Yaluer's Confession, Departure Arrangements

I heard that familiar, crisp sound.

Tang Zheng stroked the stiff, dry feathers of the eagle as he turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

Yaluer came running over with a bright smile, her steps light and cheerful, clearly showing how happy she was.

With the threat of the Grey Dwarf, which had long weighed on the human race, eliminated, all the humans on the Oasis breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since he met Yaluer, she had displayed a maturity and composure beyond her years. At this moment, Tang Zheng saw in Yaluer the liveliness that should belong to her age.

"Hero hero, why aren't you joining the bonfire party? There's so much delicious food there."

Yaluer started to speak happily, but her voice unconsciously lowered halfway through her sentence.

Glug glug~

The delicate spray of fresh water gushes out from beneath the surface, forming crystal-clear droplets that roll in the moonlight.

A warm night breeze rustled the branches and leaves of the trees around the water source, making a soft sound.

In Yaluer's view, Tang Zheng was casually sitting cross-legged beside the living water source, while the half-human-sized eagle was quietly crouching beside the Hero, very peacefully.

The man and the eagle felt an inexplicable sense of harmony with the quiet environment deep within the Oasis; it was her sudden arrival that seemed to shatter this atmosphere.

In that instant.

A hint of sadness flashed in Yaluer's bright eyes.

She suddenly realized that the Hero didn't seem to belong to this Oasis, nor to the Despair Valley.

Yaluer suddenly remembered that when the Hero introduced himself, he seemed to have said that he was "a traveler," and she had even asked her father in private what a traveler was.

"A lot of delicious food? Then you should eat more." Tang Zheng chuckled upon hearing Yaluer's words, then shrugged and spoke gently:

"I've already eaten. To be honest, you're all too enthusiastic; I'm not quite used to this kind of overly warm welcome."

Yaluer was silent for a moment, then glanced around cautiously and whispered, "May I sit here, Hero?"

"Of course." Tang Zheng nodded.

Yaluer took a deep breath, pursed her lips, bent down, and sat down beside Tang Zheng, her beautiful, firm curves accentuated by the moonlight reflecting off the water.

"I've started to grasp the basics of Martial Arts under the guidance of the Hero," Yaluer in a clear voice, her arms wrapped around her legs.

A look of surprise flashed across Tang Zheng's face.

Whether it's the "Fourfold Slash of Light" or the "Instant Reflection," only a few days have passed, and Yaluer has already managed to grasp the basics.

His talent was even greater than he had initially anticipated.

"Thank you, Hero," Yaluer whispered.

"Hmm?" Tang Zheng.

"Actually, I'm not used to everyone's excessive concern, care, and expectations."

"From a very young age, everyone has been very forgiving towards me. No matter what mistakes I make, I can easily get everyone's forgiveness. In fact, some people will even take the blame for me."

"Especially when I was eight years old, after I easily defeated the tribe's hunter all by myself, the tribespeople became more tolerant of me and had higher expectations of me."

Yaluer tightened her grip on her legs, resting her pointed chin on her knees, her bright silver eyes fixed on the churning, flowing water ahead.

"From that moment on, I trained diligently every day. I wanted to become strong, to protect my father, and to protect everyone in my clan."

"I want to meet those expectations, and I don't want to disappoint everyone."

"But I know... I can't become a strong person like Grandpa who can truly protect everyone."

"If the Hero hadn't appeared back then, I'd probably be dead by now."

Yaluer speaking, she slightly raised her head, her eyes becoming glistening:

"I'm not afraid of death at all, really, Hero. I just... I just feel sorry for everyone, for letting down the expectations of my people."

No, no... Just protect them.

Looking at Yaluer's tear-filled eyes, Tang Zheng raised his hand and gently placed it on Yaluer's short silver hair, ruffling it slightly, and said softly, "You've already tried very hard, and you've done very well."

Wow~

Yaluer suddenly raised her wheat-colored arms and hugged Tang Zheng's outstretched arm tightly, then rested her head on Tang Zheng's shoulder.

The sudden movement startled Tang Zheng.

For a moment, the air fell silent.

The Barghest, transformed into a hawk, turned its head to watch this scene, then turned its head away and shifted slightly to one side.

The sky above Despair Valley is dotted with stars, and the moon has moved to the very top of the sky.

Tang Zheng felt Yaluer's breathing become even beside him. After a brief moment of contemplation, he stood up slightly and lifted Yaluer into his arms around her waist.

He opened the wooden door behind him and gently placed Yaluer on the wooden bed.

Tang Zheng looked at Yaluer, whose head was turned to the side and whose face was obscured by the darkness, and a look of headache flashed across his face before he turned and left the wooden house.

Thump!

Suddenly, Yaluer reached out and grabbed Tang Zheng's hand.

