Chapter 86: Calm

The giant serpent fell, leaving behind only a tear-like gem.

Wang Daoyi, with a single move, caught the tear-like gem in his hand. When his thoughts collided with the tear, a surge of sadness and affection overwhelmed him. Even the existence of a godly form couldn't suppress these emotions.

"This is the serpent's affection for the people of Enkanomiya!" Tears uncontrollably fell from Wang Daoyi's eyes.

The intensity of this last affection from the serpent was too overwhelming. Even in his godly form, he was affected.

The tears, condensed from sadness and affection, turned into faint fluorescence, entering Wang Daoyi's hand.

Xiao walked to Wang Daoyi's side, glanced at the tears turning into fluorescence, said nothing, then gave a strange look to Wang Daoyi under his godly demeanor before disappearing into the sky as a blue light.

In the Qingce Village, upon seeing the disappearance of the colossal serpent-like demon, Xiangling finally couldn't restrain her inner worries and rushed out.

Others followed closely, leaving the refuge.

Standing in the center of the battlefield, Wang Daoyi remained vigilant. He remembered the presence of the Fatui in this event. The closer to the end, the less he could relax.

It wasn't until he saw the figures of the people in the distance that he slightly lowered his guard.

Withdrawing from the godly demeanor, Wang Daoyi sensed an uncontrollable sense of weakness washing over him. Without holding on, he sat down directly on the ground.

A red figure rushed over and hugged Wang Daoyi tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.

Their companions followed behind.

"We agreed to act together with righteousness, but I didn't expect you, Brother Daoyi, to become so strong in secret!" Xíngqiū said sarcastically, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

Xingqui was more direct. He took out many elixirs from his bosom and handed them to Wang Daoyi. "These are specially made elixirs. They can replenish your strength and stabilize your injuries. Have some first!"

Without hesitation, Wang Daoyi accepted Xingqui's elixirs and swallowed them. As the elixirs entered his stomach, they turned into a warm stream, and Wang Daoyi felt some strength returning. He raised his hand to pat Xiangling's back lightly.

Then he gently wiped away the tears from the corner of the girl's eyes. "It's okay. With the help of the Great Demon Conquer, I didn't suffer any injuries. I just feel drained!"

Wang Daoyi was lying. How could he have fought an enemy like the giant serpent without getting injured? It's just that the injuries were not obvious. His elemental power had been drained completely. Although he didn't suffer serious injuries, he couldn't recover in a short time.

Xiangling nodded without releasing the young man. Instead, she hugged him tighter. During their time in the refuge, she had been extremely worried, but she didn't want to disturb Wang Daoyi's battle and had been suppressing her emotions.

Seeing that the girl didn't let go of him, Wang Daoyi didn't mind. He turned his head to look at Kèqíng. "What's the casualty count?"

"We haven't compiled the specific numbers yet!"

"Is it significant?"

"Not insignificant!"

"Not insignificant means significant." Wang Dao nodded slightly without saying much. No one could have expected that there would be remnants of the demon god in the end.

"This account will be settled with the Fatui!" Kèqíng's voice was flat, but everyone could feel her suppressed anger.

However, everyone agreed with her opinion. If it weren't for the Fatui's interference, this operation could have easily wiped out the entire band of thieves.

In a secluded bamboo forest,

The Doctor led a group of the Fatui to retreat.

"Doctor, why are we evacuating so hastily?" A Fatui officer asked in confusion. Just after releasing the remnants of the demon god, the Doctor's expression changed, and he led them away without even taking a closer look at the remnants of the giant serpent.

"Because someone else has arrived on the battlefield, and I'm not sure if I can hide from his perception!" The Doctor's voice was indifferent, fully demonstrating the calmness of a researcher. "It's not worth risking exposure for a little data on the remnants of the demon god."

The Fatui officer didn't quite understand the Doctor's meaning, but he didn't ask further questions. After all, he just needed to obey orders.

However, some things cannot be escaped by simply wanting to run away.

Without warning, a rock spear descended from the sky, piercing the Doctor. Faintly, before the Doctor's consciousness dissipated, he vaguely heard a voice— "This won't happen again!"

