Castle of Black Iron

In the next few days, those farmers who were queuing up, worried that Zhang Tie won’t purchase their earthworms finally became reassured. Zhang Tie, living in Chevli village, not only continued to purchase their earthworms, but also accelerated his purchasing frequency. He hired many men who were free at home to help him purchase and set the earthworms free.

He paid each person three silver coins a day which was enough for many people in Chevli village to long for that.

After moving into the Chevli village, on the first day, Zhang Tie hired seven people and bought three households’ earthworms.

On the second day, he hired eighteen people and bought ten households’ earthworms.

On the third day, he hired over forty people. A lot of the men were working for Zhang Tie that day and helped him buy twenty households’ earthworms.

On the fourth day, he hired over sixty people to buy another thirty households’ earthworms.

On the fifth day, he hired over one hundred people. All the men who were free in the village started to work, and on that day, all the earthworms in Chevli village returned to mother nature. Because he set many earthworms free that day, for the whole day long, Zhang Tie could feel a weird pleasant energy from it. The energy brought him a sense of lightness and pleasure.

That day, although they finished working very late, many people in Chevli village were very happy. Because Zhang Tie had paid each of them an extra silver coin. Additionally, no one had to worry anymore about when this idiot would leave and had finally sold their own earthworms. All those who did so today were also very happy.

And so were Hanna’s family members. Zhang Tie had paid them ten silver coins yesterday to let them prepare a bumper supper tonight to celebrate it. Although they didn’t know why this tenant would celebrate, now that Zhang Tie had paid for that, they would celebrate it. In places like Chevli village, it might not even take them seven silver coins to prepare for a bumper meal. Zhang Tie’s generosity made old Harley reveal a big smile.

After living in old Harley’s home for less than a week, all the family members there found that Zhang Tie was actually a very easygoing person. Even when Harley’s dog tore his nice clothes that he had washed and hung over the rope, Zhang Tie still replied with a loud laugh and didn’t order for someone to take responsibility.

He didn’t blame the dog either. What was more, after supper these days, whenever Zhang Tie saw that dog, he would always play with it by throwing a bone to it, touching its head, scratching its stomach, making the dog so comfortable that it rolled over on the ground.

Therefore, the moment the dog saw Zhang Tie these days, it would always wave its tail like a windmill. A person who could even please a dog would also easily please people.

After he gave the last silver coin to a villager who had a big smile, it was already full dark. Taking today’s compensation, all the villagers in Chevli smiled and greeted Zhang Tie before returning to their own homes and eating supper. Zhang Tie also felt as if he’d relieved a 500-kg burden inside, feeling very relaxed.

He knew that he would fully recover today. Yesterday, his inner wounds were already recovered by 93.6%, so after cleaning all the earthworms of the last over seventy households, the Fruit of Redemption on the small tree should definitely make him completely recover. It might even bring him some other surprises, because the biggest function of these Fruits of Redemption was to activate some DNA and genes of his which were related to the recovery ability of earthworms.

Zhang Tie really respected the strong vitality of the earthworms.

Today, something special might really happen. From the early morning to now, Zhang Tie kept feeling a stream of pleasure flowing inside him. Like an underground spring, that stream of pleasure gurgled out of each of his cell, bringing an unexpected pleasant state to his body and spirit.

Benefiting from this, Zhang Tie found everything as tender as a refreshing breeze and bright moon, even that dirty dung and those strange laborers. It was very marvelous. This was the effect of setting the earthworms free. The effect seemed especially strong today, dozens of times stronger than that several days a go.

’Is this the feeling after some of my genes and DNA is activated?’

Walking on the path, Zhang Tie thought about it with a bit excitement. Right then, he found that it was bright everywhere. It was already evening now, so how could it suddenly become as bright as in the daytime? He could see everything clearly, including the path, the plants in the fields, even that hay field not far away from him.

Zhang Tie was stunned and stopped. Raising his head, he saw two moons in the sky.

’How could that be? The sun has not risen yet. ’

Such a feeling lasted for over ten seconds before everything surrounding Zhang Tie recovered. It was still evening, not daytime at all!

Seeing Zhang Tie stop walking and raising his head towards the sky with mouth wide-open, Hanna’s elder brother who was walking together with him also stopped.

"What’s wrong?" he asked Zhang Tie.

"Didn’t you seen that just now?" Zhang Tie asked him with a dumbfounded look.

"What?"

Having made four silver coins, Hanna’s elder brother, who was very excited, scratched his head and looked at Zhang Tie with a weird expression.

