The tree nymphs chorused their welcome loudly, each vanishing invisibly one by one. As they disappeared from the scene, Saria chuckled briefly at their words before shifting her gaze towards the individuals before her.
"Chief, may I say something?" Saria asked, her eyes fixed on the Village Chief.
The Village Chief nodded, "What is it?" he responded.
"I want to resign from my role as the caretaker of the Warrior's Garden," Saria said.
The Village Chief slightly furrowed his brows before nodding with a deep exhale escaping his lips.
"Alright, after what has happened, I don't see any reason for you to continue working at the Warrior's Garden. However, your payment will still be given to you, and it will be increased from five Kalna fruits to ten Kalna fruits a day, to be exchanged for whatever you want at the normal barter price," the Village Chief responded.
Despite his already bleeding wealth, considering the amount he pays to Orion and his family daily, he couldn't leave Saria without compensation for everything she had been through.
Looking at Anara nodding in appreciation, he felt reassured that he had made the right decision.
Saria nodded in response.
"And if there's anything else you would like to do, just let me know so I can arrange it for you," the Village Chief added.
He was aware that, unlike the rest of the tree nymphs, Saria loved to keep her hands busy, which is why she had taken up the work of taking care of the plants in the Warrior's Garden and keeping them safe.
Saria suddenly became thoughtful. She briefly focused her attention on Orion before shifting it back towards the Village Chief.
"Actually, I think there is something particular I would love to request immediately," Saria responded.
The Village Chief nodded. "Oh, what do you want to request?" he asked seriously.
Orion looked into Saria's eyes and could already guess what she would say.
"I'm wondering if it's possible for me to solely provide the fruits from my tree to Orion and his family," Saria replied with a broad smile.
Not only did the Village Chief's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but even Stronghold Leader Zogar and Caretaker Ivor couldn't help but furrow their brows at Saria's request. The Village Chieftess, Caretaker Naida, Caretaker Zola, Caretaker Nala, and Caretaker Shani were all shocked and felt that something was wrong, as there was no way a tree nymph would boldly ask for her fruits to be given exclusively to a single individual, no matter what status they had.
However, even if they all had a single weird thought at the back of their minds, they quickly dismissed it.
Meanwhile, Anara and Dariya couldn't help but slowly parted their lips in disbelief, alongside Malaia, who hadn't left with the others and had hidden in the corner after becoming invisible.
A tree nymph requesting to have all her fruits for a single individual!
Unlike the rest, who could not figure it out immediately, Anara and the others were tree nymphs, so it was easier for them to understand what Saria's words meant.
Anara shifted her gaze and stole several glances at Orion, who was beside her, seemingly smiling at her response.
She couldn't help but wonder what could have happened during the time that Orion and Saria were together for them to become this close to each other.
After all, the last time a tree nymph had made such a request was during the construction of the farm when each of the tree nymphs was being placed within the farm's enormous wooden walls to keep them away from the Vylkr vines and protect them from it.
At that time, a certain tree nymph had been saved by a young warrior, preventing her and her tree from being utterly consumed by the Vylkr vines before she was moved to the farm.
The battle, however, ended with the young warrior, who still wasn't strong enough to fight against waves of one-star Vylkr vines alone, accumulating several life-threatening injuries that were almost impossible for the healer to heal then. This resulted in him being unable to continue his work as a warrior and accumulate wealth.
Also, because the only wealth he managed to make was gained through bartering with his semen, he barely survived unless he made the most challenging decision—to sell himself and become a servant with his needs provided for him.
Nonetheless, after getting news about the warrior's predicament, to prevent such a thing from happening, the tree nymph who had been saved the young warrior decided to make a request to give all the fruits that grew out of her tree to him. After all, without him, she would have been swallowed up and devoured by the Vylkr vines.
Her selfless actions saved him from his sudden predicament, allowing him to enjoy life to the fullest. To the extent that he successfully had a partner, several children, and even grandchildren until the day he died. Meanwhile, the tree nymph continued to provide for his family until the day she also withered and left the earth.
However, due to the various regulations and restrictions that accompanied the tree nymph's decision, there were hardly any tree nymphs who weren't aware of such a story.
Also, no other tree nymph had attempted to do such a thing again for countless years.
Any tree nymph would have to think thrice before making such a decision, which was why many humans barely remembered such an event. It had turned into a myth over time. With this knowledge, Anara couldn't help but wonder what would push Saria to make such a request.
Dariya and Malaia were also pondering this matter. Unlike Anara, they were naturally thinking about getting close to Orion to unravel the kind of man he was. They wanted to understand what type of man had impregnated their Overseer and caused her to give birth.
They were curious about how he had influenced Saria to the extent that she would make such a request.
