The Farming Saint in the Starry Wasteland (Elizabeth Schofield) novel Chapter 53

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Chapter 52 A Soldier’s Cry

Chapter 53 A Veteran’s Despair am

He pounded the dirt, voice hoarse and trembling war with age Why? blind?! Melton fought for this kingdom! He bled and and swened on th So so many people! Now he’s broken, and they throw hire awn sway like ga dos dose of medicine that could save his life! What kind of worn orld is this kin kingdom treats its heroes?!”

Fo Fought for the kingdom… bled and sweated on the front fone lines.

TheThose words struck something buried deep inside Elizabeta, eta ike for gorgotten was there.

In hin her first life, she’d grown up in a country that revered its sold ens tr deepeep gratitude for the people who defended home and nation, was was

Watcharching this man–a former soldier–reduced to thrashing like a dya Garbage age Planet made her feet feel like lead. She’d been about to walk

She turnerned back and approached the grief–stricken old man. Sir. what

The old mamian looked up with tear–blurred eyes. Seeing a young woman perhaps sunsimply because he’d been holding it in too long with no one to pouring our MisMiss… you must be new here… That’s Melton Powell. Used for the ThirchArArmy Corps. A damn good soldier! Five years ago, in a ski Swarmborn, he the kook a direct hit to his spiritual core from a Queen’s me comrades retreatreat.. When he came back, he was basically ruined. The m bastards… they saidsaid he was useless, a burden. They gave him a pittance and exiled him potos this hellhole!”

He pointed at the worwoman still clinging to her husband. “That’s his wife, girl you’ll ever meen when the military ruled him unfit, she marched ri headquarters to fight the die decision… and they charged her with ‘disrupti operations. Exiled her booo. What a sin!”

Elizabeth went quietet

She looked at the couple desperate, broken, holding onto each other i weight in her chest grew hervier.

She wasn’t a savior. Her abcesen e tre limited. But standing here, watchi protected others suffer like this—si che couldn’t pretend she felt nothing. Spiritual energy could repair a da turaged sea of consciousness. She’d pre The spiritual energy in her potatoes es funt. Against damage this seve

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ES Chapter 52 A Soldier’s Cry

“Mr. Orion, I’ve already eaten. Really.” Humus waved his hands dismissively and stepped back. “These are for you. I’m just a old bag of bones. It doesn’t matter if I miss a meal.”

Orion stood. His gaze was unyielding. “Humus, these potatoes… might actually work. You saw what happened today. I’m not eating alone. If you won’t eat, neither will L

Faced with that lo refuse anym

With t peel

compromising care–Humus’s throat tightened. He couldn’t

picked up a potato. Under Orion’s watchful eye, he carefully

Il bite.

of gentle, sweet warmth washed through him.

el the soothing effect in his own mental core. He watched Humus closely.

old man chewed mechanically. Then suddenly, his clouded eyes flew wide. flickered across his weathered face.

nd shot to his head–the source of

is it? Does it hurt?” Orion’s che

no…” Humus’s voice sho it knot–the one that’s

hadn’t felt this ually lessene

less agony.

that wasn’t pain. “My head… it feels… lighter? e… like it loosened a little?”

hat crushing, omnipresent weight and sting had

st shred of doubt dissolved, replaced by a surge of fierce

on him. They worked on old injuries like Humus’s, too.

potatoes…” Humus could barely string words together.

d hard, voice low. “This stays between us. Don’t let anyone on the Salazar

d his mental power could be

hat nothing to sabotage it.

1! Compl

Orion’s position better than

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Chapter 52 A Soldier’s Cry

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anyone.

He watched Orion finish the remaining potatoes then leaned in with a triumphant grin. “Mr. Orion, rest easy. When I went to buy the potatoes today, I already saved the seller’s contact information. The moment she sets up her stall again, I’ll be first in line.”

***

The ship touched down in Garbage Planet A001’s signature toxic air. Metal doors opened, and a gust of rank decay blew in.

Elizabeth grabbed her supplies and stepped onto the barren ground.

It was fully dark. The recycling station’s sickly white lights barely illuminated the area around it.

She’d barely cleared the station threshold when a series of anguished screams and wailing from the clearing ahead stopped her in her tracks.

A man–tall–framed but wasted down to skin and bone–was curled on the ground, clawing at his own hair, howling like a dying animal.

His eyes were shot through with red. His body convulsed violently. He was deep in the grip of a severe mental power backlash.

A thin, exhausted woman clung to him from behind, ignoring his thrashing, holding on with everything she had. Her voice cracked as she called to him over and over. “Melton! Melton! Hold on! Look at me! I’m right here!”

Around them, a ring of onlookers–the elderly, women, children–knelt in silence, hands clasped, sobbing, praying to nothing.

“It’s open! The station’s open!” someone shouted. The crowd surged toward the exchange window.

“Sedatives! We need sedatives!”

People scraped together whatever they had of value, desperate to trade for anything that might help.

The vials were pressed into the woman’s hands. She injected him with shaking fingers.

The man went rigid for a moment. Then, he thrashed even harder. His red eyes held no trace of awareness–only raw, animal agony.

One dose. Two. Three.

2/3

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Chapter 53 A Veteran Despair

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mental core thts this

ed to claw back a ka t away from me….

we die together!her!

ht eyes

11:32 Fri, May 8

Chapter 53 A Veteran’s Dresspan

unknown. But… maybe it coutezaseis par

Even a few moments of clarity–to him and for his wife–would be something.

Elizabeth stopped deliberating

She turned away from the patti lontant trotte toward the couple.

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A few paces away, she pulled live ons potes from her storage button–still crusted wit dirt–and tossed them toward the thirsting man

The potatoes rolled across the ground, thumping against his hands and feet.

And just like that–as if it were nothing—ce quickened her pace and disappeared into the shadow of the garbage mountains without booking back.

Fiona saw the motion and assumed the worst Sited seen it before–people who hated or feared those suffering from backlash, throwingsttones to hurt or drive them away.

It happened all the time on this planet.

Heart twisting, terrified her husband had been hitt sheet threw herself forward to check.

But neither injury nor rage met her.

Instead, Melton–who’d been clutching his skull and rolingim agony–suddenly went still His bloodshot eyes, nearly devoid of focus, locked ontoothte round objects by his hand.

in the next instant, some primal instinct–a craving deepenttian thought–took over. He lunged like a starving animal, seized two potatoes, and ornanmeetitiven into his mouth whe chewing furiously.

Metton! Those are rocks! You can’t-” Fiona’s scream died in henticat

Because the “rocks” her husband had bitten into revealed bright yellowiftssh. An unfamilia yetuirresistibly sweet aroma–warm, earthy, carrying the scent of sunlight and soil–floode the an.

This… this wasn’t a rock!

And licenzame the thing that nearly stopped her heart. As Melton swallowed those two potatoes the terrifying, blood–red haze in his eyes began to fade—visibly unmistakably, recedingly tit second.

His heaving test gradually slowed. The horrific screaming stopped. All tateraansthwa ragged, heavy breathing.

Chapter 53 A Veteran’s Despair

unknown. But… maybe it could ease his pain?

Even a few moments of clarity–for him and for his wife–would be something.

Elizabeth stopped deliberating.

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