Village Head's Debauchery
chapter-1142

As these thoughts raced through Nadia's mind, she unconsciously froze.

But unlike her, Anara stepped forward.

Nadia's eyes widened at her movement, and she instinctively stepped back. However, that didn't stop Anara's advance - she swiftly reached Nadia and gently held her left hand, cupping it with both hands, preventing her from retreating further.

Feeling the warmth of Anara's hands, Nadia trembled violently. "Sis-" She tried to speak, her fearful expression deepening, but quickly sealed her lips, unsure of what kind of response she would receive.

"Sister, how are you? It's been so long. I apologize for almost forgetting about you. If only I had known where you were, I would have done everything to—" Anara began, but before she could finish, Nadia lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

Anara felt a cold warmth pressing against her skin.

Nadia's hazy, tear-filled eyes, holding back emotion, finally overflowed as she responded, "You don't need to apologize... because you're not at fault. Sniff... Sister, you have no idea how many stories I've heard about you and how much I longed to meet you! Even if I'm finally losing my mind and this is just a dream... Sister, I can't express how happy I am to finally meet you!"

Anara hesitated briefly before asking, her voice tinged with emotion, "From how you look and speak, has life been hard for you out there?"

Nadia nodded. "Yes... it's been..." She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as the painful pang in her chest forced her lips to close and her face to twist in pain.

Sensing Nadia's discomfort, Anara quickly released her from the embrace and looked at her worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Anara asked.

Nadia steadied her breathing and nodded silently. Her cheeks were still streaked with tears, but she didn't bother to wipe them away; she focused on imprinting the image of the tree nymph before her into her memory.

Anara narrowed her eyes at Nadia, placing a hand on her chest. Nadia flinched backwards, fear creeping back into her expression once more.

Seeing this, Anara frowned, then sighed softly. "It's alright. I know you have much to say, so we'll talk about this later," she said, pulling Nadia into another embrace and walking forward.

"Follow me. I'm going to introduce you to the rest of our sisters."

"Wait!" Nadia hurriedly called out.

Anara stopped. "What is it?" she asked, curiosity apparent in her expression.

Instead of replying, Nadia closed her eyes, shutting out the scene around her. At first, Anara was confused by Nadia's actions, but then her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed Nadia's transformation. Nadia's icy, deep purple skin and hair began to shift, creating a fluid, watery appearance.

"How should I address you now?" Anara asked.

"You can do so however you like. It doesn't matter. Both forms are still part of who I am," Nadia responded.

Anara's gaze lingered curiously on the subtle scar still visible on Nadia's now fluid, purple skin, then nodded at her words and turned her focus ahead. She stepped forward, arriving at the centre of the vast grassy plains.

Anara turned her head toward the sky, her heart pounding. She closed her eyes briefly, letting the tumultuous emotions swelling inside her settle before finally speaking.

"SISTERS!!" Her voice rang out, carried like a serenade by the evening breeze. It rippled through the leaves, weaved into the branches, and flowed through the roots that spread throughout the farm.

All of nature seemed to pause as if listening.

Suddenly, tree nymphs began to emerge from their trees from every corner of the farm. Some travelled together, sitting atop the branches as the roots beneath them moved, while others leapt from branch to branch toward Anara and Nadia.

Within fifteen minutes, every tree nymph on the farm had gathered before them.

Nadia observed the scene with wide eyes, not wanting to miss a moment.

All the tree nymphs focused on Anara and curiously on Nadia, who was in her embrace. The surroundings were silent, each nymph waiting in anticipation of why their Overseer had summoned them.

"LOOK! OUR LONG-LOST SISTER HAS RETURNED HOME!" Anara shouted, gesturing toward Nadia.

A wave of chatter spread through the tree nymphs, their expressions ranging from confusion to curiosity and wonder. Their gazes on Nadia intensified. Although they didn't fully understand what was happening, they could sense the seriousness in Anara's words.

The murmurs quickly died down as Anara continued.

