Chapter 146: A Change in Perspective

Xavier’s eyes narrowed.

He had originally thought Ryan was someone who didn’t care about anything.

But now...

It seemed this man was much more cunning than he appeared.

Perhaps he had deliberately remained silent because he had already decided to accept.

Xavier couldn’t help thinking of Lukan.

Lukan was another person who appeared gentle and indifferent on the surface but was actually very calculating.

Now Ryan seemed to be the same type.

He really can’t be underestimated.

Sora continued staring at Ryan.

Since he hadn’t rejected her, she could only accept the situation by default.

She didn’t believe that Ryan would actually engage in anything intimate with her.

His personality made that almost impossible.

But she still couldn’t understand why he hadn’t rejected the date.

After thinking for a moment, Sora decided to take the initiative.

"Why don’t you come find me at the Wild Kitchen tomorrow?"

Ryan paused.

His eyes moved toward her.

Then he nodded.

"Okay."

Sora blinked.

He had actually agreed.

The other five beastmen also looked at him.

Ryan didn’t explain himself.

In reality, he had his own reason.

There was something he wanted to ask Sora.

He still couldn’t understand what had happened to the cake she had made previously.

He had watched the process.

He had seen the ingredients.

But the cake had somehow become incredibly soft and fluffy.

It was completely different from anything he had seen before.

Ryan had been thinking about it for a while.

Now that he had an entire day with Sora, he would have the perfect opportunity to ask her.

Perhaps he could finally figure out what secret she had used.

That thought made him nod again.

He didn’t know why he had agreed so easily.

Perhaps it was because he was genuinely curious.

Perhaps it was because Sora had become increasingly interesting.

Or perhaps there was another reason he hadn’t yet recognized himself.

The other beastmen saw Ryan agree.

There was nothing more they could say.

Although they were unwilling to give up the opportunity, they also understood that Sora had already made her decision.

One by one, they left.

They weren’t particularly worried.

After all, in their eyes, there was no way anything significant would happen between Sora and Ryan.

The two of them had never gotten along particularly well.

Rather than letting one of them suffer through an uncomfortable date, perhaps it was better to let Sora spend the day with Ryan.

At least the rest of them would have another chance afterward.

Sora watched them disappear.

Only after they had gone did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

One problem had finally been settled.

But somewhere else in the tribe, another woman was experiencing a completely different kind of headache.

Lyra.

She had originally expected Sora to embarrass herself during the Most Beautiful Female Selection.

She had even believed Serena would once again win the title.

Yet things had completely reversed.

Not only had Sora won...

She had become the center of attention.

Beastmen from different tribes had surrounded Lyra, asking questions about Sora.

Some were even openly expressing their interest in forming a totem bond with her sons.

Lyra’s expression became increasingly stiff.

Has the world gone mad?

How could Sora, whom she had always considered plain and troublesome, suddenly become so popular?

What exactly had happened today?

The more she looked at Sora from a distance, the more she had to admit that the girl did look beautiful.

But Lyra still believed that this appearance was misleading.

If these beastmen knew what Sora was really like...

They would definitely regret their enthusiasm.

So whenever someone approached her, Lyra immediately tried to discourage them.

"You must have seen her wrong."

One beastman looked confused.

"Seen her wrong? Lyra, you’re being too modest."

Another laughed.

"Your daughter is beautiful. Why are you hiding her?"

"We’ve known each other for many years. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our families became in-laws?"

Lyra’s face stiffened.

"That’s impossible."

Another female nearby joined the conversation.

"Look at Kaelira. She’s so chubby."

She immediately praised Serena.

"My Serena is much better. She’s beautiful and would match well with your family."

A tiger-clan beastman was standing nearby.

"Bang is handsome and strong. He would be a good choice for Serena."

Another beastman shook his head.

"I know Serena won the title of Most Beautiful Female last year, but my son only has eyes for Kaelira."

Lyra’s expression darkened.

The beastman continued cheerfully.

"He says Kaelira is chubby and looks easy to raise."

"Easy to raise?"

Lyra’s mouth twitched.

If Kaelira were easy to raise, would she have remained so chubby for so long?

What kind of strange taste did that beastman have?

How could he possibly like Kaelira?

Lyra immediately decided that she could not allow this marriage to happen.

If Kaelira married someone and then revealed her true personality, it would be Lyra who became embarrassed.

So she quickly shook her head.

"You must have misunderstood."

"Kaelira isn’t easy to raise."

Lyra forced a smile.

"She’s very picky about food. She doesn’t even eat wild fruits."

Instead of discouraging them, however, the people around her reacted completely differently.

"Being picky isn’t a bad thing."

"Exactly."

"If she weren’t picky, how could she be so chubby and lovable?"

Lyra stared at them.

For a moment, she wondered whether she had heard correctly.

What was wrong with these people?

Why did everyone suddenly seem to think Sora was wonderful?

Then one person suddenly remembered something.

"Lyra, you don’t know?"

"Know what?"

"When we went to the Divine Mountain last time, we saw Kaelira mixing green leaves with milk."

Lyra’s expression changed.

"Green leaves?"

"Yes."

He smiled.

"She made some kind of milk tea. The smell was especially fragrant."

Another person nodded.

"That’s right. I wanted to ask her about it, but we were in a hurry."

He turned toward Lyra.

"How exactly is that milk tea made?"

"Surely you taught her, right?"

"Your cooking skills are famous around here."

The more Lyra listened, the stiffer her face became.

Milk tea?

What milk tea?

What new thing had Kaelira invented this time?

A complicated mixture of thoughts immediately filled her mind.

First, she was angry.

Kaelira had made milk tea and hadn’t even given her any.

Second, she felt strangely irritated by the fact that Kaelira seemed to be showing off in front of everyone.

Could she be doing this deliberately to annoy me?

But then Lyra thought more carefully.

These people weren’t merely praising Kaelira’s appearance.

They were praising her abilities.

And when she considered it objectively...

Kaelira really had accomplished quite a lot.

She could make pottery.

She had learned how to refine salt.

She had introduced strange foods.

She had made milk tea.

She had even created things that no other female in the tribe seemed capable of producing.

Lyra remembered what Martin had once said.

There weren’t many females capable of doing these things.

Normally, females relied heavily on their beauty to establish themselves within the tribe.

But Kaelira...

Perhaps she didn’t need to rely solely on her appearance.

She had skills.

She had knowledge.

She had ideas.

And, apparently, she had the ability to attract the attention of beastmen from other tribes without even trying.

Lyra fell silent.

For the first time, she looked at Kaelira differently.

Perhaps...

Apart from being somewhat plain in the past, Kaelira wasn’t as terrible as she had imagined.

In fact, if she thought about it carefully, Kaelira seemed to be becoming increasingly capable.

Lyra’s gaze lingered on her daughter.

There was still a complicated emotion in her eyes.

She wasn’t ready to admit that she had been wrong.

But she could no longer completely deny what was happening in front of her.

Kaelira had changed.

And perhaps the girl she had once looked down upon...

Was no longer the same Sora.