Under the golden embrace of the setting sun, the wolf-kin village glowed with warmth. Wooden homes caught the fading light, their surfaces gleaming as though brushed with liquid fire, while long shadows stretched and merged, weaving a scene that felt almost otherworldly.
From the corners of the winding streets, children darted past, their playful shrieks and laughter carrying through the air like music.
Thin ribbons of smoke curled lazily from rooftops, dissolving into the sky as if the heavens themselves were drawing them away.
Kael walked the familiar paths at an unhurried pace. Street by street, he passed through, pausing now and again to exchange words with those who greeted him.
His presence carried a quiet weight, yet his gaze softened with each encounter.
Night crept steadily across the horizon, but the village did not feel burdened by it. Instead, it breathed with a quiet serenity.
Whether it was the harmony of his people or the simple peace woven into the air itself, Kael could not tell.
But he felt at peace while roaming around these familiar streets.
Having roamed around enough, he had come to a place that looked like a small hill. The terrain here was raised a bit more than the flatland around.
From here, he could observe the landscape of the entire village.
The village, still in the process of growing, had a lot of unfinished structures. The buildings were dense in one place while sparse in others.
However, it was worth noting that most of the unfinished structures were at the edge.
It meant that the village was expanding outside at a rapid pace.
Pausing to look at the progress of the village, Kael's expression became solemn, the smile on his face fading.
The glow in his eyes dimmed as concern crept on his chest.
"Sigh~"
He let out a sigh.
"What's with the long sigh?"
He heard a familiar voice. He had been so lost that he didn't even notice the arrival of this person. But he didn't mind the presence.
Neither did he respond.
"Still worried about the looming force in the darkness?"
Kael turned around to face Lira.
"Well, it was bound to happen. We can't just expect to live in peace in this chaotic world."
Kael's gaze softened as he answered.
"That sounds just like you," Lira said while advancing towards him.
Those responses didn't surprise her.
"But I could never have imagined we would make this much progress in such a short period. Let alone this bustling settlement, I couldn't imagine our survival…"
Lira continued, her gaze fixed on the dense settlement before her. Her voice was calm, and her expression was solemn.
"Yeah, neither did I," Kael averted his gaze from her. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Why would you assume I'm here to talk about something?" Lira questioned. "Can't I just be here to admire the progress of our village?"
"You can… But I'm sure you didn't just come here for sightseeing."
Lira rolled her eyes at Kael, pursing her lips. She wanted to show him that she didn't like that response. But when she turned towards him, she couldn't bring herself to keep up the act.
Even if she acted irritated, he wouldn't care.
There wasn't a point in acting.
He wasn't the type of person to be swayed by emotions.
In fact, as far as she could remember, he had that same expression plastered on his face. The expression of nonchalance.
"Sigh~"
Revealing a helpless sigh, she softened her gaze as she said in a soft tone, "Gale and the others have discovered a new mineral while mining in the mountain range. This new ore is tough, and the miners believe it's as tough as adamantine."
"Tough as adamantine?" Kael asked, revealing a slight surprise.
He couldn't help but feel curious about this newfound ore. He had seen adamantine firsthand and had experienced its toughness.
Hence, if the claims of this newfound ore being as tough as adamantine were true, then it might help them turn the tide of the war.
With this newfound ore, their forces could see a sharp increase in strength.
But one problem remained: How to refine this ore?
The village didn't have the required equipment to refine one such ore. Even if they solved the problem regarding the equipment, refining itself wasn't easy.
The village didn't have a master craftsman.
And he could tell that it required great skill to be able to refine one such ore.
Hence, even though he was delighted about their discovery, he couldn't bring himself to enjoy it.
Discovering something this valuable was just the first step.
Frowning, he added, "How are we even going to use it? Even if we do plan to refine it, who knows how long it'll take?"
Though she could tell he was just being thoughtful, Lira couldn't bring herself to bear one such sight of him.
"Why are you being so pessimistic? Can't you just find joy in this discovery?" Lira complained, her brows furrowing.
"What if we can't refine it? What if we lack skilled craftsmen? That doesn't matter…" Lira paused to let the words sink in. "What matters is that we have discovered something beneficial."
Indeed, it was just as she said.
Even if they didn't have the means to make this newfound ore useful immediately, that didn't mean the ore was useless.
With time and effort, they could make it useful.
So, why was he even jumping to a conclusion without even trying?
Had he been so anxious that it made him shortsighted?
Realization struck him as he heard her. Right now, she looked more fitted to be the leader of the tribe than him.
He had been so occupied with the thoughts of dealing with this powerful force that he had forgotten to keep his cool.
The past few weeks had been tough for the tribe.
The new policy to include the youths in combat training was cruel. The fear of the Leo-kin had set the village in panic.
It had altered their peaceful life.
It had also made him much more apprehensive that he had forgotten that he wasn't alone here. There were others around him.
Be it the common folks or the skilled warriors, all of them had their roles.
He wasn't alone here, and he didn't have to do all the things on his own.