Chapter 304: She had a back up plan.

Achilles let out a loud groan, leaning forward and rubbing his temples like he could feel a mild migraine coming on. "That all sounds great and emotional, guys, but let’s be real for a second. If we want to accuse the Divine Maiden_ the literal boss of this new world, of murder and treason, we need heavy hitters.

We need high-profile elders of privileged clans and high council members to back us up, or Trinity will just crush us like bugs. We can’t go in there with suspicions we can’t prove. Trinity has ordered for the murder of hundreds of people and yet she is still walking because nobody alive dares to touch her.

They fear her. They fear the retaliation of the Johnson clan. They fear sending New earth into chaos when we have Somnivores to worry about. Better the occasional murderous Divine Soul maiden than a weak one."

The Grand Elder burst out laughing, waving his hand dismissively. "Oh, don’t you worry about that, boy! This old man has plenty of tricks up his sleeve." He slyly winked at Achilles. "I’ve been collecting dirty secrets on those High Council snobs for decades. Give me a few days, and I’ll have those arrogant bastards singing like little birds in a cage. They’ll say whatever we want them to say!"

Bianca snorted. " blackmail? Grandpa, that is not very reliable."

"You have not seen what I have on them dear," the old man huffed defensively.

Zyra couldn’t help it_ a small, bright smile broke across her face as she looked at everyone supporting her. "Actually," She said, her voice dropping into a mischievous tone. "I have an even better idea as a backup, just in case your blackmail isn’t enough."

Everyone in the room instantly stopped talking. Hunter paused, Achilles raised an eyebrow, and even the Grand Elder leaned in close, all eyes locked on her.

"Well? What is it?" Bianca urged.

Zyra didn’t say another word. She just folded her arms, leaned back, and gave them a deep, dangerous, super-confident smile. "It’s a need to know basis."

While some people gasped, Achilles looked at her as if she had just betrayed him on the deepest level. The kind of betrayal that left not only his heart fractured but caused his very breath to catch in his chest. He was ready to protest, but Bianca pulled him away.

"I think we should all turn in for the night." The grand elder suggested. He gestured for Hunter to follow him.

Zyra was not very curious about what they had to discuss in private. The old man had not seen his grandson for many years. Even if they were locked in the same room for a month, they would still have things to discuss.

She dragged her feet to bed, but three hours later, she was awake and sleepless. Hunter was just the same.

Eventually, he threw the blanket off and gave up on faking it. "Come on, let’s go to Rosewater to check on how the new arrivals are settling in."

She abandoned the bed as well and dressed up. Beauty teleported them to Rosewater straight from their bedroom.

The very second their feet touched the ground, Crispus came sprinting over to them, catching his breath before giving them a full report. He explained that all the captured women and children had been locked safely inside the newly renovated village hall.

They had been given some food and water, just enough to keep them alive and quiet. So far, nobody had tried to start any trouble. Crispus noted that they were probably behaving themselves because security was as tight as a drum, with guard eyes watching their every single move.

Hunter patted Crispus on the shoulder with a firm nod. "Great job, Crispus. Keep a tight watch on them and make sure nobody bites anything they should not be biting."

Crispus nodded. "I think the young children are not cannibals. They were very excited when we served them rice and beans. I can’t give them meat yet. Who knows what it might trigger?"

While they were talking, Zyra’s attention drifted toward the construction site. Even though it was late at night, the night-shift builders were hard at work, carrying wooden beams and hammering away under the glowing lights.

"Look at that," Zyra said softly, a small smile touching her lips. "In no time, this village will be right back to how it used to be. It will end up looking even better, in fact. We will build a big winery here."

Hunter looked around the open perimeter and shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "They should build a giant fence first. Look at this place, it’s way too open. Any random beast or enemy could just waltz right in."

Zyra turned to him, her eyes sparkling with a secret. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. "Don’t worry, hubby, I already have a solution for that. Come with me, I want to show you something cool."

She pulled a completely confused Hunter into a dark, empty building nearby, away from prying eyes.

Beauty, take us into the Beast Dominion, Zyra commanded in her mind.

[Yes, Host!]

Before Hunter could even ask what was going on, the gloomy, moon lit space vanished. Suddenly, he was standing right in the middle of soft, lush green grass under a bright, sunny blue sky! The air smelled like sweet flowers and fresh rain, and magnificent, towering trees swayed gently all around them.

Hunter froze, his jaw practically dropping all the way to the grass. He blinked once. He blinked twice. He looked up at the warm sun, then down at his own hands, then at Zyra, who was standing right next to him with her arms folded, grinning like a cat that just stole a fish.

"Where_ where in the world are we?!" Hunter stammered, his mind struggling to process the sudden daytime shift. "Did we just jump across the planet?!"

"This is my Beast Dominion," Zyra chuckled, puffed up with pride. "It’s a special place that only I can access, thanks Beauty. Pretty awesome, right?" She didn’t want to call it her space.

Hunter looked around at the infinite, peaceful landscape, completely mesmerized. "Awesome? Zyra, this is amazing. How is it still daylight over here? Is this like the Frozen wild lands?"

Zyra giggled and pulled on his sleeve. "Come on, this isn’t even the main reason I brought you here."

She turned toward a dense group of tall, thick trees in the distance and called out into the open field, "Alpha Warden! Over here!"

To Hunter’s absolute shock, the big trees actually began to move. Their thick roots unbuckled from the soil like giant wooden legs, stomping heavily as they marched straight toward them!

Before Hunter could even process the walking trees, a pack of Dragon Snakes came slithering out from the bushes at lightning speed, effortlessly zooming past the marching wooden giants. The leader of the Dragon Snakes lifted its triangular head, flicking its long tongue out.

"Are you here to kick us out, boss?" the snake leader hissed, looking a little anxious. "Don’t even think about it. We have already claimed our territory. This is our place and I am the boss."

Like a tattling child, the Alpha Warden said, "They have already eaten half of the duck eggs, overturned two baskets of grain and flooded the vegetable field. Oh, they also coiled around the fruit tree trunks and shook them violently, sending the fruit raining down and then refused to clean up their mess."

The dragon snakes looked at the Alpha warden, flicked their tongues in its face and darted away laughing.

"They are assholes." The Warden huffed with exasperation.

Zyra laughed softly and shook her head. "I will send them to the beast pavilion. Scotty will babysit them."

Hunter shuddered, and he looked at her like she was out of her mind. Those damn snakes would turn the shelter upside down!