Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Mating Ceremony

Rylan sat on the bed, continuously rubbing an animal skin towel on his arm. When Moharm just returned, he saw Rylan throwing the skin towel into the fire.

"What’s wrong? Did the young Chief get handsy with you again?"

"It wasn’t Adrian," Rylan said irritably. "If it were Adrian, I would be less annoyed. It was just those beastmen warriors under his command; they really need to take a look in a puddle of their own piss to see what kind of trash they are! Papa, when is Daddy coming to pick us up? I can’t take it anymore!"

With the former Obsidian beastmen for comparison, and Sane as the standard, Rylan looked at Cipher’s group and found them entirely repulsive. The whole bunch took that young Chief as a role model, embracing Sub-Beasts left and right, making people sick.

Not only that, but towards the Sub-Beasts who had elders backing them, they mainly resorted to coaxing or slight groping, while with the Sub-Beasts in the slave group, they had absolutely no scruples. Five or six Sub-Beasts had already been tortured to death by the warriors, and only the few who submitted still had a chance to live.

Word had it that they even set their sights on the little Feline clan Sub-Beast, Lucian. How old was that child anyway? Five or six years old? Damn it, it was unbearably disgusting.

Fortunately, Lucian managed to escape. Even dying in the jaws of a wild beast was still better than being humiliated by those disgusting creeps.

"Soon." Moharm gently stroked his son’s hair. "Your Daddy sent word; he will come to pick us up in about ten days. After that, let your Daddy help you find a Wolf clan beastman warrior. Our Wolf clan is very loyal, we won’t be like the Lion clan. You just be patient for a bit, make sure to stay with a large group, and don’t go off alone, understand?"

Rylan pouted uncomfortably, "Hmph, the Sub-Beasts from other clans avoid me like a plague, and as for the Sub-Beasts from our own clan, they are all a bunch of weaklings who can’t even walk straight when they see a beastman. What can I even expect from them!"

Moharm sighed and said, "How about this, Papa will have a few beastman guards follow and protect you, okay? I am very busy during this time, I really can’t be by your side everywhere you go."

Rylan pouted, hugging Moharm, and acted spoiled, "I can only accept it, what else can I do now." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

---

"Brother Kaelen, what is this thing, it’s so warm!"

Lucian lay on the innermost side of the bed, curiously squeezing the quilt, and asked excitedly. This quilt was made from the white-core fruits that Anthony’s group brought back, and there were only four of them in total. One was reserved specifically for Kaelen’s household, while the other three were prioritized for the three couples getting married tomorrow.

[It’s a quilt made from the cloth and core of the white-core fruit. Tomorrow the tribe will hold a mating ceremony for Zale, Silas, and Theron. Don’t you want to wake up early to join in?]

"I do, I want to."

"Then go to sleep." Sane lay on the outermost side, yawning sluggishly. Ever since the brat woke up, Lucian had been chattering non-stop. Although very sympathetic to the kid’s situation, Sane was very displeased that Lucian was sleeping on their bed.

Lucian giggled, pulling the quilt up to cover half of his face, eyes wide open staring into space. Just as Sane was about to fall asleep, the kid suddenly said:

"Brother Sane, Brother Kaelen, when my Daddy was crushed to death by rocks, they said I deserved it. Then Papa died too, and I asked them to help bury him, but they still called me a jinx. Brother Kaelen, they are so mean, I never want to see them again."

Kaelen tightened his embrace, hugging the boy into his arms, and patted Lucian’s back to comfort him.

In the dark, Sane’s eyes glinted with a cold light. Deserved it, right? Good, since they harbored such malice towards Kaelen, then they could just keep living in hell!

Sensing Sane’s emotions, Kaelen reached out to grab Sane’s hand, signaling that he was fine. Sane tightened his embrace, pulling both Kaelen and Lucian into his arms, and said:

"Go to sleep, tomorrow will be better."

The next morning, the whole tribe was incredibly busy; the sounds of laughter, chatting, and people calling out to each other echoed endlessly.

Surrounded by friends, Lucian’s sorrow over losing family members and the fear of facing death eased somewhat. He didn’t talk about his experiences, and his friends didn’t bring them up either, only bringing their precious belongings to give to Lucian.

Halcyon glued his eyes to Lucian’s fluffy tail swishing back and forth, unable to resist reaching out his claws. Wilder, with his sharp eyes, saw it and immediately drew his leg back, kicking Halcyon flying to the side.

"You stinky brat, don’t you know you can’t touch a Sub-Beast’s tail?!"

Lucian shyly grabbed his tail and hugged it to his chest. The large tail obscured half of his face, only revealing his wide, round eyes. Halcyon, who had just been kicked away, trotted right back, sat in front of Lucian and said:

"I like you, I will marry you when I grow up!" After that, he was once again kicked flying by Wilder. Both the children and adults present burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The former elder group of Obsidian watched Lucian being surrounded by friends, and asked Jaxon, "What has Sane decided?"

Jaxon frowned in disgust. "Not saving them!"

