“Shouldn’t the village chief be the one to visit me? Or should I go to him?” Zinnia furrowed her brow in confusion.
After all, nearly three days had passed since Anna told her that the village chief wanted to see Zinnia.
“Old Bailey said he’d be the one to visit,” Anna replied calmly.
“But why hasn’t he come yet?” Zinnia asked impatiently.
Anna remained silent, shrugging her shoulders slightly.
Zinnia let out a sigh; she felt uneasy when something like this remained unresolved.
Zinnia was spraying the seeds she was germinating.
According to the guidebook the System had given her, she needed to wait until the seeds were at least two weeks old before transplanting them into the ground.
“I can’t wait to see you all grow well,” Zinnia said in a deliberately cute voice as she stroked the leaves that were beginning to sprout.
Zinnia could be seen laughing to herself several times as she stroked the tiny leaves of the seeds that had begun to sprout.
Anna, who saw this, couldn’t help but think deeply about it.
Not far from there, Cassian could also be seen doing some light stretching.
It seemed he was bored of being cooped up inside the Manor all the time, and Zinnia didn’t mind it.
“Did that girl move here because she’s crazy?” Cassian muttered softly as he watched Zinnia’s strange behavior.
While the Manor’s residents were going about their respective activities, the person whose arrival Zinnia had been waiting for finally showed up.
“Good morning, Miss Vermillion. I’ve come to visit you,” Old Bailey greeted her warmly.
Realizing Old Bailey had arrived, Zinnia slowly walked over to greet him.
“Just call me Zinnia, Old Bailey. I’ve been waiting for you; come on in.” Zinnia then led Old Bailey into the Manor.
Unnoticed, Cassian, who had seen Old Bailey arrive, followed them inside the Manor.
Cassian was suspicious of the contaminated Greenmarch River; he felt familiar with cases like this, having seen rivers in similar conditions before.
And every time something like that happened, there was always something worse lurking behind it.
Meanwhile, Zinnia led Old Bailey to the living room and told Anna to entertain their guest.
Old Bailey was a member of the Turtle Tribe, so Zinnia understood why he moved so slowly.
Whether it was because he was old or simply because he was from the Turtle Tribe, Zinnia felt a little awkward when she saw Old Bailey’s hunched posture.
Noticing Old Bailey’s gaze, Zinnia immediately rushed to explain.
“He’s my bodyguard,” Zinnia said casually.
Zinnia had to do that because Cassian didn’t want anyone to suspect his presence at the Manor.
“So, what’s the matter? Why did you come looking for me, Old Bailey?” Zinnia had no intention of beating around the bush.
Old Bailey took a deep breath before speaking.
“I’m sure you already know that the water quality in Greenmarch isn’t good,” Old Bailey began.
“Yes, I’m aware of it. Actually, I also wanted to ask you about this. Does this problem really stem from the river?” Zinnia tried to be honest.
“You’re right, Miss Vermillion. About three years ago, the Lume River began to become polluted, and over time it became as contaminated as it is now. Back then, the river was so pristine and sustained us,” Old Bailey explained nostalgically.
“Our children used to play along the banks of the Lume River. We caught fish there, washed our clothes, and even used it to irrigate our fields. Greenmarch once thrived because of that river.”
Old Bailey bowed his head, a sense of longing evident in his voice.
“Now we don’t even dare to go near it.” Old Bailey sounded truly devastated as he said this.
Just like the land in the Manor’s front yard, Zinnia realized that her land was quite fertile, but on the surface it looked hard and difficult to cultivate.
And the same thing happened with the Lume River.
Zinnia thought this couldn’t be a coincidence; there had to be another reason why Greenmarch had ended up as such a neglected and troubled region.
“And I need your help to resolve this issue, Miss. Greenmarch will be completely ruined if this problem isn’t addressed immediately; we’ve been suffering from it for a long time.” Old Bailey bowed his head even lower as he said this.
“But…” Zinnia murmured softly, torn by her dilemma.
“Up until now, the villagers have been buying water from other regions, but we can’t keep doing that because of financial difficulties,” Old Bailey continued.
“Just surviving is hard enough for us, Miss. Please, help us.” Old Bailey pleaded sincerely with Zinnia.
“Old Bailey, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. After all, I’ll need water for my fields too. It’s just that, you know, I’m not Count Vermillion, and besides…” Zinnia said hesitantly.
It felt like Zinnia hadn’t even been in this world for very long, let alone ever led a region or dealt with such a complex problem.
The burden of this request was immense for Zinnia, especially since so many lives depended on her if she accepted it.
Just as Zinnia found herself at a crossroads, filled with doubt, at that very moment, she heard a notification sound from the System and Cassian’s serious voice drawing closer to her.
“Miss, I think you should help the villagers. They need you, and besides, you wouldn’t let them die because of this, would you?” Cassian approached her, speaking calmly.
Ding! Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
[Quest arrived!]
[1. Find the source of the Lume River pollution (0/1) 2. Stop the main source of pollution (0/1) 3. Improve the water quality of the Lume River (0/1) Duration: 30 days Reward: New Farming Function + Random Prize]
[Will the host accept the Quest?]
[Yes | No]
Zinnia fell silent, staring at the transparent screen hanging in front of her; she felt increasingly torn by this dilemma.
Even if Zinnia refused the Quest or Old Bailey’s request, she would still live comfortably.
She had plenty of money, so buying water wasn’t a problem for her.
However, Zinnia knew that she would be letting the residents of Greenmarch suffer and causing them to die a slow death.
“Damn it.” Zinnia clenched her fists tightly; she knew she couldn’t let any of that happen.
Now, having steeled herself, Zinnia selected the “Yes” button on her quest panel.
Then, she glanced up to look at the two people in front of her.
“Ugh! You two are really pushing me to take on this burden!” Zinnia glared at Cassian, then shot a fierce look at Old Bailey.
“Miss, I beg you!” Old Bailey suppressed his fear and continued to plead.
Zinnia’s reddish tail twitched aggressively; she was truly furious now.
“Fine! I’ll accept your request; I’ll think of a solution to our water problem,” Zinnia finally replied, folding her arms across her chest, still annoyed.
“Thank you! Thank you, Miss! The Count will be so proud of you!” Old Bailey immediately looked up with a beaming face.
“…No need to thank me; I hope you aren’t pinning too many hopes on me.” Upon hearing her father’s name mentioned, Zinnia grew gloomy again.
“Go on, I’ll investigate the Lume River right away, so you don’t need to worry,” Zinnia said again, waving her hand to shoo Old Bailey away.
“All right, Miss. Come to me anytime you need help; Greenmarch will be happy to assist you!” Old Bailey immediately stood up and hurried out of the Manor.
Anna went to see Old Bailey off to the Manor gate.
Meanwhile, Zinnia propped her head up with one hand, resting it on the arm of the sofa, while gently massaging her temples.
“Why did you go out of your way to help Old Bailey try to persuade me?” Zinnia glanced at Cassian, who was now sitting on the sofa across from her.
“Because I don’t want to die of water poisoning while I’m staying here,” Cassian replied nonchalantly.
“You think I’m going to believe that!” Zinnia grew even more annoyed after hearing Cassian’s answer.
Cassian simply shrugged indifferently, having no intention of explaining his reasons.
He had his own reasons for urging Zinnia to deal with the Lume River.