Chapter 118 (First Release)...

"What's going on!"

Jeremy and his cronies stared in disbelief at what they were seeing.

Ansel stood beside the shattered gate, carrying the sword case; no one could see how he had done it.

"Now, can we go in?" Ansel asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

Jeremy yelled, "...You bug, what tricks did you use?!"

He gestured to his henchmen to immediately call the villagers to send others over, and then yelled at Ansel.

"No matter what methods you used, you can still get out of here now. Otherwise, once everyone in our village arrives, you won't be able to escape!"

Ansel: "I had no intention of running away."

He stood there, watching Jeremy and the others with a leisurely air, looking quite relaxed.

Ansel was very confident at this moment.

This arrogant demeanor was truly enviable, completely dispelling the frustration he felt from being constantly scorned and mocked by Jeremy and his friends.

Ning Wanwan glanced at Ansel, then couldn't help but look at the sword case in his hand.

Is that... the "strongest weapon" inside?

As for how it was used, Ning Wanwan hadn't even seen Ansel take the weapon out of the sword case yet.

but……

Ning Wanwan looked again at the gate that was now shattered and had once been incredibly sturdy, keeping the two of them out of the village.

...He's already this powerful before he's even drawn his weapon?

What does the most powerful weapon actually look like?

Before Ning Wanwan's questions could be answered, the villagers had already arrived.

"Oh my god! How did the door get like this?!"

"Who is it! How dare they damage our village gate like this!"

"It must have been done by refugees from outside the city. We'll teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

"Let's just kill them. There are only two of them. It'll be a one-time solution, and it'll save any more fools from trying to sneak into our village."

The villagers looked grim, holding various weapons in their hands, and staring at Ansel and Ning Wanwan with hostile eyes.

For this xenophobic village, having its gate smashed like this is an extremely serious matter and a provocative act of a heinous nature!

"Kill them!"

There were many villagers, about a hundred of them, who all rushed forward with fierce eyes, creating a very oppressive atmosphere.

Ning Wanwan pursed her lips and asked Ansel in a low voice, "Can we hold them off? Or should we retreat first..."

"It's alright, Wanwan, don't worry. The 'Strongest Weapon' is very strong, even stronger than you can imagine." Ansel patted the sword case, not nervous at all, even a little relaxed, and said confidently.

Ning Wanwan still had some doubts in her heart, but they quickly disappeared.

Ansel picked up the sword case and pressed it directly against the wall.

Although the village gate was broken, the wall with the gap still existed, only the broken part looked a bit unsightly.

Ansel gently pushed the sword case forward, and a large section of the wall collapsed to the ground with a loud crash. The collapsed and broken bricks and stones suddenly blocked the villagers' way, preventing them from closing in.

The villagers, who were originally about to surround him aggressively, were so startled by this sudden turn of events that they had to stagger backward, making the scene somewhat comical.

"Want to come up again?" Ansel asked with a smile.

"Be careful, or I might accidentally flick my wrist and hit you again."

Ansel's blatant threat caused the villagers' faces to alternate between pale and flushed, but no one stepped forward.

Ning Wanwan seemed to vaguely realize something.

Although the village rejects outsiders who flee famine and only recognizes strength and talent, showing utter contempt, humiliation, and indifference towards those without strength and talent, they are also very pragmatic. They value strength above all else, and once they have the strength, they will not dare to do anything after weighing the gap.

Strength means everything...

The villagers looked at each other, and although they were all holding weapons, they stopped shouting and charging forward, and the scene became deadlocked for a moment.

Just then, the two groups separated, and a middle-aged man who looked very composed and kind stepped out from the middle.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm the village head, the person in charge of the village." The middle-aged man smiled warmly, appearing very kind and approachable, unlike the fierce-looking villagers. "Are you from out of town?"

Ning Wanwan glanced at Ansel, but Ansel didn't seem inclined to speak, creating an awkward moment.

Seeing that the middle-aged man had turned his gaze to her, Ning Wanwan pursed her lips and nodded slightly: "Yes."

The village chief seemed unperturbed by Ansel's arrogance, and said with a smile, "I heard some things from Jeremy... Jeremy is this child, and also my son. He's a bit immature, and I just gave him a talking-to."

As he spoke, the village chief pulled Jeremy over. Jeremy looked very upset, but he still obediently apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."

The village chief added, "It's not that our village can't accept outsiders... Although there are some requirements, the people we accept will be living in the same village as us in the future. Conducting a thorough investigation is a procedure we've always followed. It's not that it's targeting you two specifically."

The village chief paused here, looking again at the village gate shattered into pieces and the collapsed wall, a scene of utter devastation, as if a storm had swept through.

