Chapter 132 132: ( Ⓛ ﻌ Ⓛ *) Part 4/4
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The next day.
The morning sun, with its gentle rays, pierced through the trees. The raindrops, now even more translucent under the sunlight, caused the already burdened leaves to bend. Dewdrops quietly slid off, adding a damp touch to the wild soil below.
It was evident that a significant and intense rain had fallen last night.
Renji, with two dark circles under his eyes, used his shaky hands to open the tent flap. Supporting the tent\'s frame, he limped out.
He quickly took a few breaths of the fresh morning air. Unlike areas heavily marked by human presence, the southern border of the Dragon Nation, belonging to the forest alliance with similar beliefs, was more in harmony with nature. Inhaling the crisp post-rain air into his lungs, Renji felt a sense of relief, clearing away some of the fatigue from the previous night.
Following this, Renji cast a Healing spell on himself. Although it might only address the symptoms rather than the root cause, at least his complexion improved significantly. His posture straightened, the trembling in his legs ceased, but as for his kidneys... well, that deficiency would need to be addressed gradually.
\'Thank you, Suthia!\'
*(As Nova promised Suthia, she didn\'t do that thing with Renji)
Renji silently expressed his gratitude to the young nun for tow reason.
First was her promise with Nova….
And the second one that He never expected the "Divine Healing" spell, which in the first playthrough served as his "endurance-saving technique" in \'battles\', would be reduced to a seemingly normal healing spell in the second playthrough. After all, it was still a \'battle\', and endurance was crucial.
Thinking about this, Renji turned his gaze back to his tent. Inside, in a rather indecent sleeping posture, a certain dragon woman occupied half of his tent. His lower back felt a bit sore at the thought.
Fortunately, last night, during the ninth round of training, Renji finally found an opportunity to snatch the "instruction manual" from Nova. He confiscated it forcefully, bringing the training to a halt. Otherwise, this morning, he wouldn\'t be opening the tent; he\'d be crawling out of it.
Regarding the author of this wicked "instruction manual," the pink-haired succubus, Renji had made up his mind. After settling matters in the Dragon Nation, his next target would be aimed at the Sin City!
Not for anything else.
Just to let that pink-haired succubus Lena, experience what it\'s like to be "guided" by her own book!
Renji felt a surge of energy coursing through his body.
He couldn\'t bear to wake up Nova, still sound asleep in the tent. After all, the training from last night was mostly done by her, theoretically making her even more tired than him. By the way, since the training ended last night, Nova had completely transformed back to her basic "Character"
Regarding how to introduce this "new revolutionary member" to the others, Renji and Nova had agreed to portray her as a slave Renji bought from the arena. Both of them were intimately familiar with this identity, as it was undeniably real.
So, the scene changed. From finding a little nun near the garbage cans in the rain to the dragon girl reverting to a slave, it felt like a cycle, as if he was reliving the initial encounter with "them"
\'But, I had to admit, it felt quite good, Well except for being a bit physically taxing.\'
As Renji was about to leave, he was startled once again. A maid, as if waiting for him, greeted him. When he approached, a carefully planned mechanical voice spoke:
[Good morning, Master. Would you like a warm bath, or breakfast, or perhaps... Me? *86, feeling deeply threatened by the increasing number of people around Master, attempted to insert herself into the conversation]
Renji: "..."
"Where\'s Eileen?"
[Miss Eileen is still not awake from her beautiful dreams, and Number 86 is gradually stealing her scenes with his diligence] 86 happily reported.
"I will take a batch then. Has Nozomi and the others woken up? Where are they now?"
After indicating the camp location, Renji started walking, but he was forced to stop again.
"86, where are you going?" Renji halted the maid, who seemed to be sneaking toward his tent.
[To clean the tent for Master. * 86 is afraid of being caught by Master for her fetish and confessed nervously]
"No need, come with me!" Renji glared.
[As you wish Master] 86 said with a lowered sad face.
In just a short while after getting up early, a makeshift wooden shed was erected in the camp, serving as a temporary meeting room.
When Renji walked in, all three high-ranking members of the revolutionary army, including Ashe, were present. However, judging by their mental states, they probably didn\'t sleep well last night.
"Lord Renji" Seeing the young man enter with the maid, Foxgirl Nozomi was the first to stop what she was doing and greeted him as she stood up.
Prompted by Nozomi\'s lead and reminder, Shan and Jiu, who seemed to be in a heated discussion, also quickly stopped and followed Nozomi in bowing to Renji.
Nozomi had secretly told them about this. Humans, especially nobles, liked this kind of dignified ritual. Since Renji had become their new leader, they had to learn to accommodate.
After the bowing, without Renji asking, Nozomi was the first to explain, "Ashe is preparing breakfast for you. Should I send someone to call her back?"
Such thoughtfulness. The Fox-girl was able to manage a group of revolutionary soldiers in the Sealed City for a reason. However, on the other hand, it was also evident that, although they acknowledged Renji\'s leadership, the distance between the two sides wasn\'t easy to close.
Renji didn\'t mind, after all, even with the original Ashe, it took a week to successfully deceive her. He wasn\'t in a hurry.
He waved his hand and then glanced at the large map on the three-person table.
"Is this the map of the Southern Region?"
"Yes, after Lord Renji set our goals last night, we\'ve been discussing specific implementation strategies."
Within three months, unify the Southern Region, integrate all the demi-human races into the revolution—that was what Renji had told the three high-ranking members of the revolutionary army yesterday.
The grand goal was set, but Renji didn\'t have a specific understanding of the Southern Region yet. So, before listening to the plans devised by Nozomi and the others, he first asked her to give him an overall introduction to the Southern Region.
"Lord Renji, among us demi-human races in the Southern Region, we organize ourselves into \'clans\' as our factions. The largest of these clans is the Ancient Wolf Clan. They swiftly developed by aligning with Minister \'Charlo,\' avoiding enslavement, and flourishing as a significant group. Just their clan alone firmly occupies the most fertile Beastman Plains in the Southern Region. They drove other clans into the Tribal Forest where we currently reside, allowing us to live only within this forest."
"In the Tribal Forest, despite having hundreds of clans, even the largest ones don\'t surpass half the size of the Ancient Wolf Clan. No, they probably did at one point, but each clan became afraid. Some even intentionally abandoned members when their clans grew, fearing retaliation."
As Nozomi spoke, a shadow of gloom and resentment crossed Fox-girl\'s eyes.
"Why? Because of the Ancient Wolf Clan?" Renji inquired.
"Yes, whenever a new clan shows signs of rising within the Tribal Forest, they\'ll face the Ancient Wolf Clan\'s opposition. Allying with that minister, they bring the Dragon Nation\'s army to slaughter any threatening clans. They kill their leaders, massacre the male demi-humans of fighting age, and enslave the female demi-humans for life, sending them as slaves to human cities in the north."
Nozomi touched the remnants of the shackle marks on her neck. After taking several deep breaths, she spoke almost as if murmuring to herself:
"A once vibrant and prosperous clan, in just one night, will be reduced to a group of elderly, weak, sickly individuals welcoming their demise in sorrow. Because of too many instances like this, every clan in the Tribal Forest lives in constant fear. Paradoxically, they fear the unhealthy situation of revealing their heads and growing stronger."
"Because of this, for centuries, no clan has been able to stand up against the Ancient Wolf Clan. All the hundreds of clans in the Tribal Forest seem to be treated as their fishpond. They never exterminate completely, and sometimes, they even support certain special races, like the cat people such as Ashe. Of course, it\'s not out of a change of heart but to meet the slave quota given to them by Minister Charlo, consolidating the human support for their clan."