Ning teleported back to the Whiteowl Region, taking Clara back to where her home used to be. The location was now a complete ruin with no one living there at all.
Parts of what used to be the Grazer family's lands had been stolen away by many others with borders created inside of their perimeter.
Clara cared for none of that at the moment as she just walked into her childhood house, reminiscing of a time that was now no more.
"I came here 2 days ago," she said. "After I met you, I came here for a while to see how it was. I also made a promise to get revenge for their sake. I find it hard to believe that I actually did manage to avenge them."
"You did well," Ning said. "What will you do with the Hunters Paradise now that you have decided to become the ruler of the Whiteowl Region?"
"I don't think I have any choice other than disbanding them," Clara said. "That or I could let Kepli take care of it on his own. He has been the unofficial leader of the gang for the longest time."
"Do what you feel is correct," Ning said. Then, he brought out a massive Shadow Essence Crystal before placing it in front of her. "Here, this is for you."
Clara was a little surprised. "Isn't this what we took from that mountain?" she asked.
"It is," Ning said. "This is for you, my farewell gift."
"Do I really deserve this?" Clara asked.
"I… don't actually care if you deserve it or not," Ning said. "I want to give this to you, so just take it."
Clara nodded and reached for the Shadow Essence crystal which disappeared into a Storage artifact of hers. "I was actually running out of Shadow Essence crystals," she said. "In just a year or two, I would be out."
"I guess I made it in time then," Ning said and brought out something else. "Here are some techniques and books for you to learn from. It's not too late I assume."
"Books?" Clara looked at what she was handed and was a little surprised to read how good they were. "This… is this real?"
"Of course," Ning said. "I give my friends nothing but the best."
"Thank you," she said genuinely.
"You don't have to thank me," Ning said. "I did it for everyone else."
"But you didn't receive any thanks in the last two places," Clara said. "They may not have said it, but you deserve the thanks. You helped them a lot."
Ning smiled softly this time around. "It makes me happy to hear that," he said. Then, he brought out another Storage artifact and handed it over to Clara.
"This one is for the other members of the Paradise Hunters," he said. "Sophie, Kepli, and the rest. Give these to whoever needs them. I won't be able to go say goodbye to them individually."
"I will," Clara said before pausing for a bit. "Are you really going to go now?"
"Yes," Ning said.
"And… can I ever meet you again?" she asked.
"In the future, sure," Ning said. "It will take a while though."
"I see," Clara said. "I thought because you could teleport so quickly, you wouldn't be away from anyone for more than a few minutes."
"That is true, but I like to end my ties with a place before moving on with my adventure. I can't really keep coming back to one place as that isn't how my life can ever go."
"This really is goodbye, for a while at least. Although, the next time we meet, it will most likely be for another final goodbye before I leave this planet for sure," Ning said.
"Do you have an estimate on that?" Clara asked.
Ning smiled. "As soon as my daughter has had her fun with this planet," he said. "Alright, take care, and bring back the Grazer family's name to the forefront of this empire. Make your family proud."
"I will," Clara said resolutely. "Goodbye."
Ning waved at her with a smile on his face and disappeared.
Clara waved to where he had been for a while and stopped. She sighed softly and turned around to look at her family house all alone. She started tearing up at its sight and quickly wiped away her tears before turning around to leave the house for now.
She arrived at a hotel half an hour later, where she met up with Kepli and the rest.
Kepli was more than surprised to see her in the open without any sort of concealment. "What's going on?" he quickly asked.
Clara walked into the surprise of everyone, of whom only the married couple recognized her.
"Who is she?" Sophie couldn't help but ask.
"That's…"
"I'm the boss," Clara said. "But that is until today."
"Huh? Boss?" Sophie was surprised.
"What do you mean until today?" Kepli asked.
"I'm officially leaving the Hunters Paradise," she said. "I have neither a need for it nor a reason to continue it."
"I came here with the intention of disbanding the group, but on second thought, I found it better to just leave it as it is all together," Clara said.
"Is she the boss?" Sophie asked Kepli.
"Yes, she is," Kepli said before turning to Clara. "Why are you leaving? What prompted this response?"
"I have achieved a long-time goal of mine and that has made me reevaluate my current situation. After a bit of thinking, I realized that it is time for me to do what I was born to do."
"Born to do?" Kepli asked. "What are you saying, boss?"
"I am no longer the boss. You can call me Clara," she said and turned to look at everyone there. "My full name is Clara Grazer, daughter of the Grazers family, next in line to become the Grazer head."
"Since there is no one as the Grazer head, I shall take on that role henceforth," she said. "Starting today, I am Clara Grazer, head of the Grazers family, Ruler of the Whiteowl Region."
