Deep in the night, when all was silent, an ambiguous atmosphere lingered within Matron Babel's chamber.
Azariq lay collapsed on the bed like a heap of melted mud.
His utterly drained, pale-faced appearance made it obvious he had been completely exhausted. He sprawled there in a daze, unable to even lift a finger.
Meanwhile, Babel sat contentedly at the bedside. Her beautiful face was still tinted with a rosy flush from the primitive pleasure she had just enjoyed, yet her gaze was gradually sharpening as she began contemplating her next move.
In her mind surfaced the precious information Jeht had revealed—those records concerning the [Eternal Oasis]. A sly, venomous smile—like that of a serpent—curled slowly upon her lips.
"Eternal Oasis… hmph, Jebrael, who would've thought? Fate truly enjoys its little jokes. After all this time… it's still your daughter who ends up being useful to me…"
There was a hint of pride and mockery in Babel's voice.
She continued murmuring to herself in thoughtful whispers.
"Looks like you never told Jeht about our past entanglements… that certainly makes things easier for me…"
At that thought, Babel began planning her next steps regarding Jeht.
"First, I need to slowly cultivate her emotional attachment to the tribe… make her willing to work for me."
"Then, once the time is right, I'll use her cleverly—send her to handle troublesome matters, and help me eliminate those meddlesome tribal elders."
"When that time comes, my position within the tribe will become unshakably secure—no one will be able to challenge me!"
As Babel plotted, she imagined the glorious future in which she held absolute control over everything. A wave of excitement surged in her chest.
In short, she had already made up her mind: she would continue acting like a gentle and loving mother, carefully "cherishing" Jeht while guiding her step by step into the trap she had so painstakingly prepared.
After all, with Jeht's father now dead, she was starved for familial affection.
Once she finished organizing her thoughts regarding Jeht, Babel's mind drifted toward Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon—the three unexpected visitors.
At the thought of those three, a trace of hesitation appeared in her heart.
She began with Lumine and Paimon.
"Hmm… those two don't seem like the type to cause trouble. I might as well keep treating them as honored guests for now. If they turn out to have some kind of use later, so be it. The tribe isn't exactly short on food for two extra mouths anyway."
Once she settled her thoughts about Lumine and Paimon, the image of Shao Yun surfaced in her mind.
"As for that man…"
Babel subconsciously licked her soft, alluring lips at the thought of Shao Yun.
Even though Shao Yun carried that "-6" honor value—a presence so terrifying that it radiated danger from head to toe…
This was the desert: a land of harsh survival where people killed and fought constantly. Those who lived were never lacking in intimidation.
After the initial fear faded, Babel began sensing a wild, untamed masculine allure in him—like a potent aphrodisiac tugging directly at her nerves.
Moreover, in Babel's eyes, Shao Yun's physique was flawless.
His broad, sturdy shoulders; his powerful, sculpted chest; his thick, strong arms; and that tall, imposing frame—every part of him made her heart race with fascination.
Whenever she imagined Shao Yun's physique and face, she could not help but feel her thoughts drift.
And then, when she turned her gaze toward Azariq—currently lying unconscious on the bed—her expression shifted into one of undisguised disdain.
"What a useless man… getting worse each time…"
Although displeased with Azariq, Babel did not lose her composure.
After all, one does not become the Matron by acting recklessly.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and muttered as a reminder:
"No… I cannot let primitive desires cloud my judgment. Acting hastily will only ruin everything."
Indeed, Babel did feel a difficult-to-suppress, primal desire toward Shao Yun.
But her most crucial objective right now was Jeht—because only Jeht possessed the secret information regarding the Eternal Oasis, knowledge Babel herself lacked.
…
Time passed swiftly—two months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon had already stayed here for a full two months! Shao Yun wasn't even sure how he had managed it!
During these two months, Jeht had become the focal point of Babel's cultivation.
Under Babel's careful guidance, Jeht slowly pulled herself out of the grief of her father's death, regained her spirit, and began "serving" the tribe.
On a morning as ordinary as any other, Lumine lay comfortably in the warm blankets, still asleep.
Shao Yun and Paimon had woken early today, so they were not inside the tent.
Just then, a sneaky silhouette appeared at the entrance—Jeht.
She carefully extended her hand, lifted the flap of the tent, and peeked her small head inside, cautiously surveying the interior.
