Little Things Reveal True Skill / Winter Gives Way to Spring

"That Scout from Rhodes Island went out to investigate two weeks ago and hasn't returned yet. Speaking of which, we were able to react at the last minute and evacuate safely thanks to the intelligence he sent back at the crucial moment after we were surrounded."

Seeing that Talulah was in a low mood, Alina took the initiative to speak.

"Scout, it's him. We don't need to worry about him, but will he be able to find us here?"

Chapter 348 True Skill is Revealed in Trivial Matters

After hearing what Suika said, Alina picked up a small box.

"Mr. Scout is indeed very capable. This is what he gave us; he said it's a locator that he can use to find our location."

"Huh? Aren't you afraid that if he gets caught, this thing will become a weapon for the collaborators?"

Suika looked at Alina.

Just as Alina was wondering how to answer, she heard a male voice coming from the doorway.

"This is really awful. It should have been a pleasant occasion to see someone after so long, but the moment we met, I heard someone chirping about me from behind... I probably won't recover without a good drink."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man standing at the gate, covered in snow, the snow on his shoulders a testament to his long journey.

"Hey, people just can't stand being nagged; once you start nagging them, they'll show up."

Come, come, you look pretty cold, have a drink to warm yourself up."

As Suika spoke, she took out Ibuki Gourd, poured a bowl of sake, and handed it to him.

Scout, upon entering, picked up the wine bowl and was surprised to find that the wine was still warm, even though it hadn't touched the flame from the moment it was poured into the glass until it was handed to him.

"Is the wine still warm?" Suika playfully gave an OK sign.

Scout tilted his head back and downed the drink in one gulp. The warm liquor flowed down his throat, the heat spreading throughout his body, and he couldn't help but shiver.

"Good wine, good wine."

He then plopped down next to Suika.

People nearby quickly brought him a bowl of hot meat soup.

This broth wasn't made by Suika before; the one she made dissipated after the spell ended.

This was a pot of food that Talulah instructed Alina to cook specially for Suika and her group when they hadn't returned yet that evening.

Normally, Talulah would never be so wasteful, but now that Suika is here, and she has said that she will be with the Reunion Movement this winter, there will be no shortage of food, so she doesn't need to be so stingy.

Holding the bowl of meat soup, which was more than half full of meat, Scout, who had been walking in the snow for several days and had finally had a hot meal after enduring wind and rain, couldn't help but have a big appetite and buried himself in the food.

"It's getting late, everyone should rest first. We can talk about anything else tomorrow."

After Scout had eaten and drunk his fill, Talulah stood up and spoke.

"Yay!" Suika stretched. After the excitement of the battle that night, she felt sleepy. However, since everyone was sitting there, she felt embarrassed to slip away first. Now that Talulah had taken the initiative to say so, she could naturally prepare to go to sleep without any worries.

The next morning, Suika woke up to find Hoshiguma wrapped tightly around her waist and legs, chuckled, and stretched after getting up.

"Sorry, your clothes are covered in drool."

Although Suika said she was embarrassed, no one could tell from her expression that she was embarrassed at all.

Hoshiguma shook his head helplessly. This girl was restless in her sleep last night.

First, we agreed that she would sleep next to me, then she insisted on leaning against me, and then, as she fell asleep, she hugged me like a doll.

Suika looked at Hoshiguma's two peaks, no wonder she was sleeping so soundly, the size was just right for her head to bury in, with her two horns peeking out from the sides...

As expected, Hoshiguma is Suika's good friend; it's such a perfect match.

When he woke up, he saw Scout talking to Talulah and Patriot, so he curiously went over to them.

"That's exactly it. Based on the intelligence I've gathered recently, the leader of the New Reunion Movement, Mephisto, should be in a mountain village about 300 kilometers southwest of us."

Scout pointed to the village on the map and said.

After he finished speaking, the others fell silent.

"Hmm?" Scout wondered why everyone had such a serious expression.

"This village must be the hometown that Mephisto and Faust were talking about," Suika's words made Scout realize something.

He's been here for a while now and has learned about the relationship between the two members of the New Reunion Movement and Talulah and the others.

If this village is the hometown of those two, it's no wonder that Talulah and the others had that expression.

"And what about the people in this village?" Talulah asked after Suika spoke.

"There's absolutely no news. According to the intelligence I've gathered, no one escaped from the village after the New Reunion Movement members went in, but strangely, there's also been no evidence of any massacre."

Scout recounted the intelligence he had gathered over the past few days.

"Heh, of course no one will escape, and he won't even bother killing them, because under Mephisto's Originium Arts, they'll only become part of his Originium Arts — the Herd, truly a terrifying Originium Arts."

Suika snorted coldly. Mephisto's Originium Arts could stimulate the bodies of Infected, allowing them to recover quickly after being injured, but this was only one aspect of his Originium Arts.

If he increases his power, he can strip those who have been "saved" by his Originium Arts of control over their bodies.

Upon hearing Suika's words, the members of Reunion Movement's faces darkened even further.

Especially Talulah, who personally taught Mephisto his Originium Arts, and now it has become this harmful thing.

Talulah wanted to resolve this matter, but as with anything, the beginning is always the hardest. She had just come up with an idea and hadn't even voiced it when a sudden blizzard extinguished her plan to lead an elite squad in a raid to assassinate the enemy leader.

Keeping her plan to herself, Talulah looked at the people in the cave and began to deal with other problems.

When there are many people, there are quite a few problems, especially regarding eating, drinking, relieving oneself, and sleeping.

With the problem of eating Suika solved, it's not difficult to boil some snow from anywhere in this icy and snowy world.

However, the personal physiological problems of these nearly two thousand people were causing her a great deal of worry.

After all, they couldn't possibly relieve themselves inside the cave, and outside...

