Chapter 205: The Ramen Feast And The Night!

Neve was happy that the beastman he had saved was breathing and able to walk around. Roan was alive. He was not dead.

Neve rushed back to the kitchen and brought out the remaining bowls for the others. There were three more bowls of steaming ramen waiting on the counter.

It was not much, but the broth made it look abundant and satisfying. It looked so perfect.

Neve carried two of the bowls out and handed one to Kael and another to Sorin. He handed some to the Popi, the kids and the others.

Then he approached Roan with the final bowl.

"Here, this is for you," Neve said, handing the bowl carefully to the lion beastman.

Roan looked at the bowl with confusion. He had never seen anything like it before. The steam rose from the bowl, carrying a rich meaty aroma.

"What is this?" Roan asked, taking the bowl carefully.

"It is called ramen. It is food from my...," Neve explained and just remained quiet since Roan doesn’t know about his other world. "It is very good. Just try it."

Roan looked at Neve and his eyes seemed to soften. This small red panda had saved his life. This small red panda had bonded with him despite not knowing him. This small red panda had given him a second chance at life. Of course, he was going to try it and finish every drop of it even if he doesn’t know what the weird meal was.

"Thank you," Roan said quietly. "Thank you for saving me. Thank you for everything."

"You are welcome," Neve replied with a smile. "Just try the ramen and let me know what you think."

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Everyone sat in the cave with their bowls of ramen.

Cael took the first bite and his eyes went wide.

"Huh? This is..." he started to say but then took another bite without finishing his sentence.

Ryker was already slurping the noodles, making loud satisfied sounds.

Kael and Sorin were doing the same, their faces showing pure joy with every bite.

Even Popi, who had almost scolded Neve for going to the kitchen, took a bowl that Neve had prepared for her and tasted it with wonder.

"This is amazing," Cael said between bites. "Where did you get this?"

"It is... it’s from my original world. I got it through the market system," Neve said, watching their reactions with satisfaction.

Ryker looked up from his bowl.

"I don’t know what is market system, but can you get more? Please tell me you can get more of this," Ryker begged.

"We want more too," Kael and Sorin said in unison.

Even Popi was nodding eagerly, her mouth full of noodles.

Neve laughed at their enthusiasm. It felt good knowing that they were enjoying something he had made. Something from his world that he had brought to theirs.

"I can try," Neve said. "But it takes Bond Points to buy from the market."

"Bond points? What are those?" Aldric muttered.

"Erm..."

Roan was eating quietly, his golden eyes closed in apparent bliss. It felt like the ramen seemed to be healing him from the inside out. The warmth of the broth and the satisfaction of the meal was doing something to him.

When Roan finally finished, he looked at Neve with a different expression.

"This saved my life," Roan said. "Not just the bond, but this meal. I feel stronger now."

Neve raised a confused brow.

’I can somehow understand how ramen save life too,’ Neve thought to himself, nodding his head once.

"I am glad," Neve replied.

Then Roan took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I need to tell you all something," Roan said. "About who I am and why I was in that state when you found me. I feel I should say it so..."

Everyone stopped eating and turned their attention to him.

Roan told them everything. About his father being forced to bond with a female. About being used as a hunter for the tribe’s benefit. About the lion king’s cruelty and control.

He told them about how his father had wanted to leave and how the king had ordered his mate to break the bond, killing him.

He told them about how the same thing had happened to him. How he had been forced to bond. How he had wanted to escape. How the king had ordered his mate to sever the connection.

He told them about running through the snow, bleeding and dying, hoping to escape.

When he finished, there was silence in the cave.

Neve stepped forward and placed his hand on Roan’s shoulder.

"That is so awful. Don’t worry, you are safe now," Neve said firmly. "You are part of this tribe now. You are part of my family. I will not let anyone hurt you ever again. And I expect everyone here to accept him and protect him just as they would protect me."

He looked around at everyone in the cave.

"Is that understood?" Neve asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Welcome to our tribe, Roan," Cael said, extending his hand.

Roan took it and a small smile appeared on his face.

Then Popi stepped forward.

"So you are saying this ramen comes from another world? Through some kind of magical market?" Popi asked, her curiosity overwhelming.

"Yes," Neve said. "The system now allows me to purchase things from my original world. It is like a magical marketplace. I earn currency called Bond Points by getting intimate with my mates. Then I use those points to buy things."

"So you literally trade intimacy for goods?" Popi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It sounds weird when you put it like that," Neve said, laughing nervously.

"It is a bit weird," Kael added.

"But it works," Neve shrugged.

Roan was looking confused, clearly not understanding the concept of a magical market system or Bond Points. The lion tribe did not have such things neither does anyone. The concept was completely foreign to him.

Everyone else seemed to accept it after some explanation, though they were still amazed by the idea.

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As the night grew late, Neve stood up and addressed everyone.

"Tomorrow, I have some important announcements in the village to make," Neve said. "I need to introduce Cael as the new chief of the leopard tribe. And I need to tell everyone about the outcasts from the outcast territory who will be joining us. Also, we need to perform proper burial rites for Cael’s father."

Everyone nodded, understanding the importance of these matters.

"How do we perform burial rites?" Sorin asked. "I have never done it before."

"It is a ceremony to honor the dead and send them to the afterlife," Neve explained. "We gather the body, say words of respect or farewell, and then we either burn the body or bury it in the ground. It shows respect to the person who has passed."

"That sounds important," Aldric said.

"It is," Neve agreed. "We will do it properly tomorrow after I make the announcements."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

As the night grew darker, everyone began to retire to their sleeping areas.

Neve bid everyone goodnight as they went to their respective spaces and corners to sleep.

When he looked at Roan, Neve smiled.

"You can pick any corner to sleep in," Neve told him. "Or if you would like, you can sleep close to the others."

"Will you be uncomfortable?" Roan asked. "Given what happened between us earlier?"

Neve’s cheeks flushed slightly.

"I should apologize for that," Neve said quietly. "I took advantage of you while you were unconscious. I should have waited for you to wake up first. I am sorry."

Roan shook his head.

"I am fine," Roan said. "I did not mind. After all, you were my savior. You saved my life. I do not blame you for anything. If anything, I am grateful."

Neve smiled and wished him goodnight, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders.

He walked to his own room and saw Aldric helping to arrange the bedsheets on the fur bed.

"Thank you for arranging it," Neve said.

Aldric turned and looked at him with a shy expression.

"Of course," Aldric said. "You’re welcome Neve. I just wanted to help you."

Neve stepped closer to the bear beastman.

"I want you to lay with me tonight," Neve said softly.

Aldric’s face turned pink almost immediately. His entire body went rigid with shyness and embarrassment.

"But... but you are pregnant," Aldric stammered. "What if I hurt you? What if I cause harm to you or the cubs? It would be very bad for someone to sleep with you in that condition."

Neve smiled and rubbed his belly gently.

"I’m talking about just sleep. What if I sleep on you?" Neve asked suggestively. "If you shift into your beast form, I can lay on top of you. Your fur would be soft and warm and I would feel safe."

Aldric turned his head away shyly, his entire body trembling.

"Oh! Isn’t that also... naughty?" Aldric muttered under his breath, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.