nycdaug Chapter 635: Enemies are really on a narrow road
Chapter 635: Enemies are really on a narrow road
Honestly, even if Xu Ning wanted half of the wealth of his Tanit tribe, Babel would probably give it to him without hesitation.
After all, with the oasis in hand, he could quickly absorb new forces from the desert tribes and rapidly strengthen himself by using the name of the Red King and the Flower Goddess.
Babel didn't really care about the small amount of money and food.
But it would be a bit uncomfortable if Xu Ning stayed here all the time.
After all, this is something others have earned for me. If I go out and do publicity with this little bit of my wealth, I certainly won't mention Xu Ning and Jie De's names.
Jade is alright; if Xu Ning couldn't stand their lies, he would step forward and say a few words.
With the spirits guarding him as witnesses, wouldn't I become a laughing stock?
So Babel was always thinking about getting things over with and letting Xu Ning leave as soon as possible.
However, now that Xu Ning has requested to stay a few more days, Babel has no reason to kick him out and can only secretly try to find out what his purpose is.
“Master of Zhenling, please forgive Babel for asking, but is there anything you haven’t finished doing in this desert? You have done so much for Tanit, and we are willing to dedicate the entire tribe to serving you.”
Xu Ning gave Babel a look of admiration.
It must be said that this woman was indeed very eloquent. She clearly wanted to find out about me, but she spoke with such righteous indignation that I felt like I owed her a favor.
Xu Ning smiled, holding up the gourd. "There's nothing else I need your help with. We've only recovered four of Lilupal's soul fragments so far, and the whereabouts of the last two are still unclear. I'm thinking of staying here for a few more days, looking around the area, and searching for them... Of course, if staying in Tanit is inconvenient, I can go to the oasis first..."
Babel quickly replied, "There's no inconvenience at all! Our Tanit tribe still relies on your and Lord Lilupal's guidance and teachings. We wish you could stay here for a while longer. Please feel free to do as you please. If you need anything, you can always have Jade come and tell me."
Xu Ning smiled faintly and said, "Then thank you very much."
The next day at noon, Xu Ning lazily opened his eyes in bed and immediately saw the magic bottle floating above his face.
The little thing floated just three inches above my face, like a lover leaning over their partner in the morning, admiring their sleeping face with affection.
"Is there something you need, Lilupal?"
Xu Ning sat up, picked up the small jar on the bedside table, took a small sip of wine to perk himself up, and then asked.
Lilupal giggled and said, "My lord, yesterday you said you would go to find the remaining fragments for me, but now you're asking me what it is."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ning laughed and said, "To be honest, when it comes to finding the fragments, I really can't ask anyone else but you. Without your senses, I would be completely lost once I leave the house."
After getting dressed, Xu Ning jumped off the second floor with Lilupar.
"Anyway, I can't sleep at this hour, so I'll take you out for a walk. Maybe we'll bump into each other!"
Xu Ning swaggered through Tanit's camp, carrying a gourd of wine.
The tribe members had all gotten to know this "Spirit Master" who carried the magic bottle in the past few days, but they would only give a symbolic bow when they met face to face. Even so, this courtesy was mostly directed at Lilupal who was beside Xu Ning.
As for Xu Ning, basically no one would be very enthusiastic about him, except for a certain old man today.
"Oh! Your esteemed master of the town! I never expected to meet you so soon at the tent entrance. I wonder if you have the time to grace me with your presence... After all, I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival since last night, just as I have longed for the bright moon and the dew..."
These words were spoken by Massera, an elder of the Tanit tribe, who, according to Belial, was the only remaining elder.
But I remember this guy used to be quite aloof, how come he suddenly became such a sycophant and disgusting?
Xu Ning reluctantly entered the guy's tent.
A strong aroma of spices wafted over, with a hint of what seemed to be ghee. The almost suffocatingly strong smell caused Xu Ning's sense of taste to nearly fail instantly.
Rubbing his uncomfortable nose, Xu Ning said, "Tell me quickly what it is, I still need to find the fragments for Lord Zhenling!"
