Outside of Nivea's house, the sight of the elder sprinting so fast left the villagers perplexed. They began conversing among themselves, speculating about the elder's hurried pace.
One villager pondered aloud, "Why do you think the elder is in such a rush?"
Another, with a smirk, replied, "Who knows, maybe he had to take a dump."
The previous villager raised an eyebrow, responding incredulously, "Are you stupid? all our Elder is at the pinnacle of warlord strength. There's no way a warlord can't control their urge to take a dump."
With a grin, the villager who had made the initial comment replied, "Of course, I know. I was just joking."
Meanwhile, the elder continued his mad dash toward the center of the village. He reached the village hall, the same place where they had held meetings before. Bursting through the doors, he drew the attention of those inside.
One of the villagers in the hall asked, "What's the rush, Walter?"
Walter answered immediately, not even panting or breaking a sweat despite his rapid run. "I know the reason why our villagers have fallen sick. The lord said it's because of the potatoes."
Walter's words left the villagers in the hall stunned. One of them, a concerned grandfather, couldn't hide his frustration and disbelief. "Are you joking right now, Walter? This is no time for humor. My grandson is on his deathbed, and you dare to make a joke about it? How can a potato make us sick? We've been eating potatoes for generations without any issues."
Walter shook his head vigorously, his face serious. "I'm not joking Edmund, I swear"
Walter continued to explain, trying to convince his fellow villagers. "I had the same doubts as you initially, but the lord explained it to me. Apparently, when the potatoes turn green or sprout, they produce something called 'solnen,' which can make us terribly ill. We've been fortunate until now that we haven't encountered this problem, but the recent heavy rain damaged our storage, allowing the potatoes to become infected."
A murmur of concern and realization began to ripple through the villagers inside of the hall. It was difficult to ignore the fact that their illness had coincided with the consumption of these tainted potatoes.
Walter's words sent a shiver of realization down the spines of the villagers. Harry, the man who had questioned Walter earlier, was the first to speak up again. "Walter, what else did the lord say?"
With a grave expression, Walter continued, "The lord instructed me to inform all the villagers to stop eating potatoes for the time being, Harry."
Edmund look at the other people who also inside of the hall still standing and do nothing, he couldn't contain his frustration any longer. His voice echoed through the hall as he roared, "What are you waiting for? Do you want the lord to come here and tell the entire village himself?" The urgency in his tone prompted the villagers to spring into action, spreading the word throughout the village to cease consuming potatoes immediately, only leaving Walter, Harry, and Edmund
(AN : I want to name them Tom, Dick and Harry before)
Edmund approached Walter, his concern evident in his eyes. "Walter, did the lord tell you how to cure them?"
Walter sighed and shook his head. "No, Edmund, the lord didn't provide a cure. But if the lord knows the cause, there's a good chance he knows how to remedy it."
Edmund clenched his fists in frustration, his worry for his grandson etched across his face. "We can only hope, Walter. We can only hope."
The news about the poisoned potatoes spread like wildfire through the village. Villagers warned one another, and soon, the entire village was abuzz with cautionary tales about the dangerous spuds.
"Don't eat the potato, they're poisonous!" cried one villager to his friend.
Another, passing the message along, shouted, "The lord said to stop eating potatoes!"
Inside a cozy village house, a husband and wife were about to enjoy their lunch. The wife, who had been cooking, called out to her husband, "Husband, lunch is ready!"
Her husband entered the kitchen, his eyes lighting up at the delicious aroma wafting through the air. They sat down at the table together, ready to savor their meal. However, just as they were about to take the first bite, they heard the distant voices of people outside, shouting, "Don't eat the potato, they're poisonous!"
The husband and his wife exchanged wary glances as they contemplated their meal. The husband couldn't help but voice his concern, "Hey, my wife..."
His wife replied, "What is it, husband?"
He pointed at the dish in front of them, asking, "This is potato, right?"
She confirmed, "Yes, it's potato."
The husband's face turned red with frustration as he accused her, "Damn it, are you trying to kill me and take my wealth to marry a younger man?"
