Tessa entered the holding room. Xiao Ran merely turned and gave her a faint smile, while Tessa walked up to him with a serious expression. In front of everyone, she bowed to Xiao Ran. Her formal, solemn manner made Xiao Ran feel somewhat embarrassed about remaining seated, so he stood and supported her.
"What is this for?"
Xiao Ran could more or less understand what Tessa was thinking. It was not merely because he had allowed them to withdraw during the earlier operation and escape the trap, nor entirely because his formidable combat ability had ensured the retreating Mithril mercenaries could evacuate safely. Choosing to make such a gesture here, in front of enemies who did not belong to Mithril, carried a deeper meaning as well.
Tessa raised her head and smiled faintly. "I simply wanted to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, we were able to root out the traitors aboard Danner's Son and avoid falling into their trap. Otherwise, I truly would not have known what to do."
"It's nothing. As partners, your losses are my losses." Xiao Ran smiled for some reason, glanced at the gloomy-looking Gauron bound nearby, and said, "Then I'll leave the rest to you. If you don't mind, El-Elf can stay here and watch them."
Tessa smiled at El-Elf with pursed lips. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. El-Elf. Something like this happened aboard the ship, and Mr. El-Elf's capabilities are certainly trustworthy. But Mr. Alex, don't you want to know what their objective was?"
"I can roughly guess it. If you get anything else out of them, El-Elf will tell me." After saying that, Xiao Ran walked over to Gauron, lightly patted him on the shoulder, and smiled at Tessa. "Besides, these people don't look like the sort who will answer