"Let's go downstairs and grab some food," Lucas said, pulling Kyra along. "Then we can deal with that B*tch and the blueprint thing," Lucas continued.
"No cursing, Lucas," Kyra said sternly, and Lucas rolled his eyes in response. "Okay, mom," he replied, earning a punch from Kyra on his arm.
As they walked out of the room together, holding each other's hands openly, without paying any mind to anyone's gaze.
"They look like a match made in heaven."
"That female is like something straight out of the tales I've heard in Beastcity. She loves her males honestly and does whatever it takes to save them."
"Emma was really vicious. How dare she kill such an innocent female?"
"Yeah, she always had that viciousness. But Monica was even more vicious than Emma."
"I haven't seen Monica. When will she come back?"
"I think she wants to settle in the Beastworld. Do you know she actually found a powerful male in Beastcity?"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Kyra and Lucas ignored the chatter as they walked towards the kitchen.
The kitchen was simple, with large containers and a basket filled with different kinds of fruits. In the center, there was an earthy stove, and bundles of wood were neatly arranged in the corner.
Two snake beastmen were sitting there, engaged in conversation.
"Hey," Lucas called out to them, and upon seeing him, they smiled. "What do we have for food today?"
"It's spicy rabbit and moon fruit pickle," one of the snake beastmen replied, grabbing plates and serving them.
"Thanks," Kyra and Lucas thanked them.
As they turned to leave, the two snake beastmen whispered to each other.
"This female is still trying to stay strong even after the great trauma of almost being buried alive," the first snake whispered.
"Yeah... I want to chase after her. She really suits my preferences: strong, beautiful, and kind," the second snake said, his eyes sparkling.
"I heard Emma was grounded," the first snake mentioned.
"Yeah... I heard... but you know nowadays females have to give their males titles, especially if they have a harem," the second snake said.
"That's cool! The main husband becomes the head of the whole harem, managing everything, followed by titles like the warrior of the Harem, the beauty of the Harem, the protector, something like that. I don't have many ideas," the first snake explained.
"I can't wait to get a title and status. Hopefully, I don't become a lower-ranked male because they're only used for female pleasure. But the highest-ranked males in harem have the most rights," the second snake expressed.
"Yeah, it sucks. I hate that sometimes females only pay attention to you if you're the strongest or the most handsome," the first snake said sadly.
"And the rainy days are about to end. I guess we have to finish all our work before winter," the second snake added.
"What are you guys talking about?" Darek said, entering through the door and joining them. Darek was the one who had given Kyra clothes before.
"Nothing. But what happened to your face?" they asked, noticing the mark on his face.
"I don't know. I just woke up like this," Darek replied, his left cheek red as if someone had punched him.
"Oh my god, who could be so cruel?"
Darek wondered if it was someone who admired Kyra because ever since that day when he stared at Kyra, he had been beaten at that night. He had no proof and silently lamented his situation as he joined them in their conversation.
Three of them actually worked on shifts in the kitchen. Every month, the teams would exchange their work assignments. One team would be responsible for finding fruits and vegetables, another team would go hunting for prey, and the remaining team would guard the castle. This arrangement was established two years ago by Vincent when he gathered them and set the rules. Unfortunately, they had a low earning rate because not many people purchased goods from snakes. Snakes were considered feral, so they had no choice but to sell their goods at very cheap prices.
However, everything changed when Vincent decided to take part in the Beast Challenge in the neighboring country of Valoria, Novaria.
The Beast Challenge was an extremely dangerous competition where participants had to face beasts of higher ranks and cross the treacherous Death Forest. The forest was infested with dangerous creatures like the nine-legged Drake with its sticky poison and the Scorpn and Fenrir, Both have huge mouths packed with fifty-nine teeth.
Just the thought of it sent shivers down their spines. They couldn't imagine how their boss had managed to survive and cross the Death Forest.
To their amazement, Vincent came victorious, earning fifty thousand coins as a reward. He only used a small portion of the winnings to purchase the castle, as all the snakes were pooling their resources to afford it it's still lacked some coins.
Because of this, everyone admired Vincent very much.
They used to live in a damp cave or by the river without a sense of belonging, now they are living in a castle, and their tribe was about to establish.
The coins were safely stored away because they were needed to build their tribe and buy materials from Beastcity. They also had to prepare for the long journey to transport goods back and forth.
**
There were many snakes beasts eating, so the dining table was full. Some of them even got up and asked Kyra to sit, but she politely refused, thanking them and stating that she preferred to eat in her room.
In Kyra's room, she and Lucas sat on the carpet, both digging into their meals.
Kyra looked at dark fruit pickle in plate and decided to taste a bit. "What's moon fruit?" she asked Lucas, who was enjoying his food.
"It's a common fruit, often used to make pickles and juices," Lucas replied between bites.
"It tastes good! I'd love to eat more of that fruit," she exclaimed.
"I'll get you some when we go back home," Lucas promised.
After finishing their meal, they walked outside, asking someone to guide them to Vincent's room. Finally, they stopped near his room.