563 CH 523: NIGHT APPROACHING
When noon came, Nuwa woke up from her slumber to the sounds, or rather the scent, of someone cooking.
Her stomach growled quietly as if rebelling and telling her to start finding something to fill it or face rebellion.
“Hungry.”
“Hahaha! To think those are the first words that come to you as you wake up.”
Opening her eyes, she quietly observed her surroundings before focusing on the one that mattered: the one who was cooking.
She recognized him as the old man, Gerald. Though he should have been a traitor and was exiled, she had to say that he lived quite an interesting life.
At the very least, she could not see despair and despondency in his eyes, even though he had lost nearly everything.
“Get up and eat while it’s hot. I can’t do much with the current rations. We will have to wait for something more when the circle is activated.”
Once the circle was activated, the first things sent would be rations, resources, and soldiers. Later on, more and more things would come through.
“Thank you.”
Taking the steaming bowl of soup filled with a little bit of meat, Nuwa sighed as she missed the treats she would get in the Tower. But the food made by Gerald wasn’t too bad considering the current situation.
“So, how is it?”
He asked after seeing her eat more than half her bowl.
“Good.”
It wasn’t great, but it was definitely not bad at all.
“Heh. Back then, we lost our circle and were stranded in enemy territory. Not much food and definitely no spices and salt. Had to learn how to make food as good as possible for us to eat without feeling like vomiting.”
Gerald was quite proud as he said this and started walking with Nuwa while he helped serve the soldiers.
Obviously, using a large pot of food was not something he could do alone. Good food was perhaps one of the most important things in a war. After all, one could not fight on an empty stomach.
“Thanks.”
Everywhere they went, soldiers would thank them and take the food. Many were wounded, many were dead, and a few were still unconscious.
In the end, it was impossible to keep all soldiers from going through the pain of losing dear comrades.
The smile on Gerald’s face receded a little but never in front of the soldiers. He was not a general anymore, but it had already been cultivated in his blood. How to always keep a stoic and know-it-all demeanor and stand tall, no matter how dire the situation was.
“Thank you.”
“Hm?”
This time, it was Gerald's turn to thank her.
“Thanks to your work, we were able to protect the Circle and deal a great blow to those Tigers. This wouldn’t have been possible without your help.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He chuckled, knowing full well that she couldn’t care less about such a situation. This was why,
“When you go back, you should tell this to Sol and everyone. I am sure they will reward you.”
“Ohhh!”
This time, she was definitely more interested.
The way she could not hide her expression and feelings was something Gerald found very endearing.
Such innocent people were becoming incredibly rare. After all, in a world ruled by madness and blood, naivety and innocence were nothing but a recipe for disaster.
However, in Nuwa’s case, her innocence was in a way scarier than anything else because of her strength.
Smiling, he took Nuwa's bowl and refilled it. The way her eyes widened and sparkled when she ate was truly a delight to see.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
She asked as she looked at him with wonder, “Well, I guess it’s simply because I want to.”
There was not much else to say to this reality. “Also, you remind me of my granddaughter. Though, this was before she fell sick.”
“Granddaughter? The reason you betrayed Sol?”
Gerald grimaced. Indeed. Innocent people were truly dangerous in some way. This innocent question was like an arrow to his heart, but there was not much he could say.
“Indeed.”
He did not try to bring more excuses. Though it was true that he did what he did to save someone dear, to him, he had undoubtedly broken his vows as a soldier under the crown and as a friend and family.
His actions broke the heart of many people, and there was nothing he could do or say that would change this reality.
The simple fact that he was allowed to atone for what he did was already more than he honestly deserved, in his opinion.
“You seem sad.”
“I am. But I am also happy. I guess I am feeling very mixed about the situation.”
He shrugged and looked ahead,
“By the way, tonight, we will most likely face a Duke rank. I cannot leave the Circle as they would then be vulnerable. Will you be able to face them?”
Nuwa blinked a little before nodding,
“I will win.”
Nuwa had a very simple outlook on life. She was not stupid, but neither did she like thinking too much.
Even so, she had already seen what represented the top of the top and even faced one of the greatest talents in the world, in her opinion.
“I won’t lose.”
The King rank was obviously something else, but now she could never imagine herself losing against anyone outside of those inhabiting the Tower.
Those were the true monsters, in her opinion.
[Stop underestimating yourself.]
Nuwa ignored the voice as always and focused on eating. It seemed like tonight she would have to fight again. She wanted to be full when it happened and give her all if necessary.
[This will be your first true fight against a Duke. Do not be careless.]
‘Didn’t you say I shouldn’t underestimate myself?’
[Ugh!]
Echidna was going crazy, but thankfully for her, Gerald, while not knowing about her existence, came to her rescue,
“You should not underestimate him.”
“Huh?”
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Wise words flowed from his mouth as he looked ahead,
“The Tigers will be desperate and ready to do anything for victory. Even the strong can succumb to trickery. You need to keep a clear outlook of your skill without dismissing the skills of the one you are about to face. Not doing so is a ticket straight to death.”
In his long life, Gerald had seen many people fail and die, not because they were weak, but because they underestimated the ones they were facing.
This disdain would bring gaps in their guards the moment they were surprised, and such gaps would generally be fatal.
He did not wish to see Nuwa die in such a stupid way and become nothing but a cautionary tale for the future.
“I see. I will be careful.”
She simply had to kill her enemy faster than they could respond.
This would eliminate any risk, right?
