The lunch could only be described as mediocre. The meal consisted of roast chicken, flatbread, wild vegetable soup, and fruit. The taste was rather disappointing. The chicken was lean, with more bone than meat. The flatbread was a bit tough, probably because the flour was too coarse. The wild vegetable soup was very salty. The fruit, on the other hand, was the best part.
Cass and Kersey made subtle expressions. Nuo Yi was eating with the three of them, and instead she marveled at how abundant the food was today, her face full of undisguised joy. Kersey said, “I originally thought the Fox-kin would cook with monster meat. It feels similar to ours… to the human race’s side.”
“Monster meat doesn’t have a high drop rate. We have to send warriors to obtain it, and it’s dangerous with an unstable supply. It’s said that three generations ago, the chieftain obtained Flying Dragon meat while hunting, enough to last an entire year.” Nuo Yi answered with a friendly smile.
It seemed that for the Fox-kin, no, for all intelligent life living here, this was the case. Rather than whether the taste was good, the intake of carbohydrates was more important. Bried thought this, and took another sip of wild vegetable soup. Cass gnawed on a chicken bone; surprisingly, it was quite fragrant, but that was all. With a nostalgic expression, he murmured, “If Siloque were here, he could probably make a flavorful ramen with this chicken bone.”
“Ramen? Yeah, I’d love some too.” Bried reacted to the last word. There was a period when Siloque often made it, with different flavors every day. Remembering that, Bried subconsciously touched her stomach.
Cass looked at Nuo Yi. “Ahaha… too bad we can’t order delivery here. Beef ramen is delicious. One bite, and the rich broth paired with large chunks of beef, the fragrance of vegetables eliminates the greasiness. Even the oil that comes out of your mouth makes you want to lick it clean. All I have in my bag is dry rations. If possible, I’d really like Miss Nuo Yi to try it too.”
Bried vividly imitated the process of eating noodles with a wooden spoon. “…Suddenly I really want some too. It’s all your fault, Bried.” Kersey tore into a blue-skinned fruit and ate the sweet flesh.
“Human food… sounds pretty good.” Nuo Yi seemed to have her interest piqued; her previously still large tail flicked twice. Bried couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of modern cities and felt that her palate had become spoiled. While asking Nuo Yi about vampires, she chatted idly. Although she thought the food didn’t taste great, Bried still ate everything cleanly.
“The village shrine enshrines the chieftain and the great figures who have contributed to the village throughout the generations.”
“This is the farmland. Everyone, be careful not to step on the fertilizer.”
“The Hunting Squad’s camp. They hunt monsters that threaten the village, and members are also responsible for the village’s security patrols.”
After Nuo Yi led the group to collect their rewards, she then took them to tour the village’s facilities one by one. She answered every question she could. During this time, they could see some Fox-kin belonging to the Baruma Faction observing them from afar. Fortunately, they only glanced over and didn’t take any other action. Bried and Cass paid no attention to these people, their weapons ready at all times. Kersey, on the other hand, felt a stomachache from those gazes and stayed close to Bried the whole time.
“What a big tent. Is this also a cafeteria?” Cass pointed at a large building on the hillside that was letting out white smoke. Wooden steps at the entrance led all the way down to the foot of the mountain.
“It’s the village’s Great Bathhouse. Inside is a natural hot spring pool. There are separate sections for men and women, and a mixed bath, but mostly old people use the mixed bath. However…” After thinking for a moment, Nuo Yi found it hard to say, but slowly continued, “There are rumors that there’s a Bath Monster inside, and it only appears in the women’s bath. Victims say their bodies are bound by an invisible force, they feel something foreign inside them, and soon their entire body turns bright red.”
“Eh? That’s too dangerous. Those girls must have terrible psychological scars,” Kersey said.
Cass volunteered, looking quite enthusiastic. “If there really is a monster, we can help investigate.”
In Bried’s mind, she pictured a silverback gorilla sipping sake in a snowy hot spring. Nuo Yi shook her head. “This happened at the end of last month. Someone told Lord Valmor that she couldn’t move in the bathhouse. Lord Valmor sent people to investigate the hot spring thoroughly, but found no strange signs. The woman who reported it later said it might have been an illusion from soaking too long. Over time, this became just a rumor.”
