After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back

Chapter 415: I thought you didn’t trust me?

"Nina, we have new word from Serpent City regarding the activation of their sacred artifact," Taru said. "Do you know how they plan to activate it?"

"How?" Nina asked curiously.

"They’ve set up an Essence Convergence Array, claiming it can pool the strength of numerous beastmen to unlock the artifact together. However, any beastman who enters the array will lose all their power, or even die." A flash of mockery crossed Taru’s eyes. "They are demanding that every female’s household sacrifice one powerful male."

"Isn’t that just trading lives?" Aron asked, slightly shocked.

Astonishment showed on everyone’s faces. The rulers of Serpent City were ruthless; just how many males were they willing to sacrifice?

Nina turned to Odian. "Odian, have you ever heard of an Essence Convergence Array?"

Odian thought it over carefully. "I haven’t heard of an Essence Convergence Array, but I have heard of a Essence Convergence Array, which has a similar effect. It’s a malevolent formation designed to absorb a beastman’s power and life force."

Nina fell into thought for a moment. "Don’t you think the effects of this array sound exactly like that beastman who absorbs the strength and vitality of others? Could this whole thing be a scam, a trap set by him? The formation might actually be the Essence Convergence Array."

"I think that’s highly likely," Taru agreed.

"Me too," Ming added.

The other males all nodded in agreement.

"Odian, let’s sneak into the city later tonight to check out that array," Nina said.

"Alright," Odian nodded.

"As cruel and underhanded as this array is, it will also give us the perfect opportunity to seize the sacred artifact," Sal noted.

"True," Finch agreed.

"Mhm, we can work out a plan," Nina said.

Just then, Kith walked over. "Nina, Lang and the others have arrived."

Lang stepped up to Nina. "Noble Female."

"Don’t call her Noble Female, call her City Lord or Lady Nina," Ridan corrected him.

Kith took Nina’s hand, his eyes filled with tenderness. "I am merely Nina’s Husband now."

Lang immediately corrected himself. "There are too many city lords here anyway, I’ll call you Lady Nina!"

So his own City Lord gave up his title just to become a Husband, Lang thought. Then again, Lady Nina is so exceptional, it’s no wonder.

"It’s fine, you can call me whatever you like," Nina said. She didn’t really care about titles.

Kith turned to Lang. "What did my father say about my situation?"

"The old City Lord was furious. He... he said..." Lang stammered a little.

"Said what?" Kith’s expression remained calm, as if he had already anticipated the reaction.

"He told you to get your ass back there immediately," Lang said.

Kith wasn’t bothered at all. "Oh. Send word back to him that I’ll be returning with Nina later. Tell him to renovate my room; I’ll give you the requirements and blueprints in a bit."

His old room was far too plain; Nina probably wouldn’t like it.

"Yes, sir."

Lang wiped away a bead of imaginary sweat. If he passed this message back, would the old City Lord die of rage? He was already furious that the City Lord had married without consulting him first.

That night, Ridan suddenly arrived to report, "Lady Nina, City Lord Milt is here and says he wants to see you."

"City Lord Milt? What is he doing here?" Nina was puzzled. She told Ridan, "Bring him in."

Ridan led Milt to Nina, accompanied by Harin.

"City Lord Milt, what brings you to see me?" Nina asked.

"City Lord of Barbarian City, we have come to ask for your help," Milt said.

Nina looked at them, her eyebrows arched. "What kind of help do you need?"

"There are two main things," Milt said. "First, we hope you can help us catch the culprit behind the bizarre deaths of our city’s males lately. Second, it’s about the poisonings among the beastmen in the city."

"I thought you didn’t trust me?" Nina countered.

"No, I actually do believe you." Milt sighed. "You must know about the Essence Convergence Array by now. I don’t actually want to use that method—I have absolutely no desire to sacrifice my people. I’m only doing this to lure out the beastman behind the poisonings."

Nina looked at Milt, lost in thought.

Harin stepped forward. "City Lord of Barbarian City, we haven’t been able to find the culprit targeting our males because they seem to anticipate our every move. They evade us every single time, which has led us to suspect we have a mole inside." He continued, "As for the poisonings, we believe it’s the work of someone within our own ranks, and there are other beastmen backing them."

His gaze shifted to Idir. "And Idir should know exactly who this beastman is. They have a massive grudge."

"Are you talking about Xirin?" Idir guessed.

Harin nodded. "Yes. He lost the bid for the City Lord position back then and could never accept it. He’s wanted to kill City Lord Milt ever since. However, his strength fell slightly short; he was wounded by the City Lord and fled. Since then, he’s been hiding in the shadows, waiting for his chance to make a comeback."

"Do you know why those beastmen are killing the males in the city?" Nina asked.

"We do. They possess a wicked ability that lets them absorb the energy of other beastmen to increase their own power," Harin explained. "That’s why we want to use this strategy to lure them out. We aren’t sure what level of strength they’ve reached by now."

"Many of our elders are likely in collusion with Xirin, making it incredibly difficult for us to move freely. That is why we hope to borrow your strength," Milt said.

Harin chimed in. "All of our movements are being monitored. It took everything we had just to slip away from their eyes and ears today. But you are different. While they will still watch you, it won’t be nearly as intense."

Milt’s tone grew earnest. "City Lord Nina, I beg you to help the millions of beastmen in our city. Of course, we won’t ask for your help for nothing. If you agree, we will hand over the sacred artifact with both hands and provide extra compensation." He glanced at Idir. "Furthermore, we will clear Idir’s name. He will be free to enter and leave Serpent City as he pleases, and no beastman will ever call him an omen of misfortune again."

Nina considered it for a moment. "I can help you. But in addition to the sacred artifact, everything that belonged to Idir before must be returned to him."

Since Xirin was Idir’s enemy, this was the perfect chance to help him get revenge. Still, she couldn’t fully rely on Milt’s promises; she needed a backup plan.

"Deal," Milt agreed without hesitation. "The Essence Convergence Array takes about three days to prepare, and today makes day one. Xirin will definitely strike in two days. When the time comes, I’ll arrange everything to let you into the city, and I hope you can help us take him down." He continued, "The culprits killing the males have been very active. If possible, I hope you can try to capture them over the next two days."

"Fine," Nina said.

"Then it’s settled. Our time is limited, so we will take our leave now."

With that, Milt and Harin departed immediately.

Aron watched the direction where Milt had vanished. "This Milt actually seems like a decent City Lord." He turned to Idir. "Idir, do you have any plans to reclaim the position of City Lord?"

Idir shook his head. "I have little interest in being City Lord. I only want to be with Nina. If Milt is a good leader, there’s no harm in letting him keep the position."

"Idir, do you know how strong Milt actually is?" Nina asked.

"I don’t know him terribly well," Idir replied. "But to become City Lord, his strength is bound to be impressive. I recall Xirin was around the eleventh tier before. Milt should be stronger than that. However, if Xirin is the one with that wicked ability, his current strength is impossible to gauge." He thought back. "Though from what I remember, his training speed wasn’t particularly fast. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been stuck at the eleventh tier despite being over a thousand years old."

"Even if he isn’t the one with the ability, he could still use that crystal to boost his power," Aviel pointed out.

"True," Idir agreed.

As they were speaking, Viann walked over. "Lady Nina, there are a few beastmen outside asking to see Idir."

Nina was a bit surprised. It was turning out to be quite a busy day. She looked at Idir. "Do you want to see them?"

Idir nodded and said to Viann, "Let them in."

A moment later, Viann led the beastmen inside.