(AN: Two or three more chapters for this part and
563 CH 523: NIGHT APPROACHING
When noon came, Nuwa woke up from her slumber to the sounds, or rather the scent, of someone cooking.
Her stomach growled quietly as if rebelling and telling her to start finding something to fill it or face rebellion.
“Hungry.”
“Hahaha! To think those are the first words that come to you as you wake up.”
Opening her eyes, she quietly observed her surroundings before focusing on the one that mattered: the one who was cooking.
She recognized him as the old man, Gerald. Though he should have been a traitor and was exiled, she had to say that he lived quite an interesting life.
At the very least, she could not see despair and despondency in his eyes, even though he had lost nearly everything.
“Get up and eat while it’s hot. I can’t do much with the current rations. We will have to wait for something more when the circle is activated.”
Once the circle was activated, the first things sent would be rations, resources, and soldiers. Later on, more and more things would come through.
“Thank you.”
Taking the steaming bowl of soup filled with a little bit of meat, Nuwa sighed as she missed the treats she would get in the Tower. But the food made by Gerald wasn’t too bad considering the current situation.
“So, how is it?”
He asked after seeing her eat more than half her bowl.
“Good.”
It wasn’t great, but it was definitely not bad at all.
“Heh. Back then, we lost our circle and were stranded in enemy territory. Not much food and definitely no spices and salt. Had to learn how to make food as good as possible for us to eat without feeling like vomiting.”
Gerald was quite proud as he said this and started walking with Nuwa while he helped serve the soldiers.
Obviously, using a large pot of food was not something he could do alone. Good food was perhaps one of the most important things in a war. After all, one could not fight on an empty stomach.
“Thanks.”
Everywhere they went, soldiers would thank them and take the food. Many were wounded, many were dead, and a few were still unconscious.
In the end, it was impossible to keep all soldiers from going through the pain of losing dear comrades.
The smile on Gerald’s face receded a little but never in front of the soldiers. He was not a general anymore, but it had already been cultivated in his blood. How to always keep a stoic and know-it-all demeanor and stand tall, no matter how dire the situation was.
“Thank you.”
“Hm?”
This time, it was Gerald's turn to thank her.
“Thanks to your work, we were able to protect the Circle and deal a great blow to those Tigers. This wouldn’t have been possible without your help.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He chuckled, knowing full well that she couldn’t care less about such a situation. This was why,
“When you go back, you should tell this to Sol and everyone. I am sure they will reward you.”
“Ohhh!”
This time, she was definitely more interested.
The way she could not hide her expression and feelings was something Gerald found very endearing.
Such innocent people were becoming incredibly rare. After all, in a world ruled by madness and blood, naivety and innocence were nothing but a recipe for disaster.
However, in Nuwa’s case, her innocence was in a way scarier than anything else because of her strength.
Smiling, he took Nuwa's bowl and refilled it. The way her eyes widened and sparkled when she ate was truly a delight to see.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
She asked as she looked at him with wonder, “Well, I guess it’s simply because I want to.”
There was not much else to say to this reality. “Also, you remind me of my granddaughter. Though, this was before she fell sick.”
“Granddaughter? The reason you betrayed Sol?”
Gerald grimaced. Indeed. Innocent people were truly dangerous in some way. This innocent question was like an arrow to his heart, but there was not much he could say.
“Indeed.”
He did not try to bring more excuses. Though it was true that he did what he did to save someone dear, to him, he had undoubtedly broken his vows as a soldier under the crown and as a friend and family.
His actions broke the heart of many people, and there was nothing he could do or say that would change this reality.
The simple fact that he was allowed to atone for what he did was already more than he honestly deserved, in his opinion.
“You seem sad.”
“I am. But I am also happy. I guess I am feeling very mixed about the situation.”
He shrugged and looked ahead,
“By the way, tonight, we will most likely face a Duke rank. I cannot leave the Circle as they would then be vulnerable. Will you be able to face them?”
Nuwa blinked a little before nodding,
“I will win.”
Nuwa had a very simple outlook on life. She was not stupid, but neither did she like thinking too much.
Even so, she had already seen what represented the top of the top and even faced one of the greatest talents in the world, in her opinion.
“I won’t lose.”
The King rank was obviously something else, but now she could never imagine herself losing against anyone outside of those inhabiting the Tower.
Those were the true monsters, in her opinion.
[Stop underestimating yourself.]
Nuwa ignored the voice as always and focused on eating. It seemed like tonight she would have to fight again. She wanted to be full when it happened and give her all if necessary.
[This will be your first true fight against a Duke. Do not be careless.]
‘Didn’t you say I shouldn’t underestimate myself?’
[Ugh!]
Echidna was going crazy, but thankfully for her, Gerald, while not knowing about her existence, came to her rescue,
“You should not underestimate him.”
“Huh?”
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Wise words flowed from his mouth as he looked ahead,
“The Tigers will be desperate and ready to do anything for victory. Even the strong can succumb to trickery. You need to keep a clear outlook of your skill without dismissing the skills of the one you are about to face. Not doing so is a ticket straight to death.”
In his long life, Gerald had seen many people fail and die, not because they were weak, but because they underestimated the ones they were facing.
This disdain would bring gaps in their guards the moment they were surprised, and such gaps would generally be fatal.
He did not wish to see Nuwa die in such a stupid way and become nothing but a cautionary tale for the future.
“I see. I will be careful.”
She simply had to kill her enemy faster than they could respond.
This would eliminate any risk, right?
(AN: Two or three more chapters for this part and
