Chapter 19: Rem and Ram’s Past

On the way, Chen Fan spotted several iron golems. He couldn't help but drool at the sight; if he could craft one of those, it would undoubtedly be a devastating weapon.

The elder led them to his home and invited Chen Fan and his party to take their seats. The villagers were exceptionally hospitable, rushing to pour tea for their guests and bringing out all the food available in the village to ensure they were well-fed.

As they conversed, the elder grew increasingly impressed by Chen Fan’s extraordinary nature. His respect deepened further once he learned that Chen Fan was the master revered by Rem and Ram. Perhaps to express this deference and curry favor, the elder discreetly arranged for two lovely young women to stand by and attend to Chen Fan’s needs.

Faced with the villagers' enthusiasm, Chen Fan felt a bit embarrassed. He ate some vegetables and carrots to replenish his vitamins, having grown tired of eating nothing but meat every day. As the carrot touched his tongue, its crisp sweetness bloomed, a refreshing crunch accompanied by a burst of rich juices in his mouth. In this harsh world, where one usually just struggled to fill their stomach, the freshness of the carrot provided a long-lost sense of enjoyment, prompting him to pick up his chopsticks with renewed vigor.

The food in this world had a unique flavor; it was even more delicious than the food back on Earth. He instantly took a liking to it, finishing everything on the table before taking a large gulp of tea. Only when his hunger and thirst bars were completely full did he stop. The woman standing behind him promptly refilled his cup, then returned to her place and stood perfectly still.

Chen Fan turned back and asked in a low voice, "Ram, what is going on here? Why do they call you 'Lady Goddess'?"

Seeing Chen Fan’s satisfied expression, Ram smiled slightly and replied softly, "I’m not sure myself. Only fragmented memories remain in my mind—endless swarms of monsters attacking the villagers on this planet. My sister and I were fighting desperately against the beast tide in one location, surrounded by cries of battle and the roars of monsters. Perhaps we saved them back then, and that is why they call us Lady Goddess."

Ram recounted this experience with a flat expression, as if she had merely performed a trivial task. Chen Fan fell into deep thought; he hadn't expected Ram and her sister to have such a past. He sensed that things were not so simple. "Do you remember how you ended up inside the golden eggs?"

"I don't remember that either. Perhaps you will find out if you find the other maids," Ram replied with a smile.

Seeing that Ram was clueless, Chen Fan asked Rem, but received the same answer. Like before, there were five golden eggs, but nothing else was known. Chen Fan sank into deep contemplation: the great war, the beast tides, the golden eggs—what was the connection between them all?

He turned to the elder beside him. "Are you the village chief?"

"Yes, Master Chen. I am the village chief here. You may call me Wang Fugui." Wang Fugui spoke with great reverence, not daring to be the least bit neglectful.

Chen Fan wanted to get to the bottom of this; the world felt increasingly strange. Based on what Ram and Rem had said and the level of respect the villagers showed them, they might have once saved this world, and some major event must have occurred afterward. However, with the information currently at hand, everything was just wild speculation.

"I’d like to ask, why do you call them Lady Goddess?"

Wang Fugui shook his head gently, a trace of confusion in his eyes. "I don’t know. The older generation left us two portraits and told us that if we ever saw the two Lady Goddesses, we must treat them with the utmost respect and never be rude."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. He was even more puzzled, having come full circle without a definitive answer. He decided to borrow some seeds to take back and plant, hoping to survive the coming winter before exploring further.

With that in mind, he looked at Wang Fugui and said, "Chief Wang, I would like to borrow some seeds. Do you have any to spare? Once I harvest some, I will certainly return them to you twofold."

In truth, he had originally intended to steal the seeds, but seeing how respectful the villagers were toward Rem and Ram, he decided to ask for them openly. If they refused, he would simply take them from the fields later.

"Master Chen, you are being too formal!" Wang Fugui stood up from his stool in excitement. "It is our honor to be of service to you; there is no need to talk about returning them." He then turned to a villager and ordered, "Go and get the seeds for Master Chen."

The villager acknowledged the order, bowed, and hurried toward the warehouse. Before long, the villager returned with five types of seeds: wheat, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, and watermelons. However, the quantity of each was small, only seven or eight of each.

Wang Fugui looked at the seeds and frowned. "Is this all? Bring all the seeds from the warehouse."

"Chief, that... that’s all there is!" The villager lowered his head, his voice trailing off.

Wang Fugui paused, a flicker of sorrow crossing his eyes. He said helplessly, "Master Chen, I am truly sorry. The harvest this year was poor; this is all the seed we have."

Seeing this, Chen Fan waved his hands quickly. "Chief, don't worry about it. This is enough, and I thank you and everyone for your help."

He took one of each seed from the villager, except for the wheat. With these few seeds and the bone meal he had previously obtained from grinding down bones, he would soon have plenty more. This way, Chen Fan wouldn't have to worry about food and could focus his efforts on finding ores and other important tasks. Once he managed to craft a speed-boost torch later on, food production would be even less of a concern.

Thinking back to his earlier intention to steal the seeds, Chen Fan felt his face flush with shame; he felt he had gone too far. If he had really taken all the seeds outside, the villagers likely wouldn't have survived the winter.

"Master Chen, you are too kind. It is our honor to help."

"Well, I will definitely return them to you," Chen Fan said to Wang Fugui earnestly. "If you encounter any food shortages, come find me to the southwest."

Upon hearing this, Wang Fugui looked pleasantly surprised. "Master Chen, do you mean that?"

"I do!"

After storing the seeds in his inventory, Chen Fan looked at Wang Fugui again. "Chief Wang, we have other matters to attend to, so we won't disturb you any longer."

"Won't you stay for a while longer?"

"No, there is still much to do. Thank you again for the seeds."

With that, Chen Fan turned and left with Yang Keli and the others. Wang Fugui watched them depart, a benevolent smile on his face. "It seems Lady Goddess has found a good master this time."

He looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. "I hope we can survive the winter safely."

"Chief, if we don't have enough food for the winter, should we..." one of the villagers asked, head bowed and voice trembling, leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken.

Wang Fugui glared at him. "Without my permission, none of you are to disturb the masters."

"Do you understand?"

"Understood."