Blessed by Abundance, Scourge of Terra

Even if I wanted to turn the tables and take control, it would only be possible if the Originium Project had clearly fallen into a disadvantage.

But what kind of situation is this? I lie down for just over ten years, and they tell me Originium is already done for?

This is even more absurd than a Deep Sea Fish fighting a Sweeping Robot.

Heresy! Let me take a closer look!

Kal'tsit leaped up and landed on the outskirts of the town, but because the light of the Golden Tree was far too dazzling in the night, her camouflage might as well have been nonexistent.

Fortunately, at this hour, the residents of Huang Cao's territory were all fast asleep, and Kal'tsit's stealth skills were decent enough, so she didn't cause much of a commotion.

She successfully made her way to a bulletin board at the base of the Golden Tree, used a special Camera to save the contents, and then bolted out of the town at top speed.

To be safe, Kal'tsit even crossed several mountains, traversing from the mountain range of Kazdel all the way to the mountain range of Victoria, then found a hidden cave to hole up in.

She thought this would let her escape Huang Cao's surveillance, but...

[Who told you there aren't any of my roots on the other side of the mountain range? I just couldn't be bothered to remodel the environment.]

[If I didn't plant eyes on Victoria's border, what if some noble gets a wild hair and decides to attack me later?]

Watching Kal'tsit's nervous demeanor in his field of vision, Huang Cao wished he could record this scene and find an opportunity later to show it to the amnesiac Doctor.

When no one was watching, Kal'tsit's mental state was actually pretty normal. Riddles were for others to hear, not for herself.

"Recruiting teachers? Someone among the Sarkaz actually realized the importance of education?"

By the campfire, Kal'tsit looked at the contents of the camera with a somewhat complicated expression. It contained a recruitment notice for teachers, along with a bunch of basic information about the territory.

Don't question why there's a camera in this era. If you ask, it was brought over from the Pre-Civilization.

[There's a camera? That's a good find! I can make Warfarin wear her clothes again, and I'll photograph all of them.]

[Is that camera Victoria's recording device? But what's the point of taking pictures? Aren't they all just black and white? I'm not wearing those clothes a second time! That's too embarrassing!]

[Once I get my hands on this thing, you'll see.]

Kal'tsit had no idea her camera had already caught someone's eye. Right now, she was pondering one thing.

From the bulletin board, she had gathered some information. For instance, this land had been sold by Theresia to the only descendant of the Grass-eating Demon Royal Court—a young man named Huang Cao.

But hadn't the Grass-eating Demon race gone extinct a long time ago?

The extinction point was in the middle period when the Tikkaz transformed into the Sarkaz. It was precisely because this race's ability to nurture plants had propped up the Demon King's logistics that the allied forces paid a heavy price to breach the Demon King City back then.

Since the Lord of the Royal Court of the Grass-eating Demons understood their own traits, even if the allied forces discovered them, they would likely be used as tools again. So they led their people into the furnace.

From then on, the Grass-eating Demons became nothing but dust in history.

Interestingly, the notice made it clear that Huang Cao was the last remnant of the Grass-eating Demon Royal Court, but his bloodline was too thin to recreate the glory of his ancestors.

Lamian had known his true identity from the very beginning.

But until now, Theresia still believed this territory belonged to the Undead Spirit, not Huang Cao.

"This race actually still has a bloodline continuing. They can indeed make some changes to Originium, but all they can do is alter a small part. Even the strongest Lord of the Royal Court couldn't instantly transform such a vast environment."

"I'll go check it out tomorrow morning. Huang Cao... sounds like a name from Yan Country."

Kal'tsit frowned, then pulled a sleeping bag from her backpack, curled up facing the campfire, and lay down.

Huang Cao couldn't hear Kal'tsit's thoughts, but there was no doubt she had no intention of leaving.

Not leaving meant she wanted to come, didn't it?

Warfarin: "So, according to you, you want to take this one under your wing to work for you? If you get caught, that's no small matter."

Warfarin was very worried. Having lived here so long, she truly didn't want this peaceful land disturbed by boring war games.

