Verdant looked at the Witch, her lips trembling slightly as she whispered, "I-I'm fine."
Saskia's eyes narrowed as she reached for Verdant. Her hands were a translucent, deathly pale.
Verdant instinctively took a step back, her back pressing tightly against Mundo's broad chest. Her eyes, filled with terror, were fixed on Saskia.
"Verdant? What's wrong? Why don't you let the Witch take a look at you?" Mundo asked, confused, as he supported Verdant.
"N-No, that's okay. I'm just really tired today. I... I want to sleep." Verdant's face was ashen. The moment she finished speaking, she grabbed Mundo's arm and headed straight for their cave.
Halfway there, she suddenly remembered Evangeline was still behind them. Suppressing the fear in her heart, she turned and grabbed Evangeline. "Come on, let's go inside."
'There's no need to ask any more questions,' Saskia thought, her gaze shifting away from Verdant, her expression cold. 'Verdant knows the truth. But it doesn't matter. She's just one insignificant female; she can't stir up any trouble.'
Then, she turned her attention to Evangeline, her voice anything but gentle. "Who are you? Why have you appeared in our Midridge Tribe?"
Verdant's heart leaped into her throat, and her entire body went rigid. She was terrified the Witch would see through Evangeline's identity.
Evangeline, however, remained perfectly composed. She used Verdant's support to stand up, her eyes curving into a smile as she looked at Saskia with a curious expression. "So you're the Witch of the Midridge Tribe? I'm just a wandering female with no tribe. Verdant saved me. I only plan to stay for one night and leave tomorrow. The Witch shouldn't mind, right?"
Saskia sized Evangeline up for a moment, a look of condescending charity flashing across her face. "You may stay in the tribe."
The Midridge Tribe didn't have many females, only twelve in total. This newcomer would make a good addition to their numbers.
After speaking, Saskia sauntered away, not bothering to investigate further how Verdant had made it back from Thorncliff alive.
The moment Saskia left, Verdant went limp like a puppet with its strings cut, nearly collapsing to the ground from sheer exhaustion.
"Look at you, getting so flustered over a little thing." Evangeline glanced at Verdant.
Verdant shook her head with a bitter smile, giving her a complicated look.
'Evangeline's Beast-mother is the Witch of the Oasis Tribe. They're close, so of course she can't understand my situation.'
'Besides, how could I not be afraid, knowing Saskia was going to kill me over a Mermaid Tail Skirt?'
"Go on back and sleep," Evangeline said, then sat down again at the cave entrance, her gaze fixed on the tribe's bonfire.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Verdant asked weakly.
Evangeline couldn't be bothered to answer. 'I'm here on a mission. Now that I've infiltrated the Midridge Tribe, I'll get the Mermaid Tail Skirt tonight and return the tail scales to Danton.'
Verdant sighed and led her Beast Husbands into the cave.
Evangeline had barely warmed her seat when a rustling sound, interwoven with soft moans, came from inside the cave.
'Verdant just had a near-death experience today, yet she's already so quick to get back to harmoniously coexisting with her Beast Husbands.'
'As expected, on the Beastman Continent, every female carries the important mission of "continuing the bloodline."'
As she mulled this over, Evangeline thought of Danton, the shy Beastman who would blush just at the sight of her thigh.
Evangeline rested her chin in her hands. 'Of the seven Beast Husbands, Danton is actually the easiest one to win over.'
'The Oasis Tribe was destroyed, and all seven Beast Husbands scattered. Aside from Danton, who protected me as I escaped, the closest one to me now is Thorne from the Grymdale Tribe. After I win over Danton, Thorne is next.'
'But I don't plan on a frontal assault. Building my retirement home is what's most important.'
Evangeline silently formulated a plan in her mind as the lively atmosphere in the Midridge Tribe gradually faded.
Some stood guard around the bonfire while the rest returned to their caves.
Before long, tranquility settled over the entire tribe, broken only by the occasional amorous sound that disturbed the night's peace.
Evangeline stood up and glanced back at Verdant's cave. The sounds from within hadn't stopped. The corner of her mouth twitched. 'It seems every female needs multiple Beast Husbands to share the pressures of life.'
She wiggled a finger, and a transparent, thin thread wrapped around its tip, connected to something on the other end.
Evangeline tugged the thread, tapped her toes lightly, and soared through the air in a graceful arc like a swift.
In an instant, she had evaded the watchful eyes of the tribe and followed the thread to a cave.
The owner of this cave clearly had better taste than Verdant. Instead of a muddy entrance, the ground was paved with a layer of clean-looking pebbles. Besides that, a large mulberry tree stood at the cave's entrance.
'A mulberry tree?' Evangeline's eyes flickered. She recalled the silk clothing the Midridge Tribe's Witch wore and understood.
She formed a hand seal, and her entire body seemed to be enveloped in a layer of mist before vanishing into thin air.
Evangeline had used an Invisibility Spell. She swaggered into Saskia's cave.
The cave was damp. The moment she stepped inside, Evangeline raised an eyebrow.
It was because of a faint noise coming from within, mixed with indistinct panting.
Evangeline's eyes narrowed. Making herself right at home, she rounded a corner and fixed her gaze on two Beastmen.
The female Beastman was none other than the Witch who looked down her nose at everyone, Saskia.
She had never seen the male Beastman before, but Evangeline took a few extra glances anyway. 'After all, it's human nature to be swayed by a handsome face.' And this male Beastman, entangled with Saskia, was certainly not bad-looking.
He had fair skin and was completely naked. His face was devilishly handsome and imposing, with sharp, angled brows that gave him a dangerous air.
Suddenly, his movements stopped without warning.
"Elias Moretti, what is it? Why did you stop all of a sudden?" Saskia, beneath him, swayed her body, pressing closer to the male Beastman.
Elias Moretti's eyes narrowed. He rolled off her and stood up, his slender eyes scanning the empty cave with vigilance.
"What's wrong?" Saskia came to her senses and frowned. "Did you sense something?"
Evangeline glanced at Elias Moretti in surprise. 'This male Beastman is impressive. His senses are very sharp.'
Her gaze fell on his forehead, and she was even more astonished. 'He's a Six-star Beastman!'
Evangeline blinked, sizing up Elias Moretti once more.
'Could he be one of the male leads?'
'Elias Moretti? Is there a male lead with that name? I don't think so.'
Evangeline was puzzled. 'Still, a young Six-star Beastman, even if he's not a male lead, is definitely no nobody. With that kind of power, he could easily be a leader in a mid-sized tribe.'
'He might even be a key character for driving the plot forward.'
'Unfortunately, the plot summary was brief, and she had no memory of an "Elias Moretti."'
"Elias Moretti?" When he didn't speak for a long time, Saskia grew anxious.
Elias Moretti retracted his gaze, the tense lines of his body relaxing.
He raised a hand, his long fingers gently lifting Saskia's chin. His eyes narrowed, exuding a unique charm that was both fatal and dangerous.
Saskia stared blankly at Elias Moretti, enveloped by his unique aura, and her heart began to tremble.
She bit her lower lip, trying her best to calm the tide of emotions surging within her. Then, her arms wrapped around Elias Moretti's neck as naturally as vines.
She tilted her head up slightly, a hint of playful reproach in her soft, sweet voice as she asked, "The Oasis Tribe was destroyed several days ago. Why did it take you until today to come see me?"