Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 153: Chapter 14 Sending Off Olivia_2

”I’m fine, not a hair out of place!” Hill exclaimed as he held Alice, spinning around under the watchful eyes of the Tower Spirit and the black panther.

Cohen also flew in, landing on the balcony railing, gazing intently at Hill.

”Let’s go down!” Hill said with a smile. ”Let’s release Srei and the others, along with a new friend.”

He landed at the entrance of the Magic Tower, setting Alice down.

Srei’s little shop was released, and the elements hiding inside quickly squeezed out the door, bidding a hurried farewell to Hill, then preparing to return to their clans to share their adventurous tales from the time—essentially, to brag about their exploits.

Hill shook his head, taking the heart of the beech tree from a puppet. In the center of the small square in front of the Magic Tower, he planted it.

The beech slumbered within its heart, as Hill unleashed all his magic power onto it, communicating with the Wood Elements in his Mental Sea, asking them to cast Natural Growth on the beech every day.

”Is this Hill’s new friend?” Alice scooted to Hill’s feet, quietly asking him.

”Yes, it helped me a lot this time. It’s a beech tree!” Hill gently stroked the ground, looking forward to the grand tree’s revival.

”Then I’ll come to see it every day!” Alice promised.

”Thank you for the help, Alice.” Hill crouched in front of Alice, sincerely thanking her.

Though Alice was playful and lazy, as a Spirit of Nature, she absolutely did not lie; her sincere blessings would significantly contribute to the revival of the beech.

”But Alice!” Hill asked helplessly, ”Before I left, Merkel was only about to enter high-level, just like you!

Now! Why has Merkel reached high-level and you still haven’t been promoted?

Weren’t you in retreat together?”

”I~~I was worried about you~” Alice said evasively.

Who taught you to deflect the topic? Not to lie but only tell part of it?

Hill glanced at List, who gave a helpless smile: ”During this period, Alice has been sneaking out, though only around Lord’s Mansion, yet she overheard a lot of conversations I had with the Undead Tribe.”

”I was in retreat.” Merkel interjected. ”She just kept playing.”

Hill looked at Merkel with a smile. ”Congratulations, Mr. Merkel, on reaching high-level. You can speak very fluently now!”

”Yes!” Merkel said gravely. ”Next time she runs around, I can scold her using words Mr. Hill will understand!”

Alice’s eyes widened in panic as she looked at the communicating pair, finally lying down, clutching her paws and wailing, ”How could this happen? Meow~ I don’t like this! Meow~”

Hill smiled and shook his head, tilting his head up as the sunlight streamed through the lush tree leaves. He slowly closed his eyes, the sound of green waves gently entering his ears, while small animals played and ran around him.

An endless peace and joy gradually let him sink into meditation. It felt so good to be home!

When Hill opened his eyes again, the morning sun was rising.

In one day’s time, he had naturally advanced another step.

List stood beside him, smiling as he congratulated him, ”Sir, congratulations on your promotion.”

While it was just a small step within the Mage level rankings, for the high-level Warlock Hill, every solid step forward was worth celebrating.

He had struggled to reach this point in his human form, and he would not indulge himself to regress back to the world of bears.

Alice circled around Hill’s legs: ”Hill, Hill! The natural scent on you is even stronger now!”

”On this trip out, I fought demons!” Hill said with a laugh. ”Nature rewards everyone who battles demons. Even those who don’t fight directly but contribute will receive Nature’s blessing.”

”I...” Alice was about to say something when Merkel, who had been staying nearby, picked her up with his mouth. He looked up at Hill.

Hill hurriedly said, ”I understand. Take her to train properly. Thank you, Merkel!”

Merkel, holding Alice in his mouth, nodded and quickly leaped onto a nearby large tree, striding off.

Hill shook his head helplessly. Alice was always full of fantastical ideas, thinking of cutting corners.

Indeed, battling demons was a good way for Spirits of Nature to progress, but Alice, compared to those who chose the form of deer, was far weaker. If she went out, it would be a death wish. Demons would probably delight in tearing her easily to shreds.

Fortunately, Merkel was there to keep an eye on her.

Hill gently raised a circle of walls around the place where the beech was sleeping. He had already felt the roots slowly growing from the heart of the tree, and by next spring, he should be able to see the beech awaken again.

After a few more years, he’d be able to become a true Treant, strolling happily through Hill’s territory.

Hill flew back to his study and sat down, exhaling deeply.

”Although I’d really like for you to rest properly,” List said helplessly, ”you need to know about the matters in the territory first.”

”Go on!” Hill smiled, ”I’m mentally prepared.”

”Those servants who went out,” List said, ”they heard that there’s a high demand for professionals in Saral Country and the treatment is good, so they’re tempted to leave.”

Hill looked up at List, ”What’s the issue? If they want to leave, let them go!”

”But they don’t want to take their wives with them,” List said gravely.

”All of them?”

”The three married couples, all the same,” List replied. ”There’s also a couple who were planning to get married already. Luckily, you had established the church in the territory, and that girl wanted to vow before God.”

”All the men want to leave?” Hill was surprised, ”Who told them it’s easy to make it in Saral Country? I remember their knight levels were all boosted by my potions, right? They can’t be promoted, so at best they’ll end up as guards.”

”Yes,” List lowered his eyelids, ”It was my mistake, I didn’t notice... Priestess Olivia, while preaching to them, talked too much about the prosperous, comfortable life inside Saral Country.

She might have just wanted them to strive for advancement, but the result is as you see now, they want to go back to Saral to make something of themselves!”

”I thought Olivia was a smart girl,” Hill said regretfully. ”Actually, she was just needed as a priestess before the church was built.

Those who want to leave, let them be. Ask those maids if they want to stay; if so, let them take an oath before God to part ways. Leave the houses and land to them.

If they want to go together, give them a sum of money as a dowry from me.

I remember, those maids are at least Knight Squires, right?”

”Yes, sir.”

”Tell Olivia, I will write her a recommendation letter to the Archbishop of the Temple of Time and Space.

Let her take those knights for personal protection and leave together!” Hill shook his head, not intending to interfere more.

Hill believed he had offered them all the best treatment he could as their former master; with a clear conscience, there was no need for further involvement.

Hill pulled out paper and pen, wrote a recommendation letter, and finally sealed it with Baron Polanio’s emblem.

Hill recommended Olivia as a lord of his lands, not as a Magister. According to the unspoken rules among nobles, the message conveyed was that this priestess had completed her mission of preaching very well in his territory but did not belong under the lord’s command.

Perhaps Olivia would feel that this was fine, not needing to adhere to Hill’s will; she just had to strive to climb higher in the church.

All Hill could do now was to wish that everything turned out as she wished. After so long, Olivia still hadn’t understood the difference between the Space-Time Church and those older deity churches; if she chose this irrevocable path, Hill wouldn’t interfere further.

”I should speak with Uncle Adrian,” Hill said as he watched List send the letter to the Lord’s Mansion with a Puppet, giving the instruction.

”Yes, sir.”

”The grocery store and the inn?”

”All is normal there.”

”My grandfather and Uncle Adrian are better at teaching people than I am,” Hill commented.

”Sir, the instruction received by servants and merchants can’t possibly be the same.”

Hill bitterly let List go to handle the affairs.

List hadn’t mentioned the players in the territory at all, apparently, the few living under his roof were truly the ultimate layabouts.

Hill stood up, unable to drag this out any longer; he must go check on his Earth Elemental Chief.

Since Hill’s return, he had clearly felt the presence of Korenden, the Elemental Lord, and this Clan Leader had been causing trouble in the Mental Sea for a while now.