Chapter 1122: Trust & Friends

About an hour later, Bai Zemin gathered his entire army and looked at them in silence for what many felt was an eternity of time.

Finally, his voice that was neither too high nor too low and sounded not authoritative but carried a hint of appreciation and gratitude spread through his ranks: "You may all be doing your duty, to receive the payment you deserve and to live lifestyles that other survivors of this apocalypse can only dream of. But regardless of what your motives are, I would like, from the bottom of my heart, to thank you for being here."

They all fell silent, and with their eyes and ears attentive they looked at the young man in front of them who came further than most probably believed.

"Some of you were once in prison, some of you were businessmen, farmers, teachers, students, factory workers... But no matter what your past was, the fact that you are now a warrior for humanity cannot be erased by anyone, not even God. It doesn't matter if you do it for status, power, or any other motive you may have... The fact that your efforts are saving lives and protecting the only place we can call home is irrefutable."

Some of the soul evolvers present, particularly those who before the age of evolution were looked down upon by society, could not help but let their eyes slowly fill with tears as they listened to the words of the one leading them.

In this life, in this world, who did not think they were special?

During childhood, who did not have dreams and wishes or desires to fulfill?

But the reality was cruel, and the limits that life imposed on us from the moment we were born were there regardless of whether we were willing to accept them or not. Was it impossible to break those limits? Probably not. However, many times one could not afford to risk years of time and effort for a small break chance.

What father would risk his child's well-being for a chance to fulfill his dream? What mother would leave her children to their fate while she put in those many extra hours to get somewhere? What son would leave his parents sick and in need of expensive medicine to continue his studies? Everyone's reality was different, and many times judging without knowing could lead one to make one of the biggest mistakes of one's life.

Bai Zemin continued: "For others, the time since you have been away from home and entered enemy territory was only half a month... but for you who have spent many hours in the Collector's Pocket World it has been way longer. I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but I also know that many here have parents, wives, children, siblings... that you miss and want to hug again. That's why, thank you for your hard work so far."

A Second Order soul evolver who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison but was given a new chance stepped forward, and with red eyes said in a deep voice: "In the past, I may have done things that I regret, and I will regret for the rest of my life. Many looked down on me with disdain and contempt to the point where when I began to evolve I wondered if it was worth it to hold back my darkest demons... But it was all of you, including you, Leader, who opened your arms to me and welcomed me with smiles. I, Shang Shui, have a 2-month-old child today and I can proudly say that I have built my own family. This is all thanks to the Transcendent faction, and it is for this home of mine called faction that I will fight until my last breath."

There were others who also stepped forward and spoke about their past. Most of them had tough pasts that normally would not only be difficult to overcome but that others would never forgive... but it was after meeting Bai Zemin and sticking to the rules of the faction that they slowly changed, becoming what they were today; transcending and becoming humans worthy of the word warrior, hero.

A few minutes later, Bai Zemin looked at his people in silence before nodding: "You are worthy of praise, worthy for all humans to be grateful for. Irreplaceable existences... That is why you must now return to the Collector's Pocket World and rest."

If it was before he gave his speech, most would probably nod silently. At the end of the day, no one wanted to stay this long in a dark forest like this that was plagued by tetric skeletons and extremely powerful enemies. However, the hearts of human beings were easy to change with a few words; particularly if those words were spoken by someone whose authority, status, power, and talent, were far above theirs.

Bai Zemin watched and listened in silence as hundreds and soon thousands of his subordinates expressed their fervent desire to accompany him to fight to the death against the enemy. Although there were definitely some who were saying it out of obligation after seeing their hot-blooded comrades, the majority definitely meant what they were saying from their hearts.

Bai Zemin raised a hand and asked for silence, once the place quieted down, he pointed out, "The battle to come is a tough one, one in which we unfortunately cannot share pains and triumphs. As I mentioned before, no matter what your motive is the fact that every battle you fight you risk your life because of my orders is irrefutable... I think it is only fair that I, as the Leader of you all, risk my life to take care of you."

This time there was no one among the soul evolvers present who did not feel their blood boiling. Their faces turned red and some even trembled as they clenched their fists tightly, looking at the young man standing in front of them with burning eyes.

With a King this willing to step forward first of all onto the battlefield, would his generals and soldiers fear? Of course not!

It was this kind of King that they all wanted most and were eager to follow!

A King who stayed in his palace surrounded by beauties and luxuries would definitely not be as welcome compared to a King who wore armor and wielded his sword to join his subordinates against a common enemy!

A few minutes later, all the soul evolvers disappeared and were replaced by warrior golems.

Standing next to Bai Zemin were only a few people.

"That was a good speech, Little King." Shangguan Xinyue smiled bewitchingly and said with a chuckle, "The gloomy atmosphere of this place and the confusion magic surrounding the area has been upsetting people's hearts, but now I'm willing to bet my innocence that they would all be willing to stay another 6 months here."

Shangguan Bing Xue looked at her mother and teased, "Mother, what innocence are you talking about?"

"Ah?" Shangguan Xinyue looked at her as if she was surprised before letting out a shy giggle, "Bing Xue, you mischievous girl... Calling your younger sister mother, you really have a twisted sense of humor don't you, little fox?"

