335-344

Chapter 335 - Behemoth Class

Words filled gratitude were expressed to Lumi from across the battlefield.

Although [Banshee Scream] only allowed her to stop the Bone Army from moving for a few seconds, this was more than enough time for the warriors to cut down the enemies before them and take a breather.

The hours of intense battle have left them sweating, tired, and wounded. Lumi's help was the break they needed to continue soldiering on for a bit longer without retreating and recuperating.

"Looks like you got yourself some reinforcements, but no matter. One rouge Banshee is not enough to save you pitiful humans from your inescapable fates! You will only get weaker while we grow stronger!" A Bone King sneered.

Chief Valencia refused to comment, but her eyes grew brighter as she fought the 7 Bone Kings. It was an unexpected windfall to receive help from a Banshee.

It was known that Banshees or vengeful spirits, in general, had never been fond of living beings. Although they were once human and regain parts of their memories as they grow stronger, their nature was changed after death.

As such, it was very rare to find a Banshee willing to assist humans. In fact, it was the first time she heard of one. Clearly, this Banshee was not simple.

Nevertheless, Chief Valencia did not have time to ponder too deeply as she was kept busy by the 7 Bone Kings she was fighting.

The 7 Bone Kings were only Lesser Demons, but they were quite troublesome to deal with, even for a Battle Master like her.

Although she could suppress them with her unrivaled strength and slay them numerous times, they continued to revive without fail. Not only that, they did not get any weaker but also become stronger instead.

On another part of the battlefield, Leon bulldozed his way through the army of undead with Lumi's help and managed to join up with the other warriors on the other side.

The warriors were immediately surprised by Leon's small build and young age, but none of that really mattered. What they respected was strength, and strength was something they had witnessed from Leon.

"This Little Brother, you are very strong! Which great tribe do you hail from?" A Great Warrior approached amicably, but it was hard to determine this from his fearsome expression when he cut down the enemies ferociously.

"I don't belong to any tribe," Leon answered as he blew another several dozen Bone Soldiers with his bone spear.

Although it might draw some suspicion, it was easier to say he was alone than to say he was affiliated to one. If these tribesmen were really committed to doing some digging, they would eventually find out his lie.

"Hahaha, is that so? How about joining our tribe? We can use a Great Warrior of your caliber." The Great Warrior offered.

"I'll think about it."

Leon rejected indirectly. He gave off the impression that he was used to the vagabond life outside of tribes.

"Hahaha, take your time thinking. There's no hurry, no hurry…" The Great Warrior laughed it off lightheartedly.

He did not see anything wrong with the person's reply. Vagabonds were all like this. Although there were not that many of them, there were indeed quite a few warriors that chose the vagabond life to avoid responsibilities and commitments to their tribes.

"It's rare to still see someone like you come and aid us in our times of trouble," Ironhead interjected into their conversations.

Vagabonds were usually selfish people who engage in banditry or had been exiled from their tribe for felonies they committed. In short, vagabonds were generally not good people.

"As a fellow human, I naturally cannot standby and watch you all fight alone. It is times like these that humans should be united more than ever. If the Darkmoon Tribe falls, it would also implicate the other tribes and people of the plains."

"Hahaha, well said! It's great that there is still someone like you out there. We never expected any help from others, to begin with. It is already a great blessing that they don't come and kick us when we are down. What is your name, Little Brother? Just for those words, I—Piss off!"

The Great Warrior suddenly roared after being interrupted by the undead and swatted them all away with a hefty swing of his giant club.

"Ahem, sorry about that. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Even if you decide not to join our Darkmoon Tribe later, you will still be regarded as a friend of I, Strongarm."

"And I, Ironhead."

Great Warrior Ironhead added with a look of admiration when he glanced at Leon. The relationship between the human tribes in the Infertile Plains was not harmonious at all.

"Whether we be friends or not, we can worry about that after overcoming this Bone Calamity. My name is…" Leon gave it some thought before he said, "Leonhardt."

"Leonhardt… Strong and brave. It's a good name!" Great Warrior Strongarm praised. He found the name uncommon, but it was a warrior's name, nonetheless.

Leon was slightly surprised that the person could faintly guess the meanings behind the name. This person was rather educated and not just a muscle head.

Some distance away, Lumi was making a funny gagging gesture at Leon to express her distaste. How could he keep lying with such a straight face?

But after Leon directed her a warning gaze, she simply poked her tongue at him before going back to blowing her whistle to stun the enemy.

At the same time, the two Great Warriors were busy sweeping out the undead mobs and did not notice the little exchange between Leon and Lumi.

Nevertheless, they were full of respect and admiration for Leon and Lumi.

With these two on their side, the Darkmoon Tribe was having an easier time overcoming the Bone Calamity. Although most of the contributions came from Lumi, Leon's efforts could not be ignored either.

There were myriads of questions they wanted to ask like how Leon became so strong at his age and how he managed to befriend the Banshee, getting it to help them, but these were questions for another time.

"Hahaha, what's up, brothers! I've come to help!"

Raucous laughter entered the ears of everyone fighting on the northeastern side as another Great Warrior made his way over.

"Knucklefist? What brings you over to our area? Won't the little brothers under you suffer without you by their side?"

"Hahaha, that's true! That's why I mustn't be gone for too long!"

"Knucklefist is right! I can't be gone for too long, either!"

"Darkeye, you've come too? What the hell is going on here? Why are you all coming over to my side?" Great Warrior Strongarm frowned.

"Hahaha! With the Chief too busy fighting the 7 Bone Kings to give us any commands, and Scarface and Blackbear arguing back and forth over whether to retreat or not, that's when we noticed the situation on your side!"

"If we break the encirclement here and turn around to flank those Bonies, we can greatly change the tide in our favor!" Great Warrior Darkeye explained.

"For the record, that had been my plan all along!" Great Warrior Ironhead stated.

"Yeah, yeah. No one's going to fight you for your credit, alright? How was the trip to the Black Swamp, by the way? Did you end up locating the people the Chief sent you to find?" Great Warrior Darkeye asked.

"No, those people are probably all dead. I had my whole team pulled out the moment I noticed the signs of the Bone Calamity. Otherwise, my team and I would have been dead already."

As the Great Warriors chatted in the midst of battle, the Bone Army's slowly closing wedge was widened until their line finally broke apart.

The Bone Army on the northeastern side had been dropping rapidly with the aid of Lumi's [Banshee Scream], but with the appearance of two extra Great Warriors, they began to fall even more quickly.

In a short amount of time, everyone managed to cut down 150 thousand undead in the area and break out from the Bone Army's encirclement.

After that, everyone split into two groups. Great Warrior Dark led one group left to flank the northern side's Bone Army, while Knucklefist led another group right to flank the eastern side's Bone Army.

Boom!

Chaos suddenly broke out on the right side of the northeastern area.

Everyone saw a twirling white storm of bone fragments and bone dust as a towering bone figure rose from within it.

When everyone saw this towering bone figure, they all had sharp changes in expression.

"A Behemoth-class Bone Demon! A Bone Soldier had evolved into a Behemoth-class Bone Demon!"

"What! That's too early! How can there be Behemoth-class Bone Demon already?! These things only appear near the end of every Bone Calamity!"

"Bone Calamities had always been getting stronger than the last one! There's no guarantee that the Behemoth-class Bone Demons would always appear near the end!!"

While everyone was exclaiming in shock at the unprecedented case, Great Warrior Ironhead turned to Leon and said, "Care to join me in taking down this thing, Little Brother Leonhardt?"

"Sure. This thing must be pretty tough, right?" Leon asked while eyeing the towering bone figure in the distance.

"That's right. You have never seen one before, right? It is quite fortunately for us that it is only a Behemoth-class Bone Soldier. Their strength is usually around the peak of Unranked Demons. Their quite close to being Lesser Demons but still not quite there yet. If It were a Behemoth-class Bone Knight or Behemoth-class Bone King… Well, let's just say that things would get ugly for us."

Great Warrior Ironhead explained.

Chapter 336 - Signal For Help

After listening to Great Warrior Ironhead, Leon began to frown. The situation was more precarious than he thought. The Darkmoon Tribe was treading on tightropes, where the situation could turn for the worse at any moment.

Behemoth-class Bone Demons would only continue to appear from this point onwards, but it was not like they could just stop killing the undead. Even if they stopped killing the undead, the undead would not stop trying to kill them.

"In that case, we better finish off this Behemoth-class Bone Soldier quickly so we can join the others in taking down the Bone Kings. It'll be troublesome if one of them evolves to Behemoth class like you said."

"Hahaha, Little Brother Leonhardt is very positive." Great Warrior Ironhead said wryly before continuing to explain, "Although Behemoth-class Bone Soldiers only possess strength equivalent to the peak of Unranked Demons, they boast extremely high defense due to their sheer size and layers of Bone Fortification. This makes them just as difficult to kill as ordinary Bone Kings."

Bone Kings were Lesser Demons with at least 100 thousand jins worth of strength, similar to the strength of Rank 1 Transcendents.

Meanwhile, Ironhead was an Early-rank Great Warrior with a strength of 70 thousand jins. Also, from what Ironhead had seen, Leonhardt possesses similar strength to him.

Thus, even if they wanted to take the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier down quickly, it would still take them awhile. What Ironhead did not know was that Leonhardt had yet to go all out.

"Is that right?" Leon was mildly surprised before calmly stating, "Then I guess I better fight more seriously."

"Hahaha, Little Brother Leonhardt sure likes to joke." Great Warrior Ironhead gave a forced laugh. It was hard for him to imagine that the small body of the boy before him could possess any more strength than what he had already witnessed.

Leon did not try to convince Ironhead of his claims and simply shook his head with a light smile. It was easier to prove it with his actions rather than his words.

He tightened the grip on his bone spear and immediately lunged towards the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier in the distance with Lumi following him shortly after.

Watching Leon dashed ahead, Great Warrior Ironhead also shook his head and thought, 'This boy possesses great strength, but he is still a hotheaded youth in the end. He won't be convinced until he sees the reality of things with his own eyes.'

