Xia Lun couldn’t actually banish the entire village into the void—after all, so many villagers still lived here… He was just trying to scare them.
However, what surprised Xia Lun was that such an unrealistic-sounding threat actually worked… At the very least, the village quieted down and stopped trying to send him away.
This meant that this nameless village… truly had a consciousness of its own and wasn’t just a pre-existing formation triggered under certain conditions.
"This village is way too unusual," Xia Lun muttered to himself.
Once again, he felt the atmosphere around him grow strange, a faint spatial ripple stirring… but as if hesitating, the disturbance slowly dissipated.
Xia Lun: "…"
He had already figured it out—every time he noticed something extraordinary about the village, it would try to expel him.
"It is quite strange, this village," Aina chimed in.
Yet, nothing unusual happened around her.
Why was that? Was the village only targeting him?
"Don’t you feel anything, Aina?" Xia Lun couldn’t help but feel a little indignant. Why was she completely unaffected?
"Feel what?"
Xia Lun’s gaze wandered over Aina’s figure—bold by any standard when directed at the opposite sex. "The sensation of being teleported away by the village?"
"I’m the Demon King. How dare it act recklessly against me?" Aina replied with a graceful, amused smile, covering her mouth with her hand.
And yet, he was the Hero, and this nameless village still didn’t give him any respect.
"Xia Lun, you’re soaked. Change your clothes," Aina said, stepping forward to help him out of his wet garments.
Only then did Xia Lun remember—he hadn’t changed since crawling out of the lake, his clothes still dripping.
Aina took full advantage, her hands roaming freely over him, though she kept it to just that, not pushing further.
After all, it was getting late, and Liyana and the others would be waking up soon.
Xia Lun and Aina arrived once more outside the church, where the two farmers were still standing dumbfounded.
They had watched Xia Lun vanish into thin air right before their eyes.
When they saw him again, their faces twisted as if they’d seen a ghost.
"Why did the Village God let him come back?"
"How did he even get into our village in the first place?"
It seemed the villagers were aware of their village’s peculiar nature.
And there was even something called the "Village God" here… That must have been the one who had sent Xia Lun back and forth multiple times earlier.
Xia Lun had many questions, but the two simple-minded farmers genuinely seemed to know nothing.
They’d been farming here since birth.
"What about your strength…?"
"Strength? What strength? We’re farmers—it’s normal to be a bit stronger," one farmer said, eyeing Xia Lun warily. "Didn’t expect a fair-skinned lad like you to be so strong too."
Xia Lun pressed further, "Then why did you try to subdue me the moment you saw me?"
They had attacked him on sight, despite never meeting before. If they’d encountered Aina first, things might not have ended well for them.
The two farmers exchanged glances.
"The village chief told us to."
"If we see a stranger, we gotta restrain ‘em immediately and bring ‘em to him for handling."
"But we’ve been farming here for so long, and this is the first time we’ve seen an outsider."
They spoke plainly, as if the earlier events meant nothing to them, showing no wariness toward Xia Lun.
Xia Lun: "Can you take me to see the village chief?"
Clearly, the so-called chief of this nameless village would know much more.
"‘Course we can!"
"That’d be great! If you’re willin’ to come with us, the chief won’t blame us for failin’ earlier."
Xia Lun glanced at Aina.
"I haven’t found any clues either, you know. Like you said—gotta have a sense of ceremony," Aina teased, mimicking Xia Lun’s tone.
"You misunderstand, Aina… I meant for you to come closer." Xia Lun extended his arm, and Aina happily wrapped herself around it, nuzzling lightly against him.
Now, Xia Lun finally had a chance to properly observe the village.
After yesterday’s storm, the sun shone brightly today. Women hung laundry to dry, and men went about their work.
Xia Lun realized… the two farmers hadn’t lied. They really were just farmers.
Yet, every person in this village possessed remarkable strength—any one of them could rival a high-tier adventurer outside.
At the very least, Xia Lun had never seen any housewife outside this village leap five or six meters into the air while balancing a large basin on her head to hang clothes on a rooftop.
Xia Lun and Aina drew many stares. Nearly every villager who spotted them would freeze for a moment, their pupils contracting, before staring intently until the pair disappeared around a corner.
"Those two kids… ain’t from the village, are they?"
"‘Course not! Everyone in the village knows each other!"
"Damn, when was the last time outsiders came here?"
"Three years ago. The girl at the church came then."
"Those church girls don’t count—they’re from the Goddess’s Order."
"Well… if the nuns don’t count, then our village hasn’t had outsiders in ages…"
…
The two farmers led Xia Lun to a thatched cottage before hastily excusing themselves, saying they still had work to do.
Xia Lun could tell—they seemed afraid.
What were they scared of? The village chief inside?
Was the chief some terrifying existence?
Xia Lun knocked on the door.
"Who is it? Come in."
A young, almost childish voice answered.
Pushing the door open, Xia Lun looked inside.
The room was simple but tidy—a long wooden table, a pair of chairs, and a massive bookshelf covering an entire wall, crammed with books.
But no one was in sight.
Who had spoken to him just now?
Xia Lun scratched his head in confusion.
"Hey, new face. You from outside?" The voice came from below this time.
Xia Lun looked down.
A little girl, no older than five or six, stood there, her height barely reaching his waist. She glared up at him, her delicate features almost doll-like.
"Uh… and you are?"
"You don’t know me? I’m the village chief, Ninika! How’d you get in here, kid?" Ninika pointed a tiny finger at him, her voice high-pitched but authoritative. "You better start talking, or I won’t go easy on you!"