Green Monster Epic

Chapter 394: A Wild Idea

Eric had been constantly angry and confused. After arriving in Green Lake Village, he spent most of his time wandering in the wilderness instead of settling the hundred-plus human refugees from the Spring Country who had traveled north with them. He claimed it was to hone himself, but it was more like self-inflicted torment, like a penitent.

Barefoot in the wilderness, Eric spent more than two years traversing the entire Green Wilderness Plain. He even set foot on the peaks of the branch veins of the boundless Mansa Mountains to the west, staying in that desolate, barren place for a whole month.

As Eric practiced like a penitent, his strength rapidly recovered. These hardships and his gradually clarifying inner self even allowed him to touch the threshold of his own legendary path.

Perhaps in a few years or decades, Eric would be able to step into the legendary rank and become a member of the strong in the Ferman world.

Because Eric understood his heart and found his new faith, he finally stopped wandering in Green Lake Village after more than two years and began to ponder the future of their group.

The Spring Goddess abandoned them and sacrificed them, making Eric unwilling to offer his loyalty to any god. The legendary mage of the Ice and Snow Country had told him that the Wall of the Faithless had disappeared from this world, meaning that people like them could return to the River Styx even if they lost their faith and had no gods to protect them.

Without shackles on his head, Eric was more confident and determined to live in this wonderful world with his head held high, freely and with dignity. This freedom and dignity seemed so precious to Eric and the others after experiencing betrayal and the collapse of their faith.

Precious things are naturally worth cherishing, and more people should know their value, especially their descendants, who would no longer need to kneel to those high and mighty so-called gods, exchanging loyalty and faith for betrayal and humiliation.

The world has no true gods; self-reliance is key. Although it was only eight words, it was Eric's summary of the Ferman world after nearly forty years of experience and several years of contemplation.

With his experience in the Spring Temple, Eric and the others knew how to formulate a creed and gradually spread it among intelligent races. Although the road ahead was long, they could see hope.

It was this belief that allowed Eric to find his direction and motivation again, standing in this world full of fighting spirit once more.

At this time, when Allen saw the human in front of him again, he could feel the radiance emanating from him and his surging passion. Thinking back to when he discovered Eric and the others near the Great Falls, his first impression of Eric was just a listless walking corpse.

"Is there any difficulty? If you need anything, you can ask us. Since you have joined our Green Lake Village, you are members of our village. Don't be afraid of trouble."

Although he inevitably felt a little worried about the changes in Eric, Allen was not a person who would regret his decisions. He did not believe that with his legendary strength and the thousands of people in his clan, he would be afraid of a small human group of only a hundred people?

"Thank you, we don't need anything. We are content with our current life."

Eric's eyes were full and firm, shaking his head gently while saying with some expectation.

"But I hope you can allow me to preach in the village like the priests of the Oak Church."

"Then I want to hear what you want to preach?"

Allen remained noncommittal. After returning, he had heard Shi Sheng and the others talk about Eric's beliefs and the pursuits of their small human team. Therefore, although he agreed with some of the Oak Church's ideas, he also wanted to hear what was worth pursuing in Eric's new faith.

The other party was now in dire straits, and had lost his awe and pursuit of the gods. Allen was also somewhat expectant to see how far the other party could develop this faith as a mortal.

Seeing that Allen had no intention of opposing, Eric was overjoyed. He immediately welcomed Allen into his stone house, and the two sat opposite each other at the simple stone table. Eric slowly revealed his gradually perfected ideas one by one.

"…According to you, we should not entrust the survival and environment of our race to the so-called ethereal gods. However, if there were no druids and priests preaching by the gods, our tribe could not have developed to its current state. Improvements such as oat and dawn wheat have benefited from the support of the Oak Church."

Allen frowned, feeling that Eric's thinking was somewhat extreme.

"But we can actually do it ourselves!"

Eric did not agree with Allen's point of view, and at the same time put forward a seemingly absurd but operable statement.

"I have traveled all over the Green Wilderness Plain, and even set foot in the Tagan Desert to the north. The barren and poor state of our land can actually be changed, but it requires the great perseverance of a race and the persistence of several generations."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Allen was immediately moved by the content of Eric's words and listened attentively.

"The Oak Church believes that everything has its own value. Since the natural environment of the Green Wilderness Plain has formed its current appearance, it also has its reasons. But they are not unaware that the natural environment and climate of the Green Wilderness Plain can actually be changed."

"In the western border of the plain, that hundreds of miles around, extending to the Mansa Wilderness and the Mansa Mountains at the junction of the two continents, if only a huge opening is dug out of the mountains, then the clusters of clouds and water vapor from the endless sea in the west can follow this gap directly to the plains and even the land in the east."

"As long as the arid climate is resolved, where on the vast land of the Green Wilderness Plain is not fertile land? Where do you need to work so hard…"

"…Wait!"

Allen frowned slightly and couldn't help but interrupt Eric's impassioned statement.

"The mountains in the west are tall and strong. With personal physical strength, how many years will it take to dig them out? And what guarantee do you have that digging a gap will really bring rich rain to the plains?"

"Patriarch Allen, the natural laws of rainfall have long been summarized. If you have high-level or legendary mage friends, you can verify this issue with them. Or, you can also ask the elven high priest of the Oak Church. If he tells you the truth, you will know that what I said is not false."

“And the most difficult thing, naturally, is the excavation itself. Only if we are determined and persevere with the excavation for a generation or several generations, will we usher in the dawn sooner or later.”

