Chapter 126. Funeral, Post-War Reconstruction...

The next morning, Old Master Xiao's body was sent to the designated location for cremation, and then, together with a portion of the resistance troops, it was sent to the rebuilt cemetery in the right city.

The cemetery was built using a gray stone called Heroic Soul Stone from the Black Abyss.

Located at the northernmost part of the right city of Mona, it is built against the mountain, covering an area of ​​more than 900 acres, and surrounded by a 3-meter-high wall, making it look particularly solemn.

The most special thing about the Heroic Soul Stone is that, unlike other materials, it cannot be polluted, and it even reflects a special luster that is only found in metals when exposed to light.

However, the light from this source is extremely subtle and requires very precise angles.

In this post-disaster reconstruction, the cemetery was the first priority to be rebuilt in the ruins of Mona City.

In Lin Xiaoxiao's own words, it meant: "We cannot allow the heroic souls of those who charged into battle to resist the beast tide to have nowhere to rest in peace."

Due to the enormous number of casualties, the only remaining craftsmen and workers are working overtime to barely complete the main structure outside the cemetery, while construction inside is still underway.

Fortunately, the goddess of fortune descended upon us, creating a special purification zone for Mona City and its surrounding area.

It was this special area that attracted around 20,000 Yorbands who had been hiding in the contaminated zone.

The people of Yorband are all natural-born artisans. They joined the logistics department of Mona City and were given accelerated support for post-disaster reconstruction.

At the cemetery, Xiao's direct relatives, Xiao's army, Uncle Lin's family, Jiang Dehai and others, as well as many familiar relatives and friends, all attended the funeral of Old Master Xiao.

Everyone present was dressed in black, their faces somber, and they listened with heavy hearts as the pastor prayed: "Xiao Shixiong (the past experiences, achievements, and titles of Mr. Xiao)... passed away at the age of 92... Let us be silent for three minutes and bow our heads to bid farewell to this former hero with sorrow."

As the pastor spoke, everyone present slowly bowed their heads in silent mourning, a profound sadness spreading around them.

After the memorial service, Lin Xiaoxiao took Xiao Weizhi's hand and held it, her eyes filled with obvious worry.

Xiao Weizhi's face was tense, his eyes were red, and he gently squeezed her hand back, his voice hoarse as he whispered, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Lin Xiaoxiao pursed his lips, feeling the emotions the contract had conveyed upon his return. How could he not worry? His heart felt like it was crying out in anguish.

After the memorial service at the cemetery ended, Lin Xiaoxiao finally saw her long-lost second uncle, second aunt, brothers, and sisters.

My second uncle lost a leg, and my second aunt has several large scars on her face. As for the other brothers, sisters, and cousins, they all have obvious injuries, but they are all still alive.

Uncle Lin, leaning on his cane and scratching the back of his head, chuckled, "It's alright, it's alright, it's just one leg. It won't stop Uncle from cooking. When you're done with your work, I'll cook you something delicious when we get home."

Lin Xiaoxiao's gaze swept over her second uncle's legs, her second aunt's face, her eldest cousin's left arm in a sling, and the large scar on her younger sister's neck...

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

Because the wound on Uncle Lin's leg was bitten off by contaminants, it became infected immediately, and the infection was delayed for more than two days.

Even a legendary doctor with the ability to restore severed limbs could not make it grow back to a normal left leg.

The same applies to the wounds on the faces, necks, and bodies of Aunt Lin and others; we can only try our best to minimize the scars, but we cannot completely remove them.

Aunt Lin reached out and hugged Lin Xiaoxiao, gently patting her back with her scarred hands: "Silly girl, don't be sad, we are all still alive, that's a good thing. Your second uncle lost his legs, but he still has his hands, so it won't stop him from cooking."

A moment later, the Lin family members, having exchanged greetings, split into two groups.

Lin Xiaoxiao needs to go back and discuss the next steps with Lao Ewen.

Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin took their family back to the camp to rest. As wounded soldiers, they now need to recuperate for a while.

Back at their temporary base, Lin Xiaoxiao and Lau Evan sat face to face to discuss the reconstruction of Mona City.

However, they learned that due to constant friction with the professionals living in the Black Abyss, the higher-ups in the Dragon Kingdom proposed to build their own cities, and several other countries also hoped to build their own cities.

