When I awoke, a cacophony of sounds faintly drifted in from outside, and a hazy light seeped through a skylight at the top of the tall wooden tent, heralding the dawn of morning.
Xiao Mu Yu sat up on the enormous wooden bed, gently rubbing his forehead, as he vaguely discerned the voices of Riven and Teemo from outside the tent.
"How could this be? After a single nap, my strength has diminished by a whole tier! I've never encountered such a phenomenon in Bandle City! I've not even heard of it… Riven, what do you think we should do now?"
That slightly anxious, childlike voice belonged to… Teemo?
"Ah… I'm just as perplexed. The sudden drop in strength is utterly unheard of. I think we should wait for Mr. Mu Yu to wake up and discuss it with him. Perhaps he has some insight."
That voice… was it Riven?
Right, where exactly is this place?
As if sensing Xiao Mu Yu's movements, Annie, clad only in her snug garments, stretched lazily in the warm bedding before rising from beside him.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the little girl reached out her delicate hand to fetch her clothes. Xiao Mu Yu impassively stroked her head and coldly remarked, "It's fine; you can keep sleeping."
Ah… I remember now, this is the Tauren tribe.
Upon Riven's suggestion, the four of them had disembarked from the magical train in the city of Riel, then walked for seven days, traversing the vast sea of sand to arrive at this oasis, where they found refuge in a Tauren settlement.
However, at that time, the tribe could only offer three empty tents, resulting in the allocation of one tent each for Riven and Captain Teemo, while Xiao Mu Yu shared a tent with the clingy little girl.
Fortunately, nothing untoward occurred that night.
To Xiao Mu Yu, the little girl beside him was merely an innocent child. Despite her insistence on being an adult, her childish antics and her petite, undeveloped form prevented anyone from truly perceiving her as a mature woman.
In the words of a demon, while Xiao Mu Yu might be a cold, selfish, and ruthless scoundrel—capable of slaughtering a hundred thousand innocent people without hesitation to achieve his goals—his heart had yet to grow strong enough to harbor any desire towards a mere child.
Inside the tent, although Xiao Mu Yu's words were heard, Annie still nodded and climbed out of bed, softly saying, "Big brother, I'm not sleepy…"
"..." Casting an indifferent glance at the little girl, who, having just awakened, appeared drowsy and adorable like a kitten, Xiao Mu Yu coldly replied, "If that's the case, let's go outside and see. It seems Riven and the others are in trouble."
After quickly washing up, Xiao Mu Yu donned a tattered cloak hanging on the wall and picked up the dilapidated longsword resting at the foot of his bed. He stepped onto the large wooden floor, fashioned like a raft, and exited the tall tent.
The dim morning light filtered through the towering trees just beyond the village, and a thin veil of mist seemed to rise among the wooden huts of the mountain village, imparting a serene and tranquil ambiance to the colors within view.
Amidst the tall trees of the oasis, rows of grand beast-skin tents stood like soldiers beside a crystal-clear lake, while at the entrance of the village, two massive totem poles unique to the Tauren tribe stood tall on either side.
Indigo and pure white pigments intertwined to create enigmatic patterns on the totem poles, their gentle and understated hues evoking a sense of calmness—much like the peaceful nature of the tribe itself.
"Mr. Mu Yu, you're awake?" In the clearing in front of the tent, upon seeing Xiao Mu Yu push open the wooden flap, Riven greeted him with a smile, "Good morning."
"...Ah, good morning," Xiao Mu Yu's cold gaze lingered for a moment on Riven's silver hair and Teemo's diminutive frame before he asked in an icy tone, "What… has happened? You all seem rather troubled."
"Uh… I'm not quite sure how to explain," Riven replied with a wry smile, raising her hands in a gesture of uncertainty. "Didn't you feel it? This morning, when I awoke, Teemo and I discovered that our strength seems to have dropped by a tier."
"...Our strength has diminished by a tier?" Xiao Mu Yu inquired, his expression impassive as his consciousness gradually sank into a monochrome realm of thought. In the next moment, the indifferent man suddenly opened his eyes wide.
