"The Oasis Tribe is gone. Why do you think Thorne told us to come back?"
"What else could it be? That little maiden from the Fox Clan isn't dead—she ran off! Thorne couldn't break the Contract, and he's been gloomy as hell these past two days. He sent us to see if she came back. If we catch her, we kill her on the spot. It'll be a huge favor for Thorne."
"Seriously, Thorne... To be willing to kill such a beautiful female. Isn't he afraid of the backlash from the Beast God Contract?"
"What the hell do you know?! Thorne was injured back then. That female from the Fox Clan dragged him back and forced him into a Contract on the spot. He thought she was into him, that she forced the Contract to make him her Beast Husband. Who would've thought a female could be so vicious? She had her Beast-mother, who's a Witch, carve out the Thunder Beast Crystal Thorne had worked so hard to cultivate. He was about to advance to Six-star, but his Star Pattern shattered. The top Warrior of the Grymdale Tribe, tortured into that state... Who could stand it?"
"Hiss— Just hearing it makes me shudder. A true Virago. A female like that shouldn't be allowed to live!"
"..."
Hidden in the shadows, Evangeline clicked her tongue and shook her head. 'What a mess.'
Now, the consequences of her sins were coming home to roost, one by one.
Thorne, a Snake Beastman, was one of the original owner's Beast Husbands.
He was the most powerful of the original owner's Beast Husbands. With the insidious and suspicious nature of a snake, he was extremely difficult to get close to.
If the original owner hadn't dragged a heavily injured Thorne back from the wilds and forced a Contract on him, he probably would have never given her the time of day.
A Beastman on the verge of advancing to Six-star was already considered extremely powerful on the Beastman Continent, let alone one who had cultivated a Mutated Beast Crystal. Such an individual was beyond the realm of a Common Beast and might even have the potential to transform into a flood dragon or a true dragon in the future—incredibly formidable.
The original owner became obsessed the moment she saw the Mutated Beast Crystal embedded in Thorne's chest. She had her Beast-mother use her powers as a Witch to strip the crystal away. The Beast Crystal, shimmering with brilliant thunderous light, was as beautiful as the tail scales of the Mer Clan—something one would want to treasure forever.
When Thorne regained consciousness and found his Beast Crystal gone, his first impulse was to kill the original owner. Unfortunately, he was bound by the Beast God Contract and couldn't bring himself to do it. However, his crude and ruthless methods greatly displeased the original owner, who subjected him to endless torture.
Of all the Beast Husbands, Thorne was the most defiant and untamable. He was also the one who wanted to kill her the most.
Thorne undoubtedly had a hand in colluding with an outside tribe to slaughter and annex the Oasis Tribe. After all, the ones who did it were his original Grymdale Tribe. He hated the original owner to the bone; the fatal wound on the back of her head was inflicted on his orders.
'Maybe I should go deal with this Thorne character? He is one of the mission targets, after all.'
Evangeline stroked her chin, seriously considering the possibility, but quickly dismissed the idea with a grimace.
She was here to find the Mermaid Tail Skirt, not to seduce a Beast Husband. Besides, Thorne's hatred for the original owner was the most intense. If she really went looking for him, he might just try to take her down with him. That Beast Husband's temper was simply too volatile and unpredictable.
As she was thinking, the men from the Grymdale Tribe had already entered the ruins of the Oasis Tribe.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Hey, look! Th-there's someone still alive in the Oasis Tribe!"
Hearing this, Evangeline narrowed her eyes. 'Survivors in the Oasis Tribe? How did I not see anyone just now?'
A moment later, it dawned on Evangeline. It must have been her burying the bodies of the Oasis Tribe members that gave her away.
"It must be that Evangeline! She's the only one from the entire Oasis Tribe who escaped. Who else would bother with these Beastman corpses? The dirt is still damp, she can't have gone far. Let's split up and search! When we find her, we'll drag her back and let Thorne kill her with his own hands!"
