Evander knew that he was dreaming as he watched the scene in front of his very eyes.

A boy, probably five or six years old, was digging through the garden. His silver hair was a mess as his cerulean eyes smiled. Beads of sweat flowed down his face as he chuckled. Butterflies flew around, while birds chirped. It would have been a pristine sight if not for the cat in front of him.

The cat was mutilated. Its ears were cut off while the skin was burnt in many places. Blood dripped down its opened mouth. Judging by the weak purrs, it was still barely alive.

“Mister Cat, I told you to play with me, right?” said the boy. “You should have listened to me. This is your punishment. That’s right! Punishment!”

The boy continued digging on the ground, his small hands scooping out the soil before him. After placing the cat inside the hole he dug, a young man came running towards him.

The young man grabbed the boy’s collar, lifting him up. “Lark! What are you doing?! Didn’t I tell you to stop killing the pets!?” “Big Brother?” said the boy, tilting his head. “What are you talking about? I’m just playing with the cat.” The boy smiled and the dream ended.

After waking up, Evander slowly sat up on his bed. If he had known that the dream was going to be nasty, he would have cut it off right at the start.

Somehow, he felt that the dream was part of the memories of his current body. He had never experienced taking over the body of another person before, so he was not sure.

“That’s right, I’m Lark Marcus now,” he said with a sigh.

He went towards the window and swept aside the curtains. Snow was still falling to the ground.

After the job offer was issued, he supervised the construction project at the eastern border of the town. To his surprise, the workers did not complain at all. Thankfully, there was an abundance of wood and logs in this town due to the forest nearby. Those materials were left untouched due to the inclement weather, but with the help of the heat stones, the workers were able to immediately start the construction.

He conjectured that since those houses would eventually be handed out to the locals, they felt motivated working on it. Furthermore, the heat stones have greatly shown its effect. Although it was unable to fully eliminate the snow and the cold, it enabled the workers to continue with the construction project despite the weather.

Four days have passed since the recruitment. Now, it was time to assess the soldiers.

***

Qarat was crestfallen. Today was the deadline for the test the young master had given them. He had done anything he could, but for some reason, only one out of the three plants grew. He stared at the plant in the pot. It was small, almost inconspicuous, but it was the only successful one among the three.

He shook his head. “I’m definitely going to fail the test. Maybe I should just consider being a farmer? The northern and western lands are barren, but the Young Master said that he has a way to reclaim those areas.”

Being a farmer was not a bad idea, too. He could plow his fields and enjoy the harvest. Unlike the other regions of the Kingdom wherein battles frequently took place, Blackstone Town was a relatively peaceful area. There were very few cases wherein armies or bandits would loot the town. Being a farmer in this region was definitely safer than the other parts of the Kingdom.

“But I can’t even grow a damn seed.” He smiled in self-mockery. “I’m probably not suited to become a farmer. Then, being a builder is the last choice.”

Honestly, he was after the benefits of a soldier. Eleven silvers were a massive amount. Moreover, he was tempted by the offer of free meat. Although the job of a soldier involved life and death, this was Blackstone Town which was hardly visited by anyone. Even merchants would seldomly drop by this place since it had nothing to offer. If not for the Lion City located two days away, this town would have been isolated from the rest of the Kingdom.

Qarat gripped his black, disheveled hair in frustration. He really wanted to be a soldier, but the test result was already obvious.

He stared at the plant growing in the pot. He had been living in this town for two decades now. He was sure that the plant was called Cal Shrub. A common plant that would grow everywhere. Although it was not as ubiquitous as Poison Cloud, it was still relatively easy to find.

An idea went to Qarat’s mind. “Since those three seeds are the same. If I just find a Cal Shrub on the ground, a small one, then plant it on the pot… Surely, the Young Master wouldn’t notice, right?”

If he managed to do that, he would definitely pass the test. After all, he would be able to meet the requirement of making all three seeds grow.