The sudden attack frightened the Fatui accompanying the Doctor. After remaining vigilant for a while and seeing no further attacks, they didn't have time to deal with the traces. They hastily carried the Doctor's "body" and left.

In the headquarters of the Treasure Hoarders, after most of the forces of the Treasure Hoarders left, only a few trusted aides of the leaders remained to guard. And now, one by one, undercover agents of the General Affairs Division were moving through the vast camp, capturing the remaining members of the Thieves' Guild, tying them up, and throwing them onto the training ground.

Wearing a blue cloak, Yelan leaned against the railing, watching her subordinates' actions.

When the Treasure Hoarders attacked the Qingce Village, Yelan also led a surprise attack on this camp.

"Big sister, we found quite a few supplies, but we didn't find any evidence of collusion between the Fatui and the Treasure Hoarders!"

"Hmm, if there's none, then there's none. Anyway, the gains are not small. Count them and keep a record. We'll hand them over to Qixing. As for these members of the Treasure Hoarders, according to our usual practice, hand them over to Panglei!"

Not finding evidence didn't disappoint Yelan. She had dealt with the Fatui too many times, winning and losing. In many cases, it was impossible to find evidence.

Far from the Qingce Village, on a small road,

Baoer led a group of remnants of soldiers toward Minlin.

This operation was a complete failure, but for Baoer, it was not a total loss. Thanks to her early preparation and timely retreat, her power remained relatively intact, while others suffered heavy losses. In a place like the Treasure Hoarders, when others become weaker, it's an opportunity for oneself to become stronger.

Back to the Qingce Village, the Millelith Army and the adventurers had already established a new camp. They didn't choose a good place; they just stationed themselves in the harvested fields.

After fighting all night, it was now dawn. Everyone simply didn't rest and began cleaning up the battlefield and rescuing the wounded.

Inside a tent, there were only Wang Daoyi and Xiangling, oh, and a pot of rice crusts. Everyone else had gone out to help.

Knowing that Wang Daoyi was the one who fought against the giant serpent yesterday, everyone wisely didn't disturb him.

Wang Daoyi lay on the low bed, chatting with Xiangling. Xiangling, who had already calmed down, had resumed her usual cheerful demeanor, discussing with Wang Daoyi what to eat later.

The two of them whispered to each other, discussing trivial matters.

The hurried footsteps interrupted their conversation, and Kèqíng entered the tent from outside.

"It seems like you've recovered well!" She showed a faint smile. There was a hint of exhaustion on her beautiful face. She handed a document to the two of them. "The Qixing have sent a message. This operation has exceeded the original plan. The General Affairs Division raided the Treasure Hoarders main camp but didn't find any evidence of collusion between the Fatui and the Treasure Hoarders. Hmph, they let them off the hook!"

Taking the document, Wang Daoyi casually glanced at it. It contained some ordinary information, mostly dealing with follow-up issues. Surprisingly, it also mentioned the orphan assistance program he initiated at the Qingce Village.

"Has the assistance program been approved?"

Kèqíng nodded, with a hint of a smile. "This time, so many people witnessed your battle against the remnants of the demon god. The Qixing must take a stance. So I just casually mentioned it, and Ningguang agreed!"

"That's good!" Wang Daoyi smiled. After all the fighting, wasn't this what he was aiming for? Then he seemed to remember something else. "What about the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Hmph, with so many spies infiltrating, the Adventurer's Guild has to give us an explanation. Plus, you saved so many adventurers yesterday. They won't refuse!" 

"That's great!" Wang Daoyi smiled. After fighting for so long, wasn't this what it was all about? Then, as if remembering something else, he asked, "What about the situation with the Qingce Village?"

Almost all the bamboo forests outside the Qingce Village had been destroyed during the battle with the giant serpent. Because Wang Daoyi extracted the earth veins to seal the giant serpent, the earth veins outside the Qingce Village were still active, attracting various monsters.

"The Millelith will station troops for a while, and the Adventurer's Guild will also send people to establish a camp here until the ley lines calm down!"

"Nothing else can be done!"