Elias Moretti stared at Evangeline’s inquisitive look, taken aback for a second.
He sized Evangeline up, amused. A corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk as he said, "My Beast-father is the leader of the Grymdale Tribe, and my Beast-mother is its Female Leader. The two of them ford a Contract and had . As for Thorne..."
Elias Moretti let out a soft scoff and didn’t finish his sentence, but Evangeline understood. ’What a poor little thing.’
’Still, I didn’t expect the Grymdale Tribe to have two leaders—a man and a woman who are also Contracted partners.’
"Want to co see the cave I’ve prepared for you?" Elias Moretti extended the invitation once more.
"Thanks for the offer, but I need to go hunting. I promised Thorne I’d roast him a rabbit today." Evangeline shrugged, then turned and strode away. She felt not a shred of guilt for pumping Elias Moretti for information only to cast him aside. Instead, her thoughts turned to Thorne, who had left the tribe. ’He ripped off his bandages before his wounds even healed. Isn’t he afraid of getting an infection?’
Elias Moretti watched Evangeline go, his gaze growing a bit colder. Undeterred, he hurried after her.
He masked the coldness in his eyes and, following behind Evangeline, said, "Perhaps you’re not familiar with how things work in the Grymdale Tribe. Thorne has already ford a Contract. Even if you’ve taken a liking to him, nothing will ever co of it."
’This female may be ugly, but she’s remarkably capable. If I can win her over to my side, the position of Grymdale Tribe’s leader will be all but guaranteed. No matter what, I can’t let her get entangled with Thorne!’
"I know," Evangeline replied, her expression nonchalant and completely unbothered.
Elias Moretti stopped, his brow furrowed as he looked at Evangeline. "Are you taking such good care of Thorne just because you pity him?"
’If it were the old Thorne, it would be perfectly normal for a female like her to be interested in him. But the Thorne of today is a complete wreck. He’s even lost the ability to hunt and can’t provide for himself. What female would want him?’
Rembering what she’d said last night, Elias Moretti felt he had guessed correctly.
’She’s just a kind-hearted female who can’t stand to see Thorne ostracized by the tribe.’
As this thought crossed his mind, his gaze toward Evangeline held a flicker of disdain that vanished in an instant.
He said softly, "Even if you pity Thorne, there’s no need to live with him. My younger brother has a strange temper and is prone to losing control. If he were to hurt you, wouldn’t it beco our Grymdale Tribe’s responsibility?"
At that, Evangeline turned to face Elias Moretti, her expression one of utter exasperation. "Are you finished? If so, then get lost. You’re incredibly annoying, buzzing in my ear like an insect I want to swat flat!"
Her words were incredibly blunt, offering Elias Moretti no courtesy at all.
Seeing Evangeline so unappreciative of his advances and repeatedly rejecting him, the smile on Elias Moretti’s handso face finally faded.
His expression turned sowhat sullen. "If you get involved with Thorne, you’ll be ostracized by the tribe."
"Oh," Evangeline responded coolly and turned down another path.
Elias Moretti sneered, his gaze turning utterly vicious. However, he didn’t follow Evangeline any further.
Evangeline’s sharp gaze swept across her surroundings like a seasoned hunter searching for useful resources.
The climate on the Beastman Continent was mild and pleasant. It was currently the hunting season, a ti of abundance. All kinds of plants vied to sprout from the earth, blanketing the mountains and plains in vibrant life. Ripe wild fruits hung heavy on the branches, ready for the picking. Evangeline saw quite a few females out gathering.
These females of the Grymdale Tribe were all rather pretty, with delicate, slender builds. They were whispering amongst themselves about the previous night’s totem sacrifice.
"That female from the Midridge Tribe... she actually dared to challenge the Witch. She’s really sothing."
"Pfft, what’s so amazing about that? By saving Thorne, she’s opposing our entire Grymdale Tribe! What if the Beast God gets angry again and ends up hurting us? If you ask , we should just drive her away!"
"But she’s a Witch! She can even control the rain. How could we possibly drive her away? And haven’t you seen how important she is to Elias Moretti?"
"..."
At the ntion of Elias Moretti, the females all fell silent. They glanced at one another, their eyes filled with adoration.
"Bringing back all those people from the Midridge Tribe—now *that’s* what makes Elias Moretti truly amazing!"
"I heard from the elders that Elias Moretti is about to beco our tribe’s leader, right?"
"Shh! The leadership isn’t sothing we should be gossiping about! Instead of worrying about that, you should be thinking about how to win Elias Moretti’s favor! I only have one male right now and haven’t even had any cubs yet. I’ve always dread of having my first litter with him!"
"Elias Moretti belongs to everyone! He hasn’t ford a Contract yet, so we all still have a chance!"
"..."
The females of the Grymdale Tribe launched into a new round of discussion regarding who "owned" Elias Moretti.
A young male with a Six-star Pattern was indeed a hot commodity.
Evangeline listened in for a mont before turning toward a more secluded area. Soon, the chattering voices faded behind her.
She took a deep breath and headed toward the lush, verdant depths of the mountains, intending to search for dicinal herbs.
Before long, Evangeline reached the Hunting Grounds.
The Grymdale Tribe’s Hunting Grounds were vast. As far as the eye could see, the landscape was staggering.
Huge patches of vegetation were crushed and flattened, lying limply on the ground. It was clear that a massive, reptilian creature had barreled through, leaving this scene of devastation in its wake.
Seeing this, Evangeline couldn’t help but click her tongue with a soft "TSK." Her gaze continued to scan the area.
Just then, her eyes suddenly lit up. A ginseng plant was peeking out from a patch of grass, its leaves swaying gently as if waving her over.
With nimble fingers, Evangeline took out her tools and carefully brushed away the soil around the ginseng. Each movent was gentle and precise, lest she cause the slightest damage. It didn’t take long for the ginseng to be unearthed completely intact.
She cradled the ginseng in both hands, examining it closely. It was as thick as her arm, with a dense network of roots sprawling outwards, and it was brimming with Spiritual Energy.
Evangeline stared at the ginseng, the corners of her mouth pulling into a wide grin. "Well, I’ll be," she marveled. "The quality is absolutely incredible! The Beastman Continent really lives up to its reputation. It’s not one bit inferior to the Immortal Cultivation Realm!"
With her eyes full of the joy of a successful harvest, she carefully put the ginseng away.
She was now brimming with confidence; finding all the necessary herbs for Thorne’s treatnt shouldn’t be too difficult.
Fired up, Evangeline threw herself into the next leg of her search. She found a good number of herbs and, before she knew it, had reached the edge of the Hunting Grounds, where a sheer cliff dropped away. Rare and precious herbs often favored such locations.
She rubbed her hands together in excitent, and just as she was about to head down for a look, a piercing shriek suddenly ripped through the air, boring straight into her ears.
Evangeline’s brows shot up as she looked toward the source of the sound.
There, not far from the cliff face, an enormous Falcon was flapping its wings furiously. Its wingspan was a full five ters, an awe-inspiring sight. It was a Four-star Patterned Beast!
The way to distinguish a Wild Beast from a Beastman was that its Star Pattern was dim and lacked any elental luster.
Evangeline took a closer look. Gripped tightly in the Falcon’s talons was a shimring green python.
The python, which was as thick as a human thigh, looked small in the Falcon’s talons. It twisted its body, struggling desperately, but it was unable to break free from the Falcon’s grip. The ochre-colored Star Pattern in the center of its forehead flickered nonstop.
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