58: Chapter 58 New Tribal Members

"We..." Bai Lu's voice was a bit dry, like a deer's call dampened by morning dew. "Can we stay?"

When she said this, her deer ears pressed down slightly, and her amber slit pupils were like honey soaked in morning dew.

It was not a request, but an instinctive yearning for belonging, like a young deer finding a new herd.

Wang Sheng looked at her, then looked at Shen Xun'er.

The head priestess nodded slightly, her moist almond eyes filled with gentleness and tolerance, like a full moon embracing all things.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun turned her head away, her silver-white hair covering her slightly flushed ears. Her icy blue pupils looked out the window, her voice as cold as ice,

"The animal pen just finished construction; it's empty. Although it was originally for Savage Beast, it'll do for deer."

Bai Lu's eyes lit up; her amber slit pupils were like honey ignited by sunlight, scorching and hot.

She stood up, her deer ears held high—the gesture of the highest respect and joy for the Deer Spirit Tribe,

"Bai Lu, representing the seven of the Deer Spirit Tribe, to the Chieftain of Guangming Village," she knelt on one knee, right fist pressed against her left chest, the most solemn oath of allegiance for the Beast Race, "I pledge my allegiance!"

Her voice was like a deer's call in the woods, clear and unquestionable.

Wang Sheng reached out to help her up, his palm wrapping around her slender, strong fingers, like the sunlight of the wilderness covering an autumn maple leaf.

Bai Lu's fingers trembled slightly; the fingertips of the Deer Spirit Tribe were as warm and smooth as deer hooves. She felt a golden warmth emanating from his palm, like holy light piercing through her meridians, reaching the deepest parts of her Beast Race bloodline,

Her deer ears turned uncontrollably toward him, completely. Like a sunflower following the sun. Like a stream flowing into the sea.

As if the Beast Race bloodline was whispering to her, "This man, he is your man."

Seven Beast Race girls officially joined Guangming Village.

The system prompt sounded again in Wang Sheng's mind,

[Beast Race members detected joining. Guangming Village population: 101 → 108]

[Beast Race members joining will unlock: Alien Race Bond System (Beginner)]

[Alien Race Bond System: When the loyalty of an alien race member to the Chieftain reaches 100%, exclusive buildings and unit types for that race can be unlocked.]

[Current Beast Race member loyalty: Bai Lu 87% / Other six 72% - 81%]

Wang Sheng looked at the data on the system panel; Bai Lu's loyalty was as high as 87%, and the others were also above 72%.

For newly joined alien race members, this value was already quite astonishing. One must know that the initial loyalty of the thirty-one refugees who submitted during the Myriad Races Market was only about 50% on average.

The effect of the system's 30% attraction bonus on the Beast Race, as the system said, was far superior to that on the Human Race.

He retracted the system panel and looked out the window,

Seven Beast Race girls were standing on the open ground at the village entrance, the sunlight spilling onto them like a painting drawn by the hands of a wilderness deity.

Bai Lu stood at the very front, her light brown short hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze, her deer ears appearing like a pair of amber soaked in honey in the sunlight,

She was saying something to her six companions, her deer ears turning toward the Chiefs Tent from time to time,

It looked like a vigilant little deer confirming safety, or rather, confirming that the presence that made her feel at ease was still within sight.

A cat-eared girl crouched on the ground, licking the remaining wounds on her arm in the unique way of the Cat Spirit Tribe. Her silver-gray cat ears were like two small flags in the sunlight,

Her cat tail swayed lazily behind her, like a ribbon warmed by the sun.

She raised her head, her slit pupils like two emeralds soaked in moonlight, glanced toward the Chiefs Tent, and then quickly withdrew her gaze, as if she had been scalded.

But her cat tail, that restless cat tail, drew a heart shape behind her.

A rabbit-eared girl stood beside Bai Lu, her long, snow-white ears twitching slightly in the sunlight, her large ruby-like eyes like two cherries soaked in morning dew.

