As Raymond stepped out after changing, Olivia stopped her whistling.

The Mantidale clothes just for men were actually pretty, made well and of comfortable fabric, really showing off the person wearing it. It emphasized all the best features, and was a real treat for the eyes.

However, Olivia thought that she wouldn’t want to wear something like that if she were in their place because it wasn’t made for fighters. It purposefully showed off a lot of skin, areas that should be covered to stay safe in a fight, only to look nice.

Raymond looked great, showing off a perfect body that you’d expect from a top-level alpha, with strong muscles and a narrow waist, and with deep blue eyes and golden hair tied in a braid down his back. The tall mantis ladies there couldn’t stop themselves from looking at him lovingly, their eyes fixated on the emphasized areas.

Even though Raymond was known as a very strong fighter, he felt like he was being treated more like an object in this weird place. He shook his long braid, trying to act calm under their rude stares, but without realizing it, he moved nearer to Kestrel and the other girls as he walked.

Then, suddenly, without any warning, a giant mutant popped up next to Raymond. She moved so fast, it was almost like she had teleported there.

She came really close, really fast, with her big compound eyes and a big grin on her face, trying to touch a sensitive part of Raymond’s chest.

Being fast was a special trait of their kind. Not many people in the world could keep up with them.

Raymond quickly stepped back, looking worried, his golden braid swinging around, but clearly, he couldn’t entirely dodge this inappropriate touch.

But luckily, in this world, there was something even quicker than actions — it was thoughts. As soon as this mutant had bad ideas, someone had already sensed her thoughts. The moment she got close, a pair of golden eyes seemed to appear from nowhere. These mysterious golden eyes appeared in front of her reaching, creepy hand, looking at her coldly.

Suddenly, the mutant felt a sharp pain in her mind, stopping her in her tracks, and her reaching hand caught nothing but air. She didn’t manage to do what she wanted, shrugged her shoulders, giggled, and without being scared, walked back to her group under the angry looks of Raymond, Olivia, and Nicole.

"Why did you come back? What a waste having almost human arms."

"It’s unusual to see you fail."

"No, I don’t know why, but I just lost interest all of a sudden, so I decided not to."

"Haha, okay then, let it go. After all, they are our guests, we shouldn’t frighten them off."

Those people opened their feathery fans to cover their faces, giggling and talking in a sophisticated manner. They called them ’guests’, but their recent behavior didn’t show any real manners.

When Rakan came out, he saw all of this, feeling really uneasy. His face was pale, even more uncomfortable than Raymond. The clothes here didn’t have sleeves and even showed off the shoulders on purpose, making the spot where his mechanical arm connected to his body fully visible to others.

It wasn’t a huge problem in itself since he had learned to not be shy about the flaws in his body. Who hasn’t had their clothes torn a few times in a fight? But what made him uncomfortable were the looks from those people. Their creepy stares were fixed on his arm, openly lecherous.

"Wow, check out that human guy. Robotic limbs, I’m really into that."

"He’s pretty good-looking too; it would be more sad if all his limbs were damaged."

"Hehe, he’s making me feel hungry, my stomach is starting to rumble again."

"Calm down, don’t embarrass yourself; you’re already grown up."

Ren came out just a little after Rakan. Without golden long hair and a mechanical arm, wearing these revealing clothes, it was clear that his body was kind of thin.

Muscles were laid over his bones, stretched tight. The visible parts of his body like his ankles, arms, and stomach showed many clear scars, even though he had recently been treated for his injuries. The muscles with scars seemed to tense up, making him look like a wild animal, with a lingering scent of gunpowder, a reminder of brutal battles fought in deep, wild places.

Ren gave off a raw, intense vibe that seemed to seep deep into his bones, drawing the attention of others, making it difficult for them, even for Kestrel, to look away, even for a second.

She stared at Ren, her mind drifting to something Kaworu had said while sitting on the tree: "You might realize if you like someone through physical feelings even before your mind figures it out."

The area became silent, and Kestrel picked up a faint smell, noticing the shadows of some giant mantises on the wall.

Kestrel had encountered similar smells before, during her time in a closed storage room in the Tower. In the springtime, this kind of vibe could often be found among wet bushes.

Suddenly, huge dark red tendrils appeared, twisting and squirming, quickly wrapping around all the male alphas present.

Different sized psychic incarnations representing the alphas appeared.

The mutants moved their feathery fans, casting shadows that resembled sharp, scythe-like objects flickering on the wall.

In no time, the vibe got tense, and everyone was readying for a fight that seemed to erupt out of nowhere.

"Hey, hey, no need to be so uptight," said Greenwing who had just returned from doing some paperwork, separating the two groups with a smile. "They were trying to having fun with you."

She moved her scythe-shaped arms around in the air, instructing her friends, "Calm down, don’t go wild just because you see some good-looking males. Didn’t you notice they have girls with them?"

The giant mutants, partly hidden in the shadows, studied the three guys closely for a bit, then snorted and walked away.

Greenwing guided Kestrel and her group towards the entrance, cheerfully advising, "Make sure to keep a close eye on your guys once we’re inside, it’s spring and everyone’s feeling a bit more restless."

She lifted her skirt as half her body vanished at the entrance. Glancing back, she couldn’t resist adding, "Personally, I think it’s not a good idea to bring men along for business meetings." She made it sound as if all the problems were caused by Kestrel and her group.

In contrast to the tense situation they had just experienced, the inside of Mantidale seemed like something from a storybook. The buildings here were quite short, built mostly underground, with only their lovely roofs visible above ground, crafted from a special kind of stone.

Now, the city was bathed in night, illuminated by lights everywhere, surrounded by large flower beds and green plants. Huge Ferris wheels, roller coasters, and merry-go-rounds stood among fields of blossoming flowers.

Wandering around are creatures with all sorts of shapes and appearances. Some have praying mantis heads and bright green eyes, while others look almost human. Some are massive, standing three to four meters tall, and then there are others who are small and skinny, just about Kestrel’s height.

A lot of them are girls, wearing pretty dresses and holding cute accessories, exploring this colorful place like it’s a huge playground. After Greenwing and Kestrel brought everyone inside, they gave out ID cards to everyone before they took off.