Chapter 90

"Can't I just beat their heads into pig heads too?"

"... That's... okay... but if good people can't sit down and talk things out properly... I feel sorry for you."

"That's true."

Looking at the Sarkaz, though somewhat dejected, clearly agreed with Nana's decision... Nana felt that perhaps it was time to let the other Sarkaz know some of her secrets.

"Then, we don't need to openly enter the village as Sarkaz... Athena, could you prepare a headscarf for me... a black one... and also a black robe to wear over it?"

"Black...?"

"Yes."

Firstly, there wasn't much else usable in the team besides black fabric, and secondly... white... that feeling of standing out as the brightest star in the room was something I wasn't used to... although what I was about to do was almost entirely unrelated to the element of 'hiding in the shadows'.

As the dark smoke enveloped her, a faint crimson 'Halo' and 'Light Wings' slowly emerged, and Nana's Bloodfiend -like red eyes gradually turned SilverAsh... This was Nana's current hair color after the Witchcraft energy and the Halo were harmonized.

Just as bloodlust and murderous intent were expelled from her body and transformed into Halo and wings representing depravity, by removing those elements, Nana herself has now become 'pure' and spotless.

"... My sister has become just like a real Sankta!"

Smiling again, Nana ruffled the little girl's hair on her lap. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she was actually half Sankta... In fact, Sister Nana had existed for far longer than Bloodfiend Nana.

After Ms. Athena, seemingly inspired by Nana's Halo and wings, swiftly completed the Nana requested, two trucks stopped outside the village fence, and the Sarkaz all put on their hoods... The pointed horns peeking out from inside the hoods made them look like Feline or Liberi with ear feathers at first glance... Surprisingly, no one seemed to have any resistance to 'dressing up'.

Under the leadership of 'Fallen Angel' Nana, the robes and hoods of the Sarkaz seemed to carry a touch of piety.

As the hunters got out of their vehicles and called out, the village gates opened. Amidst the villagers' puzzled and wary gazes, the hunters summoned the village chief. They arranged for the vehicles to be parked near the well in the center of the village so that the water tanks could be filled before leaving, and then led everyone into the village's longhouse.

This is the village's public warehouse, meeting room, and temporary housing for visitors. Although tools such as plows, harrows, and hoes are neatly arranged in the corner, and there are miscellaneous items such as pickle jars and seed bags piled up under the windows, with a little arrangement, it would be no problem for about twenty people to sleep on the floor here as temporary dormitories.

And the most important asset of a village... a small tracked vehicle that can both plow the land and carry villagers and their belongings to safety in the event of Catastrophes is parked on the other side of the longhouse.

Aside from the longhouse garage, the three-meter-high vehicle was covered with a dust cover made of three-colored plastic woven bags... The thick layer of dust indicated that the village had not migrated for a long time, and their lives were probably quite stable.

However, it's unclear whether this 'stability' means a stable upward trend... or perhaps a stable period of poverty.

While Nana was waiting in the longhouse with Ah Fu and Eileen for a while, and seeing that the village's mischievous children were starting to try to get the Sarkaz girls to play in the mud, the hunter, the village chief, and three elders came out of the inner room together... Nana told the girls to follow Lady Athena and not to get too close to the villagers all at once.

Adults at least know what social distancing is, but it wouldn't be good if children, playing around without thinking, accidentally pulled their hoods down.

"Your Excellency... I've discussed your matter with the village chief and the township heads..."

Nana nodded at the hunter's words, and then at Nana's prompting, Eileen and Ah Fu took off their headscarves. Apart from the village chief, who had a stubble beard but bright eyes, the other two elderly people who were probably in charge of the village both looked worried.

"Now that we've laid everything out in the open, let's go through the events one by one, from most recent to oldest... First, I saw the hunters from your village knock down three of our young men and try to drag them away... Is there any explanation for that?"

Seeing the Fallen Angel dressed as a missionary, wearing a black overcoat over a white dress and acting all businesslike, the village chief, who had been silent until now, glanced at the two Sarkaz servants behind Nana and said in a hoarse voice, "Qi..."

"I can see you're a reasonable person...and the key to the conflict is the reason, and this is a misunderstanding, so...I think what you need is clear compensation from us to ease the young man's resentment... This was our hunter's fault, the village can provide...two thousand rubles...and then the hunters can chip in some more, making it a total of five thousand...what do you think?"

"... The recent exchange rate of the ruble against the Lungmen Dollar... ah, to put it another way, how much bread can you buy in the city with rubles right now?"

"One pack contains about twelve slices... You used to be able to buy more for one ruble, but the market has been getting worse lately, and bakeries are slowly raising their prices... I think five thousand rubles is a price we can all afford; it's not a small amount of money." Lin

Looking at the old man's ripped overalls, and then at the nearly empty warehouse where rats could run, Nana nodded: Si

"Okay, let's do it this way, five thousand rubles. But I guess you don't have that much cash... You can pay for the goods at market price... But... please remember, it's market price... Everyone's struggling financially, so since we've agreed, let's not create unnecessary trouble..."

