The Patrol Team members waiting outside the farm for Captain Grey to return were playing around, but the moment they saw the Captain's figure, they immediately quieted down.
From afar, they saw Mr. Arkz, the owner of the farm, wave his hand towards the group before returning to the farm after saying his goodbyes.
Instead, it was the little tag-along following behind the Captain that attracted everyone's attention.
"Captain, isn't that the wooden man who scared us earlier? Why did you bring it back?"
Before Grey could even get close, the newcomer couldn't help but ask.
Grey expressionlessly gave the newcomer a sharp rap on the head, then introduced, "This is Amu, a temporary member of the Patrol Team."
"Although Amu's identity is a bit special, you all know the rules of the team. If I find any of you bullying the new member, hmph..."
Hearing the Captain's strange chuckle, the numerous Patrol Team members shivered in unison under Amu's strange gaze.
Although Grey said that, it was actually for the good of the Patrol Team members. Amu looked like he was carved from a simple wooden branch, appearing crude and lacking any combat power. In reality, after transforming into a monster, he could already defeat a Mitachurl in a one-on-one fight.
Grey was worried that some thoughtless teammate might bully Amu, only to be accidentally beaten to death by the reckless Amu.
Originally, Grey was quite reluctant to accept Amu as a special member. Of course, this wasn't because Grey harbored any discrimination against non-humans; it was because Amu had only become a monster for less than an hour, and his mind was still like that of a baby.
A large part of the reason Grey hadn't chosen to retire yet was that he didn't want to go home and take care of his grandson.
Anyone who has looked after a relative's child knows what an annoying existence children are.
Now, Grey not only had to watch over the few young men in the Patrol Team but also look after Amu, a baby not even a year old. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
However, considering Amu's combat prowess, even if Grey were transferred away, the Patrol Team would still have security guarantees. Coupled with the Reward Arkz offered, Grey ultimately agreed.
Not to mention that Arkz promised to establish a rest outpost near the farm for the Patrol Team and would occasionally provide benefits like various teas.
Just the fact that if the Patrol Team encountered danger after Amu joined, Arkz would definitely step in to help, which was equivalent to bringing a huge security guarantee to the Patrol Team.
Thus, the carefree Amu showed no reluctance towards the farm at all; instead, he happily followed behind Grey.
The Patrol Team led by Grey consisted mostly of strong young men, who were very accommodating towards the peculiar teammate Amu.
Although Amu, as a wooden figure, could not speak, through body language, the members of the Patrol Team were quickly able to communicate haltingly with him.
It was Grey, however, who never understood what Amu meant by waving his two small branches.
The patrol continued. Night had fallen, and the moon hung overhead. This was precisely the time when monsters were active.
As expected, a group of Hilichurls, led by a Mitachurl, emerged from the edge of the Misty Forest and approached the direction of Springvale.
Ordinary Hilichurls and other monsters were generally unwilling to approach human settlements, as humans were both dangerous and very vengeful. If a Hilichurl killed one human today, they would definitely kill all the Hilichurls tomorrow.
Therefore, most monsters with a little wisdom would not choose to kill humans unnecessarily, unless they were brainless.
This squad of Hilichurls was only forced to leave their original territory to search because a Wind Nucleus had appeared in their domain.
As a result, the good territories in the wilderness were already occupied. The hungry Mitachurl planned to first find something to eat with his underlings, and then travel the next day to seek refuge with their relatives in Dadaupa Gorge.
In the eyes of the Hilichurls, the carrots planted by humans in vegetable gardens were no different from wild carrots growing in the wilderness.
At most, while stealing carrots, they would exclaim at their good luck today for finding such a fine patch of carrot land, where the carrots were big, sweet, and plentiful.
Just as the Mitachurl was sneaking carrots with his underlings in the carrot patch, the Patrol Team discovered the footprints left by the Mitachurl and the Hilichurls and quickly gave chase.
Seeing these Hilichurls actually stealing carrots from the carrot patch that the townsfolk had painstakingly cultivated, the Patrol Team members roared in anger and were about to rush forward, but were stopped by Captain Grey.
Grey pointed to the Mitachurl hiding near a large tree, using the darkness for cover while keeping watch for his underlings.
Instantly, these Patrol Team members broke out in a cold sweat.
It couldn't be helped. For ordinary people like them, who didn't even possess an artifact, dealing with a few ordinary people was fine, but confronting a Mitachurl was like lighting a lamp in a latrine—looking for trouble.
Just as Grey was about to make a move, Amu acted.
Amu quietly approached a Hilichurl engrossed in digging up carrots, using the darkness for cover, and gently patted the Hilichurl's head.
The Hilichurl, immersed in the joy of harvest, cursed and slapped Amu's hand away without turning around.
Digging Hilichurl: "(Stop fooling around, I'm busy)"
The Hilichurl who was putting the carrots into a self-made bamboo basket asked, "(Who are you talking to?)"
The digging Hilichurl snapped back to reality, turned his head to look behind him, and saw Amu making a funny face.
Ah!!!!
The Hilichurl immediately let out a terrified scream, abandoned the carrots, threw them backward, and ran behind the Mitachurl boss to tremble, seeking protection.
The Mitachurl looked at his underling behind him, scratched his head, raised his shield, and ran over.
Mitachurl: "(Let me see what's going on that scared my little brother!)"
As the Mitachurl approached and saw Amu standing in the carrot patch, pretending to be a scarecrow, he immediately threw his shield to the ground in anger and stomped angrily toward the digging Hilichurl.
The Mitachurl angrily spanked the digging Hilichurl's backside while saying, "(With this attitude, how can you become a hero among Hilichurls? How can you look as strong as me!)"
The digging Hilichurl screamed while explaining, "(Boss, stop hitting me, I was wrong! That wooden man suddenly moved and startled me.)"
Mitachurl: "(A wooden man moves?)"
By the time the Mitachurl reacted, Amu had already successfully dealt with the remaining underlings, hanging them all on trees with vines.
When the Mitachurl tried to retrieve his wooden shield, he found that Amu was already holding it.
Without his wooden shield, the Mitachurl was just a big target with slightly more strength. He was easily bound by Amu using wooden vines.
Thus, the group of 6 Hilichurls led by the Mitachurl—a scale of monsters that would have put the Patrol Team into a tough fight—was easily dealt with by Amu alone.
After these bound Hilichurls were severely taught a lesson by the Patrol Team members, they all fled out of the vicinity of Springvale in terror, likely developing a phobia of the place.