"Pu- What- Who is my younger sister again?" Shangguan Bing Xue almost fainted.

"Hahahaha!" Bai Zemin couldn't help but laugh out loud.

If there was anyone capable of making Shangguan Bing Xue this helpless, it was undoubtedly her own mother, Shangguan Xinyue.

After laughing for a while, Bai Zemin turned to look at the beauty wearing a crimson red robe with yellow flower prints that seemed to be made of real flames and approached her.

Feng Tian Wu continued to gently stroke the delicate plumage of her mount even as Bai Zemin stopped beside her. Finally, she broke the silence several seconds later, "Do you really want to entrust such an important task to me? ... Do you trust me that much?"

Bai Zemin did not answer immediately and searched in his heart for the answer.

Feng Tian Wu had hurt him badly in the past, badly. Although many years had passed since then, the existence of his Immovable Heart skill that had evolved from the Stone Heart skill was always a reminder to Bai Zemin; the reminder that the woman standing next to him had broken his heart into pieces, reaching a point so severe that the Soul Record turned all that broken crystal into a large rock armor to protect it from collapsing.

But, this Feng Tian Wu was not the same Feng Tian Wu of the past.

Yes, she was the same being... but her essence as a human being was definitely different. Bai Zemin had seen it all along, she had proven herself time and time again with actions as she was not one for many words, and a single action definitely spoke louder than a thousand words.

He turned to look at her, and when she looked at him he said with all the honesty that was born from his heart, "It is true that you once gave me enough reasons not to trust you again, but I forgave you for that long ago... But, forgiving and trusting again are two different things after all."

One could forgive but hardly forget when something hurt so much at the time; so much as to completely change us to the point of practically becoming a different version of us that perhaps could no longer be called us.

Feng Tian Wu felt some bitterness upon hearing his words, but she already knew it in her heart so she nodded without any change in her expression. To be forgiven was one thing but to ask again for the trust he had once given her and she mercilessly stepped on was too blatant from her point of view.

Feng Tian Wu felt that maybe in this life getting back the confidence of the person in front of her could be absolutely impossible even if Bai Zemin was not in the position he was in today. This was because Feng Tian Wu knew in her heart that the young man in front of her was extremely proud in his bones even if he did not let it show.

Devastation Queen Li Lei could feel her friend's bitterness thanks to the contract they shared. Besides, as a Third Order mutant beast, her intelligence was in no way inferior to that of a human adult. She said no words but gently rubbed her head on the side of Feng Tian Wu's body as if to comfort her at least a little.

Feng Tian Wu nodded and was about to say that she understood when Bai Zemin opened his mouth again to continue where he stopped.

"It was hard for me to trust you again."

She opened her eyes wide and stared at him with surprise straight into his eyes. Her voice trembled almost imperceptibly as she softly repeated, "... It was?"

"I hope with all my heart that trust will not be broken a second time... I'm afraid there will be no third times." Bai Zemin sighed before smiling. This was the first completely genuine smile that came from his heart, and Feng Tian Wu felt it immediately.

"Let's have a nice time from now on."

Looking at the right hand he had extended forward, Feng Tian Wu wanted to extend hers quickly but her wavering heart made her hesitate.

This time she could tell that he really wanted to be her friend. This wasn't about a boss and his subordinate, this was a real friendship like the one he shared with a very small and select number of people in the entire faction.

Wasn't this what she had been looking for? But... why was she hesitating then? It was then that Feng Tian Wu realized that she did not feel worthy or qualified. She did not have enough self-confidence, and she was afraid of making past mistakes again.

Although she was talented and very powerful, although everyone else saw a strong and resolute woman, what Bai Zemin saw as he looked into her trembling eyes was an ordinary young woman in her early twenties with fears and worries just like any other normal young woman.

Feng Tian Wu was about to pull her hand away when Bai Zemin suddenly stepped forward and grabbed it before she could do anything. He gave her a gentle squeeze and moved his hand up and down slightly making hers follow his movements.

"I'll leave you my back."

Feng Tian Wu felt like crying when she heard those words. He was leaving her his back, his most unprotected place and the one place he could not see and which his enemies could take advantage of to launch deadly attacks.

She nodded, and in a slightly hoarse voice promised, "Leave it to me... They'll have to kill me before harming your back."

" ... I hope you won't have to go that far though." Bai Zemin slowly released his grip and said with a bitter smile, "I don't think the sun will have another Rank 5 godly plant this time."

Feng Tian Wu was slightly dumbfounded before she laughed when she heard Bai Zemin's not-so-joking joke. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she had laughed so carelessly, but it was definitely more than a few years.

Bai Zemin was a little surprised in his heart as this was the first time he had seen her laugh like this. Although in the past she laughed too, he now realized that those laughs were fake. The Feng Tian Wu in front of him was laughing for real, until her shoulders shook and tears that he assumed were from laughing fell down her cheeks.

Seeing her like this, Bai Zemin could not help but smile heartily again. Something inside him told him that the woman in front of him would not only not fail but would probably do so many things that would eventually leave him in debt.

Lilith and Fire Sorrow were watching the exchange in silence, and when they saw this scene they both sighed for different reasons. The sigh of the other naturally caught the attention of each, but after looking at the other in silence for a second they returned their gaze to the front without asking questions.

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