The other side.

Lu Ban and Stone were walking on the streets of Higurashi Town.

It was called a street, but it was just a muddy road. The forest was very humid, and the ground was wet most of the time, mixed with cow dung, human excrement, and all kinds of dirty things you could imagine and couldn't imagine.

Stone covered his nose and looked at the people on the street. Most of them were pale and thin, and seemed to be hungry and severely malnourished. They all had deep dark circles under their eyes. Fatigue and depression were the main themes here.

What is more worrying is the look in these people's eyes.

Some people, though dressed in rags, could not conceal the brilliance of ambition in their eyes. However, the eyes of most of the people in Rimu Town were numb, as if nothing could cause any waves in their hearts.

Except for some children who don't know the hardships of life, everyone here, from the residents to the soldiers, seems to have completely lost hope in life. Now they are just living like zombies, waiting for the end of the world to come.

"We don't have enough manpower to build the gray tower here."

Stone said.

The fields ahead are not fertile, having been forcibly reclaimed. The plants planted in them are not very fruitful, and can barely sustain life.

Lu Ban had watched some documentaries before, which showed scenes of some of the most remote and impoverished mountain villages in the country. Rimu Town was not much better than those at the moment.

"Indeed, there are probably less than a thousand people here, and each person is under prenatal education. Even if they have the strength to work, they can't understand the drawings, and they can't do delicate work."

Lu Ban muttered to himself.

"Moreover, to build the Gray Tower, it is not enough to just build a building. The Gray Tower represents the magic network, which is the magic system of the entire Kingdom of Darkness. Compared with a physical tower, an academic tower is more important."

But Lu Ban was also very clear that even if Jost was the founder of the Grey Tower and he possessed countless talents and inspirations, this young man was just a poor man who didn't have many years left to live. He was living in a tragic era, in a dilapidated town, and there could be a demonic tide at any time. Lu Ban was not quite sure how he could accomplish such a great feat in such a harsh environment.

"Let's go to the fields and have a look."

Stone pointed to the field ahead.

He spoke as he walked.

"I didn't expect to see Mr. Drizzt again. You know, this situation makes me feel very strange. He saw me now, and I in the past saw him in the future. Some things seem to change, or maybe they can't be changed at all."

Stone is a remorseful person, and such a person will always reminisce about the past, feel regretful, and be restrained.

"He will probably be very pleased because you have inherited his career and everything he has, becoming the Chosen One and walking on the path he once walked."

Lu Ban answered.

Stone stopped and looked at Lu Ban, but Lu Ban did not wait for him and continued to move forward.

Stone followed and saw that the crops in the fields were not growing well. Due to irrigation with polluted water, the plants grew in a distorted state. It was hard to imagine what the result would be like.

Continuing into the field, there is a lush black forest. The edge of the field is surrounded by a fence, but these wooden guys will be vulnerable when the real monster arrives.

"What should we do now?"

Stone looked at Lu Ban.

This situation is really terrible.

Stone imagined some plots in novels, which were roughly about a group of residents who originally knew nothing, but gradually awakened their own will under the protagonist's impassioned speech and personal actions, supported the protagonist in building the city, and finally resisted the invasion of foreign enemies. But that was just a novel. Stone felt that even if he used some extraordinary powers, the townspeople here would not be able to take on the heavy responsibility of resisting the demon tide either psychologically or physically.

He turned around and found that Lu Ban had disappeared at some point.

After searching for a while, he found Lu Ban talking to a farmer.

"The harvest hasn't been very good lately. How are you going to survive the winter?"

Lu Ban asked.

"I don't know. Let's just live like this. I'll live one day at a time."

The farmer replied in a low voice.

"What if a monster attacks?"

Lu Ban asked again.

"Monster...monster...I don't know."

The farmer hesitated for a moment before he answered.

"What do you think if we can build some structures to hold off the monsters? Would you like to help?"

Lu Ban asked.

"It's impossible. Those things are unstoppable. They are terrifying. There is nothing we can do..."

The farmer shook his head, picked up his farm tools and continued weeding.

Seeing that the other party was no longer willing to talk to him, Lu Ban tactfully stopped asking.

In this isolated place, it is indeed difficult to rely on the townspeople to resist the demonic tide.

"Let's go back first. Maybe we can get something from Mr. Drizzt."

Stone came over, and he and Lu Ban walked towards the Baron's mansion. As soon as they returned to the town, they saw a group of people.

Compared with the guards of Rimu Town, that group of people were obviously regular troops. They rode on horses, wore armor, and had exquisite weapons. Lu Ban couldn't help but sigh that it turned out that there were such serious soldiers in the Kingdom of Darkness in this era.

The leader was wearing red armor, and he rode towards the baron's house with a look of disdain on his face.

At the same time, someone shouted in the cavalry.

"The Duke needs to build a palace. According to the regulations, Rimu Town needs to provide 100 young men. All the people in the town should gather at the entrance of the Baron's Mansion. Repeat..."

"Bedroom?"

When Lu Ban heard these words, he felt that something was not right.

The life in Dusk Town is so harsh, but those well-dressed knights still want to capture people here to do hard labor. Moreover, they are not even building fortifications to defend against monsters, but sleeping palaces. It really makes people wonder if the brains of these nobles have been polluted and corrupted long ago.

"etc."

Lu Ban spoke to the man in red armor.

"Are you here to help guard this place?"

Since most of the townspeople were taciturn, Lu Ban's words were clearly heard by that man, and he glanced at Lu Ban.

"Where did the merchant come from?"

The man turned his horse around.

"I have never seen you before. Where are you from? According to the order of His Excellency the Duke, I have the right to collect tolls from you."

He spoke in a stern tone, as if he had seen someone who could be taken advantage of. At the same time, he raised the whip in his hand, as if he would use that thing to whip Lu Ban if he did not obey.

"So you're not here to help?"

Lu Ban asked innocently.

"Stop talking nonsense, idiot!"

The knight in red armor saw Lu Ban’s confused look and swung his whip at him.

But the next moment, the whip hit nothing.

Lu Ban nimbly dodged the opponent's whip and looked at Stone and others.

"You all saw it. He was the first to do it."