"The Sub-Zero Mountain Range is not officially part of the Great Forest of Jagga; therefore, the influence of the Human Settlents will be severely reduced there." Necro looked between all of his Shadow Tree Soldiers with his colorful human-like eyes. "None of this would be necessary if you all could take on the shape of humans. However, since that is not possible, I'll be guiding you to the Sub-Zero Mountain Range. And until you evolve enough to be capable of human transformation, you'll stay there and slaughter the powerful monsters that fester the blizzard-riddled mountainscape."
Escanor was completely fine with this—excited, even.
The regular Shadow Tree Soldiers had no opinion. They would do whatever they were told without complaint.
Lazy, on the other hand, was freaking the fuck out internally.
He wouldn't survive in such a hellish land! He just knew it! There was no way in holy mother earth he could do it!
With big puppy-dog eyes, Lazy pleaded for his Master to rethink his decision.
However, Necro stood by what he said. He denied the tearful Shadow Soldier several tis, sending him deeper and deeper into depression.
But that was when Lang Qingyue spoke up, saying, "That one still requires extensive training, Big Brother. If you'd allow it, he could remain with us and—"
"Remain with 'us'?" Necro asked. "Miss Lang, you'll be joining the Shadow Tree Soldiers in—what's the word? Ah yes, a Training Arc."
Silence…
"Does that an as well—"
"Naturally," Necro replied to Bai Ning, making both won go speechless. "I alone will be heading East, toward the Human Settlents. And by the ti I settle down and create a stronghold that will support our faction, I hope to retrieve entirely new versions of you lot."
"B-But Lord Necro, won't you need anyone to show you how human society operates—"
"I already know how humans function as a whole, Miss Ning." Necro shut Bai Ning down before she could even finish the question. "But if you're dissatisfied with these arrangents, you can always voice your complaints to ."
Even in his child form, Necro's creepy attempts at a friendly smile forced Bai Ning's neck hairs on end. She quickly lowered her head, keeping any and all dissatisfaction to herself.
Lang Qingyue was the sa.
And with that, everyone ca to a peaceful understanding of what would be happening next.
"During the next few years, I'll be separated from you all, but my range with the Shadow Soldiers is no longer what it once was. Even thousands of miles separating us is not enough for to be unable to view your progress," said Necro. "Do keep that in mind."
Lazy felt his whole world co crashing down.
Now he couldn't even fake hard work and had to actually do sothing useful!?
Bullshit!
Utter bullshit!
Overlooking Lazy's midlife crisis, Necro added to his speech, saying, "For your supply of Power Essence, I'll have one of the Shadow Soldiers periodically travel between where I'll be staying and where you'll be staying. This ans the Power Essence you receive will not decrease in any way whatsoever."
Even after Necro said this, Lazy wasn't feeling much better.
He still wanted to die…
Bai Ning and Lang Qingyue, on the other hand, may still have been disappointed and a bit saddened. However, they nonetheless wanted to be useful, and if that use ca from being temporarily separated, then so be it.
"You promise it won't take long for you to accomplish your goals in the East?" Bai Ning asked in a pitiful tone, to which Necro responded with a soft nod.
"It'll take no more than a few years," he said. "By then, I have no doubt in my mind that I'll make the East a safe place for all of us to settle in. From there, we'll begin learning more about this country and just how much more we'll need to do in order to beco locally invincible."
Bai Ning and Lang Qingyue felt a little better after hearing these words. Their faith was his to have.
"As for you bunch," Necro said to the over half a dozen Necrotic Valkyries, "you have done well in recent tis. I hope to see more of that as we move forward."
"Yes, Lord Creator!" the Necrotic Valkyries replied with pride. A few even giggled and whispered while observing their Lord's cute new appearance.
But with a single nacing glare from Lang Qingyue, they imdiately stiffened before nervously shifting their heads off to the side.
"That concludes the briefing," said Necro. "You'll be departing right away, and I'll be leaving for the East directly after. Do we all understand the roles we'll be playing in this grand expansion plan?"
Everyone nodded fervently.
"Very well then; I suppose this is goodbye."
These words deeply affected a number of the people in his faction, but they quickly buried those feelings. Now was not the ti for any of it.
No matter if one looked at their backgrounds or their primary source of cultivation boosters, they were most undoubtedly an abnormality in this world. And with nurous factions surely eyeing the stalk which sticks out, they had to rapidly and efficiently acquire as much power as possible.
Resolve to improve their standing in this vastly unfamiliar world welled up within all of them—even Necro.
For this reason alone, they parted ways after a few lancholic farewells.
Then there was one.
"I'm alone again," Necro muttered as he gazed into the warm red horizon line. "It's not much different from how it was after Yi Yu stopped dropping by. But sohow—or soway—this ti feels different."
Not only as a tree, but also as a living, breathing being, he was slowly but surely evolving.
Next up on his evolution path, however, was sothing that would certainly give him countless surprises to co…
"That's enough brooding for now," said Necro as he stepped off the cliff edge he was standing on, dipping his feet into the limitless horizon beyond. "It's ti to go wherever the winds lead ."
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