Rohan looked deeply at the little girl staring back at him. He felt that it was far too dangerous to try anything like this. He didn't even know how to use the mana that was around him.
He remembered the feeling he had in the fight against the Intermediate Warrior. He wasn't stupid, he knew that he couldn't be that good, and he understood that the mana strengthened him. He would have to look at the Essence Stone to be sure, but he believed his status had once again exploded a bit.
He didn't feel any differences with his strength, but he still felt the need to be verified.
He came back to Elena and her need to become powerful. There weren't a lot of things he could do, and he could only think about something he had on him. Or at least, on his mind.
He decided to teach her how to become a beginner warrior. He knew this clan had his own method to becoming one, a mainstream one that virtually all clans in the Barren Lands knew about. But his method was probably a better one, and it greatly help the warrior to open their first meridian.
Plus, as he also had the method to create the vortexes, he taught everything he knew. He had read those books so much time that he knew full well what was inside and had no difficulty describing everything to Elena.
Elena listened carefully while nodding her head from time to time. If anyone appeared at this time, they would probably collapse on the floor. One had learned by heart all there was in two books and expected a little girl to be able to learn like that, while this little girl really seemed to understand everything.
But neither of the two people felt something amiss, and Rohan kept explaining everything he knew to Elena. She was only 9 years old, so she was still too young to try to become a rank 1 Beginner Warrior. Thus, what she needed to do for the next few years was to strengthen her body before she tried to create a mana core. That way, the pain would be lessened, and the chance of success would increase as well.
As Deidros was coming back with Barulf and Kilem with him, they stood to the side as they saw the warrior and little girl exchanging about how to create a meridian. Elena wasn't simply listening carefully now, she was also asking questions about what she didn't understand.
The three men asked themselves when children were smarter than them. In the end, they didn't bother those strange people as they talked to each other and simply sat down to listen to it.
The night slowly passed as all the clans of the Barren Lands were doing their own feast. The countless small feasts become one giant feast, and like every year at the same period, all differences were put aside, all strength was put aside. There were only the Barren Lands, and the clans living inside.
After talking with the different members of the clan, Rohan finally went to sleep. His heart couldn't help but violently thump inside his chest. The next day would finally be the day he would enter the mountain.
He still didn't know what to do after that, or what would be his action. Maybe he will find nothing in the end, and all of that would be for naught. but even so, that wasn't a problem. Those three months, were quite great.
Rohan closed his eyes, sinking into a deep sleep.
The next instant he opened his eyes, it was already the morning. He felt sluggish like never before and even felt like resting there, at least this day. The mountain was still there, after all, it would not go away. Maybe he should postpone this operation for next year?
Rohan smacked his cheeks with his hands and he stood up. Now wasn't the time to play around. Today was the day when he could truly be killed at any time. He couldn't do any faux pas, otherwise, the Intermediate Warrior would kill him before he could even fall on his knees to apologize.
He quickly got up and put on his armor with dexterity. It was only now that he remembered about his potions. What should he do?
Rohan always wore a leather bag with the most important item in his possession inside. But he also had a larger bag with all his potions and other miscellaneous objects. The problem was that he couldn't really put it on his back, since he was simply supposed to go to the mountain, take the water, and go back afterward.
If he left this tent with this large bag filled with all his affairs, it would be easy to guess that he just wanted to flee after climbing up the mountain. The situation was becoming complicated in a sense he hadn't expected it.
He didn't have a choice. He decided to leave this bag there, for the Blackwolf clan. His life was more important than some random items. And Who knows, he might be able to get them back at some point. If the clan didn't want him dead for having entered a forbidden area of their sacred mountain of course.
Rohan thus left the place he had used to sleep for the past few days. He stood in the center of this high tent. No one was there, probably all already outside, occupying themselves. The departure for the Kolmos mountain was approaching, and Rohan exited this place with his heart weighing inside his being.
The sun burned his eyes as he lifted the entrance. It took a few seconds before he got used to the light, and before he could advance another step, he froze where he was.
In front of him were almost two hundred people standing there, watching him. This sight almost scared him to death before he finally realized they were all members of the Blackwolf clan.
Darias walked toward Rohan with a solemn face. It was the rare expression he had when he was truly acting as the clan chief. Before Rohan asked anything, the rank 3 Beginner Warrior, leader of one of the most powerful clans in the external ring, deeply bowed in front of the young warrior.
"Thank you for your help during this travel, warrior Rohan."
""Thank you, Warrior Rohan."" The whole clan bowed their heads without any shame. This warrior had saved their life. Although it was technically because of his presence that the dracasses or the dozen of clans had attacked during the night, they still bowed for this young man.
They would remember him, even if they needed to take their own road. It was probably the last time they saw each other. Everyone knew it, it wasn't something that could be hidden easily.
"Thank you, Blackwolf clan, I will forever remember every one of you." Rohan bowed his head as well.
Before he straightened his back, Darias declared with a powerful voice. "Rohan. From today onward, and despite whatever you will do today, you are now a member of the Blackwolf clan. Thus, I am now your clan chief. Of course, you can't refuse it."
Rohan couldn't even lift his head. He felt his tears gathering in his eyes, ready to burst at any moment. He could only accept.
From this day onward, he would be a member of the Blackwolf clan.