"Ha ha… so Mr. Mu Yu is experiencing the same thing?" Riven, interpreting his reaction, shook her head with a rueful smile. "This morning, I was perplexed to find my strength had fallen to tier eight, and Teemo is in the same predicament, having dropped from tier eight to tier seven."
As if to emphasize her words, a panicked voice suddenly echoed from within the tent, "No… something's wrong, big brother!"
The wooden door swung open, and the little girl, clutching a small fox, rushed out in alarm. "Big brother, Annie… Annie's strength… I don't know what happened, but it suddenly dropped by a tier! How could this happen?"
"...It's alright, don't worry. Our strength has all decreased," Xiao Mu Yu gently patted the little girl's head to calm her distressed emotions before turning coldly to Riven and asking, "Have you inquired with the Taurens in the tribe about whether they have experienced a similar drop in strength?"
"Uh… I've already asked," Riven replied with a bitter smile. "After I noticed my own drop in strength this morning, I initially thought there was an incident in the tribe that caused this phenomenon. But after consulting a few of my Tauren friends, it seems they have not experienced the same issue. It appears the problem lies within ourselves."
"The problem… lies within ourselves?" Xiao Mu Yu coolly rubbed his forehead, seeking the demon's opinion within the realm of consciousness, "What… do you think?"
(...)
"Speak." Noticing the silence in the realm of consciousness, Xiao Mu Yu impatiently urged coldly.
(...)
Yet again, the response was a profound silence. The demon, which seemed to wither if it spoke less than once a minute, had chosen to disregard his inquiry this time, failing to deliver even its usual taunts, leaving only an echoing stillness in the realm of consciousness.
"..." Sensing something amiss, Xiao Mu Yu reached into his chest pocket and retrieved a light blue diamond crystal strung with fine thread around his neck.
Holding the thread, Xiao Mu Yu positioned the night demon crystal, which sealed the demon's soul, at eye level. Utilizing the faint morning light, he coldly scrutinized the pale blue diamond before him.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Mr. Mu Yu?" Noticing the indifferent man standing in contemplation before the tall tent for several seconds, Teemo curiously inquired as he observed Xiao Mu Yu suddenly remove the necklace from around his neck, seemingly having made a significant discovery regarding the seemingly precious crystal.
"..." Withdrawing the mental energy enveloping the night demon crystal, Xiao Mu Yu confirmed a crucial fact—his mental link with the demon had been severed.
"Good morning, my dear friends." At that moment, a warm and hearty voice resonated, drawing everyone's attention.
The four of them turned towards the sound to see a towering Tauren, over two meters tall, approaching from the other side of the path, smiling as he greeted them, "Would you like to join me for breakfast? I bet you'll love my wife's cooking."
This Tauren… Desair?
After pondering for a couple of seconds, Xiao Mu Yu finally recalled this Tauren's information—Desair, the Tauren who had encountered Xiao Mu Yu and his companions in the oasis's jungle the previous evening, was acquainted with Riven from her mission here three years ago. He had invited the four of them to visit their tribe.
As a local native, did this Tauren possess any insights?
Coldly turning his head, Xiao Mu Yu silently observed the robust figure of the approaching Tauren and inquired in an icy tone, "Mr. Desair, I have a question I would like to ask you. Could you… help clarify my doubts?"
"Of course, my friend. Please, ask away," Desair replied warmly, nodding with a smile. "In the name of our ancestors, I assure you I will speak candidly."
"I wish to inquire whether there is anything peculiar about your tribe? For instance… have you established some protective magical array around your tribe, causing any beings other than Taurens to experience a drop in strength upon entering your territory?" Xiao Mu Yu asked coldly.
"A protective magical array? A drop in strength for intruders? That has never occurred," Desair replied, bewildered by Xiao Mu Yu's question. He turned his massive head to glance at the four of them, curiosity evident in his gaze. "It seems… something is amiss? The atmosphere here feels rather unusual."