Lilupar laughed and said, "This servant has no connection with us at all. Suddenly he's being so attentive. I'm afraid he has ulterior motives. I think it's better not to listen to him."
Marcela immediately smiled wryly and said, "Then I'll just be blunt. My falcon, Tadella, hasn't returned since she went on a mission last night. I think something might have happened to her."
Xu Ning frowned and asked, "Falcon?"
Marcela nodded and smiled, "Yes, what? You don't know what a falcon is... Don't joke around, okay, okay, I'll explain it clearly."
Seeing Xu Ning's impatient expression, Marcela immediately changed her tune, saying, "Oh, I was talking about my child, Tadella. Falcon is what the desert calls her, just like she is my falcon, and Jade is Babel's falcon."
Upon hearing the name Jiede, Xu Ning casually asked, "Is Jiede also a falcon?"
Marcela was surprised that Xu Ning was completely unaware of this obvious matter, and secretly sneered at Babel's despicable attempt to cover it up.
“Yes,” Marcela said solemnly, “this is a name unique to our tribe. It actually refers to some of our closest and most skilled subordinates. We call them the Falcons.”
"As for my falcon, she went on a mission to the outskirts yesterday and hasn't returned. Unless she encountered something extremely dangerous, she won't not come back. As you can see, I'm old and my legs are really not good enough. Otherwise, how could I dare to trouble you?"
Xu Ning thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. I was just about to wander around this desert aimlessly anyway. So, tell us roughly where this falcon we're looking for appears and what it looks like!"
Marcela seemed to have been prepared, as she handed the map on the table directly to Xu Ning.
"The location marked above is where Tadra last completed her mission. She was very tall, with dark skin, long light-colored hair, and carrying a longbow... Did you remember that?"
Xu Ning took the map. "Alright, one look is enough. I'll try my luck here. If I don't find it, there's nothing I can do about it."
Marcela put on a compassionate expression and said, "That is her own fate. May the wind guide you through the yellow sands and avoid all dangers."
Anyway, instead of just wandering around in this desert and letting Lilupal sense his fragments, it's better to go check on what happened to this unlucky girl. Maybe we'll find the fragments along the way!
Xu Ning glanced at the map; it didn't seem very far.
To find people in this desert, one needs both supplies and good eyesight.
Xu Ning naturally possessed both of these qualities, so his travel speed was extremely fast. However, as he approached his destination, Xu Ning's pace suddenly slowed down.
"Why are there so many messy footprints here? It looks like quite a few people are hiding in this little valley. Heh, there are even signs of a fight on this wall. Looks like we've found the right place."
Xu Ning lightened her steps and glided lightly along the direction of most of the footprints.
"Oh, what a small world! How many times have we run into them now?"
Xu Ning spotted the figure of a Thunder Hammer captain from afar. If he remembered correctly, this was the guy who led the teams at the Crimson King's Tomb, the hideout in Samel, and the Fools' army outside the giant mecha.
"It seems this guy is in charge of the area around Tannet. Why don't we just arrest him and question him?"
Lilupal floated up and peeked out, then laughed, "The questioning can be skipped. In that corner, right there, in the cage, it seems to be that little bird!"
Although Xu Ning couldn't see the person in the cage clearly from a distance, he figured the Fools wouldn't have locked her up here just to feed her, drink her well, or heal her wounds.
"They've been running like rabbits lately; it seems like it's been a while since I've beaten them up. Let's get back into the swing of things!"
The moment Xu Ning showed his face, the Fools' camp erupted into chaos.
The lady holding the small teacup sighed, slowly drank the last sip of tea, and then waved her hand to summon the mirror.
"Don't run, what are you afraid of... recruit, what are you doing? Put your gun down!"
Captain Lei Hammer roared as he stood up. Just when Xu Ning and the Fools thought he was going to fight to the death, he slapped the gun out of the hand of the hot-headed recruit next to him.
This somewhat baffling maneuver left both sides momentarily stunned.
"See, we didn't lay a hand on you, and we pose no threat whatsoever. So why did you rush over? Did you want to beat us up?"
