The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

Liu Ji was totally confused.

He followed everyone into a restaurant, thinking that they were going to eat. But even before their butts had warmed the chairs, the whole gang left in a hurry after a quick conversation with the owner that Liu Ji couldn't understand.

Not that he minded though; the restaurant felt more like a senior citizen activity center. There was only hard bread and plain water on the neighboring table, which looked worse than the casual meals they had on the journey. Thus, Liu Ji wasn't too keen on dining here either.

Following the group at a slow jog, they left what could be considered the main city area.

Well… probably a part that ought to be called the main city area.

After all, the only area that could still be considered a city were the streets near the staircase. Beyond that, it was all dilapidated old houses and ruins. Some still had collapsed roofs, while others were just columns and piles of debris.

This might have once been part of the city, but it had clearly fallen into disrepair, becoming the "suburbs."

Deep in the suburbs, the roads began to show signs of incongruous mine cart tracks. These tracks weren't particularly new or well-maintained, but they were usable and showed signs of upkeep.

Following the tracks, the group spotted a lit mine shaft near a stone wall in the distance.

Outside the mine, a lady who didn't look like an earthwalker sat by a furnace, seemingly cooking something in a large pot. And near her, a bunch of lively earthwalker children were running around, playing a game of sorts.

Upon seeing that lady, Girunini called out in delight, "It's Guoguo! Thank goodness! She's okay!"

Osar raised his arms, shouting loudly while waving, "Hey! Guoguo! Can you hear me?"

In the quiet underground, his voice echoed loud, easily catching the lady's attention. She looked up in surprise, rubbed her eyes, and then ran toward them, shouting with joy.

Osar spread his arms, ready to give his long-lost companion a big hug.

But instead of hugging him, the lady darted under his arms and threw herself into Yaine's embrace.

"Little Yaine! Wahh, I'm so glad all of you are okay!" she cried, rubbing her head against Yaine.

At the side, Osar awkwardly scratched his head, not knowing what to do with his hands.

Girunini, perched on his shoulder, burst out laughing and teased, "You know how much Guoguo adores Yaine. Now you're left hanging."

"Haha, it's nothing." Osar shrugged. "I'm just glad she's safe."

"Guoguo, alright already! Of course, we are okay," Yaine said after finally managing to free herself from Guoguo's enthusiastic embrace. "By the way, are there others with you?"

"Nox and Shelo were with me earlier," Guoguo said, wiping away her joyful tears, "but now it's just me here."

"Huh? What does this mean?" Yaine asked. "Where did they go?"

"They…" Guoguo hesitated. "I've been worrying about this. When we first arrived here, we got information that there was an otherworldly army in the nearby underground."

"Yeah, I know." Yaine's frown deepened. "Are you saying the two of them went to investigate?"

"Yes." Guoguo nodded. "They were concerned it might be related to the Tyrant, so they went to check it out. But they haven't returned since, and I worry that they might…"

Guoguo bit her lip, whispering, "It's my fault. I should have stopped them…"

"No, it's not your fault. There's no way you could have stopped them." Yaine sighed. "And those two aren't easy to deal with. They're probably just caught up in some trouble. We need to find a way to contact them…"

While the few of them were talking, the earthwalker children playing near the mine came over, curious about Yaine and her companions.

To these children who had never left this place, the arrival of such a diverse group of outsiders was fascinating.

"Guoguo? What's with these kids?" Osar asked.

"They're child laborers that Nox rescued from the mine," Guoguo explained. "This place was controlled by a gang, and Nox took them down while investigating. Later, when he went off to investigate, I ended up staying to take care of the kids."

"Eh? Didn't the tavern boss say that the church would take care of them?" Girunini interjected. "Why not send them to the church?"

"Oh, I did think of that, but…" Guoguo looked at the kids helplessly. "They were told by the gang that the church would eat them if they were caught. Even though I know it's just a scare tactic for children, the kids believe it…"

"No, unfortunately, it might not be just a scare tactic," a voice suddenly interrupted Guoguo. Mervant popped out from nowhere and nodded to Guoguo. "Miss Guomimona, it's good to see you are safe."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Mervant, it's good to see you too…" Guoguo said, shrinking ever so slightly behind Yaine as if she was afraid of Mervant.

"Mervant, what did you mean by it's not just a scare tactic?" Osar asked.

"Well…" Mervant glanced at the earthwalker children for a bit, then switched to Dragontongue, "The gang's claim that the church eats people might be true."

Calidora's eyes widened in shock when she heard this. Osar, Girunini, and Guoguo were also momentarily startled, clearly not understanding what they had just heard.

Liu Ji, who had been zoning out at the side, suddenly sensed the atmosphere around his group of comrades become thicker.

Frowning, Yaine said, "I felt something was off too, but… looks like you've found something?"

"Yes, I visited the local church and found this," Mervant said as he pulled out a pure white, almost transparent seed.

"This is?" Yaine took the seed and examined it, her brows creasing further. "Strange, this thing feels familiar…"

"Of course, it does," Mervant said solemnly. "The magic veins on this seed are identical to those things in the swamp."