She soon discovered that only the still-sleeping Lumine was inside.
For Jeht, this was the perfect opportunity! A sly grin appeared on her face as she tiptoed inside, doing everything she could to avoid waking Lumine.
But even her careful movements produced faint sounds.
Fortunately, they didn't wake Lumine.
Jeht crept beside the bed and finally saw Lumine's peaceful sleeping face up close.
For some reason, as she gazed at that beautiful, serene face, Jeht suddenly felt her mouth go dry. She swallowed involuntarily.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she made up her mind and climbed onto the bed like a nimble little cat.
Then—she plopped down directly on Lumine's soft stomach, grabbed Lumine's slender wrists, and pinned them against the pillow, shouting excitedly:
"Rise and shine! The sun's about to toast your butt!"
Lumine, who had been enjoying a pleasant dream, was jolted awake in an instant.
She opened her eyes wide in shock, staring in terror at the person straddling her.
But once she recognized Jeht, her tense nerves relaxed. With a long breath, she said,
"Jeht, it's just you… you scared me. What's going on?"
Jeht leaned closer—so close their breaths mingled.
Lumine caught a faint trace of Jeht's concealer cream scent, soft and subtle.
Jeht pressed her face even closer, practically touching Lumine's cheek.
She whispered, "You've been with our tribe for two whole months now. How are you still not used to me suddenly jumping in to wake you up~?"
Lumine wiggled shyly, mumbling with a pout,
"Agh, Jeht… just let me sleep a little longer. Wake me when breakfast's ready…"
But Jeht had no intention of letting her go.
A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Nope! Lazy little Lumine, get up! Up up up!"
Saying so, Jeht began rhythmically pressing her round hips against Lumine's flat stomach.
Just as the two were locked in their morning wrestling match—
Shao Yun and Paimon walked in. Shao Yun carried a steaming pot of fragrant stew—freshly cooked potato-and-meat stew made from large desert prey.
Paimon followed, arms full of tableware, happily flapping around. "Lumine! Breakfast is ready! Come eat!"
Shao Yun carefully set the pot on the table and explained with a smile:
"Yuften gave me some dried crocodile meat, so I made soup out of it…"
"In the desert it's either scorpions or snakes—I'm not brave enough to cook those."
"Vulture meat might make you sick, so crocodile meat is the safest option."
Before he could finish, both he and Paimon noticed Jeht sitting on Lumine—in a pose far too bold to ignore!
Paimon froze mid-air, eyes wide, brain completely crashing as she failed to comprehend what on earth Lumine and Jeht were doing.
After a long moment, Paimon finally rebooted and asked,
"Uhhhh… Jeht? Lumine? What exactly are you two doing?"
Lumine's face flushed scarlet. She shouted, both embarrassed and angry:
"Jeht! Get off me already!"
But Jeht refused, answering with a cheeky grin:
"Nope~ Not until you get up right now!"
She even wiggled her hips on purpose, making Lumine even more flustered.
Then Jeht turned her head and waved brightly to Shao Yun and Paimon.
"Morning, Mr. Shao Yun! And little Paimon! You're just in time—I'm trying to get this lazy bug out of bed!"
Seeing Jeht straddling Lumine as if bullying her—
If it had been anyone else, especially a man, Shao Yun would've drawn a gun without hesitation.
But with Jeht… he respected Lumine's personal boundaries and the rule of letting girls handle girl things, so he simply stood by and observed.
He greeted Jeht and warmly invited her:
"Morning, Jeht. Come grab a bite—I've also got some delicious canned peaches."
The moment those words left his mouth, Jeht froze mid-wiggle.
Canned peaches.
She licked her lips without thinking and replied eagerly:
"Yes! Yes! Count me in!"
"But first, I need to get Lumine out of bed!"
Immediately she resumed wriggling her hips on top of Lumine while chanting:
"Get uuup, the sun's toasting your butt! Come on, up you go!"
With Jeht pestering her like this, Lumine could no longer cling to sleep.
She felt completely restless—continuing to stay in bed was impossible.
"Aaah—okay, okay! I'm getting up! Stop messing around!"
Helpless, Lumine surrendered.
Seeing Lumine finally give in, Jeht beamed in triumph, slid off her stomach, and hopped off the bed.
And so, after a scene of pure morning chaos, Jeht successfully dragged Lumine out of her warm blankets.
===BREAK===
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