Chapter 136: The Battle of Gifts

Sora gave up trying to hide the strange expression on her face.

She glanced at Ace’s feather skirt once more before quickly turning her attention back to the tea leaves sizzling in the pot.

"I’m frying tea," she said casually. "You can hold it yourself for now."

She didn’t even want to look at the feather skirt again.

Unfortunately, Ace wasn’t willing to let the matter go so easily.

He looked at Sora with obvious interest and asked, "Aren’t you going to try it on?"

Sora froze.

How am I supposed to answer that?

Ace’s eyes were full of expectation.

He had clearly put a lot of thought into making the dress, and rejecting it outright would probably hurt his feelings.

Sora smiled awkwardly.

She wanted to refuse, but she couldn’t think of a suitable way to say it without making things uncomfortable.

Just as she was desperately searching for an excuse, a voice suddenly descended from above.

"Such an ugly feather skirt! How can you even ask Kaelira to try it on?"

Sora looked up.

Lucas appeared with a confident expression, holding something in his hand.

"Look at mine instead. I made you a beautiful bracelet."

He waved the bracelet in front of Sora.

Sora’s eyes immediately brightened.

She glanced at it and was pleasantly surprised.

The bracelet was genuinely beautiful.

It was completely different from the simple stone bracelets the females in the tribe usually made.

Lucas’s bracelet was made from small white pearls, pieces of mother-of-pearl, and several shiny beads strung together.

The beads varied in shape and size, but somehow they complemented one another perfectly.

Sora couldn’t help admiring it.

One had to admit that Lucas belonged to a species that valued beauty.

The things made by his kind were naturally more delicate and beautiful than the rough handicrafts commonly found in the tribe.

Especially when compared with Ace’s bizarre taste, the difference was almost like heaven and earth.

One was elegant.

The other looked like it had been dragged straight out of the wilderness.

Sora’s fingers twitched slightly.

She was genuinely tempted by the bracelet.

However, she was currently standing beside a pot of tea leaves, and the tea required her attention.

She gave Lucas a small nod.

"Just put it down for now. Let me finish cooking first."

Lucas immediately placed the bracelet carefully on the table.

Ace, who had been watching the entire exchange, raised his eyebrows proudly.

"I thought it was some kind of treasure," he said disdainfully. "It’s just a few broken stones. It’s not worth showing off."

Lucas’s expression changed.

"Broken stones?"

He looked at Ace.

"What’s so beautiful about your feather skirt? It looks like a wild chicken."

Ace’s face darkened.

"What’s a wild chicken?"

"Exactly what it looks like."

Lucas pointed toward the feather skirt.

"Mine is much better."

Ace immediately hugged his feather skirt protectively.

"Yours is just some broken stones."

"Broken stones?"

Lucas sneered.

"They can shine. Can your feathers shine?"

Ace snorted.

"Your little stones can’t compare to Ryan’s luminous pearl."

The moment Ace said that, Lucas’s eyes shifted toward the round table.

There, sitting quietly, was Ryan.

And beside him was the luminous pearl.

Lucas’s expression changed slightly.

He looked at his bracelet.

Then he looked at the luminous pearl.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Inside, however, a sense of unease appeared.

No way.

Did Ryan really give Kaelira the luminous pearl?

If he had, then today might not be a victory for him after all.

Lucas had heard that the luminous pearl was something that merfolk gave to their loved ones.

And Ryan had always seemed to dislike Kaelira.

So why would he give her something so precious?

The possibility seemed extremely low.

Ace had merely mentioned it casually.

But now that Lucas saw the luminous pearl sitting openly on the table, he couldn’t help worrying.

If Ryan really had given it to Kaelira, then his beautiful bracelet could barely compete with it.

The two beastmen fell silent.

Neither was willing to admit defeat.

Ryan sat at the round table quietly, seemingly uninterested in their argument.

But his eyes occasionally drifted toward Sora.

The fragrance of tea filled the wild kitchen.

Then, suddenly, something moved beneath the table.

A small white rabbit poked its head out.

Ace, who was already annoyed, noticed it.

His eyes narrowed.

Without thinking, he reached down and grabbed toward the rabbit’s ear.

He was about to toss it aside when a powerful gust of wind suddenly swept through the area.

Ace’s hand was struck.

He immediately pulled it back.

"What are you doing?"

Ace turned around angrily.

Xavier was standing there, glaring at him fiercely while holding the rabbit securely in his arms.

"Are you okay?"

Ace rubbed his hand.