The youth got up and stroked this vampire's smooth silver hair, comforting her: "It's fine. Even if I don't pull her into Kazdel now, someone else will pull her in later."

Kazdel was fated to be tangled up with this cat for life. Whether alive or dead, they couldn't shake Kal'tsit.

As a Sarkaz, Warfarin's opinion of Kal'tsit was definitely negative. After all, who could feel fondness for an enemy who invaded their homeland?

The night passed without incident. Warfarin, as the head maid, sought comfort by holding onto the youth's warm body, which carried a faint scent of grass.

Only this could ease the knot of conflict in her heart.

Huang Cao generously opened his arms. Who could refuse a warm jade in their embrace?

Even though he'd already seen plenty from playing dress-up games with Warfarin, there was no reason to pass up this wave of benefits.

There will be another update in the afternoon.

Chapter 29: Recruiting an All-Rounder Here?!

"Speaking of which, is the Doctor the same as in the storyline?"

Huang Cao sat on the soft sofa, thinking about how to handle Kal'tsit, that old fox.

Relying solely on words, he might not be able to outtalk this old cat. So instead of timidly waiting for her to expose him, it was better to take the initiative and catch her off guard.

Long-lived species had far too much life experience. Without something explosive, it would be hard to intimidate Kal'tsit.

So for an entire morning, Huang Cao searched the Originium Database for information about the Doctor.

In the end, he found nothing. The only phrase he could piece together from fragments was: Kal'tsit, go ahead and do whatever you want—Dad will figure out a way!

Dad? That title... Could it be that the Doctor is male?

Setting aside the Doctor's gender, Huang Cao felt a strange familiarity with this joke—wasn't it from some adventure series?

Could the Doctor also be a transmigrator?

Eldest brother, how did you transmigrate even earlier than me? I thought jumping back a few hundred years before the main storyline was already insane, but you went all the way to the Pre-Civilization?

No, I have to ask Presis.

The main storyline had already revealed that this Cyber Ghost was still alive, even secretly spying on the Doctor's every move.

After Warfarin left, Huang Cao pulled a piece of highly concentrated Originium from the basement, crushed it into powder with his hands, and poured it into a lightproof vat.

"Presis, I know you can observe this planet through Originium. Rest assured, I have no interest in your plans. I just want to live comfortably here for a while."

"Now I need you to answer some questions—about your civilization, especially about you and the Doctor."

"If you don't show up, I'll dig the Doctor out and make him truly experience the beauty of this land!"

After saying this, Huang Cao stared intently at the vat. Soon, ripples stirred across the water's surface, and when they settled, the reflection of a brown-haired woman appeared.

"Presis, it's been nearly ten years since our last clash, hasn't it? Now your cat is about to arrive here, and I need you to help me set a trap for her."

"Tell me about you two—whether the Doctor is male or female, height, that kind of info..."

Presis said nothing, only furrowing her brow, as if surprised 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 quickly checked Rhodes Island's systems, almost thinking they'd been hacked.

"Why does the Doctor call herself 'Dad'? Is that some special custom of the Pre-Civilization?"

[I don't know. Ever since I met her, she's said that after every problem she solves. It's practically a catchphrase.]

[So we all respectfully call her 'Dad'—including me.]

It seemed Miss Doctor was likely a transmigrator too.

Because in the previous life, many people knew this meme. Though most might not have watched the full animation, the joke stuck.

And it was far more intuitive than something like "even changes with odd, signs depend on quadrants," since mathematical theorems were nearly universal across worlds—others could deduce them too.

Animation memes weren't so certain. If they matched, it was almost a sure thing.

Besides, transmigrators often shared a kind of fate, able to sync brainwaves through certain special signals.

Like this meme, which Huang Cao had unintentionally matched.

And from Presis's words, Huang Cao also gathered that Miss Doctor might have a lively personality, not some cold, ruthless figure.

[Don't interfere with our plans...]

Presis spoke with a tone that was both pleading and threatening. For someone as bizarre as Huang Cao, she was truly at a loss.