"Didn’t you see daybreak?" Zhang Tie asked the others beside him as well.

All the others exchanged glances at before saying, "Daybreak? How could that be? The sun has just set. It would be at least ten hours before daybreak!"

"You didn’t see light either?" Zhang Tie asked another person.

"No!"

Realizing that their expressions became a bit weird, Zhang Tie didn’t ask any more; instead, he just fabricated a reason while still being curious about the ten-odd seconds just now. He didn’t think that he was dizzy. How could one feel that the evening was as bright as daytime? Additionally... after such a short while, Zhang Tie felt that his mind seemed to have become more active.

He could only bury this question in his mind and walk towards Hanna’s home together with her elder brother.

This was the outcome without the guidance a famous teacher. If Zhang Tie had a famous teacher from the Eastern Continent beside him at this moment, he would know that what he had felt was not an illusion, but the situation of "seeing everything bright when having no distracting thoughts inside", namely a weird and innocent situation that one immersed in both physically and spiritually.

It was a phenomenon that one could sense when one opened the gate of the treasure bank of one’s physical potential. That brilliance was radiated from inside the treasure bank of one’s physical potential, like what one would see after pushing open the gate of a brilliant palace. That brilliance originated from one’s inner existence instead of one’s outside.

Many people would not even have a chance to feel this after having cultivated their whole lives. However, Zhang Tie sensed it at such a young age yet didn’t know what it meant, so he could only keep the question in his mind.

When Zhang Tie and Hanna’s elder brother returned home together, the home had already prepared a table of bumper supper, which contained roasted goose, sausage, cheese. Hanna’s elder sister-in-law even took out the beer that she had brewed.

When everybody sat down before the table, Hanna’s family members all looked at Zhang Tie. Because it was Zhang Tie who paid for this supper, certainly, he needed to say something before it.

’Is this supper used to celebrate his complete recovery?’ Of course not...

Raising his glass, Zhang Tie became a scumbag priest once again. In sacred and genial expression, he uttered, "This supper is to celebrate that tens of millions of earthworms in Chevli that have been set free to the Gaia, the mother of the land. Hopefully, the land under our feet can be forever fertile and full of vitality and provide endless grains and output for everybody. For Gaia!"

"For Gaia!"

Hanna’s family members also raised their glasses respectfully and followed Zhang Tie. Even old Harley and Hanna’s father looked sanctimonious too.

Although Zhang Tie was trying to remain as a scumbag priest for a long while, only after less than two minutes, he already couldn’t stand it any more. At first, everybody at the table was eating supper regularly. When they talked about the beer festival in Blapei that would be held one week later, Hanna and Zhang Tie interrupted them from time, making it a happy meal.

Under the table, a beautiful foot of Hanna, who was sitting opposite Zhang Tie, was stretched toward him. Being covered with the table cloth, she constantly tempted Zhang Tie by slightly rubbing his sensitive part between the shin and the thigh using her instep.

Of course, superficially, Hanna was still eating supper at the table. Only Zhang Tie knew that since the start of the meal, she had not stopped her temptation all.

Not only below the table, even above, Hanna tempted Zhang Tie by some detailed movements that could not easily arise others’ suspicions. For instance, when Hanna ate a sausage, she inserted the sausage using her fork and moved it over her mouth. When she was tilting her head and talking with the one beside her, she carelessly rubbed her lips using the top of the sausage. Finally, she carelessly opened her lips with the sausage on her fork before opening her mouth.

After rapidly licking the top of the sausage twice, she put it into her mouth before slowly chewing and swallowing it. However, even though she put in more, she ate less. She just rubbed the sausage between her lips, in and out. Hanna moved so fluently that with the exception of Zhang Tie, nobody else could identify so many familiar, special details from her movements.

After this meal, Zhang Tie felt hot and extremely stimulated. He could only keep drinking beer. Midway through the meal, after exchanging glances with each other, Zhang Tie, who had just drunk a mouthful of beer, dropped the napkin onto the ground on purpose. By the chance picking up the napkin, he peered at Hanna’s legs on the opposite side of below the table.

"Puff!"

Only after one glance, Zhang Tie couldn’t stand it any more. He then spat out the whole mouthful of beer onto the ground the moment he bent over.

"Ah, what’s wrong? Are you choked?"

Sitting beside Zhang Tie, Hanna’s elder brother patted his back with concern.

"Cough... cough..." Zhang Tie kept coughing as he sat up straight. "Yes, yes, I choked..."

