Chapter 276: Damien’s Background

"Oh? Those three werewolves aren’t your Beast Husbands? Then what exactly is your relationship with them?"

Levi raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised by Serena’s response.

"What three werewolves?" Serena asked in confusion. "I don’t understand what you mean, Young Lord. I came here to offer you the Salt-making Technique."

The moment Levi heard those words, the faint interest in his expression vanished. His face turned indifferent as he leaned back in his seat.

"You came to offer me the Salt-making Technique?" he repeated. "You know how to make salt?"

Serena immediately nodded, a proud smile spreading across her face.

"Of course! The salt I make is white, fine, and of excellent quality. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed, Young Lord."

When it came to salt-making, Serena had absolute confidence in herself.

She had already demonstrated her abilities to the Black Pig Tribe, and the results had been excellent. The fine white salt she produced had impressed everyone who saw it. There was no reason to believe that the Young Lord of the City-State would react any differently.

As long as she demonstrated her exceptional Salt-making Technique, she was certain he would begin looking at her differently.

And once she had earned his admiration, she could prepare her famous Rena Chicken for him.

With her cooking skills and her charm, how could a handsome man like him possibly resist her?

In Serena’s imagination, the scene that followed was already clear. The Young Lord would be amazed by her talent, treat her with newfound respect, and gradually become fascinated by her. Before long, he would be another powerful Beastman captivated by her charms.

Unfortunately, reality rarely followed the script she wrote in her head.

"Fine," Levi said indifferently. "Since you’re here to make salt, take her away and let her demonstrate her ability."

He turned toward Clinton, the silver Wolf Beastman standing nearby.

"Give her some salt to process. If she can’t produce anything worthwhile, throw her out."

After issuing the order, Levi waved his hand dismissively.

"What kind of suspicious person dares to come to the City-State claiming to possess a special technique?"

He had little interest in Serena’s confident declarations. Until she proved that her salt-making skills were genuine, she was no different from the countless others who came to the City-State hoping to obtain food, resources, or a chance to improve their circumstances.

Clinton immediately acknowledged the order.

"Yes, Young Lord."

He stepped forward and gestured for Serena to follow him.

Serena stood rooted to the spot.

This was completely different from what she had imagined!

Where was the admiration she expected? Where was the interest in her abilities? Most importantly, why hadn’t the handsome Young Lord even bothered to ask her more questions?

Shouldn’t someone who possessed a valuable skill like hers have been treated with greater respect?

She had thought he would recognize her talent immediately. Instead, he had dismissed her with a few casual words, as though she were an ordinary Beastwoman who had wandered into the City-State without a purpose.

Unable to accept the situation, Serena turned her head and glanced back at Levi.

The Young Lord remained seated, showing no sign of changing his mind. He did not even spare her another glance.

Before Serena could say anything, Clinton grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the exit.

"What are you looking at?" he asked impatiently. "Didn’t you say you came here to make salt? Then get moving. Go to the left."

Serena stumbled after him, still struggling to understand what had gone wrong.

Clinton, however, had no intention of entertaining her confusion.

Every year, countless Beastmen came to the City-State claiming they possessed special salt-making abilities. Some genuinely had useful skills, but most were simply looking for a free meal or hoping to attract the attention of someone powerful.

After witnessing such people repeatedly, Clinton had long since lost his patience.

He led Serena to one of the lowest-quality Salt Lakes, pointed out the area where she could work, and left without saying another word.

Serena stared after him, her expression darkening.

She had imagined arriving at the City-State would be the beginning of a glorious new Chapter in her life. Instead, she had barely stepped through the door before being treated like an insignificant stranger.

Still, she had not come this far to give up.

Once she produced her fine white salt, she would make them regret underestimating her.

She would prove that she was different from those ordinary Beastwomen who had nothing to offer.

And then, perhaps, the Young Lord would finally understand what kind of woman he had dismissed.

Meanwhile, back in the Wolf Tribe, Martin stroked his wolfish beard and glanced at Sora.

"Don’t worry," he assured her. "When has your father ever failed to handle something properly?"

He spoke with complete confidence, as though the matter had already been settled.

"I’ve already sent Dema, Second wolf beast, and Third wolf beast to take care of it. They should be back by now."

Sora had only recently given birth, and Martin did not want her worrying unnecessarily about matters outside the Tribe. He knew that she had devised the plan to attract the City-State’s attention, but he intended to handle the arrangements himself.

Just as he finished speaking, a Wolf Beastman hurried into the area.

