Chapter 131: Some Rejoice, Some Sorrow [Requesting Monthly Votes]

The Dark Forest was now blanketed in heavy snow. Han Shuo walked toward the village where the dwarves lived, the sound of his footsteps crunching against the frozen drifts. Last time, due to the appearance of forest trolls, the dwarves had been forced to abandon their original village. Although Han Shuo had later caught a glimpse of the direction they had fled using his Yuanmo, so much time had passed that he could not be certain where they had ended up.

The forest trolls had left and had not been seen in the area for a long time. Han Shuo reasoned that the dwarves might not have abandoned their original village permanently, so he decided to head there first to investigate.

When Han Shuo reached the entrance to the village and looked around, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. From the various disguises and defensive arrangements surrounding the entrance, he was certain the dwarves had not moved away.

Han Shuo let out a long, resonant whistle. The snow on the trees shivered and fell, and his keen ears soon picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. Sure enough, a moment later, several dwarf warriors emerged, holding battle axes and hammers, their expressions cautious and alert.

"Don't worry, it's just me," Han Shuo called out before the warriors could get any closer.

Upon hearing his voice, the dwarves visibly relaxed. Once they reached him, one of them said, "Winter has arrived, and it's difficult to get supplies. Even though this village is exposed, we had no way to build suitable housing elsewhere in such a short time. So, even knowing the risks, we didn't want to freeze out there and decided to return."

"Winter has come indeed. I’ve come this time to bring you food and thick clothing for the season. Furthermore, you don't need to worry about the forest trolls anymore; they will never harass you again," Han Shuo said with a faint, reassuring smile.

At these words, the dwarves cheered, their faces lighting up with genuine joy and relief.

"That's wonderful! We had almost finished the food you brought last time. Because you hadn't appeared for so long, the village chief thought something had happened to you. We didn't know how to help, so we could only worry. It’s so good to see you! Let’s head into the village and share the good news," the dwarf who had spoken first said happily, his short, sturdy legs moving quickly toward the heart of the settlement.

Hearing that Han Shuo had arrived, the dwarves who had been huddled in their homes to keep warm emerged one by one, greeting him warmly.

"Oh, it's so good to see you're alright, Han. We were very worried about you," the dwarf warrior Bennett said, his face full of surprise and relief.

Han Shuo went to a patch of ground that had been cleared of snow. Without much fanfare, he smiled and began pulling food and daily necessities from his spatial ring, stacking them into a large pile.

"These are the supplies I brought this time, along with warm clothing so you won't have to suffer through the cold. Also, you don't need to worry about the forest trolls anymore. You can live here in peace; they will never come to trouble you again," Han Shuo explained, watching the dwarves become ecstatic. He felt his efforts had truly paid off.

With the ground covered in food and goods, the dwarves were overjoyed. Even the women, children, and elderly who had been sheltering indoors came out to cheer from a distance.

"Thank you, Han. Without your food and supplies, I fear many of us would have starved or frozen to death this winter. This is enough to last us through the season. How can we ever repay you?" Chief Calvin bowed to Han Shuo in the formal dwarven manner, his voice thick with gratitude.

"We are friends. There is no need for such talk," Han Shuo replied.

Truth be told, these supplies were not particularly expensive, but for merchants, transporting them was difficult. Once they reached the Dark Forest, forest trolls, dwarves, and other races alike would pay any price to obtain them. However, with the teleportation array in the Cemetery of Death and his high-capacity spatial ring, a task that would have required massive manpower and resources was easily accomplished by Han Shuo without any difficulty.

"Han, you said the forest trolls won't harass us anymore—does that mean the elves have marched against them and crushed them?" Bennett asked, looking at Han Shuo with great interest.

Han Shuo was taken aback. "Are the elves planning to go to war with the forest trolls again?"

Bennett nodded, looking indignant. "Yes, they even invited us, saying they wanted to teach those wretched bandits a lesson. But our village's defenses are too weak, and the chief didn't agree to let us join the battle. Isn't it because of the elves that the trolls stopped bothering us?"

"Of course not. The threat of the forest trolls will be gradually brought under control. Don't worry. Well, I have some business to attend to, so I'll visit you again next time," Han Shuo said.

Without waiting for the dwarves to urge him to stay, Han Shuo made some casual excuses and hurried away. Hearing that the elves were planning to strike the forest trolls left him uneasy. In the past, he would have loved to see the elves wipe out the trolls, but now, the forest trolls were under his control—essentially his private force. Moreover, he needed the trolls to assist him with Emily's mission. If the elves caused trouble now, it would be highly problematic.