The wife, equally infuriated, snapped back, "With which eye did you see the riches, huh? Don't you see that I'm also going to eat it?" In her frustration, she lunged at him, and a comical scuffle ensued as they both tried to assert their dominance over the situation.
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Inside Nivea's house, Alex's frustration simmered as he grumbled within his mind. "What do you mean you can't? Didn't you say that I can go back to my world?" He was really starting to lose his patience. He had already promised Nivea that he would cure her daughter, and now this damned system was telling him he couldn't.
Ting.
"Yes, you can go back to your world, host."
"Then why did you say I can't?" Alex tried his best to maintain his composure, not wanting to display his frustration in front of Nivea.
Ting.
"You first need a place that connects to your world, host, like how you came to this world."
Alex thought for a moment and then asked, "So, you mean I need a room, right?"
Ting.
"Yes."
Alex turned to Nivea, who was standing next to him, and asked, "Nivea, do you have a room that you don't use? I need it to make the medicine," he explained, careful not to reveal that he was from another world.
"Yes, I have," Nivea replied, leading Alex towards a room. "This was my late husband's training room, my lord."
Alex was shocked by the news. "Late husband? Do you mean he passed away?"
Nivea nodded sadly. "Yes, my lord. He had an unfortunate encounter while hunting outside."
Offering his condolences, Alex said, "I'm truly sorry to hear that, Nivea."
"It's okay, my lord," Nivea replied, her voice filled with a sense of acceptance. "I've made peace with it, and I still have my daughter with me. It seems the gods have shown mercy on my family. When my daughter and I were in a desperate situation, they sent you to us." Her words were deeply touching, and Alex couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility for being there at that moment.
Nivea, with a deep sense of gratitude, turned to Alex and asked if he needed anything. She expressed her willingness to do anything for her daughter's well-being.
Alex shook his head and replied, "Thank you, Nivea, but I don't need anything for now. Please, just ensure that no one disturbs me while I'm inside."
Nivea nodded in understanding and reassured him, "Don't worry, my lord. I will make sure no one disturbs you, even if it costs me my life."
Alex could only shake his head, humbled by her dedication to her daughter's welfare.
In the attic room, Alex carefully examined the surroundings. The room was rather empty, with only a few wooden figures and a barrel that contained wooden swords. "Must be for sword practice," he thought to himself as he pondered the room's purpose. He decided it was time to return to his own world and asked the system to facilitate the process.
Ting.
"Understood, host. Please wait a moment," the system responded.
Shortly after, a large wardrobe appeared out of thin air.
Ting.
"You can go to your world now, host," the system informed him.
Alex couldn't help but be puzzled. He then questioned, "Why a wardrobe? Wouldn't something like a portal be cooler?"
Ting.
"I don't know, host. If you have questions, ask them to my creator," the system responded cryptically.
Alex was growing increasingly frustrated. "Do you have a creator?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. He couldn't help but wonder how the system could be so unreliable and unhelpful. He contemplated filing a complaint with the creators.
Ting.
"I don't know, host," the system repeated, leaving Alex even more exasperated. He couldn't believe he had placed any trust in this seemingly clueless system.
Alex can only shake his head. Taking a deep breath, Alex walked toward the wardrobe. As he approached it, he couldn't help but gulp audibly. The memory of his extreme free fall just a few hours ago was still fresh in his mind. The first fall had been harrowing enough, and he couldn't bear to think about experiencing it again. His poor heart felt like it was teetering on the edge.
As Alex stood before the wardrobe, he couldn't shake off the apprehension that had built up from his previous falls. Taking a moment to gather himself, he asked the system whether he would experience the dreaded free fall once again.
Ting
"No, host," came the reassuring response. "You free fell previously because you didn't have a transfer point like you do now."
Feeling somewhat relieved, Alex calmly opened the wardrobe, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him. But just as he leaned his back against the wardrobe wall, the familiar sensation of free falling washed over him once more, prompting an exasperated curse under his breath.
"Damn you, system! You lied to me again!" Alex couldn't contain his frustration as he yelled out his exasperation as he plummeted through the void.
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