The next morning, Aiko’s eyes opened... She was surprised to fall asleep and even more to find herself still in Jensen’s arms.

They were still on top of the branch. She looked up at Jensen and stared at his calm, closed eyes.

’He looks so peaceful and handsome’, Aiko thought as she leaned closer to his face almost as if inspecting it.

’His skin is so smooth and perfect... I wonder what type of skin care he uses.’

"Like what you see?" Jensen’s calm voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Aiko’s face blushed and she almost rolled off the branch, but Jensen held her in place, keeping her from falling.

Her hands moved to her face as she tried to cover her face, trying to hide the hue on her face.

"We better get going," Jensen said. "Kairi is waiting for us."

Aiko’s eyes widened as she realized they were not alone.

Her eyes moved down the tree where Kairi was resting against another tree, trying to keep her eyes away from them.

She had already cleared away the camp, and it seemed like they had just been waiting for Aiko to wake up.

"Please take me down," Aiko begged quietly.

Jensen was not surprised by her reaction. He chuckled, then grabbed her and jumped down from the tree.

Aiko immediately opened her mouth. "Sister Kai... it is not what it seems. I..."

"Miss, it does not matter." Kairi smiled as she responded. "In fact, I think Young Master Jensen will make a perfect spouse for you... You both look like a perfect immortal couple, especially with his hands around your waist."

"This..." Aiko was stunned by Kairi’s words. She immediately stepped away from Jensen, creating distance.

"Or when he was carrying you like a princess yesterday," Kairi continued teasing Aiko. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Aiko’s face turned even redder... Jensen did not know it was possible for someone to look that red.

"Stop teasing her and let us go," Jensen finally put a stop to it. "We still have a long way to go."

Aiko and Kairi nodded and followed him as they continued their journey.

***

At the Morvath Camp.

Talia called a meeting... It was finally time for the next step of the plan.

Every mercenary and servant was gathered in front of Talia, listening and the only person missing from the gathering was Jim.

Talia stood on a raised platform with two Basic Heralds stood behind her and her brother and Elda stood to the side.

Basic Herald was the name she had given to the Level One thralls she created.

"Listen until the end before asking any questions," Talia began.

"It has been four days, and we are barely making progress on the mission. So, we might have to extend it for another week and probably more if we still have not made progress."

"Of course, the pay remains the same, as well as the other terms and conditions."

Talia searched the expressions of the mercenaries, trying to determine their initial response... There was not much change.

’Good, just as I expected,’ she thought.

The idea of stumbling on riches was something that would keep anyone here.

Throughout yesterday, some of the mercenaries had continued to stumble on more treasures... Although none were as good as Anna’s.

Most of what they found were barely worth a low-grade mana stone and some not even worth less than a hundred gold slips.

But the idea of being able to find something worth so much without putting their lives in danger was a big motivator and that opportunity could last even longer now.

Nobody seemed to want to complain and those who had something to say were most likely worried about their dependents.

And she had a way to address that.

"Due to the increased number of people and the extended stay, we will need to return to the town to resupply, and this also offers you a chance to communicate with the outside world."

Talia paused.

"If you have any dependents or wish to send a message, you will be given a chance to record it."

"The message will be stored and sent automatically to the receiver when we get to the town. Of course, information about this mission cannot be included in any way or form."

Everyone nodded... They found the terms very reasonable and none of them seemed to question it.

"However, we require four drivers to drive the off-road trucks and transport the supplies." She paused again. "We need volunteers... people who can actually drive."

Hands shot up immediately... not as many as you would expect from people who would be stuck out here in the wilderness for weeks, but good enough.

Talia seemed to casually choose four people from the group.

"All four of you should be ready by tomorrow. We will be leaving very early." Talia looked around. "Any questions?"

The mercenaries looked at each other, but no one had a question. Then a hand went up from among the servants.

"Go ahead. Ask," Talia nodded at the servant with her hand raised.

"Can we also get something from the town?" The servant immediately tried to give an explanation to not seem rude. "We..."

"You do not have to explain your reasons," Talia said. "As long as your savings can cover them, feel free to write them down." She looked at the servant. "Gatter the list of other people who want to buy something."

The servant nodded.

Talia turned to look around. "Any other questions?"

Silence.

"Good... Get back to work. Meet my brother if you have any messages to record."

She turned around and left.

***

Jack was smiling as he walked toward his working ground.

He was one of the people Talia had selected to drive, and it was a massive opportunity for him to get his get back.

Ever since he had spoken to Wolfe and been rejected, he had considered finding someone else but before he could, more people began arriving at the camp.

He decided to take a step back and watch... perhaps he would find better partners.

Then his dream was killed when another Level 3 guard joining them, followed by other Level 2s.

He knew then that his plan for revenge was gone.

Maybe one Level 3 guard was manageable but two was simply impossible and he knew that.

But getting to drive back to the city was a massive opportunity for him.

Although he could no longer attack them directly, he could still hit them where it hurt the most.

And what better place than an operation they were trying to hide?

Once the information of the treasure spread, having two Level 3s would not be enough to keep their gains to themselves.

’It is just perfect,’ Jack thought as his smile widened and then quickly disappeared.

[A.N.: I think my writing skill is improving and the storyline is getting better... what do you guys think? and any place I could improve... any suggestions or critics please send them.]