Starting with the defeated female knight

In addition, tentacles aren't really good for fighting, so after thinking it over, Green changed his perspective and came up with a brilliant solution.

Why does it have to be my clan?

[Anyway, it's just borrowing power. What's the difference between borrowing from me and borrowing from Him?]

Oh, there seems to be a difference. Insects do seem to be more powerful and cooler than tentacles.

And it's not just about being able to fight.

Knowing full well that this was merely borrowing power, and not Green's power at that, these people not only resisted, but could even use their faith in him to counteract the pollution, which was more conducive to them maintaining their own identity.

As for where the corrupting power of the Thousand-Legged God comes from.

Isn't He locked up in His Tentacle Wonder House right now?

Although the child was still resting, Green did not intend to disturb him. However, mental pollution does not need to be extracted from within; it is sufficient to collect the overflowing parts from the side.

And after the child wakes up, it will be even easier to collect things from her, and you can even commission custom orders.

Thus, everything was ready.

After a considerable period of planning and research, the first batch of 'familia devices' were produced and then sent to the vicinity of the Tentacle Dungeon.

As for why it's called the Tentacle Dungeon?

Simply put, after confirming that this thing required a high level of willpower from the user, Green created a separate, pressure-oriented, or rather, mentally polluting and confrontational dungeon for it, named 'Darkest Dungeon', specifically for cultivating and testing mental willpower.

Green's current plan is to use this instance to select those with sufficient combat power and strong will, and then give them these Familia devices.

Incidentally, while the mental pollution in the Darkest Dungeon also originated from Grimm, it was explicitly identified as something that was both an 'enemy' and a 'test of the gods'.

Therefore, even residents of Dawn City can develop the will to fight and train after entering, although their resistance will be weakened accordingly, but it is not a big problem.

The screening process went very smoothly.

After all, it was something that had been in preparation for quite some time, and the dungeon had been set up long ago. After putting people in there for assessment, they were scored based on their performance in combat and willpower, and then suitable candidates were selected. As expected, the results were all approved.

However, although the process was uneventful, the final result was slightly unexpected.

[First place... Tanya?]

How did you get out of the cathedral? Oh, right, it's a holiday today.

Tania, an old friend who was with Grin during the camp days, was not only among the first to show him goodwill and cooperation, but also possessed considerable combat strength.

She turned out to be one of the few high-level professionals in Dawn City. Even when the investigation team came, she was one of the few who could fight the entire investigation team one-on-one without being at a disadvantage.

Of course, some overpowered team leaders are not included in this category, and even this level of strength is the result of being favored and enhanced by Green; she couldn't do it in the beginning.

Because of her seniority and genuine ability, she was the one who assisted Green in management and construction in the early days of Dawn City. She also contributed the most to the refugee resettlement and even brought back Ella.

So later, after a series of events, although she was not very famous and was rarely mentioned, Tanya was indeed a member of Green's core group.

Later, after the cathedral was built, he was regarded as a trustworthy person by Green and was directly recruited to serve as a conscript. To this day, he is still serving as the children's combat teacher—or rather, physical education teacher.

To be honest, although it wasn't often mentioned, and the role of a physical education teacher seemed a bit of a waste of her status as a highly skilled professional, Tania herself didn't have any complaints.

After all, as one of the few people who had been by Green's side from the very beginning, she certainly knew how much Green valued the cathedral and those children.

Being able to become a teacher there is itself a testament to extreme trust and recognition.

Not to mention, she was actually well aware that while she wasn't bad in any particular area, she wasn't outstanding in any one either. She was strong enough to fight, but not as strong as Cecilia; she was passable in management, but not as good as Iris. She seemed like a jack-of-all-trades, a jack-of-all-trades, but compared to Miss Morphia next door...

Fingertip Universe.jpg

Not to mention that Green treated her well too. Not only was her job easy, but he also provided her with a private tentacle pool in her room, just as she requested.

Every day, I teach the children, give them some exercise, and occasionally help out when needed. After returning home, I soak in the tentacle pool, feeling enveloped and pampered by the gods, while also being healed in body and mind by the nutrient solution.

