Chapter 399: A Little Fan Girl?
Yuliya had a pretty good understanding now.
It looked like her hair was indeed quite the eye-catcher.
Plus, blonde hair seemed to have some special significance here.
Back at the Darank Ruins, even Tianyu was fixated on her golden locks.
“Sorry, I don’t think I am. At least, no one has ever called me that before.”
“Okay! But you saved me, made me this delicious food, and were so kind. Can I call you Saint Lady?”
“Maybe not; you can just call me by my name—Riya.”
“Yes! Lady Riya!”
Yuliya rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit exasperated.
This kid was way too gullible!
She was acting as if she had fallen for some treasure-hunting scam and was now treating her like the main character.
And let’s not forget, they weren’t even from the same race; it could almost be said they were adversaries.
But Yuliya could understand—having gone through significant upheaval herself, she knew how much a person needed a goal or a figure to cling to in tough times.
Guess I’ll just roll with it.
“You’re Kaise, right?”
“Yes!”
“This is my first time in this area; can you fill me in on what’s going on around here?”
Kaise quickly laid out the facts for Yuliya.
The current base area, or rather, the town where Riya and the others lived, was a few dozen kilometers to the east.
The village was dominated by five major families,
and the area outside the town was divided into seven sections. The five families and their subordinate tribes each took one, while the remaining tribes shared the last two.
However, Kaise’s Cat Race was among the most miserable in the village—a tiny group in numbers with their status at rock bottom, ending up with nothing.
Currently, they were in the territory of the Leopardmen.
That Hani who snatched stuff from Kaise was a Leopardmen and also part of one of the five major families.
Finally, Yuliya understood why the beastmen were so neatly divided in this world.
Turns out they were strictly zoned.
However, this was way too rigid!
Class hierarchies were clear-cut, even more exaggerated than what Yuliya had seen in human nations.
From the previous five’s attitude toward Kaise, it was clear they didn’t consider her their kind at all.
Beastmen were inherently brutal and savage; even after gaining intelligence, they couldn’t shake off their fierce nature.
Survival of the fittest—it’s just nature.
But once they became beastmen and integrated into society, they had to follow some basic rules.
Those guys at the end were quite panicked after killing someone, afraid of punishment.
This highly contradictory feel was like… wanting to get close to humans but having a fundamental rift at the root.
Yuliya had gained a certain understanding of beastmen, but it was one-sided, simply based on what she had seen here. Perhaps things could be quite different elsewhere.
And after all, she was just hearing it from Kaise’s perspective; she hoped to see more for herself.
“Kaise, you mentioned you clashed with them because they stole something from you, almost getting you killed. Was that thing really that important?”
“Absolutely! Very important! It’s the most precious thing my father left me!”
“If it’s that important, why bring unfamiliar people along?”
Kaise drooped her ears, looking distressed. “But without them, I wouldn’t have made it here. I’d barely get a few steps before a big beast spotted me and chased me off, plus I’d get punished for it.”
“But if it’s something your father left behind, why was it buried here?”
“Honestly, I have no idea! I found clues in a letter my father left.”
“Okay,” Yuliya propped her chin on her hand, gazing at the sky as if pondering deeply. “Kaise, do you want to get that thing back?”
“Yes! I absolutely have to return it!”
“I can help you.”
“Lady Riya!” Kaise almost lunged to hug her and cry, but stopped herself.
Lady Riya was an extremely noble person, above her little ant-of-a-self.
“Thank you so, so much!”
Yuliya thought for a moment, reached out her hand, and conjured a golden liquid, shaping it into a simple little doll, slightly superior to a stick figure.
Just a quick job, not too much effort.
“Take this back to your base. It’s linked to me, so I can see what’s happening there and talk to you, helping you along the way.”
To boost her credibility, Yuliya pointed to the trees behind her. “Don’t let my appearance fool you; I’m actually quite strong.”
With that, she waved her hand, and a tree behind her snapped in half instantaneously.
“Uh-huh! I know, Lady Riya is definitely super strong!”
How did you figure that out?
This kid… makes me feel like Alisa feels about Edward!
Ah well, let it be.
Kaise tied the little doll to her wrist, stood up, and said her goodbyes to Yuliya.
Yuliya did the same and got up in response.
But when she did, an awkward moment occurred.
Kaise realized that Lady Riya seemed… shorter than her…
Cat Race folks were indeed on the smaller side; what race was Lady Riya, then?
“Um… if it’s not too rude to ask, how old is Lady Riya? If I remember correctly, I should be fourteen this year.”
Yuliya smiled, but her eyes were a bit icy. “You know it’s rude, and you still ask?”
“Ah! I’m so sorry! I’m leaving now! Goodbye, Lady Riya!”
With that, she bolted off in a flash.
The Cat Race sure had some quick feet.
Yuliya sighed and reached up to pat her own head.
Soon, her tiny companion, Little Li, popped out from her shoulder.
Well, since she was human, she might as well disguise herself a bit, like pretending to be a beastman.
But she didn’t have beast ears, and those beastman ears were always twitching.
However, she conveniently had a little one around who only knew how to eat and sleep, so she figured she’d make use of it.
Plop it on her head, using the head and tail as her “ears”—perfect disguise!
But this charade would only fool a naive kid like Kaise, who was both weak and simple-minded.
If she wanted to blend into a beastman village, it would be a tad tricky. Sure, sneaking in unnoticed would be easy, but she wasn’t here to be an assassin or thief.
Anyway, having Kaise lead her around was definitely the best and most appropriate choice.
She still had no clue about the village’s overall strength.
Kaise probably only had Bronze Level power, and the folks she was with, including that Hani, were also Bronze Level, while the others were Silver Level.
Initial judgment told her the entire village wouldn’t be too strong; if she sent in a little avatar with Gold Level prowess, it should be enough to help Kaise out of any trouble.
So, Yuliya flew into the air with Little Li in her arms, keeping a safe distance as she followed behind Kaise.
Quietly, she nudged the big beasts out of their path so Kaise could return to the village without any issues, all while remaining unnoticed.