Not long after the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier appeared, Great Warrior Knucklefist, who had headed right, was the first to engage it in battle.

His strength was around 75 thousand jins, a tad stronger than Ironhead, but he was also an Early-rank Great Warrior. The strength of a Mid-rank Great Warrior was needed to slay the giant Behemoth-class Bone Soldier if they do not join forces to kill it.

Knucklefist caused big cracks to form on the surface of the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier's body with his attacks, but these cracks would soon repair themselves shortly after.

After Knucklefist spotted Leon rushing over, he was overjoyed. He watched as Leon leaped high into the air before shouting, "This thing is incredibly tough! We need to work—"

Shinggg!

The Behemoth-class Bone Soldiers stood dumbly on the spot and had its head toppled off with a flashing ray of whitish-blue light.

No matter how strong the Bone Soldier had become, it was still a mindless puppet that easily froze after suffering from one round of Lumi's soul attack.

Knucklefist had his eyes widened when he saw Leon shaved off the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier's head in one clean swipe of his bone spear.

"…Together."

After finished the last of his words drily, Knucklefist gulped. Ironhead was not too far behind when he also witnessed the scene and almost had a heart attack from shock.

"What the in the world…?"

Ironhead stared dumbly into the distance with slack jaws before quickly recovering and smacked his thighs in jubilation.

"Damnnn! This Little Brother was actually holding back so much strength! No, with that much strength, I should be calling him Big Brother instead!"

Ironhead's eyes glowed brightly with excitement.

Anyone who can cut the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier down in one blow definitely had the fighting strength to battle Lesser Demons like the Bone Kings.

At the same time, the other warriors were having a more significant reaction from witnessing the sight.

"Oh my god! What just happened?! Someone just took the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier down in one blow! Did anyone see clearly who did it?"

"I did! It was the outsider that did it! He is such a little monster! How can such a little body contain so much power?! With that much strength, he should be at the Mid-rank Great Warrior level, at least!"

"What outsider! Anyone willing to help our tribe overcome the Bone Calamity is a friend!"

"Hahaha! It's such an incredible blessing to have such a powerful expert assist us!"

The warriors' blood boiled, and their fighting spirits were raised. At the same time, praises were also directed at Lumi.

"Don't forget about the banshee's help! If not for her soul attack, The Behemoth-class Bone Soldier wouldn't have just stood there to have its head chopped off!"

"Oh yeah, you're right about that! We are so fortunate to have such a powerful banshee on our side! Thank you, Banshee!"

Words made their way into Lumi's ears. She had never been appreciated by so many people before. It filled her with a wondrous feeling and caused her to hum a melodious tune in elation.

Leon chuckled lightly before shaking his head.

It was true that he possessed the strength to fight Bone Kings, but without a good weapon, it would not have been possible to behead the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier so easily with its incredibly thick defense.

After using the bone spear for some time, he had realized why there was some resistance coming from the bone spear whenever he channeled his power through it.

It was because the Soul Weapon was remarkably similar to a Spirit Artifact with an artifact spirit. He needed to bind the Soul Weapon to himself to have access to its full capabilities.

Once Leon had realized this, he had subtly cut his finger with his thumbnail and bound the Soul Weapon to himself with his blood essence.

After that, the Soul Weapon did not let him. Its attack power was not something his current Tier 3 Black Spear could compare to. Its sharpness was on another level.

It was also fortunate that he had realized the issue early. The Darkmoon Tribe warriors would have found it weird if they had realized that he had yet to bound the Soul Weapon to himself.

"Big Brother Leonhardt, quick! Keep attacking until you absorb all its power! Don't let the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier revive!" Great Warrior Knucklefist shouted. He had also view Leon as a 'Big Brother' unwittingly.

Leon naturally did not need to be told this, but he still acknowledged Knucklefist words by giving him a simple nod.

"En."

An accumulated amount of Darkness Profound Energy and Death Energy was gathered inside the head of the Behemoth-class Bone Soldier.

After Leon hacked it into diced pieces, the energy was all absorbed into his Bone Spear.

Perhaps, because he had yet to form a Darkness Profound Seed, or because he did not know the cultivation method of the Darkmoon Tribe's warriors, the energy did not proceed to flow into his body but was wholly absorbed by the bone spear.

"Hahaha! Big Brother Leonhardt, you sure know how to hide your power!" Ironhead said as he strolled over in joyous laughter.

"Well, I wasn't really hiding it, though? Using my full strength on weaklings is just plain wasteful, don't you think?"

"Err�� right… that makes perfect sense." Ironhead was immediately stunned speechless by Leon's sound reasoning. He quickly recovered with a cough and said, "Ahem, since Big Brother Leonhardt is so powerful, I hope you can continue to help us take down the Bone Kings."

"I intend to. No point stopping here when I've come to help, right?" Leon smiled lightly.

"Thank you, Big Brother Leonhardt. Our tribe is indebted to you and your friend." Ironhead spoke sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

No one could deny Leon's and Lumi's contribution to this war. The Bone Calamity was much more challenging than the previous one, but they had hopes of defeating the Bone Army in a day with their help.

Leon found it weird to be addressed as 'Big Brother' by someone much older than him, but he pretended not to mind it as it seemed to be part of their tradition.

Just as Leon directed his gaze towards the battle between Sabertooth and the Bone King he was fighting, he noticed a light signal shooting into the sky from the far southwestern direction before exploding brilliantly like a firework.

Some faint guesses formed in his mind, but he still asked, "What does that signal?"

When Ironhead turned to look at where Leon pointed, his expression became grave as he answered solemnly, "That's the signal for help from the Blackwind Tribe!"

Chapter 337 - Guarding A Crazy Person

Leon did have some faint guesses that the light signal was a call for help, but after Ironhead confirmed this, he began to feel terrible.

He had seen how proud these warriors of the plains are. If the Blackwind Tribe's warriors are just as proud, they would not have sent the signal for help unless the situation was absolutely dire.

'It seems a lot of people are going to die during this Bone Calamity.' Leon mused with a depressed sigh.

As the culprit who caused the Bone Calamity, the death of every warrior during the Bone Calamity is directly related to him.

His luck was bad enough after starting the Bone Calamity. He cannot imagine how much it will get after his karmic sin piles up from the death toll.

While Leon was lamenting over his misfortunate and grim future, the Darkmoon Tribe's warriors on the battlefield also began to notice the Blackwind Tribe's signal for help in the distant southwestern skies one after another.

Anything brightly lit in the skies of this dark lands is like the candle flames in the darkness; it was just too easy to spot.

"Everyone, look! That's the signal for help!" A warrior shouted while he was drenched in sweat, riddled with bloody wounds, and locked in a contest of strength against a Bone Knight.

"This direction… it's coming from the Blackwind Tribe! The Blackwind Tribe is calling for help!"

The momentary distraction caused not only the warrior but many others to suffer an extra wound on their bodies, but no one blamed that warrior. The discovery was just too alarming and shocking.

"Unbelievable! That proud Blackwind Tribe actually did?! They were always hit the hardest and suffered heavy casualties in the past Bone Calamities, but they had never called for help before! The situation must be absolutely dire over there!"

"With our present situation, it is impossible to send any reinforcement to back up the Blackwind Tribe! I am afraid the Blackwind Tribe is finished! It is only the first day! Once the Blackwind Tribe falls, we will be hit with the next wave!"

"We won't be able to send help, but the Crimsonfog Tribe might be able to! I hate to admit it, but they are the strongest of our three tribes! If they send help, the Blackwind Tribe will definitely be saved!"

"Don't place your hopes on it. The Crimsonfog Tribe might be the strongest, but they have their hands full guarding the Death Passage!"

As the warriors entered a furious discussion as much as they were hacking and chopping down Bone Demons, Leon was able to pick some interesting information.

It appeared that while the human tribes were divided, there were also alliances between some of them. For instance, there was a total of seven tribes living near the Black Swamp that entered an alliance.

In addition to the Darkmoon Tribe, Blackwind Tribe, and Crimsonfog Tribe that were the closest to each other, the other four tribes belonging to their alliance was situated on the other side of the Weeping Forest.

A more interesting point was the 'Death Passage' mentioned by the warriors, but it was unfortunate that the warrior did not go into detail.

'It seems I can only try to fish for more information after I help the Darkmoon Tribe overcome the Bone Calamity.' Leon mused.

He had not forgotten why he came to the dark land, but he should not waste the chance to learn more about the overall situation of the dark lands and the demons.

Suddenly, he turned his gaze towards the eastern side and picked up the wild laughter of a Great Warrior echoing from the battlefield over there.

"Bahahaha! Finally, dead for good!" Sabertooth laughed wildly.

After killing the Bone King many times, the Bone King was finally laid to rest on the cold, rocky ground with its skull detached from the rest of its body.

Bang!

Sabertooth stomped down hard and crushed the Bone King's skull into countless fragments beneath his feet.

The warriors were briefly taken aback by the powerful and vigorous aura that Great Warrior Sabertooth exuded as they saw his moderately long hair danced wildly in the wind.

"This commanding presence... it's much more powerful than the past! Big Brother Sabertooth has broken through to the High-rank Great Warrior Realm!"

"No, he has not broken through yet! But he will soon!"

At that moment, a tremendous change was taking place within Great Warrior Sabertooth's body. The Bone King's raw energy was refined by his Soul Weapon and soon transferred to his body.

Under normal circumstances, Darkness Profound Energy was genuinely harmful to living beings, which was still the case for Darkmoon Tribe's warriors.

However, under their unique body cultivation method, they were able to control the damage caused by Darkness Profound Energy to temper their own bodies.

While Sabertooth was breaking through, he had his perception of the outside world shut off. The surrounding warriors quickly realized that the Great Warrior had left himself utterly defenseless for his breakthrough to a higher rank.

"Oh, no! Big Brother Sabertooth is too focused on his breakthrough! Quickly protect him!" A warrior cried.

A wide gap was created during the battle between Sabertooth and the Bone King. But after the Bone King fell, the Bone Soldiers and Bone Knights immediately started closing the gap to attack Sabertooth.

