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The village chief was about to say something when he suddenly coughed a few times.

While helping him smooth his back, Lina said anxiously to Lian Yun: "The village chief is very tired, sister, can you give him some time to rest?"

"I didn't think it through properly." Lian Yun nodded, "You guys should rest first."

"Wait." The village chief called Lian Yun and let out a long breath.

After his breathing calmed down, he firmly refused the suggestion of resting: "I have taken the medicine given by the adults. I am much better now."

"There are things a hundred times more important than rest right now."

The village chief was a stubborn man, and since he insisted, Buck and Lina had no choice but to let him do it.

"Excuse me, sir, where is your town? Can we, the remaining villagers, be allowed to stay here temporarily for a while?" The village chief spoke these words in a very formal tone, but he could not hide his sadness.

Lian Yun brought people here with no original intention of helping them, but was forced to do his best to help due to the situation.

What's more, he has something to ask for.

Although this is not unfamiliar to an elderly man with a certain status, there is always a hint of desolation in his heart.

"This time they intended to kill us all and destroy all traces. At that time, they didn't know about the magic circle left by Rock, and just thought they burned us clean with fire. But if they suddenly turned back, they would definitely find us."

"By then, we won't even have a place to hide..."

The village chief's eyes, which had experienced many vicissitudes of life, were filled with tears as he looked at Lian Yun.

"Sir, I am willing to trade you everything that is left in our village so that these children... can live."

As the village chief was speaking, he suddenly pushed away Lina and Buck who were supporting him, bent his legs and was about to kneel down.

Lian Yun quickly leaned over and held his arm firmly: "What are you doing?"

"Village chief!" Buck frowned, obviously unwilling to see the old man's behavior.

"I know you want to protect us, but..."

But I don’t know the details of the person in front of me, and I have never heard of that so-called small town.

Even though Lina had lived in their town and lived with them, even though they had saved her.

Buck was reluctant to believe that a stranger could be so kind.

The old man held back his tears and slowly shook his head, then continued to speak to Lian Yun:

"There is also a mutant parsnip in the cellar. You will know its value."

"I know," Lian Yun replied, "the other parsnip from your village is still in my town."

The village chief looked up with a hint of surprise.

The villagers looked at her with suspicion, fear, and cautious hope in their eyes.

Lian Yun remained calm and continued, "I paid double the price for your cloaks. I was also planning to buy some wind purses, but they refused to sell them. Then, before Garin left, they voluntarily stayed behind, saying they were coming back to get them."

The girl raised an eyebrow and changed the subject: "But Garin didn't say you had two parsnips."

Buck was stunned and pursed his lower lip: "...Galin trusts you very much, and you dare to stay with Parsnip."

And at double the price...

In such a wealthy and luxurious town, what else could they offer to impress the lord?

Lian Yun looked at him with a hint of teasing in his eyes: "Gailin dared to leave Lina behind. Do you dare to go?"

Buck did not answer, but held the village chief with both hands to make his position clear.

The boy calmed down and said softly but firmly, "If you agree to the village chief's deal, please take the other children with you. They are all very sensible and will not cause you any trouble."

"But I'm going to stay and take care of the village chief."

"What about you?" Lian Yun asked.

The boy's voice was a little difficult: "If I can survive, I will serve you."

"Who said the village chief should stay?" Lian Yun said casually. As expected, he saw the boy's surprised expression and couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips.

"Our town is very short of manpower right now. To be more precise, if you round it up and include Lina, there are only five people."

Everyone was really shocked this time.

"A small town, only five people?" Buck mumbled, pausing as his gaze swept over Xiaohong. "And one isn't a human..."

Red screamed and flapped her wings in protest against his words.

Aibei also felt a little unhappy with the boy who had just felt pity for him: "What do you mean Xiaohong is not a human?"

Lian Yun stopped him with a smile and explained, "Little boy, be careful with your words. This Cornelius is from the same orc tribe as Abe, and he is older than you."

