Chapter 83: A Pact with the Beast God
["Nan Zishi..."]
"Let me ask you first: can Hu Bai be cured? And where is my Little Seven? Is he still alive?"
["I’m sorry, as much as I’d like to help you. But the karma between you, your Beast Husbands, and your cubs has a massive impact on the Beast World. I cannot interfere too much."]
’This useless god is good for nothing.’
"You said you want me to soothe the resentment of my Beast Husbands and cubs. What is that all about?"
Seeing that she was willing to have a proper conversation, the Beast God began to explain in a gentle voice:
["When you first came to the Beast World, I noticed there was something different about you. You are like a moon."]
["Every world has its Children of Fortune. As it happens, the seven Beast Husbands you have contracts with are the seven Stars of Destiny, representing the seven cardinal directions of the Beast World."]
["You were destined to meet, and you were destined to be together. And because of the moon’s... departure, all seven of the Beast World’s Stars of Destiny have been tainted with varying degrees of resentment."]
"What happens if they harbor resentment?" Nan Zishi asked.
["They are the Stars of Destiny of this world. Once they’re tainted with resentment, the fortune of the Beast World will become unstable. Its natural barrier will weaken, making it much easier for that group of people to plunder."]
"That group of people? You mean the Childbirth System and whoever is behind it?"
["Correct."]
"And you can’t deal with them?" Nan Zishi asked. "You’re the Beast God."
["Why do you assume a god must be more powerful than a mortal?"]
"..."
["It’s as I said before—once the veil of mystery is lifted, nothing is all that mysterious anymore. The same goes for gods. A god is merely one of this world’s creatures."]
["The Childbirth System and the entity behind it cannot transport creatures from their own planet to the Beast World. So, they transported human girls from Earth, which has the strongest affinity with the Beast World. They control them and make them give birth, all for the purpose of seizing the Beast World’s fortune and weakening its naturally formed protective barrier."]
["The more numerous and exceptional the males a host contracts, the more fortune is stolen away."]
["Natural births are one thing. But births induced by a Fertility Pill have an even greater, more detrimental impact on the Beast World’s fortune."]
["As you can see, I was like a frog being boiled in slowly warming water. By the time I realized something was wrong, I could no longer interfere directly in the affairs here."]
"What do they want with the Beast World?" Nan Zishi asked again.
["To plunder it."]
["The Beast World is a completely undeveloped planet possessing vast water resources. It has forests, fertile land, and a wide diversity of biological genes. Billions of years of geological change have left the earth rich with massive deposits of coal, iron, silver, gold, oil, and more."]
["They originally tried to invade and occupy the Beast World directly but were blocked by its natural barrier. During their attempts, they discovered my existence. A planet protected by a god cannot be attacked head-on. So, they secretly introduced the Childbirth System to paralyze and suppress me, all to achieve their goal of overrunning the Beast World."]
["Only you... you are special. So special that the Childbirth System was willing to agree to your terms and send you back to Earth."]
["Nan Zishi, only you can help me fight them. Only you can completely destroy the Childbirth System and save other human girls from being persecuted in the future. So, will you help me?"]
"No," Nan Zishi replied calmly.
"Look at my face. Do I have ’gullible’ written on my left cheek and ’saint’ on my right?"
"Even if the Childbirth System is ’just a system’ as you say, it’s still the creation of a civilization far more advanced than Earth’s. Why on earth should I risk my life for the sake of others to do something like that?"
["Nan Zishi..."]
"Don’t try to force me, and don’t try to flatter me! I was already back on Earth. I had already returned to the life I was supposed to have. You’re the one who kidnapped me and brought me here!"
["..."]
The Beast God fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, ["You’re right. That is why I was reluctant to tell you about this in the first place."]
["Nan Zishi, let’s make a new agreement. See if this is feasible."]
Nan Zishi listened quietly as the weak god spoke.
["One month. Let’s agree on a period of one month. For this month, I will not interfere in anything you do in the Beast World. After one month, if you still insist on returning to Earth, I will send you back. I can form a Divine Contract with you on this."]
Nan Zishi looked up, somewhat surprised. "Are you telling the truth?"
["It’s the absolute truth."]
Although she knew the Beast God’s goal was just to bide time, hoping she would change her mind.
She was still swayed.
First, the Beast God’s conditions came with no strict requirements, such as forcing her to complete any tasks.
Second, she really did want to see her cubs, find the missing Little Seven, and say a proper goodbye to Hu Bai and Lanxing before she left.
"Okay, I agree."
