Even if I wanted to turn the tables, the Originium Project had to be clearly on the losing side first.
But what was this supposed to mean? I'd only been lying down for more than ten years, and now I was being told that Originium was finished?
That was even more absurd than a deep-sea fish fighting a robotic vacuum cleaner.
Heresy! Let me take a closer look!
Kal'tsit leaped into action and jumped around the town, but the Golden Tree's light was simply too dazzling in the night. Her camouflage seemed as good as nonexistent.
Fortunately, the residents of Huang Cao's territory were all asleep at this hour. On top of that, Kal'tsit's stealth skills were decent, so she didn't cause much of a disturbance.
She successfully reached a bulletin board at the foot of the Golden Tree. After using a specially made Camera to save its contents, she sped out of the town.
For extra insurance, Kal'tsit even crossed several more mountains, making her way from the Kazdel side of the range to the Victoria side before hiding in a secluded cave.
She thought that would let her escape Huang Cao's surveillance, but...
Who told you there were no roots of mine on the other side of the mountains? I'm just too lazy to modify the environment.
If I didn't station spies on Victoria's borders, what would happen if some nobleman suddenly lost his mind and came to attack me?
Watching Kal'tsit's nervous appearance through his field of vision, Huang Cao wished he could record it and show it to the amnesiac Doctor someday.
When no one was watching, Kal'tsit's mental state was fairly normal. Her riddles were meant for other people, not herself.
"Recruiting teachers? The Sarkaz have actually realized there's an education problem?"
By the campfire, Kal'tsit looked at the contents of the Camera with a complicated expression. It contained a notice recruiting teachers, along with a large amount of basic information about the territory.
Don't question why there was a Camera in this era. Just assume it had been brought over from the Pre-Civilization.
There's a Camera too? That's a good thing. Warfarin can wear her clothes again, and I can photograph all of them.
Is the Camera Victoria's version of a Camera? But what's the point of taking pictures? Aren't they only black and white? I absolutely won't wear your clothes a second time! That would be so embarrassing!
You'll understand once I bring this thing over.
Kal'tsit had no idea that someone had already set his sights on her Camera. She was currently thinking about another matter.
She had obtained some information from the bulletin board. For example, this land had been sold by Theresia to Huang Cao, the sole descendant of the Grass-eating Demon Royal Court, a young man named Huang Cao.
But hadn't the Grass-eating Demon race gone extinct long ago?
They had gone extinct sometime between the Tikkaz becoming the Sarkaz. Since the race's ability to cultivate plants had once supported the Demon King's entire logistics system, the allied forces had paid a tremendous price to break through Demon King City.
The former Lord of the Royal Court of the Grass-eating Demons understood their own nature. Even if the allied forces discovered them, they would probably be turned into tools once again, so they had led their people into the furnace.
From then on, the Grass-eating Demons had completely become dust in history.
What was interesting was that the notice clearly stated that Huang Cao was the last remnant of the Grass-eating Demon Royal Court, though his bloodline was too thin to reproduce his ancestors' glory.
Lamian had known his true identity from the very beginning as well.
Yet even now, Theresia still believed that this territory belonged to the Undead Spirit rather than Huang Cao.
"This race still has bloodline descendants. They can indeed make some changes to Originium, but they can only alter a small portion. Even the most powerful Lord of the Royal Court couldn't instantly transform such a vast environment."
"I'll go and take a look tomorrow morning. Huang Cao... That sounds like a Yan Country name."
Kal'tsit frowned, then took a sleeping bag from her pack and curled up beside the campfire.
Huang Cao couldn't hear Kal'tsit's thoughts, but there was no doubt that she had no intention of leaving.
If she wasn't leaving, didn't that mean she intended to come?
Warfarin said, "So, according to you, you want to recruit this woman under your command and have her work for you? If you're discovered, it won't be a minor matter."
Warfarin was extremely worried. After living here for so long, she truly didn't want this pure land disturbed by some pointless game of war.
The young man rose, stroked the vampire's smooth silver hair, and comforted her. "It's fine. Even if I don't bring her into Kazdel now, someone else will bring her in sooner or later."