Although they had lost their Bone King, it did not stop them from executing their most basic command to kill humans.

"Crap, we won't make it in time!"

The warriors were appalled when they realized this. No one wanted to be too close to the Great Warriors when they fight, but at this moment, they regretted being too far away.

Great Warrior Sabertooth was one of their tribe's best warriors. They could not afford to lose someone like this. It was too big of a loss for their tribe.

The warriors never stopped trying to get closer to Great Warrior Sabertooth, but there were too many Bone Soldiers and Bone Knights between. Their eyes became red when they saw Great Warrior Sabertooth about to be overwhelmed.

"Dammit! Wake up, Big Brother Sabertooth! You are too crazy! Why would you try to make a breakthrough in the middle of the enemy's army?!" The warriors cried, hoping their voices would reach him.

Despite their best efforts, it was all in vain.

Nevertheless, they knew precisely why Sabertooth was willing to take the risk. The further one progresses through the Great Warrior Realm, the more increasingly difficult it gets. If they did not take the chance when the opportunity comes, it could set them back several years before their next opportunity for a breakthrough.

Not everyone was a monster like their Chief Valencia. Her determination and drive to become strong was not something many men possess.

To reach the Battle Master Realm at her age, talent alone was not enough. It also required incredible hard work. She was a woman of focus, commitment, sheer will…

Just as the Bone Soldiers and Bone Knights were about to hack Great Warrior Sabertooth to death, a soft whistling scream made its way over and caused all the undead to freeze on the spot. It was Lumi's [Banshee Scream].

A blurred shadow flickered across the air and landed right next to Great Warrior Sabertooth shortly after sweeping all the enemy before him with a mighty swing of his bone spear.

That person was Leon, without a doubt.

Bang!

"No need to fret, I will guard this person!" Leon spoke strongly as he slammed the butt of his spear into the ground domineeringly and exuded his tremendous pressure.

Alas, these mindless undead beings did not know the meaning of fear and were not deterred by him. They continued to charge at him, only for Leon to lift his bone spear and sweep them all again away.

"Thank you, Great Warrior Leonhardt! Thank you for saving Big Brother Sabertooth!"

"It has been fortunate to have someone like you to fight alongside us!"

The warriors spoke with heartfelt relief one after another. Nothing was more reassuring than to have another Great Warrior guard their Big Brother Sabertooth while he is breaking through to the next rank.

Once the burden in their hearts was lifted, they focus all their energy on fighting the remaining Bone Army.

Leon did not know how hard it was to progress through the Great Warrior Realm that these warriors spoke of, but how could a breakthrough in one's cultivation be more important than one's life?

'This Sabertooth person beside me is either too crazy or too confident in believing someone was going to guard him.' Leon mused with narrowed eyes.

In truth, there was no need for Leon to guard Sabertooth's breakthrough as his strength was better utilized elsewhere.

However, he had his own motive for guarding the person. At such proximity, he observed how the person was cultivating his body to advance his strength.

'Sure enough, these warriors have a method to cultivate Darkness Profound Energy… However, this energy isn't used to further their comprehension of the Darkness Profound Law, but actually to temper their body. To think they would use Darkness Profound Energy like this…"

Leon was mildly surprised as he watched the darkness squirm under the person's skin like countless small snakes. Just as the last traces of darkness was about to disappear, Leon began to narrow his eyes in thought.

'This person is about to complete his breakthrough!'

Sabertooth's eyes soon snapped open and immediately let out a mighty roar while his vigor and aura surged with significant momentum.

"Hahaha! I've finally broken through this damn bottleneck!" Sabertooth laughed boisterously with joy. It was not long before his gaze fell onto Leon.

"You're the one who protected me?"

Leon casually swiped away another group of Bone Soldiers before nodding, 'En."

"Many thanks, friend!" Sabertooth thanked with a grin.

Chapter 338 - Where Are They?

After being thanked, Leon waved it off nonchalantly with a simple reply, "Don't mention it."

Despite his calm attitude on the surface, he felt slightly pressured by Sabertooth's vigorous aura.

Every advancement in the Great Warrior Realm was a significant leap in strength. After one breakthrough, Sabertooth was much stronger than Leon.

Sabertooth was not targeting anyone in particular, but seeing how Leon could resist his powerful aura and keep his composure, he could not help but be slightly impressed.

He silently acknowledged the person with a nod before saying, "I would like to talk more, but it will have to wait."

Leon nodded in agreement.

"Well then, let us talk later. I'll be sure to repay this favor once we overcome the Bone Calamity." Sabertooth stated before he grabbed his saber and dashed in Chief Valencia's direction.

Countless Bone Soldiers and Bone Knights blocked his path to Chief Valencia's side, but he swept them away with ease.

After achieving the High-rank Great Warrior Realm, his physical strength had reached a staggering 150 thousand jins.

"Congratulations on your successful breakthrough, Big Brother Sabertooth!"

"Hahaha! This is great! Now we have one more High-ranked Great Warrior in our Darkmoon Tribe!"

The warriors congratulated Great Warrior Sabertooth one after another as he passed them by. The warriors watched Sabertooth's back grow smaller in the distance with a look of excitement and determination as they clenched their fists.

"Our victory is guaranteed, but opportunities to advance our strength in times like these are rare! C'mon, brothers! We must work harder! I don't believe that I won't be able to break through at least once today!" A warrior rallied.

The Darkmoon Tribe's warriors were obviously weary from battle, but they never stopped pushing their bodies.

After killing so many Bone Soldiers and Bone Knights, their bodies had also been tempered a fair bit. Although it was not enough to reach a breakthrough, they were nearing the verge of one.

They just needed to push a little harder to overcome their body's limits, and the breakthrough will come naturally.

Some might view the Bone Calamity as a great disaster, but it was also an excellent opportunity to grow stronger. As they say, disaster and blessings always go hand in hand.

"OOHHH!"

The warriors roared with motivation and determination. The prospects of becoming stronger fueled their tired bodies with new energy as they fought with greater ferocity.

While the Bone Army dropped rapidly in numbers, Leon did not follow Sabertooth to assist Chief Valencia. There was no need to. Instead,

With his [Spirit Eyes], he had seen Chief Valencia slaying 3 of the 7 Bone Kings. It was unknown how many times they have fallen under her blade, but they have hit the limit of their revives.

The remaining 4 Bone Kings were naturally no longer able to stall Chief Valencia and began dying even quicker under her blade.

She was worthy of being the strongest warrior of the Darkmoon Tribe. Her strength was unrivaled.

"Chief Valencia, I've come to help you!" Sabertooth shouted as he neared the tribal chief.

After Chief Valencia felled another Bone King, she gave him a sidelong glance and calmly said, "Your help is not needed here."

If a Battle Master like her needed help against mere Lesser Demons like the Bone Kings, she would be considered an incompetent warrior.

"Right…" Sabertooth stopped in his tracks with slight embarrassment, before saying, "…Then I will go help the others!"

"Go on." Chief Valencia shooed him away before softly snorting, "Wanting to steal my prey?"

Bone Kings were juicy preys packed with lots of Darkness Profound Energy. How could she let others steal her prey after she did all the hard work?

Sabertooth overheard her words and ran away with quickened steps. It did not take long before he got close to another battle between a Bone King and a Mid-rank Great Warrior.

"Brother Blackbear, I've come to help!"

"Piss off!"

"Ahem, alright."

…

Each time undead beings are killed with Soul Weapon, a portion of their power is absorbed and refined by the Soul Weapon. However, it was not much compared to what the last kill has to offer.

By now, Chief Valencia had slain the 7 Bone Kings a total of 67 times. The last 3 Bone Kings were all on their final life.

"Come and accept your deaths, Bone Kings! Let us end this once and for all!" Chief Valencia roared with great vigor, intending to finish the battle quickly.

"Accept our deaths, you say? No, no, no. You can destroy our vessels, but our souls will forever be with our lord. With our lord's protection, we can never truly die. We are imperishable." One of the 3 Bone Kings said with a smirk.

The Bone Kings seemed to have accepted that they would fail, but they did not seem to treat it as a big deal.

"Is that right? Well, I do not really care! I'll just have to kill you every time you come back!"

"You—"

Another Bone King was shattered into bone fragments by Chief Valencia's sudden attack. She was not intent on listening to the Bone King's idle chat as she continued to hunt them down one by one.

"Such an impatient human, hmph! No matter. We will see each other again sooner than you think!" The last Bone King spoke ominously as its skeletal structure hit its revival limit and fragmented.

The blob of darkness within the Bone King's skull was soon absorbed into Chief Valencia's Soul Weapon, but a small part of the darkness managed to slip away and disappeared into the void.

Shortly after the Bone Kings were all slain, the Darkmoon Tribe' warriors were finally able to get close to their tribal chief.

"Chief Valencia, the Blackwind Tribe had sent their distress signal for help. What are your orders?"

"En, I saw. Clean up the remaining Bone Demons on the battlefield and give our fallen brothers and sisters proper burials first. We will decide after we are recovered." Chief Valencia said.

They would naturally help the Blackwind Tribe if they could, but not at the expense of their own people.

Chief Valencia swept the battlefield with her gaze and saw that her warriors were not ready for another big battle. And to be honest, she was not optimistic about the Blackwind Tribe's situation either.

…

As the battle against the undead entered the final stages, Behemoth-class Bone Demons began to appear more frequently.

Leon and Lumi toured around the battlefield and assisted many Great Warriors in taking down these giant creatures. The Behemoth-class Bone Demons simply could not resist her formless soul attack.

Many warriors began to break through and advance their strength to a higher level during this time, but only a few were able to step into the Great Warrior Realm.

Sometime later, the battle finally ended with Chief Valencia cutting down the Behemoth-class Bone Knight the size of a small mountain.

"It's finally over! We did, brothers and sisters! We managed to defeat the Bone Army in under a day!" A warrior rejoiced with heartfelt relief.

Although the battle duration lasted under 14 hours, it was incredibly challenging and hard-won. If not for the help of outsiders, they would have been forced to fight defensively and drag the battle out for much longer.

