"Since that's the case, why not stay in our village?"
Hong Maru was very enthusiastic; that was how the Great Ogre Clan was—loyal, righteous, and proud, disdaining the use of schemes and tricks.
They were grateful to Bai Luo and Egui Peng for saving their lives.
Of course, there was another point: the strength of the two of them.
If such a powerful spellcaster like Bai Luo could join the village, plus Egui Peng, an A-rank Ogre, the Great Ogre Clan village's strength would definitely see a leap in improvement.
"This, we need to consider."
Bai Luo did not agree directly but feigned hesitation.
"Brother, you are too rude."
Seeing Bai Luo's slight difficulty, Zhu Cai quickly interjected, saying there was no need to rush and that they should first properly host the two of them.
As for whether they were willing to stay, that was something to be decided after seeing the Great Ogre Village.
"Right, right, I was too hasty."
Having not experienced the pain of clan annihilation, Hong Maru was just a straightforward, big-hearted simpleton.
"Alright then."
With the Great Ogre Clan's warm invitation, Bai Luo naturally would not refuse.
After all, Bai Luo himself had the idea of subduing the Great Ogre Clan.
Bai Luo had a good impression of the Great Ogre Clan; he knew the future trajectory and therefore did not want them to be annihilated by the Pig Head Emperor.
300 Great Ogres, with an average rank of B.
Such a vast force, if it could belong to Bai Luo, he could formally establish himself in the Jura Great Forest.
Moreover, the Great Ogres' potential was not low; in the future, they could evolve into Ogres, or even Fiend Ogres and Ogre Kings.
Bai Luo had no reason to pass up such a ready-made army.
Thus, Bai Luo joined the Great Ogre Clan's party, preparing to return with them to the Great Ogre Clan's village.
Before that, the Great Ogres still needed to collect the remains of their deceased clansmen.
They did not blame Bai Luo's magic for blasting the Great Ogre Clan's bodies to pieces, with many even turning to ash.
Regarding this, the Great Ogres' saying was: "Perhaps it's not bad to be buried in the Jura Great Forest."
"Besides, there are so many Insect Monsters to be buried with them…"
The Great Ogres were very open-minded about life and death.
Moreover, circumstances called for quick action.
In such a critical moment, it was already good that Bai Luo could act; who would dare to hope for more?
The reason for cleaning the battlefield was also to determine if there were any survivors.
The result did not exceed Hong Maru and the others' expectations.
The Insect Monster's claws contained extremely terrifying venom; even the Great Ogre Clan's physique could only resist for a short while.
In this regard, Shion being able to survive was truly very lucky.
"Rest in peace, everyone…"
"Lord Bai Luo and Egui Peng have already avenged you."
Soon after, led by Hong Maru, the Great Ogres held a simple mourning.
Lord Bai Luo and Egui Peng watched this scene.
They did not participate but stood silently aside, quietly waiting for the Great Ogres' ritual to end.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"No matter."
"Please follow us."
Hong Maru led the way towards the village, with Bai Luo and Egui Peng following behind the group.
During this time, the two girls, Zhu Cai and Shion, frequently looked back.
They were very interested in Egui Peng.
However, Egui Peng had to protect Bai Luo and stayed by his side every step of the way, which made it impossible for the two girls to find an opportunity to thank Egui Peng.
"We've arrived."
"Welcome to the Great Ogre Clan's village!"
Stepping out of the dense forest, what appeared before Bai Luo's eyes was an ancient village.
The village was not large, with an architectural style leaning towards Japanese, mostly wooden structures, arranged on both sides of the streets in a grid pattern.
Bai Luo naturally knew the reason for this situation.
Hakurou's grandfather, named Arakawa Byakuya, was an Otherworlder who had crossed over from Japan more than 300 years ago.
It was because of his influence that the Great Ogres used swords as weapons and valued loyalty and righteousness more than the human knights of this world.
The Great Ogres would not submit to others.
Conversely, once they pledged allegiance to someone, they would follow them wholeheartedly.
"What exactly happened?"
The Great Ogres in the village had noticed Hong Maru and their return early on.
The families of the deceased clansmen were deeply saddened, and the women and children were sobbing uncontrollably.
However, sadness was meaningless; the world of monsters was not like humans, wallowing in self-pity.
Perhaps they had long since come to terms with life and death.
The Great Ogres who had lost their loved ones took their family members, or the remaining relics and remains, and buried them in the cemetery near the village.
Throughout the entire process, Bai Luo did not show any dissatisfaction but gave them basic respect.
"Father!"
After dealing with the matters of the fallen clansmen, Hong Maru finally had time to introduce Bai Luo to his father, a red-haired Ogre much older than Hong Maru.
"Thank you very much for your assistance."
"Please accept our sincere gratitude!"
Led by Hong Maru's father, a group of Great Ogres uniformly bowed to Bai Luo.
"No need for this."
Bai Luo waved his hand, saying, "I just happened to pass by, and I also have a grudge against those insects, so I just helped out."
"No matter what."
The Red Ogre leader sincerely said, "In such a critical situation, if it weren't for your righteous intervention, my son and daughter would probably all have perished there."
"Father, how much longer are you going to make Lord Bai Luo and Egui Peng stand here?!"
Zhu Cai said, "The two of them just had an intense battle and walked so far with us; they must be very tired."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes."
Like his son Hong Maru, the Red Ogre leader said awkwardly, "It was my oversight."
"Honestly!"
Zhu Cai turned around and gestured to Bai Luo and Egui Peng, saying, "Please wait a moment, I will immediately have hot water prepared for bathing."
"Uh…"
Bai Luo initially wanted to say there was no need for such trouble.
But seeing Zhu Cai's serious gaze, Bai Luo and Egui Peng exchanged glances and could only accept, saying, "Alright then, thank you for the trouble."
Zhu Cai was right.
The group had been traveling through the forest, and now the sun was almost setting; saying they weren't tired would definitely be a lie.
Rather, the fact that Zhu Cai could notice this showed that the girl's thoughts were indeed much more delicate than the other Great Ogres.