Her hands gripped Bai Lu's hem tightly, like a little rabbit grabbing its mother's fur, but her gaze kept drifting toward the Chiefs Tent, like an iron leaf attracted by a magnet.

A fox-eared girl stood at the very back, her fiery red hair like burning sunset clouds, her phoenix eyes half-closed, like a lazy fox surveying its territory.

Her fox tail brushed gently against the ground behind her, like a ribbon of flame blown by the wind, but the tip of her tail was always pointed toward the Chiefs Tent.

Wang Sheng watched the scene outside the window; the seven Beast Race girls stood in the sunlight, their beast ears and tails like the most lively notes on the wilderness continent in the morning breeze,

Their gazes were like seven streams of different colors, converging simultaneously in the same direction,

His direction.

Shen Xun'er walked to his side, the moist almond eyes of the Moonlight Priestess filled with a smile and a hint of mischief, like starlight reflected in moonlight,

"It seems your charm is not limited to the Human Race."

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun stood on the other side of the window, the silver-white hair of the Frost Mage fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. Her icy blue pupils looked at the Beast Race girls outside the window, a light smile curving the corners of her mouth, "Just a system bonus."

"Just a system bonus?" Shen Xun'er tilted her head slightly to look at her, her almond eyes filled with gentle understanding.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun turned her head away, her silver-white hair covering her slightly flushed ears.

"...At least not entirely."

Her voice was like a warm current flowing beneath the ice, so light it was almost inaudible, but Shen Xun'er heard it. The corners of the Moonlight Priestess's mouth curved, like a crescent moon reflected on the water.

Sunlight spilled from the firmament, like a golden waterfall pouring onto the newly completed Guangming Village.

The seven Beast Race girls walked into the medicinal diet tent under the guidance of Hua Jieyu, and the Hundred Herb Medical Immortal prepared medicinal soup and spirit wheat bread for them,

The spiritual power of Warm Sun Warlock Wen Qingxue dispelled the fatigue and chill of their three days of fleeing.

When the rabbit-eared girl took the first sip of the medicinal soup, her long, snow-white ears stood up uncontrollably, like two small flags,

Her large ruby-like eyes lit up instantly, like lanterns being lit.

"So, so delicious," her voice was like the squeaking of a little rabbit when frightened, soft and cute.

Hua Jieyu smiled and served her another bowl, her almond eyes curved like two warm crescent moons,

Dimples floated shallowly at the corners of her mouth, "Drink slowly, there is plenty more."

Bai Lu sat in the corner, holding the medicinal soup with both hands, her deer ears slightly erect, as if listening to something.

Not the sounds inside the tent, but the footsteps coming from the direction of the Chiefs Tent, sounding like golden bells.

Those footsteps were getting closer and closer,

Her heartbeat was like a war drum urged by drumbeats, faster and faster, louder and louder,

The bloodline of the Deer Spirit Tribe whispered within her,

This man.

This man who used golden light to split the darkness, who used one hand to pull her from the sharp claws of a Savage Beast.

This man whom she only looked at once, and made her beast ears and tail turn toward him uncontrollably,

Is her man.

Not now, but one day.

Bai Lu lowered her head, her amber slit pupils hidden behind her light brown bangs, like a little deer hiding in the bushes, guarding her most secret thoughts with silence and stubbornness.

Her deer ears were still facing that direction. Like a sunflower, never turning away from the sun.

At dusk, the Lingxi River shimmered with broken gold light in the setting sun.

Wang Sheng stood on the city gate tower at the village entrance, watching the seven Beast Race girls walk toward the spirit fields under the guidance of Su Mengyao,

The emerald green hair of the Nature Druid was like a green flag in the setting sun; she was introducing the planting methods and spirit energy circulation system of the spirit fields to Bai Lu.

Bai Lu's deer ears were slightly erect, listening intently, nodding occasionally, but her calves—the legs of the Deer Spirit Tribe were slender and strong—unconsciously shifted a little toward the direction of Wang Sheng while walking.