Buck subconsciously covered his mouth and lowered his eyes to Xiaohong: "I'm sorry, Xiao...Brother Xiaohong?"

...Why does it sound so strange?

Xiaohong spread her wings depressedly and flew up to the sky for a walk.

"So, village chief, what do you think?" Lian Yun looked at the other party with a smile.

The village chief, with red eyes, waved his hands and laughed.

His expression was noticeably more relaxed: "I can't trust anyone more than Garin can."

"But... is it really okay?"

Although Lian Yun seems to be wealthy, there are more than twenty of them in total, which is not a small number.

Hearing this, Lian Yun smiled meaningfully: "Don't worry. But I need to remind you in advance that the current situation of the town is..."

Lian Yun continued, "Our town obviously won't stay here forever. If we want to develop, we'll need people from all walks of life. I heard you're good at casting?"

The village chief's eyes brightened: "That's right!"

"That's great," Lian Yun said with a genuine smile. "You know, whether it's the equipment needed for facility construction or the weapons and equipment needed to expand the territory and eliminate monsters, blacksmiths are needed in all aspects."

"If you need... no, if you allow me, I will do my best to help you build the town."

Having solved a major problem and brought up a topic he was good at, the village chief's voice was as loud as a bell and he was extremely energetic.

"These children of mine are all smart..." The village chief waved his hand and called the children behind him to introduce them to Lian Yun.

"His name is Bart, Buck's younger brother. He's been learning forging from me for over two years. If you've seen Garin's dagger, you'll be amazed at his talent." The village chief smiled and patted the shoulder of the boy next to him, who looked about ten years old. "Bart gave it to Garin before he set off."

Bart had the same red hair as Buck, but it was shorter. He wasn't as good-looking as Buck, but although he was a few years younger, he was much stronger.

Bart grinned at Lian Yun: "Sir."

"Are you brothers?" Lian Yun asked curiously.

"No," the village chief answered for the two of them, "It's just that they both have red hair, so they took my last name."

Lian Yun nodded.

She understood that the two children were the village chief's confidants, one inherited his position and the other took over his craft.

"I can't tell you anything else, but I can guarantee your safety," Lian Yun said, pointing to Lana behind him. "This is my most loyal partner. He's very strong."

Being praised in public, Lanna nodded calmly to everyone, her earlobes slightly red.

The village chief and Lian Yun talked about some related matters again, and Buck took his men down to the cellar again to move the remaining supplies and the windweed up.

The supplies they have stored are enough to last for more than half a year.

Seeing that it was getting late, the village chief discussed with everyone for a while and decided to take everything away at once.

"If nothing unexpected happens, we won't be coming back."

Although there is reluctance and nostalgia, compared to the safety of the entire village, it is all worth it.

"Take everything away, and it's best not to let them find out we're still alive," said the village chief.

Lian Yun suddenly thought of something and asked, "Does the magic circle left by Rock have hallucinogenic effects?"

"It doesn't seem to have that effect. Rock is not usually good at these things. Even the defensive magic circle took him a long time to learn."

"If that's the case, I'm afraid we have to set off now," Lian Yun said in a slightly deep voice.

She told everyone about the illusion they had just encountered. The village chief and others fell silent, and their expressions became more serious.

Buck whispered, "It sounds like some kind of deceptive magic, but that kind of magic usually only changes the environment. If someone actually appears in the illusion... it's more like the work of a succubus."

"Succubus?"

Another race that Lian Yun didn’t know about.

But now is not the time to ask these questions. Everyone realized that it was not just the orcs who attacked the village, but other races had also mixed in.

Everyone set off.

The adults all carried huge bags on their backs. Lian Yun had filled his backpack as full as possible, and Aibei also shared some of the burden, so they had almost everything they had.

Xiaohong led the way for them, and Aibei transformed into a giant bear, able to lead seven or eight people at a time.

Some children who were too young to attend to the orc attack a few days ago even burst into tears after seeing the giant bear.

Buck and Bart calmed the children down and took them to the town first.

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The author has something to say:

It's late, final exam week orz

8. Good idea