Chapter 297 - 295: We Have Plenty of Strength

Chapter 297: Chapter 295: We Have Plenty of Strength

The life-saving fertile soil they had desperately searched for was actually black earth that had formed from a dung heap!

The air instantly fell deathly silent.

The townspeople looked at each other, their faces a mixture of wanting to laugh and wanting to cry. They held it in until they were flushed bright red.

Shen Yue stood rooted to the spot, staring in silence at the foul-smelling black soil before her.

Even some of the little cubs, unable to stand the acrid stench, started gagging and throwing up!

After a long moment, Shen Yue slowly lowered the hand covering her mouth and nose.

Her calm voice broke the awkward, dead silence:

"I can’t believe I forgot. Fertile soil needs nutrients. And nutrients... yes, you can get those from manure!"

’After searching for so many days... if only I’d thought of this sooner, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time!’

The little cubs pinched their noses and said:

"But it stinks so bad! How are we supposed to plant seeds in it, female mother?"

"Yeah, it’s so, so stinky! Er Bao is gonna be sick!"

"Do we have to plant with our hands? Liu Bao is scared!"

It was so foul and filthy that it wasn’t just the little cubs; even the other townspeople wore constipated expressions.

They never imagined that the soil most suitable for growing plants would turn out to be their own latrine pit!!

Everyone looked at Shen Yue:

"Yes, Benefactor A Yue, this soil... how are we supposed to work with it?"

"Are we really supposed to plant the seeds for our food directly in this?"

"If we plant in soil like this, will the food it grows even be edible?"

"That’s right, how can anyone eat something grown in a pile of manure?"

At this point, everyone began to doubt whether this would actually work.

Shen Yue looked at them all, her gaze firm:

"Seeds need fertile soil to grow, and human waste is, in fact, a natural source of nutrients. Through the action of sunlight and rain, the waste will be absorbed by the soil, becoming nourishment for the seeds. So, there’s no need for any of you to worry!"

Hearing this, everyone looked as if they had just learned something new.

They were utterly astonished!

’So our waste can actually become nutrients for the soil?’

Shen Yue gazed at the vast, filthy expanse before them and said:

"We can’t plant food directly into this soil. It needs to be tilled and cultivated. Only after the soil has been turned can we plant the seeds."

"So, I need all of you to go back, gather more people, and prepare tools. Any tool that can be used to turn the soil will work!"

’From what I can see,’ she thought, ’this entire tract of land can be cultivated.’

’If we mobilize enough people to till this soil, we can create farmland. Then, I can partition it to grow different types of crops.’

’If we can successfully grow something, then in the future, Barbaric City might no longer be barren. There will be no more hunger, no more savagery.’

’It will become a brand-new city.’

Hearing her words, the townspeople instantly regained their confidence, every one of them brimming with excitement.

"Don’t you worry, Benefactor A Yue! We’ll be sure to bring all our neighbors!"

"That’s right! It’s just tilling some soil. We’ve got plenty of strength for that!"

"Just you wait, Benefactor A Yue! We promise we’ll have this whole area tilled within a few days!"

Full of enthusiasm, they all slapped their chests and made their guarantees.

Everyone excitedly rushed home to get their tools.

Meanwhile, Shen Yue, along with Huang Ziyue, Si Muye, and the little cubs, made her way to the City Lord Mansion.

At that moment, a clamor of voices rose from the front of the City Lord Mansion.

Most of the city’s influential residents had already been gathered in front of the City Lord Mansion by Mu Silin, Bai Chaosi, and the others.

However, before Shen Yue could even get close, she heard the townspeople grumbling.

"Did you see the notice?"

"I saw it. Those officials want to mobilize us to rebuild our houses. Our homes are perfectly fine, we’re not rebuilding!"

"That’s right! If you ask me, we were living just fine before. This house is the only home my family has. If they tear it down, where are we supposed to live?"

