Sadness

The night was fading outside the window, and Nord lay quietly on his bed, contemplating what was next. Ryman's promotion issue was resolved, and the others would gradually grow stronger. The stronger the guard force, the safer he would be in this world. He realized he should probably level up too.

[Daily Quest: Explore the Mountains - Completed. Rewards being distributed.]

[Name: Nord Isaac]

[Profession: Lord LV3 (0/2000)]

Today was truly a good day; even he had leveled up. Nord didn't hesitate, immediately allocating his attribute and skill points. His subordinates were growing stronger, and he couldn't fall behind. [Strength 9 → Strength 10], [Iron Bones LV2 → Iron Bones LV3], [Running LV1 → Running LV2].

The familiar warm current surged through him once more. Nord, prepared this time, wasn't as disoriented as before. Afterward, he felt his body brimming with power. Just as he was about to stretch, he suddenly remembered that he had received a special item today.

Opening his inventory, he indeed found something new. But it wasn't the map he had expected. Instead, a sparkling crystal ball, as if containing a whole world, occupied a square in his inventory.

When he took the crystal ball out of his inventory, it didn't appear in his hand as Nord had imagined. Instead, it transformed into a beam of golden light and entered the System, revealing a massive map before Nord's eyes. Most of the map was shrouded in mist, with only a small point at the very top indicating Tami Village.

The map moved with Nord's thoughts, zooming directly to Tami Village. The mountains and forests around Tami Village were clearly visible, reminiscent of a Mount & Blade game interface. Soon, Nord found the Wild Boar Cave on the map. It wasn't hard to notice that the map seemed to only reveal the areas around Tami Village and the Wild Boar Cave; the rest was still pitch black.

Just as Nord was about to continue studying the map, Abel came upstairs to tell him that dinner was ready.

Downstairs, Colin's family was waiting for Nord. Nord no longer stood on ceremony and motioned for them to sit down and eat.

The food on the table was incredibly appetizing: a large pot of yam stewed with pork. The pork had been slow-cooked until it was tender, and its aroma, combined with the yams, made one's mouth water. Next to it were some golden-roasted yams, which looked like they were made at Reed's request. They were better than the ones at lunch, with no burnt spots on the surface.

Nord gestured for everyone to start eating. He planned to discuss the excavation and cultivation of yams with Colin after he had tasted them, but then he heard their conversation and almost burst out laughing.

Art and his sister, who had been waiting patiently, were excited when they heard it was time to eat. Lysa pointed to the roasted yam in front of her and asked Molly, "Mom, what's this?"

"Roasted yam."

"Mom, I want to eat roasted yam."

"Eat, eat big pieces. Are two enough?"

"Two are enough, thank you, Mom. You're the best."

After eating his fill, Nord couldn't help but wonder, Does Abel truly have hidden culinary skills? Or is this just an illusion created by my years of suffering through terrible food? Otherwise, why would it be so delicious? Seeing Colin's family devouring their food, Nord stopped pondering the question. As long as it tasted good, the reason didn't matter.

Nord turned to Colin.

"Village Chief Colin, do you recognize this yam? Oh, Old Mor said this thing is called a 'mountain lump'."

"I don't really remember it. A mountain lump? I don't think I've ever eaten it, otherwise, I wouldn't have forgotten."

"Whether you've eaten it or not isn't important. What's important is that Old Mor said there should be a lot of this in the mountains, and I think its yield is very high. It could solve the villagers' food problem."

"Really? Lord Nord, there's a lot in the mountains? That's great! Why didn't we discover it before? If we had known sooner, no one would have starved to death."

Colin was incredibly excited, especially after hearing there was a lot in the mountains. He started gesticulating wildly, looking a bit comical, but then his expression turned remorseful as he thought of those who had starved to death due to lack of food.

"It's true. A few of us dug up hundreds of pounds just now, and I believe its yield is very high. We can plant it on the hillsides around the village."

"Tomorrow, I'll organize the women in the village to go dig. Sigh! They had such bad luck, Lord Nord. If only you had come sooner."

Seeing Colin's somewhat mournful expression, Nord couldn't help but advise him.

"Village Chief Colin, this is good news. Your top priority is to organize the villagers to dig and plant yams, to ensure this situation never happens again. Not to wallow in self-pity here."

Colin's body stiffened, and his eyes became resolute. He said with a bitter smile, "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Nord. I'm getting old, and I get a bit sentimental. Ryman's mother starved to death that year. Don't worry, now that you've brought us hope, I will definitely not let tragedy repeat itself."

Looking at the re-energized Village Chief Colin, Nord nodded. Nord had no doubt about Colin's feelings for the village. Knowing the reason for Colin's sadness, Nord still believed that Colin would handle this matter well, and even more diligently than Nord himself.

"Oh, Village Chief Colin, make sure to instruct everyone to cook it thoroughly before eating. Eating it raw will cause vomiting and diarrhea. Old Mor previously thought yams were poisonous, which is why he never tried to eat them."

"So that's how it is! That's our fate, then. Understood, Lord Nord. I will make sure to strictly warn the villagers. You can rest assured."

Colin had a sudden realization. No wonder we didn't discover it before. Mountain Dwellers always avoided poisonous things; how would they have thought that it could be eaten after being roasted?

After discussing this matter, Nord went upstairs to rest. Colin, however, couldn't calm down for a long time. The news today was a bit too stimulating for him, and his mind couldn't process it immediately. If Nord hadn't enlightened him, Colin might still be grieving.

Ryman saw his father's expression and somewhat understood his father's feelings. That year, the village suffered a severe food shortage. Ryman and his father went into the mountains to hunt and find a way to survive. At that time, Reed was still young, and Molly was pregnant, leaving Ryman's mother alone to take care of the family.

He remembered when they went into the mountains, his father said they wouldn't return until they had hunted something. They stayed for four full days before finally catching game. When his father returned home excitedly, Ryman's mother had already fainted from hunger. According to the neighbors, Ryman's mother had worked tirelessly, from dawn till dusk, searching for food in the nearby mountains to care for little Reed and her pregnant daughter-in-law.

Almost all edible things had been scavenged by the villagers. Every day, she would give her small findings to her daughter-in-law and young son, not eating a single bite herself. Soon, she fell unconscious. The day after Ryman returned home, his mother passed away. From then on, Colin never went into the mountains again.

Looking at his father, who was deep in thought, Ryman couldn't help but speak.

"Father, don't be sad. I understand how you feel. Mother, she..."

"Enough, Ryman. I know what you want to say. Lord Nord is right; I should cheer up. I'm fine. You go rest first. We have to gather in the square tomorrow. I'll stay here for a bit."

After Ryman left, Colin sat alone at the dining table, staring into the darkness outside the door, motionless like a statue. No one knew how long he stayed there alone that night.

***

I. Thanks to wildream and Mr. Cheng Who Makes Money for their tips.

II. I have some good news to share with everyone: I received a notification for a recommendation from Qidian. The big shots in the group said it's a trial recommendation, but it's better than nothing. I hope everyone will collect and vote more. I'm extremely grateful.

III. Many readers have previously pointed out various issues to me. I'll try my best to fix what I can. The most frequent feedback was that character dialogue and behavior didn't fit the era. Recently, I've been studying how the great authors write, analyzing their techniques. I'll slowly improve in the future. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and we can discuss them together.