A gust of wind blew by, and the broken part of the gate clanged loudly, making it look particularly desolate.

Rebuilding it would take an unknown amount of effort, time, and energy.

The village chief, true to his word, continued calmly to the culprit, "But now that we've witnessed this gentleman's strength, you are perfectly capable of joining our village."

"Rest assured, we will provide you with the best accommodations and food to ensure your satisfaction."

Ansel smiled slightly upon hearing this.

The village chief laughed along, and the next moment he saw Ansel point at Ning Wanwan.

"What about my companion who came with me? Are they going to turn us away?"

The village chief's words sounded nice, but he didn't mention a single word about Ning Wanwan being allowed to enter the village.

Ning Wanwan also looked up at the village chief.

Meeting Ansel's gaze and noticing the sword case in his raised hand, the village chief's lips twitched involuntarily.

The main gate has been smashed; how else can they keep people out?

He then looked at Ning Wanwan and began to scrutinize her.

Unlike the boy who became extremely powerful despite having no talent, this girl was clearly just an ordinary person.

Its body looks frail; it could probably be killed by the monster in a single encounter.

Normally, the village chief would never even consider letting someone like that into the village.

Even a temporary solution won't work.

But at this moment... the village chief glanced at Ansel and gave Ning Wanwan a kind smile.

"If this young lady wants to stay, she can certainly stay. We'll discuss it again on the test day after the blizzard passes."

Ning Wanwan sensed the subtlety in the village chief's words.

Unlike the long-term invitation to Ansel to join directly, the village chief told Ning Wanwan, "We'll talk about it on the test day."

"Let's talk about it later"...what else is there to say?

Ning Wanwan had already guessed the answer, but she still wanted to see her talent and aptitude.

Ning Wanwan glanced at the sword box in Ansel's hand, and a complicated feeling welled up in her heart again.

Ansel seemed to want to say something, but Ning Wanwan smiled at him and spoke first.

"Ansel, let's go inside," she said in a very soft voice, as if she didn't want to linger here any longer.

Ansel: "Late night."

He called her name, paused, as if he wanted to say something, but when Ning Wanwan turned around, he didn't say anything.

She simply smiled, her dimples appearing on her cheeks, and said, "Wanwan, actually, I don't think I really want to go in anymore."

"Wanwan, are you sure you really want to go in?"

Ning Wanwan paused for a moment: "...Yes."

Otherwise, there's nowhere else to go.

We can't just stand in the open, completely exposed, and try to survive the coming blizzard on our own.

Ning Wanwan wasn't that arrogant, thinking she could do everything on her own.

Ansel: "Alright then."

Ansel stepped into the village with her, then winked at her, his jewel-like purple eyes shimmering in the sunlight, yet also flashing with a bewitching light like a cat's eyes.

In a daze, Ning Wanwan thought she saw a pair of vertical pupils that were no different from those of a wild beast.

But upon closer inspection, there were no vertical pupils; it was simply the boy's unusually violet eyes.

Ning Wanwan suddenly felt a faint sense of unease.

It's as if you've really been targeted by a wild beast, becoming prey that the hunter can hold in his paws and manipulate at will.

...

Upon entering the village, Ning Wanwan was not surprised to find that the village chief was talking to Ansel the whole time.

As for her, he was quite kind, his tone and attitude were good, much better than Jeremy and the others had been before. But with Ansel right there, the difference was too obvious, even a fool like Ning Wanwan could sense it.

It's truly... an undisguised "emphasis" on strength.

However, perhaps this is the norm, and there's no need to hide it.

After all, Ning Wanwan remembered that Ansel had said that both villages and cities were extremely xenophobic, with no difference between them.

Ning Wanwan slowed down and glanced ahead. The village chief was talking enthusiastically to Ansel, completely unaware that Ning Wanwan had fallen behind.

Ansel casually responded to the village chief, who didn't seem to mind and continued talking to keep the atmosphere from getting awkward.

Ning Wanwan is not someone who easily experiences genuine emotional fluctuations.

However, the sense of disappointment still reached its peak.

Ning Wanwan let out a soft breath, telling herself not to think about it anymore.

Falling into that cave containing "treasure" and being able to obtain the strongest weapon without any hindrance was Anseil's good fortune.

There's nothing you can do if you're unlucky.

Thinking of this, Ning Wanwan's fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down.

"Wanwan," Ansel quickly turned to look at her and noticed that she had fallen behind. "Why are you so far back? Come on over here."

Ning Wanwan: "I'm here."

She quickened her pace and jogged to Ansel's side, just in time to hear what the village chief hadn't finished saying.

“...Even from the capital, a group of distinguished guests will be coming. I think you, Mr. Ansel, will definitely have a good chance.”