After Tazi left, the woman returned to the house and called out to her daughter who had just run into the room. Tarian came out as if nothing had happened, smiling, as if she had been in her own room all along, with nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Seeing the dissatisfaction on Tarian’s face, the woman couldn’t help but chuckle softly, speaking gently, “Are you so unwilling to see your brother leave?”

 

“No, Mom, don’t talk nonsense.”

 

Tarian turned her head away, looking indifferent.

 

“Tarian, your brother, actually doesn’t want you to go to the Village of Heroes with him. It’s not as great as you imagine. It’s not free there, and it’s more dangerous than here. There, you are dispensable to those people, but here, you are everyone’s treasure. Your brother just hopes you can stay here, happily, with people who care for you.”

 

“I know.”

 

Tarian responded flatly, but her expression showed that she didn’t accept this idea.

 

As a young and vibrant woman, many girls her age had already married. But she was different. As a Silver-ranked adventurer, she had a status higher than many men, which made her feel respected. It also made her want to see higher vistas of the world, to encounter an epic love, rather than live an ordinary life in a small town.

 

People often say, “Without taking risks or pushing oneself, how can one achieve the future they desire?”

 

Tarian firmly believed that women could do the same.

 

She could excel too.

 

Back in her room, Tarian combed her long hair, then put on her helmet, donned her armor, grabbed her weapons, and quietly left the house, heading alone towards the Misty Forest.

 

In the afternoon, Tarian’s mother knocked on her room door, only to find her daughter was not at home. Remembering her daughter’s behavior in the morning, she realized her daughter might do something foolish.

 

She quickly found members of Tarian’s adventure team.

 

“Auntie, don’t worry, we’ll go find Tarian and bring her back.”

Kita and the two young men hurriedly began to inquire. Without calling the old wizard, the three of them found out that someone had seen Tarian wearing her armor heading towards the direction of the Misty Forest in the morning.

 

So, the three of them quickly grabbed some supplies and hurried to catch up, hoping that Tarian wouldn’t encounter any trouble.

 

In the depths of the forest, a female warrior was slowly making her way forward.

 

“Damn it, why are there so many traps here? How can a goblin cave be in the territory of wild forest wolves?”

 

Tarian used her longsword to hack through the dense branches, creating a barely passable path.

 

Wearing custom-made but still heavy armor, trekking through the deep forest, climbing mountains, and wading through water would be challenging for any warrior.

 

Normally, it was the assassin Zuo Jie who would lead the way ahead, finding a more suitable path. But this time, Tarian came alone and found that the mountain road was not as easy to traverse as she had imagined.

 

After passing through the dense forest, Tarian finally reached an area with less vegetation. But before she could relax, she noticed several figures lurking in the bushes around her.

 

They bared their teeth, revealing claws and fangs. They were several wild forest wolves that lived in this area.

 

The appearance of the wild forest wolves did not catch Tarian’s attention. It was inadequate for even one high-level beast to be found here, making it unsuitable for the central area of the Misty Forest.

 

Compared to Exploding Monkey Mountain, which they often visited, this place was like a safe zone for them as Silver-ranked adventurers.

 

How could a Silver-ranked female warrior be afraid of such weak creatures?

 

Continuing forward, Tarian arrived at a clearing where the scent of living creatures lingered all around.

 

This was the direction where the goblins appeared, indeed a good hiding place.

 

Although Tarian was reckless, she was not foolish.

 

It was already late, and although she hadn’t encountered any danger along the way, traveling alone was still somewhat difficult.

 

She abandoned the plan to confront the goblin hideout now and decided to first determine the exact location of the goblin hideout hidden here before leaving.

 

When she returned later in her full state, even if she were alone, Tarian believed she could exterminate the goblin hideout.

 

The confidence of the female warrior Tarian stemmed from her strength.

 

As the vice-captain of the adventure team, although she lacked experience, her combat ability was truly worthy of her position as vice-captain.