Kazdel was apparently destined to be entangled with this cat for the rest of its existence. Whether alive or dead, it could never escape Kal'tsit.
As a Sarkaz, Warfarin's favorability toward Kal'tsit was naturally negative. After all, who could feel goodwill toward an enemy who had invaded their homeland?
The night passed peacefully. As the head maid sought comfort, Warfarin could only fall asleep while hugging the young man's warm body, which carried the fresh scent of grass.
Only that could ease the trace of conflict in her heart.
Huang Cao was considerate enough to open his arms wide as well. Who could refuse the warmth of soft jade in their embrace?
Although he had already seen plenty while playing dress-up with Warfarin, there was no reason to turn down this round of benefits.
There'll be another update this afternoon.
Chapter 29: Are You Recruiting an All-Purpose Talent Here?!
"By the way, is the Doctor the same as in the story?"
Huang Cao sat on the soft sofa, pondering how to deal with Kal'tsit, that old fox.
He might not be able to outmatch this old cat with words alone. Rather than nervously waiting for her to expose him, he might as well take the initiative and catch her off guard.
The Long-lived species had far too much social experience. Without something explosive, it would be difficult to intimidate Kal'tsit.
Thus, Huang Cao spent the entire morning searching the Originium Database for information about the Doctor.
In the end, he found nothing. From scattered fragments, he could only obtain one sentence: Kal'tsit, go have fun. Your old man will figure out the solution!
Old man? This way of addressing her... Could the Doctor be male?
Setting the Doctor's gender aside, the joke in that sentence felt strangely familiar to Huang Cao. Wasn't it from some adventure cartoon?
Could the Doctor also be a transmigrator?
Big brother, how did you transmigrate even earlier than I did? I thought transmigrating to several hundred years before the main story was already absurd, but you actually went back to the Pre-Civilization?
No, I had to ask Presis.
The main story had already revealed this Cyber Ghost long ago. She was still alive and even secretly spying on the Doctor's every move.
After Warfarin left, Huang Cao took an extremely high-concentration piece of Originium out of the basement. He kneaded it into powder with his hands and put it into a large opaque vat.
"Presis, I know you can observe this planet through Originium. Don't worry, I have no interest in your plan. I just want to live comfortably here for a while."
"Now I need you to answer some questions about your civilization, especially matters concerning you and the Doctor."
"If you don't show yourself, I'll dig the Doctor out and let her experience the beauty of this land in the harshest way possible!"
After saying that, Huang Cao stared fixedly at the vat. Before long, ripples stirred across the water. Once they settled, the reflection of a brown-haired woman appeared on its surface.
"Presis, it's been almost ten years since our last contest, hasn't it? Your cat is about to come here, so I need you to help me set a trap for her."
"Tell me about the two of you. Is the Doctor male or female? How tall is she? Things like that..."
Presis said nothing. She merely frowned, seemingly astonished that he knew about this.
The Originium Database contained no such information.
The Doctor is a beautiful woman, one meter eighty-five tall. That's all I can tell you.
Presis hurriedly checked Rhodes Island's systems. For a moment, she had nearly thought that someone had hacked into them.
"Why does the Doctor call herself 'Old Man'? Is that some special etiquette from the Pre-Civilization?"
I don't know either. Ever since I met her, she's said that after solving every problem. You could call it her catchphrase.
So we all respectfully call her Old Man, myself included.
It seemed that Miss Doctor was most likely a transmigrator as well.
In his previous life, many people had known that joke. Although most might not have watched the entire cartoon, the joke had remained firmly etched in people's memories.
Besides, it was much easier to understand than "change the variable, keep the constant; determine the quadrant from the sign." Mathematical theorems were nearly universal across many worlds, and other people could summarize them too.
Cartoon jokes were different. If they matched, they were basically a perfect fit.
What was more, transmigrators often had a certain bond with one another. Some special information could always bring their brainwaves into sync.
Huang Cao had accidentally matched this joke.
From Presis's words, Huang Cao also learned that Miss Doctor might have a rather lively personality, rather than being the cold and heartless type.
Don't interfere with our plan...
Presis spoke in a tone that was half-pleading and half-threatening. Faced with Huang Cao, an existence so strange that he was practically inexplicable, she truly had no way to deal with him.
