Chapter 23: The Devil’s Plant

"Hey?" Asheena hadn't reacted yet.

Field pounced on Asheena, burying his face in her neck. The unique fragrance of The Chosen permeated his senses.

Then, Field kissed her deeply.

Her waist was soft and slender, fitting perfectly in his hands.

"Lord, don't!" Asheena felt the hot breath on her neck, panicking and looking around frantically. She said this, but didn't push him away forcefully. 

She even had to control the powerful divine force within her body, or it might harm her lord.

Feeling Field's delicate and burning tongue, Asheena's spine tingled, her legs growing weak. In the next moment, Field's other hand moved to a strange place.

"How did things turn out like this!"

Asheena was both amused and helpless. She had to resist the pleasure spreading through her body while controlling her divine power to prevent it from going berserk.

Trying to do two things at once only made her more sensitive.

Just as things were escalating, Asheena clamped down on Field's wandering hand with her alabaster thigh, preventing the situation from getting worse.

"Ugh, this feels good—no, this is too weird!"

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"That plant is problematic. As expected, only devilish things exist in the death fog."

Asheena regretted not burning the suspicious plant immediately.

"Lord Field! Where are you?" The guards, having noticed Field's absence from the village center, were frantically searching for him.

"Oh no!" Asheena's shy face turned into one of panic instantly.

In her panic, the pleasure vanished, and Asheena immediately used her divine power to touch Field's forehead, purging the effects of the magical plant.

"Ugh, so dizzy."

Field held his head, gradually regaining clarity, the beast within him subdued by reason. He opened his eyes to see Asheena with her legs clamped together, her face as red as a beet, pretending to look at the scenery.

"I'm fine."

When the guards found Field, he waved them away, signaling for them to wait outside.

"I think I need to examine that little green plant again." Field frowned, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he shook his sore arm. He bent down to pick a sample, asking, "So, is this a magical plant?"

"No! By the Winter Goddess!" Asheena almost fainted. If it happened again, she might not be able to hold back. She might even need to change her skirt later. There was no way she could let Field go through that again. "You already studied it. This plant is extremely dangerous."

Asheena, having no other choice, whispered everything that had happened into Field's ear.

"What a perverted plant," Field said, shocked. He then sighed, "What a pity, I have no memory of it."

"Pity? I was terrified you might be possessed by this plant, consuming your soul! What would happen to the domain then?" Asheena huffed, wagging her finger angrily. "Even if you desire me, you don't need to resort to such measures... Uh, I mean, ahem."

Realizing she had said too much, Asheena fell silent.

"Right, let's burn it! That should thwart any devilish plans," Asheena said through gritted teeth, her red eyes ablaze, like a villager attending a witch hunt.

Watching Asheena's frantic behavior, Field found it amusing. "Don't rush. We need to have patience and tolerance for new things. Think about it, what would happen if we fed this plant to horses and cattle?"

Asheena's beautiful eyes widened, forming a cross with her hands. "How perverted! No crossbreeding! Uh, I mean, horses and cattle can't, but humans and humanoids can."

"Ha," Field laughed. It was clear Asheena's wits were still rattled by his actions. "I'm talking about breeding livestock. With this herb, breeding cattle and sheep would be much easier."

"As long as we have enough livestock, we'll have an endless supply of meat." Field cheerfully snapped his fingers.

The Chosen had high magical resistance. Scholars from the royal family had tested it. An ordinary Chosen could resist 35%-70% of magical damage. A Chosen specializing in defense could be completely immune, even reflecting magic.

Field handed a jar to Asheena, asking her to collect three samples, including the soil.

The monetary gain from the mission was quite dismal.

The team scoured the entire village, collecting a total of 21 silver coins and 87 copper coins.

"The village is too poor. We're not the first visitors here." Field picked up an old silver coin, gently brushing off the dirt to reveal the intricate patterns. "Both the empire and the orcs have raided Lamm during their wars, so it's no surprise the place is nearly empty."

As for other loot, they found a barely usable chair, a box, a dozen broken pots, and a heap of wood from dismantled furniture.

Fortunately, the return journey was smooth, without any monster encounters.

As soon as they stepped into the domain's boundary, Field's eyes lit up. The fields were free of squirming tendrils and meat lumps, as clean as a refreshing bath washing away all grime.

Only the toxin-filled soil and ashes from the burnt corrupted beings remained in the fields.

"Lord, we've cleared all the corruption from the domain and burned it to ashes," a slave reported, his posture submissive and eager to please.

Field, sitting atop his horse, surveyed the area and nodded. "Well done. You will all be rewarded."

The slaves beamed with joy.

"The next task is to repair the Great Wine Estate, removing any lingering corruption, replacing rotten wood, and patching up the collapses and holes," Field outlined his plan. Living in a drafty, monster-urine-smelling place was torture for the body, even though his residence was the best in Nightfall Domain.

"But Lord, I don't know carpentry," one slave said hesitantly.

Field paused, realizing he had overlooked this. He loudly asked, "Are there any carpenters, masons, or blacksmiths among you?"

Silence.

Kaa bluntly stated, "Lord, skilled workers are all free men. Slaves are useless."

"Then we'll recruit some. I plan to visit the city outside the death fog. The nearest city is... right, Maple Leaf City in the High Castle Province. They must have what we need."

Kaa shook his head regretfully. "Each city's craftsmen belong to guilds under the direct control of the lord. You can't just hire them with money. And I doubt any craftsmen would want to come to Nightfall Domain."

"I'll go personally," Field shrugged, used to Kaa's constant objections without offering solutions.