Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 175 Burn Dirt, Feed a Village

"This kind of soil won’t catch with regular fire," Magnus said with a grin.

No shit. Do we look blind? Alex and Ian cursed in their heads.

Then Magnus stood up, pulled a bottle of mineral water from the cabinet, and held it up. "This’s just plain water."

He poured it slowly into his palm filled with black dirt, spread the soaked mix on the edge of the heated bed, set the bottle down, picked up a candle, and brought the flame near the pile -

Whoosh!

A five-meter-tall pillar of blue fire shot up, licking the ceiling.

The women from the Ice Regiment, along with Alex and Ian, all jumped back in shock. This flame - what the hell? How could dirt burn like that?

Magnus just smiled and held his hands close to the fire, explaining, "Same heat as a normal flame. Good for cooking or stir-frying. Doesn’t char the pan."

"What in the world... dirt that burns like that?" Alex exclaimed.

Magnus scratched his head. He didn’t really know either. Last time around, the Ice Regiment never figured out if this soil had any use. They never bothered. He’d later heard someone mention that meteorite soil could be used to cook. Emily even tried it a few times, failed, and chalked it up as nonsense.

But last night, the guy’s words popped into Magnus’s head again. He remembered the look on his face - dead serious.

So Magnus had gone out, dug up some of the black dirt, and waited until Molly and the others were asleep. Then he began testing it outside the courtyard.

Tried all night.

Nothing.

So pissed, he spat on the pile, turned around ready to sleep - then stopped.

A thought hit him. Maybe... the soil needed something added to it?

He didn’t think of water at first. Used all kinds of stuff trying to mix it. Finally, out of options, he dumped half a bottle of mineral water into the dirt, lit it with a lighter - boom! Five meters of flame.

Alex and Ian were still wide-eyed. Meanwhile, Ashton frowned slightly. "Magnus, how do we put it out? If dousing it with water just fuels it, aren’t we screwed?"

Everyone turned to look at Magnus.

"Yeah, can’t use water," he replied calmly. Then he stepped into the kitchen, came back dragging in a woven sack, reached in, scooped out a handful of sand, and sprinkled it over the burning blue fire.

The flames died right out.

"I want only the people in this room to know about this. Not a word outside. Got it?"

Magnus stared straight at Alex and Ian. The two men nodded fast. No way they’d betray Magnus after he put this kind of trust in them.

The next morning, Magnus led the group back to the underground granary. The folks from Willowglen Village walked with them all the way to the edge of the village, waving them off.

Magnus had grown fond of these villagers. They’d been nothing but kind these days. Before leaving, he gave Alex and Ian two each of the Fire Crystals, explained what they did, and told them if they ever ran into trouble, they could come find him at the granary.

Just like when they came, the prisoners led the way down the mountain, Ice Regiment’s women tailing them with weapons at the ready. Nearly 2,500 people, each carrying over 20 kilograms of ginseng on their backs.

By 6 p.m., the massive group finally marched into Ashbrook Town. Emily and Sophia came out to meet them, and everyone moved into the underground granary.

But when the Ice girls tried to tie up the prisoners again, over 1,800 of them erupted in protest.

"Damn it, what are you doing?! I worked my ass off for over half a month, and this is how you treat me back home?!"

"Yeah! You think we’re not even human anymore? We’ve been busting our backs out there! And you chicks still - "

"Screw this! We ain’t your animals! If it’s going down, I’ll fight you to the end!"

A handful of them, hot-tempered and reckless, rushed straight for the girls, trying to snatch their weapons.

A single shot rang out - no one saw who fired first - but it kicked off a chain of gunfire. The few who charged were all gunned down. Those standing further back, too scared to move, still got caught by stray bullets - dozens fell, wounded or worse.

Silence swept through the underground granary.

No one dared make another sound. But the scowls on their faces, eyes bloodshot and fists clenched, said everything - their rage was boiling over.

"Take them all down!" Sophia snapped, voice sharp and cold. "Tie ’em up tight! Anyone resists - kill without mercy!"

"Yes, ma’am!"

The female squad burst into action like wolves in a pen, charging in to restrain the prisoners. No one dared fight back - eyes burning with hatred, they let themselves be tied, heads bagged, mouths stuffed with rag scraps. Soon enough, they were back in that large, cold chamber they’d been thrown into when first captured.

Meanwhile, Magnus stepped into the familiar comfort of the RV. The rich scent of wine mixed with the sweet scent of women hit him immediately.

From the moment she laid eyes on him, Sarah had been clinging to his side. As he sank into his favorite white armchair, she perched lightly on the armrest, massaging his shoulders with soft, steady hands, her eyes full of tenderness.

Molly and Lucy stood silently behind him. Watching Sarah pamper Magnus, they couldn’t help feeling a twinge of envy, though they managed to keep it contained.

Over the past few days digging meteorites, they had made sure that word spread among the group: Magnus was living with them now. A move with meaning.

Now the two stood behind him again. And savvy women like Emily and Charlotte could guess what was going on.

Sarah glanced back at them, complex emotion in her eyes, quickly followed by a dark flash of something else. Molly and Lucy hurriedly averted their eyes, stepping back.

In a woman’s world, nothing’s more despised than a third wheel. Against Ashton, they could stand tall. But with Sarah, neither felt so sure.

This mission had been a huge success, and they were finally home. Excitement filled the returning women. Those with the privilege to be on the RV had already made their way onboard, chatting animatedly in the lounge. Emily and a few others settled into the seats, joining in the lively chatter.

Eventually, Liana raised the thorny issue - what to do with the prisoners.

It wasn’t something they could just brush off.