Chapter 63: The Longed-For Divine Kingdom

The people of the Tengu Tribe were quickly won over by the sweet, chewy candies. They held them in their mouths, reluctant to swallow.

Even someone as strong and burly as Awa—whose arm muscles were thicker than a girl’s thigh—was no exception. His usually stern and rigid face melted into a smile from the sweetness, making him look as happy as a lively girl of one meter sixty.

His dark face blushed with shyness as he basked in a sea of happiness. Even when Mana next to him scratched at him with all her might, he barely reacted, simply flicking her away as if she were tickling him.

Mana was so angry she nearly had a second fit. Was this candy really that delicious?

She sniffed the lingering sweetness in the air, swallowed her saliva, and glared fiercely at Yun Qimu, demanding arrogantly, “Hey, give me one of your candies too.”

Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow at her with a smile, then shook the empty leaf in her hand and spread her hands. “Sorry, Miss Mana, the candies are all gone.”

“No way! You must be hiding some in your space ring and just don’t want to give them to me!” Mana shrieked in fury, drawing the attention of the other tribespeople.

Even Chief Masa, whose eyes were squinting from the sweetness, frowned at her outburst and scolded, “Mana, stop making a scene. You were the one who turned your nose up at them earlier. Now what are you fussing about? Even if Village Chief Yun had more, you shouldn’t get any.”

“Ah! Brother, you take her side over mine? Are you all looking down on me? Do you all think I’m not as good as Shakela? I’m the princess of the Tengu Tribe, I am—” Mana screamed at Masa, her face twisted in rage, then stormed off toward the edge of the tribe in a fit of pique.

Masa’s face darkened. He stopped a few tribespeople who instinctively wanted to chase after her and said, “No need to go after her. She’s a grown woman and still throwing tantrums. Let her be—she’ll come back after she’s vented.”

The others thought about it. Since the area had already been cleared and was safe, they let her go.

Awa, her husband, and Gomiao, her nephew, didn’t seem worried at all. They just stood there like bystanders, clearly used to Mana’s occasional outbursts.

Masa personally walked over to Yun Qimu to apologize. “I’ve spoiled Mana too much over the years. She’s become unruly. Please don’t take offense, Village Chief Yun.”

Yun Qimu smiled kindly. “It’s nothing, just a small matter, not worth fussing over.”

Then she tilted her head and tapped her temple, smiling meaningfully. “But I do think Miss Mana might have a bit of a problem here.”

“Don’t misunderstand, Chief. I’m not insulting her—I genuinely think there’s something wrong with her mind. There’s an illness called anxiety disorder, and another called schizophrenia. People with these conditions can have emotional outbursts and act crazy like Mana does, and later they might even hurt themselves or others. If it’s not controlled or treated, Miss Mana could be in real danger.”

Masa was stunned. “There’s really such an illness?”

He then admitted with shame, “We’re too ignorant. I always thought it was the dark matter’s influence.”

Yun Qimu appeared thoughtful. “Well, that’s not impossible either. After all, the dark matter concentration in the North District is very high. Even though you’ve built up some immunity from living here, you can still be affected.”

“If you or your tribe ever have trouble with dark matter, you can come to Earth Village for help. We have medicines that can remove dark matter for those suffering from it—but they are quite expensive.”

At these words, Chief Masa’s excitement instantly faded. His face wrinkled with worry, and even the candy couldn’t sweeten his mood.

They were so poor they could barely afford nutrient solution—where would they get the energy coins for such precious medicine?

He let out a heavy sigh.

Yun Qimu smiled gently and asked considerately, “Is the chief worried about energy coins? As it happens, our village is short on labor.”

Masa’s eyes lit up instantly. “Yes, yes! I heard from Luke just now that Village Chief Yun is here to recruit workers? What kind of people do you need, and how will you pay?”

His eyes gleamed shrewdly, and he instantly turned into a calculating old fox.

Yun Qimu clicked her tongue inwardly. Why is it so hard to run into a gullible simpleton?

But she kept her smile, looking approachable as she explained, “The wage is three bottles of nutrient solution per person per day—the same top-quality kind Luke gave you earlier. We’re looking to hire for five days, fifty people in total. As for the requirements, I’ll need to interview each candidate myself.”

The Tengu tribespeople immediately grew restless.

“What? Three bottles of top-quality nutrient solution a day? That’s fifteen bottles in five days! My goodness, that’s a fortune!”

“I’m in! No matter what the work is, I’m willing!”

“Pick me, Village Chief Yun! I’m strong enough to kill a C-class berserk beast with one punch—pick me!”

“I can do it too! I can fight berserk beasts and make my own clothes. Village Chief Yun, look at me…”

In just a few words, the entrance to the tribe turned into a recruitment fair. Countless job seekers showed off their muscles, arm-wrestled, and even challenged each other to go out hunting, competing to see who could catch more berserk beasts.

Chief Masa watched, alarm bells ringing in his mind. This noble lady really had skills, and his tribespeople were so naïve. If a human trafficker came, they could trick the whole tribe away in minutes.

Yun Qimu, on the other hand, was all smiles. She didn’t bother with timing and simply walked further in, setting up a booth in the open space.

A table, a chair, and a long wooden sign on each side.

Left side:

Recruitment Notice: Hiring 50 people; work for 5 days; three bottles of top-quality nutrient solution per person per day. Requirement: Anyone who passes Village Chief Yun’s interview is hired.

Right side:

Earth Village Five-Day Tour Registration: Earth Village’s Winter Ice-Sculpting and Snowman Tour. No limit on group size. Tourists must bring their own food and pay three energy coins to join.

A crowd surged forward, and Ahua, whom Yun Qimu had hired as her assistant, hurried to guard her sides, shouting, “Don’t rush, everyone! One at a time, one at a time! Please line up! Our Earth Village needs polite, orderly workers who know how to queue!”

The Tengu tribespeople immediately stopped jostling and lined up.

Someone picked up on something in her words and shouted, “Ahua, aren’t you from the Poor Whale Tribe? How come you’re with Earth Village now?”

Ahua puffed out her chest proudly. “I’ve joined Earth Village now. I’m one of them. I get nutrient solution every day, and I can pick Danmu fruit whenever I want—just one fills me right up!”"