"Chief, Dema, Second wolf beast, and Third wolf beast have returned!"

Martin immediately rose from his seat.

"Good. I’ll go and ask them about the situation."

He turned toward Sora, his expression softening.

"You’ve just given birth, so you need to rest properly. Don’t worry about anything else. Leave these matters to your father."

With that, Martin prepared to leave.

However, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the Beast Husbands gathered nearby.

"And you lot, keep your voices down. Don’t disturb Kaelira or the little cubs while they’re resting."

The Beast Husbands nodded obediently.

Although they weren’t afraid of Martin, they respected him for Sora’s sake. Besides, Martin had always treated them fairly, and there was little about his character they could criticize.

They understood that he was simply concerned about his daughter’s health.

Once Martin left, Xavier raised an eyebrow and glanced at the others.

"Did you hear what Father said? If there’s nothing important, don’t bother Kaelira. You should all head back first."

Ace immediately narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded, his face full of resentment. "You want everyone else to leave while you stay here? What gives you the right?"

Xavier glanced toward the snake eggs he was guarding and lifted his chin proudly.

"The fact that I have them and you don’t."

He gestured toward the eggs as though presenting undeniable proof of his superiority.

"My family of ten needs to stay together with Kaelira. Why should I leave?"

Ace was speechless.

For a moment, he could only stare at Xavier, unable to believe the shamelessness of his response.

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"You’re acting as though you’re the only one happy to become a Beast Father. Have you even noticed that Lukan hasn’t said anything?"

Xavier snorted.

"His wolf cubs don’t need to be incubated. Naturally, he doesn’t have to stay beside their Mother for the same reason I do."

Lucas gave him an exasperated look.

The argument quickly escalated as the men continued bickering over who had the better reason to remain beside Sora.

One boasted about his cubs, another challenged his claim, and a third refused to accept that anyone deserved preferential treatment.

Their voices grew louder and louder until Sora could no longer tolerate the noise.

"Enough!"

Her sharp voice cut through the room.

The men fell silent and turned toward her.

Sora pointed toward the door without the slightest hesitation.

"Stop arguing! You’re all so noisy. Everyone, get out. I need to rest!"

The Beast Husbands immediately quieted down.

None of them dared to argue with her when she was already tired from giving birth.

Xavier, however, looked particularly aggrieved.

"Kaelira, the little snake babies still need you," he protested.

Sora pointed toward the small cradle positioned nearby.

"Put them there. You can leave now. I’ll watch them myself."

The cradle had been prepared in advance by her Beast Husbands to make caring for the little cubs easier. It was a convenient place to keep the snake eggs safe while she rested.

Xavier’s expression quickly returned to normal.

"There’s no need. I’ll take care of them myself. Once the little snake eggs hatch, they’ll probably become very noisy. You should rest properly."

He had no intention of leaving the eggs unattended, but he also understood that Sora needed peace and quiet.

Lukan stepped forward and gave Sora a gentle look.

"Kaelira, I’ll go prepare some fish for you. Rest well."

After speaking, he left with the three little wolf cubs.

The newborns were still tiny, and all three clung tightly to Lukan as he carried them away. Their little bodies looked especially adorable against his arms.

Sora watched them go, and her heart softened.

She had always known that Lukan was a gentle and considerate man. However, seeing him care for their newborn cubs so carefully awakened a different feeling in her heart.

There was something unexpectedly attractive about watching someone take his responsibilities seriously.

As expected, a man is most attractive when he’s being serious.

The thought made Sora smile faintly.

Those whose cubs required their attention soon found reasons to leave. The others realized there was no point in lingering after Sora had explicitly ordered them out.

Even Xavier, despite his reluctance, eventually gathered the snake eggs into his arms.

Before leaving, he turned back to look at Sora.

"Kaelira, I’ll come back for you after I’ve finished incubating the little cubs."

With that promise, he finally departed.

Outside, Nick Wilde had been waiting eagerly.

The moment he saw the Beast Husbands leaving, his eyes immediately searched for Mark.

Mark noticed his expression and sighed. He stepped forward and patted Nick Wilde on the shoulder.

"Brother, she’s fine."

Nick Wilde’s tense expression eased slightly.

He had been worried about Sora ever since learning how dangerous childbirth could be. He had heard from the Females in the Tribe that giving birth was like walking past the gates of death. Knowing that Sora had survived safely was a tremendous relief.

Mark studied him for a moment before asking, "But why are you so determined to hang yourself from this one tree?"

Nick Wilde did not answer immediately.

