"Is this alright?" Nana Wa turned her head.

Wendy walked out from behind the beaded curtain, smiling as she ruffled her hair. "You've already made your decision. Isn't it a little late to ask me now?"

"Because I don't know if it's good or bad," she pouted. "I'm not as smart as Sister Anna, who is confident in everything she does."

"There aren't many people like her," Wendy said softly. "So just choose the answer you won't regret."

Looking at the little girl's thoughtful expression, she couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion.

She remembered the first time she met Nana Wa, she was just an innocent and pure girl. She would chirp at birds when she saw them, faint at the sight of blood, and be confused about her own problems, let alone thinking about others.

In just over four short years, she had learned to look at problems from other people's perspectives and had her own subjective judgment. Her growth rate was astonishing.

In fact, it wasn't just her. Lightning, Lojia, Lily, and even Mystery Moon, had all changed significantly compared to before.

Regardless of whether their choices were right or wrong, at least they dared to make choices.

This is probably the characteristic of the younger generation...

Wendy smiled wryly.

But she...no longer had that courage.

...

Kabala walked towards the location of the theatrical performance—she didn't need the guidance of road signs; the lights and the clamor of voices under the night were the best road signs.

Her pace quickened, gradually changing from walking to running. For some reason, she felt that her body was much lighter. She had never felt so eager to return to the First Army before.

She mobilized her magic power and gave herself a small command.

—Find Jude in the crowd.

Of course, she did this to find the team as soon as possible.

After all, he was the only survivor she was sure of.

Her body moved quickly through the crowd like a nimble cat, her eyes constantly capturing the surrounding scenes and matching them with the memories in her mind. A quarter of an hour later, Kabala saw a familiar figure.

Almost at the same time, the other party also noticed her.

"Jude—"

"Great, you're okay!" Before she could react, Jude had already hugged her tightly.

Kabala froze.

If it were normal times, she would have dodged away without saying a word and slapped him. But looking at Jude, who was even more excited than she was, the hand she raised ultimately failed to fall.

However, after only a few breaths, Jude reacted. He panicked and stammered, "S-sorry...I forgot you were...that, I was just too happy, I didn't mean anything else..."

Kabala noticed that two other familiar faces were also walking towards them.

It seemed that they weren't the only two survivors in the clock tower.

She changed her slap into a grab, pulling the apologizing Jude into her arms.

"If this were Iron Sand City, this kind of frivolous behavior towards a Goddess would be enough to be dragged out and fed to the sand scorpions," she whispered in his ear. "But I am no longer a Goddess, but a Sand Folk soldier, understand? If you're going to act, act the part, and don't let others see through your disguise, or I'll never forgive you!"

"Yes, I-I understand..." Jude didn't dare to move at all.

"Good, don't forget that. By the way, if I pulled you first, then it's your honor, and naturally you won't have to be fed to the sand scorpions." Kabala paused. "Now, go and celebrate with your teammates."

"It's great that you were discharged from the hospital so quickly!"

"Is the injury on your arm alright?"

As they spoke, the other two had already gathered around, hugging each other and sharing the joy of survival. And on the makeshift stage, the drama was nearing its end, and the torrential applause was continuous, and no one noticed this small episode in the Ninth Regiment.

At this moment, Iron Axe, the commander-in-chief of the First Army, stepped onto the stage.

As he spoke, the crowd quickly quieted down.

"I know that in the past eight days, you have experienced hellish trials. Never before has a war been so cruel."

"Because it is not for territory, power, and wealth. The devil's only goal is to destroy us all. Besides that, they don't need any reward."

"So the enemy doesn't care whether we surrender or not, and they don't care about their own losses. Even if their casualties are far greater than ours, they will never stop attacking!"

"Even so, you have still resisted until now and survived this hellish trial. This is enough to show that the devils, who are doing their best, are powerful, but also limited—they are not as invincible as the legends describe! These eight days of trials can be said to be no less significant than the Battle of Taqila!"

"There, we defeated a devil army, and in Wolfheart, we faced six or seven devil armies! The enemy came out in full force, from the West Mountain to the East Bank, and they could be seen everywhere! But until now, we have not been destroyed!"

A commotion arose in the crowd.

Iron Axe paused slightly, then raised his voice a level, "That's right, in order to avoid their edge, I ordered a temporary withdrawal from Goldstone Ridge and Windhowl Stronghold. Fine Sand City and Sunken Pond Bay may be the same, but this is not a failure, but an opportunity to launch a counterattack!"

"I know what you are worried about, but don't forget what I said before—this war has nothing to do with territory and wealth. Eliminating the opponent is the only goal. What we have abandoned is just cold stones and empty houses, but the devils have paid tens of thousands of casualties!"

"You are the key to winning the war. As long as the First Army is still strong, it is only a matter of time before we take back these cities!"

"The flames of war will eventually spread to the Cage Mountain area, and this place will also become a battlefield, but before that, enjoy this night! Relaxation is to meet stronger challenges. After undergoing the trials of hell, we must repay them with hell!"

"Long live Graycastle, long live His Majesty Roland, long live mankind!"

When Iron Axe shouted this ending, the camp boiled over.

Everyone repeated the same slogan, and the little doubts and worries in their hearts also melted away.

At the same time, an inspiring piece of music sounded.

Echo walked to the front of the stage step by step, drawing the final conclusion to the end of the drama.

In the passionate singing, Kabala seemed to see the scene of the army sweeping through the devil's陣地 like a torrent.

She knew it was an ability, but she didn't deliberately resist it.

Feeling the united voice of the crowd, she felt that this was not bad.

Kabala glanced at Jude, who was shouting, and couldn't help but have a thought.

When the war is over and the Sandstone Clan has a stable place to live, she will be forgiven by the people, right?

At that time, she will ask Nana Wa.Pine to remove the scars.