'A hunting game?' Evangeline snorted inwardly, her thoughts dripping with sarcasm.
Recalling her clash with Elias Moretti last night, she had toyed with him. Now, it seemed Elias Moretti clearly saw himself as the hunter who controlled life and death, and her as his fleeing prey.
Just last night, he'd said he would send men from the Grymdale Tribe to collect the tribute. But today, he had come himself, aggressive and imposing, and had immediately put the Midridge Tribe in their place.
Elias Moretti was obviously here for her. 'Heh.'
Evangeline scoffed inwardly, a cold sneer on her face.
Saskia, however, was filled with doubt. Her eyes, full of confusion, were fixed on Elias Moretti. She couldn't understand his series of bizarre actions today. First, he'd destroyed her mulberry trees, and now he was personally demanding tribute. 'What does he mean by this?'
But now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.
Her brow furrowed. She glanced at the grim-faced leader, then moved closer to Elias Moretti and whispered, "Didn't you say you'd leave after taking the tribute? Tormenting the people of the Midridge Tribe like this might provoke them to resist."
Elias Moretti didn't even spare Saskia a glance. His cold, stern face was expressionless, but a sinister glint flashed in his narrow eyes.
His thin lips parted, his voice cold and heavy with an irresistible, commanding tone. "All of you, spread out!"
Elias Moretti's voice seemed to carry an invisible force, echoing through the air.
Saskia was displeased, but she knew Elias Moretti's temper and pressed her lips together, saying no more.
Hearing Elias Moretti's command, the Beastmen below grimaced.
'We're Beastmen of the Midridge Tribe. Why should we listen to him?'
They furtively exchanged glances, and in an instant, helplessness washed over them.
'If we don't obey his command...' They subconsciously turned their gazes toward the "mountain" that had gradually fallen silent, and a chill shot up from the soles of their feet to their hearts.
Then, they looked at their grim-faced leader and the silent Witch, and despaired.
Suppressing their indignation, the crowd reluctantly shifted their feet, gradually spreading out.
A suffocating atmosphere permeated the air, like the calm before a storm.
The men Elias Moretti had brought moved quickly, surrounding the area in the blink of an eye until it was completely sealed off.
Verdant's eyes were filled with terror. Like a startled bird, she kept glancing at Evangeline.
Her heart pounded with anxiety. She had a nagging feeling that today's events were somehow connected to Evangeline. 'Could the people from the Grymdale Tribe have guessed that Evangeline is hiding in the Midridge Tribe?'
Just as she was thinking this, Elias Moretti's figure flickered, and he transformed into a majestic, crimson python.
The python was enormous. Its thick body arched high, its triangular head cold and fierce, its bronze, slit-pupiled eyes staring intently at every Beastman present.
Elias Moretti's forked tongue flicked in and out, making a horrifying HISS.
Then, its massive body began to weave nimbly through the crowd of Beastmen. The ground trembled slightly wherever it passed, kicking up a whistling wind. Every Beastman turned pale, not daring to even breathe.
Across the vast expanse of the Beastman Continent, the Snake Clan's reputation was nothing short of infamous.
Their nature was sinister and cunning, their methods perverse and brutal, striking fear into the hearts of many Beastman Tribes at the mere mention of their name.
Especially with the recent annihilation of the Oasis Tribe, an act carried out entirely by the Grymdale Tribe. The stench of blood had lingered for days.
A Six-star Pattern expert from the Snake Clan, leading a group of his clansmen, could probably deal with their Midridge Tribe even more easily than they had dealt with the Oasis Tribe.
Evangeline stood in a corner, glancing at Elias Moretti out of the corner of her eye.
His scarlet body was powerful and vigorous, radiating a terrifying aura. A ruthless glint shone in his cold, slitted eyes, and his forked tongue flickered at an incredible speed, its split tip gleaming with an eerie light.
'So, he's trying to catch the scent of the Beastmen to find me?'
Evangeline mused to herself, a sly smile flickering in her eyes.
She subtly shifted her body. With a flick of a finger hidden in her sleeve, a round, black marble shot forward, rolling smoothly across the ground.
In the blink of an eye, with a soft POP, clouds of black smoke billowed out.
Almost simultaneously, a nauseating stench spread rapidly from the point of impact.
The foul odor smelled like a mixture of rotting flesh and feces; it was utterly repulsive.
'A Disguise Bomb. A product developed in the Apocalypse World, used to mask one's scent to blend in with zombie hordes.'
A clear, intense look of disgust flashed through Elias Moretti's blood-red serpent eyes. He looked utterly offended, and then, he was so angry he almost laughed.
A moment later, his serpent eyes glinted, and he revealed an ice-cold smile.
'Looks like I wasn't wrong. The person is here.'
The smile, slowly forming on Elias Moretti's winding, triangular snake head, looked exceptionally bizarre.
Evangeline happened to catch sight of it, and the corner of her mouth twitched. 'So, is Thorne's beast form like this too?'
The stench billowed like a great tide, causing the Beastmen to cough violently, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Elias Moretti's massive serpentine body was particularly conspicuous in the crowd. He remained coiled firmly in place.
Despite the surrounding chaos, he was as steady as a mountain. His gaze was like a torch, his sharp eyes piercing through the layers of smoke and the frantic crowd, searching carefully through the mess.
He was absolutely certain: the person who had toyed with him last night was hiding right here!
"Who did this?!" Saskia clamped her hand over her nose and mouth. The surrounding stench was nearly suffocating her, but the nauseating smell still seeped into her nostrils.
Her pale face flushed red, and the veins on her neck bulged slightly with rage.
In the next moment, Saskia's gaze shot like a bolt of lightning through the chaotic crowd, locking firmly onto Evangeline.
She knew the dispositions of the Midridge Tribe's Beastmen like the back of her hand. Under the intimidating pressure of Elias Moretti's Six-star Pattern strength, not a single Beastman in the tribe would dare to make a move.
But this female was different. She was a complete stranger.
In this chaotic moment, suspicion naturally fell upon this strange female.
Saskia was convinced that this sudden turn of events had everything to do with Evangeline.
"It was you!" Saskia descended from the high platform, staring coldly at Evangeline.
At her words, Elias Moretti's serpent eyes also fell upon Evangeline.
A female.
An ugly female.
Elias Moretti slithered before Evangeline. His highly arched body bent downward, his massive triangular head staring right at her as his forked tongue tasted the subtle scents in the air.
Evangeline blinked, looking innocently at Elias Moretti and Saskia. "Witch, what was me? I don't understand."