While some were rejoicing at the end of the battle, some were also mourning for the fallen warriors.

After the battlefield was cleaned up and the bodies were rounded up and laid down in rows outside their Darkmoon City's gate, Chief Valencia walked down one of the empty aisles. To her left and right were all bodies of fallen warriors, some of which were even familiar faces.

"What's the number of casualties?" Chief Valencia asked with a grave expression.

"A total of 3092 of our warriors were lost, Chief. Among them were 2327 Fighters, 753 Warriors, and 12 Early-rank Great Warriors." A Great Warrior reported.

3092!

Chief Valencia closed her eyes painfully. Unexpectedly, they had such a high casualty count! That was one-fifth of their available fighting force! It would take years to recover from such heavy losses!

After some time, Chief Valencia reopened her eyes with a firm and unyielding look.

"Send our fallen brothers and sisters back to their families and arrange a proper grand burial for them. Their names must be recorded on the Great Tombstone. They had fought valiantly and given up their lives for the survival of our tribe. They deserve to be eternally remembered."

"Thank you, Chief! I will have it done right away!" The Great Warrior said gratefully with slightly red eyes. His little brother was among the fallen.

After the Great Warrior left to make the arrangements, Chief Valencia's aura suddenly turned sharp as she called Ironhead.

"Yes, Chief!" Ironhead stepped forward and answered. Beads of cold sweat began to form on his forehead under Chief Valencia's pressuring gaze.

He knew what the Chief would be asking. Even though he knew he was not at fault, his life could still be forfeited if he did not answer carefully.

After all, a scapegoat might be needed to appease the fallen warrior's families' fury if the culprit of the Bone Calamity was not found.

"I sent you to find people in the Black Swamp, where are they?"

It was a simple question, but Ironhead felt like death was staring right at him.

At the same time, all the surrounding warriors focused their gaze on Ironhead once the question was raised, hoping to hear a satisfactory answer.

Leon and Lumi were found among the crowd. While Lumi was inwardly feeling nervous, Leon had his fist slightly clenched despite wearing a calm look.

He felt heavy-hearted and guilt-ridden as the number of deaths weighed down on him.

Chapter 339 - Hunting Team Returns

"I was unable to make it far into the Black Swamp with my team before we were forced to retreat and temporarily hide in the Weeping Forest due to the coming Bone Calamity, Chief," Ironhead spoke truthfully with a sigh.

After that, he added, "Most likely, those people you want to find are already dead, Chief."

Chief Valencia was silent for a moment before she said, "Is that right? Never mind then."

Huh?

Ironhead was surprised. That was it? The Chief was not going to pursue the matter further?

"Err, Chief? You're not going to punish me?" Ironhead could not help but ask. After all, he had failed the task of finding the people and bringing them back alive.

"Punish you? Did you do something that needs punishing?" Chief Valencia asked nonchalantly.

"Um, no…"

Who was he kidding? There was no way Ironhead was going to admit it. His group had rushed to the Black Swamp as quick as they could, but despite that, they were still too late. That was beyond his control.

"Hahaha! Look how scared you are, Ironhead! Did you think we are going to blame you for Bone Calamity?!" A Great Warrior shouted heartedly from the side.

"What do you think, brothers and sisters?!"

"Of course—NOT!"

The Fighters, Warriors, and Great Warriors gathered around, all answered in unison with a mighty shout.

"Hahaha, look at how scared you were just now, Ironhead." An Early-rank Great Warrior grinned.

"What the heck? There is something wrong you all…" Ironhead muttered as he swept them a look with confusion in his eyes.

Just a moment ago, many of them were still grieving for their fallen brothers and sisters, but now they were all looking at him with warm smiles. There is something wrong with the script…

As if knowing what Ironhead was thinking about, one of them spoke, "It is true that many of our brothers and sisters have fallen today, but they had fought valiantly to protect our tribe. We must not dishonor them by thinking any less of their deaths."

"That's right. We should be proud of them because we have won—Their deaths were not meaningless. They died for glory! So, we will not keep grieving. They would not want us to be like that if they were still among us." Another warrior added.

Chief Valencia did not say anything and allowed them to talk because she shared the same sentiments as the rest of them.

"Even if you guys do not blame me, how are we going to answer the other tribes coming asking for the one that started the Bone Calamity?" Ironhead said with knitted brows.

Suddenly, Ironhead felt the Chief's aura spiked shortly after he finished his words.

"We will not sell off one of our own people! How the fuck would they know it was us that started the Bone Calamity?! For all we know, it might have been one of them instead! I dare them to come pointing fingers at us!" Chief Valencia said with domineering flair.

She was not afraid of falling out with the other tribes from the alliance. Their tribe was not easy to bully.

Once the Chief has spoken, everyone felt their blood pumping in high spirit as they roared in agreement, "YEAH! Well said!"

Leon was awed by their unity. He had yet to learn of the power levels between the different tribes, but just by seeing this, he could tell that the Darkmoon Tribe was very powerful.

If the entire Human Domain had been this united, how strong could they have become?

"You guys…" Ironhead was touched. He shook his head with a smile and said ruefully, "It seems I was overthinking…"

He had been mentally prepared to be the scapegoat for their tribe, but now, he saw that it had been unnecessary from the start.

"That's right, where are our two friends?" Chief Valencia suddenly asked.

Shortly after, the warriors near Leon and Lumi all shuffled away. Suddenly, all attention was on him.

"Chief Valencia, these two have been of invaluable assistance to our battle. Our losses would have been much higher if not for their help! Their contribution should be rewarded handsomely!"

Ironhead spoke for Leon and Lumi. He was the most familiar with what these two had done for their tribe.

Chief Valencia nodded.

"That goes without saying. If we do not welcome these two little friends to stay in our city and treat them to a great feast at the very least, others would say that we are ungrateful and a bad host."

After saying that, Chief Valencia then turned to Leon and Lumi, "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your help, friends. Your assistance has been most welcomed. Please join us for a meal tonight. Your presence will be most anticipated."

Chief Valencia was quite curious about these two, but she decided to save her questions for later. At the same time, she was not in a rush to recruit them as it might not be the ideal timing.

"You are too humble, Chief Valencia. If we are not intruding, I will just take you up on that offer. It's been a while since I last visited a big tribe." Leon said calmly.

"I can see that." Chief Valencia's nose twitched when she picked up the horrible stench from Leon and offered, "Perhaps, you would like to pay a visit our bathhouse first?"

"That would be appreciated." Leon smiled wryly.

"Since you seem to be the most familiar with these two friends, why don't you be their guide and show them the way to the bathhouse, Ironhead?"

"With honor, Chief." Ironhead patted his chest twice and urged, "Come, Big Brother Leonhardt, and…"

"Lumi."

"Lumi. Got it." Ironhead nodded before continuing, "Let me show you two the way."

After that, he led them away into the city.

"Start sending our fallen brothers and sisters back to their families and begin making the arrangements for the big funeral to honor them." Chief Valencia ordered a warrior before to another person. "Sabertooth, how are you feeling?"

"Never better." Sabertooth grinned.

He was tired and had several light wounds, but he was still in excellent mood from succeeding in his breakthrough to High-rank Great Warrior Realm.

"That's good. I want you to go scout the situation at Blackwind Tribe for me." Chief Valencia stated impassively.

Sabertooth's grin immediately froze.

"Actually… my body is still rather sore and weary from battle…. How about—"

"Go!"

"Alright…" Sabertooth answered despondently. Who else could he blame but himself for his cheeky answer?

"Hahahaha! I am back, brothers! Where is the big battle?!"

A Great Warrior's powerful voice was suddenly heard coming from the northwestern side of Darkmoon City.

"This voice…"

"It's Brother Goldeneye's voice. The hunting team is back!" The warriors immediately recognized the voice.

Shortly after, the hunting team was seen coming from the side of the city's walls. It was a reasonably large group comprised of 195 Early-rank Great Warriors and 5 Mid-rank Great Warriors. Each of them could be seen dragging the carcasses of demonic beasts in their hands.

"Where are the Bone Demons? Where is the Bone Calamity? Isn't there suppose to be a big battle here?"

"You're too late, Goldeneye! The battle has already ended!" Strongarm said.

"What?! It already ended?! So soon? It hasn't even been a day!" Goldeneye was surprised.

His hunting team had rushed back from the distant Infertile Plains as soon as they heard the start of the Bone Calamity.

"Never mind that. I can see that your team had quite a successful hunt! Three-tailed Blue Lizard! Scarlet-winged Chicken! And the Big-horned Black Buffalo! Oh my! I can't wait to dig into these goodies!" Strongarm said while rubbing his hands together and licking his saliva.

"Hehe, your team must be weary from the long travel back. Here, let me hold on these guys for you." Strongarm said.

He reached his hands out towards the Scarlet-winged Chicken with its tongue sticking out in Goldeneye's firm grasp.

Pak!

"Buzz off! This is for the entire tribe!" Goldeneye slapped the hand away defensively.

"Haiz, it's going to be eaten tonight anyway, isn't that right, Chief?" Strongarm directed the question at Chief Valencia.

"That's right." Chief Valencia nodded and said, "Your team came back at just the right timing. We are going to have a great feast to celebrate our victory tonight. The nutritious meat from these demonic beasts will help our warriors recuperate well. You can pass the meat to these brothers to handle. I have another job for you."

"Since the Chief has spoken, I will definitely comply. What job do you have for me?" Goldeneye said without complaint. "Here, take it!"

"Sure!" Strongarm grinned.

"The Blackwind Tribe had sent their distress signal for help some time ago. Originally, I was going to send Sabertooth to scout the situation. But since your team is back, go and see if you assist the Blackwind Tribe. Report back to me if the situation is too dangerous."

"Haiz! That is unfortunate. I actually wanted to go. But since the Chief has spoken, I shall leave this task to you, brother." Sabertooth patted Goldeneye on the shoulder. He appeared reluctant, but in truth, he was celebrating inside.

The warriors all silently sneered at how shameless Sabertooth was.

