Chapter 865: Proposal

“Smack!”

The crisp sound echoed, and the native girl’s face reddened visibly.

The native stopped her self-talk, and her vacant gaze turned to one of bewilderment.

“Who am I?”

“Where am I?”

“What am I doing?”

The native fell into a state of bewilderment with these three questions, and memories, though valuable, felt strangely unfamiliar to her.

“Master, its ears are so long, they look… quite delicious!” The Inferior Demon idly grabbed the native’s ear. If an ordinary girl said this, others would think she was joking, but it’s different with an Inferior Demon; if it says something is delicious, it truly wants to eat it.

If Chen Feng nodded now, the native would witness what a real little demon could do.

“Are you awake?” Chen Feng’s calm voice reached the native’s ear.

The native looked somewhat bewildered at Chen Feng, and upon seeing him, her body instinctively trembled, a chill from the soul, as lost memories flooded back into her mind like a dam releasing water.

“You… you…” Her pupils constricted, and she started to stutter.

“Not good!” Chen Feng exhaled, knowing that according to the script, the native girl would soon enter another trance-like state.

Chen Feng didn’t want to repeat this endless cycle of soul-loss and face slapping.

Chen Feng’s demeanor hardened, as the aura of a Demon appeared around him, enveloping the native with its dense chaos. His voice was ice-cold: “Feel it carefully. Is this the power you’re afraid of?”

At that moment, the native felt like she was in a vast wilderness, eyed by a predator; her breath seemed to freeze.

“Tell me, is what you fear a being like me?!” Chen Feng’s tone left no room for doubt and pierced the native’s soul.

“No…” The native said those two words almost instinctively.

“Hmm?” After saying this, the native girl was visibly surprised, raising her head to reassess the stranger before her.

The stranger was terrifying; that was the only thing she could confirm for now.

He provided a mortal intimidation that the native associated with that slumbering entity. During the annual festival, when people went to the pit, most, including the girl, felt that nearly despair-inducing aura.

The Chieftain had said that [It] was in an endless sleep, but the moment it awakens, this land and everyone on it would perish, with no exceptions!

The native girl felt the aura of despair from Chen Feng, and instinctively thought [It] had awakened, recalling the Chieftain’s warnings—that everyone would die; it was a shared nightmare for all on the island.

After realizing this, the native girl gradually regained her composure; the man before her was terrifying but more so made her feel irritable and fearful.

But the slumbering entity was different—its power emerged more as twisted and dysthymic, and exposure to it long enough could evoke suicidal thoughts.

Three years ago, a half-step Epic known as [Door] went to the pit for self-trial, but after one night, when people saw him again, he was a cold corpse.

His body was covered in scratches, his forehead stained with dried blood, and his limbs were in grotesque positions. Elders researched and reconstructed [Door]’s death process.

For reasons unknown, he first tore his skin apart, then repeatedly bashed his own head, and finally twisted his arms and legs, all while staying painfully aware of his ordeal but unable to control himself.

Door died, and as a robust warrior, he was not arrogant; he merely underestimated the slumbering one.

Even though it slept endlessly, devoid of consciousness and thought, it still dominated everything here.

[Its] shadow cloaked the land, and with Door’s death, as well as those previous challengers, it expanded that shadow’s influence.

To the native girl, nothing was more terrifying than [It]!

Seeing the native girl calm down, Chen Feng started: “I think you may have misunderstood me.”

“Due to special circumstances, I’ve drifted here, and you should know, I harbor no ill intent.”

“First, we must establish trust. I’m not the [It] you speak of—just a passerby.”

Upon finishing, Chen Feng allowed her time to absorb the information. After a few minutes, he asked, “What is your name?”

“Name?”

The native girl’s face showed caution as she glanced at Chen Feng; regardless of whether he was the sleeper, his power was terrifying to her.

She uttered a character, which Demon Horn translated to “Deer.”

“Deer?” Chen Feng inquired.

Thanks to Demon Horn, communication was uninterrupted; hearing Chen Feng’s repetition, Deer subtly nodded.

“Do you have a camp? Or, um… do you live together?” Chen Feng feared cultural differences, so he changed his wording.

Deer nodded again.

“Can you take me there to see it?” Chen Feng could now confirm intelligent beings inhabited here and had formed their own civilization.

Invasion?

Sea God’s Residence isn’t Order-designed. Even when having over 400 skilled individuals, hasty attacks without understanding could be disastrous.

If possible, Chen Feng was willing to approach them and try reaching some cooperation agreement.

Upon hearing Chen Feng’s proposal, Deer instinctively nodded but quickly shook her head.

“It’s confidential… Chieftain says confidentiality…” Deer clasped her hands behind her with a voice like a mosquito’s hum.

“Understood.” Chen Feng said, seeing the somewhat tense Deer. “Then I will wait here. Inform your Chieftain that I bear no malice; I wish to engage in transactions, mutually beneficial for both parties.”

After considering a moment, Deer nodded, then swiftly sprang up a tree. She glanced at Chen Feng’s group and then vanished into the forest without looking back.

Chen Feng wasn’t worried about safety. This expedition included one half-step Epic and two legendary experts, a stable formation.

This was a normal adventure.

As long as [It] doesn’t suddenly awaken, Chen Feng feared no challenges; the chance to gain exploitation rights here was an opportunity he wouldn’t miss!