On the wall of Dragonborn Village, two guards exchanged a glance, both seeing deep wariness in each other's eyes.
In fact, they didn't know what the person meant by " Alienation," but judging from the other person's confident tone, they felt that if they didn't report this to the village chief, there might be big problems later.
So one of them left first, while the other gripped his weapon tightly, staring intently in Ed's direction, remaining constantly on guard.
Ed paid no attention to this, focusing instead on guiding the vines on the ground to form a bouncy recliner under his bottom.
He then relaxed and lay back in front of the guards, even crossing his legs arrogantly as if in provocation.
The villagers guards were naturally furious at the sight, but they couldn't launch an attack without the village chief's orders. Otherwise, if things went wrong, they wouldn't even have enough to pay with their heads.
A minute later, Ed sensed a sudden impact in the distance through the vines rooted in the ground.
Although there was no outward reaction, Ed had already entered a fighting stance.
With a whooshing sound, a shirtless half-dragon descended from the sky and landed two meters in front of him.
This half-dragon was covered in wounds and ugly scales, and the two blood-soaked dragon horns on his head looked particularly ferocious and twisted. As for his hands and feet, they were already indistinguishable from those of a monster.
The visitor was none other than the village chief of Dragonborn Village. After hearing the report from the villagers' guards, he regained his senses almost instantly.
How could an outsider possibly discover the secrets of Dragonborn Village?
This shocking reality instantly banished his sleepiness, so much so that he rushed over in a berserk state without even having time to get dressed.
Ed's single eye held a defiant scrutiny as he looked the level 7 half-dragon up and down, then uttered a praise for the goods:
"Such a powerful physique, it's a pity... how long can you live in this state?"
Ed met the half-dragon's gaze without flinching.
"Ten years? Five years? Or... half a year?"
A look of surprise flashed across the aggressive village chief's face, but he quickly suppressed it.
His originally surging killing intent gradually subsided, becoming as cold as winter, as if he would immediately rip off the head of Ed if he said anything that displeased him.
Looking at the young man who was almost half his height, the half-dragon coldly asked:
How could you...?
"Stop!"
Ed gestured for a stop; he certainly wasn't going to relinquish control of the conversation, otherwise all his previous, infuriatingly pretentious antics would have been for nothing.
As for how Ed knew this, it was thanks to Little Green's analysis of organisms and his own understanding of the so-called "order" in this World of Disorder.
Since he came to this world, he has seen so many monsters. The reason these creatures appeared was essentially the direct or indirect consequence of the Demonic Tide.
So how exactly does the "disorder" brought about by the Demonic Tide manifest itself?
Ed temporarily set aside the issue of the castle's position; from a purely biological perspective, as a seasoned vegetative person, he had already led a group of novice vegetative people through the exploration of the area surrounding the castle.
Whether it's sheep with vines growing on their bodies, rats with tails Alienation into thorny branches, or even "man-eating trees" that feed on flesh and blood, they all share the common characteristic of simultaneously exhibiting features of multiple protozoa.
This process of disorder and Alienation is not only achieved through "contact," but can also manifest itself in a way similar to "interference."
Just like the villagers of Upperstream Village and Midstream Village, after they planted the seeds of the Tree Worship Church on their bodies, as they aged, the parts of their bodies that did not grow plants would gradually resemble plants.
The old man who had taken Ed in for the night— Ed noticed that the ends of his hands and feet were indistinguishable from the common brown bark of trees.
If we work backward from this conclusion, then the villagers of Dragonborn Village's reliance becomes quite easy to guess.
The villagers whose bodies were parasitized by the trees both loved and hated the saplings clinging to them; wouldn't the villagers of Dragonborn Village view the dragon with a similar perspective?
However, unlike trees that cannot speak, dragons can truly kill.
Combined with the baron's will and the unusual changes found on the remains of his wife and children...
Ed easily guessed the specific meaning of the word " Alienation "—the Aberration induced by external creatures (or inanimate objects) under the influence of the Demonic Tide.
If this guess is correct, even if it is only partially correct, Ed is confident that he can control the village chief in front of him.
Don't ask me how I know; it won't do you any good.
Ed looked at the half-dragon and said, his words carrying an air of inquiry but brooking no argument:
"Let's try to talk business, okay?"
In the dawn-filled wilderness, only the sound of the wind could be heard. After a moment of silence, words, seemingly tinged with resentment, finally escaped from between the half-dragon's teeth:
"Can."
"Smack~"
Ed snapped his fingers and said with satisfaction:
"Very good, very energetic. Now, let me briefly explain the details of our transaction:"
"You should know the location of the Shattered Castle. I have built a small settlement nearby. I hope to obtain a long-term supply of ironware from the Dragonborn Village and promise not to use these weapons for anything detrimental to you."
"As for the settlement method of the transaction..."
Several vines sprouted from the ground, startling the half-dragon, but he quickly regained his composure.
Those vines didn't carry any murderous intent; they didn't even have any sharp thorns.
The vines formed a small square table between the two, and the recliner Ed was sitting on had transformed into a vine-woven armchair. Another identical chair appeared behind the half-dragon.
Ed gestured for the village chief to sit down, and then, already seated, he reached forward and a branch grew from his palm, soon producing a fist-sized fruit in his hand.
Ed handed the fruit to the half-dragon:
"Want to try some?"
The half-dragon village chief used his two claws to pick up the plump fruit and threw it directly into his mouth to start chewing.
"How is it? Doesn't it have any taste?"
"Actually, it's still a bit bittersweet..."
The half-dragon replied, savoring the fruit he had hastily swallowed.
Ed shook his head:
I'm referring to the Alienation 'flavor'.
The half-dragon village chief was startled and immediately focused on sensing the rapid digestion process of the fruit within his body.
After a few breaths, he nodded incredulously:
"Indeed... it really doesn't have the 'smell' of Alienation; it's like it was picked before the Demonic Tide broke out."
Seeing the expression he wanted, Ed's one eye narrowed in satisfaction:
"It's good that you can taste it. I plan to use this fruit as a barter for ironware to curb the excessive Alienation of the Dragonborn Village residents. What do you think?"