"Since Sabertooth is so dedicated, he will be joining you, Goldeneye." Chief Valencia said indifferently.

"Understood." Goldeneye acknowledged.

At the same time, Sabertooth immediately froze again. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. Damn his bad habit!

"Actually, I'm not all that keen on going... Chief, please don't send me...." Sabertooth hugged her thighs and begged.

Chapter 340 - Unforgettable Experience At The Bathhouse

Walking down the spacious streets of Darkmoon City, Leon's mind was preoccupied with expectations towards the Bathhouse.

"What do you think of our city, Big Brother Leonhardt?" Ironhead raised the topic while he led the way.

"The city is quite impressive. It is surprisingly clean, orderly, and spacious. Although it seems like each building are constructed randomly, they are actually nicely arranged with careful consideration."

Leon gave Ironhead his honest thoughts as he praised the city.

He was under the impression that the city was being powered by formations. If he had a bird's eye view of the city, he would be able to confirm if it was indeed the case.

Furthermore, although the city was built with primitive means, the interior was far from what he had expected. The city's hygienic practice was surprisingly meticulous, and the air was much fresher than the outside.

He everything had to do with the formations of the place.

At the same time, he had a greater expectation for their Bathhouse. He was quite curious where the Darkmoon Tribe was procuring all their water source from when the Infertile Plains was so barren that any precious resource would be extremely scarce and valuable.

"Also, the city has a surprisingly pleasant scent. It does not have a stench at all. Many demonic beast blood and bones should have been used in the construction of this city, right? How did you guys get rid of the bad smell?" Leon asked with interest.

"Hahaha, Big Brother Leonhardt has a very keen eye and a keen nose to have noticed these small details. This is all thanks to the efforts of our Venerable Shamans and their divine powers." Ironhead said with a proud look.

Shamans?

Leon's eyes flickered ever so slightly at the unfamiliar term, but he was not in a hurry to ask in case Ironhead finds it strange.

Shortly after, Ironhead continued to boast, "On these lands, Big Brother Leonhardt will not be able to find many tribes with a city comparable to ours."

"Is that right? I did find it strange that such an impressive city actually existed on these barren lands. This is undoubtedly an awesome feat and a work of miracle. You have every right to boast about it."

Leon had not seen the other tribes, but he had to agree with Ironhead's boast. With these people's lifestyle, he had expected the city to be reeking with blood and sweat. But that was indeed not the case.

"We're here. This is our public Bathhouse. Feel free to use it for as long as you like, Big Brother Leonhardt. This place is free of charge."

"Oh right, in case you are not familiar with our signs, the left sign is for men only, while the right sign is for women only. However, if you are looking for a bit of excitement, you can just go ahead and head down the middle and use the mixed bath." Ironhead said as he gave Leon a cheeky grin.

"How obscene!" Lumi exclaimed with an embarrassed look after listening. If she still has a living body, her face would have been flushed red like a tomato.

"Hahaha! Obscene? No, no, no. This is actually pretty normal here. Everyone mainly uses the mixed bath. Rarely, does anyone ever use the other baths." Ironhead laughed heartedly.

"You probably don't want to see me bathing, right? Do you want to head inside for now?" Leon asked on the surface.

In truth, he was afraid that Lumi would continue to say things that Ironhead would find strange.

"Of course not!" Lumi rolled her eyes at him before saying, "Quick, let me inside. I want to go see Little Big Sister."

"Little Big Sister…"

Leon smiled wryly and nodded. Shortly after, Lumi vanished right in front of Ironhead's eyes as she entered the Worldspace.

"This… Big Brother Leonhardt, where did she go?" Ironhead was surprised the Banshee's sudden disappearance. Vengeful spirits should not have such abilities, right?

"She… went into my spiritual world. I'm a Spirit Tamer." Leon lied with a straight face.

"Spirit Tamer? I've heard of a Beast Tamer, but what is a Spirit Tamer? Is it something similar?" Ironhead asked.

"Something like that." Leon nodded before changing the topic with a casual question, "Water must be abundant for your tribe to be this extravagant with its usage. Is this also thanks to the Venerable Shamans?"

He could hear the overflowing sound of water inside the Bathhouse. Also, he had seen the waterworks system that transfers water to various parts of the city.

After the question was raised, Leon began to grow nervous due to Ironhead's brief silence. Had he misspoken?

However, Ironhead cracked a smile and laughed while patting Leon's back, "Hahaha! You are a funny guy, Big Brother Leonhardt. Who doesn't know that water can only be procured from the underground water vein?"

Leon was startled at the revelation, but he did not show it on his face as he also smiled and laughed, "Hahaha, I was only joking."

"Hahaha, alright. Big Brother Leonhardt can go on ahead and use the Bathhouse. I would also like to join you and wash these wounds of mine, but I need to go arrange your accommodations first." Ironhead said.

"You can still do that after, right?"

"No can do. You are our benefactor, friend, and guest. We will be a bad host if we have to make the guest wait." Ironhead said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

Leon was a bit speechless.

It was not like he was going to rest after he washes. He still wanted to explore the city and try to fish for information about his adoptive mother, Mia, and the others' whereabouts.

Although he found the person to be rigid, he did not hate this kind of person as he smiled and said, "Alright, I won't try to convince you otherwise then. However, you must start dropping the 'big' and just call me Brother Leonhardt. I am not accustomed to being called a big brother."

"If you insist, then I shall call you that from now on, Brother Leonhardt." Ironhead agreed with an understanding look, and his expression became warmer.

He did not find what Leon said to be strange. It conformed with how lone vagabonds usually are. Vagabond groups might still pay great attention to these trivial formalities, but lone vagabonds simply do not.

After Ironhead left, Leon glanced at the public Bathhouse ahead.

'Now which bath should I use?' Leon mused.

The women's bath was a no go, but he was not interested in seeing only men bath. Also, Ironhead mentioned it was normal for people to take a mixed bath.

'I guess it's gotta be the mixed bath then.' Leon decided.

However, he was soon to discover a problem.

At that moment, every bath was packed to the brim. Rarely does this ever happen, but everyone had just finished a great battle. It was expected for them to want to enjoy a nice hot bath.

Apart from cleaning their wounds, taking a bath at the Bathhouse was a great way of relaxing their bodies as the hot bathwater had a natural effect of washing away their fatigue.

Leon waited for some 20 minutes before he saw some men leaving the mixed bath. He took his chance to enter right after with some anticipation and curiosity.

How can people of different gender share the same bathing area? It must be chaotic inside, right?

Not long after entering the mixed bathing area, Leon was not only disappointed but scarred. Everyone was butt-naked without the slightest intention of covering their privates with a towel.

More importantly, there were no babes nor beauties to feast his eyes on, just muscles on top of bulging muscles. It was a muscle galore.

He should have expected this, but alas, that faint bit of hope was crushed ruthlessly.

If there was one thing Leon found surprising about this mixed bathing area, it was that everyone did not part with their Soul Weapons and brought it with them inside.

'Too late to turn back now. I am already inside.' Leon sighed as he noticed that many people have already spotted him.

"Oiyah? Who do we have here? Isn't this Big Brother Leonhardt, our friend, and benefactor? Come join us!" A warrior spoke.

Everyone had a keen interest in wishing to speak with him. Leon could only smile wryly and approached them.

"Wait, Big Brother Leonhardt. You can't enter the hot bathwater yet. You need to scrub yourself clean on the side over there first." Another warrior pointed.

"Ah, I see. That was my bad." Leon apologized.

The warrior stepped out of the hot bath water with his bone sword and offered, "It must be Big Brother Leonhardt's first time using the Bathhouse. Allow me to help you wipe your back."

"There's no need for that. I can do it myself." Leon quickly rejected with a shake of his head.

However, the warrior noticed how bad Leon smelt and felt compelled to do something about it.

"This brother must not have washed in a long time. This will not do. I insist on wiping your back. You must be squeaky clean before you can enter the bathwater." The warrior said firmly.

"That's right. We always have each other wipe our backs for us. If you want, we can do it instead." A female warrior offered.

"I see… it's fine. This brother will do." Leon reluctantly allowed the male warrior to wipe his back for him while he cleaned the rest of his body with the scrubber and soap the facility had to offer.

"Don't worry, Big Brother Leonhardt. I'll make sure you'll be squeaky clean and free of this bad smell." The male warrior patted his chest with a determined look.

"Thanks."

What else could he say? He could only force a smile.

Sometime later, he frowned and said, "This brother… would you mind putting away your sword?"

"What do you mean?" The male warrior asked, taken aback.

"..."

Leon peeked over his shoulder and saw the bone sword on the ground next to the male warrior, untouched.

At that moment, he paled in realization. A thousand 'fuck' went off in his head and his heart beated like a thousand rampaging cicadas.

In short, words could not describe what he was feeling in that exact moment.

Chapter 341 - Arm-Wrestling Match

"Arghhh!"

Leon immediately shot up like a frightened rabbit. Various emotions could be seen in his eyes, but the most apparent ones were disgust and anger.

"What happened? Is there a problem, Big Brother Leonhardt?" The male warrior asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"Is there a problem, you say?!" Leon glared at the male warrior and roared, "Of course there is a fucking problem!"

His gaze shot downwards at the male warrior's 'little brother' and he felt even angrier. The thing was not even awakened. Why the heck was it so big?

He was repulsed beyond imagination. Dammit, he would rather swim in a pile of dung than get touched by another man's tool.

"You are the problem! Goddammit, how dare you rub my back with your rod?!"

"Err…"

The male warrior was shortly stunned before he put on an embarrassed look.

"This is a misunderstanding, Big Brother Leonhardt. I swear it was unintentional!" The male warrior said.

Despite that, there was a hint of pride on his face at the mention of his rod. Even among men, there were not many that had a rod as big as his.

"Hahaha, I knew that big ding dong of yours was going to land you in trouble one day, but I did not expect it to happen like this!" A male warrior laughed, finding the situation quite comical as he made snide remarks at the male warrior.

