<h4>Chapter 40: Constructive and Destructive Greed</h4>


    "Visit my home daily." Grehha said as he held the refined Mud Viper Tonic, "Come after dinner time."


    "Sure," In nodded. By inviting him to his house, Grehha was exhibiting his level of trust. The two had allied now and intended to walk towards amon survival. Since they didn''t need to fight for the cure, there wasn''t any significant reason to be in conflict.


    Moreover, by allying, they could pool their resources and n for a better future.


    "Do you n to reveal the true nature of the cure to the other reincarnates?" Grehha paused just as he was about to open the door, turning around to stare at In.


    "Heck no!" In growled, "If I say anything to them, there''s a guaranteed chance they''ll destroy the Zinger Queen''s egg. Therefore, I intend to y dumb and act as if I''ll drop out of the race."


    "Bl and Yennda creep me the fuck out. Vir is fucking greedy. He most definitely ns to proceed in the same route as Resha." In continued in irritation, "They''re all snakes. And unlike me or you, they desire strength even if everyone else is killed in the process."


    "Destructive greed, huh?" Grehha nodded. He thought of his n, followed by In''s, ''Both of us are incredibly greedy too. But our ns don''t involve destroying others. The two of us fall under Constructive Greed.''


    "What do we do about them?" Grehha asked, "We need to do something to thwart their ns. There''s also the problem with Gann''s lifespan. After she dies, our lives would be terrible."


    Gann was the 44th Empyrean Tusk''s name. In was now aware of it. He frowned as he pondered, "In Sumatra Chronicles, after her death, only twenty remained alive in this settlement. They weren''t epted as refugees by the other settlements."


    Even though Empyrean Tusks moved as a herd, they were averse to having Mammoth nsmen from other Empyrean Tusks live on them. That was because of one primary reason.


    A Mammoth nsmen born on the 44th Empyrean Tusk was considered part of its immune system. To the 43rd Empyrean Tusk, a Mammoth nsman from the 44th Settlement was a foreign bacterium, not exactly an enemy but not a friend either.


    It would be simr to the human body''s immune system registering weak bacteria as a powerful enemy andunching a full-scale attack on it. The enemy would be dealt with so swiftly that the white blood cells wouldn''t know what to do and hence turn up on the body''s cells.


    This was what primarily caused rashes.


    A foreign Mammoth nsman living on an Empyrean Tusk would cause it to develop a rash too. It would develop stress trying to ensure its gravitational fields didn''t squash him by mistake.


    For an Empyrean Tusk''s mind, that stress was dangerous. Because it would quickly umte and pass over the tipping point, causing the Empyrean Tusk to enter an aggressive state. It would immediately attack the rest of the herd.


    Just one foreigner, if cooped up in a house like a prisoner wasn''t an issue. But if there were around a dozen, with each moving around like people of that settlement, then things became serious. Twenty survivors from the 44th Settlement were pretty much dangerous If invited into other Settlements.


    It was because the Mammoth n disliked taking care of someone that didn''t contribute. But to contribute, these refugees would have to take up work, meaning they would move throughout the settlement, only adding to the Empyrean Tusk''s stress. The reward was nothing while the risks included the possible downfall of more than one Empyrean Tusk.


    "Due to that reason, those survivors had to run after the herd and live a life worse than dogs." In sighed. Once a Mammoth nsmen reaches the Body Stage, they would require a lot of resources, most of which could only be produced by their Empyrean Tusk.


    Without that, they wouldn''t be able to cultivate. Forget cultivation, if the situation progressed for an extended duration, their bones would begin to turn brittle. But it wasn''t the Fragment Disease. Their bodies were simply starting to copse.


    "That arc was messed up," Grehha stated in worry, "The survivors faced the Second, Third, and Fourth Minor Crisis in that state. I remember having sleepless nights while reading that arc. The gore was…ugly."


    "I stopped reading it for two months," In trembled faintly, thinking that they would have to face it next, "Only after the next arc started and I sawments that things had recovered did I dare read that arc."


    "The Mammoth n''s ugliness would be on full disy." Grehha shuddered at the thought, "Eventually, Resha''s parents returned with a baby Empyrean Tusk. It epted them as part of its immune system. Things barely recovered after that."


    "I''m working on my goal to ensure I can prolong Gann''s lifespan until the baby Empyrean Tusk arrives," In said.


    Grehha''s eyes lit up, "Right, the Zinger Queen''s power…"


    "But," He frowned, "You won''t have arge enough window after bing the Zinger Queen to save Gann. Or rather, I don''t think you''ll make it on time."


    "Which is why I''m allying with you." In said in seriousness, "I''ll support you with all my strength. And during the First Major Disaster, you''ll be my bodyguard."


    "In today''s fair, all the reincarnates have gained a means of revenue. There aren''t any significant opportunities after this for them to reveal themselves." In concluded, "So, I fear all of them would be busy holed up in their houses, cultivating and preparing their schemes."


    "We won''t get any other opportunities to kill them. That''s what you''re saying, right?" Grehha nodded, "The earliest opportunity is during our graduation. But that''s an hour before the First Major Disaster starts. It''s too risky to target them in that situation."


    "Right, even if we target one reincarnate, we might also be injured in the process." In grunted, "If that happens, we''ll miss our opportunity. That risk is the reason all schemes will stop until the First Major Disaster starts. But,"


    His eyes turned cold, "Once they seed in their scheme, they''ll start hunting everyone else."


    "I get what you''re saying," Grehha nodded and opened the door, "I''ll be your bodyguard. To avoid living through that arc, I''ll do my best to help you seed."


    "Same here," In nodded, "I''ll give my wholehearted cooperation for your sess too."


    Grehha closed the door and returned to his home. In looked around, feeling the silence of the ce, "It seems Gann stopped iling her tail."


    In left his home and sat on the ground, closer to the settlement''s edge. He observed the vast darkness that stretched beyond, faintly illuminated by the majestic celestial bodies in the sky.


    "Gann, if you''re able to hear me, gently p your tail twice." He muttered after a while.


    Immediately in response, the 44th Empyrean Tusk''s tail gently pped its butt twice, just as he had requested. It usually only pped once, aloud, and that was to deter any Pranic Beast that crept towards it.


    As the Empyrean Tusk movingst in the herd, it needed to be attentive about any enemies that might ambush the herd from behind. That was why it continued to make loud sounds using its tail.


    Upon hearing the two, soft sounds, Inughed, faintly tearing up in happiness, "Ahhh!"


    "I''m happy to have been reincarnated to this world. Thank you for tolerating my existence, Gann. I''ll definitely help you survive the First Major Disaster. After all," His face beamed as he stared at one of the celestials in the sky that faintly resembled Jupiter, "I dreamed of living a long life in this world."


    "Sumatra Chronicles is hype!"