Nana shrugged, leaning back slightly on the hard wooden chair, adopting a somewhat relaxed posture: Qi

"Now that we've covered those troublesome things, let's talk about something else... We'd like to exchange some supplies and... some travel items in the village. What do you need? We have salt, sugar, and pepper... Of course, if you can handle those yourself, we've also 'collected' quite a few Ursus weapons. You can remelt them to make something else... or perhaps keep them for yourselves? Things aren't going well in Ursus lately, and the security seems to be getting worse."

Hearing Nana's words, the village, which had been somewhat dejected because of the huge sum of five thousand rubles, suddenly brightened up:

"... A convenient tool for travel! We can provide maps... hunters have discovered many animal trails not found on official maps, and they're recorded in them. Are you interested?"

Seeing Nana nod and signal him to continue, the village chief's spirits lifted considerably. He then thought for a moment and took out a box from his pocket that Nana recognized very well.

"Also, I think you guys might find this useful..."

"... Oripathy prevention drugs..."

Produced by Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Group, originating from Kazdel... the Exploration Vehicle was loaded with a lot of 'goods'. As for the village chief's shifty expression after taking out this item, Nana knew his worries... In the end, he was still wondering whether he could trust these Sarkaz in front of him, and whether they would return this obviously valuable item.

The hunters had previously mentioned that the Court Army had given them a hard time... Nana didn't know if she was cleaning up the mess for the Court Committee or changing the image of the Sarkaz race... But in any case, Number Seventy-Seven just needed to be Number Seventy-Seven herself.

"... That's fine, but if you provide the medicine, our 'payment' might not be enough... However, we don't have cash. How about other forms of hard currency?"

With Nana's snap of her fingers, Ah Fu nodded silently and then pulled out a box the size of a human head from somewhere behind him... Judging from the golden appearance of the metal parts on it, everyone present gaped slightly, suspecting that it was made of Red Gold.

The butler elegantly opened the wooden crate that had escaped the initial looting by Yato Black Horn because it was hidden under the officer's bed. Inside, there were Red Gold bars the size of a finger, some whole and some cut, red or blue gemstones with dazzling colors, anonymous bank bonds, and other valuable items scattered about, presenting a kind of messy beauty.

As the 'invisible hand' picked out five gold bars... Nana later considered the matter and silently divided the gold into a pile of irregular gold nuggets... In the end, the angular gold nuggets were transformed into small gold cookies that were easier to sell and wouldn't be traced. After this was done, Nana waved her hand, and the pleasant metallic clanging sound was concentrated in an inconspicuous velvet bag.

"... This will make it easier for you to sell... but remember, this is pure gold, don't get ripped off by those unscrupulous merchants in the city... and the medicine we need..."

"We'll bring it to you right away!"

Seeing the hunter swing his legs, he rushed out with a face full of ecstatic joy. Nana casually tossed him a handmade gold coin. The village chief slapped away the hand of another steward who was trying to touch the belt with his cane, then whispered:

"The transaction isn't finished yet, so nobody can touch this bag. If there are any missing bags when we count them at the end, who's responsible..."

PS:... I vomit everything I eat... I feel like I'm going to die soon.

PS2: Meow Meow Cat

4th Crimson Warm Winter: 093 Village-Driven the Guerrillas

The village chief is not just an ordinary rural old man. Judging from his language and the way he conducts negotiations, he is at least an educated man who has seen some of the world.

However, preventing others from touching the gold... is less about worrying about not being able to settle the payment later, and more about him still being worried that Nana might use this money as a pretext to do something to the village...

After all, ever since Nana performed that trick of cutting the gold brick in mid-air, the old man's wariness had never disappeared.

For Nana, this is the attitude she wants.

Fairly handling disputes, conducting transactions fairly, and ultimately ensuring everyone gets what they want peacefully... this should be the most basic ethical principle in the hearts of everyone on this land.

However, justice now requires violence as a foundation, and fairness requires both parties to treat each other as equals... As for ultimately getting what one wants peacefully... Nana doesn't achieve many completely 'happy endings' in her missions.

Even though the Loken Watertank case was a resounding victory for the side of justice in the eyes of her manager, it remains a tragedy that haunts Nana's heart to this day.

Using real money to buy Rhodes Island's free medicine for the Infected might seem like a huge loss to some in the team Nana n't even blink an eye using the officers' collections looted from the Ursus Landship to buy Rhodes Island's medicine.