"I can totally understand how Big Brother Leonhardt is feeling! Even I feel disgusted if any of you touch me with your tools! Hahaha!"

Other male warriors also began to laugh. In any case, it did not happen to them. Thus, they were able to laugh it off.

"Hehe, Brother Leonhardt should have just accepted my offer instead. That way, you would not have been grossed out by him." The female warrior laughed.

She tried to be coquettish, but her voice and appearance lacked the appeal to charm Leon. Her voice was deep, rough, and full of masculine vibes superior to many men in the Crawford Kingdom. That was definitely not his preference.

"Brother Goldenrod, how about I go ask the Venerable Shamans if they have a way to shrink your 'goldenrod' for you? Hahaha!" Another male warrior jeered.

"Oh, piss off! You guys are all just jealous of me." Goldenrod smirked.

Indeed, Goldenrod was his name, not by birth, but given by others. The Darkmoon Tribe warriors rarely use their birth names once they are formally recognized as warriors and only use their nicknames and titles.

"Big Brother Leonhardt, I'll be more careful next time. Allow me to continue wiping your back."

"Piss off! I have my own two hands and feet. I can clean myself just fine. I do not need your help!" Leon said sternly with a deep frown. Regarding this matter, he should have been firm from the start.

Goldenrod began to frown. No matter what, he was still a proud warrior. How could he accept this sort of treatment even if he were in the wrong?

"I call you Big Brother Leonhardt because I respect your 'strength' and what you have done for us, but that does not mean you can disrespect me like this. And to be honest, I am not convinced that you are as strong as others claimed you to be. How strong can you be with a small body like that?"

"Oi, oi, oi, Goldenrod, you can't talk to our benefactor like that." A female warrior said with a frown.

"Why not? Has anyone actually seen him fight?" Goldenrod asked as he swept everyone in the mixed bath a look.

"That…"

No one was able to answer that question.

They had all fought on the western side of Darkmoon City. Thus, they have only heard the news of Leonhardt's strength and have not seen it for themselves.

The feeling of doubt had been lingering in them the moment their eyes landed on Leonhardt, but no one wanted to be rude to their guest by asking the person in question to validate his strength.

This person was supposedly a Great Warrior, and no one wanted to offend a Great Warrior. Especially when most of them were only peak-level Warriors, still a step short from the Great Warrior Realm.

Goldenrod had indeed popped the question they all wanted to ask. How can Leon's small body contain so much power?

"Well, what do you have to say about it, huh?" Goldenrod pressed.

"So what if you are not convinced? I do not need to prove anything to you. That is your problem, not mine."

"If you do not even dare to prove yourself, it just means that you aren't as strong as what others say you are. Perhaps, you are just riding on the borrowed fame from the Banshee." Goldenrod spoke in a goading manner and shrugged.

It was known that Lumi had played a pivotal role in ending the battle as quickly as it did and saving the lives of many while she was at it. On the other hand, Leon's individual contribution was not as grand.

The Darkmoon Tribe had many Great Warriors. Leonhardt was just another Great Warrior, but Lumi was not just another banshee.

Leon's brows were slowly furrowed.

This person was seriously trying to pick a fight with him. He was the guest they had invited into their city. He did not need to prove anything.

If not for the sake of trying to maintain a good relationship with the Darkmoon Tribe, he would have already beaten up this rude person to a pulp.

"How do you want me to prove my strength?" Leon asked impassively as he restrained his anger.

Goldenrod smiled and shouted at the other warriors, "Quick, bring the table over! We will settle this with an arm-wrestling match!"

Very soon, a table made of blackwood was brought in front of them. It had been lying in one corner of the mixed bathing area with soaps and scrubbers placed on top of it, but now it was used for arm-wrestling.

Leon could tell that this seemingly ordinary blackwood table was reinforced with runes and had extraordinary resilience. It seemed to have been built specifically for arm-wrestling.

Suddenly, the mood became festive as a middle-aged male warrior spoke with enthusiasm, "Hahaha! I wasn't planning to bring it up since everyone is worn out. But now that Brother Goldenrod brought it up, I want to ask, who dares to challenge me to a match after?!"

"I will challenge you!" A younger male warrior immediately spoke excitedly, "I'm warning you right now, brother. I have made great progress in the earlier battle. Your number one spot below Great Warrior Realm will be taken over by me today!"

"Then, we shall see whether you can walk the walk and not just talk the talk!" The middle-aged male warrior grinned before striding over to Leon's side and patting him on the shoulder.

"I apologize for Goldenrod's rudeness earlier, Big Brother Leonhardt. He is actually not a bad guy. As you can see, we normally engage in arm-wrestling matches here to compete with each other for entertainment."

"I understand."

Leon nodded.

Although the middle-aged warrior did not say it directly, he understood the warrior's hidden meaning.

The Darkmoon Tribe was not trying to be ungrateful, but their tribe placed heavy emphasis on strength.

They would still show him the basic level of respect as required of them for what he had done. But if he wanted to earn their genuine respect, he had to prove that his strength was worthy of respect.

'This must be what Ironhead meant by the excitement in the mixed bath.' Leon mused wryly. He could not help feeling like he got baited. The 'excitement' was different from what he had imagined.

"A normal arm-wrestling match is too dull. How about we spice things up a bit with some bets?" Goldenrod suggested provocatively.

"How do you want to bet?" Leon asked calmly.

Seeing the look in Goldenrod's eyes, the middle-aged warrior frowned. Nothing good could come out from that kind of look.

"Don't take it too far, Goldenrod. Just simple bets will do." He warned sternly.

Goldenrod simply ignored the warning as he eyed Leon's bone spear and said, "If I win, you give me your Tier 4 Soul Weapon. If I lose, you can decide what to do with me."

Bang!

"What did I just say, Goldenrod?! You're taking things too far!" The middle-aged warrior slammed the table in anger.

The stakes were too high.

It had been a tacit agreement to never go after a warrior's Soul Weapon, but today, Goldenrod has broken that agreement.

The middle-aged warrior turned to Leon and said, "There's no need for you to take this bet. This is not how we usually do things."

Leon shook his head and looked directly at Goldeneye.

"If I win, you have to be my subordinate! Do you dare accept it?!"

Goldenrod narrowed his eyes as he studied Leon's expression cautiously. He became uncertain of whether to accept the bet or not.

Suddenly, he smirked. Trying to scare me?

"I accept!"

The middle-aged warrior sighed at both party's decision and said, "Fine. Since both sides have made their decisions, I will facilitate this match. On the count of 3."

"1… 2… 3!"

Bang!

The match ended in an instance, following Goldenrod's cries as he hugged his dangling right arm and broke into cold sweats.

Everyone was immediately startled with wide eyes and drew in sharp breaths. As expected of a Great Warrior's strength! Leonhardt was not to be trifled with!

At the same time, Leon looked at Goldenrod calmly.

Just because he could not beat up the person, it did not mean he would not teach the person a small person. He was no saint. If someone repeatedly tries to offend him, he would not let the person off easily.

"This match, I have won. Do you accept?"

Chapter 342 - Rite Of Baptism, Black Pool

"This match, I have won. Do you accept?"

The mixed bathing area was silent once Leon uttered these words. Everyone had their gazes fixed on Goldenrod, awaiting his answer with curiosity.

A warrior should be true to his words and accept losses with honor, but they also understood how difficult it was for Goldenrod to accept such an outcome.

All warriors were naturally proud, with eyes aspiring for greatness. It was hard to imagine any of them lowering and subordinating themself to an outsider.

Nevertheless, this was something Goldenrod had brought onto himself. He only has himself to blame. The middle-aged warrior had already warned him and tried to mediate the matter.

"I lost fair and square. Why wouldn't I accept this loss?! I am a man of my words! From now on, I am your subordinate! It's not a shame to lose to a great Warrior!" Goldenrod spoke strongly. He would not dishonor himself by being a sore loser.

"Good lad. At least you still have your warrior's honor." The middle-aged warrior praised.

Shortly after, he started to frown slightly as he glanced Goldenrod's dangling arm. He turned to Leon and asked, "However, don't you think you have been a bit too heavy-handed, Big Brother Leonhardt?"

"I think it should be broken, but this is what I deserve for provoking a Great Warrior." Goldenrod said self-deprecatingly while shaking his head.

"Heavy-handed? Broken? Not at all. It's just a little bit dislocated." Leon said indifferently.

In truth, his current base strength was inferior to Goldenrod. He had to rely on his explosive strength to win. He could beat Goldenrod in a normal contest of strength without his Divine Will and folded strength technique.

If these warriors also had techniques that applied the same concept of [9 Echo Oscillating Fist] to their attacks, they would also experience an increase of multiple folds in their strength.

Nevertheless, Leon did not see the need to explain as he simply strolled over to Goldenrod.

"What do you—"

Goldenrod was not able to finish his words before Leon grabbed his right arm and gave it a quick yank and twist.

Kacha!

The sounds of bones clicking were heard as Leon fixed Goldenrod's arm. Goldenrod grunted and sweated from the brief rush of pain.

At the same time, Leon's intention was misunderstood as the middle-aged warrior deepened his frown and said, "You have already won, and punished Goldenrod enough for his offense. Don't you think you are taking things too far by continuing to bullying him with your strength?"

In any case, Goldenrod was still one of them, while Leon was an outsider. They would not standby while Leon bullies their people.

"That's not it. Big Brother Leonhardt was helping me fix my arm." Goldenrod stopped the middle-aged warrior for speaking further after discovering his arm was back to normal, much to his surprise.

"Oh?"

The middle-aged warrior and everyone else was also surprised seeing Goldenrod wave his arm around without a problem.

"It seems I have been mistaken and misunderstood your intentions, Big Brother Leonhardt. Forgive me for my rudeness just now." The middle-aged warrior apologized.

"It's fine. I did not take it to heart. If you really feel sorry, then just call me Brother Leonhardt. I am not used to being called a big brother by someone who is old enough to be my father." Leon spoke.

Pfft!

"Did you hear that, brothers and sisters? Big Brother Leonhardt said Brother Blacktiger is old enough to be his father! Hahaha!"

