Beside the clear stream, the water babbled continuously.
Though the flow was neither heavy nor sparse, its steady, long-lasting stream was enough to sustain a Dog Clan Tribe.
Reya’s sharp gaze evaluated the silver-haired little female standing before him.
Her eyes were clear and sincere, devoid of any manipulation or calculation.
By some inexplicable compulsion, he agreed.
“I am willing.”
Seeing Reya accept, the corners of Misha’s lips curled into a beautiful arc.
As long as they became mates, she could get intimate with him.
She could have his cubs, complete her mission, and earn points.
Dora was absolutely furious.
She couldn’t believe she had lost to such a hideous little female.
However, as the Clan Leader’s daughter, she absolutely could not lose face.
“Ha!
An ugly little female paired with a barren old male.
Truly a match made in heaven!” she sneered indignantly.
“Don’t you worry.
We will definitely have cubs, and lots of them,” Misha retorted.
She had reached the end of her patience with Dora repeatedly calling Reya barren.
Words carried a suggestive power; hear them enough, and they could affect someone both psychologically and physically.
If Reya got triggered and couldn’t get it up, what would she do?
“You say you’ll have them, and so it shall be?
Do you think you’re the Beast God?
Do cubs just appear because you demand them?” Dora mocked.
“Then do you dare to make a bet with me?” Misha challenged.
“If I give birth to a cub within three months, you must choose a twenty-five-year-old male as your primary mate.”
She had done her research; the gestation period for Dog Clan cubs was around sixty days.
In reality, Reya’s extreme infertility was merely the result of poisoning, leaving his chances close to zero.
But as long as she took the Fertility Pills, she could definitely bear his cubs within three months.
“And if you can’t, I want you sent to the Dark Room,” Dora countered.
The tribe’s Dark Room was the equivalent of a comfort station.
Any unbonded male could visit it, without worrying that it would affect their future chances of finding a female mate.
“Fine, it’s a deal,” Misha said, her gaze resolute.
Dora left, smug and triumphant.
She couldn’t wait to see what kind of mutt this ugly female would produce in three months’ time.
Her departure left the remaining duo in a rather awkward silence.
“Host, hurry up and say something to ease the tension and farm some affection points with the mission target!” the System urged.
Misha rubbed her nose and wondered, “What should I say?”
The System was speechless.
This batch of hosts was hard to manage.
She was completely socially inept, and her behavior seemed perfectly tailored to offend people.
Ultimately, it was Reya who broke the ice.
“Your name is Misha?”
“Yes.
Misha, twenty years old, with strong moral values.
Reya, it’s very nice to meet you.”
“Hmm, nice to meet you too.
Let me take you home first.”
“Uh, okay.”
She thought, “Moving in together right off the bat?
How embarrassing!”
The System secretly rolled its metaphorical eyes.
This host was such a phony.
Houses in the Beast World were all built from wood.
Those who were particular might patch them up with mud, while the less particular simply used sparse branches to fence off a patch of land as their personal territory.
Misha hadn’t held out much hope, but when she saw that the house in front of her was actually built of solid logs, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Staring at the wooden cabin enclosed by thigh-thick logs, her first reaction was that Reya definitely had OCD.
Every single log used to build the house looked like it had been poured from the same mold—neat, clean, and entirely stripped of bark.
“Reya, you’re incredibly capable,” Misha said, her eyes shining brightly.
She genuinely admired this primitive man for having such high standards for his living arrangements.
“For just one hundred points, the Host can redeem a fully furnished stone house.
There is nothing special about this broken-down wooden cabin,” the System said dismissively.
Misha thought, “Get lost.
Don’t even try to trick me out of my points.”
After touring the cabin, Misha asked the question she cared about most.
“Reya, when can we become mates?
Can we do it today?”
Her gentle voice was like a soft, furry little paw, gently scratching at Reya’s heart, which had long been as still as an ancient well.
“If you are willing, today is fine.”
Misha was overjoyed.
But just then, a deep, resonant voice rang out.
“Today is not fine.”
Misha furrowed her brows and wondered, “Where did this party pooper come from?” A middle-aged man with yellow hair swaggered brashly in from outside.
“Chief Saki?
Why are you here?” Reya asked, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face as he stepped forward to shield Misha.
Misha cast a sidelong glance.
Clan Leader?
Wasn’t that Dora’s father?
“Receiving plotlines…” the System announced.
Quickly, Misha received the new information.
Reya’s father had been murdered by Saki, and the poison afflicting Reya was his doing as well.
Even the rumors in the tribe about Reya’s infertility were spread on Saki’s orders.
He had always been wary of Reya, terrified that the younger male would seek revenge one day, which was why he had come up with such a disgusting scheme to ruin him.
Thinking of this, Misha looked at Saki with eyes full of utter disdain.
“I hear you want to become mates with Reya?” Saki asked.
“Yes,” Misha replied, her gaze firm.
Saki narrowed his eyes.
“According to the rules, Reya must contribute ten medium-sized prey and invite the entire tribe to feast before the two of you can become mates.”
Reya’s expression darkened.
“Clan Leader, other males have become mates without fulfilling this rule.
Why are you being so strict with me?” he retorted.
Saki shot him a cold glare.
“Rules are rules.
If you want to become mates with Misha, you must follow them.
Otherwise, I will banish you from the tribe.”
“Clan Leader…” Reya began, clenching his fists as he watched Saki walk out of the cabin.
He just couldn’t understand why the Clan Leader was constantly targeting him!
The rumors about his infertility had only spread with the Clan Leader’s tacit approval.
Just because he didn’t say anything didn’t mean he didn’t know.
Suppressing the fire burning in his chest, the temperature around Reya seemed to drop a few degrees.
Just then, a strange sensation touched his palm.
He looked down to see a small, pale hand resting over his own, the fair skin forming a stark contrast against his wheat-colored complexion.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” Misha said softly.
Reya shook his head, his eyes brimming with bitterness.
“It’s the off-season now, and prey is scarce.
Gathering ten medium-sized catches will be incredibly difficult.”
“It doesn’t matter if we can’t gather enough.
At worst, we’ll just move out of the tribe.
We’ll have more freedom that way.”
Reya rejected the idea decisively.
“No.
It doesn’t matter what happens to me, but a little female like you has no way to survive in the forest.
We cannot leave yet.”
He had originally planned to never take a mate in this lifetime, fully prepared to be kicked out of the tribe at age twenty-five.
But that wasn’t an option anymore.
Now that he had Misha as his future mate, he couldn’t put her in the slightest bit of danger.
“Life in the forest is grueling.
You wouldn’t be able to handle the hardship,” Reya said, raising a hand to rub the top of Misha’s head.
The little female’s hair was soft and carried a sweet fragrance, a completely different texture from the coarse, bristly hair of males.
Having such a soft little female at home suddenly made even hunting feel purposeful.
“Alright, I’ll solve the prey issue.
Be a good girl and stay at home.
I’m going hunting.”
“Uh, okay.”
Misha hadn’t expected Reya to be so capable of regulating his own emotions, so she didn’t try to persuade him further.
They would cross that bridge when they came to it; since she was here, she would make the best of it.
After Reya left, Misha began to carefully inspect the layout of the cabin.
She was now absolutely certain that Reya truly had OCD.
In the corner of the room sat a water vat chiseled from solid stone.
She leaned over to look inside.
Yikes, what a terrifying face.