"Barong, this is the wife of the village chief. When the villagers learned that the commander of the First Army was here, the village chief asked her to pass a message to Nerewana, hoping that Nerewana could go to the village to negotiate with him in person. .”
After Atoris introduced her here, the old woman picked up her clothes and took a step forward, bowed to Neruvana, and said: "It is really offensive to Lady Neruvana. I was entrusted by my husband to bring the villagers' The wishes are conveyed. Before this, they had many disputes with Lord Gellius, and I beg you to forgive their arrogance."
"It doesn't have to be like this." Neruvana stepped forward and helped the old woman up: "If a thousand troops are stationed in the village, it will inevitably put a burden on the lives of the villagers. It's just that we urgently need to rush to the front line. These soldiers are in urgent need of rest, and only one night is enough. If you have any demands above this, you can raise them without any taboos, and I will arrange manpower to help you solve your difficulties."
"Then I'm so grateful to you, Lady Neluvana. With your words, I feel relieved." Upon hearing this, the old woman burst into tears.
"It seems that this legion commander is quite reputable. I just saw people in the village being filled with admiration when she mentioned her name." When Nerubana was communicating with the old woman, Artolis came close to Baron. , bumped the opponent with his elbow and said with a smile.
However, Barong did not reply. Looking at the scene in front of him, he just smiled and shook his head, and then said, "Let's go, let's go there together."
"Eh? I thought you weren't interested in this." Artolis was surprised.
"It's true that I'm not very interested, but I always feel that there is something in what the old woman said." The cracked earth under the sunset is like the wrinkles on the old man's face after going through wind and frost, clear and profound. Staring at the old woman's back, Barong's eyes Gradually he became more focused.
"Speaking of Artolis, you probably didn't use the Eye of God to read the other person's thoughts, right?"
"Not for use by ordinary people, you should know that this is my bottom line." Artolis spread her hands.
"That's right, let's go and follow them!"
"Are you two planning to come together?" Nelvana was a little surprised when she saw Artoris and the two rushing to her side one after another.
"If you have nothing to do, just go for a walk in the village to relax." Artolis said bluntly.
Seeing Baron nodding, Neruvana didn't think much about it. After all, in her opinion, for negotiations other than the threat of force, it didn't matter whether there was one more person or one less person.
In this way, the three of them followed the old woman's footsteps and entered the village...
It was a village built in the long-drought Gobi. Maybe it wasn't like this in the past, but at least when Artolis and others arrived, it had become the miserable state it is today.
A wide river channel visible to the naked eye opposite the village - the place where the rapids used to run has now become a shoal. The sky opposite to where the sunset was was covered with black clouds, and thunder rumbled dryly, but not a single raindrop fell on the earth that was baked by the heat. I could only watch as the lightning struck the sky uncontrollably. It turns into many pointed blue blocks.
With just one glance, Barong understood what the villagers wanted. However, since this matter would be brought up in the subsequent negotiations, Barong did not want to expose it hastily. It would obviously not be beneficial to him.
"Did you smell it?" Baron said without any reason in a voice that only Artolis could hear clearly.
"What are you referring to?" Artolis looked confused.
"Although it is very light, it is undoubtedly a miasma." Baron explained.
"Are you serious? How could miasma occur in such a dry place? And isn't miasma the poisonous gas emitted by decomposing corpses?" Artolis was puzzled.
"Artoris, use the Eyes of God to explore the surroundings." Baron emphasized.
"What are you two whispering about?" Neluvana, who was walking in front, felt strange and turned back to look at the two of them and asked with concern.
"Nothing, I'm just curious about this land. I would like to ask the village chief's wife, when did this drought start?" In order to avoid the two getting suspicious, Barong left the topic to the old woman. .
"It was two months ago. If I heard correctly, the negotiation between the old man and Lady Nervana should also revolve around this point. Sir, please don't be impatient."
"Yes, I know."