What could she possibly be dissatisfied with in this simple life?

Especially compared to her previous days as an adventurer, although the income was not low, she had to endure all kinds of hardships, and after deducting expenses and the necessary reserves for future life, the money she earned was not even enough to hire a church pastor.

If she hadn't met Green and been healed by his tentacles, in a few years, when she was older and her body couldn't keep up, her old wounds and injuries would have flared up all at once, and she would have suffered from some minor illnesses. She would have been left to suffer.

This wasn't just wild speculation or baseless gossip; it's simply how adventurers operate.

They either die in the line of duty or meet an untimely end; only a very few manage to die peacefully.

If she's satisfied with her life, why is she here?

"Well, the kids are on holiday, and you didn't give me any other instructions. After training, I was thinking of wandering around a bit, and then I remembered that you were going to test that Familia transformation device today, so I thought I'd come and take a look. Then I saw them go in and got a little itchy to try it myself, so..."

[Just bored, huh?]

"......Yes."

Tanya nodded somewhat awkwardly, and then explained.

"Um, I just came to take a look, no need..."

【Holding it】

Green shoved the Familia Transformation Device directly into her hand.

Why can't you get it if you passed the assessment? You were number one!

Green wasn't being sarcastic or blaming her; he genuinely acknowledged Tania's skill level.

After all, in terms of strength, even in the current Dawn City, Tania is definitely in the top tier, and could even be considered a T0 gatekeeper.

As for willpower, working at the cathedral and often dealing with problems that children can't handle, she's constantly on the front lines of mental pollution. Her tentacles, used for bathing, are enough to intimidate most people, so her willpower is beyond question.

As for loyalty and ability, that goes without saying.

So Tanya is fully qualified to have this transformation device... I mean, the Familia transformation device.

Even if she doesn't come now, Green will probably mention it to her later and ask if she wants to give it a try.

Moreover, coincidentally, Green had an important task that needed to be done. He was wondering who to choose when he saw Tanya on the list, and he realized that the most suitable candidate had arrived.

As for what kind of work it is...

This demonic tide is mainly concentrated in the Empire's territory. Although it hasn't spread, there are probably no survivors there.

Dawn City has recently undergone some expansion and improvements, allowing it to accommodate more people, and its future development will require even more resources...

I want you to head towards the other side of the border and look for survivors elsewhere.

"You mean...orcs?"

Tanya blinked.

The tentacle nodded, and was about to explain further when the female warrior spoke again, her eyes clear.

"So you're also interested in the orc girl?"

Green: "...?"

BYD, are you guys never going to stop?!

------

P.S.: There should be another chapter later.

Volume 1: Chapter 71: Tentacles are the guardians of daisies

Green was certainly not interested in the orc girl.

Or rather, they're not just interested in little girls.

The specific circumstances need to be traced back to the period when refugees were taken in.

Although the first batch of orcs taken in consisted of only a dozen or so, namely Morphia's group, Dawn City actually received several more scattered orc refugees afterward. Although the number was not large, it eventually amounted to about a hundred.

Originally, because of their different races, Green was worried that they might cause some trouble, so he paid extra attention to them.

But after observing them, Green discovered that these beings were less like beast-like demi-humans and more like people wearing Fury's skin.

Aside from certain racial characteristics, such as the slow reaction of camel-men, the keen sense of smell of wolf-men, and the cawing of bird-men, these orcs usually behave much like the people in Dawn City. At most, they just have slightly different preferences for food and living environment.

Furthermore, the barbarians on the border have little concept of race, especially since the one in charge here is Grin, a tentacle monster.

The outcome went even more smoothly than Green had anticipated. The orcs easily integrated into the environment of Dawn City, and if it weren't for their unique appearance, they might have even forgotten about Green.

Moreover, over time, Green also discovered that although orcs have special requirements for their living environment and certain aspects due to their racial issues, making them relatively difficult to train and manage, their racial talents are more than worth the cost.