"Hero hero, are you leaving...? I, I..." Yaluer's weak voice rang out in the darkness.

"Get a good night's sleep, Yaluer."

Before Tang Zheng could continue, Tang Yaluer took Yaluer soft, calloused hand in his again, gently placing her back on the wooden bed as he spoke softly:

"This will be a good sleep."

After saying that.

Tang Zheng walked out of the wooden house, closed the wooden door behind him, and stood quietly by the living water source, calmly gazing at this Oasis.

Time passed slowly, and about half an hour later...

Chief Dielong appeared in the center of the Oasis. When he saw Tang Zheng standing by the water source, his gaze clearly froze for a moment before he quickly walked over.

"Hero..." Chief Dielong hurriedly and respectfully spoke.

However, he only got halfway through his sentence.

Chieftain Dielong shivered inexplicably, feeling as if the temperature of the surrounding air had suddenly dropped several degrees.

"Chief Dielong, the bonfire feast has just ended, hasn't it?" Tang Zheng's calm voice came from behind.

Chief Dielong cautiously raised his head, only to meet a pair of emotionless eyes, which made Dielong tremble and too frightened to reply.

A good while passed.

"Yaluer, your grandfather was a powerful figure in the Hero Realm, and she possesses the bloodline of a ' Hero '..." Chief Dielong's voice trembled.

"Alright, I'm not interested in your ideas."

Tang Zheng raised his hand to interrupt Chief Dielong, his tone remaining completely unchanged:

I have something for you to do.

The next day.

This book has a brand new chapter.

Let's take a look!

At dawn, the scorching sun shone once more upon Despair Valley.

One by one, the human members stood at the edge of the Oasis, looking at Tang Zheng, who had already left the Oasis with a hawk perched on his shoulder, their faces showing deep reluctance.

Chieftain Dielong stood at the very front of everyone. He had long anticipated that Tang Zheng would leave, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. He couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"Gray Armored Knight!!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, and the next moment, a huge shout echoed across the desert.

"Gray Armored Knight!"

"Gray Armored Knight!"

"...!"

"Gray Armored Knight!"

Chief Dielong knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground, and bowed in worship with the highest ritual of the tribe.

Following Chief Dielong's action, the rest of the humans also prostrated themselves, burying their heads in the sand.

"Really." Tang Zheng shook his head, a helpless expression on his face, as he saw the group of humans' actions.

Yellow sand swirls up.

Tang Zheng's figure had disappeared.

After a long while, everyone finally looked up again in the direction where Tang Zheng had disappeared, and a somber atmosphere permeated the crowd.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a beautiful figure rushed out from the Oasis behind and came to Chief Dielong's side.

"Father, has the Hero left?" Yaluer raised her slender neck, staring intently in the direction Tang Zheng had gone, and asked.

Seeing her daughter's knowing look as she asked the question...

Chieftain Dielong's eyelids twitched. "Yaluer, I remember you've never slept in; you always get up very early for training."

"What, did you oversleep this time?"

Yaluer dejected in the face of her father's teasing words and did not respond at all.

Chieftain Dielong's lips twitched, and he glanced at Yaluer with a resentful look before turning to look at his equally dejected tribesmen behind him.

"Everyone, expedite the cleanup of the Grey Dwarf Oasis. Once all supplies have been moved back from the Gray Grey Dwarf Oasis Grey Dwarf Oasis, evacuate completely."

Chief Dielong spoke loudly, his expression serious, and then continued:

"Next, we need to assemble a team to head to the Demi-Human Oasis and give the Grey Dwarf ' Oasis to the Orc."

The words had barely left his mouth!

The crowd immediately erupted in excitement, with a cacophony of noise rising from all directions.

"Father! What are you doing!" Yaluer immediately looked at Chief Dielong, her face showing a grim expression:

"This was won for us by our Hero, how can we give it to other races!"

Faced with Yaluer's questioning and the boiling clamor of her people, Chief Dielong remained remarkably calm.

"This is the Hero's arrangement!"

Chieftain Dielong took a deep breath and roared again.

Everyone fell silent immediately.

"Our population is too small. Our Hero instructed us that even if we could capture the Grey Dwarf Oasis, we wouldn't be able to hold it. Rather than that, we might as well give it to the Orc."

"In addition, through this matter, we need to investigate and gather intelligence on the Orc race and outside Shadow Valley for our Hero," Chieftain Dielong's voice rang out again.

A look of realization dawned on everyone's faces.

Yaluer's silver eyes lit up even more as she stared intently at Chief Dielong: "Father, do you mean the Hero will return?"

"Certainly."

Chief Dielong looked at Yaluer, who had quickly regained her composure, and pursed his lips.

(End of this chapter)