“That feels better,” I said, after making a few leaps into the air. I turned to Sam.

“So how did you happen to remember that I exist after so many days?”

“I heard about it,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“About what?”

“About the players destroying your farm,” Sam said.

“So everybody in the town knows that we are farming?” I asked him.

“Not really,” Sam said. “The three who burnt down the farm came seeking my help."

I flinched at his words in dismay.

Sam gestured me to be calm, and continued speaking.

"They just came querying about new secret quests that I knew of--it's my profession after all to help people on such matters--and they were bragging that they had seen a strange man who could turn into a monster. You see, players are not awarded spells which allow changing into Eviluns, so the three of them were very confused. But it got me thinking because only you fit their description. I came running the moment they left. And you will be satisfied to hear that I mixed a poison in the tea I served them. It would suck their health like a parasite for a number of weeks so they would have a hard time leveling up. "

“Well, I like the fact that you poisoned them,” I said with an approving nod. “Will you like to stay with me for some time?”

“Yes, that would be nice,” Sam replied, sparing a glance at Kiara. “Is she your…?”

I inclined my head.

“She is Kiara, my girlfriend,” then turning to Kiara, I said, “This is Sam, my beloved brother that I rarely get to see.”

“Does she live with you in Dharti?” Sam asked.

"Not always. In fact she should leave now."

The only reason that Kiara had been living with me for the past three days was to nurse me; which I didn't require anymore due to my recovery.

It was still early in the morning and she could get to the office. I created the portal and Kiara departed.

The next couple of days I discussed with Sam and my ministers over the next course of action.

The Zombies would be royally pissed if they got to hear that I had lost eighty of their precious seeds, after they had placed so much trust on me. But at the end of the day, the fault wasn’t entirely mine, so I could only hope that they would give me more seeds to pursue my farming aspirations.

Reestablishing a farm near the stream was out of the question. The players would be on the lookout for more farms to destroy. The risk was too high. While I was ready to lose the Evil Crops and the farm, I was not ready to lose the lives of my followers. The whole point of farming was to save monster lives.

So the safest way to proceed was to revert to the old model of farming-- with no more than twenty seeds near the village itself. Such a small farm could easily be watered. And the risk of players discovering it was small. Even if they did, the monsters could easily flee inside the village.

We went to the Zombies again and I related my misfortune. Queen Dieana was greatly saddened hearing about it and sympathised.

“That’s bad,” she said, “that’s very bad. No player attacks our farms because they already know it is pointless, since we are a neutral race. However, they attack you because you are yet to achieve neutrality. These are hindrances that we too had to overcome when we first embarked on our quest to cut ourselves free from the rules of this world and live peaceful lives. We are ready to supply you with more seeds. I assume seeds are the reason why you have come here in the first place?”

“They are,” I acknowledge.

“How many seeds do you want from us this time?” she asked, her tone benevolent.

“Just twenty,” I said.

“So few? Why?” Dieana asked. “Has the setback broken your spirits?”

“No,” I replied. “It’s just part of my plan. I want to grow the seeds in the best possible way.”

The queen ordered one of her subjects to procure the seeds for me.

She however rejected my payment.

“Keep them for free,” she said with a genial smile.

“Are you sure?” I asked, surprised. It was highly unusual for her to offer the precious seeds for free.

“You take good care of the seeds and turn them into mature crops,” the queen said. “If not for the players, you would have had a big harvest. We zombies are impressed by you and we want to encourage you in your pursuit of neutrality.”

I was very grateful to Dieana and I could see that she wished the best for us from the bottom of her heart. But something about her demeanor unsettled me. I felt like she was being unnaturally friendly.

A bit too friendly indeed.

***

The new farm was laid out in front of the village exactly where the very first farm had stood.

The morale of the Skhites and the Hornies was hampered since the attack.

I tried to be as charismatic as I could. I also sensed the monsters harboured a certain hostility towards Sam. Of course they never did anything to harm him, never even spoke a rude word to him, in fact they were quite polite to Sam. However, behind their politeness, I noticed the Hornies and the Skhites became glum when Sam was nearby. Sam was a player ultimately, and I couldn’t really blame the monsters.

The farm grew smoothly. The aromatic stage of the Evil crops heralded a new atmosphere of cheer. Soon, the harvest was done without hindrances. And this time, right after the last fruit was plucked, I received a spell that complimented the circumstances we faced perfectly well.

Congratulations!

You level up!

You receive a new ability!

Change

You can now transform ten Eviluns that serve you into humans!

Note that this spell will require mana! So use it wisely!

I couldn't be more grateful.

New plans to make the best of my latest ability sprang in my mind.

I asked some of my followers to stand in front of me. Nora and Nadir were in the bunch too.

“What do you want us to do?” Nora asked, looking at my face with a crease on her forehead because I was grinning.

“Just watch yourselves!” I said.

***