Everyone turned to look at Jaxon with strange gazes, feeling it was incredibly rare. Since when could the person who was always soft-hearted towards his clansmen speak with such a disgusted tone? He met the doubtful gazes directed at Jaxon, and recalling Lucian’s account from yesterday, a trace of revulsion rose in his eyes:

"Those people will not repent even unto death. Today’s outcome is brought upon themselves; I will not repeat the same mistake ever again."

Jaxon still hadn’t forgotten how the tribe had fallen apart in his hands. Randy nodded and said, "It’s for the best not to save them. Indifferent to the deaths of their own clansmen, their hearts have already rotted completely."

No one said anything more; the gloomy atmosphere hanging over their heads was quickly replaced by the joy of the mating ceremony.

As the weather gradually warmed up, amidst the altar decorated with fragrant flowers, three young couples dressed in gorgeous clothes held hands and stepped up to the altar one after another. Collins spread his ears wide, tilted his face to the sky to chant a blessing incantation, dipped his thumb into bright red water, and marked the foreheads of the couples.

"With the Beast God as witness, you have become mates today, vowing to share burdens together, swearing loyalty until the end of your lives; whether in sickness or in health, even in difficult circumstances, you shall not be parted. On behalf of the Beast God, I wish you a steadfast union, an abundance of children and grandchildren, and perfect happiness!"

"An abundance of children and grandchildren, and perfect happiness!"

Following the priest’s words, the crowd below shouted the blessings loudly. Torches flared high, petals filled the sky, and cheers and applause resounded everywhere. Under the witness of thousands of tribesmen, the three couples shared the most passionate kisses with each other.

"Oh, I am so touched. When will I ever find my own Sub-Beast?"

Aaron hugged Christian’s arm, crying until his face was a mess of tears and snot. Colton stood nearby, frowning in disgust, and said:

"You should just try to pass the Crimson joining trial first. Looking at this pathetic state of yours, I’d be surprised if any Sub-Beast finds you appealing."

"What the hell do you know! What’s wrong with my looks? I am both smart, resourceful, and full of compassion, you know. It’s a violent brute like you that nobody wants!"

A childish argument instantly broke out. Christian massaged his forehead, feeling a splitting headache. He really wanted to throw all of them into the magic beast forest and be done with it. He turned his head to move elsewhere, accidentally locking eyes with Anthony, who was also squeezing through the crowd.

Amidst the thousands of dancing and cheering arms, Anthony accurately spotted Walter, who was clapping enthusiastically, with uncontainable joy and admiration brimming in Walter’s eyes. In his heart, Anthony told himself that one day, he and Walter would stand where those couples were standing, receiving everyone’s blessings.

Anthony quietly withdrew from the mating ceremony, adjusted his expression, and walked to the criminal holding area. Caleb was locked in a cage; upon seeing Anthony approach, he instinctively shrank back, then clasped his hands together in a plea:

"Please let me go, I have confessed everything I know. Please spare me..."

Anthony looked at him coldly and said, "Today our tribe is having a mating ceremony, you know that?"

Caleb looked at Anthony blankly, not understanding why Anthony suddenly said this. He shook his head.

Anthony squatted down in front of Caleb, a hand stroking Caleb’s face, and said:

"I used to always think that my standard for choosing a Sub-Beast had to be exactly like you, which was why I was so easily led around by the nose like a clown by you."

His hand gradually slid down Caleb’s fair neck, continuing:

"Today our tribe has three couples mating. In the future, there will be many other couples who will be just as happy. And I will definitely mate with Walter. But to ensure this doesn’t get ruined, you..." The hand exerted force: "Die."

Crack!

The slender neck of the Sub-Beast was snapped by the beastman’s large hand. Caleb’s eyes widened to the extreme, his body went limp, and his head slumped to one side. Anthony stood up calmly, pulled an animal skin towel from his chest, and meticulously wiped his fingers. He said coldly, "Take him a bit further away, don’t taint the tribe’s land."

In the quiet space, a soft response echoed. Anthony threw the towel right next to Caleb’s corpse and strode away. A gust of wind rushed past, and the cage was already empty...

The news from the holding area quickly reached Sane’s ears. He looked at Anthony, who was silently sitting and eating meat below, and the corner of his mouth curled into a satisfied smile. It seemed Kaelen’s days of ideological education were not in vain; at the very least, the easily soft-hearted Anthony had been buried three feet under along with Caleb’s death.

That afternoon, amidst the tribe’s jubilant atmosphere, an eagle clutching a wooden tube circled around and flew towards the South.

Adrian leaned lazily against the back of his chair, patiently reading the letter, the corner of his mouth curving into a contemptuous smile:

"Hmph, I thought it was some great tribe, but it turned out to be just a bunch of wandering beastmen. A few inciting words from Caleb already caused them to kill each other. What a pity..."

It was a pity that that handsome Sub-Beast was also killed by Caleb’s trap. Just remembering those sharp, eagle-like eyes and that valiant fighting stance, the thing between Adrian’s legs couldn’t help but harden, twitching a few times.

He threw the letter into the fire and said, "Write a reply to Caleb, he is free now."

Having said that, he immediately pulled the Sub-Beast who was massaging his shoulders forward and pinned him face-up on the table.

The beastman guard, having received the order, bowed his head and retreated, not forgetting to draw the curtains closed.