"Where did she throw it?" Evangeline wondered, looking at the dried bones by the edge of Thorncliff and stroking her chin.
The original owner, as bold as she was, hadn't dared to go deep into Thorncliff. She'd just tossed it at the very edge. With some luck, it might not have been picked up. After all, few people came here. But it wasn't completely deserted, either, because this was the most convenient place to dispose of trash.
That's right. Thorncliff, being a defiled place, was where the Oasis Tribe dumped its daily refuse.
The bones of prey, daily waste, or even the bodies of spies from other tribes were all tossed here to be "recycled" by the cliff. It was no wonder the thorn bushes grew so well—they were certainly well-fertilized.
Evangeline circled the edge of Thorncliff, but found nothing.
Just then, she heard footsteps. Her long, narrow eyes half-lidded as she leaped lightly into a tree.
A heavy sound, like something being dragged, grew closer.
Evangeline looked down and saw a giant porcupine carrying a load. "Carrying" was a generous term; various items were simply impaled on its back quills. And trailing behind its tail, it was dragging a person—a Beastman whose body had turned a deathly purple.
The porcupine didn't dare get too close to Thorncliff. It shook its quills on the outskirts, and everything on its back tumbled off, including the Beastman it had been dragging. Then, the porcupine transformed into a short, stout Beastman.
He stretched his back first, then slowly began tossing the things he had shaken off into Thorncliff.
It was all tribal garbage, reeking with a foul stench. The Porcupine Beastman's face was full of displeasure as he muttered, "We're all Beastmen, so why do I get stuck with this disgusting job? Hmph, the Midridge Tribe will be swallowed by the Grymdale Tribe sooner or later, just like The Oasis was. Hehe, then I won't have to do a thing!"
The Porcupine Beastman rubbed his hands together, then glanced at the twitching Beastman on the ground and sighed.
"Verdant, you can only blame your own bad luck. You could have offended anyone, but you just had to offend the Witch. Did you really think you were worthy of wearing something as precious as the Mermaid Tail Skirt? Getting bitten to death by a Prismatic Python while you were out gathering... that's just your fate!" the Porcupine Beastman muttered again.
With that, he dragged the body forward and threw it into the thicket of thorns. Once he was done, he turned and slowly walked away.
Evangeline stood in the tree, watching the Beastman fall among the thorns. As blood flowed, the thorns seemed to come alive, twisting and winding around the body, completely enveloping it. 'It won't be long before this poisoned Beastman is sucked dry,' she thought.
"Mermaid Tail Skirt?" Evangeline blinked. She looked at the Beastman in the thorns and decided to intervene.
She flicked her finger, and a fireball shot into the thicket. Instantly, the thorns recoiled as if they had met a natural predator.
Evangeline took a rope from her dimensional space. With a clean, deft flick, she accurately looped it around the Beastman in the thicket. Only when she pulled the body out did she realize the abandoned person was actually a female Beastman!
The novel, *All My Sterile Beast Husbands Want to Kill Me*, revolved around the Oasis and Grymdale Tribes; others weren't mentioned. The original owner's memories did contain knowledge of the Midridge Tribe, but she had always been arrogant and never paid attention to other tribes, so the information she possessed was extremely limited.
'Female Beastmen are incredibly precious on the Beastman Continent. The Witch of the Midridge Tribe was willing to murder a female Beastman over a skirt someone had found?'
'Impressive. She's got personality.'
Evangeline clicked her tongue. Looking at the nearly dead female, she pulled a snake gallbladder from her space and stuffed it into the woman's mouth.
'Talk about a coincidence. All things in nature have their counters. A Prismatic Python was the very type of snake she had killed last night. Its gallbladder is the antidote for its venom, just the thing to save this female's life. And as a bonus, I can use this "favor" to pry for some information.'
The bile was intensely bitter, and Verdant's expression twisted in disgust.
However, the effect was immediate.
Before long, the ghastly purple color receded from Verdant's skin. Once she returned to normal, Evangeline saw that the female Beastman had healthy, wheat-colored skin and large, expressive eyes with thick brows. She was actually quite likable.
