I Started My Redemption by Raising Believers in the Wasteland-Chapter 9 : Digging a Canal to Divert Water—This Risk Is Worth Taking!

Chapter 9: Digging a Canal to Divert Water—This Risk Is Worth Taking!
Several peaceful days passed.
For Liz and the other believers, it was a precious moment to catch their breath.
The construction of the wooden huts around the church had accelerated, and the reclaimed farmland was becoming increasingly level.
Ulf had even led some men to build a simple watchtower from rough timber, keeping constant watch over any movements coming from the forest.
However as the angelic Lord who protected everyone, Lynn was not in an easy mood.
“To maintain the Holy Light’s protection like this, although the consumption of Holy Radiance has formed a balance, there’s still a small gain, but the number of believers is still too few. I can’t form a situation of rapid growth…”
That was what Lynn thought.
He could still smell the stench lingering in the air, always hovering just beyond the hundred-meter boundary, like sharks scenting blood, reluctant to retreat too far.
Meanwhile, the power of the 【Holy Protection Sigil】 continuously emitted a purifying divine aura that silently deterred the restless ghouls, making them instinctively feel fear and discomfort, thus not daring to cross the border lightly.
As long as there were no orders from a Mutated Ghoul to launch a forced assault, the balance could still be maintained.
Besides, it was not as though he lacked the ability to strike back.
Could an ordinary ghoul even withstand a single cast of “Holy Light Illumination” from him?
That made Lynn realize— although he was but a First-tier Sanctuary, his true power and the strength he could summon far exceeded what that rank implied!
Take that Mutated Ghoul, for instance.
According to Liz, it had the strength of a peak Second-tier being.
Yet after Lynn had infused divine power in a descent-like manner, it had been slain by a believer in a single blow.
As long as there was enough Holy Radiance, and believers capable of bearing the Holy Light,
Lynn felt that not to mention a Third-tier foe—even a Fourth-tier enemy could be fought head-on!
Of course, that was because the undead were heavily restrained by him.
If the opponents were ordinary humans, the effect wouldn’t be nearly as good.
At most, he could fight across two tiers.
“Still, Holy Radiance must be conserved whenever possible.”
“Only by storing more ‘experience’ will I have a chance to ascend in rank, become stronger, and gain more abilities.”
For the sake of the future, Lynn always kept his reason clear.
Occasionally, one or two ghouls—driven mad by hunger and unaware of death—would charge into the sanctuary’s range.
Then, he would unceremoniously ignite a pillar of light, purifying them into ashen remains.
One morning—
Liz stood at the edge of the reclaimed fields, her brows furrowed.
Her companions were carefully carrying buckets of water, gathered from melted snow in the lowlands, their movements slow and laborious.
Marianne approached, holding her child, worry evident on her face.
“Lady Liz, the snow water we boiled last night is almost gone again.”
“The weather’s unpredictable, and the snow is melting too quickly. There’s not much clean snow left nearby. We’ll need to find another way.”
Liz nodded, pointing toward a faintly visible clearing in the distant woods.
“There’s a small stream over there. The water source is fairly abundant.”
“If we want to live here long-term, we can’t do without a stable water supply.”
“Relying solely on melted snow or carrying water from afar is far too inefficient—and very dangerous.”
Ulf, carrying a bundle of timber on his shoulder, came over and said immediately, “Lady Liz, I’ll lead the men to dig a canal! We’ll divert the stream here!”
“Besides irrigation and daily use, maybe we can even build a small pond by the canal to raise some fish!”
“Ah, that’s a great idea!” Liz’s eyes lit up.
But soon, her expression dimmed again.
“But to bring the water over, the channel will have to pass through that outer section of the forest.”
“There are quite a number of ghouls wandering there.”
She instinctively reached for her waist, where only an empty scabbard hung.
“Such a pity my sword is gone…”
Liz’s expression grew gloomy, filled with helplessness and loss.
The knight’s sword that had accompanied her for many years
had crumbled into dust after withstanding the power that felled the Mutated Ghoul.