When Lin Xiaoxiao heard this, she rubbed her temples helplessly: "What do you think?"

Lauevan moved with an elegant air, gently picking up his teacup but not drinking: "Let them build the city if they want to. There's no need to restrain them."

There are constant frictions between the professionals from the inner realm and those from the Black Abyss. Separating them is a good thing, as it can save on post-disaster subsidies.

Lin Xiaoxiao chuckled helplessly, "You know that's not what I'm asking."

Those countries wanted Mona City to provide support and help them rebuild the city. They just made a lot of empty promises, such as: too many casualties, resource shortages...

They all want to get something for nothing without any real exchange conditions.

Lau Evan raised the teacup in his hand to his lips, hiding the sly smile on his face: "As far as I know, they brought quite a lot of resources with them."

The implication is: it's impossible for them to work for free; they should exchange resources for it, or they should find a way to build their own city. It's not possible to give them away for free just because of a few words about luxury.

Having worked with Lau Evan for so long, Lin Xiaoxiao instantly understood what he meant. She picked up her teacup and raised it to him, saying, "You arrange it."

The cunning smile on Lau Evan's face froze, replaced by a hint of helplessness: "I often regret how I ever agreed to get on your pirate ship."

If he hadn't joined Lin Xiaoxiao's pirate ship, with his abilities, even the God-favored Capital would have crumbled.

He could have lived a life of leisure and wealth here, unlike now, where he's either busy or on his way to be busy.

Taking time out for afternoon tea now and then feels like a long-awaited vacation.

Lin Xiaoxiao took a sip of her tea and chuckled, "Think about our deal. In just a few years, you'll reap your rewards. At that time, I'll have to respectfully call you 'Demigod Lau Evan'."

These words clearly struck a chord with Lau Evan, whose smile became much more sincere, and several distinctive peach blossom-shaped wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes: "Thank you for your kind words!"

The fact that Lin Xiaoxiao used a respectful title after so long shows that her words truly resonated with Lau Evan.

The two talked for several hours, and then discussed the arrangements for what to do next:

1. Agree to other countries' requests to build cities, but do not work for free; they must exchange resources of equal value.

2. The reconstruction of the city of Mona (due to the excessive consumption of Xingyan, Kagome, Ina, Zhong Sang, Cangshu, and Tian Mier in the great battle, they are still in a state of being dead) can only be handled by Lin Xiaoxiao and Lao Ewen.

3. Post-disaster resettlement and living allowances...

Late at night, after finalizing most of the details, Lloyd Wain said goodbye and left the temporary office.

Lin Xiaoxiao returned to the tent and, as soon as she entered, saw Xiao Weizhi, dressed in a black sweater, sitting in front of a simple wooden bar. His bronze skin was flushed with an indistinct blush, and he was gently swirling a large glass of wine filled with ice in his hand.

The rich aroma of alcohol wafted through the tent. She walked to Xiao Weizhi's side and pulled out a high stool from under the bar: "Give me a drink too."

Xiao Weizhi moved the whiskey in front of him aside and took out a bottle of plum wine with only 13% alcohol from the cabinet under the bar.

He then took an empty glass from the bar tray, threw in two ice cubes, poured in about half a glass, and held it up to her: "You drink this. The whiskey is too strong. Getting drunk will cause problems."

In this situation, there are countless things to deal with every day, and I can't let being drunk delay things.

Lin Xiaoxiao took the plum wine and gently touched the wine glass in his hand with her own glass, producing a crisp clinking sound.

She took two small sips of her drink and said, "Only you."

She wanted to say something comforting, but didn't know what to say, and in the end only called out Xiao Weizhi's name.

Xiao Weizhi reached out and put his arm around Lin Xiaoxiao's waist, his body, reeking of alcohol, slowly leaning closer, his voice hoarse: "I'm here."

Lin Xiaoxiao relaxed her body and leaned against him, her voice soft: "Please accept my condolences. Don't be sad. I'm always here for you."

Xiao Weizhi lowered his head, burying it in her shoulder, his warm breath, tinged with the scent of alcohol, brushing against her neck: "Mmm."

In the darkness, the two huddled together tightly.

