And he could just barely make out what the Reedleaf Elves were trying so hard to tell him. They even seemed anxious—they wanted to find Ye Chuqi.
Of course, the Reedleaf Elves hadn't said Ye Chuqi's name. They had told Duwak they wanted to find the girl who had appeared with him back then, the girl who had received their blessing. Duwak hadn't thought of Ye Chuqi at first. After all, like him, she'd had her gift returned. But after what had happened this time, he realized that someone could receive the Reedleaf Elves' blessing even if their gift was returned. Remembering the rumors that Ye Chuqi had once received a Demon Beast Blessing, he knew she must have received theirs too.
Ye Chuqi didn't know why the Reedleaf Elves had returned the refined Beast Core she'd offered them. But she was certain they had returned Duwak's gift because they didn't like it.
The blessing they'd given Duwak was probably payment for a favor they needed from him. As for the gift he'd spent years trying to give them, they still wouldn't accept it.
Duwak had been smug about receiving the Reedleaf Elves' blessing for ages. Watching such a big man show off to Ye Chuqi with all the grace of a bumbling fool, his companions covered their faces. They wanted to pretend they didn't know him. For Ye Chuqi's sake, they held back and came over to greet her instead.
Ye Chuqi learned that, during the Noble Blood Vial affair, the people from the Thirteen Misty Islands had dealt the Rahu Mercenary Corps a crushing blow. Having also offended the other new nobles, the corps had lost virtually all influence, and the Adventurers' Guild had struck it from its rolls. Just like that, the tenth-ranked Rahu Mercenary Corps vanished.