Chapter 243: Betraying the saviors.

The maidens were being well taken care of in Twig’s Blue Crossing. By the time night fell, the muddy streets were quiet, and the townspeople had arranged a cozy guest house where the maidens could rest for the time being.

Outside, excitement was bubbling through the air. The ordinary residents whispered in hushed, hopeful tones, looking at the young maidens as absolute saviors_ the legendary heroes who would finally wipe out the ruthless cannibals terrorizing their small borders.

However, inside the dimly lit living room of Master Zoo’s house, a secret meeting was going on, and the mood was completely different.

Master Zoo sat at the head of a small wooden table, his face gloomy. He had just been briefed on everything that happened while he was away on the hunt, but both he and his wife, Gwenevia, had sneers on their faces. They didn’t believe for a second that a few young girls could actually defeat a whole army of cannibals. Campbell and his men were devils, they were already grabbing their families randomly after what Simon did, there was going to be no more resistance from anybody.

"Even if those girls manage to kill the group of cannibals coming tomorrow," Cain spoke up, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, "what then? More will just come from where they came from. It’s an endless swarm, remember that we killed the original group and then the Campbell group came in their place."

Adrian nodded in total agreement. "Cain is right. Killing a few cannibals changes nothing. It only pisses off the main tribe."

Solange shook her head, her face full of worry. "Then the best thing to do is just be honest! We should tell the maidens about the cannibals right now so they can prepare!"

"Are you insane?!" Master Zoo barked, glaring at her. "What if they run off?! Those maidens didn’t come here to settle down. They are just passing through! If they hear how dangerous the cannibals are, they may pack their bags and flee before sunrise! I heard once that an unlucky Soul maiden was once sold to a rich man for five hundred thousand high grade stones and he and his family ate her because he thought it would cleanse his soul and awaken the bloodline of his daughters. They were not even Soul maidens."

Gwenevia nodded, "Besides, even if they kill these ones who will help us kill the next group after the maidens have left? And what will we do if their death is traced back to us? A group of Soul maidens does not vanish without someone looking. Those Salamanders will lead The Divine soul maiden right to our door."

Master Zoo leaned forward, his eyes narrowing greedily. "The best thing to do_ is hand the maidens over to the cannibals. We give them the maidens, and they leave our town in peace."

Lucian stood up so fast his chair nearly tipped over. He stared at Master Zoo, his head shaking in utter disgust. "Have you all lost your minds?!" He yelled, his voice trembling with anger. "Those maidens saved our entire town from the King Beast that attacked us! If they hadn’t stepped in, you wouldn’t even have a town to come back to, Zoo!"

A moment of silence filled the room, and then_

Adrian, Master Zoo, Gwenevia, and their son all burst into cruel, hysterical laughter.

"A King Beast?" Gwenevia snorted, wiping a tear of fake laughter from her eye. "Oh, Lucian, please! How come nobody else in this entire town saw this mysterious ’King Beast’ except for you?"

"Because everyone else was hiding in their cellars like frightened rats!" Lucian shouted in deep frustration, his face turning red. "But people heard the growls! You can’t fake a roar that shakes the ground!"

Master Zoo sneered, leaning back. "If there was a King Beast, where is the corpse, Lucian? A King Beast’s body is worth thousands of energy stones. Show me the dead beast!"

"It was teleported away!" Lucian argued desperately. "One of the maidens used a high-level technique and teleported the beast away. Grandma Lola and her granddaughter saw it happen with their own eyes!"

Cain chuckled coldly, shaking his head. "Lucian, listen to yourself. Grandma Lola is practically senile_ she talks to wooden posts! And her granddaughter is way too young to even know what a portal looks like. It was probably just some high-ranking beast, not a King Beast."

"It WAS a King Beast!" Lucian snapped, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. "They saved us! And you want to sell them out like cattle?!"

Solange pointed at Zoo, "You must have come across King beasts out there."

"We came across sea beasts that were high ranking but not king beasts." Cain answered.

Master Zoo slammed his heavy fist onto the small wooden table, splitting the center wood right down the middle. "Enough!" He roared, his face twisting into a nasty scowl. "My decision is final! Even if those maidens saved the town from a King beast like you say, we must think of ourselves first. Tomorrow, I will secretly use those Soul maidens to negotiate our freedom with the cannibals. We hand them over, and the cannibals leave Twig’s Blue Crossing alone forever! Not a word of this gets out to anyone."

Lucian looked around the room. He saw cold, calculated faces staring back at him. Nobody else spoke up. Nobody cared about honor, gratitude, or justice. He shook his head slowly, step by step backing away toward the door. He didn’t like this one bit. In fact, it made his stomach turn.

"What is the difference between us and those cannibals then?" Lucian asked.

Master Zoo’s face darkened instantly. He glared at Lucian with eyes like a cold, poisonous viper, disgusted by the man’s lingering conscience.

"You think you’re a hero, Lucian?" Master Zoo sneered, leaning over the cracked table, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low rascal. "I don’t like your words. Not one bit."

Lucian held his ground, though his heart thudded against his ribs. "I’m just telling you the truth, Zoo. You’re throwing away our saviors for a fake peace!"

"Shut your mouth!" Master Zoo growled, taking a slow step forward. "Listen to me very carefully. If you breathe a single word of this meeting to those maidens, or if you mess up our plans tonight. I will personally slit your throat."

Gwenevia let out a cold, sharp laugh from the corner. "Killing him is too easy, husband."

"You’re right," Master Zoo grinned, a sickening, twisted smile spreading across his face. He pointed a greasy finger right at Lucian’s chest. "Better yet, Lucian_ if anything goes wrong because of you, I won’t just kill you. I’ll bind your wife and your children, throw them into a cart, and hand your entire family over to the cannibals as a bonus!"

Lucian gasped, the blood instantly draining from his face. "You_ you wouldn’t!"

"Try me," Master Zoo spat, pointing toward the front door. "Now get out of my house before I decide to lock you up right now."