"A maid?"

Old Dorothy's wizened face instantly turned a dark, mottled purple.

Li Ang, however, didn't really have such a malicious sense of humor as to make this green-clad granny serve as a maid for lumberjack Frederick long-term. Even if the lumberjack had some unknown fetish and was willing to accept it, Old Dorothy would probably not abandon the dignity of a Spellcaster.

Li Ang said this merely to prevent the Forest Witch from escaping—such a Spellcaster, deeply familiar with many secrets of this world's mystical side, could help the players quickly obtain information.

Old Dorothy desperately wanted to abandon the Children of the Forest members and escape on her own. After all, her soul was the very essence of the Children of the Forest; as long as she could get away, she could gather a new group of followers anytime, anywhere.

Unfortunately, at that moment, several players had already surrounded her from all directions, ready to strike and reduce her to pulp if the Witch made any move.

With no other options, the Forest Witch could only raise her hands in surrender, allowing the group to crush her shoulders and bind her fingers with something resembling rope (which was actually nylon zip ties).

Afterward, Li Ang chatted briefly with Carpenter Hoenburg, the owner of the paper factory, explained his identity, and expressed his wish to escort this group of Children of the Forest to Antimony Town.

Carpenter Hoenburg, a local heavy-hitter in Antimony Town, had just witnessed the ferocious and violent side of this Eastern Monk. Considering his children had been saved by him (though in a somewhat bizarre manner), he couldn't possibly disagree.

Following that, the paper factory's lumber workers, under Hoenburg's command, took custody of all the Children of the Forest who had given up resistance. They bound them with hemp ropes and escorted them out of the forest onto the main road.

At this time, other search and rescue teams dispatched by Antimony Town also arrived to join them. Li Ang asked Bob to go back and call for the Coachman. During this interlude, Carpenter Hoenburg eagerly inquired of the Eastern Monk how to completely cure his two children.

When Spellcasters awaken, there is a certain probability their nature will drastically change. This transformation is not only psychological but also physiological.

Even the Runes Official had no effective method for curing those antisocial Spellcasters. They could only be assigned to special departments as secret forces, kept under the strict surveillance of other Spellcasters.

For the more severe cases, they were forced to drink Magic Potions to strip away their abilities, confined in mental hospitals for research, or executed directly.

(Spellcasters with severe antisocial tendencies would still commit horrific crimes even without special abilities.)

As the father of two children, Carpenter Hoenburg could not accept the idea of his offspring committing serious crimes and being imprisoned, or existing as weapons without a normal personality.

"Your Reverence, do you have a way to save them?" Carpenter Hoenburg said humbly. "Whatever the cost, I am willing to pay it, as long as they can be saved."

"Well..."

Li Ang pondered for a moment and said casually, "The Magic Potions cannot be stopped. Have them continue to take the Magic Potions until they lose their special abilities.

"After that, I suggest using the correct approach to guide their enthusiasm for ecological protection."

Carpenter Hoenburg was startled and asked, "Guide? How do we guide them?"

Li Ang smiled and said, "Just like the newspapers say, Her Majesty the Queen long ago proposed the slogan of emphasizing the protection and construction of the ecological environment. In recent years, the major kingdoms have also recognized that global warming is indeed happening.

"You can absolutely let these two kids use a peaceful and healthy way to call on people to protect the ecological environment."

"Ah?"

Carpenter Hoenburg asked reflexively, "Does that mean they should go to desolate areas, personally toil, plant trees and greenery, and grow grass and poplars to transform barren sandlands into green mountains and clear waters, preventing soil erosion and desertification?

"Wouldn't that be too hard on them..."

"How could it be?"

Li Ang's eyes widened. "Planting trees and poplars with one's own hands, devoting generations' effort to combating desertification—that's what real environmental warriors would do.

"But they're just kids! Besides, do you think they could actually stick it out?

"Of course, we should adopt some gentler methods."

Carpenter Hoenburg pressed, "Such as?"

Li Ang said with a smile, "I've read in the newspapers that in recent years, all the major kingdoms have established basic education schools. These kids attend the town's noble school, right?

"So, when they lose their extraordinary abilities, have them go on strike and drop out of school. Let them lead the youth of several kingdoms by example to skip school every Friday, to force adults to pay attention to climate issues and the greenhouse effect."

Carpenter Hoenburg's eyes bulged. "Does that actually work?"

"Of course it works,"

Li Ang continued, "Spend some money to connect with a few major newspapers and package them as the new generation of environmental warriors. Once their fame has accumulated sufficiently, send them to the capital of Rune Kingdom to sit in silent protest, to fast in opposition.

"Today's youth are quite impressionable; they'll get stirred up in no time.

"If students from several kingdoms collectively strike, wouldn't that make a name for them quickly?

"By then, you won't need to spend money; people wanting to use environmental protection for political achievements will naturally flock to you. You can negotiate with them and keep the spectacle going.

"Like insisting the children become vegetarians, promoting an hour-long worldwide lights-out event for kerosene lamps, traveling across the ocean on a carbon-neutral sailboat, and cycling around the kingdom on carbon-neutral bicycles—the entire process documented in newspapers.

"Soon, these two kids will become famous figures in several kingdoms, mingling in high society, always talking about energy conservation and emission reduction, their heads filled with the dangers of the greenhouse effect.

"If they're lucky, they might even receive kingdom medals and be awarded peace prizes.

"With all this, do you still worry they won't have an outlet for their energy and might turn to crime?"

Carpenter Hoenburg was dumbfounded by this speech. "But... but all of this has nothing to do with actual environmental protection..."

"Publicity, do you understand publicity?"

Li Ang said emphatically, "To deceive others, you must first deceive yourself.

"The main gases causing the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone.

"Among them, uncontrollable water vapor accounts for the most, carbon dioxide comes second, and methane is third. Although environmental movements in the major kingdoms target carbon dioxide, which is the second most abundant, methane's heat-capturing ability is more than twenty times that of carbon dioxide, making it far more potent.

"The carbon emissions of several kingdoms combined are still less than the methane produced by the flatulence of all cows, which captures more heat.

"Moreover, even if all kingdoms strictly enforce energy-saving measures, scientifically speaking, this can only reduce the world's average temperature by less than 0.2°C in the coming decades, which is virtually useless.

"Furthermore, the global climate is a vast and complex system. Even if you dragged over the Rune Kingdom's smartest climate experts, they probably couldn't guarantee how much the greenhouse effect is related to humankind, or whether energy conservation and emission reduction would definitely mitigate it.

"If even climate experts and the kingdoms themselves can't figure it out, are you worried that one day these kids will realize that their entire lives have been a pointless exercise, a farcical reality show?"

Upon hearing these words, Carpenter Hoenburg's eyes lit up. He looked at the two unconscious children lying on the stones by the roadside, his eyes filled with hope.

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