Fortunately, the Son of Earth and Stone Mudrock, provided a solution.

She dug a deep pit not far from the cave, and then everyone laid some wooden planks on it and covered it with a simple hut, making a temporary public toilet.

Although it's cold outside, it's not a problem if you only need to use the restroom for a few minutes.

Moreover, since it's not far from the cave and there are people watching this area at all times, there's no need to worry about safety.

Suika watched Talulah frantically dealing with trivial matters that affected everyone, she sighed to Hoshiguma beside her.

Being a leader is really not easy.

"Who says otherwise? Speaking of which, I really admire Miss Talulah. She can consider all the needs of these two thousand people in this environment in a very organized way. Old Chen, who leads a team in the Guard Department, often complains about how troublesome it is."

Hoshiguma sighed and complained about Old Chen, who was helping Talulah.

Chapter 349 Winter Passes and Spring Arrives

Seeing that the two ghosts were not only not doing anything, but also sitting there chirping crickets, Chen Hui-chieh couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"If you two are bored, go outside and help carry some trees back."

"No, we have that Thermostatic Rod, why did we cut down so many tree trunks?"

Suika looked at Old Chen with a puzzled expression.

"Trees aren't only used for firewood. You need wood to make furniture, plywood, stretchers, and all that. Did your brain freeze outside last night?"

Chen reached out and poked Suika's forehead.

"Hmph, I was just giving you a chance to show off, it's not like I don't know these things!"

Suika stubbornly retorted.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes!"

Chen walked silently to a spot not far away. Just as Suika was about to run over to argue, Hoshiguma grabbed her.

"Let's go, let's get to work."

"Wait, Hoshiguma, Old Chen doesn't believe me. I need to talk to her about it..."

Suika gestured wildly, indicating that everything else was fine, but she couldn't stand being mocked by Lao Chen.

However, after being flicked twice on the forehead by Hoshiguma, she finally covered her head and dejectedly followed Hoshiguma outside.

"How do we do it? Sweep this whole area up?" Suika clenched her fist as she looked at the distant mountains and forests.

"Use your brain. If you really do that, what will happen when other drones look this way?"

Wow, my goodness, there's such a huge gap in the forest.

"If the Ursus military weren't blind and brain-dead, they would know there's a large gathering of people here."

"Then what do we do?" Suika asked, looking troubled.

"We'll cut down one every three years. There are a lot of trees here, and if we cut down one every few, it won't be noticeable from a distance."

Remember, don't cut the highest prices, and let go of the smaller ones too; only look for those that are in the middle.

Hoshiguma reached out and tapped Suika's head, wondering if she had really been frozen senseless, since she didn't even know this.

"Hey hey, cutting down trees is too slow, come visit my Little Suika uprooting coniferous forest."

Having figured out the method, Suika hopped to a large tree, gathered her strength amidst the astonished gazes of the onlookers, and then with a sudden burst of power, uprooted the tree from the ground.

Everyone present exclaimed in admiration, "Holy crap!"

"What's going on... Holy crap!" Hearing the loud noise outside Talulah and her group came out and saw a large tree flying straight towards the cave entrance.

Just as Talulah instinctively prepared to use Originium Arts to cut down the tree, Chen blocked her hand from drawing her weapon.

"Etc!"

Chen, with his sharp eyes, spotted the legs flailing beneath the tree and stopped Talulah.

Just as the tree was about to reach the door, it suddenly stopped, and then Suika's voice came from inside the tree.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing blocking the way in?"

"Besides Miss Mudrock, you're the only one who can carry a tree on her back and run..." Red exclaimed as he leaned out from the side and saw Suika carrying the tree on her shoulder.

"Just practice more. Carrying a tree is nothing to make a fuss about."

Suika opened her mouth, Red felt his blood pressure spike.

This thing's little mouth is just so unpleasant.

It's a pity I can't beat her, otherwise I would have shown Suika what a punch as big as a sandbag is.

"Put the tree over there and let the children prune the branches!"

Talulah pointed to a clearing in the cave.

Only after she finished speaking did she notice the large pile of uprooted roots under the tree.

"Did you just pull it out directly?"

Only then did she belatedly realize her shock.

There are quite a few people in the Reunion Movement who can cut down a tree in an instant, and a few who can carry a tree back by themselves, but Suika's ability to uproot a tree in such an unreasonable way is truly unique.

Although it sounds exaggerated, the presence of Suika did indeed speed up the logging process considerably.

However, every time she pulled out a big tree, she would leave a very deep hole, which annoyed everyone. Many people fell flat on their faces because they didn't notice the deep hole.

Finally, under Hoshiguma's pressure, Suika agreed to dig and then voluntarily filled in the hole, thus ending the farce.

The following period was the most wonderful time for everyone who experienced it, with two meals a day of various delicacies from all over the world.

Because people don't exercise much in winter, when the weather warms up, they find that the elderly, weak, women and children who used to lose weight in winter due to lack of food and clothing have gained an average of about ten pounds.

The soldiers' weight also remained remarkably stable despite engaging in heavy physical labor.

When spring came, Talulah declared that she couldn't stand it any longer and was going to cause trouble for Mephisto.

Suika, who had been sitting there for three months and was so bored she was practically the Scream, cheered her on and gave it her full support.

But Alina and the others blocked Talulah.

Although punishing Mephisto and destroying the New Reunion Movement are extremely important.

But compared to that, there is something even more important, which is the spring planting on our side.

After all, Suika can't stay with them forever. Even if they have leftover food from the winter, how will they get through the autumn and winter of the Reunion Movement if they can't find a suitable place to cultivate it?

After much persuasion from the group, Talulah finally put aside her plan to launch a surprise attack on Mephisto.