"Hahaha! Brother Blacktiger definitely has the looks! Do you want me to call you daddy, Brother Blacktiger?"

"Hahaha! Big Daddy Blacktiger!"

Everyone immediately broke into laughter as jokes and snide remarks were made at the supposedly 'middle-aged' warrior.

"Oh, piss off! Are you guys really going to make fun of my face right now?! Do you also have to embarrass me in front of Brother Leonhardt?!" Blacktiger barked.

Leon was taken aback by everyone's response as his eyes started to flicker with doubt when he looked at the 'middle-aged' warrior.

Noticing his inquisitive gaze, Blacktiger rubbed his bald head with embarrassment and explained, "Despite how I look, I am actually only 25 years old."

"What? Motherfucker, you look 50!"

Leon was given a great shock as his eyes darted between the other people at the mixed bathing area. Everyone appeared to be within their 20s to 30s.

Are these people also younger than what they appear to be?

He soon fixed his gaze on a warrior who looked to be roughly 20 years of age and wondered if this person was like 10 years old or something.

"Don't tell me, everyone here is also…"

"No, they are all normal. I am the odd one." Blacktiger shook his head and proceeded to explain further, "I've become like this because I was too stubborn during the Rite of Baptism and overstayed my body's limit in the Black Pool."

Rite of Baptism? Black Pool?

Leon's brows furrowed ever so slightly at the more unfamiliar terms. Nevertheless, he could faintly guess it might have something to do with their body cultivation method.

"Brother Leonhardt doesn't know about the Rite of Baptism and the Black Pool?" Blacktiger asked, noticing Leon's confusion with his keen perception.

Leon was inwardly startled. He was prepared to make an excuse when Blacktiger continued to say, "Brother Leonhardt must have been a vagabond since birth and never undergone any Rite of Baptism before, right?"

"It would make sense that Brother Leonhardt does not know about the Rite of Baptism and Black Pool. After all, your body doesn't look much different to everyone before they underwent their Rite of Baptism in the Black Pool. It must have been hard outside on your own all this time…" Blacktiger speculated.

He had a look of confidence, totally convinced by his own conjecture that this was truly the case. Leon gaped in a dumbfounded manner, not knowing where his confidence came from.

'Sure thing, dude. Whatever you say.'

"You know what? You are exactly right! That is indeed the case!" Leon nodded in agreement, following along with Blacktiger's assumption.

Blacktiger was not the friend he wanted, but he was the friend he needed. It saved him a great deal of trouble explaining himself.

"Hahaha! Just as I have assumed." Blacktiger laughed.

After receiving Leon's confirmation, he was more smug and complacent with himself.

"Brother, when are we going to have our match?" One of the warriors asked with an urging tone.

Obviously, he did not care much about Leon's story. He was more concerned with beating Blacktiger and claiming the number one spot under the Great Warrior Realm.

"Oh right, sure, sure. Let us see what you got! I hope you won't disappoint me." Blacktiger was in high spirits as he grinned.

"Hahaha, I shotgun the next challenge if Blacktiger wins."

"Then, I will take the one after!"

The male and female warriors began to gather around the arm-wrestling table with interest as they began to place bets and queue up for challenges.

With no one left to bother him, Leon focused on scrubbing his body to cleanse himself of the revolting smell. While he was at it, he was not concerned in the least whether the color-changing cream he applied to his skin would wear off or not.

Spirit herbs with strong purifying properties were needed to remove the colored cream on his body, and the soaps provided by the Bathhouse did not have this kind of purification.

He had already checked this and was rechecking it. The soap did not seem to have been made from anything that could be found on the Infertile Plains. At least, not from what he had seen on the surface anyway.

"Just a kind of word advice, brother. Don't drop the soap." A warrior advised him.

"Hm? Alright. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

Leon was a bit speechless. What did that person mean by that?

Shortly after, he hopped into the now vacant mixed bath and enjoyed the relaxing warmth of the hot bathwater.

He was conscious enough to have a towel wrapped around his lower body. He was not accustomed to being butt-naked around other people.

Nevertheless, no one found this strange and thought he was just unfamiliar due to his vagabond life.

As Leon watches the Darkmoon Tribe warriors compete in arm-wrestling matches, he sank into thought, pondering about his next course of action.

'All sorts of information are usually found in a pub, but considering the tribal chief has invited me to join their great feast tonight, it would be improper to visit the pub today, lest it arouses their suspicion.'

Right now, Leon was all alone, while Lumi was not inconspicuous enough to help him scout the city. Meanwhile, every other person in Darkmoon City could be Chief Valencia's eyes and ears. He had to be mindful of his actions.

It had only been a brief exchange, but he found the tribal chief unfathomable and impossible to read through. He could only tell that this person seemed to be plotting something.

'For now, I should familiarize myself with the city. A tour guide will help me prevent arousing suspicion. I should also look further into these people's Rite of Passage and Black Pool when I can. It might be useful for my body cultivation..' Leon mused.

Chapter 343 - Dark Crystal Currency

When Leon thought about a tour guide, his gaze began to shift towards the candidate he had in mind.

The person had tried not to pay Leon any attention and focus solely on the arm-wrestling competition. But after Leon had his gaze fixed on the person, the person sighed and made his way over.

"What orders does Brother Leonhardt have for me? I must let you know that even if I have become your subordinate, I will not do anything that causes me to betray my conscience or my tribe." Goldenrod stated his bottom line firmly.

Leon raised an eyebrow before he nonchalantly waved it off with a calm answer, "Don't worry. It is nothing crazy like that. I just need a tour guide to show me around the city. This much, you can at least do, right? Your Chief has invited me to a feast, but it is not my style to sit around and do nothing until then."

"Just a tour guide?" Goldenrod was taken aback, but he soon nodded, "En, this much I can do."

"Great. We will leave in a bit." Leon stated.

"Alright."

Golden complied without complaint.

Nevertheless, Leon could see a slight reluctance in the person's eyes. It seemed that Goldenrod wanted to stay until the competition ended and see who the final victor will be, but he did not share the same interest.

The arm-wrestling competition itself was quite interesting, but not so much when many butt-naked macho people participated in it.

After a five-minute relaxation in the hot bath, Leon got out and returned to the dressing room where he left his ragged clothes in a straw basket.

"Could it be that Brother Leonhardt only has this set of clothing?" Goldenrod asked after seeing him put on the dirty clothing.

Naturally, he had quite a few sets of clothes stored in his Worldspace, but it was not like he could wear any of them in this place due to their unique style and material.

"That's right." Leon could only say.

"I suppose Brother Leonhardt would like to pay a visit to the tailor store first?" Goldenrod assumed and suggested.

"Definitely."

To be honest, Leon did not have any plans to finish the tailor shop at all. But since Goldenrod suggested the tailor shop, they might as well head there.

"What currency do you use to trade in this city?" Leon asked.

He made sure to emphasize 'this city' to imply that he knew the standard currency from other tribes, but just was not sure if it was the same for the Darkmoon Tribe.

Goldenrod did not think so complicatedly into the manner and simply answered, "Dark Crystals are the standard currency for trading, but Demon Cores and demonic beast meat are also accepted too."

"I see… what if I don't have any of those?" Leon asked.

"Well… generally, anything can be used for trading as long as both parties reach an agreement…" Goldenrod explained before asking, "Could it be that Brother Leonhardt is…"

"I'm flat broke," Leon admitted wryly.

There were many things in his Worldspace, but none of them could be used. All Goldenrod could see on his body was the ragged clothes and Tier 4 Bone Spear.

On the other hand, Goldenrod wore a leather pauldron, leather skirt, had a Tier 3 Bone Sword strapped to his side along with a leather pouch.

Inside this leather pouch, he could see dozens of so-called Dark Crystals. They were only the size of pellets, but he could sense Darkness Profound Energy in them.

'These Dark Crystals are actually the crystallization of Darkness Profound Energy. These Dark Crystals doesn't just come from nowhere. There must be a Dark Crystal Mine nearby.'

Leon's eyes narrowed in speculation.

Seeing how Leon was starting at his leather pouch so intently, Goldenrod found himself in an awkward position.

After a quick mental battle, he carefully said, "I don't mind lending you some Dark Crystals if you promise to pay them back in the future, Brother Leonhardt."

He did not want to offend Leon further, but he had to make sure Leon knew he was a subordinate and not a slave. Leon was not entitled to all his wealth.

Leon shook his head at Goldenrod's cautiousness and said, "Don't think too much and just lead the way. Material objects are not necessarily needed to make a trade. You said so yourself. As long as both sides reach an agreement, anything goes."

"I did say that, but what exactly can you trade that's not material?" Goldenrod asked with a look of doubt. He was not planning to sell his body for a bit of clothing, is he?

It might work if the store owner is a female, but unfortunately, the tailor shop owner is a male. Actually, he could not be too sure. The store owner might have some strange interests and hobbies…

Leon had no idea what Goldenrod was thinking about, but he would have surely puked blood from anger if he did.

"We'll have to see when we get there." Leon simply said and ended the talk there.

...

Sometime after Leon left the Bathhouse, Ironhead returned but failed to find Leon inside.

"Big Brother Ironhead? If you are looking for Brother Leonhardt, then you came a bit too late. Brother Leonhardt had already left 10 minutes earlier with Brother Goldenrod to tour the city." Blacktiger spoke.

"Is that right? Never mind then."

Ironhead was slightly disappointed, but his mind did not dwell on it for long before it looked at the warriors arm-wrestling with a bit of nostalgia.

"Arm-wrestling, huh? It has been a while. Who's holding the number one spot now?" Ironhead asked.

Blacktiger immediately smirked, "It's still me."

The other warriors immediately grumbled. They were all Peak-level Warriors, but they still failed to topple Blacktiger's throne after 10 consecutive challenges.

"It's you? Brother Blacktiger, you are already so old, yet you are still holding onto the top spot? Don't you think it's about time to breakthrough to Great Warrior and give the other youngsters a chance to sit on the throne?"