However, traveling to the troll stronghold would take several days, and he had many unresolved matters in the Empire. He couldn't leave just yet, which gave him a headache. After careful consideration, he decided there was no immediate rush. He would handle his business with Phoebe and attend the banquet first; a day or two wouldn't make a critical difference. The elves wouldn't necessarily strike in the next few days, and despite their power, the trolls were no pushovers. Their long history of conflict with the elves had proven that.

As night fell, Han Shuo returned to the Cemetery of Death under the cover of silence. He didn't rush to leave; instead, he took out another Saint Brain Fruit. Enduring the extreme torment, he digested it just as he had before, further developing the cerebral regions of his mind.

When Han Shuo felt his body recover and experienced the sensation of rebirth, his senses were even sharper, and the speed at which his mental energy flowed and his demonic energy circulated had both increased. He could faintly sense that he was on the verge of breaking through the Soul Sculpting stage. It seemed it wouldn't be long before he entered the next stage of his demonic cultivation.

The next stage was the "True Demon" realm. Once he entered this, he would form a demonic infant and become a "demon" in the true sense. The first three stages—Solidifying the Foundation, Expanding the Meridians, and Soul Sculpting—were merely the basics. Without the formation of the demonic infant, one was not a true practitioner of the demonic arts.

Once he reached the True Demon realm, he would be considered a true master. With the aid of the demonic infant, he would be able to fly, forge magical weapons with demonic energy, and re-forge the Demon Slayer blades. He would also be able to practice more formidable demonic arts and begin refining the Yin Demons, which were even more powerful than the Yuanmo.

In short, the True Demon realm was a watershed moment. Once he reached it, he would have many ways to enhance his strength, resulting in a massive leap in power. Therefore, feeling the signs of an impending breakthrough, his joy was indescribable.

The next morning, Han Shuo left the Cemetery of Death via the teleportation array and headed straight for the Babylon Academy of Magic and Force. His ambiguous conversation with Fanny last time had filled him with anticipation. Although she hadn't explicitly agreed to his courtship, she had made her feelings clear: once he advanced to the level of a high-level mage and graduated, he could win her heart.

There were still some advanced magical concepts and professional terminology that he didn't fully grasp, so he still needed Fanny's guidance.

As he walked through the academy toward the Necromancy Department, he realized he had become a celebrity. Students from other departments looked at him with surprise and admiration, and some beautiful female students cast longing glances his way. This attention satisfied his vanity, and he was in a good mood, even offering friendly, sunny smiles to the girls, which made them blush and scurry away.

However, his good mood vanished when he passed the training ground, his expression turning gloomy. Standing before the entrance of the Necromancy Department's training ground was Clark, the Earth Knight, dressed in a well-tailored outfit and holding a large bouquet of flowers, peering inside.

Through the open door, Han Shuo saw Fanny explaining magical theory to her students with a smile. She didn't seem affected by Clark’s presence at all, ignoring him completely. Even so, seeing Clark gazing at her so affectionately made Han Shuo deeply annoyed. As he strode toward the entrance, he veered slightly, intentionally using his shoulder to brush against the bouquet, crushing the stems and scattering the flowers across the ground.

He had moved quietly, accelerating only at the last moment. Clark, focused entirely on Fanny, was caught off guard and couldn't react in time. By the time he realized what had happened, his beautiful bouquet was a pathetic, wilted mess.

"Oh, I'm sorry, so sorry! This is the Necromancy training ground, and you were blocking the entrance—I didn't mean to do that," Han Shuo said, feigning apology as he saw Clark glaring at him with eyes full of fire.

"Oh, Brian! What brings you to the training ground today?" Fanny, inside the room, saw him and her eyes lit up. She walked toward him, glowing, and signaled for him to come in.

Fanny's reaction pleased Han Shuo, but Clark’s presence still grated on him. He looked at Fanny, then at the flowers in Clark’s hand, and said sarcastically, "The noble Sir Clark is standing here with flowers—who is he waiting for?"

Fanny paused, then rolled her eyes at Han Shuo with a wry smile. She walked over and said coldly to Clark, "Mr. Clark, I believe I have made myself quite clear. I only wish to teach here in peace. I hope you will stop bothering me. Furthermore, you are of noble status, and I do not wish for any unnecessary complications. I trust you understand my meaning?"

Her words were meant for both Clark and Han Shuo. It was a clear rejection of Clark and, implicitly, a reassurance to Han Shuo. Hearing this, Clark’s face turned ashen and he looked devastated, while Han Shuo felt a surge of triumph and a bright smile returned to his face.

Clark nodded gloomily, sighed, and left the training ground with his ruined flowers, not saying a word.

"Satisfied now?" Fanny pinched Han Shuo’s arm secretly and whispered fiercely, "How dare you not trust me!"

"Ow, that hurts! I believe you, I believe you!" Han Shuo replied, feigning pain while feeling secretly delighted.