Baron nodded here, and Atoris's observation came to fruition.
"It is indeed miasma, but it is not near the surface, but at a depth of 800 meters. There is a large underground space below." Artolis seemed a little surprised when she learned the result.
"Interesting, please stay silent for now and let's see how the villagers behave." Balong said expressionlessly, his eyes moved up through a group of quaint houses, and in the distance he could already see Gai, who was arguing with the village chief and others. The tall figure of Rius.
…
"That's what happened. The village chief asked us to dig eight wells for them as a condition for letting us stay for one night." Gellius' adjutant explained this.
"Then just do what the other party said. Is there anything to worry about?" After hearing this, Nerubana raised her eyebrows, not understanding the dispute between Garius and the villagers.
"Say Neruvana, do you really know how to dig a well? Not to mention that none of my men are qualified for the job of forging beams. Finding water sources alone is not an easy task. This requires digging eight times. Mouth! If we have the energy, we might as well let my brothers sleep in the forest!"
Seeing that Nervana was so ignorant, Galius suddenly became furious.
"This..." After hearing what he said, Neruvana couldn't refute it for a while, so she fell into hesitation. After all, she had just vowed that she could meet any conditions put forward by the villagers. However, this statement made her feel a little bit stuck. .
"Lord Neluvana, please help us. The drought has been going on for a long time. Now there is a serious water shortage in the village. Even one of these eight wells will not be enough!"
"this……"
"After the matter is completed, the soldiers can settle in as they wish, and we will unconditionally provide food reserves. This will be regarded as serving the empire to resist the Demon King's army."
"Nonsense!" Seeing a group of villagers surrounding Nervana, and unable to control himself, Gallius was so angry that he drew his sword and stood in front of Nervana. His fierce momentum hit all the villagers. He retreated in fright, no longer daring to move forward easily.
"Stop, Garius! As an imperial soldier, how can you use force to coerce the people of the empire!"
Hearing Neruvana's scolding, Garius quickly realized that his move just now was indeed a bit impulsive.
Seeing Gallius put away the ruler sword, Neruvana took a deep breath. After clearing her thoughts, she said to the group of fighting villagers in front of her: "Everyone, please allow me a few minutes to think about it. Please believe that our Imperial Army will never disappoint the people’s expectations and will definitely give you a satisfactory answer.”
"Why do you need to think about it? It's just a few wells, it's just a piece of cake."
Unexpected voices sounded from not far away. Everyone followed the sound and saw a one-armed man shaking his head and approaching helplessly.
"Baron Bokar?" Neruvana turned back and looked at him in surprise.
On the other hand, Barong's eyes bypassed Nerubana and instead fell on the rickety and thin village chief.
Facing Barong's sharp gaze, the village chief felt an inexplicable palpitation in his heart. Gradually, a drop of cold sweat emerged from his forehead and slowly slid down his wrinkled cheeks.
"I am not a member of the military. I will be responsible for digging the well as a personal gift to the village. You may wish to put forward another condition and let Nirvana help you solve it."
"Ah? What are you talking about? Why should we agree to two conditions? It's obvious that just digging a well..."
"That's not right!" Neluvana quickly understood what Baron meant between the lines and chose to interrupt Gallius's words.
"Gellius, you are not a simple warrior. You should calm down and analyze what the other party said. Obviously, Baron means that besides digging wells, the people in the village still have something to look forward to, but it is hindered by the Unable to pay equivalent compensation, he chose to push it to the next level. Therefore, he chose to take over the digging of the well in his own name, so that we can help the villagers solve another current dilemma." Nielu Wana expressed her analysis, then looked at the group of villagers in front of her and smiled kindly.
"Actually, there is no need to worry about it. Since you are the people who care about the empire, the empire will also be obliged to give you the protection you deserve. Therefore, please tell the truth about the difficulties you have encountered. As the commander of the First Army, I I swear by my identity, I will wish you all the best to overcome the difficulties!"
