Chapter 19: The Villagers’ Harvest.

Atos, the pioneer of the Lantern Bearer path, exhausted his life’s strength yet only advanced to fourth-tier.

When attempting to break through to fifth-tier, he fell deep in the Black Domain, swallowed by the black world.

That year was Vigil Calendar 262, exactly twenty years after Atos first stepped into the Lantern Bearer domain.

Atos perished in the Black Domain—superficially from unbearable horrific corruption erosion or an accident.

Yet countless private discussions believed it was a meticulously planned conspiracy—simply because Atos betrayed the Church and turned to the imperial family.

As early as Vigil Calendar 250, Atos collaborated with royal scholar Yanis, who discovered lead’s mysterious uses, jointly unraveling the core secret of Lantern Bearer birth.

During the process, rumors already circulated that the Church had attempted to intervene and conceal the truth.

In Vigil Calendar 252, the once devout warrior-monk Atos, with strong support from the imperial family and local nobles, publicly announced separation from the Church, founded the Lantern Bearer Guild, and made a continent-shaking decision—to disclose the entire Lantern Bearer trial ritual process to the public.

Thereafter, Atos devoted himself fully to researching Lantern Bearer advancement paths, consistently choosing himself as the test subject.

By his death, hundreds of Lantern Bearers had emerged across the Second Empire of Isgard’s lands.

Without exception, all regarded Atos as their enlightenment mentor.

In Vigil Calendar 265, the third year after Atos’s death, the imperial family and Church finally reached the famous Draugrheim Agreement.

Henceforth, every newborn Lantern Bearer had the right to choose allegiance among the imperial family, local nobles, the Church, or the Lantern Bearer Guild—or even become a free Lantern Bearer unbound by any faction.

However, Atos’s true merit etched in history was discovering that certain seemingly ordinary substances, upon entering the Black Domain, might undergo peculiar mutation phenomena—and these changes were not always ill-fortuned.

Beyond the black mist barrier lay not only a perpetual night abyss devouring life but also a “lucky hell” capable of turning decay into wonder, brimming with unknown possibilities.

Giant fruit berries, bulbroot grass, moonshine dandelions, Drunken Soul Flowers, snow cotton, black crystal grass, bone iron, secret copper…

This series of rare plants and minerals benefiting the light world were excavated, named, and brought out of the Black Domain through Atos’s tireless, repeated explorations.

These discoveries profoundly influenced the subsequent centuries.

In Vigil Calendar 702, under the personal oversight of the great Empress Anna, the comprehensive Lantern Bearer profession compendium compiled by the Three-Eye Society was finally published and solemnly named the Book of Atos.

Atos’s towering stone statue had, under the sixth black tide’s merciless assault, fallen into the overwhelming black mist along with the former imperial capital.

Yet his name, his pioneer’s radiance, still shone in generation after generation of Lantern Bearers’ hearts.

To this day, folk tales about “Atos’s legacy” still circulated.

Even many Lantern Bearers themselves firmly believed: before his death, Atos had buried considerable experimental items and research results in some secret corner of the Black Domain.

…

…

Several hours later, the Iceberry Village exploration team led by Renata also crossed the black mist barrier.

Each person received fifty milliliters of precious holy water in special small clay bottles—the village public fund’s investment for the annual Black Domain exploration.

Depending on individual differences, this amount allowed roughly three to six hours’ stay in the Black Domain.

In the limited time, everyone had to gather as many useful items as possible, especially the marked woods and valleys on the map—mandatory areas for the team.

The Black Domain’s terrain and features changed slowly yet continuously every moment; the farther from the black mist barrier, the more pronounced the change.

Without Renata’s persistent annual map updates, this area might become unrecognizable in a decade, leaving people utterly lost.

The Black Domain lived; it was the ever-changing sinful projection cast by the mysterious abyss giant demon onto the material world—this was the so-called consensus among the Three-Eye Society, Lantern Bearer Guild, and Church.

“Village chief, black honey gum!”

At the nearby woods’ edge, a man pounced on a mutated red pine with cracked bark and bizarre shape, vigorously scraping off a clump of solidified black resin from the surface.

Black honey gum was the resin secreted by mutated red pines, gradually drying and hardening over time into these crisp lumps.