"You actually hurt me over a rabbit!"

Xavier calmly stroked the rabbit’s fur.

"Who told you to mess with my rabbit?"

"Your rabbit?"

Ace stared at him in disbelief.

For a moment, he felt as though the sun had risen from the west.

He had heard of snakes eating rabbits.

He had never imagined that a snake would one day raise a rabbit.

Xavier ignored his strange expression.

"This is my rabbit for Kaelira."

The moment Ace heard those words, he fell silent.

Who would have thought that this rabbit actually belonged to Kaelira?

More importantly, Xavier had willingly given up the opportunity to eat the rabbit just to please her.

Ace glanced at the rabbit.

Then he looked at his feather skirt.

In his opinion, there was nothing particularly special about a rabbit.

It certainly wasn’t as beautiful as his feather dress.

But the others clearly didn’t agree.

The competition between the beast husbands was becoming increasingly intense.

Just then, the fragrance of tea grew stronger.

A familiar figure approached.

Lukan walked directly toward Sora with a gentle smile.

"I made you a pair of shoes and picked some raspberries for you."

Sora immediately looked up.

"Are there still raspberries?"

Her eyes brightened.

"Where did you find them?"

"I found a patch and picked some fresh ones for you."

Lukan handed the raspberries to her.

Sora happily accepted them.

The bright red berries looked fresh and juicy.

But then she noticed that Lukan had brought something else.

A pair of grass shoes.

Sora stared at them in surprise.

She had actually been thinking that her current shoes were getting worn out.

She had even planned to make herself another pair when she had time.

She hadn’t expected Lukan to notice.

And he had gone ahead and made them for her.

"Try them on," Lukan said gently. "If they don’t fit, I can adjust them."

Sora looked down at the shoes.

In this primitive society, there was no convenient fabric or manufactured footwear.

Most of the beastmen and females wore grass shoes.

At first, Sora had been somewhat unaccustomed to them.

But after getting used to wearing them, she had found them surprisingly comfortable and breathable.

Besides, she couldn’t exactly make shoes from scratch.

So this was currently her best option.

Sora glanced at the tea pot.

The tea leaves were almost finished frying, and the milk had already been poured in.

She only needed to wait for the mixture to boil gently.

There was no need for her to continue cooking at that moment.

So she took the grass shoes from Lukan.

She sat down and put them on.

After adjusting them slightly, she stood up.

Sora moved her feet a few times.

They fit perfectly.

She looked at Lukan and smiled.

"They fit perfectly. Thank you, Lukan."

A faint smile immediately appeared in Lukan’s eyes.

"As long as you like them."

His voice was gentle, but the satisfaction in his expression was obvious.

Ace, Lucas, and Xavier watched the exchange.

All three felt a pang of regret.

How had they not thought of giving Sora another gift?

Lukan looked gentle and harmless.

Yet unexpectedly, he had become the most cunning one.

Not only had he given Sora one gift.

He had given her two at once.

Raspberries and shoes.

The others silently made a decision.

Next time, we’ll do the same.

If one gift wasn’t enough, then they would give two.

If two weren’t enough...

They could give three.

The competition had officially begun.

Sora, completely unaware of their thoughts, returned her attention to the pot.

She carefully stirred the tea leaves and milk together.

The fragrance became increasingly rich.

Just then, the last beast husband finally arrived.

He approached quietly.

In his hand was a pair of turquoise earrings.

He stopped in front of Sora and held them out.

"Kaelira, these are for you."

Sora looked at the earrings in surprise.

She hadn’t expected the beast world to have something like this.

The earrings were small and delicate, with smooth turquoise stones that reflected the light beautifully.

Sora carefully took them.

"They’re beautiful."

The beastman smiled faintly.

"Do you like them?"

Sora nodded.

"I do."

She examined the earrings again.

Compared with the rough stone ornaments commonly seen in the tribe, these were considerably more refined.

The day had started with a rabbit.

Then came a luminous pearl.

Then a feather dress.

A pearl bracelet.

A pair of shoes.

Raspberries.

And now turquoise earrings.

Sora looked at all the gifts scattered around her.

She suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Is this really just the Moon God Festival?

Why did it feel more like a competition?

She glanced at her six beast husbands.

Each one seemed to be quietly observing the others.

Nobody wanted to lose.

Sora finally understood something.

The Moon God Festival might not be a simple matter of choosing the gift she liked most.

The real battle was between the beast husbands themselves.

And judging from their expressions...

The competition was only beginning.