Ayia walked over. "This fruit is an aphrodisiac, so you shouldn't eat too much."
A moment later, Li Man began to roll on the ground. Her face was flushed and her expression dazed as she twisted the fabric of her clothes. A tall, dark-skinned man immediately scooped her up and carried her into the woods ahead. That area was on a sunny slope, with tall, dense trees that provided excellent cover. What they went there to do was obvious.
No one else batted an eye and simply went on with their own business.
"..." Sang Luo, however, was completely shocked by this wild and unrestrained behavior. She didn't dare to eat any more and shoved the fruit at Ayia.
Ayia laughed. "This fruit is quite rare. Between our gathering trips and the males' hunts, we might not see one for a whole month. And you're just giving it to me like that?"
She nodded.
'I'm a human. I have no desire to inexplicably go into heat like an animal.'
After all that commotion, she didn't dare to eat any of the fruit she had picked. Instead, she gave it all away to the other females nearby.
Sang Luo also picked a number of flowers and used willow vines to weave a few flower crowns to give to them.
"You're so good with your hands! This flower crown is beautiful!"
"What's that pretty thing? Can I have one too?" Li Man had returned with the man, her face rosy and looking thoroughly satisfied.
Sang Luo wove a flower crown for her as well.
The flower crown, adorned with calla lilies and small daisies, added a touch of charm to her otherwise plain, round face, making the look in her narrow, cat-like eyes all the more captivating.
The dark-skinned, sturdy man's gaze on her grew even more feverish.
Li Man absolutely loved the flower crown and grew much fonder of Sang Luo, holding her hand for the entire walk back.
At first, Ayia and the others had been somewhat wary of Sang Luo, an outsider female. They had only looked after her because they couldn't refuse the request from Lan Cang and his group. But after spending half a day together, they had genuinely grown closer to her. They now treated Sang Luo as one of their own, calling her over whenever they had something good to eat or something fun to do.
Over the next few days, Sang Luo followed them around the area, gathering a fair bit of information about the true nature of this world.
Far beyond the tribe's territory were many collapsed high-rise buildings, long reduced to a deserted stretch of ruins.
In fact, she had been found in one of those ruins by the tribe's Beastmen.
The Kordo Tribe was located near the ruins and had been rebuilt later on. It mostly consisted of single-story brick and stone houses. Further out, the land gave way to a primeval jungle, concealing countless mysteries and dangers.
There was a sense of...
The decay that follows a civilization reaching its zenith, a return to primitive simplicity, and then, in the silence, a slow revival...
'This Beastman World seems more complex than I imagined.'
'She wondered if only this region had fallen into ruin, or if the entire world was now a wasteland.'
The East Forest was situated in the safe zone between the tribe's territory and the jungle.
But it wasn't absolutely safe. Dangerous Star Beasts lived in the primeval jungle, and Lan Cang's group was headed for its very depths on their current expedition.
The tribe's Beastmen had to venture out frequently to hunt down the Star Beasts that roamed the surrounding area, thereby maintaining regional stability and protecting the females of the tribe.
Several Beastmen lost their lives every month.
"Looks like your injuries have all healed. Still have the energy to stroll around here, do you? How shameless!" a sharp, cutting voice interjected.
Sang Luo turned her head to look.
Li Man glared at the uninvited guest. "Manla, what are you doing here? We didn't invite you."
"I'm not here for you." Manla lifted her chin, her delicate face wearing its usual arrogance. But when her eyes fell on Sang Luo, a flash of jealousy crossed them.
'How can this female be so beautiful!'
'Good thing her face is injured and she's mute. Otherwise, she'd seduce all the powerful males in the tribe!'
Manla's expression relaxed, but her contempt deepened. "According to the rules, when an outsider female joins the tribe, she must first go to the Clan Leader and the witch doctor to have her name recorded. You've delayed your visit for so long. Surely you don't think the Kordo Tribe is a place where an outsider female can just freeload, do you?"
Sang Luo genuinely hadn't known about this rule; Lan Cang had never mentioned it to her. She traced a message onto Li Man's palm, asking her to relay it for her: *I will go visit the Clan Leader and the witch doctor now.*
"The Clan Leader and my mother are very busy people. They're not someone an outsider female like you can see just because you want to!"
... 'Is there something wrong with this person?'
"Someone, take her to the Female Stone." This, it seemed, was her true goal.
As Manla spoke, she motioned for the Tiger Beast beside her to seize Sang Luo and drag her away.
The Female Stone was a Divine Stone used specifically to test a female's Fertility. Activating it consumed a great deal of energy, so it was typically only used for a communal test once a year. If the tribe was short on females, it might only be activated once every few years. But as the witch doctor's daughter, Manla could naturally pull some strings.
'As long as I can prove this crippled, weak female has low Fertility, I'll have an excuse to drive her out of the tribe!'
Sang Luo began to panic. 'I'm a human, not a true female Beastman! How could I possibly have any Fertility to test for?'
'An outsider is always an enemy—that truth was timeless. If the Beastmen discovered her true identity, she couldn't imagine what fate would await her...' Her palms began to sweat, and her body trembled.
"Insolence! She is my female. I'd like to see who dares lay a hand on her!"
The Tiger Beast was sent flying by a kick, howling in agony with two broken ribs.
Sang Luo found herself falling into a warm, strong embrace. She looked up at the man who had rushed to her side, his expression terrifyingly dark, and let out a huge inward sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness. Thank goodness I secured a powerful protector ahead of time.'
"Lan Cang, what is the meaning of this?! Are you trying to defy the Clan Leader's orders?!"