"Exactly! We won’t agree to it. Tell them to leave the Royal City! We don’t need any rebuilding!"

Shen Yue stopped in her tracks. Her cool eyes narrowed slightly, and the determination she’d felt back at the field of black soil was now tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Behind her, a chill emanated from Huang Ziyue, while Si Muye silently took half a step forward to shield her.

The six little cubs tugged tightly at the hem of Shen Yue’s clothes, their small faces filled with distress and anxiety.

The joy they had felt just moments before at finding the fertile soil was completely washed away by the wave of complaints.

When Bai Chaosi and Ye Lüqi saw Shen Yue approaching, the four of them hurried over to greet her.

Their faces were full of embarrassment and apology. Mu Silin was the first to speak, his voice lowered:

"Shen Yue, I’m sorry. These people... you just can’t get through to them!"

He had posted the notice and gathered the people, but they simply refused to budge, no matter what.

One after another, they insisted that their families had lived in houses like these for generations. They claimed that if the houses were torn down, they’d have nowhere to go, and even complained that Shen Yue’s group was being nosy...

Ye Lüqi also frowned. Worried that Shen Yue would be angered by the crowd’s chatter, he spoke with a hint of indignation:

"These people are hopelessly stubborn! All they see is their immediate comfort. They don’t understand that rebuilding will give them proper shelter from the elements and allow Barbaric City to become a true city!"

Shen Yue raised a hand, cutting them off. Her gaze went past them to the noisy crowd gathered in front of the City Lord Mansion’s gate.

They were mostly the city’s elders and heads of households, clutching stone shovels and wooden clubs. They stared at the notice board in front of the mansion, their faces full of defiance.

When they saw Shen Yue approaching, the murmuring didn’t stop; in fact, it grew louder.

"That’s her! The outsider woman! Ever since she arrived, it’s been one thing after another, and now she wants to tear down our houses!"

"We’ve lived in Barbaric City our whole lives! We don’t need her telling us what to do!"

"If our houses are torn down, are we supposed to sleep on the streets? Can she even afford to pay for that?!"

The harsh words rained down on them, and the frightened little cubs shrank behind Shen Yue.

Listening to them, the little ones grew indignant and muttered under their breath:

"female mother, they’re so mean..."

"You’re trying to help them, so why are they saying those things about you? female mother, let’s not help them anymore!"

Shen Yue looked down and gently stroked the children’s heads. Her expression softened for an instant, but when she looked up again, it was filled with calm resolve.

She didn’t shout at them, nor did she rush to defend herself.

She simply walked slowly to the front of the crowd, her voice ringing out, clear and powerful, for all to hear:

"Have you all had your say?"

The crowd’s voices faltered for a moment.

"Will you listen to what I have to say??"

Her gaze swept across the defiant faces as she spoke in a voice that was calm yet powerful:

"I know you’re reluctant to part with the homes you’ve lived in your entire lives. I know you’re afraid of being left homeless after they’re torn down, afraid that we’re just making a mess of things for no reason. I understand all of that."

The clamor from the crowd died down a little. They all looked up at her, their eyes still filled with suspicion.

Shen Yue continued:

"But take a look at Barbaric City. Look at the houses you live in. They leak every time it rains and shake whenever the wind blows. In the winter, you freeze and shiver, and in the summer, you’re overrun with mosquitoes, bugs, rats, and ants."

"You feel safe now, but what happens when a harsh winter, a scorching summer, a torrential downpour, or a blizzard hits? When your house collapses, where will you and your families go to take shelter?"

"In Barbaric City, are there so few Beastmen who freeze to death each bitter winter? Are there so few who die from the heat each summer? Are there so few who die an untimely death from a sudden disaster?! You can weigh the truth of that for yourselves—count them on your own fingers!"

At these words, the crowd instantly fell silent!!

It was as if she had touched upon the most painful wound in their hearts, one they were most unwilling to face.