Without a weapon that suited her hand, her combat strength had undoubtedly dropped drastically.
Even facing ordinary ghouls now carried a real risk of injury…
Lynn, who was secretly listening to their discussion, could only sigh inwardly.
The area he could fully control at present was indeed limited to within a hundred meters—the extent of his divine perception.
The stream, however, was about five hundred meters west of the church.
Lynn could only choose to grant them some 【Holy Protection Sigils】, but that would consume much and last only briefly.
Not a long-term solution.
“It seems the task of digging the canal and diverting water will have to depend on their own efforts.”
“I can only provide limited support.”
That meant—
Liz herself would have to organize people to work near the danger zone.
A great risk!
Just then— from the edge of the forest’s perimeter, a few low, guttural roars suddenly echoed.
Accompanied by the sharp cracking sounds of branches being roughly broken— a few ghouls seemed to have been attracted by the movements of the refugees carrying water buckets.
They grew restless and hovered near the hundred-meter boundary.
Drool dripped onto the ground, and their murky eyes fixed on the people in the camp.
“On guard!” Ulf shouted immediately.
The refugees hurriedly grabbed the simple weapons nearby, watching the ghouls nervously.
Liz also picked up an axe at hand, her gaze equally sharp.
As soon as the ghouls dared to take one more step forward, she would be the first to charge and fight!
At this, Lynn hesitated slightly, then chose to cast a faint golden light that enveloped the few restless ghouls.
The divine radiance itself carried no offensive power, but the purifying force that struck the ghouls’ chaotic consciousness still caused them significant pain.
“Raaagh!”
The few ghouls let out terrified howls, bumping into one another in panic.
Then, in a frenzy, they fled headlong into the depths of the forest and disappeared.
The camp remained silent.
Only tense breathing could be heard.
The refugees looked at one another, both relieved and confused.
Because they had not seen the light pillar easily annihilate the filth this time!
Liz turned to look at the church, as if she had realized something.
Her expression was thoughtful.
She murmured softly, as if speaking to herself as well as to everyone else.
“Focusing mainly on deterrence… not destroying unless necessary…”
“Lord Angel is conserving his strength!”
Lynn approved of Liz’s deduction.
He felt quite pleased.
It seemed there were still smart people who could understand his tactical intent.
During the early stages of development, lying low and enduring was perfectly normal.
Besides, killing ghouls only wasted Holy Radiance and brought no benefits—why bother?
More importantly, Lynn wanted to use this to remind Liz and the others: they could not depend entirely on their “Lord Angel.”
If they wished to survive, they would have to start thinking for themselves and grow stronger.
Without a doubt—
Liz and Lynn’s thoughts had aligned.
Thus, she immediately made a firm decision!
“Everyone, don’t worry. The Angel’s protection remains unshakable.”
“But we can’t depend on Lord Angel at every moment. We are not useless trash with no abilities of our own!”
She pointed toward the stream.
“Our current problem is diverting water and completely solving our water supply issue.”
“To do that, we must eliminate the threats in that area—at least enough to keep the ghouls from approaching the channel!”
“Otherwise, the work can’t proceed, and the workers’ lives will constantly be at risk!”
Liz looked toward Ulf and several other sturdy men.
“So we need manpower, and we need usable weapons, to clear out the ghouls in batches.”
“This will definitely be dangerous. Are you afraid?”
Ulf and the others roared, “We’re not afraid!”
They were warriors who had survived multiple brushes with death— for survival, they could not afford fear!
“Lady Liz, whatever you command, we’ll do it!”
“As for weapons, there are still a few hunting knives in the tool shed. They’re short, but sharp enough to cut down those damned ghouls!”
Even Marianne, a woman, spoke with determination: “We’re all willing to fight once more for our home!”
“With water, we can grow crops and truly settle down!”
“Yes! We’re all willing to fight again!”
They roared together— for their home, for the hope of survival, for the sanctuary that sheltered them.
This risk was worth taking!