Chapter 192: True Gold Fears No Fire

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: True Gold Fears No Fire

Klein stepped forward and picked up an arrowhead, tapping it against the stone slab. Just as expected, it no longer made the crisp sound it had before.

"That’s it?" he asked, scarcely able to believe it could be so simple.

"We’ll know once we test it." Ophelia had Tyler sharpen the arrowhead, then instructed him to throw it at a nearby tree trunk. "Tyler, throw it with all your might."

Tyler nodded in understanding. Gripping the tail end of the arrowhead, he hurled it fiercely at the trunk. Under the watchful gaze of four pairs of eyes, the projectile bit deeply into the wood. The group stepped closer to inspect it. The entire arrowhead had embedded itself completely into the trunk, leaving only the very end exposed.

Tyler tried to pull it out but couldn’t make it budge. Since the arrowhead had not been easy to craft, he was ultimately forced to chop the tree down just to retrieve it.

"If this thing were shot into a person..." Klein couldn’t begin to imagine its destructive power.

"Its power will increase even further when paired with a bow," Ophelia noted.

Hearing this, Zerev’s pupils shrank. Klein looked at him and asked, "Zerev, what are our odds of winning against Brada with this?"

Zerev pondered for a moment. "A seventy percent chance." The remaining thirty percent only accounted for missing the target or the enemy dodging the attack.

"Then we’ll forge more arrowheads!" Ophelia jumped up excitedly upon receiving Zerev’s confirmation.

"Alright, we’ll go gather more Iron Ore to bring back today," Zerev said, affectionately patting the top of Ophelia’s head. "But right now, the most important thing is for you to hurry up and get some sleep."

Before he mentioned it, she was fine, but the moment he brought it up, Ophelia began yawning continuously, one after another, stretching her jaw so wide it felt like it might unhinge.

"Okay, I’ll go sleep for a bit. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just come ask me."

"Princess, I’ll go cook. You can sleep after you eat." Tyler’s heart ached when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. Ophelia waved her hand, wanting to decline, but Tyler continued to urge her. "Princess, even if you don’t want to eat, the little dragon cubs still need to."

Hearing this, Ophelia reluctantly agreed to eat a little. After delivering the food to the little dragon cubs, she returned to her bedroom and fell sound asleep.

She slept all the way until evening. The moment she opened the door and stepped out of the stone house, a wave of heat suddenly rushed against her face. Thick smoke billowed ahead. Looking closely, she realized Tyler and the others were still busy forging the Iron Ore.

"You three should take turns resting. You don’t need to keep watch the entire time," she said. Tyler and the others hadn’t slept at all last night, and today they had gone to the mountain to mine more ore.

"It’s fine, Princess. I’m not tired." Tyler wiped the sweat from his forehead, wearing a faint smile.

Ophelia’s face darkened as she feigned sternness. "No, you must go sleep. Otherwise, you won’t be allowed inside the house for the next month."

Hearing this threat, Tyler couldn’t help but blush. The other two naturally didn’t dare refuse to rest either, and the trio began taking turns sleeping.

Early the next morning, Kelly got out of bed. She waited outside the singles’ dormitory for a long time, but there was no sign of Tiger. Growing impatient, she went to ask the male beastmen guarding the gate.

"Has Tiger come by today?" she asked.

"No," the guards replied, shaking their heads after exchanging a glance.

A flash of worry crossed Kelly’s eyes. She stepped out and headed toward the outer city, soon arriving at the singles’ dormitory where Tiger lived. Whether by coincidence or not, Tiger was outside organizing his woven basket when she arrived. Seeing him, Kelly’s face flushed as she called out softly, "Tiger."

A hint of surprise flickered in Tiger’s eyes. He hurriedly dropped the basket. "Kelly, why are you here?"

"Why didn’t you come looking for me today?" Seeing that he wasn’t injured, Kelly’s hanging heart finally relaxed. She pouted and playfully complained, "Do you not like me anymore?"

Kelly had plain features and an average appearance, yet she insisted on acting coy and delicate, which was actually quite unflattering to watch. Suppressing the disgust in his heart, Tiger raised his arms and pulled her into an embrace.

"Kelly, what are you talking about? How could I not like you? If I didn’t like you, why would I have gone to Clan Leader Ophelia to ask for her permission to become your mate?"

"Then why didn’t you come see me today? Didn’t we agree to it yesterday?"

Tiger sighed. "It’s not that I didn’t want to come find you, it’s just..." He trailed off, hesitating.

Kelly grew anxious. "Just what?"

"It’s just that Clan Leader Ophelia doesn’t allow single males to enter the inner city. She caught me when I went there yesterday."

"Did she scold you?" Kelly grabbed Tiger’s hands in agitation.

Tiger shook his head. "No, but she forbade me from going to the inner city to find you again."

Hearing that it was Ophelia who had stopped Tiger from visiting her, a trace of resentment seeped into Kelly’s eyes.

"It’s all my fault," Tiger continued softly. "If I were more capable, Ophelia wouldn’t stop me from becoming your mate. But don’t worry. From today onward, I’ll hunt three animals a day and offer one to Ophelia. I believe that over time, she definitely won’t stand in our way anymore."

"Three animals a day? That’s going to be so exhausting for you," Kelly said, her heart aching for him.

Tiger patted her head affectionately. "No matter how hard it is, I’m willing to do it for you."

Kelly’s eyes turned red with emotion. "Tiger, let’s move out of the Fuzu Tribe."

"What did you say?"

"If we move out of the Fuzu Tribe, Ophelia won’t be able to control us anymore. If we want to become mates, we won’t need her permission, either."

Tiger frowned, wondering if this foolish female even knew what she was talking about. Seeing that he remained silent, Kelly grew anxious. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you unwilling to leave the Fuzu Tribe for me?"

She knew that the benefits the Fuzu Tribe provided to its members were excellent, completely unmatched by any other tribe. It was becoming increasingly difficult to join them now, and the number of males hoping to court their young females was also growing by the day. Kelly knew she wasn’t pretty, and finding a strong male like Tiger hadn’t been easy for her.

Seeing her anxiety, Tiger hastily comforted her. "What are you saying? How could I be unwilling? It’s just that your brother is still in the Fuzu Tribe. Are you really willing to leave him behind?"

Kelly pursed her lips. In her heart, she was reluctant, but looking at Tiger, she felt it would all be worth it. "It’s fine. Even if we’re no longer in the Fuzu Tribe, I can still meet my brother on the outside."

"But I can’t bear to see you separated from your family, Kelly. Maybe we should just forget it?"

Tiger had never liked Kelly in the first place. His actual goal in seeking a mate among the young females of the Fuzu Tribe was to gather intelligence regarding their Divine Medicine and the wandering doctor. However, after the incident with Maya, none of the other young females were willing to associate with him. Kelly was the only one who had agreed to become his mate after he had merely crooked his finger at her. But after spending these past few days with her, he realized she was completely empty-headed. Despite having lived in the Fuzu Tribe for so long, she knew absolutely nothing about its inner workings—she knew even less than he did, spending her days solely on having fun. Still, becoming mates with Kelly offered him the fastest opportunity to enter the inner city. If they moved out of the Fuzu Tribe, it would become far more difficult for him to investigate anything further regarding the wandering doctor.