Chapter 120: Chapter 120: An Acquaintance
Seeing Aaron stop talking midway and hug himself, Asher asked in confusion:
"What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Aaron shook his head: "It’s nothing, I just feel a bit unwell. You don’t know, we just passed through an area filled with nothing but sand, and the weather was scorching hot day and night."
Asher let out a sound of realization, nodding to show he understood. Aaron was a Silver Fox, originally a clan that favored cool climates; encountering such weather was truly difficult for him. Asher’s group hadn’t eaten yet, so everyone busily prepared another portion of food.
Aaron and Asher chose an airy, cool spot to sit down, eating and drinking while discussing matters, talking about the abundant harvests during their journey. At this moment, Aaron felt the intense killing intent aimed at him even more clearly, even stronger than before.
He frowned, not rushing to look up but pretending to still be focused on talking with Asher, while out of the corner of his eye, he secretly glanced through the crowd. His gaze quickly locked onto an unfamiliar beastman in Asher’s group. It was an Antelope clan beastman, missing an arm. This person had been staring fixedly at him and Asher from the very beginning.
Aaron narrowed his eyes slightly. Although he didn’t understand why this Antelope beastman was targeting him, he certainly wouldn’t let someone with malicious intentions return to the tribe. He turned to ask Asher:
"This group of wandering beastmen and slaves is very difficult to control; are you certain you want to bring them back to Crimson?"
Asher nodded: "They are all pitiful people, and furthermore, I have observed them along the way; they are all honest and simple people."
Aaron blinked: "Are you sure? Not mentioning anything else, I’ve already discovered a few who are not well-behaved. Look at that Cat clan Sub-Beast, his eyes keep darting back and forth, staring at our supplies without looking away; he doesn’t look like a kind sort.
And what about that guy wrapped tightly in a cloak? What is he covering up so closely for in broad daylight? Also, that Antelope brat, I don’t think I’ve offended him, right? He looks like he’s about to lunge and bite my neck off."
When Aaron named the first two people, Asher didn’t have much of a reaction. But when he mentioned the Antelope beastman, Asher clearly paused in surprise. Without a second thought, Asher whipped his head around. The Antelope beastman’s eyes, brimming with killing intent, suddenly shrank; in the blink of an eye, the killing intent vanished, leaving only his usual clear innocence.
Even though he had hidden it very well, Asher still managed to catch a glimpse of that fleeting killing intent. He was extremely confused, setting down the food in his hand, standing up, and walking toward the Antelope beastman. The Antelope beastman tensed up slightly, clenching his fists as he looked up at Asher.
Asher crouched down, asking him with a smile: "Are you full?"
The Antelope beastman nodded repeatedly: "I’m full, Brother Asher. The food was very delicious!"
"I see. I’m full too; my stomach is a bit uncomfortable, so I plan to take a walk. Do you want to go with me?"
"Yes, okay!"
The Antelope beastman immediately agreed; the slight discomfort from seeing Asher being intimate with the Silver Fox beastman had vanished without a trace.
Seeing Asher and the Antelope beastman leave one after the other, Aaron didn’t care much, telling two Divine Energy beastmen to go with them. He then called Sorin over, asking about the Antelope beastman’s situation from him.
"You mean that Antelope brat? We met him in a forest; at that time, this brat was facing off against an adult wild boar and was almost gored to death."
"That Antelope beastman doesn’t remember who he is; he came from the beginning, and whenever asked anything, he just looks dazed and confused. He doesn’t even remember what his name is, only knowing that he has been wandering in this forest for a few months."
"At that time, Asher felt pity for him, so he told him to follow the merchant caravan. This brat, aside from the times he’s a bit slow-witted, is actually quite helpful. He also particularly likes to cling to Asher, asking this and that. Asher is also quite patient with that brat, not hesitating to teach him how to write. At night, he even reads a book to lull the kid to sleep before returning to his own tent."
Speaking of which, Sorin was also quite confused and had once asked Asher why he favored that brat so much. Asher only glanced at Sorin and said: [If you can memorize the alphabet and the multiplication table in one day, I can favor you like that too.]
Hearing that, Sorin scratched his nose awkwardly. He was among the two-thirds of the tribe’s clansmen who failed the transition exam.
Aaron tapped the table, the corner of his mouth lifting. That little brat, barely a few years old, was already eyeing a Sub-Beast of his tribe. Quite the nerve!
He turned to ask Sorin again: "What do you think of this group of people?"
