Arknightcraft Modpack

Secretly sneaking back into the village with Alina through the rear, Talulah initially wanted to check on the two elderly residents she cared for. However, before she could do so, two patrol soldiers spotted them while patrolling the streets.

“What are you two doing? Don’t you know the entire village has already been ordered to gather at the entrance?”

Hidden nearby, Steven almost burst out laughing. While the soldier’s words weren’t particularly funny, he couldn’t help but imagine a comedic tone to the scene, which completely changed the atmosphere in his mind.

“We—”

“Yes, we just got back from outside,” Alina interrupted, stepping in front of Talulah before she could say anything. It was clear that Alina was much better at handling these patrol soldiers and had no intention of provoking them. Allowing the soldiers to escort them, they made their way to the village entrance.

Perhaps because Talulah’s attire didn’t match what a common villager might wear, the soldiers didn’t trouble them much further.

The dress Talulah wore looked more like something a noblewoman from a mobile city would own. To avoid unnecessary complications, the soldiers chose to ignore the slight hostility in her demeanor. Just as they despised the Infected, they assumed noblewomen like her would despise them in turn.

By the time Talulah and Alina arrived at the village entrance, they found that the entire village had already been gathered there, including the two elderly residents from the previous day.

At the forefront of the crowd, the village elder was engaged in a conversation with what appeared to be the captain of the Infected patrol squad. Judging from their expressions, the exchange wasn’t going well.

“With all due respect, sir, last week, you already took nearly half of the village’s food supply. And now you claim there’s some kind of monster nearby, requiring another search? We really can’t give any more,” the elder said.

Even from the edge of the crowd, Steven and Talulah’s sharp hearing allowed them to catch every word of the conversation. However, their reactions to the elder’s words were quite different.

Talulah, naturally, saw this as yet another instance of the Infected patrol squad’s unreasonable extortion. Meanwhile, Steven couldn’t help but wonder if the “monster” they mentioned had anything to do with the Collapsal-like thing he had previously encountered.

That being said, the route that creature had fled didn’t align with the village’s direction, so the true situation remained unclear.

“I don’t know what you mean by that, but these are orders from above. Our duty is to follow them. If you choose to resist, that will be considered insubordination, and the Infected patrol squad has the authority to label you as rebels and suppress you on the spot. I assume you understand that?”

The captain, clad in thick armor, stood in stark contrast to the frail elder before him. His words, however, carried the tone of a thinly veiled threat.

“Besides, we’re not asking for anything unreasonable. We’re protecting you civilians, aren’t we? It’s only fair that you provide some form of compensation in return. Isn’t that reasonable?”

His deep voice questioned the elder, and to an outsider, it might not have sounded like anything out of place.

But for the villagers, who had long suffered under the oppressive weight of the Infected patrol squad, this so-called “protection” was something they would rather do without.

“Yes, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, officers. It’s only right; it’s only fair,” the elder replied.

Though his heart bled, he could only lower his head and respond in a tone of utter humility. He didn’t dare to show even the slightest hint of resistance.

The words he spoke earlier were the most he could risk saying. As the captain had implied, any further argument could lead to the village being labeled as rebels, followed by a massacre.

For these soldiers—fellow humans in name only—such atrocities were far from impossible. They could even fabricate reports afterward, declaring the villagers as Infected and chalking it up as a military success.

What could they do? This village, made up of mostly the old, women, and children, had no leverage to negotiate. The elder could only hope the patrol would leave them with enough to survive for the sake of future exploitation.

Meanwhile, Talulah clenched her fists, her fiery gaze locked onto the captain, whose grandiose words concealed deeds no better than those of common bandits.

“I don’t quite understand. Are all these villagers Infected?”

Just then, Steven’s voice, carrying a hint of curiosity and mischief, reached Talulah’s ears. Despite his tone, it was clear he was stirring the pot.

“No, they’re just ordinary farmers,” Talulah muttered as if speaking to herself, suppressing her anger as best as she could.

It wasn’t the right time yet. Even if she were to take action now to drive away the Infected patrol squad, it would only bring greater trouble to the villagers.

As much as she loathed the actions of these bandits, Talulah knew this was not the time for resistance.

“That’s strange. They’re called the Infected patrol squad, right? If they’re not dealing with the Infected and instead bullying normal farmers, what’s the point of their name?”

Steven smirked slightly. His words were more of a deliberate provocation. He already understood why the patrol behaved this way: the Infected didn’t have anything valuable to take.

When one option offered profit and the other only brought trouble, anyone would know which to choose.

“Exactly. That’s the irrational part. This is the real problem with this country. The Infected are just an excuse for them to oppress others. The ones who truly suffer are always the people at the bottom,” Talulah replied grimly.

Her tone was heavy. She felt comfortable sharing such words with Steven, words that would surely be deemed treasonous by the Ursus officials. Somehow, she felt that if she truly wanted to make a change, having Steven’s help would make things much easier.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I really don’t get what other people want. Reality is always the most surreal thing.”

Invisible, Steven shook his head. Such absurd events had always been things he’d only seen on TV or read about in novels. Experiencing them firsthand was still something he couldn’t quite comprehend.

At least in Minecraft, weird scenarios like this didn’t exist. Everyone played their roles straightforwardly. Even if the Illagers attacked villages, it was just to steal emeralds. At least they didn’t pretend to protect the villagers while doing it.

Wait, hang on… now that he thought about it, this sounded suspiciously like something he himself might do.

Steven coughed awkwardly, glad no one knew about the things he had done in the past. Otherwise, it would certainly have been an interesting revelation.

“Aren’t you planning to resist? If this keeps going, these people will only grow more brazen,” Steven asked Talulah quietly, glancing at the patrol soldiers who were now openly looting under the guise of conducting a search.

Regardless of whether Talulah had the strength to resist, surely standing by and letting this happen wasn’t the right choice.

“It’s not the right time—at least not now. I don’t have the power to change all of this. Acting rashly will only make things worse,” Talulah said, shaking her head.

As much as she wanted to follow Steven’s suggestion and resist, what good would that do in the end? She might escape any retribution from Ursus officials, but what about the people left behind in the village?

“Hmm, you’re calmer than I expected. I thought people who wield fire magic would have a more volatile temper,” Steven teased with a smile.

He had initially thought that Talulah would act impulsively in response to such injustice. But now, he realized this young woman was far smarter than he’d assumed. He appreciated her composure.

“I’m just suppressing my anger. That doesn’t mean I can accept this reality,” Talulah replied, almost through gritted teeth. A faint spark of fire ignited in her silver eyes.

If circumstances allowed, she would have acted on her feelings without hesitation.

Alina, standing beside her, seemed to notice the simmering rage Talulah was holding back. She reached out and gently held Talulah’s hand, hoping to offer a bit of comfort.

“Well then, if I told you I have a way to solve this situation, what would you be willing to give in return?”

Steven stroked his chin. The current predicament might seem unsolvable to Talulah, but for him, it wasn’t a big deal at all. In fact, several solutions came to mind, none of which were particularly difficult to execute.

“You can help me?” Talulah asked, her tightly furrowed brow beginning to relax.

She trusted that Steven wouldn’t deceive her. If he said he had a solution, she believed it would both deal with the patrol and spare the village from further trouble.

“Of course. But that depends on how much you’re willing to offer in exchange,” Steven replied with a mischievous chuckle.

Fortunately for him, Talulah couldn’t see his current expression. If she had noticed how his gaze lingered on her soft lips, who knows what misunderstandings might have arisen?