### Chapter 400: The Place of Illusions
The Beastmen village looked pretty primitive compared to the Human settlements.
All you could see were torches providing the most basic lighting, like a medieval rave without the music.
The village was surrounded by wooden railings that seemed less like a defense mechanism and more like a “we’re totally not hiding anything here” sign.
Kaise didn’t bother with the front door; she took a more secretive route, sneaking through a sizable gap in the side of the railing.
“How did you get in here?”
Yuliya’s voice echoed in her head, giving her a mini heart attack—she nearly had a freak-out moment!
She lowered her voice, whispering, “Lady Riya?”
“It’s me. This voice is just for you, don’t worry. Just keep it down with your own voice.”
“Got it!” Kaise scurried away from the railing and darted towards the village.
“It’s late, so we Cat Folk aren’t allowed to wander too much. I had to sneak through here to avoid being noticed.”
“There are that many rules?”
“Just for us Cat Folk and a few other small races. The big races are completely unrestricted.”
Yuliya let out a sigh: “Fine. There are some folks about thirty meters to the right, so watch out!”
“Ah! Got it!”
Kaise tiptoed through her own village like a thief, almost making Yuliya feel like she should join in the covert operation.
Finally, she reached her survival zone—her beloved straw hut district.
A place that looked like it had seen better days, even worse than those wooden and stone houses.
Yuliya sensed the area and realized the Beastmen living there were pretty weak—most were on par with Kaise, and some even weaker.
Just as she stepped inside, she heard a rustling from a nearby hut, and a very old man peeked out.
A fellow Cat Folk.
“Kaise? Where have you been? Why are you back so late?”
“Grandpa Amai, I… went out with a few people, but they left me behind. It took me forever to make my way back!”
“Ai… I told you before, stay away from those upper-clan folks. Just staying put here keeps you safe. Who knows what trouble they’ll drag you into out there.”
“But those guys weren’t even upper clan…”
“They belong to the majority clan, so they’re upper clan to us. No difference. You’ve learned that the hard way a couple of times, haven’t you?”
“But…”
“No buts!” Amai’s tone was stern, but after scolding, he immediately coughed a bit. “Ahem! Kaise, I’m old and have seen a lot of things.”
“As lower clans, we just have to play it safe and stay in our lanes. At least we’re alive, getting to eat, and when the upper clans are in a good mood, sometimes we get fish or meat. Isn’t that decent?”
“…,” Kaise fell silent.
In reality, she had barely avoided d*ath today.
If she hadn’t interacted with those guys, none of this would’ve happened.
The torturous pain and the dark threat of d*ath terrified her.
But deep down, a glimmer of hope flickered.
“My father once told me about a place called Kaistes, a haven for Cat Folk where we are treated well, where we could live happily.”
“Not this again.” Amai shook his head, exasperated. “I’ve heard about Kaistes too, but who’s actually seen it? Have you? Have I? Even Peter from the upper clan hasn’t laid eyes on it.”
“My father has.”
“Your father is dead! And how did he d*e, you don’t forget that, do you?”
“…”
“Sorry, I misspoke.” Amai realized he had crossed a line but still wanted to shatter this kid’s naïve dreams and help her embrace reality.
“Even if such a place exists, do you know where it is?”
“My father said it’s to the northwest.”
“How far is that? How would you get there? Even if you knew the place, you’d never reach it. The moment you step away from this outpost for three days, once your ‘upper clan’ scent disappears, you’re just a walking snack to those big beasts out there. Do you understand?”
Kaise hung her head: “I understand…”
Seemingly tired from talking, Amai waved his hand: “Think about it some more. Go get some sleep.”
Amai withdrew back into his hut, and Kaise found her own, slinking inside.
“Lady Riya, sorry for making you hear such downer stuff.”
“I’m fine, but are you okay?”
“I’m okay. Just… not sure what to do anymore.”
“You’ll have to sort that out by yourself. Maybe get some sleep first, and we can discuss it tomorrow.”
She realized that even without the old Cat Folk’s warnings, she knew the situation. The Cat Folk here lived in tough conditions.
Like beggars waiting for scraps.
Yuliya wouldn’t intervene in their misery—her well-intentioned decisions could snuff out their fragile lives.
The atmosphere plunged into a heavy silence, dark like the night itself.
Suddenly, Kaise shook her head: “If it were my father, he wouldn’t hesitate here. He always said, if you have something on your mind, you’ve got to act on it. Only by doing will you know if it can be achieved. Lady Riya, I have to reclaim what my father left me!”
Yuliya chuckled lightly: “Great, as long as you’ve made up your mind. Let’s get to work.”
“Do you know where the guy who took your stuff lives?”
“Yep, the biggest building around.”
“Alright, best to lure her out first. Can you write?”
“I can! My father taught me.”
Yuliya’s eyes widened! She just asked casually, not expecting a yes.
Considering the lack of any visible writing or symbols, it was clear most ordinary Beastfolk here couldn’t read.
Let’s not even start with their lowest-tier Cat Folk.
“Can Hani read?”
“Most Leopards do, and Hani’s from a big family, so she definitely can.”
“Good, write a letter saying you saw her do… uh, ‘k*ll the Cat Folk Kaise.’ Invite her and the others around to gather outside the village before dawn. And then get someone to deliver it.”
“To lure them out? Sure! But… I don’t have a pen or paper.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a bunch of paper and a pen popped into existence right in front of her.
“Whoa? Is this… from Lady Riya?”
“Yep.”
Kaise picked up the paper and pen, examining them as if they were precious artifacts: “This paper and pen are so fancy! Truly worthy of you, Lady Riya!”
“Is it fancy?”
Yuliya had just grabbed whatever she found, forgetting where she bought them.
Real luxury had gold edging; she had some of those too.
“Of course it’s fancy! So smooth, smells nice too—only the five big families can afford this kind of stuff!”
Yuliya confirmed it—this place was really the backwoods of nowhere, like the countryside of the countryside.
