Chapter Thirty-One: A ‘Foolish’ Act

Zhou Tian had meticulously calculated everything, yet he failed to consider the feelings of the elves. Regardless of whether they were truly human, their temperament bore a resemblance to that of human women. Even as children of nature, elves were not fond of every animal; at the very least, they would never like slippery creatures such as snakes. In truth, the elves themselves were already somewhat averse to snakes, but witnessing the Snake Basin swallow an entire group of beastmen whole was more than enough to terrify them. It was impossible for them not to be frightened. Had circumstances allowed, after seeing the Snake Basin's display of power, the elves would have fled outright. Now, Zhou Tian still hoped to lead them through the swarm of snakes to escape, but the elves simply had no courage for such a feat.

Thus, it was only natural that when Zhou Tian broke through the encirclement of beastmen and turned back, he discovered, to his surprise, that the elves who were supposed to follow him had remained rooted to the spot, not daring to join him in his escape.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and come over here!" Zhou Tian nearly exploded with anger at their response, but he knew this was not the time for outbursts. Though dissatisfied, he still hastily 'reminded' the elves.

Unfortunately, Zhou Tian never stopped to consider why the elves hadn't followed him. Despite his loud 'reminder,' the elves would not dare approach the snakes near the Snake Basin simply because he told them to.

Worse still, his shout roused the beastmen, who had been stunned by the Snake Basin's terrifying performance. While its power had indeed shaken them, this was a world of magic and martial might; with fighting spirit and magic, their training systems differed, but beastmen had witnessed magical weapons and techniques far stronger than the Snake Basin before. They'd only been startled by its strange method of attack at first, but once they regained composure, its intimidation was not enough to drive them off.

Upon hearing Zhou Tian's words, the elves remained motionless, but the beastmen remembered their duty. Despite the threat posed by the Snake Basin, many beastmen, undeterred by personal danger, surged forward to surround Zhou Tian and his companions once more.

Seeing them advance, Zhou Tian grew anxious. He was not afraid to fight the beastmen, but he could not afford to become entangled with them for long. Though few in this camp could threaten him, there were plenty in the Beastman Empire who could crush him with ease. If Zhou Tian did not leave quickly, he feared that the empire's true powers might arrive, and facing them made him uneasy.

So, as the beastmen closed in, Zhou Tian's first instinct was to turn and flee. The elves hadn't escaped, but Zhou Tian had broken through the encirclement. With his speed and the Snake Basin's aid, if he truly intended to escape alone, the beastmen could never catch him.

But—

"Damn it! I must owe you all from a past life." Zhou Tian had barely gotten far when he abruptly halted, cursed the elves under his breath, and turned back.

Though Zhou Tian was somewhat selfish and greatly afraid of death, he was not heartless. His relationship with the elves was not particularly harmonious, yet he had to admit that without their help today, even with the Snake Basin, he might not have managed to break out of the beastmen's encirclement alone.

Rationally, the best choice was to escape alone. But Zhou Tian's soul was human, and he was a reclusive youth with little exposure to society's darker side. After receiving the elves' aid, to abandon them as soon as the crisis was resolved was something those hardened by the world might do, but Zhou Tian was not that kind of person.

To many, Zhou Tian's actions might seem 'foolish.' Even the beastmen considered his behavior as such. Yet, at that moment, his actions deeply moved the elves.

Putting themselves in his place, the elves had to admit that, were their positions reversed, they would likely choose to escape alone. Because of this, as Zhou Tian turned away, their anxiety grew into fear and terror. Before the beastmen could even reach them, they were on the verge of collapse. It was in this dire moment, when Zhou Tian—whom they thought would leave them behind—turned back to save them, that his 'foolish' actions touched their hearts profoundly.

Whatever the future might hold, in that instant, Zhou Tian had broken through the elves' defenses with his 'foolish' behavior.

Unaware of what was happening in their hearts, Zhou Tian commanded the venomous snakes from the Snake Basin to block the beastmen's advance, while he shouted urgently at the elves, "Move! Do you want to die standing here?"

At that moment, Zhou Tian's angry roar sounded beautiful to the elves. Seeing the path ahead cleared by the departing snakes, a few elves, their eyes reddened with gratitude, glanced at Zhou Tian before silently sprinting toward freedom.

Feeling the weight of their emotional gaze, Zhou Tian's angry expression froze for a moment. Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned his face away and focused his efforts on controlling the snake swarm to hinder the beastmen's advance.