A gust of wind swept through the pristine white of Nan Zishi’s spiritual space, and a Divine Contract, shimmering with a golden glow, floated before her.
Nan Zishi took the Divine Contract and examined it repeatedly. After confirming there were no hidden clauses or traps, she signed her name.
The Divine Contract erupted in a brilliant golden light. The pact was sealed!
In one month, she could go home.
**
Nan Zishi slowly awoke in the cave.
Across from her, the dark-colored Cold-blooded Snake Beastman who had guarded her all night had a faint glint of madness in his eyes. He was toying with a Snake Scale while casually watching her.
’Tsk, caught by this damned snake again. My escape failed once more.’
There were outsiders in the cave.
Nan Zishi’s gaze followed the light from the entrance, only to see a long row of Wandering Beastmen kneeling respectfully not far from the Cold-blooded Snake Beastman.
Nan Zishi actually recognized the Wandering Beastman at the head of the line.
It was Xishi, the lizard Beastman who had been chasing them in the forest, along with his troop of Wandering Beastmen.
’...?’ Nan Zishi was stunned, analyzing the relationships between the Beastmen before her.
"Lord Xuan Jin," Xishi called out, kneeling on the ground with a fervent gaze.
Nan Zishi was very familiar with that look. In her past life on Earth, plenty of fans had that same expression when they saw their idols.
Adoration, longing, affection.
But the indifferent Cold-blooded Snake Beastman couldn’t be bothered to spare him a single glance. ’Yep, confirmed,’ she thought. ’He’s a Beastman who doesn’t coddle his fans.’
His roguish eyes remained fixed on the curious little female before him.
"Little female."
Nan Zishi jerked her head up to look at Xuan Jin. "...Your people?"
"Not really."
Xishi and the others immediately began kowtowing anxiously. "Lord Xuan Jin!"
Nan Zishi was rendered speechless by his refusal to acknowledge his subordinates. ’Just look what he’s done to this bunch of ugly Wandering Beasts.’
Xishi kowtowed to Xuan Jin, his head hitting the ground as he spoke. "You are the beacon for us Wandering Beastmen! You are the greatest Beastman in our hearts! How can you disown us? How can you possibly have a female master?"
With that, Xishi pointed at Nan Zishi. "This female, she isn’t worthy!"
"Lord Xuan Jin! Please return to our territory with us immediately. We will ask the Priest to help remove your partner’s mark. Then you will become a true Wandering Beastman again!"
"Your status among the Wandering Beastmen will be immortal!"
Nan Zishi: "..."
’This top fan... damn it, he’s a toxic solo stan?!’
She’d been in the Beast World for so long. Take Hu Bai, for example. Fox Zi wanted him to sever his partnership so she could possess him.
Lanxing had wanted to sever his own partnership, but his family wouldn’t allow it and tried to persuade him otherwise.
But when it came to Xuan Jin, it was a group of toxic solo-stan Wandering Beasts who couldn’t stand seeing him become a Beastman with a female master. They were hell-bent on dragging him back into the Wandering Beast camp!
’Then again, that makes sense. With a female master, he’s no longer a Wandering Beast. And if he’s not a Wandering Beast, it’s a little weird for him to be their leader, right?’
Xuan Jin admired the little female’s curious, gossipy expression. It was a much prettier sight than her feverish state from the day before.
He explained in a soft voice, "Pay them no mind. I don’t know them."
Xishi: ’...’ ’My world is collapsing!!!’
’Lord Xuan Jin not only has a partner... but look at that expression, that deliberately cloying tone of voice.’
’He’s actually coaxing this female!’
’But there was no way the female before him could appreciate that Lord Xuan Jin was gently coaxing her.’
’She clearly doesn’t take their lord seriously at all!!!’
Nan Zishi stared straight at Xuan Jin. "Xuan Jin, I have something to say to you."
"Mm."
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman seemed to find these outsiders a nuisance. With one sweep of his massive tail, he sent Xishi and the other Wandering Beastmen flying out of the cave like trash.
Outside, Xishi wailed as he pounded on the cave wall.
Nan Zishi: "..."
"What is it?" The male walked unhurriedly over and crouched in front of her. He had an unusually docile air about him today.
"I’m a little hungry."
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman asked in a low voice, "I’ve gathered some firewood. Do you want to start a fire to roast some meat?"
"Yes. And after I’m full, I need to go back to that place from yesterday."
Xuan Jin’s eyes slowly narrowed. In that moment, he was more agreeable than he had ever been.
"Alright."