'Why likable?'
'Because I don't like people who are more beautiful than me. And if nothing else, I'm very satisfied with my current body.'
Evangeline sat to the side, waiting for Verdant to wake up. She took out a satsuma orange, peeled it, and took a couple of sweet bites.
After finishing, Evangeline glanced down at the white seeds on the ground. After a moment's thought, she gathered them up.
'I have plenty of supplies in my space, but now that I'm in a primitive Beastman World, how can I not take up farming?'
Just as Evangeline finished wrapping the seeds and putting them in her space, Verdant screamed herself awake. "No—!"
Verdant shot up, drenched in sweat. She looked around, and when her eyes fell on Thorncliff, her face paled. She scrambled to her feet to run, only to turn and meet Evangeline's smiling eyes. "Since you're awake, why don't you tell me about the Mermaid Tail Skirt."
Her voice was matter-of-fact. It wasn't a question, but a statement.
Verdant's expression changed. She stared at Evangeline, her brow furrowed, and took two wary steps back, stammering, "E-Evangeline?"
Evangeline blinked and pointed to herself, a little curious. "You know me? Am I that famous?"
Verdant ignored her, struggling to her feet to leave. 'I was bitten by a Prismatic Python, so how did I end up in a filthy place like Thorncliff? My Beast Husband must be worried sick. I have to get back!'
'As for Evangeline, a female who was cruel to her Beast Husbands and had brought ruin upon her own tribe—she was utterly shameless.'
"I saved you. If you don't tell me about the Mermaid Tail Skirt, I might just have to toss you back into those thorns." Evangeline grabbed Verdant's wrist. A faint smile played on her lips, but the upturned corners of her narrow eyes were ice-cold.
Verdant looked at Evangeline's expression, a flash of surprise on her face. "You saved me?"
"You think you would have survived out here in the middle of nowhere otherwise?" Evangeline sneered, yanking her back again.
Verdant fell to the ground with a thump, looking even more shocked. "You're only a One-star patterned female! How can you be so strong?"
Evangeline's patience was wearing thin. With a flick of her wrist, a sharp dagger was at Verdant's throat. The cold, razor-thin blade drew a line of blood.
She said, "I ask, you answer. One more useless word, and I'll slit your throat."
Verdant shuddered twice. Not daring to nod for fear of having her throat cut, she could only manage a trembling sound of assent.
Evangeline sat down cross-legged again, retracting the dagger to twirl it between her fingers. "Did you find the Mermaid Tail Skirt?"
Verdant let out a breath of relief. Clutching her stinging neck, she shook her head. "No, it wasn't me. It was Mundo. He's my Beast Husband."
"Mundo?" Evangeline's eyes narrowed. "So the Mermaid Tail Skirt is in the Midridge Tribe now? In your hands? Or the Witch's?"
"The Witch?" Verdant shot Evangeline a surprised, uncomprehending look. "Why are you suddenly bringing up the Witch? Mundo found the Mermaid Tail Skirt and gave it to me. Why would the Witch have it? What are you trying to say?"
Evangeline shook her head and got up to leave. 'This idiot doesn't even realize she was ambushed and left for dead.'
'Forget it. I'll just go to the Midridge Tribe myself and take the Mermaid Tail Skirt back by force!'
"Wait! Evangeline! What do you mean? What does the Mermaid Tail Skirt have to do with the Witch?" Verdant jumped up and ran after her, her expression anxious. Though her eyes still held doubt and suspicion, they were now filled mostly with unease.
'Why did I suddenly wake up at Thorncliff? This is where they dispose of... things!'
Evangeline was getting annoyed and was about to channel her energy to fly away when a thought occurred to her, and her eyes glinted.
"You want to know? Fine. Take me back to the Midridge Tribe." Evangeline put her dagger away and turned back to Verdant with a smile.
Her smile was pure and bright, so dazzling that it momentarily stunned Verdant.
Verdant thought to herself, 'No wonder a virago like Evangeline has so many Beast Husbands. She's stunningly beautiful. There's probably not a second female this gorgeous in all the Northlands.'