That was Lord Bayar Bayar’s private residence within the Badarian Tribe.
Lord Bayar preferred silence, disliked disturbance, and especially hated outsiders entering without permission.
Therefore, that place was considered the safest location in the entire tribe.
After Lord Bayar completed the bloodline registration, he disappeared, as if he had never been there at all.
A wave of dizziness surged through Si Bai.
The scene before him suddenly began to blur and lose focus.
“Baibai?!”
It sounded like Tiye was calling him, but even that voice had become distant and hazy, hard to hear clearly.
Tiye panicked and rushed forward, forcing his way through the crowd.
In a few quick strides he reached him and caught him in time, supporting his body just before he collapsed to the ground.
The young sub-beastman’s face had turned pale as if he had suffered some kind of heavy injury.
How could this happen?
Tiye did not dare delay even for a moment.
He immediately carried him to Tilo.
But even Tilo could only shake his head.
He was merely an ordinary shaman of a small tribe, and what he knew and understood was not enough to diagnose a satisfactory result.
[ Host… master… the system has detected that your soul power has been injured!
Waaah, your face looks so bad, I’m really worried about you… ]
“…At least you still have some conscience.”
Si Bai slowly opened his eyes.
He tried to clench his fist, but he could not gather even a trace of strength.
The abnormal state of his body brought a faint sense of unease.
After the bloodline registration, a portion of his soul power had been forcibly extracted, and his body had immediately fallen into a prolonged state of weakness.
However, the other beastmen who had undergone bloodline registration did not show any such adverse reactions.
Why was he the only one affected?
Could it be because he was an outsider soul, and had suffered some kind of backlash?
In the end, Tiye still carried him up toward Lord Bayar’s residence on the mountain ridge.
Lord Bayar disliked being disturbed by outsiders, but Tiye was too panicked to care about anything else.
“Backlash from the bloodline registration?”
Through his dazed consciousness, a slightly surprised, cold voice reached his ears.
The voice was clear and pleasant, like melting ice spring water touched by the warmth of early sunlight.
Low and deep, as if whispering right beside her ear, carrying an inexplicable sense of calm.
When Si Bai woke up again, it was already the next morning.
Tiye was no longer there.
He was a key member of the hunting team, responsible for a portion of the tribe’s food supply.
It was impossible for him to spend all his time by her side.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“…Hm?”
Si Bai was woken up by an unfamiliar voice.
The early sun had risen.
The bright light made her narrow his eyes instinctively, and faint colorful light flickered in his clear pupils as he adjusted to the brightness.
As soon as he woke up, he realized he was in an unfamiliar place.
The vast stone building of several hundred square meters resembled a fortress.
In this beast world, where resources were scarce, this place looked more like a luxurious mansion.
The entire floor was covered with rare beast furs, meticulously clean and extremely soft, without a single impurity.
Stepping on it felt unusually comfortable.
There were also various strange and unfamiliar crystals and stones embedded throughout the stone house, countless in number, dazzling and colorful.
Even under the rising sun, they still emitted a faint glowing shimmer.
Was he in Lord Bayar’s room?
Si Bai looked up in surprise.
Lord Bayar was standing right in front of him, seemingly having been waiting for some time.
At this moment, he had already removed that heavy and luxurious moon white cloak and changed into a flowing purple robe of unknown material.
His unbound ink black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, smooth and stunningly beautiful.
A few strands playfully slipped across his long, fair neck, curling slightly as they rested over his refined collarbone and shoulders.
That exquisitely handsome face was still looking at him.
His gaze was firmly locked onto him, carrying a hint of curiosity and interest.
His crow feather like lashes were naturally lowered, casting slender shadows along his straight nose bridge.
Those purple eyes looking at him were cold, yet faintly carried a subtle and elusive charm.
Seeing him wake up, Bayar slightly narrowed his eyes.
The curve of his lips lifted into a faintly friendly smile.
“Go bathe, change your clothes.
You are a little dirty, and your scent is not very pleasant.”
“??”
His voice was very pleasant, but what he said was not.
“Dirty” Si Bai was unceremoniously sent off to clean himself.
Near Lord Bayar’s stone house, there was a hot spring.
The water rippled gently, releasing thin streams of warm mist.
Hot springs were rare in mountainous regions, so this one must have been specially excavated.
Dark brown smooth rocks surrounded the spring, perfect for leaning against and very comfortable.
It had to be said that Lord Bayar was someone who knew how to enjoy life.
Si Bai originally felt a bit of awkward restraint from being uninvited, but after a while, he realized Lord Bayar showed no displeasure at his presence.
On the contrary, several loose garments had even been carefully placed on the smooth rocks for him.
Although he did not know what material it was made of, the fabric felt very soft, somewhere between beast hide and cotton cloth.
It was flexible yet gentle, and extremely comfortable against the skin.
Lord Bayar had already left before him.
Si Bai sat by the edge of the spring, supporting himself with both hands, leaning slightly forward as he stared aimlessly at the water surface.
He hesitated for a long time and still did not undress.
His small feet idly stirred the spring water, gently tapping and dragging it again and again.
The ripples never truly settled.
He just could not feel at ease bathing in someone else’s territory.