"Finally, we're safe," Rocky said, slumping his shoulders and breathing out a sigh of relief.
"Well done!" Eunice exclaimed, nodding at Rocky and smiling.
"Now, you should rest. Next, we will travel back to Tiger Whisker Pass!" Rocky said to Deputy
Commander Ma.
"Okay."
Deputy Commander Ma immediately instructed the team to rest where they stood. A few hours later,
they woke, stumbled to stand, and set out to make their return to Tiger Whisker Pass.
After a day and a night's journey, the troops finally reached their destination.
As soon as Tucker heard that the troops that were led by Deputy Commander Ma had returned, he,
Bertram, and another deputy commander came out to welcome them in person. However, their faces
quickly turned serious when the bedraggled soldiers came into their sight.
"What happened?" Tucker asked as the smile dropped from his face.
Deputy Commander Ma hurried to explain everything that had happened in detail. He spent a lot of
time focusing on how Rocky had saved them all. After all, it was the truth. There was no reason to hide
anything.
"What do you mean the spiritual race set up a camp at the front line of Tiger Whisker Pass? They must
be plotting something!" Tucker exclaimed. Anger filled him but he was also slightly grateful. If they
hadn't found about this, something bad would have happened.
"Sir, I suggest that we get an army together to surround and suppress them. The sooner, the better!"
Deputy Commander Ma suggested, unable to turn a blind eye on it.
"I don't think that will be necessary. Now that we know about their whereabouts, they won't stay in
Crescent Gorge," Rocky piped up.
"Basil is right. By the time we get there, they will have already run away," Tucker agreed.
"That's right. Thank you, Basil. Without you, we would have lost a great general from Tiger Whisker
Pass." Tucker cupped his hands and bowed slightly towards Rocky.
"You're welcome, Commander. It is my duty. But the spirit warriors on my team, on the other hand,
were exceptionally brave. It's not easy for them to risk their lives alongside me," Rocky replied humbly.
"Regardless, you and your team have made a large contribution to our cause. Basil, we will award you
a second-class merit and the other members in your team a third-class merit!" Tucker said, smiling
wide.
"Thank you, sir!" Everyone, except for Kye, was naturally overjoyed at the announcement.
And yet, even though Kye was still not convinced, he didn't hate Rocky as much as before. He had
acknowledged the amount of courage Rocky possessed back in Crescent Gorge.
"Well, you can all go and rest now," Tucker said, dismissing all the warriors.
They scattered, anticipating the shelter, food, and sleep that was ahead of them. Rocky separated from
the group with Eunice.
"Sir, the spiritual race has attacked our front line area. I think they are planning something sinister and I
think it is necessary to investigate it," Bertram said the second that they were alone.
"I agree. Please go and look into it for me. You're the only one I can rely on now," Tucker replied with a
nod.
"Yes, sir." Bertram cupped his hands and departed with his order.
"Be careful and be quick!" Tucker called after him. Then he left.
Meanwhile, Rocky and Eunice returned to their residence. Eunice walked to the sink and fetched a
basin full of water for Rocky. "Wash yourself with this. You have mud on your face."
"Thank you." Rocky nodded slightly and took the basin from her hands.
"I should thank you again. Without you, I don't think I would have made it out this time." Eunice knew
that if it weren't for the fact that Rocky had taken the risk to save them, their whole team would have
been in grave danger.
"Don't flatter me. With your current strength, you should have been able to escape on your own,"
Rocky said, waving his hand at her.
"Yes, but I'm part of an army now. I can't just run and leave the other soldiers behind. Besides, I knew
you would come and save us." Inexplicably, Eunice always trusted Rocky.
"Why?" Rocky asked, tilting his head slightly and looking up at her from where he sat.
"I just feel it in my gut. I believe that you will never let us fall into danger!" Eunice replied after hesitating
for a moment. Afterwards, her face flushed slightly.
"Fair enough. But, honestly, you guys were just lucky I was there this time. All the spirit warriors of the
spiritual race were so powerful. No one from the human race could have gotten an advantage on them
at all," Rocky replied, sighing. After fighting against the commander of the spiritual race, he had found
that the strength of the spiritual race's spirit warriors was stronger than a human spirit warrior's. There
was a huge gap between the two races.
"Yes. But it was my first time meeting a member of the spiritual race. Although it's different from what I
imagined, I can see that they're very dangerous to deal with." Eunice nodded in agreement.
"We need to be more careful in the future!" Once their exchange had finished, Rocky washed his face
and left the residence. Then, he traveled back to his Magic Spiritual Space and entered it to recuperate
and rebuild his energy.
By the second day, Rocky's heroic deeds had spread all over Tiger Whisker Pass and he had become
an object for so many soldiers and spirit warriors to admire.
However, in the eyes of some people, Rocky was nothing but a thorn in their side.
"Deputy Commander Lin, that captain under you is super impressive. He only arrived here a couple of
days ago and he's already got a second-class merit under his belt. And that's good for him, but I'm
afraid he will replace you as the deputy commander if he continues to improve like this," Elliot said as
he walked into Deputy Commander Lin's camp.
"What are you talking about, Elliot?" Deputy Commander Lin asked as his face darkened.
"Nothing. I'm just worried about you. I want to remind you to be careful," Elliot said in a joking tone.
"I have worked for our commander for many years. I've made so many contributions and I've
accompanied him through numerous hardships. I don't think that the commander will replace me with a
newcomer and I don't want to hear you suggest it again!" Deputy Commander Lin exclaimed, but
inside, he felt slightly depressed at the news.
"I wouldn't be too confident if I were you. Just think about who Basil is for a second. He is an elite from
the Sky-suppressing School and the representative of the Spiritual Infant Contest. He is destined to
have a bright future. If I were you, I would definitely take the opportunity to introduce yourself to him,"
Elliot continued, making it up as he went.
"So you mean..." Deputy Commander Lin, who had chomped onto the bait, looked sideways at Elliot.
"We can't let this guy get too bigheaded. We have to teach him a lesson!" Elliot said determinedly.
"I know he has offended you in the past, but you shouldn't act rashly," Deputy Commander Lin
reminded him. He thought that Elliot was playing with fire.
"I just want him to know that I am not a person to be trifled with. And in order to do that, I need a favor
from you." Elliot cupped his hands.
"What's the favor? Just spit it out," Deputy Commander Lin asked after a moment of hesitation.
"You're going to lead a team to patrol, right? When you do, you should send him to carry out a task on
his own. That's all," Elliot said.
"You want to deal with him on your own?" Deputy Commander Lin asked with an understanding smile.
"No, I'm no match for him. I've hired someone else," Elliot said in a lowered voice.
"Okay. I will help you, but you can't tell anyone else about this," Deputy Commander Lin replied after
even more hesitation. He also had his own selfish motive. After all, Elliot was Tucker's nephew. If
Tucker was ever promoted, the position of the commander would fall into the hands of one of the three
deputy commanders. But who would take over the position would be Tucker's decision, so having a
good relationship with Elliot was to Deputy Commander Lin's benefit.
"Thank you, deputy commander. I will remember your kindness." With a sinister smile on his face, Elliot
left Deputy Commander Lin's camp.
"I hope he won't lift a stone and drop it on his own feet," Deputy Commander Lin said with a cunning
smile, knowing that he had made the right decision.
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