The Bear-orc clan, comprised of earth-dwelling orcs, will run...
022 floated down onto Jiang Yunlan's shoulder and silently looked at her for several seconds.
She tilted her head in confusion, blinked innocently, and heard 022 sigh.
“I have a way in, and I’ll bring back information from inside. I told you, I’ll help you.” 022 raised her round hand and gently patted her forehead, her voice filled with helplessness.
Jiang Yunlan's ears twitched, her clear, bright eyes filled with confusion. She didn't quite understand why 022 had suddenly patted her forehead. Then, she saw 022 withdraw her hand and say something to her.
“I’m worried that you’ll be in danger while I’m not around. But I know you; you’d rather I check on them than stay by your side as a ‘protective shield.’ So, I’ll go there as you wish, because we’re partners.”
022 knows very well that it will face many such choices. Should it follow the will of the Storm, or choose the safety of the Storm?
It sincerely hopes that Lan can live, live to old age. If it chooses to be just a "protective shield" and abandons the things only it can do on the battlefield, then one day the life that Lan could have saved will die.
Lan would never blame it; Lan would only hate herself for not being strong enough to protect the lives that could have been saved.
Lan is such a creature.
It was afraid to see Lan injured or die, but it didn't want to see Lan suffer even more, nor did it want to see Lan silently weeping in her dreams because she couldn't save the life she wanted to save.
At least for now, it wants to follow Lan's will. It wants to watch Lan live passionately and happily.
"I'm sorry. I made you worry, 022." Jiang Yunlan said apologetically, looking at the transparent slime in her field of vision.
"Don't apologize to me, just do what you want to do. Of course, I'd be happy if you could be more careful about your safety." 022 laughed.
Jiang Yunlan nodded to it and said earnestly, "I remember what you told me. I am a being who fights to live together with everyone."
022 was pleased, turned and flew towards the Bear-Beastman clan, its figure disappearing into the air. Hiding oneself was the specialty of the Tree of Life clan; it would return with the information Lan wanted to know.
Watching 022 disappear into the distance, Jiang Yunlan withdrew her gaze and continued to observe the situation along the riverbank.
There's no cover near the river, making it easy to alert the bear-men guarding the orcs. However, it's possible to swim across the river to approach them. The orcs on the riverbank aren't very close, but there's a squirrel-man with gray hair who's quite close to the surface, keeping a distance from the rest of the orcs. Approaching her would most likely not alert the other orcs.
Jiang Yunlan silently led the dragon, Heitu, and other orcs to the upper reaches of the river, lay down on the grass, and gazed at the figures in the distance.
Jiang Yunlan took out three water-repelling stones she had traded with the unicorns from her pouch and said in a low voice, "I need two orcs who are good swimmers and not afraid of the cold to come with me across the river."
"Lan, I'll go with you."
Greysien and Black Earth, along with a group of orcs, spoke almost simultaneously.
Seeing that everyone was willing to dive underwater, Jiang Yunlan pondered for a moment, then handed the water-repelling stone to the small but skilled fighters, Greysien and Black Soil, before plunging into the river first. The water-repelling stone hanging from her waist created a dry space for her. She adjusted to the feeling of floating in the water, then used a swimming style she had learned as a child and swam forward.
So, why is it that when wearing the water-repelling stone, even though there is no water around, one still has to move their body up, down, left, and right like swimming? Jiang Yunlan was puzzled and couldn't figure it out, so she had to put the question out of her mind.
On the riverbank, the squirrel beastman was washing her belongings in plain water when she was suddenly caught off guard by a squirrel beastman cub floating towards her. She froze, instinctively shielding the cub with her body to prevent the bear beastman behind her from noticing it.
She remembered that the captured squirrel-beastman cubs were all locked up, so how did this cub end up in the water?
She found it strange that the river flowed around the cub, and she didn't quite understand why the cub had black and gray hair, but she could smell that the cub was the squirrel beastman's cub.
Bai Shui was nervous, carefully observing whether the other orcs had noticed the cub, and asked in a low voice, "Are you a cub of a newly captured clan? Never mind, it doesn't matter. You can move freely in the river, so run away quickly, run to another squirrel orc clan."
Jiang Yunlan leaned back and smiled at her, gesturing for her to turn and look at Greysien and Black Soil, who were hiding not far away. She said softly, "We've come to rescue the orcs who are leaving. My companions are hiding nearby. I want to ask you, how many orcs like you have been captured? We'll take you away soon, so don't be afraid here."