The next morning, Lin Xiaoxiao woke up in Xiao Weizhi's arms and looked up to find that he was still asleep.

When she tried to lift her arm off her waist, she felt a strange, foreign object between her fingers. When she lifted her hand, she found a ten-carat ruby ​​ring on the ring finger of her left hand.

Using the dim light from outside the tent, Lin Xiaoxiao examined the ring on her left hand.

Xiao Weizhi reached out and put his arm around her waist, his voice hoarse with sleep as he asked, "Do you like it?"

Lin Xiaoxiao looked at the ring in her hand and smiled slightly: "I like it."

Xiao Weizhi chuckled and gently kissed her hair with his thin lips: "I'm glad you like it. I should have given you this ring a long time ago. I've been looking for the right opportunity."

Lin Xiaoxiao turned around in his arms, opened her big eyes and looked at him: "Thank you, I like it very much."

Xiao Weizhi seemed to be bewitched. He gently brought his thin lips close to her red lips, gave them a light kiss, released them, and then pressed them together again for a gentle, light kiss.

Lin Xiaoxiao, passively caught in a daze of infatuation, did not notice that the Quan Zhi within her body had experienced a few seconds of energy turmoil due to the appearance of the ruby ​​ring.

Ten minutes later, Lin Xiaoxiao, her face flushed, pushed away the restless Xiao Weizhi and sat up from the 1.2-meter-wide bed: "Stop, don't continue, there are a lot of things to deal with today."

Xiao Weizhi lay on his back on the bed, his breathing a little unsteady, and nodded: "Okay, the prosthetic limb needs maintenance?"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then answered in a hoarse voice, "Yes."

Xiao Weizhi got out of bed, took out a cane from his spatial storage, placed it by the bedside, and then went to remove Lin Xiaoxiao's prosthetic limb: "I'll do it, you go wash up."

Lin Xiaoxiao, who had just finished washing up and was walking out of the bathroom with her crutches, received a notification from Xingyan.

She clicked to answer, and Xingyan's slightly anxious voice came through: "Crazy Xiao, if you have time, come to the temporary sanatorium in Zuocheng."

Lin Xiaoxiao and Xiao Weizhi, who was not far away, exchanged a glance and replied in a deep voice, "No problem, I'll be right there."

After hanging up, she first rescheduled a time to discuss things in detail with Lau Evan, and then quickly headed to Zuocheng with Xiao Weizhi.

Twenty minutes later, the two landed in a corner of the temporary sanatorium from mid-air.

When Lin Xiaoxiao entered the makeshift sanatorium, she saw Ina curled up on the bed, crying softly.

Xingyan sat on the edge of the bed, whispering something, while gently patting Ina's back.

Tian Mi'er sat blankly in the corner of the room, her aura heavy and oppressive, silently shedding tears with a blank expression.

Ge Wei sat down next to Tian Mi'er and gently wiped away her tears.

Lin Xiaoxiao looked completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened, and whispered to Zhong Sang, who was equally at a loss beside her, "What's wrong?"

Zhong Sang, leaning on his cane, glanced at Ina lying on the bed and quickly explained in a very low voice: "Mishu is dead. Black Cole City is in chaos. Ina has been crying since she received the news this morning. As for why Tian Mier is crying, we don't know."

Lin Xiaoxiao looked stunned. Mishu was dead? How could that be? She hadn't seen any death notification.

Moreover, Mishu is already a demigod. With his combat power, plus the number of the polluted beast tide in Blackcole City, it is still less than one-tenth of the number in Mona City.

Mishu repeatedly assured them that he could manage on his own, which is why the others felt comfortable staying in Mona City to defend against the surging tide of polluted beasts.

Zhong Sang lowered his voice and continued, "What happened last night was that Mishu died in his room, and his divine core was also dug out. It is said that when he was found, all the bones in his body were broken, and his fingers were crushed into powder."

Lin Xiaoxiao looked extremely pale and took several deep breaths.

She slowly approached the bedside, took Xingyan's place, and gently patted Ina's back, calling her name only: "Ina."

Nothing else was said; in this situation, anything said would seem utterly powerless.

Upon hearing Lin Xiaoxiao's voice, Ina sat up in bed, her face streaked with tears, and choked out, "Erxiao, Mishu is dead. Mingming, before going to sleep yesterday."

