"Ding! Detected increase in several beast husbands’ affection values. Would the host like to review the updated data?"
Sora froze slightly.
Several?
Her brows furrowed in confusion.
She had only intentionally interacted with Lukan recently. Who else could possibly have increased their favorability toward her?
"Show me," she said inwardly.
"Data transmission beginning."
A translucent blue panel immediately appeared before her eyes.
Host Information
Age: 20
Charm Value: 5
Expectation Value: 0
Mutual Attention: 0
Influence Value: 0
Ability: Water Element — Beginner’s Level
Target Favorability Levels
Xavier — Favorability: 0.001 Snake Beastman
Status: Neutral
Ace — Favorability: 0.001 White Tiger Beastman
Status: Neutral
Ryan — Favorability: 0 Merman Beastman
Status: Neutral
Lucas — Favorability: 0 Phoenix Beastman
Status: Neutral
Lukan — Favorability: 1 Wolf Beastman
Status: Neutral
Sora was not surprised by Lukan’s increase.
Lukan had always been soft-hearted. After eating the fried duck eggs she made and choosing to believe her side of the story with Xavier, it made sense that his favorability had risen.
What truly shocked her was Xavier’s data.
She stared at the number repeatedly.
0.001.
Tiny.
Pitifully tiny.
But still an increase.
Didn’t they argue the entire day?
He had practically called her a liar to her face.
Yet instead of decreasing, his favorability actually rose?
"System," Sora asked suspiciously, "are you sure Xavier’s data isn’t broken?"
"All data has been verified," the system replied calmly. "No abnormalities detected."
Sora fell silent.
The only explanation she could think of was the fried duck eggs.
Perhaps Xavier was the type who could be bribed with food.
If that were true...
Then maybe she had finally found a way to approach that venomous snake beastman.
Still, Xavier wasn’t the only strange one.
Ace’s favorability had also increased.
Sora was even more confused about that.
She barely interacted with the panther beastman at all. Aside from him mocking her earlier while she applied the pearl mask, they had exchanged only a few words.
How did his favorability rise?
Could it be because she hadn’t bothered him lately?
The more she thought about it, the more baffled she became.
"The hearts of men really are like needles at the bottom of the sea..." she muttered.
After pondering for a long while, Sora eventually gave up trying to understand them.
Soon, exhaustion overtook her.
That night, she slept with the Black Walnut leaves dye spread across her face.
The next morning—
Sora abruptly sat upright.
Then she rushed toward the water basin.
The dark birthmark that once covered half her face had faded dramatically overnight, leaving behind only a faint shadow.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then joy exploded across her face.
"It really was dye!"
The original owner never had a birthmark at all!
Even the skin on her neck and hands had noticeably lightened.
More importantly, the color beneath wasn’t yellowish or dull.
It was fair.
A naturally pale complexion hid underneath the dark dye all along.
Sora’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
If she continued using the leaves from the Black Walnut Fruit, perhaps her original appearance would slowly return completely.
Without hesitation, she reapplied the leaf mixture to her skin.
Just as she was happily focused on removing the remaining dye, a loud whistle suddenly echoed outside.
A sharp bone whistle pierced through the tribe.
"A flood is coming!"
"Everyone gather at the square immediately!"
The voice rang urgently through the tribe.
People rushed out of caves in alarm.
Sora immediately stood.
A nearby female anxiously grabbed the messenger.
"What happened?"
"The shaman predicted heavy rain," the messenger explained hurriedly. "The river will flood soon. The chief says everyone must prepare to relocate temporarily."
"Flood?"
The female looked toward the distant river in disbelief.
The water still appeared calm.
"It hasn’t started yet," the messenger said quickly, "but the flood will arrive within a few days."
Hearing this, panic spread across the tribe.
The female’s face paled immediately.
Sora’s expression gradually turned serious.
Primitive tribes feared floods more than almost anything else. Once the river overflowed, entire settlements could disappear overnight.
The female hurriedly tried to return to her cave, but the messenger immediately stopped her.
"There’s no time. Gather at the square first. The chief will give instructions before everyone packs."
Sora’s expression gradually became serious.
A flood...
Before she could think further, the messenger spotted her standing nearby.
"Kaelira! Hurry! The chief is calling everyone."
With no choice, she followed the crowd toward the square.
By the time she arrived, the center of the tribe was already packed with people discussing the situation anxiously.
Standing atop the central stone platform was Chief Martin.
Leaning heavily on his staff, he spoke solemnly.
"The shaman has observed the river. Heavy rain is coming soon."
"This flood will be large enough to submerge our homes."
"For everyone’s safety, we will temporarily relocate."
The crowd instantly erupted into noisy discussion.
One beastman raised his hand.
"Chief, where are we relocating?"
The chief answered firmly.
"To the higher ground."
Most people nodded in agreement.
Sora’s brows instantly furrowed.
Higher ground?
That sounded safe at first, but in heavy rainfall, mountain slopes were even more dangerous.
Mudslides.
Landslides.
Falling rocks.
If they retreated upward carelessly, the entire tribe could be buried alive.
She slowly crouched near the riverbank and touched the water.
The current was muddy.
Fast.
Dangerously fast.
Her pupils shrank slightly.
This wasn’t normal flood behavior.
A terrible thought surfaced in her mind.
If the mountain received enough rain...
Then a landslide could occur.
At that moment, Sora abruptly raised her hand.
"Father, I have something to say."
The moment Martin saw her speak, his expression darkened.
"What nonsense are you trying to cause now?" he snapped impatiently. "Go pack your belongings."
His disgust toward her was obvious.
When he first found his long-lost biological daughter, he had been overjoyed.
But who would have thought she would grow into someone so dark, ugly, and troublesome?
Every day she embarrassed the tribe.
Even after giving her the five beast husbands originally prepared for Serena, she still caused endless problems.
Yet despite his disappointment, Martin had never truly abandoned her.
Because no matter how much he doubted it...
Sora still resembled him slightly.
Especially around the eyes.
She even resembled his own late mother.
Only—
His mother had once been extremely beautiful.
Not dark and heavy like Kaelira.
Ignoring the disgust in Martin’s gaze, Sora raised her hand higher.
"Father," she said seriously, "we cannot move to the higher ground."
The square fell silent.
Martin frowned deeply.
"What did you say?"
Sora looked toward the distant mountains.
"If the rain becomes too heavy, the mountain soil will collapse. Once a landslide begins, we won’t have enough time to escape."