Chapter 120: The Gathering of the Three Clans

“Half of your primordial essence was forcibly torn open; you’re lucky to be alive. The other half has fused with the second type of primordial essence. Once your body has healed, I will slowly teach you how to awaken your primordial power,” Shari said softly, gazing down at the drawing Freya had sketched inside the straw hut at the Minotaur encampment.

Ye Ran absentmindedly responded while teasing Freya with a candy.

“Have you identified the mastermind behind all this?” Shari asked after making notes in her notebook.

Ye Ran shook his head, then nodded slightly. “In any case, it has to be connected to Luo Ning and Bei Yuming. Let’s hold off for now. Those who excel in battle die on the battlefield; those who are good swimmers perish in water. Things can’t always go their way.”

Despite his words, the memory of the humiliating defeat at Luo Ning’s hands yesterday still stung.

Dealing with someone like him was truly a headache.

Shari smiled. “Maybe this time they’ll be the ones to suffer a loss.”

Ye Ran shook his head again. “Perhaps not. Throughout the entire Ibo Evil Land, there’s no organization that can rival Grusburg.”

“As for the Island of Slaughter, even the Twelve Demons only know the tip of the iceberg.”

At this, Ye Ran’s voice trailed off. He wasn’t sure whether the mysterious Twelve Demons, Grusburg, or the Island of Slaughter held the greatest power.

Shari didn’t pick up where he left off. Instead, she smiled brightly. “Ye Ran, don’t you feel that ever since receiving Freya’s blessing, your luck has improved a great deal?”

Freya, still with a candy in her mouth, put down her pencil and looked at Ye Ran.

Ye Ran pondered. “It seems so, but not very obviously.”

“You’re too dull,” Shari chided. “Luck isn’t judged by the process, but by the outcome.”

“You worked hard in Baoliu City, yet achieved nothing.”

“Uh… it wasn’t that bad,” Ye Ran instinctively retorted, despite the truth in her words.

Shari listed the setbacks one by one. “First, the childhood sweetheart left you. Then, you were inexplicably eliminated during the Red Maple Academy’s martial exam. You finally became an instructor at Taiding Academy, only to be sacrificed again. If I hadn’t intervened during that Sinclair abduction, who knows what your fate would be now? Probably nowhere safe across the entire continent.”

Ye Ran sighed and remained silent.

Those years in Baoliu City were nothing but a history of blood and tears. Freya gently squeezed his hand and forced a smile.

“Since Freya’s divine power awakened, things have been different. From the Midnight Tavern Battle, to the Ivan fight, and even the recent treasure war. Though each time left you battered and bruised, the outcome always benefited you, didn’t it?”

Ye Ran rubbed his forehead. “Now that you mention it, it does seem that way.”

Indeed, after receiving Freya’s blessing, every crisis brought new gains and his strength had grown considerably.

Freya beamed with pride and nodded vigorously.

“But is it really because of her blessing? That’s not very convincing...” Ye Ran murmured.

“Fate may seem elusive and mystical, but it’s not without traces. If it were all baseless, Gao Taiqing wouldn’t be a guest of honor at Red Maple Academy. Do you think those old-timers at Red Maple Academy are fools?” Shari’s lively personality softened when she spoke, but as a divine envoy, she had to maintain a solemn and dignified demeanor, only dropping the façade around familiar people.

Her words were interrupted by the voice of Mengqi outside.

“Brother Ye, Dodoro of the Dwarves and Cecil of the Elven Kingdom have arrived. Brother Banner wants to discuss something with you,” he said excitedly.

Ye Ran jumped off the bed, slipped on his cloth shoes, and dashed out.

Shari called after him, “Hey, Ye Ran, a girl came looking for you earlier. She said her name is Lois.”

…

The Minotaurs had lived in the Ibo Evil Land for a long time, adopting many human customs, such as dining and hospitality.

Most of the encampment was a dense cluster of straw huts, but Banner had specially built a red-brick, red-tiled bungalow in the center for receiving guests.

Today’s visitors were Dodoro, the current chieftain of the Dwarves, and Cecil, the King of the Elven Castle.

At the gate, Ye Ran recognized two familiar faces.

They were Ophelia and Robin of the Elven race.

In fact, Ye Ran had met Ophelia twice before: once during the battle against the half-beasts, and once during the treasure conflict. Both times were at night, so he hadn’t clearly seen her appearance until now.

She looked no older than fourteen or fifteen, with delicate features, a few freckles on her face, and an aura of youthful vitality.

When she saw Ye Ran, Ophelia snorted and turned her head away.

That night, Ye Ran had first wounded her and taken her bow, then called her “pampered and arrogant.” Proud elves would never forgive such a rude fellow.

So Ye Ran only greeted Robin and then walked into the house.

“Hey, where’s my bow?” Ophelia finally couldn’t hold back.

Ye Ran was stunned; he had thrown away Ophelia’s precious bow.

Seeing his predicament, Robin said, “Ophelia, now’s not the time to talk about that.”

Ophelia snorted again in dissatisfaction.

Ye Ran made a thankful gesture to Robin and quickly followed Mengqi into the room.

Contrary to his expectations, the Minotaur chieftain, the Dwarf leader, and the Elven king sat together without any formality.

The Minotaur and the Dwarf sat casually on the ground, while only the Elven king sat at the dining table with an aloof, superior air.

Dodoro, the current Dwarf chieftain, didn’t look old. Ye Ran knew little about the Dwarves, but this one wore a human-style long robe and carried a staff, quite unlike the typical dwarf’s demeanor.

His blue eyes were extraordinary, far deeper than those of ordinary dwarves.

King Cecil of the Elven Kingdom was dressed far more splendidly than Dodoro or Banner. His green robe was adorned with various ornaments, his crown sat perfectly atop his head, and his thumb bore a sapphire ring.

Proud as ever, Cecil always dressed like a peacock wherever he went. Coming to the Minotaur encampment was truly a matter of condescension, so he remained arrogantly seated in the highest seat.

When Ye Ran and Mengqi entered, their gazes met Dodoro’s and Cecil’s.

“Banner, who are these two?” Dodoro asked, glancing briefly before fixing his gaze on Ye Ran.

There was a special feeling about this long-famous sage.

Banner replied, “These two are my brothers, Ye Ran and Mengqi from Baoliu City.”

“Ye Ran…” Dodoro rubbed his staff, as if chewing on something mentally.

The Elven king raised his head as well.