I Started My Redemption by Raising Believers in the Wasteland-Chapter 27 : Make Use of Every Living Force

Chapter 27: Make Use of Every Living Force
The name of Holy Light Town.
Following that sensational auction—
The jaw-dropping sky-high price of fifty gold coins…
Had been spread far and wide by mercenaries and caravans from north and south, embellished and exaggerated as it traveled across several nearby towns.
What started as a ridiculous rumor gradually turned into something half-believed, half-doubted.
And now—
It had become the only hope in the eyes of many desperate souls!
Back to Liz’s side—
She was still quite busy lately~
Aside from leading Ulf and the others in constructing the town and training combat skills,
She also had to spare time to clear the overgrown and ghoul-infested ancient road leading out of the forest.
As mentioned before, this was the lifeline of the town’s development!
The transport capacity of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps alone was far from sufficient.
The sooner the road was opened,
The more people would travel to and from Holy Light Town, and its development would surely accelerate.
That day,
Liz had just led a few sturdy men to hack through a patch of tangled thorns when—
The clash of blades and ghastly howls of ghouls came from the woods ahead.
Liz made a hand gesture.
Everyone immediately crouched low, holding their breath and focusing their senses.
Through the gaps in the bushes,
A five-man mercenary squad was seen struggling in a fierce battle.
Their backs were pressed against a huge boulder, surrounded by no fewer than twenty ghouls.
The leader was a burly man wielding a greatsword with both hands. His sword strikes were wide and forceful—
Each swing shattered a ghoul’s skull.
But as his strength waned, his movements visibly slowed.
They were about to be overwhelmed.
“Big brother! We can’t hold on! Let’s retreat!”
A mercenary shouted hoarsely.
“Retreat my ass! Retreat where?”
“It’s nothing but forest behind us! You think we can outrun these damned things!?”
The burly man spat out a mouthful of blood and growled, “Damn it, fight to the end! Kill one, we break even! Kill two, we profit—”
Before he could finish—
A golden sword light suddenly slashed into the battlefield!
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Where the sword light passed, the ghouls turned to ashes without even managing a scream.
Liz’s figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield.
The Holy Sword in her hand pulsed with golden radiance, illuminating her cold yet heroic face.
Behind her,
Ulf and the others roared as they charged in, joining the fray.
The sudden reinforcements swiftly turned the tide.
The ghouls were soon wiped out.
“Huff… huff…”
The burly man leaned on his greatsword, panting heavily.
He looked at Liz in disbelief and gratitude. “Th-thank you, my lady, for your aid!”
“I am Buck of the Iron Spear Mercenary Corps. May I ask who you are?”
“Liz Hawke, guardian of Holy Light Town.”
Liz sheathed her sword and stood tall. “Why have you come this deep into the forest?”
Buck wiped the blood from his face with a bitter smile. “Lady Liz, to tell the truth—”
“We heard the rumors in Oak Town and came searching for that…”
“Uh, the Holy Light Town said to be under the protection of an angel. We wanted to try our luck.”
“Didn’t expect the ghouls here to be far more numerous and vicious than rumored. We got lost and stumbled into this pack of beasts…”
Liz understood immediately.
After all, this wasn’t the first time she had encountered a group drawn by the rumors.
In recent days,
While clearing the road, she had run into several such groups.
Some were mercenaries like Buck, desperate and down on their luck.
Some were adventurer teams hoping to strike it rich.
There were even refugees—families dragging their tired bodies and pale faces through the woods.
For these people to make it this far into the ghoul-infested Mistwood,
They either had skill or sheer luck.
And in front of Liz—and the mysterious, unfathomable Angel behind her—
Every one of them behaved with utmost politeness, even reverence.
No one dared make a move rashly.
Following Lynn’s instructions,
Liz maintained a calm, detached attitude toward these people.
She glanced at Buck and his men’s disheveled appearances and said coolly, “Holy Light Town does exist, and those who harbor goodwill and are willing to believe in the Angel are welcome to seek shelter.”
“But not everyone can set foot in the Holy Land so easily!”
Buck’s heart tightened, and he hastily said, “Lady Liz, we mean no harm!”
“Just heard that there are safe shelters and holy water there…”
“Holy water?” The corner of Liz’s lips curved into mockery. “The blessing of the Angel, you think it’s something so easily obtained?”
She paused, sweeping her gaze over the crowd. “You want to enter Holy Light Town and gain the qualification to trade, right?”
