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nAli tapped Jelia on the shoulder, saying, “The situation is somewhat dire; I need to explain it to you so we can decide on our next move.”

n“You’re actually consulting with me? Don’t you usually just make decisions on your own?” Jelia huffed.

n“Because I want to borrow your henchman for a bit, to take out a few particularly annoying individuals.”

nDeep within the jungle, in a concealed shallow cave, lay the temporary refuge for Ali, Jelia, and Roronora.

nTo avoid detection by the cloaked assailants, Ali had foregone making a fire.

nThe absence of their usual warm jerky soup and even having to eat bread cold soured the mood for both Ali and Jelia.

nRoronora, however, seemed unaffected by such discomforts.

nThus, the cave scene was an odd one: a young girl and a young man frowned deeply while holding their bread, while the skeletal, gaunt figure beside them eagerly devoured bread stuffed with jerky, as if savoring a delicacy of the highest order.

nFor someone who had been eating rats for over half a year, such fare was indeed a supreme delight.

nCode 1, while preserving the bodies of all outsiders, did not imply that prolonged dormancy wouldn’t lead to physical anomalies.

nThe most typical cases were those outsiders who starved themselves to death.

nCode 1 would not allow these individuals into the legacy space.

nInstead, he would watch as their bodies, devoid of consciousness, turned into vegetative states before being destroyed and repurposed as basic materials.

nThe legacy’s ability to sustain itself for three hundred years was not unrelated to such a ruthless selection process.

nThe failures became fertilizer, nourishing a flower that bloomed only for the victor.

nThus, despite Roronora’s current emaciated appearance, with sufficient food, he could regain his peak strength within a few days, possibly even surpassing his former prowess due to the legacy!

nIt’s worth noting that at his zenith, Roronora was a level 2 magus with formidable combat abilities.

nOnce fully restored, even Howard, allied with Ali without the aid of “Brave,” might not be assured of victory against him.

n“There’s no need to rush; I have more, plenty more!”

nAli, observing Roronora’s single-minded focus on the food, ignoring everything else, scratched his face and then glanced at Jelia, who seemed to have little appetite as well.

n“Jelia, where did you find such a monster?” Ali couldn’t help but ask.

n“He looks younger than me, yet his strength surpasses Howard’s!”

nUnderstanding Howard’s strength as an extraterrestrial was one thing for Ali, but Roronora was clearly a different case.

nHe hadn’t heard of any extraterrestrial falling to such a low point as Roronora seemed to have.

n“He was a legacy challenger, but got trapped inside. I encountered him there, and thinking he could be of use, I pushed him forward during the final moments of accepting the legacy,” Jelia explained, not lifting her gaze from the bread in her hand.

n“With some additional measures and help from someone, his memories were altered. Now, I’m his closest companion, almost akin to being a half-owner.”

nAs Jelia spoke, her voice carried a tinge of excitement, yet Ali could discern the underlying unease.

nJelia was worried about how Howard would react to this development.

nClearly, the world Howard once belonged to likely didn’t harbor the sharp racial antagonism prevalent in Avala Continent, nor did it have slavery anymore; otherwise, he wouldn’t have offered his help initially.

nYet now, she had resorted to somewhat unsavory means to create a sort of slave.

n“After all, you saved him. Without you, Roronora would probably still be trapped, starving to death sooner or later. That situation would be far worse than now,” Ali tried to console Jelia, but his words seemed to have little effect.

nJelia forced a smile, her gaze landing on Ali’s face: “What do you plan to do next?”

n“Retaliate, of course! That guy wanted to use me to destroy the village and take me out… Gick won’t stop until he sees our bodies,” Ali paused, a villain’s cold smirk forming on his face before continuing, “Given that, it’s time we have a direct talk with him!”

nAbout his own life and the lives of the traveling merchants he was accused of killing.

nObviously, Gick wasn’t just any ordinary traveling merchant, or he wouldn’t have the resources to mobilize so many magi.

nAs for what he truly desired, Ali suspected Monka might know something, but now, it was unclear where those subhumans had hidden.

nWhen the village was attacked, very few subhumans were left behind, as the majority had left on Ali’s request to search for clues about Jelia outside the village.

nIn that sense, they had narrowly escaped a disaster.