This move serves two purposes: firstly, it aims to dispel the Sarkaz's preconceived notion that they are only capable of evil; secondly, it can be seen as a way to vindicate Rhodes Island's drugs and essentially advertise for the Rhodes Island... Of course, reimbursement is probably out of the question.

The only aspect of the entire operation that Nana might be particularly concerned about is that Rhodes Island itself wouldn't distribute drugs indiscriminately.

If there's medicine in this village, then there must be the Infected here... And Nana is collecting medicine... If the Infected are willing to sell it themselves, that's fine, but I'm afraid the village is forcibly confiscating the patients' medicine to exchange for money... Nana feels it's necessary to talk to the village chief about this.

After unpacking the product and examining the non-contact automatic injector in her hand, Nana played with it for a moment before handing it to Eileen.

"... Rhodes Island... I know this company. They're a pharmaceutical manufacturer, but they don't actively sell drugs. They claim to be experts on the Infected and only distribute PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) medication to the Infected on a one-to-one basis... Village chief, there are the Infected in your village."

The village chief frowned again at Nana's open and aboveboard statement:

"... To a demon... Sarkaz nobleman, I have no reason to hide it... However, Sarkaz shouldn't be averse to the Infected... Or are you going to report us to the Military Police?"

"No, I just wanted to inquire about something. I heard that the methods used against the Infected become increasingly brutal the further up Ursus goes in the snow... Is that true?"

"It's true, the city's nobles are constantly forming Infected Enforcement Squad... I remember the hunter telling me, 'You're going to the mines?'"

"I have that idea. After all, the civil war forced many Sarkaz to flee to other countries... I don't believe everyone can find a peaceful life in a new the Dominion..."

Looking at Nana's current missionary attire, the old man's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito:

"Do you intend to rescue your own people by using your sworn enemy's disguise?"

"... Generally speaking, that's correct... but, there are good and bad people... not all missionaries want to spread the gospel, and not all Sarkaz can be called 'demons'..."

At this point, Nana shook her head, feeling she had gone off-topic:

How many people in the village originally needed medicine?

"..."

"I didn't mean to pry into your village's secrets... I just hope that people who need the medicine won't become a threat to your safety... After all, I can't accept a fair trade ending up like 'the Sarkaz stealing the medicine Rhodes Island gave us,' you understand, Chieftain..."

"... I know... of course, nothing like what you're worried about will happen..."

After a moment of silence, the old man unbuttoned two buttons on his cotton coat, revealing a small amount of Originium Crystals:

"Money that can buy tangible goods is more valuable than pain-relieving medications."

"... Okay, let's begin the transaction... Ah Fu, the rest is up to you."

"Yes, sir."

After receiving the village chief's assurance, or rather, his 'handle', Nana confidently entrusted the rest to Ah Fu to handle... However, in return, the village chief instructed the oldest hunter to entertain Nana... supposedly to prevent the villagers from offending the nobles, but... thinking about it carefully, he was probably just worried that Nana might cause some trouble in the village.

Fortunately, with the transaction completed, the villagers happily began selecting the spoils released by the Sarkaz. They displayed handmade gold coin bags, the crisp jingling sound bringing smiles to the faces of the villagers.

Nana's generosity and friendliness led the villagers to take on many of the physical tasks, while the hunter introduced Nana to his wife... a very shy Liberi, who, at the hunter's suggestion, lent out their kitchen.

Nana might not care whether she eats rice porridge or the biscuits she brought herself... but the children were quite happy when they heard that they could sit at a table and chairs and eat proper food.

Gazing at the bustling scrap metal stalls at the village entrance... I mean, the stalls that seemed to specialize in selling military knives or halberds, and listening to the gentle female voice behind her instructing the children on how to safely use the stove, Nana glanced at the hunter who seemed very uncomfortable but was stubbornly standing beside her like Eileen...

Even though the transaction was already completed, this guy clenched his fists and rubbed the second joint of his thumb and forefinger... Through the Thought Chain Ring, Nana could sense that he was worried and suffering.

"You don't seem to be in a good mood... Is the injury on your face still hurting?"

"No, the medicine works very well, you're overthinking it... It's just that the village has been quite lively lately... I'm a little worried about everyone's safety."

"Wouldn't a lively atmosphere make people worry about safety? Isn't it better to liven things up, share resources, and get along harmoniously?"

The hunter's expression was genuinely conflicted upon hearing the statement about a 'Sankta' whose Halo and wings were dim and emitted black mist, suggesting he truly was a Sankta.

"You... probably already know that there are the Infected in our village... Because of the village chief's influence, we are actually quite lenient with the Infected... But even so, many hot-blooded young people have still been drawn into... the Infected Guerrilla Force... Although the village chief has some connections with the Military Police, the checks are not very strict."

"But the Infected Guerrilla Force are just plain brutal... The village is their birthplace and supply depot, so they're somewhat more lenient with them because they pay protection money there...

