"Queen!" a warrior of The Swarm shifted into his human form, his skin gleaming with a spectral green light.

He knelt, picked up a corroded and tattered golden-red feather from the ground, and held it respectfully in his cupped hands.

Hecate drifted lightly to the ground. Her six pairs of transparent, insectoid wings folded into a magnificent, cape-like form. She took the charred feather from her subject, her fingertips slowly secreting a viscous fluid. She flung the feather away in disgust and snorted softly.

The Swarm warrior kneeling on the ground made an uneasy clicking sound. "Queen, this Nine-star Extreme Realm Beastman is truly troublesome. We’ve set two traps already, but we still couldn’t catch him. He probably won’t come back. What should we do now?"

Hecate’s lips curled back, splitting open to her ears and revealing the fine, serrated mandibles within.

"Only the Beast Crystal of a Nine-star Extreme Realm Beastman is a worthy celebration for my grand occasion," Hecate’s voice rasped, dissonant and utterly bizarre.

As she spoke, she looked up at the mist-shrouded sky and tilted her head, her neck making a strange "CLICK" sound. The antennae poking out from her golden curls swayed gently. "He’s already been poisoned. Why does he insist on running?"

*

By the shore of the Triangle Sea.

Aquila Cetus and his group’s reckless probing had completely silenced the other beastmen.

They were camped by the sea. Occasionally, they would go to the shore to collect some seawater before hurrying back, not daring to linger for a moment. Nothing had happened to them so far, but as time wore on, restlessness inevitably began to stir.

The Great Fish Clan.

"Leader! You have to go ask My Lady Priestess! How are we supposed to enter the Triangle Sea? We can’t survive on just this bit of seawater for the rest of our lives, can we? Our skin is starting to rot!" a female shrieked, on the verge of a breakdown.

Quinn Cetus looked at his clansmen. Their eyes were numb, completely devoid of spirit. Their skin, which once shone with a pearlescent luster, was now covered in fissures, like a dried-up seabed.

’Yes,’ he thought, ’the ocean is right there, so close, yet we can’t "go home".’

Coral Cetus pursed her lips. Cradling her very pregnant belly, she whispered, "Eva will find a way. Let’s just wait a little longer."

Pregnancies in The Great Fish Clan were always long, and they usually resulted in a single offspring, making each birth exceedingly rare and precious.

"Wait, wait! How long are we supposed to wait? Are we going to spend the entire Cold Season on this shore?!"

Quinn Cetus was silent. ’The witch already went through so much just to bring us to the Triangle Sea,’ he thought. ’How can I ask even more of her?’

’The Triangle Sea is just like the rumors said—full of treacherous currents and hidden dangers everywhere. It’s completely unsuitable for living. Solving the problems here will take an unimaginable amount of effort. How could I have the nerve to bring it up?’

"The witch is pregnant now! She’s definitely not going to care about us anymore!"

Someone in the crowd muttered the complaint, then immediately began to sob.

The sentiment spread like a plague, quickly infecting the various tribes.

The Fallen Beastmen, however, were unconcerned. After all, just escaping Thorncliff was fortunate enough for them. They couldn’t care less whether they could cross the Triangle Sea and reach the other side.

The Mer Clan wasn’t worried either. Unlike ordinary tribes, they were harmonious and united, not prone to stirring up trouble like The Great Fish Clan. Besides, with Danton to manage them and their trust in Evangeline, they were completely at ease.

The Grymdale Tribe and the Sky-Rend Tribe, however, did not feel the same.

The Grymdale Tribe.

Gable sat in his tent, gazing at the thick snow outside. "I told you," he said, his voice heavy. "Coming to the Triangle Sea was not a smart choice. Now that the other Norfell tribes have left, we can take this chance to go back and seize their territory!"

Gable’s voice grew agitated at the thought.

Whether the Grymdale Tribe could reclaim its former glory depended entirely on this moment.

Even if they didn’t ally with the Norfell Tribal Alliance, they had to think of themselves.

Lana, sitting beside him, glanced at her silent son and sighed softly.

’As a female, I don’t need to worry about such things,’ she thought, ’but what will happen when we’re stuck here every day and the food runs out?’

As he spoke, Gable turned to look at Elias Moretti, who was bent over, drawing something, clearly not paying attention.

"Elias Moretti!" Gable shouted, his brow furrowed tightly.

Elias Moretti slowly put away his pen, looking at the completed drawing on the map with great satisfaction.

It was a map of the route from the Grymdale Tribe to the Triangle Sea, marking the terrain, the tribes, and even the trees with great clarity.

The pen, ink, and paper had all been given to him by Evangeline. She had also taught him how to use them, and he enjoyed it very much.

Elias Moretti looked up at Gable’s ashen face and said calmly, "Go back? Do you really think the Grymdale Tribe can make it back to Norfell safely with just the people we have? Even if we did, how many of our clansmen would be left?"

Even with the map, he couldn’t guarantee he could lead them all back safely.

Hearing Elias Moretti’s words, Lana shivered and said in a low voice, "He’s right. We encountered so many dangers on the way here. It was all... If it weren’t for her, we never would have made it. If we were to go back now..."

Gable’s lips moved, but in the end, he just heaved a long sigh.

’The words were harsh, but they were the truth.’

The journey here had been fraught with hardships and obstacles, all of which Evangeline had resolved. But if they were to turn back, he couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t encounter new dangers. He was certain, however, that it wouldn’t be as easy for the Grymdale Tribe as the journey here had been.

Elias Moretti said faintly, "Don’t worry. Since she’s the one who decided to cross the Triangle Sea, she will definitely have a way."

As he finished speaking, his scarlet eyes flickered as he gazed out of the tent.

’She’s pregnant,’ he thought. ’With Thorne’s child, I hear.’

*

The Sky-Rend Tribe.

"Leader, shouldn’t we go and ask? We can’t just waste all our time waiting here! The food is about to run out, and our Sky-Rend Tribe doesn’t have any special connection to My Lady Priestess. Is she still going to care about us?"

"Yeah, Leader! If there’s really no other way, maybe we should ask the witch to take us back?"

"Who knows what new dangers will appear in the Triangle Sea after the Cold Season ends? The Swarm is nearby. What if they get hungry and come out to hunt? HISS— We should get out of here as soon as possible, don’t you think?"

"..."

The beastmen of the Sky-Rend Tribe all started talking at once. Thinking about the rumors that had spread from The Great Fish Clan, every one of them was on edge.

Evangeline was pregnant, so she would surely prioritize her own well-being and not bother trying to figure out how to cross the Triangle Sea.

If she abandoned them, how would they ever get back to Norfell?

Orion looked at the worried, fearful faces of his clansmen and pressed his lips together. His usually carefree and unrestrained expression was now tinged with exhaustion.

Holly, sitting in the middle of the tribe, watched the beleaguered Orion with a cold smile.

’Yes, this is exactly what I want,’ she thought with a sneer. ’Some witch she is. Causing such a huge commotion, leading all the beastmen to the Triangle Sea, but then she can’t even get them across. What a joke.’

’I’ll make Orion force Evangeline’s hand. I’ll make all the beastmen unite against her!’

’Once Evangeline admits she can’t do it, let’s see how she can still show her face as the revered My Lady Priestess.’