Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 211: The curious

While some tribes spar with other nearby tribes, some were talking and laughing among themselves. The trio decides to do their own thing. No one here should be a match for any of their tribesmen. And should something go wrong, they can send them a mind-link.

As the trio walked among the tribes getting to know each other, they ignored the stares. What they wanted to do was relax. This was their first day. They didn’t want to make alliances. They wanted to give the tribe one day to rest before politics took over.

They didn’t go far before Xeno saw him. Using their link, Xeno spoke, "The Tiger tribe priest is here...with the Fox tribe leader."

Following his gaze, they saw them. The two were walking leisurely and talking. It was as though they were old friends.

"Hasn’t the tiger tribe disappeared? Or did they ally with the foxes?"

Visha narrowed her eyes. There was a change in Zeek. She could feel the change, but she wasn’t sure what it was. It was similar to what she felt from the Ram tribe priest.

He wasn’t like the other priests here. Something about him was different. It was obscure, but it felt similar to vital energy.

"He feels the same, like the Ram tribe priest. I don’t know if he was always like this, but it feels different."

"It wasn’t. I’ve always disliked him, but now...I’m disgusted by him."

"No matter what the change may be. The Tiger tribe is gone, yet he is still roaming. It shows something is wrong. It is best if we do not say anything about the Tiger tribe to him."

The two nodded. They weren’t aware of the situation, so the best course of action is to pretend to be unaware.

Reyn threw his head back, laughing at something Zeek was saying. His hand found Zeek’s shoulder. The two appeared close. This was not a recent friendship.

The trio attempted to walk past. Zeek turned his head at this precise moment. His eyes gleamed as he saw them.

The surprise in his eyes seemed so genuine that if they didn’t already distrust him, they would be compelled to trust him. Reyn, as always, had a smile on his face. He didn’t appear surprised, more like amused.

Zeek smiled when he saw them, a genuine smile. Reyn’s salesman smile slid into place. It was a much different smile than the one they just saw.

"Priestess Visha!" Rayn called out. "I haven’t seen you since your last trip to our tribe. You look more beautiful now than you did before. Your hair..." Reyn did not continue the sentence; instead, he steered around the topic. "Were the slaves to your satisfaction?"

His voice carried, and others turned to look at them. Some showed faces of disgust when slaves were mentioned. Others were intrigued. Did they have valuable things to exchange for slaves?

Everyone could see their clothes were basic. Without the luxury of a wealthy tribe. They thought perhaps they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves.

But hearing Reyn’s words, they pondered whether to trade with their tribe.

"They’re doing well." Visha gestured towards their tribe. They hadn’t gone far and could still see them from a distance.

Seeing the laughing group, Reyn had no idea which was the slave. He hadn’t expected them to accept slaves as a part of their tribe. It was apparent that the slaves, whichever ones they might be, were thriving.

The two groups steered closer to each other. The first call had once again brought attention to them. Why would Reyn do that? They did not know, nor do they care, at the moment.

They greeted each other respectfully. After all the pleasantries had subsided, Xeno asked a question.

"Priest Zeek, where is the Tiger tribe staying? If I had known you all would be here, I should have brought Ma and Ba. They would want to see some old friends. Or just knowing the tribe was fine would put their minds at ease."

Zeek’s smile didn’t falter. "The Tiger tribe...they aren’t here right now. The tribe has been dealing with some difficulties. I am here early on their behalf."

"If I am not wrong, your tribe...they are the ones who beat the lion shifters? I did not personally see. But your tale had already swept through the gathering."

They hadn’t been gone for five minutes, and the fight had already made its rounds. They found that hard to believe.

"Really, Visha laughed softly. "We don’t advocate violence, but if someone provokes you, you should fight back."

"This is the Beast Continent. Advocacy of violence is the only way. If you do not fight, you are seen as weak. No tribe wants to be seen that way."

Reyn made his presence and position known.

"Mindless fighting is silly. Fighting for self-defence or for your loved ones is fine. When provoked, fight to show you are not weak. Actively fighting for no reason is unnecessary."

Uri’s voice was loud and clear. For the first time since the two arrived, they looked at Uri. They had been staring at Visha the entire time.

Now they looked at Uri, the obvious scales that weren’t there the last time they saw him. What stunned them most was the arm. The place where an arm was missing was suddenly filled.

Their eyes gleamed and went back to Visha. Their astonishment was quickly masked, but the trio caught it.

"Your arm..." Zeek began.

Uri cut him off and said, "It has been some time since we last saw each other. It was healed some time ago. No need to mention it. It is only an arm."

With Uri dismissing them, they had no chance to ask.

"I think we should leave now." Xeno felt a strong sense of revulsion. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled Uri and Visha away.

"If we stay any longer, they might ask more questions. I’m not in the mood to deal with either of them."

Uri and Visha nodded and continued strolling. They were making their way back to the tribe when they felt it. Not even an hour in, and someone had betrayed the tribe.