Chapter 435 – Turning False into True, Red Robe the Farmer

One week later.

Baichuan City, Red Maple City region.

“This official city is located on the periphery of the Alliance and has always been an important frontline base against the Red Moon Disaster. Simultaneously, it serves as a crucial transit station for the Taixuan Alliance’s exploration and expansion into the Wilderness. One of the key garrisons of the Pioneering Logistics Department is here in Baichuan City… Yawn.”

On a steel train heading from Tianze Lake Main City to Red Maple City, Red Robe lazily flipped through the documents she had recently obtained from the Tianze City Logistics Department, unable to suppress a yawn.

“The weather is overcast, the temperature is moderate, and there’s humidity—perfect for resting and nurturing the body.”

But resting is only truly comfortable when done in one continuous stretch. Waking up intermittently isn’t as pleasant.

Red Robe propped her chin on her hand and gazed out the window.

Her eyes, shimmering with faint light patterns, acted like a video recorder, steadily capturing every scene outside the window.

Note: The daily life of Red Robe the worker.

“I hope the work at the Logistics Department will be as relaxing as I imagined.”

…

Baichuan City, Logistics Department Garrison.

Jade Arrow, the permanent captain of the 14th Logistics Department Transport Team, Three-Star Pioneer General, and Legendary Lord, frowned as she looked at the liaison officer who had just delivered her mission instructions.

“A shipment will arrive tomorrow, and we’re supposed to deliver it to the Snowpeak Warzone within half a month? That means we’d have to set off immediately upon receiving the goods… No, we might not even make it in time. This mission is too demanding, Liaison Officer.”

Jade Arrow had traveled between Baichuan City and the Snowpeak Warzone more than once or twice, which was precisely why she knew exactly how long a normal delivery would take.

The liaison officer adjusted his glasses. “But Captain Fourteen, you understand that if the situation weren’t critical, headquarters wouldn’t issue such a mission. I don’t know much about the specifics of the Snowpeak Warzone, but this batch of supplies is undoubtedly vital for emergency relief.”

Jade Arrow pressed her lips together.

She understood this logic all too well.

The liaison officer continued, “This time, the Logistics Department has granted you significant authority. You can recruit elite personnel from Baichuan City and the surrounding areas, and you may also apply to possess a Quasi-Epic Item.”

Jade Arrow still felt helpless but resigned herself to the task.

While the authority to recruit was considerable, how many Fourth-Order Experts without ongoing missions could she possibly find in Baichuan City and the neighboring regions?

The liaison officer added, “Given the urgency of the situation, headquarters has also assigned a group of new recruits to assist you with this transport and escort mission. I wish you a successful mission.”

“New recruits?”

Jade Arrow walked over to the ‘computer’ in the garrison and began operating it, her fingers gliding over the smooth, crystal-like surface.

Soon, she pulled up the list of new recruits.

“Good, good. At least they’re not pushing me too far. With this, the transport mission might just be manageable!”

…

That day, the garrison gradually welcomed a stream of professionals and lords.

Each of them was exceptionally skilled, with the weakest among them being experts at the Third Order.

Even in a strategic hub like Baichuan City, War General-level and Commander-level experts weren’t all that common.

“Are you all here for Mission Six as well?””Indeed, Mission Six has a danger warning, but the Contribution Points reward is substantial. Besides, it’s just a transport mission—no matter how dangerous, it’s far less risky than reconnaissance tasks in the Great Warzone.”

“You’re all so brave—did you accept this mission voluntarily?”

“Bro, aren’t you here by choice?”

“Sigh, I’ve only completed one Pioneer Group mission this year, far from meeting the quota. That’s why I got drafted as filler labor—feeling pretty gloomy about it.”

“Actually, transport missions are mainly about harsh conditions and procedural difficulties, but they’re not particularly dangerous. Moreover, this Mission Six is reportedly led by the 14th Squad Captain, Jade Arrow.”

A well-informed senior Lord chimed in, “This Captain Jade Arrow is remarkable. Rumor has it she comes from common origins but steadily grew stronger, continuously surpassing her peers. In less than ten years, she broke through to the Legendary Realm. Not only that, Captain Jade Arrow excels at reconnaissance—she’s twice led transport teams to complete retreats unscathed under siege by Monster Overlords.”

This senior Lord was actually Jade Arrow’s contemporary from earlier days.

Back then, he had even made it onto the Trial Gold List, while Lord Jade Arrow remained obscure during her rookie and early advancement phases.

Now, Lord Jade Arrow holds the position of Squad Captain in the Pioneer Logistics Department, ranking just below the department head and several vice-heads—a truly influential figure with substantial authority.