“You can—if you prove your sincerity and worth through action!”
Buck and the others exchanged glances. “Please, Lady Liz, give us your instructions!”
Liz pointed the tip of her sword toward the depths of the forest.
From there came faint, low growls of ghouls.
“See those filthy things?”
“The Angel despises all undead that defile the forest.”
“One hundred ghoul heads—or an equivalent number of tainted cores—will be your ticket.”
“When you’ve gathered enough, come find me again.”
“One hundred?!” The mercenaries behind Buck gasped, their faces filled with dread.
Their expressions turned grim.
It was true that ghouls were a non-tiered type of undead.
But their numbers were vast, they feared no death, and their bodies carried corrosive poison!
To kill a hundred of them—what kind of risk would that take?
Besides, who could guarantee—
—whether some of those ghouls had already evolved, or even mutated?
If they encountered one of those, it would be a fight for their lives…
Liz let out a cold snort.
“What, too many?”
“Without a shred of strength or courage, you think yourselves worthy of the Angel’s holy water? Of the sanctuary’s protection?”
“Holy Light Town is not a charity shelter for useless trash!”
“Either prove your worth and your right to step onto this pure land—”
“Or get out of this forest now, and stop wasting the air here!”
Buck’s face turned pale, then green.
At last, he gritted his teeth. “We’ll do it!”
“Lady Liz, our Iron Spear Mercenary Corps will take the task!”
“Brothers, gather your gear—we’ve got work to do!”
Watching Buck and the others charge into the forest with fierce determination, Liz’s expression remained cold.
She knew—this pledge of loyalty was not easy to offer.
But it was the best way to screen and make use of these outsiders.
Not only could it help clear the threats within the forest, but it could also weed out those with true strength and resolve.
However—
—not all outsiders chose to fight head-on.
While Liz was clearing another section of the path, she encountered a small group composed of several seasoned hunters and seven or eight craftsmen.
Their leader was an old, one-eyed man named Old Tom—experienced and shrewd.
They hadn’t rashly gone after ghouls.
Instead, they carefully observed Liz and her team’s movements.
“Lady Liz…” Old Tom rubbed his hands together, approaching with a flattering smile.
“I reckon you’re… restoring an old road, right? One that leads out of the forest?”
Liz glanced at him but didn’t deny it.
Old Tom’s eye lit up. “Road work, now that’s something we know well!”
“Chopping trees, digging soil, tamping down foundations—rough labor like that’s our specialty!”
“Tell you what… if we help you build the road, could that count as our ticket in?”
“These old bones of ours aren’t fit for fighting ghouls—but when it comes to hard work, we’ve no problem!”
Liz’s mind stirred slightly.
What Holy Light Town lacked most right now—was manpower!
Within the sanctuary’s protection, houses needed to be built, land reclaimed, wells dug, and above all—this vital road to the outside world.
Which of these didn’t require countless hands?
Even with Ulf’s dozens of people working day and night, it was still barely enough.
Letting these people contribute labor within a relatively safe zone—
—was far better than sending them to feed the ghouls in the forest.
After a moment’s thought, Liz nodded. “Very well.”
“But no tricks, and don’t go near the church’s central area.”
“Do your work well, and there’ll be rewards for you.”
“Ah! Thank you, Lady Liz!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure the road’s flat and sturdy!”
Old Tom was overjoyed, quickly calling for his men to pick up their tools and get to work with great enthusiasm.
Watching the group work diligently, Liz felt a small sense of relief.
The current strategy was working—making use of every possible force.
Those with strength fought; those without labored. Each contributed in their own way.
And with that, the town’s development—with the influx of this new labor force, and the successful delivery of the first batch of supplies from the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps—reached a small peak.
Ulf led his men to use the newly arrived iron nails and strong hemp ropes to reinforce the wooden fences,
building tall watchtowers at all key points using thick logs.
Marianne, on the other hand, led the women and children, using newly purchased needles and coarse cloth to rush out more warm clothes and bedding for the harsh winter.
With this, Lynn no longer needed to use the Holy Light to increase the town’s overall temperature.
He could happily save that bit of Holy Radiance instead.
As for Colin—he fully displayed his scholarly talent, planning out a new residential zone, a larger fish pond, warehouses for refining and storing goods, and other facilities.
The entire camp had finally begun to take on the shape of a real town.
However—paper couldn’t hide fire forever.
Soon enough, Carlisle also caught wind of the news about Holy Light Town.