Ball of Nothing

The delegates from Half Moon Village arrived in a fashion that no dwarf was expecting. The group was small but everyone knew at once that they shouldn't be messed with. The one leading the party was no other than Zenobia and she was accompanied by Schaf and Amaraline.

The chieftess rode a horse that Mitchnew secured for her and the beast was majestic. The steed was dark as night and had red eyes, indicating that it was a regent horse and not an ordinary mount. Regent horses were born to fight and were considered untameable to become mounts. They were even harder to handle than wild horses and nobody has ever heard of regent horse mounts. This horse snorted at the dwarven guards and racked its heavy hoof on the ground as if preparing for a charge at the gates.

Zenobia pulled the reins tighter and barked a command for the regent horse to behave. The horse sulked and bowed its head in repentance, showing submission for the elf-rabbit beast woman. This warrior lady might have elven blood but her behaviour was unruly and inspired awe. Zenobia was a woman forged from the fire of blood and war, that was clear to any dwarf and they openly welcomed the small entourage with open arms.

Schaf and Amaraline weren't forgotten either. The small sheep beastman looked very fluffy and adorable but the innocent image was broken when he spewed vulgar words that even the hardiest of dwarves were ashamed to say. Amaraline was elegant and wore tribal clothes that nobody has seen before. Nobody knew what she was but they knew she wasn't human. The way she looked at everyone knowingly gave them the chills.

King Darius assigned the chancellor to welcome the entourage to the palace to meet up with the elven siblings. Zenobia and Amaraline were looking forward to seeing the village leader again. They were excited to update him about their progress with the negotiations. Mitchnew was doing very well in Smargdas and they now have a foothold. The one thing that the chieftess needed help with was the lack of manpower for the rebuilding project. Tambolt and Raj were doing what they could but it was still not good enough. Without the twin magicians, Lovina and Qin Yun around, the village was seriously short-handed. Ruth also spent half his time in the abyss helping Beelzebub out and managing the Garden of Roth. Cleo had to travel to Garden Eden periodically with the agricultural team to check on the Tree of Knowledge and restore the barren Mount Olympia with Eros.

Grandma Moppo suggested something that Zenobia never thought they'd need to do but she could not make that decision for Zero. Endow Hill was a dangerous place guarded by a dragon and while Bob was not going to be there for long, Kerberos had taken his place to guard it. Nobody would willingly join them even if they put up recruitment notices. Even so, Zenobia didn't dare to recruit just about anyone. Ever since Hua Tuo and Zero came to the village, they had to protect many secrets. If someone like Douglas appeared again, Half Moon Village wouldn't survive another siege from an army larger than Count Carrabas'.

Amaraline noticed how tense Zenobia was and placed a comforting hand on the chieftess. "Don't worry, Zero will be here soon. "

True to her words, Zero did arrive with Truen but only Amaraline knew that it was him. Zenobia recognised Truen first and was wondering who the lady beside him was.

"Where's Zero?" the chieftess asked and the lady beside the archer giggled.

"I'm here, lady Zenobia. It's been a while," the elf smiled and the chieftess did a double-take. Even Schaf was stunned. His jaw fell wide open until Amaraline closed it gently.

"Z-Zero? But... how?"

Zero wasn't surprised by Zenobia and Scahf's shock. Indeed. The last time they saw him, he was still a teenager in his human form with his brown hair and all. They thought that he could only change his size but they didn't know he could change his gender and race. If Zero wished to, he could become a beast too now that the system has lifted the restriction of customising his vessel.

"It is me," he said and offered them a seat. "It's been a while. I hope everyone is well."

Amaraline smiled. "Yes. Everyone has been well. We didn't think that we'd be able to catch you here. We stopped by Magnus Hilda and heard from Camie that the queen sent you to Rocket Mountain to find a craftsman and before we arrived Roovan said that you were heading to Derby Desert. We thought we wouldn't make it!"

Truen smirked. "We waited for you when we heard that you were going to arrive soon. Zero and I have finished our business here and were preparing to leave. There must be something important else you would have written a letter or sent Zero a message. Zoe could have easily relayed the message for you."

Hearing that, Zenobia straightened up. "Yes, we actually have a matter that I need to consult Zero personally. I was afraid that the message would get intercepted. As you know, many of the villagers have been moving around quite a bit. To put it simply, we're short-handed. Zero, what can we do? Everyone is doing their best but even if we have money and materials, we don't have people or skills. Endow Hill is also not a place many people want to travel to. We can't just recruit anybody in because there are many secrets to guard and gaining the attention of bigger menaces with bigger armies will be bad for the village. As such, I've come to ask you for your decision. We cannot cope with the pace of expansion for long."

Zero nodded. He knew this was going to be a problem soon. "I actually thought about it. We now have the dwarves' word that they will send their army to defend Half Moon Village if it ever gets attacked. I'm still working on the case with the giants but I assume once it is ready, we can expect to also receive their help."

Truen looked at Schaf. "I think you can resolve the problems of finding enough resources with the trading contracts established so far. The royal family of Magnus Hilda and Rocket Mountain are willing to provide aid. Currently, Zero and I will be travelling to Derby Desert and once we finish our task there, you can find an exotic trader by the name of Axel here to cooperate with you. As for manpower, I think you can trust Dorgon Flintstock. He's the master crafter here as well as the guild master, a previous S-rank adventurer who fought beside Queen Demora."

Zenobia nodded. "I understand. We will ask the King tomorrow when we have an audience with him to lend us some manpower in return for a steady supply of slimming potions not sold elsewhere."

Laughing, Zero shook his head. "No, I don't think you should speak to King Darius. He doesn't make the decisions here. You'd want to work on convincing the chancellor instead. Amaraline, you should talk to Dorgon and negotiate. Schaf, you should meet up with Axel once we leave. We will send word once we return from our trip to the desert. If everything goes smoothly, in the next half-year, Half Moon Village can progress quickly. The giants can help to build the fortified walls and the dwarves are great at building tools that the lab rats designed. I'm sorry that everyone is currently overworked but please do not worry. I have plans for Half Moon Village. I heard that Olaf and the two dragon warriors are doing well."

The chieftess grinned. "More than well. I heard that Vrald punched one noble's face in because he was trash-talking mixed-blood breeds. Mitchnew had to clean up the aftermath but we've gotten attention from the royal families in Smargdas as planned. Nobody is making a move yet because nobody wants to mess with Endow Hill who sent Count Carrabas packing although you might be surprised to hear that Mystic meadows have offered their protection when they heard that a dragon was travelling with the warriors."

It wasn't surprising. Mystic Meadows was a very mysterious place but the different mythical creatures lived in harmony. Once the word that a dragon descendant was out, they would do everything to protect them from the shadows. Dragons were once the rulers of Mystic Meadows and now that they were extinct, the spirits can only mourn. Olaf might not be a dragon from Earth but his existence gave Mystic Meadows hope once more. It was only understandable that Half Moon Village gathered their attention and protection. That was exactly what Zero wanted when he sent them on a mission to become heroes.

Truen watched Zero talk to the chieftess for a little longer and wondered what the fortune-teller thought. She was the only one unfazed by Zero's new appearance. Yet, the archer didn't find it surprising. Before he left, Amaraline was training her powers to see further into the future and look at specific people's future. Did she succeed? Also, the cockatrice descendant was now officially a worshipper of the Goddess of Time. Perhaps, she had succeeded and was now a prophet of Isis?.

"If there is nothing more, shall I show you around the castle and introduce you to my student - Princess Dorothy?" Zero offered.

Zenobia's eyes were wide when Zero explained about how he got to accept the princess as his student.