The half-dragon village chief across the square table fell into deep thought.
Perhaps because he sensed Ed's subtle goodwill, or perhaps because his mind was no longer manic and violent, the Alienation characteristics of the dragon race on his body were slowly disappearing.
Those ugly, twisted scales returned to beneath the skin, and the once robust body was gradually shrinking.
In fact, every word Ed said resonated with him, but because they were now trading parties, he couldn't show it so obviously.
In a different setting, the village chief, who is constantly suffocated by secrets, would love to talk all night with the boy in front of him.
Although it's unclear how the other party knew about the Alienation and the fact that the Dragonborn Village wouldn't last forever, the village chief himself was acutely aware of the dangers involved.
According to village history, when the Demonic Tide suddenly broke out a hundred years ago, everything was tainted by that chaotic and disordered demonic power and began to Alienation continuously.
Just as the ancestors of Dragonborn Village were about to starve to death, a giant dragon happened to pass by.
In order to survive, the ancestors of Dragonborn Village abandoned all dignity, crawling on the ground like dogs to beg, promising that their descendants would be servants of the dragon for generations to come, only to receive a single dragon scale as a gift in return.
The outbreak of the Demonic Tide granted the dragon scales the ability to interfere with the outside world, and the bodies of the ancestors of the Dragonborn Village began to slowly Alienation.
Initially, the mutations in dragons only granted them superhuman strength and physical abilities, but the ancestors soon discovered a drawback: the mutations were cumulative.
So, what kind of person's body accumulates the most abnormalities?
The answer is: baby.
From the moment the first baby was born in Dragonborn Village after the Demonic Tide, everything embarked on a path destined to spiral out of control.
First came the dragon scales beneath the skin, then the faintly bulging horns on the head, and then the tail behind...
More and more Dragon Transformation traits are appearing on generations of Dragonborn Village. They are becoming stronger, but their bodies seem to be more prone to collapse. They are able to feed on metal ores, but their average lifespan is decreasing with each generation.
Their power instilled fear and vigilance in the other villagers, leading to the Dragonborn Village residents being ostracized and unable to cultivate land outside the village.
The crops in the village will also be affected by the dragon scales, and the effect will be even more pronounced due to their short lifespan.
The consumption of the Alienation crops and fruits would further accelerate the villagers' Alienation, and everything was caught in a vortex that kept falling into the abyss.
The villagers realized that beneath the fiery exterior of the dragon scales lay a slow-acting poison.
Their fate seems to have been sealed a century ago.
But this doesn't mean they can give up that dragon scale, because the sacred object placed on the altar in the center of the village is not only the source of their suffering, but also a symbol of good fortune.
There are countless terrible ways to die in this World of Disorder. The lifespan can be reduced generation by generation, and the extinction of the clan because the last offspring cannot live to sexual maturity is already a very lenient method of extermination.
Even so, the man who was the village chief would not give up any possible hope.
If it weren't for the pre-existing agreement between the Dragon Cult and the Tree Worship Church, he would have even considered introducing the Tree Worship Church to the Dragonborn Village.
Now, someone who also has trees growing on his body has pointed out a new path for him, forcing him to be extremely cautious...
If it weren't for the increasing brightness around them, Ed would almost have thought that time had stood still.
Ed wasn't surprised by the other party's reaction, after all, the fruit he had just displayed was certainly not an ordinary item in this world.
That was the [ Tasteless Fruit ] that Ed had collected genes from at the top of the castle. However, Ed had now thoroughly optimized the fruit, and it was no longer one of those strange creatures from the wilderness.
At the very beginning of the sampling, the [ Tasteless Fruit ] was the type of fruit that Ed could find that was least affected by the Demonic Tide Alienation.
The fruit that had grown anew in his hands naturally showed no signs of Alienation because all its matter and life force came from Ed himself. At the same time, Ed also shared a little of his seemingly existing [anti- Alienation ] ability, which Ed named [ Self-Sustenance ] ability, with the fruit through Little Green, his "friend of plants," which is why the fruit is now reborn.
A long time passed, long enough that the first ray of sunlight fell on a corner of the vine-covered square table, and the half-dragon village chief finally opened his eyes again.
His gaze was solemn and resolute, almost as if he could see right through Ed's thoughts.
Goodness, if it weren't for your determined look, like you were about to join the Party, I would have thought you just finished catching up on sleep...
Ed silently cursed in his heart while looking at the village chief in front of him:
"How?"
"I have a question related to trading."
"Please feel free to speak."
"About the seeds of the fruit..."
Ed nodded, understanding the other party's meaning; this was precisely why he had chosen [ Tasteless Fruit ] as the item for trade.
"Do you want to know if it's possible to save the seeds and grow them yourself?"
The village chief nodded. The young man in front of him had guessed what he was going to say time and time again, so it was clear that he couldn't be viewed in the same way as a normal young man.
So the village chief put aside some of his fighting spirit, but also became more wary of the cunning one.
"Can."
Ed gave an affirmative answer and added:
"Those seeds can grow into fruit trees, and I will also help you with rapid planting and fruit ripening. However, only the first three batches of fruit from each tree will retain most of their resistance to Alienation; after that, they will be no different from the normal crops in your village."
Now the village chief fully understood the complete terms of the deal the boy had proposed.
Those fruits cannot enter Dragonborn Village in large quantities; they can only enter the village as seeds or seedlings. Once a batch of fruit trees has produced three harvests of fruit, the tree becomes unusable, and the fruit can only be traded from Ed again, thus eliminating the possibility of Dragonborn Village producing and selling its own fruit.
With these new food sources, Dragonborn Village can at least maintain its current average lifespan instead of continuing to decline. As for restoring it to a normal human lifespan?
The village chief shook his head with a wry smile.
Don't be ridiculous, look around you, where are any normal humans anymore?
These are all Aberration humans; you think you're living too long, and I think I'm living too long too.
"Sorry, but I have one last question."
The village chief looked at Ed, his gaze softening slightly.
"Okay, may I ask?"
With the deal practically a done deal, Ed no longer cared about the question, since he still had the option of "not answering".
"So you're that... apostate?"
The village chief asked earnestly, while staring intently at Ed's... one eye.