Playing around? This Silly One Eats Poison!

Death Valley. Dinner time.

When all the villagers had finished their work and Mia had fulfilled her responsibilities as a teacher, Cien began telling about his experiences in Ashur while they enjoyed their evening meal.

Cien narrated his experience from the auction to his battle against Asmodeus, the Demon General from the Abyss.

Initially, Cien wanted to keep the matter of Asmodeus hidden because he feared reopening the old wounds of the Blackwinter people.

He didn't want them to experience trauma from the demon of the Abyss.

But in reality, they asked Cien to tell them about the encounter with Asmodeus.

They all already knew about Asmodeus because Lilinette, who regained consciousness before Cien, explained the reason why she and Cien fell from the sky.

Lilinette mentioned that Cien had just fought against the Demon General—Asmodeus, and had sent the demon falling from the sky into the Abyss.

Somehow, Cien managed to make himself fly, and that's how they ended up falling from the sky.

Thus, to satisfy the curiosity of the villagers who wanted to know about the Asmodeus conspiracy in Ashur, Cien finally spun his tale until late into the night.

Once their curiosity was satisfied, the villagers scattered to their respective homes, carrying thrilling stories to be discussed the next day.

"Whoa, so they were just lacking gossip..."

Said Cien as he watched the villagers return to their homes with smiles on their faces.

The housing development had been completed, and every family or individual now had their own home.

Furniture such as beds, tables, and chairs were already in place.

However, the remaining items, like wardrobes and small things like spoons, plates, and etcetera were still being made.

"Hahaha, what did you expect from Death Valley?"

Mia laughed, seeing Cien assuming that the villagers would be gloomy. But no, Mia knew that they might resent Abyss for taking away their homes and loved ones.

But, for now, just being able to live was something they were extremely grateful for.

They didn't have time to dwell on hatred or seek revenge.

"So, the Calming Moongrass you wanted yesterday was for the people in Mandora?"

Mia asked after the situation in the restaurant had calmed down.

Yelina excused herself to put the children to sleep. So, only Cien, Mia, Ian, Veronica, and Lilinette were there.

Cien nodded.

Mia then informed him that she had sent two knights to Huntara to fulfill Cien's order.

In truth, she couldn't use the Royal Family's power, such as that of Princess Sravati, for Cien's personal interests.

Therefore, the two knights she sent went not to meet the Third Princess. But to the location where Veronica's mother was.

Shiwa Amary was a prominent figure in a large trading company in Huntara. It would be more appropriate to make this request to her.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. Thank you, Vero."

"Hehe, it's easy. Besides, with the amount Uncle Cien requested, Mother will also be very happy to receive it."

The initial quantity Cien desired was ten tons. However, Cien himself knew that number was unrealistic for one material, while not rare, it had limited circulation in Kastia.

The growth location of Calming Moongrass was extremely limited, making it impossible to obtain the large quantity Cien desired.

Therefore, Cien changed his order. Instead of specifying an exact amount, Cien simply said to bring as much as possible.

To make his order more appealing, Cien added Mana Cores as part of the payment.

Cien promised to provide one Mana Core for every ton of Calming Moongrass.

Shiwa didn't know how much she could acquire, but with the promise of Mana Cores, she wouldn't dismiss Cien's order as a joke.

Now that the order has been discussed, it's time to move on to another topic—Lilinette and the development of the village.

Lilinette.

Cien wanted to know about one day of his niece's life in Death Valley who woke up earlier than him.

Cien was somewhat worried because the girl had a tendency towards self-harm.

Those who heard Cien laughed dryly.

Meanwhile, Lilinette remained silent without any hint of guilt.

Mia then recounted that the day Lilinette woke up was eventful.

Not only did they learn about the figure of Asmodeus, but they also got to know the niece of Lord Millard.

The man who they assumed to be a hermit with no family left.

"...That's what you all think of me? I'm not a hermit. I'm just an ordinary merchant."

"A merchant in Death Valley! Anyone would think you're a hermit trying to distance yourself from the conflicts of the world rather than a merchant!"

"If not a hermit. A madman is more realistic than a merchant." Add Ian.

"..."

Cien has no word.

Mia then continued the story.

After they found out the reason why Cien fell from the sky, Lilinette asked if she was in Death Valley, which was confirmed by the villagers.

Upon hearing that, Lilinette's eyes sparkled, and she ran into the forest, leaving the people stunned and panicking as they chased after her.

A few moments later, Lilinette was found outside the protective formation, confronting a giant snake monster.

The knights were overwhelmed as they rushed to rescue the girl from the snake's pursuit and pulled her back into the protective formation.

Lilinette asked why they saved her because she had actually come to Death Valley to die, leaving all the knights speechless and unsure of what to say.

Veronica, who was present back then, took Lilinette back to the village.

She then lectured the girl who was older than her about how her actions were foolish.