The voices of the Grymdale Tribe members were sinister, laced with excited laughter. Evangeline couldn't help but scratch her ear.
'My hands are itching to slap these Beastmen a few times, but I'm here on a mission, after all. Better not cause extra trouble. Seven Beast Husbands, one at a time. I have to keep my promise to Danton first.'
Evangeline silently unclenched her fists, forcing a smile onto her face.
However, she had only taken two steps before her indignation got the better of her. She spun around and launched a flying kick, sending a huge boulder soaring through the air!
Soon, miserable screams echoed from behind her.
Evangeline's lips curled into a smile. She felt much better.
According to the original owner's memories, the place where she'd thrown away the Mermaid Tail Skirt was Thorncliff. It wasn't far from the Oasis Tribe, but it was not a good place. Rumor had it that beneath Thorncliff was where the Fallen Beastmen were imprisoned. Beastmen considered the area tainted and never went there.
This just went to show what a Virago the original owner was. Even when she got tired of the skirt and didn't want it anymore, she never considered returning it to Danton.
After the rainy season, she had tossed the Mermaid Tail Skirt near Thorncliff, specifically so Danton would never find it.
During hunting season, the forest was teeming with prey. Rabbits half the height of a person, spiders the size of soccer balls... Even the caterpillars hanging upside down from the trees were as thick as an arm, their bodies covered in sharp bristles. They were disgusting and unsettling to look at.
Evangeline wasn't afraid, but her scalp still prickled. She looked down at her exposed skin, which appeared translucent white against the green foliage, looking quite delicious. PLOP. The caterpillar's sharp mouthparts opened, and saliva dripped down, reeking of a foul stench.
Evangeline's mouth twitched. On the Beastman Continent, Wild Beasts didn't evolve into Beastmen. The caterpillar before her didn't even have a Star Pattern, placing it among the lowest tier, least lethal Wild Beasts. Its eyes held no intelligence—only ferocity.
Evangeline looked at the caterpillar with disgust. With a flick of her finger, a stream of light shot out, and the caterpillar exploded. Its juices splattered everywhere, so corrosive that they ate away at the surrounding trees, leaving patches of black scorch marks.
"Hiss—" Evangeline frowned. 'No wonder the failure rate for *All My Sterile Beast Husbands Want to Kill Me* is one hundred percent.'
Even a low-level Wild Beast like a caterpillar possessed such lethal power.
The python she had skinned and gutted last night was only a One Star Pattern Wild Beast. Employees from the Transmigration Administration Bureau who came here had to face not only seven male leads sharpening their knives, but also the countless threats of the Beastman Continent. It was truly a death sentence from the start.
Evangeline glanced down at the bikini she was wearing, a little reluctant to part with it. But in the end, she pouted, pulled a set of hiking clothes from her storage space, and put them on. Only after getting properly dressed did she set off again.
'I still need to be careful. What if I capsize in the gutter even with such a massive cheat? I'd be laughed to death when I get back.'
Besides, she suspected that the Beast God truly existed on the Beastman Continent. Otherwise, the powers of the Witches in various tribes, including the various commands they passed down from the Beast God, would be difficult to explain.
'When you encounter a "god" in any small world, you should avoid them at all costs. I can't be arrogant.'
Fearing that flying would attract unnecessary trouble, Evangeline traveled to Thorncliff on foot. It didn't take long for her to arrive.
As far as the eye could see, the mountains and plains were covered in black thorns. They were intertwined and tangled together, forming an impenetrable mass. And within this sea of thorns were scattered all kinds of white bones. Some had decayed, while others still oozed blood, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Evangeline stood at the edge of Thorncliff, inhaling the drifting stench of rot. She felt as if a sticky film had coated her skin.
'No wonder this place is forbidden territory. Everything about it feels ominous.'
Thinking about it, the Oasis Tribe, as a small to medium-sized tribe, couldn't have been very powerful. Otherwise, they wouldn't have settled right next to Thorncliff. It was a place everyone avoided, and its resources and environment were far from ideal.