Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 208 - 207 -Scars

Lind found weakened and mostly pregnant women strapped to what barely passed for beds in 12 rooms.  Their condition was not terrible technically but much like the mortals outside, there was no hope in any of their eyes.

What Lind had not expected were signs that the rooms were locked from the outside.  He also found signs of drugs that stimulated both men and women to procreate.  They would also remove any slip of sanity from either party and leave only the basic instinct.

In 3 of the rooms he found several men who whimpered in wanting out and clearly had already been freed from the effects of the drugs.  He had been prepared to find the men simply unleashing themselves but it was even worse than he expected.

Both sexes were used as breeding animals!  Lind felt no more remorse for killing the slim man but he went to work.  He had plentiful grade 1 materials in his storage ring that he began to use quickly.

He made a simple cleansing elixir that removed odors and disinfected the rooms so he could properly evaluate his new patients.  A few had diseases and were barely surviving but he quickly fixed that with a few low grade 1 elixirs.  He dared not give any higher or their mortal bodies would burst.

As such, he was easily able to cure many of them without too many issues.  Most of them passed out but the rest simply lay there with vacant looks.  Lind swiftly stepped outside and channeled his Qi carefully to construct a massive stone hall.

He was no architect but the basics of support and distribution of forces was well known to him.  He had also seen many examples over both his lives.  It was nothing artistic but compared to the short and squat huts it was a piece of god-like art.

The roof was made of stone slabs layered on top of each other.  He also made sure to create a vent covered by the edges at fixed intervals to make an air flow.  He set up a few arrays quickly to assist that.

He then used his Qi to move each woman onto much more comfortable beds.  He had to use his Qi to manipulate stone frames but the rest of the materials came from his ring.  He then quartered off their section and began to set up the children's ward.

Days passed and slowly the thin limbs began to fill out yet not a single word was spoken or any cry save a few new babies that were born during the process.  Lind was feeling exhausted but used grade 3 elixirs to rejuvenate himself to keep going.

As their health improved, Lind addressed the fields.  He did not have all the herbs he needed, but he had enough to replace the horrible choice of crops they had.  The plants used consumed the nutrients in the dirt with no return.

The herbs he had usually took time but for elixirs and pills their quality was impossible to accelerate, yet for food, that did not matter.  Lind summoned gentle rains, which was not easy in that part of the world but a World Realm possessed such power if they bent all their Qi into it.

If not for his elixirs keeping him going, Lind would have run dry long ago.  His once too fine robes became frayed and dirty yet he did not stop.  He labored for weeks until finally a good cycle was set up and a large harvest amount had been set aside in his ring.

Simple gruel and water had been given to all the mortals.  The adults had no signs of mental recovery but the children had begun to look at him in fear yet did not resist his ministrations.  Cultivators were their tormentors but Lind smiled warmly and carefully nurtured them all back to health.

After another month there was a change.  Lind was caring for the babies that had been born when a little girl and boy peeked around the corner at him.  He paid them no mind as he made sure the babies were healthy.  The giggling tiny bodies were the only bright spot in the whole village.

Lind was humming and changing their clothes as needed.  He was doing all right, but if he was still a Soul Realm, he would be a mess.  His lack of cultivation meditation was difficult for him but he only focused on his tasks as the young children slowly came into the room and looked at the babies.

Their bodies were fuller but still very frail looking.  The dark eyes and lighter hair were looking better compared to the scraggly and dried mess they had been before.  He had not even been able to tell sex apart until they recovered even slightly.  His elixirs promoted growth as well as restored energy to their bodies.

"T-they are so small."  The little boy covered his mouth in fear as he had spoken without realizing.  Lind smiled but did not look up and let them relax.  He just continued what he was doing as the near 20 or so children filed in and watched him.

He was never obstructed and they never endangered the handful of babies.  Now that their bodies were recovering, some were having growth spurts where before their ages had been impossible to tell.

Smiles and confusion swept over them but they all stayed very quiet around Lind.  He did not mind but one of the youngest girls suddenly laughed as one of the babies giggled at her and all looked shocked at her.  Lind only smiled wider and ignored it.

His indifference let the children become more expressive.  A few days passed after that and finally, an adult came to.  It was one of the women who had given birth.  She was moving her head around and saw children laughing as they helped Lind with the babies.

He could not speak too much but they watched him care for the babies and he had offered to let them feed and change the babies.  He simply spoke out loud to explain what he was doing most of the time.

"Hello again little one.  You have to be changed and washed, don't you?"  Lind was gentle as the baby smiled with its toothless smile and giggled as Lind used water from his Qi to clean the baby girl.  The other children carefully used the warmed water to wash other babies carefully.

"Support the head like this and always be slow and thorough with each area.  Then put the used diaper in the bin."  Lind followed his instruction he had repeated several times.  He had sometimes had to use air or water to complete a child's attempts to help but they were getting the hang of it.

"Is–is this a dream?"  A voice brought silence to the children as they saw a woman standing in the doorway of the quartered area of the massive hall.  Lind finished clothing the baby he was helping before picking her up and making sure the other babies were taken care of.