She had once tried to kill him in the cradle, but after fighting him back and forth, she had somehow given away part of the Database's permissions. She couldn't even take them back.
Who could she complain to about this?
Huang Cao coughed and solemnly promised, "I won't deliberately alter Originium, but I can't guarantee what other people will do. Don't underestimate the life on this land. Life is far more resilient than you imagine."
After all, the one making the choice in the future might be the Doctor herself. Even if Huang Cao did nothing, Presis's plans might still fail.
Presis, rest assured! I'm interrogating an alien female agent with all my might today!
Whenever he thought of a certain meme image, Huang Cao found it difficult not to burst out laughing.
Presis didn't know what he was laughing about. She only felt that something seemed to have appeared on her head. After glaring furiously at him through the water's surface, she vanished.
"I need to find a chance to dig Miss Doctor out... Forget it. I'll wait a few centuries first. As the saying goes, when countrymen meet in a foreign land, one stabs the other in the back."
"One must not harbor the intention of harming others, but one must guard against others as well. Until I truly understand the Doctor's personality, I still need to focus on developing myself."
After speaking with Kal'tsit's mother, it was almost noon. Green Big Cat had already arrived at the gate of Huang Cao's castle, and she had met Warfarin half an hour earlier.
"You're here to apply as a teacher? Seriously? I thought there weren't many educated people here. And you seem to have come from Victoria. You must be exhausted from the journey. Go take a bath first. There's no rush to interview."
To uncover the truth of this place, she had risen early, before the sun had even crossed the hills.
Unfortunately, too many people had seen Kal'tsit's face during the war, and quite a few Sarkaz hated her to the bone. She had no choice but to wear a hood and conceal her appearance.
Yet even after hiding herself as thoroughly as possible, the conditions available to her still couldn't change the fact that she wasn't Sarkaz.
"No need. My face was burned in Victoria recently, and the wounds on my skin haven't healed yet. Contact with water could cause an infection. I wandered here by accident, and while passing the bulletin board, I saw that you were recruiting teachers, so I came."
Warfarin stared at her for five or six minutes before taking eight test papers and a fountain pen from a wooden folder.
"Finish these papers first. After the lord grades them today, if you pass everything, you can proceed to the next round of interviews tomorrow."
"You can stay here tonight. Your room and food have already been prepared."
Kal'tsit accepted the eight test papers, originally intending to have a cup of tea to moisten her throat.
But when she saw the papers, she nearly spat out the tea she had just swallowed. The only reason she didn't was that she was normally extremely mature and composed.
The eight tests covered, respectively: Sarkaz language, mathematics, Victoria language, Terra history, physics, geography, chemistry, and predictions concerning the situation in Kazdel.
High EQ: Hire an all-purpose talent.
Low EQ: Buy an all-purpose slave.
Kal'tsit was puzzled. Did this lord really intend for her to teach all these subjects?
Chapter 30: Is This Name Yours?
As the saying went, capable people got worked to the bone.
How could Huang Cao possibly let Kal'tsit, who had delivered herself to his door, get away?
Huang Cao's territory was desperately short of talent. Although these people had followed him to the territory for five years, the population had grown from just over six hundred to more than eight hundred, while the labor force had barely increased—and had even decreased.
After all, once there was another little life in the family, someone had to stay home and care for the child.
Compared with his previous life, Terra's natives had bodies that were practically superhuman. Even five- or six-year-old children had considerable strength.
But Huang Cao didn't think he was cruel enough to that extent. It was better to let these new lives enjoy a relatively peaceful childhood and learn more knowledge.
Because he feared that revealing his territory too early would cause unnecessary trouble, Huang Cao could only try searching his own territory for educated people.
But he truly couldn't find any. To improve the territory's cultural level, he had even sent out the original twenty maids to teach people how to read.
These days, the extravagant life of Lord Huang depended entirely on Warfarin.
Now that this piece of prime meat called Kal'tsit had come knocking, how could Huang Cao let her slip away for nothing?
He had to make full use of her!
The eight test papers on the table were only a formality. With Kal'tsit's wealth of knowledge, there was no way she couldn't answer the questions on them.
Before you continue