He himself remains just an ordinary Pioneer Lord.

The Fourth Order Lord ‘Broken Blade’ sighed deeply, but then felt somewhat relieved remembering that among his contemporaries, some were still only at Second-Order Elite Tier.

…

That night.

Senior Lord Broken Blade, Commander-tier expert North Wind, Senior Lord Light Green—powerhouses arrived one after another at a conference room within the garrison.

Only nine people in total.

Though Jade Arrow had summoned thirty to forty Pioneers and Pioneer Lords, naturally only a select few were qualified to learn mission details.

Among these nine, three were subordinates accompanying their respective Lords.

The actual Pioneer Lords and Pioneers participating in the meeting numbered just six.

These six were mostly powerhouses active in surrounding regions. While not intimately familiar with each other, they were at least acquainted.

Their greetings remained cordial—after all, these would be teammates for the coming period, so maintaining decent relations was essential.

Broken Blade observed the others.

Commander-tier expert ‘North Wind’ had considerable renown. Not a Lord themselves and lacking powerful troop types, they had carved out a formidable reputation through personal combat prowess. They once made it onto the Dragon Gate List, and though later pushed off by rising competition, this didn’t diminish their prestige.

A Dragon Gate List-level expert!

North Wind was likely the strongest individual present.

Senior Lord Light Green maintained lower visibility, reportedly being a farming-focused Lord. However, the tall, sharp-eared, green-haired woman standing beside Lord Light Green drew significant attention.

A Natural Elf!

And a high-tier unit among Natural Elves.

Though not widely famous, they appeared to be a capable teammate.

Soon, Lord Jade Arrow entered through the door.

“Some haven’t arrived yet—wait a moment.”

After speaking, she closed her eyes and sat as still as a statue.

Broken Blade and the others grew somewhat uncomfortable.

With a Legendary Realm expert—and their superior—sitting there, they couldn’t engage in casual conversation, yet sitting in silence felt equally awkward.However, who was Captain Jade Arrow waiting for?

Which Lord was so important?

Of course, Broken Blade and the others understood that this Lord was probably still rushing over. The release of Mission Six had been somewhat urgent after all.

“He’s here.”

Lord Jade Arrow suddenly opened her eyes.

After several dozen more seconds, someone finally pushed the door open.

The first to catch their eye was a girl enveloped in a faint green glow, with a pair of semi-transparent wings behind her.

A tender sprout grew from the girl’s head, with fresh green leaves drooping down like a perky strand of hair.

‘What kind of unit is this?’

‘And whose subordinate is she?’

‘She seems like an outstanding-grade plant spirit or plant Guardian? But they shouldn’t have such a large build or be so human-like, right?’

Following closely behind… floating in was a woman in red clothes with deathly pale skin, disheveled hair, and two large dark circles under her eyes.

Wait, who was this?

Were those dark circles for real?

Lord Jade Arrow stood up and got straight to the point, “Now that everyone is here, let’s begin.”

Behind her, a map projected forth.

The map wasn’t detailed, only roughly marking out one large area after another.

‘Dragonflame Canyon Area’, ‘Earthflow River Area’, ‘Famine Desert Area’, ‘Extreme Wood Forest Area’, …

She said, “Our destination for this journey is the Snowpeak Warzone located in the neighboring Medium Domain. The Snowpeak Warzone is very far from Baichuan City, and there’s only one passage from the Twilight Great Domain to the Snowpeak Domain – right here.”

She pointed to a spot on the projected map.

That location was already near the deepest part of the Twilight Great Domain, not far from the edge of the Great Domain.

Captain Jade Arrow then quickly drew three routes on it, “Some of you know that the safest route to the Snowpeak Great Domain is Route A. This route has been confirmed multiple times to be relatively safe, but… taking this route is too long. Our mission time is only half a month, so Route A is ruled out first.”

“Next is Route B. If we take Route B, time will be tight but there’s still an 80% chance of arriving within the specified time. The drawback is that Route B isn’t safe. The last time I took Route B, I detected a monster legend’s gaze.”

“If we take Route B, there’s a significant probability we’ll encounter a monster legend. Once any minor accident occurs, it will be difficult for us to reach the Snowpeak Warzone within half a month.”

“As for Route C…” she paused, “Route C is the shortest path, but taking it requires passing through a strange land. This strange land is affected by special rules – our daily food intake will increase by ten to several dozen times. If we fail to consume sufficient food, at best our condition will greatly decline, at worst we’ll lose life force until death.”

“Therefore, the premise for taking Route C is whether we can guarantee food supply.”

After speaking, she looked around, “Does anyone have questions?”

