Chapter 386: Back home.

Before they could go through the portal, Neil shouted a question that made them all come to a stop. "Has anyone seen Candy or confirmed that she is dead? We were certain that she came to warn Julia. Maybe, she got here before us, or she is still on her way. Either way, we should make sure that she is dead or waiting for us back in Beast Valley."

Zyra, who was at the front with one foot already in the portal, paused and looked back.

Hunter spoke up next. "That’s right," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We forgot about her." He sighed heavily and massaged his leg like it hurt.

Zyra pulled her foot back from the threshold and addressed her system. "Beauty, scan for all the women in the area that are dead and not yet worm food."

A shimmer rippled through the air as the system executed the command. [Scan complete,] Beauty’s melodic voice responded. [There are seven dead women in total in the immediate vicinity. Five are dead soul maidens, one was bitten by the assassin ants, and another is floating on the lake.]

Without a word, Zyra activated her boots and flew toward the lake. Floating near the water’s edge, face down among the still ripples, was a lifeless body. The arms and legs were missing. Some kind of beast with long claws was feasting on the stomach.

The system scanned above and below and finally produced an image of the floater. Zyra took in the sight for a single, silent second. Satisfied with the confirmation, she turned and flew back toward the portal, her voice cold and even. "We don’t need to worry about Candy ever again. The universe is just dropping bodies of my enemies left and right." How she wished it could have been this easy in her last life!

Bullet raised his voice. "Wait. Are we taking the buffalo? It’s good meat."

Zyra looked back at the buffalo which had lost its partner, Julia. It seemed like an ordinary animal now. In a few months, it would be feral, if it survived.

She sighed, waved her hand and sent it into the beast domain. It was mid-level beast, as long as she bonded it, her command level could be improved.

"Let’s go now." Hunter told her. "Another team will return and search the town. Anything worth something, they will bring back to the city."

One by one, they entered the portal and materialized in the city square near a big elephant fountain. There were many beast statue fountains scattered around the city. Not one was human.

It was day so they could see the city clearly, a thing they had not done before to their satisfaction. It was a stunning piece of architecture_ towering ivory arches, intricate stone carvings of mythical beasts, and beast shaped lanterns, lights, and chandeliers hanging from soaring wooden beams.

Many houses were constructed in the shape of different beasts!

It was built to stun; a true beast-city masterpiece. Right now, however, was not the time to admire their home because of the absurd, packed crowds lounging everywhere.

Former refugees, wandering hunters, and displaced villagers were practically stepping on top of each other. The moment Zyra stepped fully out of the light, half a dozen nearby residents instantly recognized her, dropping to their knees and bowing low, their heads nearly knocking against the ground.

"All hail the true Divine Maiden live ten thousand years!" a man shouted from the ground.

Zyra’s lip twitched in supreme annoyance. "Get up. Stop doing that. If one more person bows to me today, I’m personally throwing them over the outer wall."

Before the bowing crowd could scramble to their feet, a man squeezed his way through the dense sea of warm bodies, practically sprinting toward them. His clothes were stained with dirt, his forehead was slick with sweat, and he looked like he hadn’t slept for days.

"Is it over? Is Julia dead?" the man gasped out, wringing his hands frantically.

Hunter nodded, clapping a heavy hand onto the man’s trembling shoulder. He turned to Zyra. "Zyra, this is Dravin. He’s the leader of Water Hurst."

Dravin wiped his sweaty hands frantically on his trousers, then offered a trembling hand to Zyra. "Thank you for saving my people. Even though... even though I don’t deserve your help."

Hunter blinked, leaning in with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean, you don’t deserve our help?"

Dravin chewed nervously on his bottom lip, looking like a child caught stealing spirit-plums. "Well... you know. The cannibals, I refused to give shelter to them."

Hunter gave a short, easy laugh and tapped Dravin’s shoulder again. "Ah, that! Don’t worry about it. Totally understandable."

Zyra’s eyes narrowed into tiny slits. She looked at Dravin’s twitching fingers, his shifting eyes, and the way he couldn’t keep his feet still. This guy is holding something back, she thought. But she was more worried about Hunter at the moment. He looked more pale than usual and that body pain seemed to have progressed but he was tolerating it quietly.

"Dravin," Zyra said, cutting straight through his nervous sweating. "I will shelter your people here in my city until the threat in your region is completely neutralized. After that, you and your people pack up and return to Water Hurst." He was shifty eyed, reminding her of her uncle Job. People like this, every word that came out of their mouths was to satisfy an agenda.

Beast Valley City was just starting out, and they didn’t need such people.

The grateful look vanished instantly. The smile fell clean off Dravin’s face. "Wait... return? I... I... can we not stay?"

"No," Zyra said flatly. "You are not staying. But once you’re back home, you’ll be allowed to travel here and trade with my people."

"But divine maiden, " Dravin insisted, taking a desperate step forward, his hands raised in appeal. "We want to be your people too! Look at this city! Look at the defensive system! All we want is for you to lead us! We will pay taxes or whatever. Hunter man...say something."

Zyra let out a long, exhausted exhale and rubbed the back of her stiff neck. She pointed a sharp, threatening finger right between Dravin’s eyes. "Keep your people in check," she warned, her voice dropping an octave into pure menace. "If even one person from Water Hurst breaks my rules or causes trouble, a mistake by one person will force me to expel every single one of you. Am I clear?"

Dravin swallowed hard, his throat making a loud gulp sound. "C-clear."

Before the conversation could descend into more begging, a loud, heartbroken wail tore through the noisy city square. It came from the front of the Resource Center, where long lines of people were currently queuing up for registrations.

Zyra, Hunter, and Dravin all turned to look.

A group of soul maidens was huddled together in a tight circle near the entrance, weeping uncontrollably and hugging each other as if the sky had just fallen. In the middle of them stood Tessi, looking pale and utterly guilty.