Ka Ta Ka Ta Ka Ta
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the silent forest amidst the dull murmur of the crickets and the whistling of the wind.
"Yue, it looks like we are still quite far from the village. Should we just rest here for the night and continue in the morning?" Charlotte asked.
The small kid who was happily and comfortably piggybacking on Tang Yue also chimed in.
"I also think big sis should sleep in the night. Otherwise, big sis will become tired."
Tang Yue pulled the cheeky kid to her side from her back and chuckled, pinching his cheeks.
"Mmm… You are absolutely right, my dear. Your wish is my command."
She leaned closer and gave him a small peck on his cheeks.
The boy immediately blushed, revealing a cute shy expression on his face, that made him only more adorable.
He then turned around and stuck his tongue out at Charlotte who was absentmindedly gazing at the heartwarming scene.
"You… You…" Charlotte stumbled. This little boy was such a devil! He was acting cute only to Tang Yue.
Tang Yue chuckled and nodded at Charlotte. "Indeed, there is no hurry. We have sufficient time."
"We should be able to make it to the meeting point even if we rest for the night."
She helped the kid back to his piggy-backing position and the duo then continued looking for a suitable spot to rest.
Even though it was a harmless forest, it was still best to find a big tree or an empty cave to rest underneath.
They had seen several smaller hills on their way here and it was not too difficult to find a cave opening.
Soon they found one and the three, along with Little Blue comfortably settled inside within the small cramped space.
Charlotte took out a few dry twigs from her spatial ring and lit a fire.
Since she was currently a vixen and elf hybrid, no one would be surprised if she showed affinity to fire element magic. So she didn't bother hiding it.
Tang Yue then took out some meat skewers from her storage space and shared them with the group.
No one was feeling terribly sleepy yet so they all sat simply and relaxed for a while.
"How are you feeling dear?" Tang Yue asked the boy was leaning against her and munching on the skewer in his hand.
"I am feeling better, sis." An immediately bright and bubbly answer came out.
Tang Yue chuckled. She felt very bad for the small kid.
She knew how painful it was to be abandoned by one's own parents.
So she tried to be as accommodating and affectionate as possible.
The kid was also very cute and bubbly, making it hard for her not to love him dearly.
She couldn't understand who would be so cold-hearted to abandon such a vibrant kid?!
Watching Tang Yue constantly fuzzing over the small boy, Little Blue also ran over to her and nuzzled her from the other side.
Charlotte could only blink and watch these atrocious things from the sidelines.
She didn't know what exactly she was feeling but it was definitely not a good feeling. She somehow felt left out.
As if Tang Yue had felt Charlotte gazing at her, she looked up immediately and turned towards Charlotte, making her awkwardly blush.
"Can you watch over these two for a few minutes? I want to practice some sword moves." Tang Yue asked.
This was mainly why she had wanted to rest here for the night.
The system had already given her the sword technique reward and she was extremely impatient to study it.
Sword techniques were not like magic spells. They required a lot of time, patience, and hard work to master.
While spells can be picked up easily if one had the required talent, sword techniques did not differentiate between the gifted and the ungifted.
Relentless grinding and hard labor were required for it.
Tang Yue understood these things and wanted to get started on the uphill struggle as soon as she possibly could.
"Sure." Charlotte nodded with a bitter smile. She knew that these two were acting cute and needy only to Tang Yue.
They probably wouldn't even bother her at all and sit silently for the entire time.
"Stay here with this big sister. I need to head outside for a bit." Tang Yue rubbed the small kid's head.
"Ah" The kid worriedly looked back, making Tang Yue immediately comfort him.
"I am not going anywhere. I will just be outside." She said.
The poor child is so traumatized because of his parents leaving him! She sighed.
She then stood up from the ground and was about to head out, when she suddenly thought of something.
"Little Blue, come with me." She said and the small wolf cub obediently followed behind her.
In all honesty, Tang Yue had no idea what the future held in store for them.
They were headed to an unfamiliar Empire and will be surrounded by unfamiliar strangers.
That too, she was going under a fake disguise, with the aim of learning the most coveted dwarven secret.
The gravity of this situation couldn't be understated.
If she missed tonight, she might not be able to get an isolated calm and serene time like tonight without prying eyes around her.
So Tang Yue decided that it was best to finish the beast contract with Little Blue tonight itself.
Except for Charlotte and the little kid no one else was there around them, which made the timing perfect.
And as for Charlotte herself… tonight would be a test of sorts…
Tang Yue was still unsure as to why the elf had decided to follow her all the way into the dwarven empire.
Her feeling of friendship and gratitude was that deep? She didn't buy it.
She simply couldn't believe that someone had changed to such an extent overnight.
But at the same time, she was also grateful that the elf was with her. Otherwise, she would have felt so much lonelier.
A true friend was a luxury Tang Yue had never experienced in her life.
So even with all her doubts and concerns, she still couldn't help but trust Charlotte and believe her words.