 

The weak wild forest wolves seemed to sense the threatening aura emanating from the heroic female warrior and fled back into the woods early, disappearing without a trace.

 

On the path behind Tarian, Kita, Zuo Jie, and Kurok caught up. They discovered the trail Tarian had cleared and followed it to her location.

 

They could only pray in their hearts for these three young adventurers, hoping that the beautiful female warrior would not encounter any unfortunate events before being found by her companions.

 

However, the young lady did not, in fact, fall victim to the attacks or kidnappings of the ugly goblins. On the contrary, she was now facing a scene that surprised her greatly.

 

“Welcome to my secluded abode, young and beautiful lady.”

 

A handsome elf, whose origin was unknown, welcomed Tarian with the etiquette of a foreign race.

 

Tarian was somewhat astonished by the sudden appearance of the situation before her.

 

Just moments ago, she had discovered this place and witnessed a vast crop field where goblins were toiling away.

 

While she was still marveling at the scene, the elven master of this place seemed to notice her and expressed a warm welcome.

 

“You… these goblins…”

 

Tarian was so astonished that she was at a loss for words. After all, anyone who saw the hideous and vicious goblins obediently working would find it incredibly unbelievable.

 

Moreover, the owner who appeared here turned out to be a stunningly handsome golden-haired and golden-eyed elf.

 

The golden-eyed elf smiled kindly and said, “They are all my servants controlled by magic, responsible for defending against the nearby wolf packs and taking care of my fields.”

 

“Using magic to control so many goblins?”

 

Tarian was utterly astonished. Controlling so many goblins alone indicated the profound depth of this elven gentleman’s magical power.

 

Moreover, this elven gentleman was so handsome, as if he had stepped out of a painting or a scroll. He was incredibly good-looking.

 

Tarian found it hard to take her eyes off him. She had seen handsome guys before, like her brother, but compared to the elven gentleman before her, the difference was staggering.

 

The young unmarried lady found herself somewhat entranced by his attractiveness, unable to tear her gaze away.

 

But soon, she snapped out of it.

 

Wait, why would such a pure-blooded elf with such prominent elven features be here?

 

As a newcomer human female warrior, she didn’t seem to doubt everything she saw before her, because this elven gentleman was the most handsome person she had ever encountered.

 

It seemed strange to her to associate such a handsome elf with the ugly, weak, and easily bullied goblins.

 

In the town, and even in the surrounding duchies, it was rare to encounter such a pure-blooded elf with such distinct elven features.

 

The young lady suddenly felt that this might be a precious encounter in her life.

 

For her age, it seemed just right.

 

She was just wondering why this elven gentleman would be in such a secluded place.

 

She even wondered if it was because the heavens had heard her innermost desires and took pity on her longing for beautiful things, thus arranging this encounter for her?

 

The young and handsome male protagonist extended an invitation to the girl who was just beginning to feel love.

 

“If you don’t mind, I can take you to visit my fields?”

 

Without suspicion, the young female warrior, under the guidance of her friendly host, visited the fields cultivated by the goblins here.

 

Everything was orderly, like walking in a different kind of human society.

 

“It’s amazing, Mr. Le.”

 

Tarian was excited. Everything here exceeded her imagination. She had never thought that controlling goblins to do such things was possible.

 

Just like slaves and labor animals of humans, allowing these ugly and seemingly worthless goblins to create value for humans gave meaning to the existence of the goblin race.

 

The handsome and amiable elf gentleman smiled and shook his head, saying, “Wisdom is passed down from ancestors, and I just know a few tricks I’ve researched myself, nothing to mention.”

 

Tarian blushed slightly. She didn’t know how to respond to the elf gentleman’s words.

 

According to her mother, the purer the elf’s bloodline, the nobler they were, and the more aloof they were toward humans. Elves with such pure lineage usually looked down upon associating with humans. She never expected to encounter such a friendly elf gentleman.