“Yes, yes,” one Lord said, “Food supply shouldn’t be a big problem, right? Everyone here has storage equipment, and besides, our logistics department is delivering supplies to the front lines. Our spatial storage boxes are all Advanced goods.”Another Lord spoke up, “No, our transport team supplies the front lines, so the cargo in the transport boxes is mostly what the front lines need. There isn’t much space left in the transport boxes for us to pack consumables. Besides, Fourth-Order Experts require a large daily intake of food. If that amount is multiplied by ten or twenty times, then…”

Even if most of the transport boxes were used to carry food, it probably wouldn’t be enough.

Doing so would render their transportation meaningless.

“We must source locally and solve the food problem within the strange land. Only then can we take Route C. Otherwise, we’ll have to take the risky Route B.”

Captain Jade Arrow looked at Lord Light Green.

Lord Light Green introduced, “This is my capable General, the Natural Elf Priest Zhu. They possess multiple natural revival skills and can manifest a natural terrain. Working with several other natural elves, they can produce enough food to supply two hundred Third-Order and Fourth-Order Experts simultaneously.”

“If it’s only for a short period… a few days, that number can increase to a thousand.”

Feeding a thousand experts with the efforts of just a few people sounds impressive, and indeed, it is.

However…

With food consumption in the strange land increasing tenfold or even twentyfold, the actual calculation shows it can only sustain twenty to thirty people.

Still not enough.

Dragon Gate List expert North Wind said, “This strange land refers to the ‘Famine Desert’ region, right? I once spent some time in this dangerous area and discovered a special yellow cactus that can be harvested for sustenance. Its filling effect is quite good. I can use my wind to search for these special plants.”

Jade Arrow nodded slightly.

But by her calculations, it still wasn’t enough.

She then turned her gaze to Grass Branch, a hint of expectation in her eyes.

Grass Branch said, “Farming isn’t really my forte, but I do know a little. I can’t say exactly how many I can sustain—let’s test it out.”

The group walked to an open area outside the conference room.

Grass Branch took out several seeds from a special storage bottle they carried and tossed them onto the ground.

The seeds landed.

“Natural Light!” “Grow!” “Earth Power Absorption!” “Fragrance!” “Dew!” “Super Growth!” “Essence of Flora!”…

With a pointed finger, over a dozen skills were unleashed in rapid succession within three seconds.

In the blink of an eye, the earth cracked, and one, two, three tender sprouts broke through the soil, growing and strengthening within a few breaths into several giant green vines dozens of meters tall, laden with dozens, even hundreds, of melons and fruits.

“All of them are graded gourd fruits—quite filling!”

“With Grass Branch’s skills and Lord Light Green’s natural elves, our food problem should be solved, right? We’ll also stock up on some provisions before we set off.”

At this moment, Red Robe was zoning out while reporting to her Lord via a mental link.

‘Looks like I don’t have much to do on this mission. Just let Grass Branch handle it.’

On the other end.

Mu Yuan pondered, “So this is the logistics department’s task? Wait, Red Robe, you’re quite good at this kind of work too. Give it your all on your first mission—I’m supporting you in spirit.”

Red Robe: “Huh? Me? Go farm vegetables?”

Her eyes reflected clarity and bewilderment. Wasn’t she skilled at slacking off… no, skilled in illusions?But after hearing her own Lord’s words, she realized she seemed, perhaps, maybe, possibly… wasn’t entirely incapable of growing vegetables either.

“Ahem.” She suddenly spoke up, “I’ll give it a try too, just an attempt.”

Lord Jade Arrow was puzzled.

But since she didn’t voice any opposition, others remained silent as well.

Red Robe borrowed a gourd vine seed from Grass Branch and examined it in her hand.

After about ten seconds, she pointed a finger, causing seeds to materialize one after another before her eyes, landing on the ground and swiftly taking root and sprouting.

The entire process appeared even more natural and harmonious than Grass Branch’s earlier explosive growth.

So natural it seemed like Illusion.

Among those present, some recognized Red Robe as the renowned Lord of Netherworld, the Great Master of Illusion.

But…

Someone stepped forward to touch the vine, then plucked a fruit from it.

He took a bite—the fruit was indeed juicy and flavorful, as real as could be.

“Could I already be trapped in an illusion?”

Lord Jade Arrow also silently picked a fruit to taste.

She ate one after another, soon feeling slightly full.

She looked at Red Robe.

Red Robe sighed helplessly, “I could probably supply several times more without issue.”

This was the power of True Illusion—transforming falsehood into reality.

Why did she have to understand so much?

She truly was born to labor.

(End of Chapter)