"Hahahaha..." Hanna’s elder brother burst out laughing. "My wife’s beer is very famous in Chevli village. Drink slowly, we have more!"

"Yes, I drunk too fast just now!" Zhang Tie answered as he sat up well.

After glancing at Hanna, who was also looking over with concern like all the other members of her family, on the opposite side Zhang Tie immediately captured a wisp of temptation in her eyes.

Among all the people at the table, only Zhang Tie knew that the damned girl was wearing nothing under her apron and skirt, sitting regularly before him. When Zhang Tie lowered his head just now, he caught sight of Hanna slightly opening her legs, exposing everything below her skirt to him. The grass land last night had already become an adorable bald glen now...

...

As usual, after supper, Zhang Tie took a bath and returned to his own room. Because Hanna would stealthily come here in the deep night, Zhang Tie was free now, so after closing the door, he entered the Castle of Black Iron at once.

——Handsome and Magnificent Castle Lord, welcome to the Castle of Black Iron!

When the familiar dialog box disappeared. Zhang Tie walked towards the small tree.

As usual, in the middle of the small tree hung a ripe Fruit of Redemption. However, compared to the ones before, this one was not bronze, but close to golden.

Zhang Tie’s heart raced. Fruits of Redemption of different colors would definitely have different effects.

——Fruit of Redemption, from the appreciation of earthworms, has become ripe. Usage: Pick and direct eat it. Notice: The fruit cannot be taken out of the Castle of Black Iron. After twelve hours of having been picked off the tree, its energy and vitality will gradually decline.

——This fruit can recover your wounds by 6.4%, helping you completely recover.

——After Castle Lord completely recovers, some DNA and genes concerning physical recovery and healing ability will be completely activated.

——Through this activation, Castle Lord’s body will be advanced to preliminary recovery body.

——The effect of preliminary recovery body is as follows:

1. The healing and recovery ability of all Castle Lord’s wounds will increase by 215%. In the evening and underground, this ability will double.

2. Castle Lord’s ability to bear fatal trauma will increase by 31%.

3. Smooth and clean skin. All wounds on your body will not leave any scars after recovery.

4. Castle Lord’s immunity to all toxins will increase by 5%.

5. Castle Lord’s digestive and absorptive ability of various food will increase by 18%.

——Castle Lord needs to set 160,000,000 earthworms free to advance to medium recovery body.

——Current progress towards medium recovery body: 0/160,000,000.

When he read this, Zhang Tie almost screamed. The preliminary recovery body had already turned him into a powerhouse as vigorous as a cockroach. All the wounds on him could recover and heal by 215% in the same period of time. That meant that he could recover from the same wounds in one day that would have required three previously. Additionally, similar to earthworms, this ability would double in the evening or underground.

The second function could also greatly increase his survivability. Some wounds that might be fatal to others might be survived by him. The third function was also good for him as at least he didn’t need to worry about his face being ruined. The fourth and the fifty functions were also very powerful which could help him reinforce his digestive ability and his resistance to toxins. They would be very useful at a critical moment. Especially the fifth function which indicated that he could gain more energy from various foods and be more energetic and adaptive.

Generally speaking, this preliminary recovery body reflected earthworms’ traits and abilities in special environment.

What made Zhang Tie excited was the last function. As long as the number of earthworms that he set free could reach 160,000,000, his preliminary recovery body could be advanced to a sharper medium recovery body. As a preliminary version had already made Zhang Tie so excited, the advancement would be even more shocking.

The moment he thought of the medium recovery body, the even a greater advanced recovery body, Zhang Tie was very fascinated. He dreamed that one day he could have the ability to regenerate broken limbs like earthworms.

At this moment, he didn’t wait but carefully picked this Fruit of Redemption and swallowed it.

Half an hour later, Zhang Tie picked himself up from where he had been sitting, legs crossed. After slightly stretching his body, loud cracking sounds came from his muscles and bones. A familiar and wholly new physical experience rose in Zhang Tie.

Words started to show up in front of him one line after another...

——Congratulations, Castle Lord, you have completely recovered and advanced to the preliminary recovery body.

——Leakless Fruit has started to collect your physical energy and would start to grow...

——Iron-Body Fruit’s growth conditions were satisfied, it will begin growing again...

——Seven-Strength Fruit’s growth conditions were satisfied, it will begin growing again...

——All the effects of the first Toxin-Resistance Fruit have been recovered...

Zhang Tie howled for a long while...