n“So, what’s your plan next? We definitely can’t return to Oak Village now; Gick must have taken control over there, and our bodies are too sensitive.”

nAli might still manage to hide, but Jelia and Roronora could never sneak in unnoticed.

nEven disguised as slaves, they would encounter significant trouble.

n“If we can’t go back, then let’s force Gick to come out!” Ali let out a cold laugh.

n“If he wants something from the village, let him come to us! We’ll find Monka first, then find whatever it is he’s after. That way, the initiative will be back in our hands.”

nThe plan sounded straightforward and feasible.

n“But how do you plan to find Monka? The villagers have surely gone into hiding by now. They’re all subhumans; who knows where they could have hidden!”

nThe physical capabilities of subhumans generally surpass those of humans, allowing them to thrive in environments where humans could not.

nAli smiled mysteriously.

nAlthough they were deep in the jungle, “the Truth Society” has never been known for its reasonableness.

nGiven time, not only could he uncover where Monka and the others were hiding, but he could also unravel the origins of the village itself!

nThat’s the Truth Society for you, a place that defies reason.

nAs long as you have enough gold coins and the right permissions, there’s nothing the Truth Society doesn’t know.

nThat settles the issue of intelligence, but the problem of combat power remains unresolved.

nIf Gick could mobilize ten level 3 magi to attack the village, he could surely gather ten level 3 magi to protect himself.

nEveryone cherishes their life, especially those who consider themselves above others.

nGick would spare no expense to ensure his own safety.

nOn his own, Ali might find it somewhat challenging to eliminate Gick.

nHowever, with Roronora’s strength added to the equation, success was virtually guaranteed.

n“I was hoping to borrow your sidekick for a bit. I promise, I won’t let him down! I just need someone to lure away Gick’s top fighters, giving me a chance to strike.”

nIf he could just draw away Gick’s elite, Ali could find the perfect opportunity to make his move.

n“I can’t tell him that, or he’ll put in too much effort,” Jelia said, shaking her head as she looked at Ali.

n“You’ll have to tell him yourself. Though he may seem a bit slow and foolish, he actually knows everything.”

nJelia had only altered Roronora’s perception of her, without affecting his fundamental awareness.

nHowever, Code 1, who had carried out the modification, seemed to have a particular disdain for Roronora – it was unclear what Roronora might have done to provoke Code 1’s ire.

nMe, talk to him?

nAli glanced at Roronora, who was entirely focused on his food, and then at Jelia, who was frowning at her own piece of bread.

nHe found himself at a loss, wondering if he could indeed communicate effectively with someone like Roronora.

nWell, it’s worth a try.

nAli organized his thoughts, prepared his speech, and called out to Roronora.

nIt was as if a switch had been flipped.

nRoronora abruptly looked up at the sound of Ali’s call, not particularly loud, his eyes – aflame with a crimson hue – fixed on Ali like a wild beast.

nAli was taken aback, fearing for a moment that Roronora might lose control and attack.

nBut then he watched as the red in Roronora’s eyes gradually receded, and the expression on his face relaxed.

nIt was like watching an agitated cat slowly retract its claws, warily surveying its surroundings before settling back into its cozy nook.

nIs this guy really a werewolf?

nMassaging his temples, Ali felt the path to communication was dauntingly long.

n“Roronora!” he called out again, tentatively.

nThis time, the response from the werewolf was much milder; he just lifted his head to glare at Ali, his expression still ferocious. .

nLike a cat guarding its food…

nAli thought, finding it increasingly difficult to dissociate Roronora from the image of a cat.

nRoronora’s gaze softened upon seeing Ali, but the wariness was merely concealed, not gone.

n“Companion… what is it?”

n“Um, I have my own name. I’m Ali, you can just call me Ali,” Ali shuffled closer to Roronora, intending to sit beside him.

nHowever, noticing Roronora’s guarded look, Ali halted his movement.

nClearly, although Roronora saw Ali as someone he could coexist peacefully with, thanks to Jelia’s influence, he had never let down his guard around Ali.

nThis indirectly proved that Roronora still retained his ability to judge, even if the mechanisms of such judgment were not yet clear.

nNew novel chapters are published on .𝒎

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