"You guys mentioned a Goddess Selune statue, right? Tell me about it."
"We found the statue near the river in the afternoon and took it, hoping it would ward off monsters," Barbara said.
So Tara hadn't been hallucinating when she claimed she saw the statue.
"So much for being proud worshippers of God Korun, huh?" Hiro teased.
Barbara's face flushed with embarrassment. The survival of her party clearly mattered more to her than her faith.
"We still got attacked by monsters even when we had the statue. Just proves how ineffective it is," Barbara quipped. She paused, then added, "But the monster attack might have been caused by the mist from that strange tower. Maybe the mist or the monsters were special."
The tower Barbara mentioned was most likely the cock-shaped building. Hiro recalled the monster attack on Furina that afternoon. The monsters had behaved strangely.
"When that tower released the mist, did you feel strange? Did you start walking toward it in a daze?" Hiro asked.
Only Tara and Furina had experienced the effect earlier, while he and Bob had remained unaffected. One possibility was that the attraction only worked on females.
Barbara's expression turned solemn.
"Yes, I indeed felt that effect. Fortunately, I have a Skill that can neutralize such mental afflictions."
"Interesting…"
After discussing further, Hiro confirmed that nobody else in Barbara's group had been affected, reinforcing the idea that it only influenced women.
A cock-shaped building releasing white mist that hypnotized women into approaching it?
'Creepy building, you're high on my to-destroy list,' Hiro thought.
Barbara's information also suggested that monster raids could happen regardless of the Goddess statue's presence. Ordinary monsters would have instinctively avoided areas with a divine presence.
"The statue will still be useful for the settlement. Where is it?" Hiro asked after thinking for a bit. Being able to ward off "regular" monsters was still quite useful.
"We didn't bring it for the raid," Barbara replied. "It will take a while to fetch it."
"Is that so? You, you, and you," Hiro said, pointing at the Scout, the Archer, and the Elixirblade in the group. Elixirblade was a Rare class. "Step forward."
The three hesitated before stepping to the front with tense expressions.
"You three will retrieve the Goddess statue. Right now."
"Now!? In this weather, at this time?" Barbara was the one to protest on their behalf.
Hiro remained firm. "Remember, you attacked me, a Baron. Instead of executing you like I should have, I allowed you to become citizens of my Realm. Right now, none of you have any right to complain."
That silenced them. With their stats, missing a night's sleep wouldn't cause significant harm unless it happened frequently.
Hiro held the stone tablet and opened the shop. He purchased one of the newly unlocked items—a scouting beacon. The first was free; the next would cost 10 gold.
He handed the Scouting Beacon to the Scout, Shuvsan. Wherever Shuvsan traveled with the beacon, the Map would update to reveal those areas.
It also allowed Hiro to track the group's movements in case they tried to pull off something strange.
With that settled, Hiro sent the three on their way. Only four people remained in front of him, including Barbara, who watched the departing trio with concern. The Desolate Lands were far from safe.
Ignoring her worry, Hiro turned to the three remaining men. All of them held the same class—"Berserker." Their class rarities were "Common," just like Tara's, though their levels far exceeded hers.
"I have three tasks for you," Hiro said. "First, take your friend's body and dispose of it far from here."
The four briefly glanced at Shuvene's corpse, grief flashing in their eyes. But no one shed a tear.
"Second, I want you to build pit latrines. You know how, don't you?"
Hiro had gathered basic knowledge of the Desolate Lands' geography from the Worken Family. Based on that, he deduced that the Shuvlok tribe came from the Boyang Desert up north. As nomads, they likely knew how to construct portable toilets.
With no aqueducts, sewers, or even a cesspit, pit latrines would serve as the primary sanitation method in his Realm for now. More advanced facilities would take time and manpower to develop.
The Berserkers did not take kindly to his order though.
"What!? We refuse to do such degrading work. We live to fight, not to dig holes!" one of them protested.
Hiro met his glare with an icy stare. "If you want another fight in this lifetime, you better do as I say."
The standoff lasted only a moment. Faced with Hiro's unyielding presence, the three slumped their shoulders in resignation.
"…Fine," the protester grumbled.
"Good!" Hiro's expression returned to its usual easygoing look. "You'll build two separate latrines—one for men and one for women. Place them far from the settlement and conceal them with foliage."
The trio's expressions soured further, but they didn't argue. Hiro continued without pause.
"For your third and final task—once you're done with the latrines, you'll chop down Spruce trees in the nearby woods. You eventually want a roof over your heads, don't you? For that to happen, you'll need to deliver the wood to Bob over here."
The Berserkers carried axes for combat. Now, they would use them for cutting trees instead. Just a temporary change of purpose, nothing too serious.
Then, Hiro noticed that Bob and Furina remained outside like statues instead of sleeping in their tent.
"What are you both doing? Go and get some sleep. There's a lot of work tomorrow. Don't worry about these guys—if they trouble you, I'll make sure they regret it." Hiro spoke the last part with a threatening tone while pointing at the Shuvlok tribe members.
"Yes, my Lord." The Worken couple meekly replied and entered their tent. Whether they would actually get the rest they needed after the night's events remained uncertain.
Hiro turned back to the new arrivals.
"And what are you still doing here? I gave you three tasks. Don't tell me you've already forgotten the first one."
"We're not stupid!" One of the berserkers snapped at Hiro's mockery.
Hiro cast a doubtful glance in his direction. "Then, shoo. Go do your tasks."
The three men hesitated, their eyes flicking toward Barbara. Hiro immediately understood their reason for staying.
Barbara spoke up. "What am I supposed to be doing alone?"
"Isn't it obvious? As the loser of our fight, you'll be responsible for warming my bed," Hiro said, feigning seriousness.
"What!?"
"You bastard!"
"There's no way we're letting that happen!"
The four of them erupted in anger. Their reactions amused Hiro.
"Pft! Don't worry, I'm far more civilized than your friend over there," Hiro said, pointing at Shuvene's corpse. "Unlike you Shuvlok people, I don't force myself on any and all women I fancy. In other words, it was just a joke."
The mention of Shuvene's behavior made them lower their heads in shame. They wanted to explain that Shuvene had been an exception, even among them, but they realized it was too late.
Actions spoke louder than words, and their act of not reigning Shuvene in had already told Hiro everything he needed to know.