Early the next morning, Yu Lingye left Grey Oak Village and rode Moon toward Crow Candle Castle.
Just as she passed a stretch of muddy road, the voices of several pedestrians ahead drifted over on the wind.
“Are there really monsters over by the old station to the north?”
“Yes, three of them! Frog heads and human bodies. They don't even sleep at night, just stay there repairing the road.”
“Repairing the road? Why would monsters repair a road?”
“Who knows? Someone saw them from a distance and said those three things are carrying stones and filling potholes, all while croaking.”
“Could they be new monsters that popped up after the treants died?”
“I wouldn't dare go near there. What if they drag me in to repair the road too?”
Yu Lingye gently tugged the reins, prompting Moon to slow his pace.
Three frog heads, and they were repairing the road near the old station?
Hmm... Why did that sound so familiar?
Moon let out a soft whinny and pawed the ground. Yu Lingye immediately realized what was going on, and the faces of the three bandits from before surfaced in her mind.
Those three guys had been so poor they couldn't even scrape together decent weapons, yet they had dared to jump out and try to steal her horse.
Before she left, she had casually told them to repair the old road. She hadn't expected them to actually do it.
As for the frog heads...
It probably had everything to do with that bag of shriveled frog beans.
Fortunately, she had been disgusted by the things at the time and threw them back untouched.
Otherwise, there might have been one more person sporting a frog head right now.
The old station was right beside the main road. Yu Lingye tightened her grip on the reins and urged Moon to speed up. Before long, she spotted the three rumored “monsters.”
The half-collapsed road surface had been filled back in, the muddy potholes were paved with gravel, and the rotten wood that had blocked the middle of the road had been moved aside.
Three figures with frog heads were currently squatting by the roadside, working.
One wore a tattered straw hat, another carried a lopsided bamboo basket on his back, and the last one held a wooden stick, laboriously pushing gravel into a pit.
From a distance, they indeed looked very bizarre, but they were also working very hard.
Yu Lingye dismounted. The moment she took a step forward, the one wearing the straw hat heard the noise.
It whipped its head around.
“Ribbit!”
The other two were so startled they jumped up on the spot, scattering stones everywhere. One scrambled behind a ruined wall, while the other ran blindly and crashed into the straw-hat frog, sending both of them tumbling into the mud together.
For a moment, the area outside the station was filled with panicked croaks.
Yu Lingye stood in place, watching them crash into each other, and almost burst out laughing.
After a long moment of chaos, the three guys hid behind the ruined wall, only daring to peek at her from a distance.
The first one to clearly see her face was the frog wearing the straw hat.
He stood straight up with a whoosh and let out a loud “Ribbit!” The other two recognized her as well.
In the next instant, the three frog-headed men scrambled over, throwing themselves to the ground and bowing and kowtowing to her repeatedly.
“Ribbit!”
“Ribbit, ribbit!”
“Ribbi—t!”
Their voices grew more miserable with each croak.
Yu Lingye couldn't understand them, but she could roughly guess.
It was nothing more than begging for mercy, begging for help, and begging to be turned back.
She squatted down and looked closely at the straw-hat frog in the front.
“Stop croaking. I don't understand you.”
The three of them froze simultaneously.
The straw-hat frog grew anxious and gestured frantically with his hands and feet, pointing to his head, then to the remaining bag of frog beans in the distance, croaking incessantly.
The noise made Yu Lingye's temple throb.
“Stop.”
The three croaks vanished instantly.
“Nod for yes, shake your head for no. Do you understand?”
The three frog heads nodded immediately, their chins nearly slamming into the mud together.
Yu Lingye asked first, “Did you repair the road?”
Nod.
“Have you been working here all these days?”
Nod again.
“You turned into this because you ate the frog beans?”
This time, the three of them nodded even harder.
Yu Lingye stared at the straw-hat frog for three seconds. A faint coolness emanated from the black stud on her ear.
【Fog Mirror Earrings inspection successful.】
【Target Race: Human】
【Current Status: Low-Tier Frogification】
【Source of Alienation: Accidentally consuming spoiled frog beans】
【The current alienation has not fully solidified; recovery is possible.】
It really was that bag of beans, and they could still be saved for now.
Having a clear idea of the situation, Yu Lingye asked again:
“Did you slack off?”
The three frog heads paused and quietly exchanged glances.
Yu Lingye narrowed her eyes.
The three of them immediately shook their heads so fast they left afterimages.
Suppressing the smile on her lips, she stood up and looked along the repaired old road.
This stretch of the old road had originally been heavily dilapidated, but now it could actually barely accommodate a small carriage.
These three useless bandits had actually accomplished what she had casually told them to do.
Seeing this, an idea gradually formed in Yu Lingye's mind.
Now that the treants were dead, the dense fog of the Mist-Dwelling Forest had also dispersed.
This main northern trade route, which had been cut off for many years, would eventually see travelers again.
And this stretch of road was not far from Crow Candle Castle.
Yu Lingye knew very well that Crow Candle Castle could not remain hidden in the fog forever.
No one had discovered it yet only because the Descenders had not fully grown, and the scouts of the Holy Court and other factions had not found this place.
The exposure of Crow Candle Castle was only a matter of time.
She couldn't rely on thick fog and fear to keep everyone out forever; she had to let the outside world know that this misty land had a master.
The truly secure way was to bring the surrounding area back to life before the castle was discovered.
Roads, stations, warehouses, caravans, and the people who made a living off this route.
