Chapter 99: Damn It, She Actually Got Off Easy!

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Damn It, She Actually Got Off Easy!

Realizing this would give her the means to protect herself, Ophelia was finally convinced.

"I promise you. Until we find the candy thief, I won’t sever our bond as partners," she said.

A hint of joy flickered across Zerev’s face.

"However, because your concealment could bring danger to me and my tribe, I demand that you send people to protect the Fuzu Tribe."

Moye smiled playfully. "That’s easy to arrange. Tomorrow, I’ll have twenty men stationed at the entrance of the Fuzu Tribe."

"All right, let’s leave it at that for now."

Seeing Ophelia turning to leave, Zerev hurriedly took a step forward. "Then... can I still go to the Fu Clan to eat?"

"You can. Two Green Crystal Stones for ten days."

Since things had already reached this point, and Hai Rui had been the one doing all the cooking lately, it wouldn’t be any extra trouble for her. She might as well easily earn the Crystal Stones.

"Great, then I’ll head over tonight." A rare smile graced Zerev’s usually stoic and unreadable face.

Moye wiped his forehead. His life was finally safe.

Tyler didn’t take Ophelia back to the Fu Clan. Instead, he took her straight to the Golden Dragon Clan.

Back in their stone house at the Golden Dragon Clan, Tyler gently placed Ophelia on the bed and softly brushed his thumb past her reddened eyes.

"I’ll go boil some water for you."

As Tyler turned to leave, Ophelia grabbed his hand. "Tyler, do you blame me?"

Tyler turned back around. Reaching out, he rubbed the soft crown of Ophelia’s head, forcing a bitter smile onto his lips.

"Zerev is the one who did wrong. How could I ever blame you, Princess?

"I just feel bad for you. Zerev is powerful and has a strong background. Having him as your partner puts my mind at ease."

Tyler tried his best to suppress the sour ache in his heart, desperately pointing out the benefits of pairing with Zerev to comfort both the Princess and himself.

Ophelia wrapped her arms around Tyler’s waist, burying her face into his chest. "I’m sorry, Tyler," she said, her voice muffled.

"It’s all right, Princess. As long as I can stay by your side, I’m happy."

He had known from the very beginning that the Princess wouldn’t have just one partner. No matter how selfish he wanted to be, he still hoped she would have a couple of powerful partners to protect her in places he couldn’t reach.

"I’ll go boil the water. You should take a bath and get some good rest, Princess. We’ll head to the Fu Clan tomorrow."

"Okay."

That evening, Zerev arrived at the Fu Clan full of joy, only to find Ophelia nowhere in sight.

Disappointed, he ate the food cooked by Hai Rui, barely tasting anything. Even though it was the exact same dish and the recipe was taught by Ophelia, he just felt it wasn’t as delicious as when she made it.

"Don’t be sad, Young Master. Someday, Ophelia will see your good qualities." Acting the part of a caring older brother, Moye tried to spoon-feed Zerev some comforting platitudes.

"Mm."

After resting for the night, Ophelia was completely restored to her energetic self.

When Ophelia and Tyler arrived at the Fu Clan the next morning, a group of people were already gathered around the table eating breakfast.

Catching Ophelia’s scent in the air, Zerev immediately stood up and joyfully went to greet her.

"Ophelia, you’re here. Is your body feeling all right?"

Zerev’s question made Ophelia blush deeply. She shot him a reproachful glare. "Stop talking nonsense!"

After breakfast, Ophelia called Sel and Lam aside.

She pointed at the woven vine basket at her feet. "Open it and take a look."

Sail bent down in confusion. When he opened it and saw what was inside, he was utterly astonished.

"You actually still have frost melons here."

It was worth noting that the recent rainy season had completely washed through the forest. Not only was the prey swept away, but even the fruit growing on the trees had rotted from the soaking. Nowadays, it was basically impossible to find fresh fruit to eat.

Yet, the basket at his feet contained not only three frost melons, but also a few yellow tangerines and several bunches of bananas. They all looked incredibly fresh, as if they had just been plucked directly from the trees.

"These are fruits I stored in a high-altitude cave a while ago. I went to check on them a few days ago and found no signs of flooding there, which is why they were preserved so perfectly," Ophelia said, offering a flawless explanation.

"Ophelia, do you want us to sell these fruits?"

"Yes. I have a lot of things to do right now and it’s not convenient for me to go to the trading market. You guys take these and trade them. I only want one piece of prey in return for each piece of fruit.

"As for how much you charge? I don’t care. But remember one thing: we’re going to be doing this long-term. You can’t scam people just to make a one-time deal."

Lam understood Ophelia’s meaning and solemnly promised, "Don’t worry, Ophelia. The compensation we collect at the nearby trading market will be exactly the same as everyone else’s."

"Mm, that’s good.

"I still have a lot of fruit left. You can go around to all the neighboring trading markets. After all, they won’t last much longer."

"All right, we understand."

After handing the fruit-selling business over to Sel and Lam, Ophelia went back to applying top dressing fertilizer to the rice fields.

Five days later, Ophelia’s three-story stone house was finally completed. They could finally move out of the Golden Dragon Clan and into the Fu Clan.

Early that morning, Laxus helped Ophelia move all her belongings over. Even the Golden Dragon Clan Leader, Leon, and her mother, Rebecca, came to help.

"My sweet cub, this stone house of yours is quite beautiful.

"The rooms are so spacious, and there’s even a separate bathing area!" Rebecca exclaimed as Ophelia gave her mother a tour of her new house.

The three-story stone house, which cleverly incorporated modern designs, made Rebecca’s eyes light up with amazement.

Seeing how much his partner loved it, Li Ang smiled and said, "If you like it, we can build a three-story stone house when we go back too."

Rebecca shook her head. "There’s no need. We’ve lived in that house for so long that I’ve grown attached to it. I don’t want to go through all that hassle."

Ophelia’s eyes curved into happy crescents. "If you like it here, Mother, you can occasionally move over and stay with me. I’ve saved rooms upstairs for you, Father, and my brother."

Rebecca patted her hand. "What nonsense are you saying? You’ve already found your partner; how could we live with you?"

"It’s no big deal. Tyler would be more than happy to have you stay over too."

Rebecca beamed with a wide smile. "Good, good, good. I know how filial you both are."

Knowing that Ophelia was moving into her new home today, Zerev and Moye arrived early, bringing along a lot of new furniture.

It was *actual* furniture—tables, chairs, stools, as well as an ancient yet minimalist-style wardrobe and bed.

Ophelia was incredibly surprised. "How do you have all this?"

"This is the kind of furniture they use over in the Holy Capital. What they have, I want you to have too," Zerev replied softly.

Moye chimed in from the side to help out. "That’s right! The Young Master specifically had craftsmen brought over from the Holy Capital to build this furniture in Ten Thousand Beasts City. It took a lot of time and was finally finished just yesterday."

Ophelia was left momentarily speechless.

After all, the relationship between her and Zerev was currently quite awkward. Hearing Moye constantly trying to play matchmaker beside them made her feel a bit embarrassed.

Noticing Ophelia’s shyness, Zerev shot a cold glare at the incessantly chattering Moye. "You talk too much."

Moye immediately shut his mouth.

Meanwhile, as cheerful laughter echoed through the Fuzu Tribe in preparation for the evening bonfire party, a solitary figure hid in a secluded corner of the settlement.

The person’s eyes were sharp and brimming with resentment.

She stared intently at Ophelia and Zerev, viciously digging her nails into the bark of the large tree beside her.

"Damn it, she actually got the better end of the deal!"