Su Mengyao noticed it; the Nature Druid's perception of life was as keen as the forest's perception of the wind.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Bai Lu's slender legs that were unconsciously shifting direction, a hint of understanding rising in her emerald eyes,

As if seeing a seedling that had just broken through the soil, growing uncontrollably toward the direction of the sunlight.

She didn't say anything, just curved the corners of her mouth, like sunlight dancing on the surface of a spring lake.

The setting sun sank into the deep green shadows of the Savage Beast Forest, and moonlight spilled from the firmament, like a silver waterfall pouring onto Guangming Village.

Wang Sheng stood in front of the window on the second floor of the Level 2 Chiefs Tent. The wilderness log window of the Chieftain's bedchamber faced east, and opening it allowed a panoramic view of the Lingxi River and the spirit fields.

At this moment, the Lingxi River shimmered with broken silver light in the moonlight, and the emerald green of the spirit fields was like a silver ocean in the moonlight,

And at the edge of the spirit fields, he saw Bai Lu's figure.

The Deer Spirit Archer stood alone by the Lingxi River, her light brown short hair like a maple leaf blown by the autumn wind in the moonlight, her deer ears slightly erect, as if listening to the subtle sound of moonlight falling into the spirit fields.

Behind her were her six companions who were already asleep. The Beast Race girls were settled in a large tent next to the spirit fields, only thirty steps away from the Chiefs Tent.

Bai Lu stood in the moonlight, her deer ears turning slowly, like a pair of radars soaked in moonlight, and then stopped in the direction of the Chiefs Tent.

She did not look back.

But her short white tail, fluffy and like a white pom-pom soaked in moonlight, swayed slowly behind her.

Moonlight was like water, and the Lingxi River shimmered with broken silver light in the night.

Guangming Village slept quietly in the night, the defensive wall like a sleeping stone dragon, the spirit fields like a silver ocean, and the silver-blue light of the Ancestral Spirit Altar pulsating slowly like a heart.

The eight newly joined Beast Race girls slept peacefully in the large tent next to the spirit fields. This was the first time they had spent the night in a safe place since escaping the Cangmang Region.

The rabbit-eared girl curled into a ball in her sleep, her long, snow-white ears resting on the cat-eared girl's shoulders, like two warm scarves.

The cat-eared girl's tail was wrapped around the rabbit-eared girl's wrist, like a soft ribbon.

Bai Lu slept on the outside; even in her sleep, the Deer Spirit Archer remained vigilant, her deer ears slightly erect, like two tireless radars,

Wang Sheng closed the window and returned to the Chieftain's bedchamber,

The prompt on the system panel appeared in his mind,

[SSS-Rank Aura · Spreading Branches and Leaves · Effect 1 Verified: Chieftain's attraction to the opposite sex increases by 30%. This effect is also effective for alien races!]

[The Beast Race naturally worships the strong; the attraction response to the Chieftain is expected to be 1.5 - 2 times that of the Human Race.]

He lay on the bed covered with Savage Beast skins, and the moonlight shone in through the window cracks, drawing a thin silver-blue line on the floor,

The system's attraction bonus worked on alien races.

What did this mean?

It meant that in the future, the females of the hundred races on the wilderness continent—the Elf Race, Dragon-born, Frost Race, and Sea Race—would all feel an attraction to the Human Chieftain far exceeding that of their own kind.

He closed his eyes.

His golden pupils were hidden behind his eyelids, like a sun sinking below the horizon, temporarily hiding its light, but everyone knew,

Tomorrow, it would rise again.

And wherever its light shone, whether human or beast, whether elf or dragon-born,

All living beings would be attracted by that light. Like a sunflower following the sun, like a stream flowing into the sea.

Just as all beautiful things on the wilderness continent would eventually return to the light.

The night was like ink, the moonlight like water.

One hundred and eight souls slept peacefully by the Lingxi River.

One hundred and eight types of breathing intertwined in the night into a quiet lullaby.

And in the large tent next to the spirit fields, Bai Lu's deer ears turned slightly in her sleep, and then stopped in the direction of the Chiefs Tent.

Even in her sleep, she remembered the direction of the light.