His feelings for Sora had not diminished, even though she already had several Beast Husbands. He knew his position was different from theirs, but he could not simply force himself to stop caring about her.

Mark understood his brother’s feelings, so he did not press him further.

Instead, Nick Wilde recalled something he had learned while asking the other Females about postpartum care.

A Female who had just given birth needed nourishing food, and fish soup was one of the things that could be prepared for her.

Without wasting another moment, he turned around and hurried off to catch some fish.

He wanted to prepare something nutritious for Sora. Even if he could not remain at her side like her Beast Husbands, he could still do something useful for her.

Drake was the last to leave.

He had nearly reached the exit when Sora’s voice called after him.

"Drake, is there something you want to tell me?"

Drake stopped.

From the moment he had entered the room, Sora had noticed that he kept looking at Damien with an unusually thoughtful expression. It was clear that something was troubling him, and she had been waiting for an opportunity to ask about it.

Drake had originally intended to wait until Sora recovered before bringing up the matter.

After all, she had just given birth and was still weak. He did not want to burden her with unnecessary worries.

However, the more he considered the situation, the more he felt that delaying the conversation might not be wise.

Some things were better addressed sooner rather than later.

After a brief pause, he turned around and looked at Sora.

"There is something I need to tell the Chief," he said. "It’s about your Mother."

Sora’s heart skipped a beat.

"Mother?" she asked anxiously. "Have you found her? How is she?"

Before giving birth, Damien had brought her a letter written in bear script. Unfortunately, without the system to help her translate it, she had been unable to understand its contents.

She had kept the letter safe but had not examined it further.

Now, hearing Drake mention her Mother, Sora immediately thought of the letter.

Drake shook his head.

"I can’t say for certain that I’ve found her. In fact, I suspect that the Adoptive Mother living on She Mountain may not be your real Mother."

Sora stared at him.

His words were confusing, and she struggled to understand what he meant.

"What are you saying? If she’s not my Mother, then who is she?"

Drake took a breath before explaining what he had discovered.

"When I went there, I happened to see that the Black Bear was writing a letter. She asked the White Bear standing nearby what she should write."

He paused briefly, recalling the conversation he had overheard.

"The White Bear told her that the Young Lord had ordered them to write positive things. She was also instructed to tell you not to worry about her and to make it clear that you shouldn’t return."

Sora’s expression changed.

"A letter?"

She immediately remembered the one Damien had brought her before she gave birth.

Could that letter have been written under the Young Lord’s orders?

And if so, why would someone go to such lengths to prevent her from returning to She Mountain?

"Exactly," Drake replied. "You only need to examine the contents of that letter to understand what I’m talking about. There is definitely something suspicious about the Black Bear who claims to be your Adoptive Mother."

Sora frowned.

She had the letter, but the problem was that she could no longer read bear script.

"I do have the letter," she admitted, "but it’s been so long that I’ve forgotten the bear script."

"If the Chief trusts me, you can let me examine it. I understand some bear script."

Sora looked at him in surprise.

"Aren’t you a dragon? How do you know bear script?"

Across the Beast World continent, Beastmen rarely bothered to learn the writing systems of other Tribes unless they had a compelling reason. Most people used their own Tribe’s script, and learning another was generally unnecessary.

Drake, however, remained calm.

"As a priest, I often need to observe the stars and study matters related to astrology. The Bear Tribe has conducted extensive research into astrology, so I taught myself some of their script to understand their records."

His explanation made sense.

Sora nodded and pointed toward a table in the distance.

"The letter is inside the first ceramic jar."

Drake walked over to the table and reached into the jar. After retrieving the letter, he carefully unfolded it and began reading.

The room fell quiet as Sora watched him.

She had held onto the letter without knowing what it contained, and now its contents might finally reveal the truth about the woman she had believed to be her Adoptive Mother.

After a while, Drake finished reading. He nodded slowly.

"That’s right. The contents of this letter match exactly what I heard that person say."

Sora’s eyes widened as the pieces began to fall into place.

The letter, the strange instructions, and the order preventing her from returning to She Mountain were all connected.

She suddenly recalled the Young Lord Drake had mentioned.

"So the Young Lord is Damien?"

As soon as she said the name, Sora’s brows drew together.

Damien had always seemed mysterious. He had appeared in her life under unusual circumstances, and there were still many things she did not know about his past.

Now, with the revelation about the letter and the suspicious Black Bear, her questions had only multiplied.

Sora lowered her gaze to the letter, her expression growing serious.

Just who was Damien, really?

And what kind of background did he have that allowed him to control what happened on She Mountain?