August 14th, early morning.
The morning mist was thin, and the calls of birds came from the sparse woods.
The lingering sounds of insects and frogs occasionally broke the silence, adding a touch of life to the early morning.
Before the sun rose in the morning, the air was a bit chilly, and a gentle breeze carried a thick, damp mist, making the skin feel even colder.
The crowd, who should have been busy with their own affairs, remained in their territory, silently watching the central area.
Sixty coffins woven from vines lay quietly on the ground.
This was made by the vine fairy overnight.
Through the cracks, one could see the wetland lizardman warriors who had sacrificed themselves for the city of Weilu sleeping peacefully within.
Hundreds of people remained silent, the atmosphere heavy.
Suddenly, the crowd stirred and instinctively parted to the left and right.
A heroic figure slowly walked in from behind, his face too young, but his authority grew heavier with each step.
The ruler of the city of dew, the master of the swamp, their protector—
Lear.
Wherever he went, everyone bowed their heads and respectfully placed their hands on their chests in a gesture of respect.
Good day, my lord.
"grown ups."
I bow to you.
Lear walked straight to the front of the coffin without looking to the side, placed his right hand on the coffin, and turned to look at the crowd.
His tone was low and solemn.
"My people who sleep before you are heroes who sacrificed themselves for the city of Weilu, for all of us."
"Today, they will rest in the Tomb of the Heroes."
"And next, I will build the Hall of Heroes, inscribe their names, and commemorate their deeds."
"All heroes will be remembered and revered by all future generations of the city of Weilu."
His tone turned somber as he spoke.
"Raise the coffin!"
The wetland lizardman warrior beside him immediately stepped forward, supported the vine coffin on his shoulder, and slowly turned around to head towards the Tomb of Heroes to the east.
Lear walked along, supporting the coffin.
Three swamp sirens with white flowers on their chests and solemn faces led the way.
They carried vine baskets filled with fresh flower petals.
Holding the petals, I raised them high, they fell from the sky, then settled on the ground, silent and still.
As the petals fluttered in the air, a melodious yet solemn song gently began to play.
There were no lyrics, but everyone felt the sacredness, solemnity, and grandeur of it.
The crowd instinctively straightened their chests.
Many of the people in the swamp behind seemed lost in thought.
If one day they also sacrifice themselves, they will be able to receive the lord's help to carry their coffins, the warriors to carry them, the banshees to sing, the ground to be covered with flowers, and all the people to see them off.
Finally, they are buried in the Tomb of the Heroes, and their deeds are engraved in the Hall of Heroes, so that they can be revered by countless people after death.
Then even if I die, I will have no regrets.
Even the Delsa people, who had just joined the city of Weilu, were experiencing a subtle change in their mindset.
The dozen or so inconspicuous barbarians mixed in with them had extremely complicated expressions.
In the past few days, they were initially treated with caution and then placed among the swamp people to work with them.
Although I was tired, I witnessed firsthand the vibrant life force of this territory.
A subtle change has occurred within me.
Seeing Lear's attitude towards the fallen soldiers, emotions suddenly took root in my heart.
In the wilderness, life is as insignificant as grass.
Many more people die silently, without even being buried.
More often, corpses lie exposed in the wilderness.
Let alone leaving behind their own legendary deeds.
If they didn't have territory, perhaps joining the city of Weilu, becoming the lord's subordinate, or even sacrificing themselves for the territory wouldn't be so unacceptable.
Watching the heroic figure carrying the coffin forward, the dozen or so barbarians would occasionally exchange glances, each seeing the complex and subtle emotions in the other's eyes.
Three kilometers is not far, but the process filled everyone with a sense of sacred solemnity.
The sense of ritual was completely maximized.
Upon arriving at the designated tomb of the fallen heroes, dozens of graves had already been dug in front of them.
Lear glanced around and gave the order in a low voice.
"To bury the hero."
The wetland lizardmen immediately set out and slowly placed the coffin into the tomb.
After settling in, Lear personally picked up a shovel and took the lead, filling the soil with shovelful after shovelful of earth.
The swamp nymph's song grew even more soaring and solemn.
Let the burial of this sorrowful event be imbued with a sacred aura.
When the last shovelful of soil was used to cover the soil, Lear put down the shovel and looked around.
"Everyone, please observe three minutes of silence for the heroes."
He then clenched his fists and placed them in front of his chest, bowed his head, and led the others in a moment of silence.
With a whoosh, everyone lowered their heads in unison, just like him.
The only sound in the air was the gentle breeze rustling through the grass and trees.
When the time is up.
"The ceremony is complete."
Lear looked up, his tone heavy.
