"You guys eat, I'm leaving!"

Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, the female elf felt somewhat uncomfortable and decided to leave.

"Where are you going? Our business isn't over yet!"

Joey wasn't going to let her leave so easily.

"I'm just going back to my room to sleep for a while. My body has just recovered and I'm still a little unaccustomed to it!"

Hearing the female elf say this, Joey breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn't leave suddenly, he could keep her out of his sight for a short time.

"Um... what's your name? I can't keep calling you Xiao Hei, can I?"

The female elf raised her golden eyes, glanced at Joey indifferently, and said nonchalantly, "If you like, you can continue to call me that!"

She walked back the way she came, but after taking about ten steps, she suddenly stopped. She didn't turn around, but she still said in Elvish, "Leifria, Leifria Night God, that is my name!"

After saying this, she continued walking away from the crowd.

"Levia Night Goddess? What an imposing name. Are all elves given such high-class names?"

Joey stared in the direction Lefreya had left, muttering to himself that this was the only elf he knew; he didn't really know the names of the other elves.

"But judging from her appearance, she's no longer the clingy little black girl she used to be. After regaining her human form, her personality has become unusually aloof!"

He didn't say it aloud, but just muttered it to himself.

"Joey, what did she say?"

The bearded man held a bowl of meat soup, took a big gulp, and then asked Joey a question. Elvish was not something a roughneck like the bearded man could understand.

"She didn't say much, just thanked us for the meat soup. She had no way to repay us and planned to offer herself to us!"

Since the person was already gone, Joey wasn't worried about his lie being exposed.

"Wow, a female elf as a wife? That's a path I've never even considered!"

Although the bearded man was surprised, he still kept shoveling meat broth into his mouth.

"I didn't agree to her request!"

Joey put on the appearance of a gentleman.

"ah?"

The bearded man was incredulous.

"How can we be so casual? This kind of thing must be handled with care, especially since the other party is an elf. It involves a marriage between two races, so we can't be so hasty!"

Joey spoke with righteous indignation, portraying himself as a completely upright person.

"That's a pity. I think she's quite pretty and a good match for you!"

The bearded man drank the broth in his bowl in one gulp, repeatedly saying it was a pity.

"Alright, alright, we can talk about this later. After you've eaten and drunk your fill, remember to invite WaWa and Masha to have some too. We're a team that shares good fortune!"

Joey gave the bearded man a few instructions and then walked away, intending to digest his food.

"good!"

The bearded man responded, put down his bowl, and left the large pot.

...

At the city gate of Ash Furnace City.

Why did you come to Ashfurnace City?

The city guards were questioning a tall human man who was dressed in simple cloth but was holding a longsword wrapped in rags.

"I've come here to seek refuge with relatives, sir. As you know, the orcs have been causing a lot of trouble lately. My home has been taken over by them, so I had no choice but to come here!"

The man spoke humbly, but his hand remained tightly gripping the longsword wrapped in rags, causing the veins on the back of his hand to bulge.

"Don't you have any other luggage?"

The guard glanced at the longsword in his hand but made no attempt to snatch it.

"That's all. Only this longsword left by our fathers remains. Would you like to take a look, sir?"

The man had no intention of getting into a conflict with the guard. Although he was quite protective of the sword, he still offered to let the guard inspect it.

"Go on, carrying a sword is allowed in Ashfurnace City. Just don't hurt anyone in the city, or someone will arrest you!"

The guard waved his hand, letting the man pass.

The man didn't say anything more, just thanked him, and walked straight into the city.

After he passed through, his expression immediately changed. His humble demeanor turned shrewd, and his eyes flashed with a sharp, cold light.

If Captain Zoro were here, he would definitely recognize this man's identity. This is Knight Hawkins, who has always been in Baron City, and a confidant of Prince Barton.

"My lord, you've arrived!"

Seeing that Hawkins had entered the city, a man who had been guarding the city gate came forward obsequiously to greet him.

"This is not the place to talk!"

Hawkins, with a serious expression, glanced casually at the man and then asked him to take him away.

"Yes, yes, yes, I've already made all the arrangements. I'll take you there now, sir!"

The man spoke as he led the way, and Hawkins casually followed behind him.

"Have the tribesmen arrived yet?"

As soon as they reached a secluded spot, Hawkins asked a question from behind the man.

"Don't look back, let's just say it like this!"

Seeing the man stop and turn around, Hawkins immediately stopped him.

He was a very cautious person, especially when it came to handling such an extremely important matter.

"Yes, sir!"

"The tribespeople haven't arrived yet, sir, you're the first one here!"

The man continued walking forward as usual, without stopping.

"Not there yet? That's a bit slow. Prince Barton's instructions require the participation of the tribe!"

Hawkins looked rather grim, clearly taking the tribe's late arrival very seriously.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!