Danton followed her gaze to the drastically changed sea, a somber look clouding his light blue eyes.
He squeezed Evangeline’s hand and said softly, "We can hold on for now."
Leaving Norfell to venture beyond the Triangle Sea was an opportunity to find a new ho. However, Marine Beastn couldn’t survive long without seawater. For now, they could still collect so and mix it with snowlt to ease their people’s desperate need for it, but Danton feared that during the long trek, far from any ocean, his people wouldn’t survive long enough to reach the Triangle Sea.
Evangeline leaned against Danton’s shoulder, her eyes on the water. "Don’t worry," she said softly. "I have a way."
Danton shuddered and held Evangeline tighter. "As the Clan Leader of the r Clan, I’ve never actually done anything for my people," he said with a wry smile. "If you weren’t here, I don’t know what the r Clan would be facing, let alone what would have beco of ."
A faint smile touched Evangeline’s lips as she wrapped her arms around Danton’s waist. "I told you I ca to save you all."
Danton rested his chin on the crown of Evangeline’s head, his fair, slender hands holding her waist. "Eva, thank you."
Evangeline blinked, looking up at Danton’s exquisitely handso face. "We’ve already had a cub together, and you’re still being so formal with ? Your people are my people. I’ll get them safely to the Triangle Sea and find them a new ho."
The atmosphere was harmonious for a mont, but it was shattered when Thorne ca looking for them.
Without a word, he scooped Evangeline out of Danton’s arms, bent down, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I’ve been rushed off my feet over there," he whined, "and you two are over here getting cozy..."
He drew out his words, tightening his arms around her like a child. "I want so too!"
As he spoke, a flash of displeasure crossed Thorne’s dark green eyes, and he looked up to shoot Danton a fierce glare.
’This ti, the cub has to be mine. No one is stealing this one from !’
’This Danton... he looks all gentle and understanding, but he’s the most opportunistic of them all. A cub was just born, and he’s already trying for another one?’
Danton t Thorne’s possessive glare completely unprovoked. Instead, his lips curved into a smile, his light blue eyes filled with a gentle light. "Eva has been busy these past few days. She should get more rest."
At this, Thorne’s brow furrowed. But thinking about how exhausted Evangeline had truly been for the past two days, he reluctantly nodded.
Evangeline pretended not to notice the tension between the two n. "We head to Blackwater Swamp tomorrow," she announced.
Danton and Thorne exchanged a look, their expressions turning grave.
The path to the Triangle Sea would inevitably lead them through Blackwater Swamp, which was also where Thorne had arranged to et Elias Moretti.
*
The next day, Evangeline rose early and collected a large amount of seawater into her dinsional space.
Marine Beastn couldn’t live without seawater. She not only stored enough for the r Clan but also thought of Coral Cetus.
With the Marine Beastn facing disaster, the Mysticeti Tribe surely couldn’t have escaped unhard. However, the day the sea flas had erupted was too chaotic, and Evangeline hadn’t had a chance to look for Coral Cetus. The other girl hadn’t used the Conch to call her either, apparently not wanting to be a burden.
Before leaving, Evangeline took out the Conch and sent a ssage to Coral Cetus, inviting her to travel with them beyond the Triangle Sea.
This was a decision that affected an entire tribe, not sothing Coral Cetus could decide on her own. They agreed to et in person to discuss the matter in detail.
When Evangeline saw Coral Cetus again, she realized the girl was pregnant.
The once innocent and carefree pink-haired girl now had a burgeoning belly, with Stellan and Buck standing protectively by her side.
Stellan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his fellow clan mbers safe and sound.
"Eva!" The mont she saw Evangeline, Coral Cetus rushed forward and threw her arms around her.
Her sudden movent made Stellan and Buck turn pale with fright. Evangeline quickly steadied her. "Be careful."
Although Coral Cetus looked pale, she flashed a grin and said breezily, "It’s fine! I’m from the Great Fish Clan, not like those delicate, soft females! Don’t worry, Eva, I’ll deliver this cub safely. It’s just..."
She trailed off, but the sorrow in her eyes said the rest.
Their ho was gone. Any Tideborn cub born in a ti like this was bound to have a hard life.
"Don’t be afraid." Evangeline gently patted her shoulder and looked up at the approaching leader of the Mysticeti Tribe, Quinn Cetus.
The once gentle and refined leader looked much more haggard, a clear sign of the imnse troubles the sea fla eruption had caused him.
"Witch," Quinn Cetus said, stepping forward and bowing politely to Evangeline.
Evangeline shook her head. "There’s no need for such formalities, Leader," she said calmly. "I trust Coral Cetus has relayed my ssage clearly, but I must ask again: is Leader Quinn Cetus willing to journey with the r Clan beyond the Triangle Sea?"
Even though he had already heard the recent rumors from Norfell, hearing it directly from Evangeline’s lips still made him tense up.
In the minds of both Terrestrial and Marine Beastn, the Triangle Sea was a sacred, forbidden land.
Quinn Cetus’s brow tightened. He pursed his lips and said, "Witch, you know as well as I do that Marine Beastn cannot survive long without seawater. Right now, the sea is boiling away. We cannot travel through the water to reach the Triangle Sea, which ans we must go on foot. But the bitter Cold Season, the lack of food, and the scarcity of seawater are all imnse problems for us Marine Beastn. The r Clan..."
He looked at Danton, perplexed. ’As the leader of the r Clan, has he not considered these issues at all?’
Evangeline nodded. "I understand your concerns, Leader. I can solve the problem of the seawater, but you will have to overco the blizzards of the Cold Season yourselves. As for food, we won’t be able to offer much help. But you must realize that the seawater is constantly evaporating. The sea level is falling. One day, it might disappear completely. When that day cos, are the Marine Beastn in Norfell just going to wait to die?"
Her expression was serene, her tone even and without any emotional inflection.
’She had only invited the Mysticeti Tribe because of Coral Cetus and Stellan. One was her friend, and the other was a mber of the r Clan. She couldn’t just abandon the Mysticeti Tribe because of them, which ant she naturally had to take more into account.’
’However, simply bringing them along was the most she could do. Providing food or worrying about keeping them warm was not her responsibility. At the very least, though, their safety on the journey would be assured.’
’After all, all the land-based tribes were grappling with the fact that Norfell was no longer a viable place to live.’
’Then, the various alliances of Terrestrial Beastman tribes would form a powerful force.’
’These people could be extre. If food beca scarce during the migration, their first targets would be the Marine Beastn, who were incredibly vulnerable on land. They could slaughter fellow Beastn, and as long as they didn’t consu the Beast Crystals, they wouldn’t turn into Fallen Beastn.’
’The question was, when you were starving, and a fresh Beastman corpse lay before you... would you eat it?’
’Beastn were, at their core, just Wild Beasts.’
She didn’t voice these thoughts. If Quinn Cetus couldn’t even foresee this possibility, there was no point in them traveling together.
Quinn Cetus’s hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists. Evangeline’s words were harsh, but they were the truth.
’If the sea flas could not be extinguished, the ocean would eventually boil away completely. When that happened, how were Beastn like them, who depended on the sea to live, supposed to survive?’
’Finding a new path forward was now a matter of utmost urgency.’
’Most importantly, Evangeline, as a witch, had a way to provide them with seawater!’
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