He then turned to the blonde haired woman.  She was more filled out than over a month ago but she still was shaking just standing up.  Lind kept his face calm as he bounced the baby in his arms as she giggled within them.

"It is no dream.  A dream would be a life that what happened to you all never occurred.  I am doing what I can, but it is up to you if you want to stay in this world or not.  I will not force you."  Lind kept his voice calm and neutral but the baby's laughter let the children relax around him.

They did not fear him but the tension in the air was thick.

The woman seemed to think about his words but saw the healthy children and long rows of beds of men recovering the same as the women.  She also saw stacks of stone barrels on their sides on one of the walls near a primitive looking stove.

"H-how long have we been here?"  Lind then summoned an elixir that he gently placed in front of her with his Qi.  He stayed across the room with the baby in his arms.  He nodded to the elixir.

"I gave all of you low grade 1 elixirs to recover your strength and process the food I gave you."  He let her absorb those words before giving an answer to her question.  "It has been 1 month and 2 weeks since I took over this village."

The woman seemed to shake and then tears began to fall as she carefully picked up the vial of elixir.  Lind let her take it at her own pace.  He set the baby down as she was now asleep.  Lind then stood and waited quietly as the woman wept and some small children went up to comfort her.

The horribly tragic village now had a touching moment but Lind was unsure if stability could ever return.  The scars on them all ran very deep down to the smallest child.

Only a little time passed before the woman stood up slowly.  She approached Lind slowly and looked at the handful of babies sleeping happily or looking at her in curiosity.  She paused at a few as a frown crossed her face.  Lind did not need to guess to tell she was having flashes of her life over the last few years.

She finally stood before him and the fear in her pale amber eyes was clear but Lind held his hands in front of him and made no move.  Children were comfortable to move around him but this woman could be the first resident to truly interact with him outside of the babies.

"What will you use us for?"  Lind had expected many questions but that one was not on his list. Given what happened here, it was not entirely surprising but his confusion was clear as he could not school his face perfectly that time.

"Use?  I did not come here to use anyone but I did lose my temper when I saw how horrible it was.  If I have not been clear, I am healing you all as best I can."  Lind kept control of his tone but fear rose in her eyes, yet she stayed in front of him.

"Save?  There is no saving this nightmare!  We are in hell!"  Her voice was shaking but Lind did not deny her assertion.  He then jumped when a baby began to cry.  He tried to comfort it, but she moved suddenly and snatched it away from him.  She did not harm the baby but it wailed even harder.

"Please be careful.  They are delicate and need love."  The woman looked at him in actual amusement as she held the baby tightly.  Lind was about to act when one of the older children stepped up to her.

"I will take him."  The woman jumped when the young boy spoke.  She did not ease up her grip and seemed to look at the children as if they were enemies before she started laughing.  Lind had a dark premonition and acted.  His aura froze her in place.

The children jumped back but he never changed the look on his face as he calmly pried the baby away and rocked it as he calmed the baby boy down.  It then smiled up at Lind as he smiled back.

"I cannot begin to fathom the pain you are in.  I will not pretend I understand, but I will not allow innocents to be harmed.  What you wish to do for yourself is your choice."  Lind let up on his aura and beckoned over the earlier young man.  "Please take care of him, he was just scared."

The boy carefully took the baby and smiled at it as he backed away.  Even so, he bowed to Lind who only waved him off.

"What are you planning to do with us?!"  Hysterical shouting came from her but Lind did not blame her at all.  He then looked at her and slowly sat down on a chair he summoned from his ring.  He then crossed his arms and leaned back as he looked as serious as he could.

"I came to destroy the Kingdom of Altair.  I am going to face the Trial of Stone to do it.  I am on my way but waiting for the next overlord of this village to prevent it from being turned back into what it was."  Lind put every ounce of his sincerity into his voice and never looked away from the now crazed pale amber staring at his dark green orbs.  "I am the currently only recognized royal heir, Lind Frey."

He doubted that meant anything to them but he was stunned when terror broke her hysteria.  She would have fallen if he was not holding her in place with his Qi.

"Y-your Highness!  I did not mean it!  We are yours to do with as you please!"  She was panicking so Lind quickly summoned an elixir and forced her to drink it.  It was still low grade 1 but it cleared the mind for meditation.

The effect was immediate.  Her raging emotions calmed down but the fear remained.

"Listen very carefully to me again.  I am here to destroy the Kingdom of Altair.  I have no interest in what that creature made you all do here nor his predecessors.  Take some time and sleep.  I will not allow harm here ever again."  Lind's voice was firm but she finally realized he was serious.  Tears flowed again as she collapsed when he released her.

Some of the young girls came over and helped take her back to bed.  Lind sighed as he knew he was likely to have several such confrontations before he could leave.  He was about to cultivate when he sensed a Soul Realm aura approaching.

Lind felt it getting closer faster than any Soul Realm should move so he moved to greet the person and see what he could learn of what was ahead.