"We don't have any other choice. If we need more, just ask for two to three hundred Third Realm soldiers as compensation," Aryan said, taking a deep breath. "I will give them the beast's body and its core."
"We can contact the guild. It will be easier for us," another council member named Tom suggested.
"I understand what you're saying, but it will take too much time to reach the guild. They are most likely situated on the mainland, and we don't have that kind of time," Aryan replied.
After a few minutes of heavy silence, Aryan laid out his strategy. "First, Village Chief, you need to inform the city about our situation. Make sure their reinforcements are here by tomorrow, no matter the cost. But do make it sound like we aren't too desperate. Meanwhile, Tom, you will prepare the security. Alina, go to your clinic and bring all your staff to the main street tomorrow."
After giving his orders, Aryan turned to leave the council meeting room when Tom suddenly spoke up.
"Where are you going now?"
Aryan paused and looked back. "I am going home to have lunch with my family. Tomorrow, I will head into the forest once again to make sure everything is secure. After that, we will formulate a counter-plan in case the beast tide doesn't attack tomorrow."
"What counter-plan?" Tom asked, clearly confused. "Why do we need a counter-plan if the beasts don't attack tomorrow? Isn't it a good thing for us if the beast tide doesn't happen?"
"I will explain all of that tomorrow. For now, don't worry about it and just focus on the tasks we already have." With that, Aryan left the room and headed toward his home.
Marcus and Tom turned to the remaining council member. "Alina, do you have any idea what kind of counter-plan he is talking about?" they both asked in unison.
"I don't know," Alina replied simply before turning and leaving as well.
"Let's go. We have work to do," Marcus sighed.
Taking out a low-grade communication crystal—a rare and valuable artifact in the village—Marcus contacted the City Lord. "City Lord, we need your help. We are expecting a beast tide."
Miles away in Heaven City, City Lord Thomson Vel was busy working in his study. He was so focused on his paperwork that he didn't even notice the communication crystal glowing on his desk. It was his butler who spotted the incoming transmission. After reading the prompt, he respectfully informed him, "Master, Oakhaven Village is requesting our help."
Thomson put his pen down and glanced at the crystal's message. He activated it to reply. "What kind of help do you need? Weapons or cultivators? And remember, nothing is free. You will have to go into debt for this."
"Yes, I understand," Marcus replied awkwardly. "We need both. We require two hundred Second Realm cultivators and a few high-grade weapons."
Thomson frowned at the requirements. It was an unusually high demand for a mere village. Did a massive number of beasts attack them? Or was Marcus's old age catching up to him, causing him to miscalculate the necessary reinforcements? Regardless, he decided to ask.
"Why do you need so many of them?"
Marcus hesitated. He didn't want to tell Thomson about Aryan; if the city realized a high-realm cultivator was residing in their village, they might try to poach him to their side. "There is a massive number of beasts gathering in the forest. That's why we need so many. We don't want any unexpected tragedies befalling the village."
This explanation seemed to satisfy some of Thomson's curiosity.
"Very well. They will arrive by dawn, but it will cost you fifty gold coins per day," Thomson declared.
Reading that message was enough to make Marcus's mind nearly go blank, but he forced himself to stay calm.
"That is an outrageous demand! The annual revenue of our village is barely two gold coins. It would take us twenty-five years just to pay off a single day! And if something happens to our village during the attack, it will only increase our debt and recovery time."
"Fine. Forty gold coins per day," Thomson compromised coldly.
Although Marcus desperately wanted to refuse the steep demand, he simply didn't have the time to negotiate. He eventually swallowed his pride and agreed, making Thomson promise the troops would arrive before dawn.
Meanwhile, Aryan arrived back home to find Selena and William waiting for him. However, neither of them looked excited to see him. Selena looked devastated; she had just learned about the impending danger and the terrifying possibility of losing both her husband and her home. Just thinking about it brought fresh tears to her eyes.
William wasn't in a much better state. Having heard the village announcements about the beast tide and the destruction it could bring, the young boy's face was pale and solemn.
Aryan walked over and pulled them both into a tight hug. Selena's tears continued to fall, though she tried to stifle her sobs so as not to frighten William further. Aryan gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Everything will be okay. You don't have to worry about a thing," he promised her softly. Then, he crouched down to meet his son's gaze. "Men don't cry, William. How will you become a strong cultivator if you cry like this?"
William sniffled, vigorously wiping his eyes. "I will become just as strong as you, Father, and I'll protect both of you!"
"Of course you will," Aryan smiled proudly, hugging his son once more. After calming down, the family sat together to eat lunch.
Later that evening, Aryan called out to his son. "William, starting today, I am going to train you so you can become as strong as me."
William's face lit up with excitement for a brief moment, but it quickly faded as he remembered the grim announcements in the streets. Before the boy's thoughts could spiral into fear, Aryan patted his back reassuringly.
"You don't have to worry about the beasts. When you are truly strong, nothing can hurt you. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
"Good. Let's start with running. I want you to run laps around the house as fast as you can."
"Okay!" William shouted, immediately sprinting off.
Half an hour later, the young boy was huffing and puffing from extreme fatigue. Aryan walked over, handing him a water bottle. "Drink slowly," he instructed.
A few minutes later, William's breathing finally returned to normal. Aryan chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "Let's go take a quick bath. You're starting to smell like sweat, and if we don't wash up together, your mother is going to start complaining."
After bathing, the family sat down for dinner. The meal was eaten in heavy silence, the looming threat of the beast tide casting a dark shadow over their usual cheerful mood. Once dinner was finished, Aryan and Selena carefully fed mana into William's body to fortify him, and then they all retired to bed.
The next morning, they shared a quick breakfast before Aryan left to check on the village's situation and see if the requested reinforcements had arrived.