The ability to identify herbs by smell alone, the superhuman agility to reach places inaccessible to humans, darkvision, tracking, weather prediction, and all sorts of strange, useful, useless, or yet-to-be-developed special abilities...

Frankly speaking, these talents are not only beneficial; more like Edith's sensitive skin, while bringing advantages, they also cause trouble in their daily lives and even their lives.

Moreover, due to the primitiveness of the orc civilization, even if these talents were useful, only a very small number could actually be brought into play. Before arriving in Dawn City, they were basically regarded as defects and curses.

But after arriving in Dawn City, and especially after Dawn City began to be built, those buried talents began to be gradually discovered and utilized.

Many special tasks that are inconvenient for humans can be easily accomplished by beastmen thanks to their innate talents and characteristics.

Many things that beastmen wouldn't even dare to dream of can also be easily accomplished by humans.

In particular, the unity and cooperation of humans are something that orcs, who don't even know what race their own children will be, wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Humans excel at things that are universal and large-scale, while beastmen can use their talents to refine and add various details.

The two are different yet complementary, which is also a key factor in the successful construction and rapid development of Shuguang City.

Now, after the defense of Dawn City, Dawn City has developed further. Because it has successfully kept the demonic tides out of the mountains twice, and thanks to the deliberate maintenance and cultivation by Green and the residents of Dawn City, the ecology within the mountains has stabilized and grown considerably. Even the farmland outside has yielded a short-term crop harvest.

Furthermore, with ongoing construction and research in various fields, acquiring more orcs with special talents would certainly be helpful.

Even if they don't have any useful talents, they can still be thrown into various positions and serve as high-quality laborers thanks to their innate animalistic strength.

and......

"The weather is getting colder; winter is coming soon."

"The demonic tide outside isn't as extreme as near the mountains, and its environmental damage isn't as severe, so there should still be quite a few orcs alive, but..."

Morphia stretched out her hand, felt the coolness in the air, and shook her head.

"They're going to have a very tough winter."

Although there are slight differences in Green's understanding, the world does have four seasons.

Almost half a year has passed since their first contact with humans, and Green is now experiencing winter in this world for the first time since interacting with them.

In Dawn City, people are working overtime, but not for research and development. Instead, they are building a magical heating system, as arranged by Green and with the help of mages.

In the tailor shop, besides the rhythmic sound of sewing inside, tentacles were constantly helping to transport materials inside, making clothes for the winter.

Winter is a terrifying season.

At least, that was true for them in the past.

Low temperatures will inhibit crop growth, frozen water surfaces will make it difficult to draw water, not to mention the howling, knife-like winds and the ubiquitous chill that can freeze life.

Every winter is a test of life; every drop in temperature means more people will die.

But strangely enough, despite the approaching winter and the fact that they had been in exile for a long time due to the demonic tide, there was no sense of fear or unease in Dawn City. Instead, the city was thriving.

Even if we don't know what this winter will be like, just looking at the warehouse full of grain, the pieces of heating pipes being pieced together, and the tentacles wandering and wriggling around, makes us feel hopeful.

Even an eight-year-old bird-beastman who can only quack can realize that this winter will not be as cold as usual.

It might even be quite warm.

However, this warmth is limited to the interior of Dawn City.

For places outside the region, especially those affected by the demonic tide, this winter will likely be more difficult than ever before.

Therefore, Green needs to act quickly, not out of any morality or mercy, but primarily to take advantage of someone's vulnerability.

If you go there now and drag those who can't survive to here, you can still give them a good talking-to.

[Once next spring arrives and we've survived, it will be much harder to negotiate terms to bring people over.]

Therefore, whether out of sentiment or self-interest, he should send a team out to recruit people at this point.

Currently, Edith is managing the cathedral, Cecilia has more important tasks, and the other reliable people are mostly doing their own jobs.

The only suitable and available person is Tanya.

Especially after passing the trial and obtaining the Familia Transformation Device, her already formidable combat strength was further enhanced, giving her an extra layer of protection when going out.