“And the philosophy I now advocate—self-reliance and self-improvement—requires such great perseverance and persistence, and can also lead to a better life. It is better to rely on oneself than to pray to gods. The gods could obviously make our lives better, but they ignore our pursuits and prayers, and simply keep us penned in this desolate land, using ignorance, hunger, and other invisible shackles to make us their lambs...”

Allen's thoughts had already drifted to the distant west. The matter proposed by the other party did sound unbelievable, but if it could really be achieved, it might be worth a try.

The hard work of the tribe for several generations could be exchanged for the happy and fulfilling lives of future generations. No matter how you look at it, this deal seems worthwhile. Anyway, Allen now has a long lifespan. In this long life, besides training himself and developing the tribe, Allen also needs to find some new things to do, otherwise his days would seem too monotonous.

The tempering method of the Great Falls allowed Allen to find a direction for his physical breakthrough, but unfortunately, after returning to the Greenwild Plains, Allen found it difficult to find a natural training ground like the Great Falls again. So, if he wants to move forward and temper his strength, Allen needs to find another way, adapting to local conditions to find other tempering methods.

Perhaps, using his legendary strength to persistently open mountains, which can both help the future development of the tribe and allow himself to temper his body, may not be a bad thing to kill two birds with one stone.

Allen is very clear about the Mansa Mountains on the western edge of the plains. He once killed and destroyed a flesh and blood altar that summoned demons in that continuous mountain range, and also stayed there for a period of time. Because it is almost difficult for vegetation and animals to grow in that mountain range, and the mountains are mostly composed of solid rocks, without any signs of mineral veins, so there has never been any sign of tribes living in it.

Without the value of development and utilization, the Mansa Mountains have always stood alone there, unchanging through the ages.

For Allen, the biggest gain from communicating with Eric is naturally the possibility he told himself that could change the Greenwild Plains. As for Eric's eloquent quotations about the philosophy of self-reliance and self-improvement, it is actually very much in line with Allen's path, but because Allen now still needs to rely on the Oak Church as a backer, it is naturally impossible to show any interest.

“Your philosophy can be spread and preached in my tribe, but I hope you don’t do anything too radical, otherwise I won’t be able to explain it to High Priest Clay and the others.”

In the end, Allen still gave Eric a positive reply. Originally, he absorbed Eric and his group into the tribe in order to use them to contain the Oak Church's influence and infiltration into the tribe. Before, Allen was still worried about how much effect Eric and his group, who had lost their faith, could have, but now, after listening to the other party's remarks, Allen's heart settled down instead.

After all, they are seeds from a church. Regarding how to promote ideas and build a cohesive team, Eric's statement has at least constructed a large framework. Next, he only needs to gradually enrich the details, and in the future, he may be able to see a power structure similar to the church.

“I understand.”

Eric is not a fool either. His newborn seed cannot compete with a church that has been passed down for countless years. He already has a plan for how to act. He only needs Allen, the tribal leader, to nod his head in agreement, and he can start taking action.

After leaving, Allen turned back to the Oak Leaf Church and directly approached Clay, telling him the unbelievable idea that Eric had proposed before, seeking confirmation from Clay.

“This matter is not to say that there is no possibility of success, but let us put aside its success rate and all kinds of difficulties. What I want to tell you is, if this matter really succeeds, do you know what kind of consequences it will bring?”

Clay painfully patted his forehead, and then stared at Allen and asked.

“The consequence is that my Greenwild Plains will be able to have fertile soil and abundant water like Mansa City from now on, and my tribesmen and descendants will no longer have to endure hunger.”

Allen replied confidently, with firm and excited eyes.

“Heh heh heh, it’s not just like that.”

Clay replied with a sneer: “If it really succeeds, not only will the climate of the Greenwild Plains change, but even the Tagan Desert in the north may be affected. Not to mention anything else, the ecological chain of sand rats, sand worms, and so on that currently live on the plains will disappear directly from the plains due to drastic climate changes.”

“There are also countless snake-people races in the desert. They have adapted to the natural environment of the desert for countless years. Perhaps such an environment is harsh to you, but it is indispensable to the snake-people.”

“Have you ever seen the existence of snake-people in other parts of the wilderness? And in the depths of the desert, there are also desert races such as the camel-people. They also have the right to survive in the Feyman world. You cannot destroy their environment because of your needs, right?”

As guardians of natural balance, the Oak Church and the Temple of Nature are definitely the strongest in the Feyman world in terms of research and understanding of the environment and climate. How could the Apostles of the Oak Father, who travel all corners of the Feyman world all year round, not know the ways to solve many harsh environments in the wilderness!

However, knowing that there are ways to change barren environments and harsh climates, the terrestrial walkers of the Temple of Nature have been indifferent for countless years. The ultimate reason is actually very simple, that is, when the environment and climate of a region change, it will bring about drastic changes in the local ecological chain, and even lead to species extinction, which is contrary to the original intention and concept of the Temple.

Therefore, the envoys of the Temple of Nature never directly change the climate and environment of a region, but strive to maintain the general environment and climate of the region. In their perception, the diversity of a world's environment and climate, as well as the richness of species, is the greatest wealth of this world.

“What does that have to do with me, what does it have to do with my tribe?”

Allen stared at the friend in front of him with cold eyes. It turned out that they had always known the way to change the Greenwild Plains, but they just didn't want to tell him.

“If those species don’t actively adapt to the environment, they can’t blame others for extinction. Don’t forget the essence of our world, which is the survival of the fittest.”

Come, everyone, let’s give Eric’s atheist group a name that fits the style of Western fantasy and also shows the wise race’s pursuit of freedom.