The Danube Plain, this is the most fertile place on the entire continent. The Danube River, stretching for thousands of miles, flows through the entire plain, irrigating countless acres of farmland. This is a land bestowed by heaven, the most important granary of the Doma Empire. It is now deep autumn, and the people living in peace and contentment are welcoming the harvest season. The land should be filled with joy and laughter... it should be so...
Upon entering the fiefdom of Duke Apollo, which is the Danube Plain, what met the eye was far from the empire's granary that people sang about; on the contrary, it was devastated.
"How did it become like this?" Walking along a small path, Dorina, riding a horse, surveyed the abandoned farmland before her. She had been here when she was young, and the scenery here was far superior to her family's fiefdom. The golden vista of the autumn harvest was still vivid in her memory, but now what met her eyes were only abandoned farmlands and dilapidated, deserted villages.
"There were signs of this back in the spring," Arthur, beside Dorina, said calmly. "When I passed by here this spring, things were already not quite right. It should have been the season for spring plowing, but I hardly saw anyone in the fields. I didn't expect it to have developed to this point."
"Is it a natural disaster?" Leon was at the back of the group. Although he had been naturally rejected by Bai that day and severely reprimanded by Dorina, he still hadn't given up. After all, he was a loyal believer of the Butt God Cult, and naturally considered tails as part of the buttocks. For Leon, the buttocks of the otherworldly people were no less than a new world.
"It's not a natural disaster..." Comber, who was driving the horse, had a grim expression. He pulled his hood forward, covering half his face, and sighed deeply. "It's man-made disaster."
The sky gradually darkened, and the group arrived at a village. This village seemed to have been abandoned. Although most of the houses were still intact, there was no sense of human presence at all. However, it wasn't extremely dilapidated; it must have been abandoned for not too long.
The group walked into a courtyard. Having a place to stay was better than sleeping outdoors.
"Is anyone here?" Dorina asked after opening the courtyard gate. Dust had settled in the room. Her voice echoed in the house, clearly indicating no one was there. "Hey, servant, hurry up and clean this up."
"Coming!" Leon quickly replied. He had no choice; his life was in their hands right now.
Dorina, being a young miss, would naturally not do such menial tasks. However, to everyone's surprise, Arthur, who had a frosty face, was unexpectedly capable. He knew how to start a fire and make a bed, being proficient in everything. He was someone who had wandered outside for a long time. They say no one is perfect, but this young man was truly close to perfection.
"What is this?" Dorina, idle in the courtyard, noticed the flower bed.
It was obvious that this flower bed had not been tended to for a long time. It was overgrown with weeds. Most of the flowers that once filled the garden with spring had withered. Only in one corner was there a brightly colored flower that stood out exceptionally. The flower was not very large, only about the size of a baby's fist. It had many dense petals spread outwards, displaying strong vitality. What was most surprising was its color; it was so red that it produced an uncomfortable feeling.
Dorina was unconsciously drawn to the flower and reached out to pick it.
"Beautiful?" Behind Dorina, Bai suddenly spoke.
"It's so pretty," Dorina smiled. "But the color is so vibrant. I've never seen a flower like this."
After spending these few days together, Dorina and the others had become quite familiar with Bai.
"Because this flower is watered with the blood of countless people."
Bai reached out and picked the flower. Although her voice was still gentle, it seemed to carry a hint of disgust and helplessness.
"That's mine! Give it to me!" Just then, a roar came from the gate. A figure lunged madly towards Bai.
Comber instinctively blocked Bai's path, but the person didn't even reach Bai. They stumbled a few steps and fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Rebellious son!" Following the suddenly appearing young man, a hunched old man emerged. "You travelers must be here? I sincerely apologize..."
The old man looked to be in his seventies or eighties, his hair almost completely white. His clothes were very dirty and disheveled. Judging from his travel-worn appearance, it was evident that his life must have been quite difficult.
As the old man walked in, Bai quickly pulled up her hood, concealing her two cat ears.
Leon and Arthur, who had come out of the house, exchanged glances, both looking puzzled. It had been many years since the Doma Empire strictly prohibited discrimination against the Outsiders.Reply with only the corrected sentence. As the most concentrated area for the outsiders, there should no longer be discrimination against them, especially among the common people. Historical hatred should have little to do with the populace.Yet, Comber and Bai had been wearing wide hoods all along, seemingly trying to hide their foreign race identity.
"It's alright, old man..." Bai reached out and smiled, helping the old man up. "You must have suffered here too. We have plenty of food with us. If you don't mind, please join us for dinner tonight."
The old man stood up shakily. "You are clearly a noble person. Thank you, thank you. I haven't eaten a full meal in many days..."
"See how gentle she is," Leon complained enviously to Arthur. "If only my master were as lovely as "Xiao Bai." It's completely different from someone. Will your cousin ever get married? Who would dare marry her, haha."
***
Night fell. Arthur ate roasted meat by the campfire, looking sympathetically at Leon, who was squatting by the water basin diligently washing clothes. Master, oh master, next time you speak ill of your cousin, it's best to lower your voice.
"Shi'ang, why don't you eat something first..." Bai said gently, looking at Leon, whose back was turned.
Dorina snorted. "Miss Bai, don't mind him. He's the typical type who can't rest if he doesn't court death for a day."
"Oh, whose underwear is this?" Leon chuckled, holding up a pair of briefs with little bears drawn on them. "So cute. And she always says she's a mature seventeen-year-old girl. I think your inner self is quite suited to your loli appearance..."
Deep in the night, Leon's screams could be heard echoing for a very long distance...
Sitting around the campfire were the old man from earlier and the young man who had gone mad. The old man introduced himself as Old Mai, and the young man was his son.
Old Mai was wolfing down the dry rations, which didn't taste particularly good. Bai smiled and handed him a piece of grilled meat. "Please eat slowly, old man. We have plenty of food."
Old Mai quickly declined. "Alas, us rough folk are content with dry rations. Heh heh, to be honest, neither my son nor I have eaten anything decent in days."
"It's alright now, don't be afraid," Bai's gentle voice drifted over. "I've already burned that flower."
At this moment, the young man groaned and slowly woke up. "Father..."
"You're awake?" Old Mai exclaimed with mingled surprise and joy.
Bai sighed. "I am a priest. I can barely cleanse the 'poison' from his body, at least to restore his consciousness. But this is only a temporary fix. He has already..."
"I understand," Old Mai said with a wry smile. "Thank you nonetheless. He's been quite troublesome lately..."
If one looked closely, Xiao Mai was covered in bruises. There were red and purple marks on his wrists, ankles, and body from being bound by ropes. But besides these external injuries, one could clearly feel his overall weakness, as if he had been poisoned. It made one worry that he might die at any moment.
"These injuries..." Old Mai sighed. "These were caused when he struggled desperately while I was tying him up. If this continues, I fear we will only have death as our outcome..."
"What exactly is going on?" Dorina asked, dusting off her hands after disciplining Leon and sitting down. She had been holding back a stomach full of questions. "Isn't this called the empire's granary? Why has it become so desolate in just a few years? Is it because of war?"
Old Mai shook his head. "Even war wouldn't be this catastrophic. It's not just our one or two villages that are desolate. The entire Danube Plain is probably ruined. All of this is because of that vibrant flower. It's a veritable hell flower watered by blood - the Ten Deaths Life!"