Chapter 208: Change of plans

In the night, a sinister wind blew through the forest.

A person in a black robe pulled their hood as low as possible to hide their face, sneaking to a cave. After confirming no one was following, they entered and quickly found a stone door. Using a staff to channel magic, the stone door opened naturally.

“What the hell is going on, Genolo! This is nothing like what we agreed!”

As soon as the stone door closed, Baruma tore off his black robe and threw it on the ground. His messy furred ears stood straight up, and his large tail puffed to its limit.

“Last night’s monster army was your doing, wasn’t it! Weren’t you supposed to have the vampire under control!? And that red cloud like bloody stool made the council pass Wa Luolan’s proposal, causing me to lose face!”

Then he vented about the troubles from yesterday to today. The old man in the crimson mask punched the wall, producing a strong echo.

“Yo, good evening. Gahaha, rough night last night, huh? Ah, I was shocked too, didn’t think something like that would happen. I actually went to check out your village at the time, and I took out nine of those obviously insane armored monsters on the way. By the way, did you notice I changed the lights? The whole room is brighter than usual, right?”

The human woman in front of him spoke rapidly. Dressed in a tank top and hot pants, she lay comfortably on a steel-framed bed, flipping through a book titled In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower.

Baruma looked down at Genolo with a cold aura. However, the woman was not afraid at all. She casually took a Snickers bar from the snack plate on the table and unwrapped it, the cloyingly sweet peanut chocolate flavor spreading in her mouth.

“Don’t rush, I was just explaining to you just now, consider it a prelude. When I saw those monsters retreat, I got curious and followed to take a look. Guess what? Whoa, I lost them. Can’t blame me, the night was dark, and the monsters know the forest terrain much better than me. There was no help for it. It took a lot of effort to get back here, I didn’t return until after 11 PM, and I wanted to get my beauty sleep.”

Baruma’s furry hand gripping his staff bulged with veins, clearly growing impatient.

“Get to the point.”

“Calm down, calm down. Sorry, my sister always misses the point when she talks.”

A clean-featured young boy, with a thin build that looked like he just started middle school—the younger brother, Bo Lite—smiled apologetically and handed over a canned beer that had been chilled in an insulated box. Baruma took it without any hesitation, opened the tab, and slightly lifted his mask to reveal a jaw full of wrinkles and scars. He drank the beer in one go, then wiped the foam from his mouth.

Genolo waited until Baruma finished his second can before continuing: “Afterwards, I inquired with my superior. It seems… he wasn’t able to fully tame the vampire.”

“Pfft—!! Cough? What? You mean last night’s attack and the red cloud—were really all the vampire’s doing?!”

Baruma coughed uncontrollably from the shock, and Bo Lite promptly handed him a clean wet towel. Genolo, for once, didn’t continue with nonsense and just nodded seriously.

The monster army attack and the red cloud were not part of Baruma’s plan. He simply thought he could use them to build momentum for himself. However, the situation developed beyond his expectations, and the Fox People did not obediently follow him to hunt the vampire.

“What a joke! That incompetent superior of yours ruined my years-long paradise magic project—Parlais! Ugh.”

Thinking of this, Baruma crushed the can in his hand into a piece of foil, but due to using too much force, his wounds began to ache.

“Since you said they’re going to the Snake-kin tomorrow, you don’t want what you’re doing among the Snake-kin to be discovered, right? Do you need us to snuff out your niece in advance? I wouldn’t even need to trouble my brother—if I act, I can make this student team graduate from life in an instant.”

Genolo proposed jokingly. But Baruma laughed coldly behind his mask:

“No need. Fortunately, the first tribe they chose to ally with is the Snake-kin, since it’s the closest. My friend among the Snake-kin will prepare a welcome ceremony. Heh, tomorrow they’ll most likely never return. There’s no way they can convince the two tribes to cooperate.”

As if finally finding something to be happy about, there was rare cheer in Baruma’s tone. He leaned on his staff and began to walk deeper inside. As he passed Bo Lite, he suddenly turned and said, “Let me remind you: among the three tribes, only I know how to activate the artifacts.”

With that, his figure disappeared into the corridor, the tapping sound of his staff growing distant.

“Alright, alright, I know. No need to emphasize your value so much. We keep our word, not like those unscrupulous villains who eliminate their partners after the job is done.” Genolo looked speechlessly in the direction Baruma had gone.

As soon as Baruma left, Bo Lite immediately showed displeasure to Genolo and scolded, “Sister, your attitude just now was far too casual. Mr. Baruma is elderly; angering him is bad for his health. If he gets upset and doesn’t want to continue cooperating, what then?”

“Gahaha, sorry sorry, I didn’t mean to anger him.” Genolo turned over indifferently, switching to a lying-on-stomach position to read her novel. “We did help him deal with his brother. Someone like him, though lustful and greedy, has been in the tribe for so long, so he still has the necessary reasoning. Now that he’s lost a key general, he definitely won’t want to lose us, his two valuable combat forces. He won’t refuse to cooperate with us.”

“Is that so? That’s good. I also hope Mr. Baruma can fulfill his dream. I like watching people chase their dreams.” Bo Lite smiled sweetly.

“You really care about Baruma, brother. You’re too kind. Or is it that you have a thing for that ugly dog Baruma?”

Genolo picked up her smartphone by the bed and checked the chat contents on LINE. There was one thing Genolo hadn’t made clear—Andre had already tamed the vampire long ago.

[Plan change: Continue to publicly support Baruma, let Wa Luolan unify the three tribes, then eliminate Wa Luolan and let Baruma take over.]

This was the message Andre had sent last night. The monster attack and this morning’s red cloud were all part of the plan. In truth, Genolo had never gone out last night. She and her brother had sat on folding chairs at a high point in the cave, eating hot pot and watching the Fox People run around.

‘Anyway, we just need to watch these animals bite each other. If we intervene, it would ruin the game balance too much. Lord Andre’s new plan is really good. In the end, whether it’s Baruma or Wa Luolan, as long as we can ultimately accomplish the Pastoral Service, that’s all that matters. Baruma is also lucky—it both speeds up the realization of his dream and helps the Holy Hive Society achieve its goal. The best part is that me and Bo Lite just have to sit and watch the scenery, and his “nest” will grow. There’s no easier Pastoral Service than this, and we don’t have to play the nurse game. Oh wait, my original profession is nurse, with a proper license.’

“I wonder how Cliff is doing. That kid has it rough. I hope he’s already avenged that ‘Siloque’.”

Genolo showed an amused smile and tossed a milk candy into her mouth.