"They have survived outside for too long, sisters. They have endured. Though they have suffered, finally, Nadia..." Anara's voice cracked, her expression mirroring the tears streaming down Nadia's face. "...is the first to return."

Nadia scanned the faces of the tree nymphs around her, searching for any signs of rejection at her sudden appearance, but what she saw overwhelmed her. They were crying!

Even though the tree nymphs didn't completely grasp the situation, they could sense Anara's emotions and swiftly grasp the meaning of her words. Realizing that the nymph beside Anara was one of their own, they quickly comprehended the magnitude of the moment.

Tears flowed freely from every corner of the forest. Anara was crying. Seraphina stood in the distance behind them, her hand covering her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks.

A single tear slid down Orion's face, but he quickly wiped it away, controlling his emotions. Overwhelmed, Nadia collapsed in Anara's embrace, sobbing harder.

"Sister!"

The word started softly from a single voice in the crowd.

Nadia's ears perked up at the sound.

"Sister!!"

Another voice joined.

"Sister!!"

And then another.

"Sister!!"

Like a crashing wave against the shore, like lightning striking a tree thrice, the word erupted

from every corner of the farm.

"SISTER!! SISTER!! SISTER!!"

The farm came alive.

Nadia felt her hearts pound heavily in her chest, and for the first time in many years, it wasn't pain she felt but joy.

"This is Paradise," Nadia whispered, her voice growing weak as she slumped unconscious in

Anara's embrace.

.......

Tidal Depths Kingdom

Within a dome separating the water from the outside world, numerous trees and other vegetation sprawled across the area, each enclosed within metallic fences. Scattered throughout the orchard were various large wooden buildings, each in its own section, while countless individuals hurried from place to place, carrying baskets filled with multiple Kanir

fruits.

In one section of the orchard, a man with a humanoid upper body and a lower body resembling a crab-with ten pointing legs and protruding shell-plucked several Kalnir fruits from a tree that leaned toward him.

He carefully placed them into his basket. The basket was only half full when he finished,

barely reaching the top.

"That's all," said a tree nymph, her body covered in numerous scars, as she stepped down

from one of the tree branches beside him.

The tree straightened back to its original position.

The man nodded silently and turned to leave, walking out of the metallic fence.

The tree nymph followed him closely.

They reached a smooth stone road and continued walking, passing other trees that were being harvested. Other tree nymphs observed their movements from the side.

After ten minutes, they arrived at one of the large wooden buildings resembling a warehouse.

A long queue stretched out before it, filled with individuals of different and similar races, each holding baskets filled with Kalnir fruits and accompanied by a tree nymph.

At the warehouse entrance stood a fully armoured Prismerion man, inspecting the baskets and weighing them on a medium-sized stone with a bright gemstone at the base. The gemstone shone in distinct colours, each indicating a different weight limit. It currently

glowed green.

"Pass," the armoured man said, removing the basket and handing it over to a woman with a humanoid upper body and a fish-like tail dress in a plain brown shirt and a piece of attire covering her tail. Water flowed beneath her, pushing her forward since she couldn't walk.

The woman accepted the basket and entered the warehouse. The tree nymph beside her bowed respectfully toward the armoured man before exiting the queue.

"Next!" called the Prismerion as another individual stepped forward with a basket and a tree

nymph beside them.

"Next!"

It was finally their turn after the eleventh person.

The armoured man took the basket from the crab-bodied man and frowned. Without even

placing it on the scale, he looked at them both.

"Is this all?" he asked, his tone filled with anger.

The crab-bodied man quickly nodded.

"That's all I can produce for today. I'm tired and need to rest for tomorrow," the tree nymph

said, her voice hoarse and weak. She bowed respectfully towards the armoured man.

"I don't care what you say! It's not enough! Go back and harvest more fruits until the basket is full!" the armoured man shouted, his voice booming across the surroundings.

Many queue members glanced at the scene only to fearfully lower their heads. They shook

their heads, exhaling inwardly as if already knowing what would transpire next.

....

Author's Note: Honestly, I feel sad that I missed a day, a few days before the month ends. I won't be able to get another promotion again.