As Ed became the de facto ruler of the Theocracy, some of its Theocracy settings gradually changed.
The Theocracy now has two capitals, one in the south and one in the north. The southern Holy City remains the promised land in the hearts of all Tree Worship Church, while Valhalla in the north remains the stronghold of the Soul Returner.
The two cities appear to separate their political and religious functions, but in reality, this separation is merely geographical. Under the coverage of the Root Network, Ed still maintains real-time control over everything within the centers of the two Theocracy.
As the turmoil subsided, the Holy City gradually began to return to its former prosperity.
Many believers who had never had any experience in business or small-scale trading began to try it out, encouraged by Ed, injecting new vitality into the Holy City.
Now, this largest city in the world is a vibrant place where everything Vitality.
Early in the morning, [ A Huan ] and several tall men entered a newly opened shop and said to the NPC shopkeeper:
"Give me five long loaves of bread, but not the kind that could kill someone."
"Okay, it'll be right there. Would you like some milk?"
Is it a real cow or a cow that grows on a tree?
"It's in the tree..."
"No! Give me five cups of Angler Melon juice."
"Okay."
The owner inside agreed and quickly brought out five wrapped long loaves of bread and five cups of somewhat strange-looking drinks for the group.
"I never expected to meet you here..."
Breakfast was served, but no one started eating first, as there were more important things to do at that moment.
One person looked at [ A Huan ] sitting opposite them, their eyes already brimming with tears:
"Brother, you're really still alive..."
"Yes, I didn't expect that either."
Upon hearing this, [ A Huan ] also sighed deeply:
Life's encounters are so wondrous; who would believe it if I told them?
"Die, reincarnate, and then meet... your comrades from your past life."
"Even novels wouldn't dare to write something like that."
I don't think so!
Another person retorted, but it was just a playful rebuttal between friends; their expression didn't improve in the slightest. Instead, they asked:
"You're not changing your name or your face? Do you think nobody in this other world will recognize you?"
[ A Huan ] said with a smile:
"Well... I did have the idea of reincarnation and starting over at the time, but I still felt I should leave something behind, just in case I ran into someone I knew before, right?"
"You're absolutely right—when we saw you, we thought you were haunted!"
A former comrade-in-arms said, somewhat amused and exasperated.
However, at this moment, [ A Huan ] couldn't stand it anymore. He looked at his four friends and said with a smile:
"I'm clearly still alive, so why are you all so unhappy?"
Where?
One person retorted:
"I just didn't expect it."
"I'm just really annoyed."
Another person patted [ A Huan ] on the shoulder and recalled:
"After all, we attended your memorial service. You have no idea how long the obituary read by the leaders was..."
Everyone was crying their eyes out, only to find you here enjoying a life of leisure.
"The idea of someone dying and then coming back to life is practically a classic phenomenon in this world."
[ A Huan ] recalled a Grand Foundry Master had repeatedly died and come back to life, and then refuted the other party again:
"And where is there any chance to enjoy a life of leisure?"
He shrugged.
"I'm very busy!"
Busy exploring another world?
A friend made a sarcastic remark.
"I don't have that much free time right now; I'm mainly serving as an advisor to the demons."
"Even demons need advisors?"
"The demon said he wanted to learn from the advanced military training methods of another world, so he found me."
"He knew you could do this?"
"Yes, in this area... I'm quite well-known."
As [ A Huan ] spoke, images of medieval cavalry in groups of three, Dragonborn Village praising kindness and shouting loyalty, and demons who constantly uttered "I don't understand" flashed through his mind...
Well, I think I'm actually enjoying myself here.
[ A Huan ] quickly picked up the Angler Melon on the table, squeezed some juice, took a sip, and changed the subject, asking:
"Tell me about this, what's going on here?"
"Oh, this..."
One of the men wiped away tears from the corner of his eye and said:
"You know the nature of our team—peacekeeping, that's where we go wherever there are factors that affect peace."
"Some countries and regions simply do not have the capacity to independently resolve the Source of Disorder, so we can only come here in batches for further training and to learn from their advanced experiences."
"Isn't it our turn now?"
"I see."
[ A Huan ]'s expression was somewhat solemn:
"What's the situation over there... uh, I mean back in my hometown? Is it serious?"
"It's hard to say."
Another friend chimed in, explaining:
"It's probably somewhere between 'okay' and 'severe'."
Although 'disorderly incidents' occur very frequently, only a small percentage of them cause harm.
"For example, the wheat yield in a certain farmland suddenly increases twentyfold..."
You mean Duo Shao?
[ A Huan ] was shocked on the spot.
"Yes, twenty times the normal amount. The wheat ears grew from the very top of the stalk to the very bottom, it was so scary that people didn't dare to eat them."
The man nodded firmly and said:
"And the kernels were extremely plump—I thought they were corn."
"Stop talking, I'm a little scared."
"What's wrong with that?"
The man looked at the other player and asked using a real-world term of address:
" Captain Zhang, what else was there?"
The burly man, who had just been crying his eyes out, wiped his nose and said:
"Oh my, there are so many! I remember Professor Li telling me that their team has seen quite a few rare things."
He counted on his fingers in front of [ A Huan ]:
"There were war-monster sheep that swept through an entire wolf pack, mulberry trees that assimilated an entire forest, a crematorium that frantically produced relics, a car that ran 500 miles without gas or electricity, and I heard there was a mummy and something about it, but I can't quite remember— Professor Li's team seemed to have arrived a step too late, and the mummy had been taken away by people from other countries."
[ A Huan ] was initially astonished, but after listening for a while, he understood:
"It doesn't sound very dangerous, and its destructive power is limited."
"Well, but not entirely."
One player added:
"News just came back two days ago—every living thing within a 100-kilometer radius of an uninhabited island in the 〇 Pacific Ocean is dead."
"Everything?"
[ A Huan ] was shocked.
"Yes, everything you can think of—plants, animals, microorganisms, on land, in the sky, in the sea..."
The Soul Returner sighed:
"Luckily it's an uninhabited island, otherwise it would be a huge problem. That area of the sea is now sealed off, and we don't even know if any living creatures will die if they enter the area."
"However, two months have passed since the incident, and since it was in an uninhabited area, there were no casualties."
"If it weren't for the satellite photos, nobody would even know this now."
Just as everyone was about to express their feelings, someone suddenly changed the subject:
"Hey A Huan, look at this post—could the demon this person is looking for be the one who hired you as a consultant?"