The cause of the fight?

The two camps looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for how to describe the situation.

After hesitating for a moment, the owner of the papermaking company, Carpenter Hoenburg, took a deep breath and began slowly, "Respected Monk, it's like this: our Hornburg Papermaking Company previously purchased the forest land around Antimony Town to develop the local papermaking industry..."

Before he could finish, someone from the oddly dressed camp rudely interrupted him.

"You're a fraud, spouting nothing but lies!"

A girl, not particularly attractive and whose face was smeared with thick black paint, stood under a tree and yelled at him, "What right do you have to purchase this forest land? All the resources on this land do not belong to the town, any individual, or any company. They belong to all the creatures that live upon this land! You're conducting a transaction over which you have absolutely no jurisdiction, with a rotten, outdated, domineering, and presumptuous attitude."

"In fact, we do."

The paper company owner cleared his throat, as if he had been prepared all along. He took out a stack of paper documents from his pocket, holding them up one by one for everyone to see.

"We have the purchase records for the forest land, stamped by the Antimony Town Official. We possess a complete set of qualifications for factory operation, an excellent operational record, and we have passed the recent factory Pollution discharge review by the Rune Kingdom's environmental protection department. This proves our paper industry will not cause serious ecological damage in violation of regulations. Nor will it negatively impact the normal production, livelihood, or health of the surrounding residents."

"So what?" the girl said angrily. "Don't you know that countless experts acknowledge that global warming is becoming a severe problem that all creatures worldwide urgently need to address? Don't you know that protecting forests and their ecosystems is the greatest contribution we can make for future generations? You only consider human residents and never think about the poor, adorable little lives that inhabit this forest. They watch as rude loggers arrive with unfamiliar tools and, as if performing an execution, chop down the trees upon which their lives depend. The forest howls in pain, the earth weeps, yet you only care about immediate economic benefits!"

The paper company owner looked at her and said coldly, "Let's not even discuss whether the global warming you mentioned genuinely exists. Are these 'poor, adorable little lives' you speak of the Forest Terror Wolves that have caused over a hundred human injuries in the past twenty years? Or the Deadly Black-winged Forest Bees, whose potent toxins have killed countless people? Or the Giant Silver Fox Hare, which reproduces too quickly, aggressively encroaches on other species' ecological niches, and has already been listed on the 'Recommended All-Citizen Beast Hunting List'? Respected Miss Black-Face?"

The girl was momentarily speechless, but she immediately took this as a sign of her own cowardice. The next instant, she rallied, preparing to teach this sarcastic paper mill owner a proper lesson.

Seeing that both sides were about to devolve into another inefficient war of words, Li Ang planted his scythe on the ground, his icy gaze sweeping over them. "I asked for the reason behind your brawl," he stated indifferently. "Just tell me that."

Faced with the glaring scythe blade, both parties wisely chose to cease their squabbling.

The paper mill owner coughed, stowed his documents, and continued with suppressed anger, "Respected Monk, my father, Khalid Hornburg, was born in Antimony Town. He left home at a young age and, alone in a foreign land, struggled to establish his Hornburg Papermaking Company and build his own enterprise.

"As a respected entrepreneur, he always wanted to give back to his hometown and help it escape poverty.

"Having inherited his will and business, I brought my team to our ancestral land, Antimony Town. It took us two months to finalize the factory plans. We project it will provide two hundred seventy jobs for the town and thousands in Gold Coin tax revenue, making the Antimony Town Papermaking Company the largest paper supplier in the southern Rune Kingdom.

"Everything was going perfectly until this group of strangely dressed individuals showed up."

He pointed at the oddly dressed group opposite him, pursed his lips, and said in a heavy voice, "They call themselves the Children of the Forest, an extremist environmental group who, for the past few years, have roamed the major kingdoms under the guise of defending the forests, spreading terror.

"For example, they vandalize logging camps, gather to live in the forests, spike trees, release poisonous creatures at the edges of woodlands, destroy factories, sabotage mining and logging facilities, and threaten or kidnap the owners of forest development companies.

"They even sneak into the homes of parliament members who encourage the sustainable development of forest resources in impoverished areas, behead their horses, and place the heads beside the members' pillows as a threat.

"A week ago, these Children of the Forest arrived in Antimony Town. They tried to incite the townsfolk to protest, but everyone understood the stakes involved and chased them out of town.

"Of course, some teenagers were unfortunately swayed by them.

"This group of Children of the Forest occupied the woodland and used all kinds of underhanded and vicious methods to obstruct the opening of the paper mill."

(Tree spiking involves driving metal objects, such as nails, into trees without affecting their healthy growth, to diminish their economic value and deter logging. Since the spikes can cause equipment to shatter or kick back when a tree is cut, potentially injuring workers, tree spiking is considered a serious crime in the United States.)

"Slander! Pure and utter slander!"

The girl from the Children of the Forest flushed with anger, swinging her densely barbed, wolf-fang club as she retorted, "We are a non-profit organization with a flat management structure. Some protest incidents that may appear radical to the public were not our doing, but the work of extremists within the Children of the Forest.

"The brothers and sisters of the Children of the Forest present here are committed to positive, upright principles. We are peaceful and kind, and would never commit heinous acts.

"On the contrary, it was you who broke into our camp today without a word, disrupting our solemn celebration!"

"Their so-called celebration," the paper mill owner quietly explained, "was actually a group of people in primitive garments, forming a circle around a bonfire, hand in hand, dancing and singing to the music of xuns and pan flutes, and throwing mud at each other's faces."

Li Ang nodded—he could see faint traces of mud on the painted faces of many of the Children of the Forest.

"You know full well why I brought my men to storm your 'celebration.' Don't try to avoid it," the paper mill owner said, taking a deep breath. His eyes wide with fury, he stared at the opposing group and barked, "Last night, you kidnapped my son Hans and my daughter Gretel!"

The mention of these two names sparked recognition in Li Ang; they were the main characters in "The Adventure of Candy House," a famous tale by the Grimm Brothers.

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