Sorin’s assessment was very straightforward. Although he wasn’t as smart as Asher, he still had to have an eye for judging people:
"That Cat clan Sub-Beast is a bit cunning, but when he is with his companion, he is quite pleasant. Moreover, their circumstances are not very good, leading to the Cat clan Sub-Beast’s personality being a bit extreme. They escaped from a sex slave camp. Furthermore, the reason they were able to escape was that the Cat clan Sub-Beast took advantage of the client being intoxicated to bite off the man’s throat."
Sorin paused for a moment, then added: "That Cat clan Sub-Beast could have escaped on his own, but he risked his life to save his companion, suffering a lot of hardships along the way. I don’t think he is a bad person."
"On the contrary, I am a bit afraid of that person tightly wrapped in a cloak. He just silently follows our merchant caravan at a distance neither too far nor too close, having no bad intentions but not letting others guess his thoughts."
Sorin scratched his head, feeling confused about Asher’s actions.
"Our team has many strong beastmen; we could certainly easily defeat a beastman who doesn’t even show a sliver of Beast Energy. But Asher told us to pretend we didn’t know anything."
Just like that, after a few days, that wandering beastman gradually moved closer to their group, and now he had formally joined. Until now, Sorin still didn’t know what his name was, what clan he belonged to, or what his purpose was for joining their team.
Aaron frowned, strongly disagreeing with Asher’s method. Ultimately, Asher was too kind-hearted; could just anyone join their tribe?
When Sorin and Aaron finished talking, Asher also led the Antelope beastman back. Who knows what Asher had said, but this brat looked significantly better behaved now, and the gaze he directed at Aaron no longer held as much hostility.
Aaron gave a cold snort. Don’t think that just acting obedient means you can freely pursue Asher. One must know that Asher was one of the two department heads of their diplomacy and intelligence department; his status was sky-high, not someone just anyone could set their sights on.
He waved his hand to dismiss everyone, leaving only him and Asher there. Waiting for Asher to drink some water to moisten his throat, Aaron immediately said:
"I thought that beastman tightly wrapped in a hood was someone whose background was clear, but Sorin said he wasn’t. Asher, can you tell me why?"
Asher reached up to stroke his own ear, brushing out a tangled tuft of fur, and said: "Even if you ask, you won’t get anything out of him. He cannot speak."
He paused for a moment, saying heavily: "He gave me a private signal; Sorin’s group just didn’t know. He stood far away, opened his mouth, and pointed at his own mouth, signaling me to look. Aaron, this beastman has had his tongue cut out; there is no way he can speak anymore."
This person reminded Asher of the Kaelen from before. Unable to speak, communication was difficult. If it weren’t for a specific set of sign language for the mute, he fundamentally wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone.
"We couldn’t sense any Beast Energy on him; presumably, he also has a slave mark on his body."
Hearing Asher say that, Aaron’s hands resting under the table clenched tightly. No one understood the misery of slaves better than him; the three of them—him, Christian, and Colton—had escaped from a slave camp, after all.
"Even so, it’s not acceptable. Bring him to meet me; I need to investigate thoroughly first. We are staying here for a few days, we need to take this opportunity to screen people first, don’t let it become a situation like Wofu and Draven."
Asher nodded: "Alright, but there must be a reason why he is wrapped up so tightly. Don’t force him to strip in front of everyone."
Aaron waved his hand in irritation: "Alright, then tell him to come into my tent."
Saying that, Aaron stood up and returned to his own tent.
A moment later, that beastman tightly wrapped in a cloak finally arrived. After the guard beastman led him in, he stood there to guard; Aaron waved his hand for the guard beastman to step down. The guard beastman was still hesitant, so Aaron said: "I am also a warrior; I can protect myself."
The guard beastman had no choice but to bow and walk out, not forgetting to lower the curtain. Aaron sat on a recliner chair, resting his chin on his hand as he observed the newcomer. This beastman was very tall, perhaps slightly taller than Christian. His build was also a bit gaunt; presumably, his life hadn’t been very comfortable either.
Aaron’s gaze swept over the beastman’s entire body, from top to bottom, from left to right. The beastman remained motionless, letting Aaron evaluate him. Aaron said coldly:
"Take off the hood."
The beastman clearly trembled slightly. The thin lips revealed under the animal skin pursed slightly. Aaron said in an impatient tone: "What? You can’t? If you want to continue following us, then take off the hood; otherwise, get lost right now!"
The beastman slowly raised his hand to touch the edge of the hood, hesitated for a moment, and then took it off.
The moment the beastman’s hood fell off, Aaron’s eyes widened. He stood up forcefully, knocking over the table in front of him. His eyes stared fixedly at the beastman’s face for a long time; his lips trembled, and tears uncontrollably welled up.
"Brother Evan..."