Black honey gum tasted sweet with a slight bitterness—not only food for many low-tier Black Domain creatures but a coveted delicacy for outer-world children.

Aside from possible mild diarrhea, it was basically non-toxic and harmless.

“Get some for the kids; don’t waste too much time.”

Renata nodded.

The men swarmed up, climbing the canopy, prying off palm-sized chunks of black resin with daggers.

Good luck—though not particularly useful, it was a fine start.

Watching the grown men leap joyfully like children, Renata’s eyes crinkled in a smile.

“Hey, Renata, look what I found!”

Militia captain Doru ran over excitedly, hands cupping a fist-sized stone covered in uneven black bumps, unusually heavy.

“Bone iron? May the Holy Lord bless—Doru, you’ve brought everyone true good fortune!”

Renata quickly took it, flipping and weighing it, showing genuine delight.

“Mm, good purity—likely third-tier. To Matt, it can sell for at least five hundred crowns!”

Whistles and exclamations rose among the crowd.

The small wealth-symbolizing bone iron passed through rough palms, sharing the joy of harvest.

Black Domain exploration was village public affairs; by rule, half the gains were evenly distributed by household.

Doru’s luck meant every Iceberry Village family got a small windfall.

“Alright, put it away… Anyone found giant fruit berries?”

After the excitement, Renata regained her village chief’s calm pragmatism, scanning the expectant faces around her.

Giant fruit berries—this economic crop successfully transplanted from the Black Domain to the outside—had high yields and was Iceberry Village’s, even all Hildemark Province’s, most important crop; the village was even named after it.

However, transplanted giant fruit berries typically had a stable yield period of only about ten years.

Afterward, production plummeted sharply, the plants eventually withering and dying.

Thus, annually venturing deep into the Black Domain to find new giant fruit berry shrubs, cutting budded branches for external propagation, was one of the exploration team’s core, most vital tasks.

“None found; maybe try our luck in the valley ahead.”

Doru’s tone sank, previous excitement gone, expression somewhat dejected.

“Also, last year’s buried wheat grains all mutated failed.”

Mutated wheat resisted pests, diseases, and harsh weather exceptionally well, with yields far higher than ordinary wheat.

Yet these years, Iceberry Village’s luck had been poor—not a single successful mutated wheat grain.

Seeking high-value Black Domain mutated crops to boost village farmland harvests was what Renata had pursued these years.

Even a hundred-kilogram increase per hectare could greatly ease life’s burdens.

The seventh black tide would erupt in five years; the lord’s tax hikes had already begun.

Though Carey becoming a Lantern Bearer was nearly certain, granting the village substantial tax reductions, who dared guarantee the lord and local officials wouldn’t impose more levies on other pretexts?

Since summer this year, bad rumors had spread—harvest expectations low everywhere.

Iceberry Village, relying on past accumulations, might be less affected, but elsewhere was uncertain.

Once famine struck, refugees roamed; Iceberry Village would suffer too.

The centennial black tide was not only a direct life threat but a nightmare of hunger and displacement for the masses.

The living were not necessarily happier than those dying under demon claws.

“No matter; we can trade from elsewhere… Everyone hurry—go and return quick!”

Renata waved dismissively, face calm as if discussing trivia.

As the new village chief, she must remain steady; any pessimism would unsettle those around her.

The men paired up and departed.

Renata turned southeast—the direction Carey and Maren had gone with the Black Star Mercenary Group.

Her petite figure stood motionless long, gazing silently as if to pierce the dark barrier.

Minutes later, Renata slowly turned back, then with a heavy heart knelt on the soft black corrupt soil, hands clasped before her, head bowed.

A soft, devout prayer rose in the empty, silent Black Domain:

‘Eternal Slumber’s Holy Lord Sura, boundless radiance, eternal guardian of the continent!

Shield us from the Black Domain’s chill; amid decaying thick mist, still cloak us in warmth and dignity.

Save us in times of famine; amid demon rampage, still let us partake life’s nourishment.

Shelter us in storms; in darkness-eroded lands, still grant peaceful slumber.

Raise your holy bright lamp, guide us on lost paths; in chaos-shrouded worlds, still find the way forward.’