"If you want to die, then your death should have meaning!"

That was at least the essence of Veronica's lecture, which Lilinette didn't pay much attention to.

Honestly, Cien imagined two little girls talking about death. And he feels, something was wrong with that situation.

Afterward, Veronica sacrificed her training time to watch over Lilinette.

Unable to leave the protected zone, Lilinette entered the Moon Rabbit's enclosure, allowing herself to be attacked by the cute monster's sharp horns.

Fortunately, Veronica acted quickly, intercepting the rabbit's attack and pulling Lilinette out of the enclosure.

Failing in her attempt, Lilinette then tried to throw herself off the roof of a shop.

However, this attempt also failed because Veronica had already created a pool of water where the girl would land.

Lilinette then attempted to slit her wrist with a knife, but Veronica confiscated the knife and kept any other sharp objects away whenever Lilinette approached.

Lilinette attempted to consume a poisonous plant. Veronica saved her by giving her an antidote potion from the shop.

Lilinette tried to burn her hand with fire. Veronica extinguished it with water magic.

Throughout the day, the two young girls seemed busy with suicide attempts and emergency rescues.

For some reason, Cien, who heard the story, felt that the two young girls were like two friends playing.

'Yeah, playing a very scary game.'

Cien glanced at Lilinette, who had been silent and expressionless all this time. Only to Cien, he could see a very faint smile on that cold face.

"Lily, are you happy to play all day?"

Lilinette nodded in response to Cien's question. Her smile now appeared wider, leaving Veronica astonished.

"Huh? So, you were just playing around?! No, that's impossible. You really ingested poison! It can't be just an act!"

Cien smiled and gave a thumbs-up to Veronica.

"Well, it's true that Lili wanted to die for a long time. So, thank you for playing with her. I hope you can become closer friends in the future."

"...Wha—? … This is driving me crazy!"

Cien chuckled at that statement.

Seeing her niece seemingly happy with Veronica's presence, Cien thought that taking her to Death Valley was not a wrong decision.

Perhaps all the girl needed was peace and a friend.

After learning about Lilinette's story, Cien glanced at Mia, who then explained the development of the village.

First of all, the housing project has been successful. All the houses, including Terrion's treehouse, are finished.

They even built two additional empty houses, as per Mia's instructions.

Mia thought of these houses as a contingency plan, in case a guest with a high status were to visit.

Although status doesn't matter much in Death Valley, those with high status usually come with a group. It's better to have houses rather than cramming everyone into the inn.

The empty houses were just a precaution, but after they were completed, Mia and Veronica moved into one of them.

"So, it was just your personal preference, then?" Cien asked.

"Hey! It's not like that! We vacated two cramped rooms in the inn for the knights who have been sleeping uncomfortably! It's pitiful, ten people in four rooms!" Mia retorted.

"Oh, right," Cien acknowledged.

"Uncle..." Lilinette suddenly spoke up.

"What is it, Lily?" Cien inquired.

"Lili wants to take one house. Is it okay?"

"Oh~ go ahead. But never do anything foolish there. Your death would sadden everyone here. You wouldn't want that to happen, right?"

"...is that true?"

Cien smiled broadly, "Of course! This place is small. Everyone knows each other like family. And you, you've become a part of this village's family. So relax and enjoy your life until Death truly comes to claim you."

Lilinette remained silent for a moment before responding, "Hm. Will think about it."

Cien nodded with a warm gaze. He hoped his niece would truly stop her foolish games.

Poor Veronica. Truly, he felt sorry for her.

Cien then glanced at Veronica, asking the little girl to guide Lilinette to her new home and introduce her to the other villagers.

"So, what are you working on now?"

Cien asked, curious about the progress of the village's development.

Mia explained that they were currently building other tree houses, as requested by Cien, to serve as security posts.

In addition, the farmland had been prepared and partially planted.

The completed farmland had already started growing potatoes and corn, while the remaining portion would be used for vegetables.

Cien then requested an expansion of the farmland.

He had brought some additional seedlings from Ashur. Mia made a note of the request to be passed on to the agriculture supervisor the next day.

As for the rest, they were only working on household furniture and fencing for the farmland.

Cien had plans to build a small reservoir, but the knights were reluctant to venture to the riverbank. Because it is outside the protective formation.

Cien understood this issue. He would guide them there tomorrow or the day after.

He also thought about expanding the location of the protective formation to the riverbank.

To expand it, Cien only needed to move two stakes to the edge of the river later on. This way, the construction of the water channel would be safer.

Cien pondered for a moment before adding another development plan.

Building a guest's house, as Mia had suggested earlier. But this time, it would be slightly larger.

Other than that, he also wants to build a warehouse to store foods, materials, and tools for the villagers.

"Yup, that's it for now. We'll think about the rest after these buildings are finished."

Cien nodded, feeling like he had returned to Death Valley.