“…Valmor, Valoran’s mother, does she usually use this bathhouse?” Bried asked softly.
Nuo Yi looked at the bathhouse halfway up the mountain with nostalgia. “Before she got pregnant, she often came to bathe with us. After she got pregnant, she hasn’t come. After all, climbing the slope is quite dangerous.”
Nuo Yi continued to lead the three on the packed dirt road. At that moment, a loud crashing sound came from ahead. A door panel from a house fell down, and an object rolled out. The three didn’t go over immediately, but waited for the dust to settle. Bried looked closely and confirmed it was a female Fox-kin. She stepped forward. Bried wondered if she was from the Valmor Support Faction.
“Hey, are you okay?” Bried helped her up. Cass and Kersey followed close behind.
“Everyone, it’s pointless to go over there.” Nuo Yi said helplessly, watching their backs from a distance.
“This… how terrible.” Kersey looked at the female Fox-kin on the ground while gathering magic in her staff. Seeing this, Cass frowned with concern and took a coat from his Ring Chart to cover the female Fox-kin. The female Fox-kin’s black eyes were empty and powerless, murky and dull. Her grayish-yellow hair was messy. Her body, only covered by a piece of cloth, was covered in bruises, and her face was swollen like a ball.
After Kersey used her skill to heal the injuries, the black-and-blue marks on the body eased, and Bried remembered who this female Fox-kin was—she was one of the two female Fox-kin that the male Fox-kin with the Azure Fox head was grabbing and groping this morning.
“Such serious injuries… Can you hear me? Who did this to you? A monster?” Bried glared angrily at the house. If she weren’t still holding the female Fox-kin, she would have drawn her sword and tried to enter the house to investigate. But from the injuries, Bried knew that a monster wouldn’t use this kind of non-lethal abusive attack; they would directly cause fatal bleeding wounds. Clearly, she was beaten by a person.
Cass’s face was grave as he looked at the house the female Fox-kin had rolled out from.
“The person who hit her wasn’t a monster, but… her husband.” Nuo Yi walked in front of the three and stated the fact.
“Domestic violence?”
“People in the Dungeon are pretty similar to people on the surface…”
Bried frowned slightly. Kersey looked somewhat sorrowful. Cass sucked in a breath. “Domestic violence… it seems like it, but also not… it’s different from what you think,” Nuo Yi said with downcast eyes.
From the gap in the room, another female Fox-kin emerged. She was also only covered by a piece of cloth, and her hair color matched that of the female Fox-kin in Bried’s arms. She was the other one from the pair this morning. Unlike her smiling demeanor this morning, this female Fox-kin had a rather cold gaze. She directly snatched the female Fox-kin from Bried’s hands and threw the coat covering her back to Cass.
The female Fox-kin who had just been healed smiled weakly, “I’m fine. Please leave, everyone. We like being hit.” At these words, the three could only freeze. Nuo Yi behind them could only sigh softly. The female Fox-kin with the cold gaze supported her, and the two staggered as they picked up the door panel from the ground and walked back into the house, closing it. The remaining three didn’t know how to react. They felt that they had been meddling.
“So there really are people in the world who like being hit by their spouses.” She had only heard about this kind of relationship in story magazines and from Kersey’s idle chat before. Now seeing it in person, Bried could only be speechless besides being surprised. She naturally couldn’t understand… Moreover, those two Fox-kin looked devoid of emotion. Were they really willingly liking being hit? Or were they beaten silly?
The parties involved said they didn’t mind, and here they couldn’t apply for divorce arbitration. There really was nothing they could do. Nuo Yi continued explaining, “The relationship between Ti Er Xiu and his wives has been like this since they got married. Many people in the village find it strange. When the sisters Ya Qi and Ya Luo said they would marry Ti Er Xiu, we were also surprised.”
“Sisters?” Kersey asked in confusion.
Nuo Yi continued, the sisters were Ya Qi and Ya Luo. They were the wives of Ti Er Xiu, the Captain of the First Hunting Squad.
