Chapter 73: A New Member

Jayde let out a scream of joy that echoed across the entire hill. "I’m in! I’m a member of your guild! Thank you, Jax! Thank you so much!" Excited, she threw herself into my arms with force. I held her and spun her around in the air a couple of times. The commotion drew everyone’s attention, and I could see my other girls pouting. "Hey, that’s not fair!" Anya exclaimed. "Yeah, Jax has favorites..." Riven complained in a joking tone, but with a playful look. I smiled, gently setting Jayde down. "Don’t worry, don’t worry. There are no favorites here. We’re a big family now, and it’s only natural that we celebrate new additions." I gave them a reassuring smile and everyone laughed, accepting the situation. The way back was slow but steady. The contingent was very long, with children, women, and the elderly, so it was not possible to move at a high speed. I decided the march should be slow, as I didn’t want any unnecessary casualties. As we advanced, some flying beasts watched us from a distance. Unlike the clans, these demonic beasts were of low intelligence and only followed their instincts. [Wind Eagle Lvl 43] [Steel Falcon Lvl 47] Among them were two that led the packs. It was strange to see different species interact peacefully, but it seemed they were waiting for an opportunity to devour the weakest of the dogkin clan. While I was standing on a hill, watching the group’s advance, I decided to play a little target practice, so I activated my new ability. [Moonbow] A silver bow appeared in my hand while the arrow was automatically generated in the notch. The bow was magnificent; it seemed to be made of pure silver light. It felt light, but very strong. According to its description, the bow’s power depended directly on my level, so it could be considered a Grade (A) weapon with the possibility of growing to Grade (S+). I tensed the bow, letting an arrow fly with a thunderous sound. The arrow seemed to disappear and reappear right in front of the Steel Falcon’s head. The falcon, despite its high speed and feathers made of steel, had its head explode like a balloon. The experience it had granted was so little that I decided to stop playing with the birds. Besides, they all turned and fled. Jayde approached my side while watching the show I had put on. "Jax... I want to thank you," she said in a low voice. "Thank you for not abandoning me and for helping me avenge my family. I know there’s nothing I can do to repay you, but I promise to dedicate my entire life, my soul, and my strength to repaying even a small part of what you’ve given me. Thanks to you, I now feel a peace I hadn’t felt in a long time." "It’s nothing, Jayde," I told her, looking at her with sincerity. "You’re a part of us now." I opened my guild panel and sent a personal invitation to Jayde. Her eyes lit up when she saw the notification. Happy, she accepted immediately. She was now also a formal member of my guild, thanks to the annihilation of her former catkin clan, which had left her free to change without suffering the world’s penalty. Jayde let out a scream of joy that echoed across the hill. "I’m in! I’m a member of your guild! Thank you, Jax! Thank you so much!" Excited, she threw herself into my arms with force. I held her and spun her around a couple of times. The commotion drew everyone’s attention, and I could see my other girls pouting. "Hey, that’s not fair!" Anya exclaimed. "Yeah, Jax has favorites...", Riven complained in a joking tone, but with a playful look. I smiled, gently setting Jayde down. "Don’t worry, don’t worry. There are no favorites here. We’re a big family now, and it’s only natural that we celebrate new additions." I gave them a reassuring smile and everyone laughed, accepting the situation. The way back was slow but steady. The beasts didn’t dare to get close again, but I was ready if they wanted to play with me for a while. As night fell, we arrived at the goblin village. I approached Senda, who was still looking at the ground, and began to give her instructions. Senda didn’t dare to look at my face. I could only see her clenching her fists, her ears drooping. I told her the path they should follow and the amount of wood and stone they needed to get for the construction. "Once it’s ready, you’ll need to transport it to the meeting point I’ll indicate. I hope you can help me," I concluded. Senda, still looking at the ground, nodded and replied in an almost inaudible whisper. "We will, my lord... we’ll take care of it." She began to give orders, but I called her back. "I have one last instruction for you, Senda. You must come with us to the village. You’ll eventually earn your freedom, but for the moment you’ll be a guest within the clan." Senda turned even redder, nodding slowly. She gave the responsibility to a male dogkin, named Barkus, the former advisor to Matriarch Kira. As the other dogkins left and began to work to win favor with their new master, Senda stood alone, watching her clanmates strive for her. After making sure everything was okay and configuring the invader alert to protect them, we began the journey back. Unfortunately, Senda was low-level and couldn’t keep up with the pace of my group. Without a word, I lifted her like a princess. Senda turned red with embarrassment at being carried that way, but she remained silent, hanging her head. The group finally returned to the village, where a great banquet was waiting for us. I sat in the seat of honor and raised a cup. "To victory!" I shouted loudly. "We have returned victorious. Our village is now stronger than ever. Our enemies will be subjugated or exterminated. I present to you Senda, leader of the dogkin race, who voluntarily submits to become an ally. From now on, they will help us get the wood and stone we need for the construction of the new Guild. Let the banquet begin!" Everyone cheered. They congratulated me on my achievements, while we ate and drank wine and beer. I had used all my reserves for this celebration, and the festive atmosphere made every resource point worth it.