As long as a sufficiently large circle of interests was formed here, Crow Candle Castle would no longer be just a monster-infested castle hidden deep in the forest.
It would become a force near the trade route that could not be easily bypassed.
When that time came, whoever wanted to target Crow Candle Castle would have to first consider the interests tied to this economic belt.
Of course, the premise was that this trade route carried enough weight. An ordinary minor path would not stop those who truly wanted to take action.
She also needed an identity she could present openly, a certificate sufficient to prove ownership of the trade route, and people who were truly willing to maintain the road for her.
The black-lacquered wooden chest with the rose coat of arms flashed through Yu Lingye's mind.
Perhaps the opportunity lay hidden within those old goods of the Rosalind family.
She withdrew her gaze and looked back at the three people in front of her.
Their skills were mediocre, their courage was lacking, and their brains didn't seem particularly sharp.
But they had nowhere else to go.
After turning into this state, the three of them didn't even dare to approach Grey Oak Village. They could only guard the vicinity of the old station and wait for her return.
At least they were willing to work and were obedient enough.
Compared to those who overthought and were ready to backstab at any moment, Yu Lingye actually needed this kind of hardworking and easily controlled manpower more right now.
Yu Lingye looked at the three frog heads and asked, “Do you want to turn back?”
The three frogs nodded frantically.
“Do you want to live?”
They continued to nod.
“Then keep repairing.”
The three frog heads froze.
Yu Lingye raised her hand and pointed toward the old station ahead.
“You're in luck. There is a noble nearby who is planning to reopen this old road soon.”
The straw-hat frog blinked, and the other two also turned to look at the overgrown ruins.
“I work for that noble,” Yu Lingye continued with a straight face. “As long as you work honestly and repair the road well, I will recommend you to her.”
The straw-hat frog pointed to his head and tentatively let out a:
“Ribbit?”
“Your frogification has not completely solidified yet. I will find a way to restore you.”
Three pairs of frog eyes lit up instantly.
One of them was so excited he wanted to scramble forward, but Yu Lingye raised her hand to stop him.
“Don't celebrate too early.”
“Before I return, repair the road up to the old station. Clear the gravel along the way, fill in the potholes, and continue to widen the narrow sections on both sides.”
She raised her hand to indicate the approximate width.
“It needs to be wide enough for two carriages to pass each other.”
The three nodded hurriedly.
“Also, no more robbing people, no stealing, and no blocking passing caravans.”
Yu Lingye glanced at their frog heads and added:
“Before you recover, hide behind the station whenever you see outsiders. Approaching them looking like this makes you look like you're about to eat them even if you aren't robbing them. Be careful not to run into some mercenary, or you'll lose your lives.”
The three frog heads nodded obediently.
“If you perform well, you can continue to repair roads, carry cargo, and guard the station for that noble in the future. Food and lodging will be provided, and you won't have to hide from everyone anymore.”
This time, the three of them finally understood completely.
They exchanged looks, then suddenly prostrated themselves in unison and began kowtowing to Yu Lingye again, creating a chorus of croaks.
“Ribbit!”
“Ribbit, ribbit!”
“Ribbi—t!”
Yu Lingye's temple throbbed. “Alright, alright, stop croaking.”
The three croaks stopped abruptly.
“Kowtow less and work more in the future.”
The three frog heads immediately scrambled up from the ground. One shouldered a shovel, another dragged a wooden plank, and the last one picked up a roadside stone, scrambling toward the old station.
Watching their retreating figures, Yu Lingye already had a preliminary plan in mind.
The batch of Immortal Hardwood left behind by the Treant King could be used to repair the station.
For now, these three could only serve as labor.
As for whether they could be truly recruited into her outer circle, it would depend on their future performance.
Yu Lingye took some dry rations and a water skin from her inventory and placed them by the side of the road.
It was all normal food.
When the three frog heads saw the normal food, their eyes instantly welled with tears.
Judging by their reaction, they had probably been so starving that they couldn't take it anymore, which was why they ate that bag of spoiled frog beans.
The straw-hat frog carefully reached out his hand, but before touching the food, he looked up at her again.
Yu Lingye said, “Eat. I'll be back in a few days.”
The three frog heads had already put down their tools. They stood together by the roadside, their bodies stiff and straight.
The straw-hat frog, imitating the way city guards saw people off, pressed his hand to his chest. The other two hurriedly followed suit.
Yu Lingye watched them for a few seconds, feeling like something was slightly off.
She walked over, raised her hand to straighten the arm the straw-hat frog was pressing against his chest, and pushed his palm to his forehead.
Then she did the same to the second and the third.
The three frog heads stood stiffly like that, raising their hands lopsidedly. Although the gesture was clumsy, it looked much better than before.
Yu Lingye took a step back, examined them for a moment, and finally smiled with satisfaction.
“Now that's more like it.”
Although the three frogs didn't understand, they immediately straightened their backs even more.
In the next instant, three neat and loud croaks rang out simultaneously.
“Ribbit!”
Yu Lingye finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She cleared her throat, composed herself, mounted Moon, and casually waved to the three of them.
Moon flicked his tail and continued forward along the newly cleared old road.
Yu Lingye glanced back.
The three frog heads were still standing there, maintaining that somewhat clumsy saluting posture as they watched her leave.
Only after Moon had traveled a great distance did the three of them lower their hands and scramble toward the dry rations and water skin by the roadside.
On the silent old road, a chaotic chorus of croaks soon rang out once more.
Rate on N.U.