Before Xu Ning could speak, Captain Lei Chui posed a crucial question to him.
Xu Ning readily admitted, "Yes, I came to rescue people, and beating you up was just something I did on the spur of the moment."
"But these are Tanit's people. Tanit has nothing to do with you. It's inappropriate for you to use this as a reason to beat us up!"
“Is it inappropriate?” Xu Ning scratched his chin. “Look, here’s the thing: my friend is a Tanit, and I came here to help her. You’ve caused trouble for the Tanit, which is her trouble, and her trouble is my trouble, so beating you up is perfectly appropriate.”
Upon hearing this, the lady holding the small teacup immediately sat down again, poured herself another cup, and slowly drank it.
Captain Thunderhammer smiled too.
“What you’re saying is wrong. I know your friend is Babel’s falcon, but this Tadella is Marcela’s falcon, a thorn in Babel’s side. We were commissioned by Babel to solve this problem for her. Once Tadella is dealt with, Babel will be free of trouble, Tanette will be free of trouble, and your friend and you will be even free of trouble.”
"Oh!"
Xu Ning suddenly looked at Tadella in the cage. The "falcon" sat cross-legged in the cage, her face expressionless, as if she didn't care about her fate at all.
"So, according to you, I should thank you on behalf of my friend and the Tanit people?"
Captain Thunderhammer nodded with a hint of smugness. "Logically speaking... uh, it shouldn't be necessary... Since you want her, you must have your reasons. Since Babel entrusted us with this, we shouldn't have let you come. Since you're here, it means Babel didn't keep our agreement, so we don't need to guard her anymore. We'll give her to you. Open the cage!"
The recruit whose gun had been knocked out rushed to open the door. Tadella staggered to Xu Ning's side and glanced back at the Fools.
"Judging from their attitude towards you, you must be enemies, right? Are you just going to let them go like this?"
As soon as Tadora spoke, the Fools, who had just relaxed, tensed up again, and the recruit glared angrily at Tadora.
Xu Ning smiled. "What else can we do? Slaughter them all?"
Captain Lei Chui froze, frantically gesturing behind his back to the Lady of Hidden Mirror, but the Lady of Hidden Mirror, thinking the matter was over, was focused on drinking tea and didn't see it.
Tadella glanced at Xu Ning. "This is the right thing to do in the desert, but the decision is yours."
Xu Ning looked the tall girl, who was almost as tall as him, up and down, and asked, "Your injuries look serious. Do you need any help?"
Tadella shook her head and said, "No need. I'm fine. I can still walk, and I can find a place to die."
Xu Ning shook his head speechlessly, unsure how to respond for a long while.
"Alright, I'll take this as your unique sense of humor. Here, have some wine to regain your strength, at least enough to get you back to the tribe's camp."
Tadella looked at the bowl of wine that Xu Ning handed her. The jade-green wine in the bowl was the most beautiful color in the desert, and the fragrance it emitted was like the smell of grass under the date palm trees in an oasis.
"Falcons don't eat food that others feed them."
After saying that, Tadella turned and staggered toward the camp.
Xu Ning turned to look at Captain Lei Chui, "She hasn't had any food or water since yesterday?"
Captain Lei Chui hurriedly replied, "Our expeditionary force never mistreats prisoners; she refused to eat or drink on her own..."
Xu Ning nodded knowingly and turned to look at the thoughts in this resilient girl's mind.
Tadella: "...Damn it, I can't muster any strength..."
Xu Ning sighed, took two steps behind Tadella, and extended two fingers to press lightly on the back of her neck.
A strong smell of alcohol instantly rushed into Tadella's body. Exhausted and injured, Tadella had long lost her sense of danger and collapsed almost instantly.
Xu Ning reached out and lifted Tadella by the waist, then tossed her into the Dust-Hidden Cave.
"Qingyi, treat her injuries, and let her sleep until we reach the camp."
After giving a brief instruction into the gourd, Xu Ning stretched and looked around.
Seeing that Xu Ning didn't seem to be planning to leave, Captain Lei Chui cautiously asked, "You've already given him the person, aren't you going to go back and give him to that elder?"