"But you and your men... firstly, you are few in number, and secondly, you are very generous... those the Guerrillas probably already know you are here..."

It sounds like you want me to leave quickly.

The hunter remained silent, and Nana had no interest in asking who in the village was connected to those 'The Guerrillas'... The hunter's concerns were not unfounded; Nana's watch had indeed received a telegram sent from near the village.

However... contrary to Nana's original assumption that the village was only supporting a certain the Guerrillas, the telegram sources Nana discovered appeared as many as four times in just the time it took to wait for lunch... This doesn't even include the few people Nana noticed secretly leaving the village and the exchanges between the telegrams themselves.

If I had to describe it, I could only say that this village has the beginnings of the Guerrillas base, although it has quite a few supporting groups... In addition, the village chief seems to have an unclear relationship with the Infected Enforcement Squad... It can only be said that this village is good at balancing the various forces, highlighting a rhythm of having both government officials and bandits.

After watching a villager secretly shoveling something under the chassis while helping with vehicle maintenance, Nana, having finished her Ursus beet soup, decided to do as the hunter asked.

Perfect timing, she also wanted to see what the situation was like with the Infected in Ursus.

So, you're leaving already?

"Yes, thank you all for your hospitality. Now that our supplies are fully replenished, we know the advance routes of Rhodes Island and those 'Sarkaz armies'... we even know the location of the mines. There's no reason for us to stay in this village any longer..."

She waved for everyone to take attendance and get on the trucks. After making sure no one was left out, and seeing that the convoy had grown from two trucks to three with a considerable load, Nana nodded in satisfaction... Even without a fixed safe house, the preparation work was still as enjoyable as ever.

The sense of pleasure is even stronger if the money used for purchasing comes from thin air.

"Then, let's continue."

Having received supplies, and knowing that small vehicles simply cannot match the speed of behemoths like the Exploration Vehicle, Nana decided to bypass the next village and head straight to checkpoint Number Three, hoping to reunite with her Rhodes Island companions...

As for the strange devices that the villagers had installed on the chassis of their vehicles, Nana ignored them after Anna determined that they were simply transmitting devices that posed no direct threat.

The assassin even placed her disguised Guardian Gun into the weapon case she had salvaged from the Ursus Landship. Nana, when able, would store something as sophisticated and valuable as the WA2000 in a dedicated container... This method of not directly carrying the weapon does indeed fit the image of Sankta monk on a pilgrimage... Of course, this assumes we ignore the Sarkaz maids and butlers around Nana, who now usually wear hoods like religious followers... their overall image is that of someone fishing.

Nana had originally anticipated that those who were watching her would intercept her some distance from the village and fields. Her convoy's route would pass through a timberland flanked by fast-growing trees, a place not only fenced off but also too dense for vehicles to traverse, making it perfect for bandits to ambush her...

However, to Nana's surprise, before the convoy had even left the field ridges or the village sentries' line of sight, two vans suddenly sped out from the main road and into the fields. Both drivers jerked their steering wheels, clearly startled.

"... Does this guy think he's driving an armored vehicle on the Kawu Battlefield?"

Before the butler could finish complaining, the guy who almost drove the car into the field impatiently opened the car door, pointed at Nana's three cars, and yelled:

"It's them!"

The village's alarm bells and Nana's order to lock the car doors came out almost simultaneously... but because it was a truck, most people... including Eileen and the two children, were sitting in the truck bed, so Nana, the only combatant, had to get out to fight.

"Ah Fu, get the convoy moving! Don't let them capture the hostages!"

After saying that, the assassin opened the door, flipped herself onto the roof of the car, quickly assessed the number of people rushing towards her, and then pulled out the pistol she had been hiding in her thigh.

Three gunshots rang out in quick succession, amplified by the black Witchcraft aura and the scarlet muzzle flash, sounding like thunder. As the two men who rushed into the front of the truck and the guy who looked like the leader fell to the ground, Nana saw the vehicle beneath her start moving and jumped to the car behind her. Then she fired two shots into the head of the thug who was still pulling at the driver's side door.

Although Nana's pistol was equipped with a non-expanded magazine designed to fit a girl's hand shape,.45 caliber ammunition wasn't exactly small-caliber for a pistol... Being hit at close range by something imbued with Witchcraft without protection would naturally result in a fatal accident. Since the driver of car Number Two was completely stunned, Nana had to step on the roof of the car and then contact the driver's cab through Anna's radio, instructing them to follow Ah Fu's car ahead.

Finally, there's the most troublesome third vehicle... This vehicle is filled with small items that Nana bought in the village... such as animal skin blankets for camping insulation, iron pots and cooking utensils, and winter clothes that haven't been distributed yet. Because the truck bed is full of luggage, there are only three drivers taking turns driving the whole vehicle.