August 14th, early morning.

The morning mist is thin, and the sound of birdsong comes from the sparse trees.

The lingering sounds of insects and frogs occasionally add a touch of vitality to the morning.

The sun has not yet risen, and the air is slightly chilly. A gentle breeze passes, bringing with it a damp mist, making the skin feel even colder.

The people who should have been busy at this time did not leave their territories; instead, they silently watched the central area.

Sixty coffins woven from vines quietly lay on the ground.

These were rushed overnight by the Vine Fairy.

Through the gaps, one can see the Wetland Lizardman Warriors who sacrificed for Weilu City sleeping peacefully inside.

Hundreds of people remain silent, the atmosphere heavy.

Suddenly, the crowd stirred and instinctively parted to the sides.

A heroic figure slowly walked forward, his face deceptively young yet exuding increasing majesty with each step.

The Sovereign of Weilu City, master of the Swamp, their protector—

Lear.

Wherever he goes, everyone bows their heads, respectfully placing a hand on their chest in salute.

"Good day, Lord..."

"My Lord..."

"We salute you..."

Lear gazed neither right nor left, walking step by step to the front of the coffins, placing his right hand on a coffin, and turned to face the crowd.

His tone was deep and solemn.

"My people... Those who lie before you, resting, are the heroes who died for Weilu City, for all our residents."

"Today, they will rest in the Tomb of the Heroic Spirits."

"And next, I will build the Heroic Spirit Hall, inscribing their names, singing of their deeds."

"All heroes will be remembered and will be revered by future generations of Weilu City."

With a heavy tone, he continued.

"Rise, lift the coffin!"

The Wetland Lizardman Warriors immediately stepped forward, shouldering the vine coffins, and began to march slowly toward the east, to the Tomb of the Heroic Spirits.

Lear walked alongside the coffin.

Three solemn-faced Bog Banshees, wearing white flowers on their chests, led the way in front.

They carried baskets woven from vines, filled with fresh petals.

Holding the petals high, they scattered them into the sky, filling the air before settling silently onto the ground...

As petals fluttered in the air, a lilting yet solemn song began to gently rise.

There were no lyrics, but everyone felt its sacredness, solemnity, and grandeur.

The crowd instinctively stood taller.

Behind, many Mud Swamp People were in a trance...

If one day they also sacrificed themselves and received the Lord's coffin support, warrior pallbearers, banshee songs, flowers paving the way, all the people seeing them off...

In the end, being buried in the Tomb of the Heroic Spirits, with their deeds inscribed in the Heroic Spirit Hall, and being admired by countless others even after death...

There would be no regrets even in death.

Even those Deltha people who had just joined Weilu City experienced a subtle change in mindset at this moment.

Amidst them, ten or so Barbarians with little presence gazed with exceedingly complex expressions.

Recently, they were initially met with vigilance, later mingling with the Mud Swamp People, working alongside them.

Though exhausted, they witnessed firsthand the vibrant life energy of this land.

Subtly and unconsciously, a transformation occurred within them.

Now, seeing Lear's attitude toward fallen warriors, emotions suddenly took root and sprouted.

In the Wilderness, life is as humble as weeds.

Many die silently, unable even to be buried properly after death.

Many are left exposed to the elements.

Let alone leaving behind stories or legends...

If they had no territory, perhaps... joining Weilu City, becoming followers of the Lord, even sacrificing for the land, would not be so hard to accept.

Watching the heroic figure supporting the coffins and marching on, the dozen or so Barbarians exchanged glances, seeing in each other's eyes the same complex, subtle emotions.

Three kilometers is not far, but the process filled everyone's hearts with a sense of sacred solemnity.

The ceremony was utterly fulfilling.

Arriving at the designated Tomb of the Heroic Spirits, dozens of graves were already dug open ahead.

Lear turned to survey the surroundings, ordering with a resolute voice.

"Bury the heroes."

The Wetland Lizardmen immediately moved to lower the coffins gently into the graves.

With the coffins settled, Lear personally grabbed a spade and started, shovelful after shovelful, filling the graves with soil.

The Banshees' song grew increasingly high-pitched and solemn.

Allowing this sorrowful event of burial to be infused with a sacred aura.

When the last shovelful of earth covered the graves, Lear laid down the spade and looked around.

"Everyone, let us hold a three-minute moment of silence for the heroes."

With that, he clasped his hands before his chest and bowed his head, leading the silence.

Swoosh~ Everyone, like him, bowed their heads in unison.

The only sound was that of the breeze rustling through the grass and trees.

When the time was up.

"Ceremony complete."

Lear looked up, his tone heavy.

"Everyone, please remember today."