"Please remember this day, everyone."
"The sacrifices of our soldiers will never be in vain!"
"The city that is only beginning to emerge will surely rise!"
The words, though brief, are like the clash of metal and stone, resounding and powerful.
After everything had been done in the preceding steps, this moment became extremely impactful.
The crowd looked at Lear with renewed respect and fervor.
This is their leader, their master!
After the funeral, the crowd dispersed.
Everyone had a strange feeling on the way back.
Looking at my companions, I felt a strange sense of closeness.
Perhaps one day, when they sacrifice themselves, the people around them will be the ones carrying their coffins.
After the recent funeral, being buried in the land of the dead has become the highest honor in everyone's eyes!
Even after my death, I'm content to have had this experience.
A group of barbarians who did not belong to this territory felt the same emotions at this moment.
Although I could feel that my companions were trustworthy in my own tribe, I never felt that everyone around me was family.
My feelings became even more complicated.
Bain was also deeply moved by the conversation in the crowd.
He's not young anymore.
If I die one day, will I receive this kind of treatment?
Will he be mourned by everyone? Will he be buried by the lord himself?
Yes, it's definitely possible!
He must work harder for the adults and contribute his strength to the city of Weilu!
After his death, he will surely be buried in the Tomb of Heroes and be revered by all!
In an instant, my fighting spirit soared.
They rushed back to their territory and began assigning tasks to the Delsa people.
I then keenly noticed that everyone's enthusiasm had increased significantly today.
A funeral changed the atmosphere of the entire territory.
The arrival of hundreds of Delsa people made the territory function more smoothly.
In the farmland area, 400 people were dispatched to reclaim the land.
With the addition of a large workforce, it is estimated that the entire area can be cleared and planted with swamp wheat within three days.
This is the current focus of our work.
But Lear, as the helmsman, took a rare break.
Yesterday's intensity was too great, and many soldiers were killed, so he did not rush to go hunting, but allowed the army to rest and recuperate.
Prolonged battles can put people's nerves on edge, so taking a break is not a bad thing.
Even the wetland lizardmen were unusually lazy, lying on the grass and sunbathing.
But the busy crowd looked on with admiration; those fallen warriors were all wetland lizardmen!
Lear arrived at the fish farm to the north and had the vine fairy make him a vine lounge chair, where he comfortably leaned back.
The wooden table next to him had freshly brewed warm tea on it, and he would occasionally pick up the teacup and take a sip.
They leisurely watched the dragon blood red fish swimming in the water.
This is the first time I've felt so relaxed since arriving at the swamp.
Unfortunately, what these 2-star magical lifeforms eat remains a mystery; they refuse to eat.
Otherwise, feeding the fish, drinking tea, enjoying the breeze, and listening to the siren humming nearby would be a wonderful thing.
Around noon, just as he was about to go back for a nap, Bain suddenly came over excitedly.
"Sir, we have discovered a large quantity of Black Dragon Broadleaf Grass!"
Lear's eyes lit up.
"Where are they? How many are there?!"
The Queen of the Swamp Wasps can enhance a hero's potential and activate talents. Even heroes who have already activated their talents can activate a second talent!
He had been eyeing this for a long time.
However, due to his busy schedule, the collection of Black Dragon Broadleaf Grass has progressed slowly, forcing him to postpone it.
I didn't expect to get a job like this.
"Most of the farm work today was assigned to the Delsa people, so I sent five squads of Mudmans to search the surrounding area."
"We actually found a large amount of Black Dragon Broadleaf Grass in a dark patch of grass."
Bain was also very excited.
As they were talking, several swamp people who had just emerged from the mud approached, each carrying a large cloth bag.
They all placed the cloth bags in front of them and then opened them.
Lear looked on curiously.
The leaves of the Black Dragon Broadleaf Grass are pure black, about the size of a palm, and have dragon scale-like patterns on them, which is quite unique.
Bain's tone was cheerful.
"Sir, all five bags contain them!"
"And we've only collected less than a third of it; if the quantity isn't enough, we can continue collecting!"
Looking at the cloth bag that was almost as tall as a person, Lear, in a great mood, stood up by supporting himself with his hands on the recliner.
"Bane, go and fetch the dragon dung!"
He then opened the intelligence system and looked through the intelligence from the last update.
[3. The Corrupted Orcs discovered that drying Black Dragon Broadleaf Grass and mixing it with blood to create smoke could render Swamp Wasps unconscious, but the smoke only caused a ten-minute unconsciousness. Their failure to time the smoke properly resulted in heavy casualties. Adding dragon dung significantly enhanced the effect. (2 stars)]