you."
The subsequent discussion focused on other backup plans.
In the end, they finalized three locations that could be used as farmland. One was designated as the first choice, and the other two as backups. As for the crops, they chose a type that matured relatively quickly.
Other discussions revolved around the main planning policy for the Reunion Movement's future. They couldn't just stay cooped up in this tiny plot of land forever. The original purpose of the Reunion Movement was to become an Eden where the Infected could live. If they just huddled in one small place, no matter how good the living conditions were, the Infected within the vast Ursus would never know, and there would be no way to reach them. Therefore, the subsequent policy would be infiltration.
They would send out scouts to find ways to infiltrate larger Mobile Cities, establish Reunion Movement strongholds in each city, and thereby gather the Infected from all over. These individuals would then be assessed, and those who passed could follow the main force to join the Reunion Movement.
After all, the Infected were still people.
Not all Infected were good people; there were plenty of bad, malicious individuals. So, they had to learn to differentiate.
The affairs of the Reunion Movement were left to the Reunion Movement to handle. Aside from necessary situations, Lucas interfered as little as possible. By the time the meeting ended, it was already past ten at night. For non-city dwellers who lacked nightlife or even mobile phones, ten o'clock was very late. It was time for bed. The meeting concluded, and after saying goodbye to Alina, Lucas returned to Rhodes Island and got some sleep.
The next day.
Lucas got up early and went to Raythean Medica to ask about the progress of the research team led by Silence. Since he had provided the main component, there wasn't much left for Silence's team to do. At most, they would have a finished product in another week. After a few days of testing, it would be completely finished in about two weeks.
After that.
He went to Siracusa again.
It had been a long time since he stayed by Lisa's side. Lisa was much more independent now, even able to carry out many commissions and missions on her own. The name of the "Reaper" had also spread throughout Siracusa, which made Lucas very gratified. He didn't interfere in Lisa's affairs. All he could do was provide some help and motivation; the rest was up to her. As for Zumama... she was busy with university and had no time to come back.
Nian was preparing a script, Dusk was playing games, Nine-Colored Deer was acting as the head of the household, making sure everyone was well-fed, and Saga was helping out on the side.
This life was peaceful and serene, not requiring much intervention from him. Lucas's job nowadays was just to wander around idly. He'd either go to Rhodes Island to play with the girls from the intern squad, watch the Office Chair Caster Race, chat with Jessica, or go chat with the folks in the Reunion Movement. He was lacking a consistent location to "farm" Prayer Power, which bothered him just a tiny bit.
———————
In a small inn in a border town of Rim Billiton.
A silver-haired girl leaned over the sink in the room, repeatedly splashing tap water on her beautiful, fair face.
The water flowed musically.
The small room was perfectly quiet.
After an unknown amount of time.
The silver-haired girl slowly raised her head. She stared at her own perfect reflection in the mirror, her expression lost and dazed. Hidden beneath it all... was anger.
One week ago.
She had watched as a child she had grown slightly close to died right in front of her, eaten alive by those "horror fish" that appeared from nowhere. Yet she was powerless. She couldn't find these non-existent enemies. Even when she saw them, she couldn't kill them. She could only flee, constantly running, hoping to escape the pursuit of these damned monsters.
She had come from Iberia to Rim Billiton.
Along the way, she didn't dare look at anyone else, didn't dare have unnecessary interactions with anyone. Because the girl knew she was cursed. Anyone who got close to her would not be able to escape the fate of death.
The silver-haired girl stared at her face in the mirror.
Suddenly!
The image in the mirror seemed to change in an instant. The girl saw the scene of her parents and family being killed, but she also saw countless comrades-in-arms using their lives to create an opportunity for her—the scene of her piercing the enemy with her sword.
Aahh!!
The sudden, sharp pain in her mind made the girl tremble. She quickly shook her head.
At that moment.
A horribly grating voice, as if from the deep sea, rang out in the girl's mind once more.
"Our god... where is it?"
"Where is it?"
"Speak..."
"Speak....."
It was as if a monster was deliberately learning human speech. The intonation was extremely bizarre, but barely understandable.
The girl, on the verge of a breakdown, clutched her head in pain. She slammed her fist into the wall in front of her. Instantly, the solid wall crumbled like foam under her small fist, easily punched straight through. The huge noise naturally alerted the other people in the inn.
The girl had a bad feeling. She sensed something was about to appear. She quickly grabbed the greatsword beside her, smashed through the inn's wall, and rushed outside. At the same time, a black aura that only she could see flowed endlessly from her mind.
In an instant.
The world around the girl changed.
It was as if it had transformed into a deep-sea world. All around was pitch black, with no end in sight. Countless, densely packed 'horror fish' burst from the water's surface, pouncing at the girl's body.
The silver-haired girl tried to fight back.
However.
Physical attacks couldn't do any damage to these monsters.
Just then.
A golden light flashed in this dark, unknown world. It instantly tore through the night, bringing light. And those 'horror fish', which had been so rampant, all recoiled upon seeing this light, as if in fear.
Before the silver-haired girl's eyes.
A handsome, golden figure descended from the sky. Within his deep, dark eyes was a crimson, four-pointed diamond pattern, and golden light flared around the pattern, like a god.