Upon hearing this, Bai Shui's eyes widened, her body tensed, and she tried her best not to make any sudden movements. She carefully turned her head to look in the direction Jiang Yunlan was pointing.
Neatly dressed and armed, Black Earth and a sky-blue dragon came into her view. She could not sense their deliberately suppressed aura and presence, so she knew that they were all very powerful orcs.
Seeing her stunned reaction, Jiang Yunlan worried that she didn't believe him, so she added, "Greysien, the beastman you saw that used a beast form was a beastman with the power of water and ice. The one in my pocket is the one who controls ice and snow."
Upon hearing that the dragons were orcs with the power of water, Bai Shui understood why they could move freely underwater.
She silently poured out the freshly washed and wrung-out animal hide, used it to shield the cub, and said, "The clans living nearby have all been captured. They possess the power of nature, and any orcs who tried to resist them were killed."
"The Tanuki Beastman clan refused to be controlled by them and was wiped out. The beastmen who are still alive today include us, the Egret Beastmen, the Horse Beastmen, and the Long-eared Rabbit Beastmen..."
After recounting the orc clans she knew, her expression sorrowful, she said softly, "Everyone tried to escape, but in the end, some died and some were wounded. Most clans lost nearly half their members. To threaten us, they locked up all the young children of their clans."
A deep hatred flashed in Bai Shui's eyes. But seeing the tiny cub before her, she tried to control herself and continued gently, "A few days ago, I saw another orc from a clan being captured by them."
"They have a pair of horns on their foreheads, light green eyes, and black skin. I felt a sense of familiarity with them as soon as I saw them, but I have never seen them in any of the bear-beastmen clans, and I don't know if they are still alive."
Upon hearing her description, Jiang Yunlan immediately understood that the orcs she was referring to were the Zelans.
“They are still alive,” Jiang Yunlan said firmly.
The Zelans are still alive, and although they appear to have no wounds, their mental and physical condition is not good.
The power of healing is something most Zephyranthes possess, but some Zephyranthes also have the power to manipulate plants or the power to manipulate the earth.
Their physical condition has always been poor, and their attack power is much weaker than that of other guardians of nature. But the bear-beastmen fear that they will rebel, so every day they use the lives of other Zeran to threaten the Zeran with attack capabilities to deplete their own energy.
When 022 found them, they discovered that no matter what power Zelan possessed, they were all as silent as if they had died.
Zeran, who was initially captured, hated himself for trusting the bear-beastman with the power of the forest and foolishly walking up to him when he asked for help...
If he hadn't been captured by the bear-beastmen, and if he had sacrificed himself the moment he was captured, so many of his kind wouldn't have been captured out of concern for his life.
He wanted to die, but for the sake of his people, he had to grit his teeth and persevere. At least, he couldn't die until everyone was rescued.
Hatred flashed in Zelan's eyes when he suddenly spotted a strange creature.
A transparent slime, 022.
He stared in astonishment at the strange creature before him, no bigger than his finger, and dared not utter a sound. The strange creature leaned close to his ear and whispered something in Zeran's language.
“My partner, Lan, has come to rescue you with her people and your clansmen.”
"Clang—"
Upon hearing 022's voice, Zelan deliberately made a noise, just as when his own people were captured and taken to heal other bear-beastmen, to vent his dissatisfaction and justify the sudden appearance of 022's voice.
The bear-beastmen guarding them were used to the commotion they made every now and then, and calmly continued to watch them, coldly observing them shouting in their own language.
The bear-beastmen didn't know that they were not angry, but happy.
"You mean, Ice and Snow Nature and Dragon have also come!"
"Your partner, Lan, brought so many orcs with you? Great! This time we're sure to get out of here safely!"
The Zerans were delighted. They could certainly sense that Lorelei and his people were approaching, but their strength was never great, and they had always worried that Lorelei and his group would also be captured.
But now that Lan and her people are here, they feel much more at ease.
022 looked left and right but didn't see the familiar Zelan. He asked them, "Are all the captured Zelan locked up with you? Lan and Aliya are acquainted. Two snow seasons ago, Aliya and the others said goodbye to Lan and left the grassland to find you."
Have you seen Aliya and the others?
Inside the thorn cage, the excited Zeran instantly calmed down, silently sensing the location of their kin within the bear-beastman clan. Their expressions quickly relaxed, and they said in a light tone, "Alia and the others are not nearby and have not yet fallen victim to the bear-beastmen's clutches!"
022 understood, noted down the information, and then heard a Zelan say this to him.
"However, when the bear-beastmen brought me back, I think I saw many orc cubs in the thorn cages around. They weren't in good condition..."
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