"The sacrifice of our warriors will never be in vain!"

"Weilu City will surely rise!"

His brief words, like the clash of gold and stone, resounded powerfully.

After everything that had been done prior, this moment became incredibly impactful.

The crowd looked at Lear with renewed reverence and passion in their eyes.

This is their leader, their sovereign!

After the funeral ended, the crowd dispersed.

Everyone felt a strange mix of emotions on their way back.

Looking at their companions beside them, they inexplicably felt a bit closer.

Perhaps, one day, if they were to sacrifice, the ones to carry their coffin would be those beside them.

After the funeral just now, being buried in the Land of Heroic Spirits had become the highest honor in everyone's eyes!

If they could experience such an event after their death... they would die content.

A group of barbarians not belonging to this territory also felt the same emotion at this moment.

Though they could sense the trustworthiness of those around them in their own tribe, they had never felt as if everyone around them were like family.

For a moment, their emotions became more complex...

Bain also felt a surge of emotion upon hearing the crowd's discussions.

He was not young anymore.

If he were to die one day, could he receive such treatment?

Could he be mourned by everyone? Could the lord himself personally lay him to rest?

Yes, absolutely yes!

He wanted to work even harder for the lord, to contribute his strength to Weilu City!

After his death, he too would surely be buried in the Tomb of the Heroic Spirits, revered by all!

For a moment, his fighting spirit surged.

He returned energetically to the territory, beginning to organize the Delthans to work.

Then he sharply noticed that everyone's enthusiasm had greatly increased today...

A single funeral had changed the entire atmosphere of the territory.

The addition of hundreds of Delthans made the territory run more smoothly.

In the agricultural area, 400 people were dispatched to cultivate the land.

With the influx of labor, it was estimated that within three days, the area could be completely prepared, ready to plant swamp wheat.

This was the current focus of their work.

But as the helmsman, Lear took a rare pause.

The intensity of yesterday was too great, and with many sacrifices, he did not rush to go hunting, allowing the army to have a good rest.

Long-term battles can keep one's nerves tightly stretched, and appropriate relaxation is not a bad thing.

The Wetland Lizard-man also lazily lay on the grass, basking in the sun.

But the busy people's eyes were filled with admiration, as those sacrificed warriors were all Wetland Lizard-men!

Lear headed north to the fish farm, where the Vine Fairy made him a vine lounge chair, comfortably reclining on it.

Next to him, the wooden table was set with freshly brewed warm tea, which he occasionally picked up to sip.

Leisurely watching the dragon blood red fish swimming in the water.

It was the first time he had felt so relaxed since coming to the swamp.

However, unfortunately, these 2 Stars magical creatures remained a mystery as to what they ate... they still refused to open their mouths to eat.

Otherwise, feeding the fish, sipping tea, feeling the breeze, and listening to the Banshees hum along would indeed be a pleasant affair.

Around noon, just as he was about to return for a nap, Bain excitedly approached.

"My lord, we've discovered a large amount of Black Dragon Broad-leaf Grass!"

Lear's eyes lit up.

"Where? How many are there?!"

The Queen Bee of the Mire Wasp could enhance hero potential and activate talents; even heroes with activated talents could activate a second talent!

He had been eyeing this for a long time.

But amidst the busyness of late, the collection of Black Dragon Broad-leaf Grass had been slow, forcing him to postpone.

Unexpectedly, the opportunity had now arisen...

"Today, most of the farm work was assigned to the Delthans, so I dispatched five squads of Mud Swamp People to scout around."

"They actually found a large quantity of Black Dragon Broad-leaf Grass in a shady thicket."

Bain was also very excited.

As he spoke, several Mud Swamp People, just emerging from the mud, each carried a large bag and approached.

They placed the bags in front of them in unison and then opened their mouths of the bags.

Lear curiously looked.

The leaves of the Black Dragon Broad-leaf Grass were pure black, about the size of a palm, with patterns resembling dragon scales, very peculiar.

Bain spoke cheerfully.

"My lord, all five bags are full!"

"And we've only collected less than a third; if it's not enough, we can continue to gather!"

Seeing the half-human height of the bags, an elated Lear propped himself up from the lounge chair.

"Bain, go get the Giant Dragon dung!"

Saying so, he opened the intelligence system, reviewing the last refreshed information...

[3. The decaying Beastmen discovered that drying Black Dragon Broad-leaf Grass and mixing it with blood for smoking could cause the Mire Wasp to fall into a coma, but the smoke only caused a ten-minute coma; they didn't manage the time properly, leading to heavy casualties. Adding Giant Dragon dung could greatly enhance the effect. (2 Stars)]

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