 

“Miss Tarian, you must be a noble adventurer, aren’t you? This beautiful armor, worn by such a beautiful lady like yourself, is too dazzling for someone like me who only studies strange magic.”

 

“Uh… no, I’m just a Silver-ranked adventurer.” Tarian replied shyly.

 

Wow, what a peaceful scene it was, handsome men and beautiful women, as if they were naturally compatible, making people envy this scene. It was truly a wonderful story.

 

“Tarian!”

 

At that moment, the three adventurers who had come to find Tarian were alarmed to see an elf appearing near the goblins in the deep forest. Instantly, they became cautious.

 

Hurrying over, they swiftly killed several goblins who happened to be working nearby and positioned themselves to protect Tarian in the middle.

 

The moment they saw the golden-haired, golden-eyed elf, they realized that something might be amiss.

 

From ancient times, elves detested goblins more than any other race.

 

Like executioners sent by the heavens, almost all elves would immediately send someone to kill all the goblins upon discovering them, leaving no survivors.

 

Now, with such a pure-blooded half-elf mingling with the goblins, there was definitely deception at play.

 

However, before they could say anything, Tarian’s expression turned cold. When the three of them killed the goblins along the way, the elf gentleman also showed displeasure on his face.

 

In that moment, Tarian felt embarrassed and ashamed to be with these three people. They were so lacking in manners, indiscriminately killing the elf gentleman’s slaves without distinguishing right from wrong.

 

This was very disrespectful. Slaves were also the property of their masters, and such actions amounted to damaging the elf gentleman’s personal property.

 

“What are you doing? Why are you killing those goblins? They are Mr. Le’s controlled servants, specially assisting Mr. Le in managing the crops!” Tarian stood by the side of the elf gentleman and questioned the three.

 

The three were caught off guard by the questioning.

 

Kita glanced at the unfamiliar elf, feeling an inexplicable sense of danger despite knowing that he was an elf. His intuition told him that something was wrong here.

 

“Tarian, elves wouldn’t mingle with goblins. There’s definitely something off about this guy.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” the other two quickly nodded, agreeing with Kita’s thoughts. There was definitely something fishy about this place.

 

“You guys, you’ve really disappointed me.” Tarian felt deeply disappointed. These companions, who had been like brothers to her for so long, turned out to be so unreasonable and stubborn.

 

The gap between them and the refined and amiable elf gentleman was indeed huge.

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Le. My teammates have behaved very rudely. I apologize to you on their behalf.” After Tarian apologized, the elf gentleman’s originally cold face softened, and he seemed no longer to blame them for the incident.

 

Tarian’s fondness for the elf gentleman increased even more. He was truly a well-mannered and noble elf, not one to nitpick over trivial matters.

 

As Tarian’s gaze turned toward the unfamiliar elf man, the three of them began to feel a strange sense of unease. It wasn’t the typical jealousy of a love rival stealing away an affection, but rather a chilling fear that someone they cared about was being targeted by a predator, drawing closer like a beast in the wild.

 

This feeling quickened their heartbeats.

 

This was the Misty Forest, a place permeated with the aura of ferocious beasts. What kind of elf would appear in such a place?

 

Dangerous, untamed, bloodthirsty elves.

 

“Tarian, stay away from him. This guy is dangerous.” Kita fixed a serious, cold gaze on the charming elf gentleman, with his bow already drawn taut.

 

At that moment, Tarian stepped in front of the elf gentleman, shielding him from Kita’s accusatory gaze and showing anger in her eyes.

 

“Stop it, Kita. You’re going too far!”

 

“We… we’re just trying to keep you safe…” Kita and the others couldn’t help but justify themselves.

 

“For my safety? We weren’t even in battle just now. I was having a good conversation with Mr. Le, and then you guys showed up and killed the goblins here, who didn’t even show any signs of hostility. And now you want to justify yourselves!” Tarian was deeply disappointed in her companions.

 

It wasn’t uncommon for people to live in secluded places in the deep mountains and forests, nor was it unusual to encounter other adventurers in many places.