She'd tried to nip him in the bud before, but after fighting, she'd ended up ceding a chunk of database authority that she couldn't take back.

Who could she complain to about that?

Huang Cao cleared his throat and gave a solemn promise: "I won't deliberately alter Originium, but I can't vouch for others. Don't underestimate the life on this land—it's far more resilient than you imagine."

After all, the one who might make the final choice was the Doctor herself. Even if Huang Cao did nothing, Presis's plans could still fall through.

Rest easy, Presis! Today, we're harshly interrogating the alien female spy!

Thinking of a certain meme, Huang Cao couldn't help but crack a smile.

Presis didn't know what he was laughing at, only felt like something had been added to her head. She glared fiercely at him from the water's surface before vanishing.

"I'll find a time to dig Miss Doctor out... Nah, better wait a few hundred years. As the saying goes, 'Fellow townsman meets fellow townsman, stab them in the back.'"

"One must not harbor harmful intentions, but one must guard against others' harm. Until I truly understand the Doctor's personality, I need to focus on developing myself first."

After finishing his talk with Kal'tsit's biological mother, it was nearly noon. The Green Big Cat had already arrived at Huang Cao's castle gate, having met Warfarin half an hour earlier.

"Here to apply for a teaching position? Really? I thought there weren't many educated people around here. And you seem to have come from Victoria, all travel-worn. Go take a bath first—no rush for the interview."

To uncover the truth of this place, she had risen before the sun had even crested the hills.

Unfortunately, too many people in the war had seen Kal'tsit's face. Countless Sarkaz hated her to the bone, so she had to wear a hood to conceal her features.

But even with the utmost concealment, under current conditions, she couldn't change the fact that she wasn't a Sarkaz.

"No need. My face was badly burned in a fire in Victoria, and the skin wounds haven't healed yet. Contact with water could cause infection. While wandering, I stumbled into this place by chance. Passing by the bulletin board, I saw you were recruiting teachers, so I came."

Warfarin stared at her for five or six minutes, then pulled eight test papers and a fountain pen from a wooden folder.

"Finish these papers first. If the lord passes them all after grading tonight, you can proceed to the next round of interviews tomorrow."

"You'll stay here tonight. Your room and meals are already prepared."

Kal'tsit took the eight papers. She'd intended to sip some tea to moisten her throat.

But after glancing at the test papers, if not for her usual mature composure, the tea she'd just drunk would have sprayed right out.

The eight exam papers corresponded to the following subjects: Sarkaz Language, Mathematics, Victorian, Terra History, Physics, Geography, Chemistry, and Kazdel Situation Analysis.

High EQ: Hiring a versatile talent.

Low EQ: Buying a versatile slave.

Kal'tsit wondered inwardly, does this lord really want me to teach all these subjects?

Chapter 30: Is This Name Yours?

As the saying goes, the capable are the overworked.

How could Huang Cao let a gift like Kal'tsit, who had delivered herself to his doorstep, slip away?

Lord Huang's territory was desperately short of talent. Although these people had followed him to the territory for five years now, the population had only grown from the initial six hundred to over eight hundred, while the workforce had barely changed—in fact, it had even decreased.

After all, with every new little life, someone had to stay home to look after the child.

Though, compared to his previous life, the physical constitution of Terra's natives was practically superhuman—even five- or six-year-old children had considerable strength.

But Huang Cao didn't think he was cruel enough to go that far, so he let these new lives enjoy a relatively stable childhood; learning more knowledge was far more useful.

Afraid that exposing his territory too early would cause unnecessary trouble, Huang Cao could only try to find literate, educated people within his own domain.

But he really couldn't find any. To develop the territory's cultural level, Huang Cao had even sent out his original twenty maids to teach people to read.

Now, Lord Huang's lavish lifestyle was entirely sustained by Warfarin.

Since Kal'tsit, this chunk of fat that had stumbled into his hands, was already here, how could Huang Cao let her slip away for nothing?

He had to use her ruthlessly!

The eight exam papers on the table were just a formality, after all, with Kal'tsit's wealth of knowledge, there was no way she couldn't answer the questions on them.