“Ti Er Xiu… is the male Fox-kin with the chain hood this morning?”
Nuo Yi nodded in agreement with Bried’s statement, and added that the house the two sisters came out of was Ti Er Xiu’s home. They had only gotten married last month. The two of them and Ti Er Xiu had always been in a relationship of voluntary being hit and perpetrator. Valmor had intervened to dissuade them, but the parties involved always said there was no problem, so everyone had to let it go. By the way, the one Bried had helped up earlier was the older sister, Ya Qi.
Although that unpleasant little incident happened, the three quickly put it behind them. They weren’t so enthusiastic as to meddle that much.
Time passed to after dinner. The Valoran Support Faction invited everyone to a party. Valoran took Cass and his group to share the feast, and introduced Cass’s group to everyone. There were many people and a lot of alcohol, celebrating Valoran’s return. Time flew by, and the sky had darkened. Valoran saw that the three were not used to this scene. Before the party ended, she arranged for them to leave and rest at their accommodation.
Leaving the big tent of the party, thinking it had been a long time, Bried checked her Ring Chart and saw it was just past 6 o’clock. Through the clouds, the reflected sunset showed a gradient from vermilion to dazzling black. In a few more minutes, the sky would probably be completely dark. Nuo Yi led the three to a two-story wooden house. It looked like a villa, but was quite small; it was Valoran’s house.
“Here it is.” The wooden corridor on the second floor creaked underfoot. Nuo Yi pointed to the rooms. “According to Valoran’s wishes, you all will stay with her. The innermost room is hers. The remaining two rooms, the three of you can allocate yourselves.” Finally, a glint flashed in Nuo Yi’s vertical pupils. “Of course, the three of you can also sleep together. This ‘sweet and sour relationship’ has excellent soundproofing.”
“…”
“Not at all.”
“We’re a team.”
Cass laughed awkwardly. Bried responded calmly. Kersey sighed. Seeing the three’s ordinary reaction, Nuo Yi’s voice sounded as if she was disappointed. “Is that so? Then I’m sorry for misunderstanding. I’ll be on the first floor. If anything happens, feel free to call me.” Nuo Yi bowed to the three. Her soft beast ears flattened as she lowered her head. Then she went downstairs. The allocation was simple; they didn’t even need rock-paper-scissors. Bried and Kersey shared a room, Cass had his own.
At the same time, a secret space.
The space was hemispherical, only about 10 square meters in size. On the bare walls were only two devices and two doors. One was a magical lantern for lighting, the other was a Crystal Ball embedded in the wall. One door was the entrance, the other was a storage room. Baruma entered, closed the entrance, and locked it. He waved his staff, and the warm yellow light from the magical lantern filled the entire space.
So empty, was this a room for meditation? Certainly not. Baruma leaned his staff against the wall, walked to the Crystal Ball, placed his hand on it, and channeled magic. The moment his thoughts turned—the scenery of the space changed.
An artificial rock garden appeared, a hot spring pool shrouded in mist, with oak railings to prevent people from falling in. Of course, the real highlight was the scattered few female Fox-kin with beautiful, voluptuous bodies. This was the village’s Great Bathhouse, the women’s bath.
“Heh, not many people at this time. Li Fei Suo and Yi Si, the two with the best figures, haven’t come yet.” Baruma said loudly as he looked around. A smile rose on his jaws under the mask. Standing on the right side of the bathhouse, he admired the female Fox-kin as they washed their armpits, full chests, and shoulders, backs, and thighs that were more toned from doing rough work. Some were also chatting and laughing in the milky-white hot spring.
However, none of the Fox-kin paid him any attention. Even a female Fox-kin walked right in front of Baruma, but she didn’t glance at him. They were all unaware of Baruma’s existence. Baruma still held the Crystal Ball in his hand; the scene showed an old man in a red mask holding a Crystal Ball on the artificial rocks. With a thought, the scene changed to a small room. The only light sources were the pale blue light from a ventilation window and the faint light leaking from under a curtain.
This was Valoran’s bathroom.