Ye Cang's group of 5 returned to Really New Village. He had the others go to Rica's store, and went to see Mayor Mar by himself.
"What are you bothering me for so late at night? Are you trying to interfere with my happy time? If it's not important, then get lost!!" Old Mar said, wanting to immediately expel him.
Ye Cang sighed. This old pervert… He quickly told Mar about the Corrupted Jungle.
"The flower fairy, Alice. I know about her, however I've been so busy with the fishmen and werewolves that I ended up forgetting. It's true that she fell in love with a human. I even know who it was. It was my good friend, Guzdak. He was a plant / nature geek. He moved out of Really New Village to live at that jungle you went to. I've visited a few times, he lived about here. If it's really as you said, then she would definitely become a threat to Really New Village. Eliminate her. However, I wish you could bring back her's and Guzdak's remains. I'd like to bury them. Hah~ Just how many tragedies will this disaster cause. That damn evil wizard…" Ye Cang saw that Mar was seriously upset over it. The bias Ye Cang couldn't help but ask. "Could it be, you have some treasure over there…"
"You stinking brat! You think that I, Tory Mar, am that sort of greedy person!?" Mar smashed the table angrily.
Ye Cang nodded extremely vigorously. Old Mar's chest tightened. He raised a hand and smacked the back of Ye Cang's head. "Stinking brat! Respect your elders!!"
Ye Cang sighed swallowed his rebuke. It seemed the old man was serious this time. Mar then put a hand on his shoulder. "Actually, a few years ago, I thought he had found a wife, so I specially imported a piece of jewelry from the Steel Empire to gift to him. Help me retrieve it, I won't ask for anything else…"
Ye Cang sighed, this old scum… "Understood."
"Also, you have to bring back his body. After all, he was best friends with both my wife and myself. We thought he had already eloped with the flower fairy. We never thought he would meet such an end… Hah~" Mar then indicated that Ye Cang should leave.
Ye Cang looked at old Mar's sad expression and said to him with a smile. "Together in life and in death. Right?"
Old Mar stared dazed for a moment, before raising his hand. "Little bastard! Get out of here!"
Ye Cang quickly ran away.
Old Mar murmured Ye Cang's words. "When we're alive, we can be together with our loved ones. In death, we can still always be together. Such a beautiful thought. But brat, you're far too young. If you really love someone, even if you die, you would want them to bravely live on. Not to give up and die together like some coward."
He thought back to when Madam Mar had escaped from the Steel Empire and arrived here. At that time, himself, Guzdak, and Ali (Madam Mar) had grown up together. That guy had left the town to pursue his beloved flower fairy. Before he left, Ali had given him the necklace she wore. Guzdak was the only other person that knew she was a half-elf, yet he treated her as if she was his human little sister. To Ali, Guzdak will always be her elder brother. Mar hoped that she wouldn't suffer too much over this news.
After Ye Cang left, he sadly sat in the living room. Eventually, he got up and walked into the courtyard to watch the stars. "Calan Guzdak, so you've already passed on."
"Hubby, is it about Brother Calan?" Madam Mar arrived and cuddled up to him. Her eyes showed that she was a bit dejected.
"Mm, he's passed on. I thought he had run away with that flower fairy. I had that brat go bring their bodies back." Mar's voice was tranquilly as he watched the night sky.
Madam Mar nodded, her tears slowly dripping down her cheek.
…
"Half-Elf? The victims of the jealous humans. If Vivian hadn't started the armed uprising, but chose a more peaceful method, perhaps the half-elf massacre would never have happened."
"Ali, you're both a human and an elf. You're nature's pride, not any worse than either side. If you keep demeaning yourself, I'll get mad."
"Mar, I'll leave Ali to you. If you dare to bully her, I'll take your Mayor title from you!"
"I'm leaving. Ali, Mar, take care. I know what you want to say, but this is my decision. Haha~ Don't look so glum. I'll take good care of this necklace."
…
"Brother…" Madam Mar sobbed. Old Mar held her tightly against his chest. This chaotic age, filled with chaotic people and their chaotic convictions. When will it end?
…
Rica's General Store.
"Bro, Granny Rica's got so many new goods!" Zhang ZhengXiong smiled.
Ye Cang faintly smiled back. He bought some good arrows, and gifted her a leg from the monstrous bird boss. Rica was very moved, they would always treat her and Jessie well when they visited. She hesitated for a bit before saying: "I'm getting old, but Jessie is still so young. When I pass on, could you take him with you to explore the continent. This is also his dream. If you were with him, I'd feel a lot more at ease…"
Ye Cang looked at the sleeping Jessie and interrupted her. "Granny Rica, what he needs now isn't to leave, but to stay by your side. As for exploring the continent, that's a decision he can make when he grows up…"
"Bro, let's do this. Once we leave, they can both join us." Zhang ZhengXiong said with a carefree smile.
"Is that possible? We're not even sure how we'll be leaving." Ye Cang frowned. Little Ye Tian also thought the same. Although she didn't know Rica or Jessie very well, but she knew her father cared a lot about Rica. It was likely because she reminded him of the Granny that had raised him. She chose to remain silently and just observe.
"If it's with you all, I wouldn't mind…" Rica smiled kindly.
"The General Store's Rica wants to become your follower. Will you accept?"
Ye Cang looked at Rica and the sleeping Jessie with a complicated expression.
Character: Rica
Class: General Store Owner
Grade: F
No fighting capabilities.
Class Skills: Haggle (Get more advantageous prices when buying and selling), Affable (Easily obtains the trust of other NPCs), Con (Can trick an NPC into buying something)
Character: Jessie
Class: ???
Grade: -
Currently has no fighting capabilities.
Class Skills: Ignorant Adventurer (Easily discovers hidden instances and points of interest)
"If they become our followers, they'd be able to follow us no matter how we leave. It was the same in the previous games. Moreover, once we reach a big city, if we get a store, we'd need to hire NPCs to run it. However, if we have these two, then it is no longer an issue. It's killing two birds with one stone." Little Ye Tian whispered in Ye Cang's ear.
Ye Cang slowly nodded. "Alright then."