"Big Brother Blacktiger… I am only…"

"Oh, right. Silly me." Ironhead immediately smacked his head in realization and laughed, "Hahaha, forget what I just said. I often forget how old you actually are."

Blacktiger did not know whether to laugh or cry at Ironhead's statement.

"Alright, don't mind me. You, youngsters, continue to have fun." Ironhead prepared to leave.

"Big Brother Ironhead is not going to relax while you are here?" Blacktiger asked. He could see that Ironhead had yet to take a bath.

Ironhead shook his head and waved him off, "Nah, I still have things to do."

He left the Bathhouse decisively. On the way out, he was quickly startled after bumping into a towering figure.��

"C-Chief Valencia." Ironhead immediately greeted.

The Chief nodded and casually asked, "How is our guest doing?"

"Err, our guest has already left to tour the city with Goldenrod while I was arranging the guest's accommodations, Chief." Ironhead retold what he heard from Blacktiger.

Chief Valencia acknowledged his words and said, "Walk with me."

"Yes, Chief."

Ironhead complied without questioning.

But after walking 20-odd yards down the street, he asked, "Is there something the Chief wish to ask this little brother?"

"What do you think of the guest's Soul Weapon?" Chief Valencia casually asked, but Ironhead was immediately alarmed.

"It couldn't be that Chief Valencia wants to—"

"No, that is not it." Chief Valencia stopped Ironhead from speaking further with a hand gesture before continuing, "I just find the Soul Weapon slightly familiar. You had more chance to look at the Soul Weapon. What are your thoughts on it?"

"Now that the Chief has mentioned, I do find it familiar as well. I feel like I have seen it somewhere before, but can't quite pinpoint exactly where." Ironhead frowned as he tried to recall his obscured memories.

"Since you can't remember, then just leave it at that. It will surely come back naturally at some point." Chief Valencia sighed.

She had the same dilemma, but there was no point in forcing the issue. It would just cause unnecessary stress.

"As the Chief wishes."

Ironhead was happy to comply without complaint.

The human brain was like a rebellious child that likes to throw random fits. It knows the answer you are seeking, but sometimes, it just does not feel like giving it to you.

The more you force it, the more it denies you. Only by coaxing and making it happy will it give you what you want.

…

Unaware of the attention surrounding Leon's Soul Weapon, he arrived before a tailor store.

"This is the best tailor store in our city. You won't be able to find a place that sells finer quality clothing and armor in the city than here." Goldenrod proudly introduced.

Leon was immediately speechless. You know I am flat broke, but you still led me to the best tailor store in town? If the items are too expensive, he would only be able to look and not buy.

He rolled his eyes and said, "Let us go in and take a look."

Chapter 344 - Meeting A Shaman

As soon as Leon stepped inside the tailor store and glanced at the items on display, his expression was placid. There was neither surprise nor disappointment. The sartorial fashion was as he had expected.

The Darkmoon Tribe's garments were all made from materials that can only be gained from demonic beast carcasses. Namely, they are bones, leather, fur, feathers, and scales.

If there was one thing he had to point out about this store, it was not quite the tailor store he was expecting. It was more suited to be called a light-armor store.

There was no such thing as garments made solely for the sake of covering oneself. Everything was created with the word 'protection' in mind, whether it be for defensive purposes or simply to keep your body warm from the cold.

"Welcome to the best tailor store in town, esteemed customers. Here, we have—Ah, Big Brother Goldenrod! Welcome, welcome. Are you here to buy the leather guards you've been eyeing?"

A naive young voice greeted them from behind the counter with enthusiasm.

"Little Bone? I'm not the one shopping today." Goldenrod shook his head before walking over and ruffle the little boy's head. "I see you are already old enough to be helping out with the store. Where is your grandpa?"

Leon shifted his gaze over and studied the little boy, who appeared to be roughly 9 years of age. The little boy was still normal and did not have an excessively large muscle build like what he had seen from every adult warrior in the tribe.

"Grandpa is working on his next piece of equipment in the workshop at the back." Little Bone answered simply before curiously asking, "If Big Brother Goldenrod is not the one shopping, then is it this… brother here?"

Goldenrod was not given time to answer, before Little Bone's eyes lit up and followed up with another question, "Brother, which great family are you from! How do you grow so quickly?"

The little boy had mistaken Leon for another child who had yet to take the Rite of Baptism and bath in the Black Pool to formerly begin warrior training.

Goldenrod smiled wryly and corrected the child's thinking with a shake of his head, "Little Bone, this person here is a Great Warrior. You should address him respectably as Big Brother Leonhardt."

"Ah? Really??? You are not lying to me, Big Brother Goldenrod?" Little Bone doubted.

"Why would I lie to you? Quickly go fetch your grandpa for me, alright?"

"Hmm, alright."

Little Bone had his doubts, but he was easily convinced since an adult had told him so.

After a cute little nod, Little Bone hopped down from the tall stool behind the counter and ran off to call his grandpa in the back.

"Isn't this place supposed to be the top store in town? There is no one watching over the store except a little kid. Are they not afraid of someone stealing their goods?" Leon casually asked, seeing how absent the store has become.

"Steal their goods? Hahaha, Brother Leonhardt sure knows how to joke. No one dares to steal from a Shaman. You must know that Shamans enjoy a very lofty status. To offend a Shaman is to offend the entire tribe. No one would be stupid enough to do that." Goldenrod laughed before adding, "Why not take this time to see if there's something that catches your eye?"

A Shaman running a tailor store? Leon found this strange.

"Alright, I'll do just that."

Leon gave Goldenrod a sidelong glance before inspecting the items on display with a more serious gaze.

He did not know much about Shamans, but he had at least recognized that Shamans were people with some knowledge in runes. Surely, a store run by an Old Shaman would have unordinary items for sale.

'These items are all enchanted with runes! Hm? Some of these items even have Tier 5 runic enchantments!'

Leon's eyes glimmered with interest after making this discovery. Studying these Tier 5 runic enchantments would benefit him surely.

The runes were well hidden in the interior of the garments. It was due to this that Leon had not noticed them until he scanned with his divine sense.

"How much is this leather chest piece?" Leon casually asked Goldenrod as he pointed at the leather armor with Tier 4 runic enchantments.

"That would be 5,000 Dark Crystals, young man. Are you planning to buy it?" An aged voice answered in Goldenrod's stead as an old man could soon be seen walking over with Little Bone following behind him.

"Venerable Shaman." Goldenrod greeted respectfully.

"En."

The Old Shaman acknowledged his greeting with a nod.

"5,000 Dark Crystals, huh?" Leon quietly mused while he subtly studied the old man, who might be one of the so-called 'Shamans.'

The old man appeared to be roughly 80 years of age, but his body was still vigorous and perfectly healthy without suffering a single ailment, or at least that was all Leon could see for now from his diagnosis with his sense of sight and smell.

His brows were furrowed slightly.

Since he did not know how valuable Dark Crystals were, he turned to Goldenrod and asked, "Is 5,000 Dark Crystals a lot?"

"Very much so! At my current level, it would take 3 years of earnings to gather that much!" Goldenrod answered seriously.

"Oh," Leon replied casually, but he soon glared at Goldenrod.

"Since it is so expensive here, why did you bring me to this place? Did I not tell you I was flat broke, or did you not listen to what I said?"

"I was—"

"Are you saying that you can't afford it, young man?" The Old Shaman frowned at once after hearing the words Leon said to Goldenrod.

What he hated was people interrupting his work and wasting his time. Looking at the two's attire, he could tell that Goldenrod did not carry many Dark Crystals while Leon basically had nothing.

"Don't tell me you are planning to trade your Soul Weapon for this piece of equipment? Although I am more than happy to accept, I do not think you are stupid enough to make that sort of trade, right?" The Old Shaman continued to press.

A Tier 4 Soul Weapon was much more valuable than a piece of Tier 4 equipment.

Leon's frown deepened at the trouble Goldenrod had brought him. He did think about using his medical skills to trade, but only if the other party was gravely ill or had someone close to them that was gravely ill.

Looking at the Old Shaman, this person was perfectly healthy. In fact, he could not be healthier!

Also, he could not just casually ask, "Do you have any important person dying?" That was like cursing the person's family. It would totally offend the party if it were not the case at all!

He should have inquired from Goldenrod beforehand, but now it was not the appropriate time to ask.

'It seems I would have to look for an alternative method.' Leon mused as he quickly pondered for an answer. He had more than just medical skills.

However, his thoughts were interrupted after Goldenrod said, "Venerable Shaman, calm your anger! This person is a doctor and might be able to help cure your son!"

"Is that true, Big Brother Goldenrod? Can Big Brother Leonhardt really cure my papa?" Little Bone asked with a hopeful gaze.

"I hope you are telling the truth! You must know that the consequences of lying to me are very severe!" The Old Shaman said profoundly but did not refute Goldenrod's claims.

He had his doubts, but no one was stupid enough to fool a Shaman. A Shaman's wrath was not something anyone in the tribe could bear.

"Very well, follow me. If you can truly cure my son, forget about the leather chest armor. You can pick as many items as you want!"

As the Old Shaman guided them to his home in the back, Leon turned to Goldenrod and curiously asked with amazement, "When did you figure out I was a doctor?"

He had to re-evaluate this person. He was not as stupid as he had made himself to be.

"When you fixed my arm, Brother Leonhardt. You did it some easily and casually like you were well-practiced in it."

"I doubt it was just based on that alone, though, right?"

"En, Brother Leonhardt lives a vagabond life and a Great Warrior, but your body has no scars at all. I was able to guess that you must be very skillful in medicine, or at least be a Shaman with some special healing powers."

Leon gave himself a quick self-inspection and nodded, "I see."

He had been too careless and neglected this point, but this was not actually a bad thing. In fact, it was a good thing.

The survival rate of a lone vagabond was abysmal. But if Leon is a Shaman with healing powers, it would make perfect sense to them why he could survive in the Infertile Plains for so long by himself.

'If Goldenrod were able to see this much, I'm sure the tribal chief and the others would have guessed this much too.. I'm sure this also played a part in their zealous and friendly treatment towards me.'