"He told me that he would come to see me after he finished dealing with things over there. Why was he gone as soon as I woke up?"

Lin Xiaoxiao reached out and hugged the sobbing and muttering Ina, gently patting her back.

On the other side, Nuenro also received the news of Mishu's death. From receiving the news to finding out who killed Mishu, it only took him a little over two hours.

Only a god himself could kill a demigod-level being silently, especially a powerful agent of the God of War.

Filled with rage, he confronted the God of Greed deep within the contaminated zone: "Why? If you have a problem, you can come at me. Why did you target Mishu?"

From within that thick black mist, a pair of crimson eyes appeared, filled with obvious mockery: "Nu'enluo, I despise hypocrisy. Don't forget, if it weren't for me, you would have been reduced to ashes three thousand years ago."

Upon hearing this, Nuenro closed his eyes unwillingly. He never expected that the God of Greed was dissatisfied with his lack of effort during the battle against the corrupted beast tide a few days ago, so he killed Mishu as punishment.

A moment later, Nu Enlu concealed the hatred in his eyes, turned and left.

Before leaving, he glanced at Liu Duoxin, who was standing in the corner, and his murderous intent was undisguised.

The god of greed had a hoarse voice. With his crimson eyes, he looked down at Liu Duoxin, who stood below with one eye already stained red, and said in a hoarse voice, "Duoxin, you won't let me down, will you?"

Liu Duoxin's eye had turned completely bloodshot, with no white showing at all, while the other side of her face, which was still relatively fair, was covered with twisted black veins.

She still held the four-legged, fleshy, humanoid creature by the hand, her head bowed: "Of course, my lord, Duoxin is your most loyal follower."

But when he said those words, a hint of regret flashed across his one intact eye.

If I hadn't been tempted by greed back then, would things be different now...?

At the same time, Lin Xiaoxiao gently handed Ina, who had cried herself to sleep on her shoulder, to Xingyan, then turned around to look at Tian Mier in the corner.

She half-squatted on the ground, took out a handkerchief, raised her hand to wipe away Tian Mi'er's tears, and asked in a low voice, "Mi'er, can you tell me why you're crying?"

After waiting a few minutes, Tian Mi'er looked at Lin Xiaoxiao with empty, lifeless eyes, her tone flat and devoid of any emotion: "Atai, you're going to die."

She pointed to her heart: "The contract indicates that Atai's aura is very weak. Honey, be good and don't cause any trouble."

Before Yuan Tai left, he told Tian Mi'er to listen to Lin Xiaoxiao and the others and not to cause them any trouble.

Looking at Tian Mier's listless appearance, so unlike the lively and adorable girl she was when Yuan Tai was around, Lin Xiaoxiao felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

Since Yuan Tai hadn't sent any news back for almost half a month, they guessed that something might have happened to him.

Although many people were sent out to search, they all returned empty-handed.

A thought suddenly flashed through Lin Xiaoxiao's mind. She stared at Tian Mier in front of her and asked, "Mier, does your contract with Yuan Tai allow you to sense his location?"

After a moment, Tian Mi'er nodded: "Mm."

After receiving a definite answer, Lin Xiaoxiao pondered for a while.

He immediately turned to Xingyan and Kagome and said, "I plan to go with Weizhi and take Mier to the depths of the contaminated area to see if we can find Yuan Tai and Nuenluo."

"The unrest in Blackcol City may require two of you to go and handle it."

We must find Nuenro, not only to end this absurd farce, but also because there are some things we might find the answers to from him.

Xingyan and the others all said that it was no problem, as their bodies had almost recovered. They would discuss among themselves who would be more suitable to handle the unrest.

After giving instructions to Lao Ewen, Lin Xiaoxiao packed her things and set off with Xiao Weizhi and Tian Mier.

The moment they stepped into the contaminated area, the black fog above it began to surge, like a hunter lurking in the darkness, awaiting the arrival of its plump prey.

Standing in the contaminated area, Tian Mi'er closed her eyes and felt the contract within her body. Guided by the contract, she pointed east and said, "Go in this direction."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded and reached out to pull Tian Mier along: "Okay, let's go."