Chapter 85: Chapter 85: The Order from the Temple

When Quinlan flew back to the tribe and learned that Sane was at home taking care of Kaelen, he hurriedly changed direction and flew towards there.

Upon arriving, he did not even have time to decelerate, flying straight through the curtain of the tent, tearing a hole the size of a fist. As he pierced through the animal skin curtain to enter the tent, his beak was immediately grabbed by Sane, forcing him to a halt.

Meeting Sane’s gaze that looked as though it wanted to devour a bird, Quinlan froze in panic. His wings unconsciously drooped to his sides, his entire body dangling like an unlucky kingfisher with its beak firmly stuck in a banana tree trunk.

Sane just lifted Quinlan out of the tent like that; only upon reaching a safe distance did he release him. Once freed, Quinlan immediately transformed into his human form, his mouth rattling on to report the situation encountered at the tribe’s periphery.

A flash of astonishment crossed Sane’s eyes, and then he looked towards his tent, as if wanting to see through the animal skin to the Sub-Beast sleeping soundly on the bed. His gaze flickered with complexity before he turned and said to Quinlan:

"Go find Morrow and Hayman; tell them to lead a team carrying supplies there for relief, and allow them to set up a temporary camp on the spot. Take Asher along as well in case there are sick or injured people. Besides that, you know what else needs to be done, right?"

"Understood!"

Quinlan quickly transformed and flew away. Sane returned to the tent, quietly looking at his mate. He had thought Rokley was merely a character imagined by Kaelen to evoke the tribesmen’s pity, thereby deeply impacting their minds. Unexpectedly, deformed people like Rokley actually existed, and in large numbers at that. Sane was truly very curious, wanting to know what Kaelen had experienced while serving under the Beast God.

If Kaelen knew the thoughts in Sane’s and the tribesmen’s minds when Rokley actually appeared, he would have cried out ’I have been wronged so much’. The character Rokley was genuinely imagined by Kaelen, using the Husky dog of the old librarian from his previous life as a model.

Even Kaelen himself did not expect that his random writings would actually become reality...

Back at the peripheral area, while Quinlan’s group was still on their way bringing supplies, the deformed group had already begun digging a hole, preparing to bury Leonardo once he could hold on no longer.

The small Sub-Beast, about three years old, toddled over to the white lion’s side, opening his arms wanting to embrace the white lion, babbling:

"Brother, wake up..."

Austin, the snake beastman with legs, licked his dry lips, raising his head from the hole they were digging, and said: "Jose, do not call him anymore. He will not wake up. Save your strength; later we have to set off to find a safe place before dark."

Jose was still young, not understanding why the older brothers and uncles would sleep forever, and then after everyone buried them in the ground, he never saw them again. The boy was terrified that Leonardo would be the same; his eyes and nose stung, yet he could not shed a tear. The Sub-Beast with the dark birthmark named Kai slowly crawled over, pulling Jose into his embrace.

As the sky gradually darkened, the hole was also finished. Those who dug the hole were so exhausted they collapsed flat onto the grass. Just a hole not even as deep as a child’s head had completely drained them. Leonardo still had not awakened, but he was still alive; they could not bear to throw him into the hole.

Austin shook his dizzy head, saying: "This place is quite sheltered from the wind; let’s rest here for the night, tomorrow... we will figure it out tomorrow." *If we are still alive.*

They had fled from the other side of the magic beast forest; compared to the blizzard, the winter cold on this side was nothing. However, it had not rained on this side, making it very difficult to find a water source. The three-eyed Curved-Horn Goat beastman struggled to stand up, leaning against a tree trunk, and said:

"Let me look around to see if there is water or food."

"No, it is getting dark, do not go. There are still some edible weeds over there; eat those temporarily to survive."

That grass was incredibly bitter and did not taste good at all, but it contained a bit of water that could help quench their thirst. The winter on this side was not as harsh as the other side of the magic beast forest, but the edible wild vegetables were also very scarce.

The slightly healthier beastmen went to pick those weeds, distributing a few stalks to each person. Kai gave the majority of his grass to Jose. The boy said dejectedly: "I do not want to eat it; it is very bitter."

Kai softly coaxed: "You eat it for now; tomorrow I will find something tastier for you, alright?"

Jose pouted; Brother Kai said that every time, but the reality was they found nothing to eat at all. Jose only took one or two stalks, pushing the rest back towards Kai, saying: "Eating this much is enough to make me full, you eat it all."

Kai rubbed Jose’s head with a heart full of bitterness. How could a few stalks of grass make anyone full? The child just wanted to give his food back to him.

Just then, Austin suddenly spoke up: "There is firelight, everyone quickly hide!"

The group began scrambling to hide in the forest. After running a few steps, they remembered Leonardo was still lying there, hastily turning back to carry him away. Even though the white lion beastman was so emaciated he was nothing but skin and bones, when they all joined forces, they could only carry him a short distance.

The firelight grew closer and closer; Austin closed his eyes and said in despair: "Forget it, we are going to die anyway; there is no need to run anymore."

Everyone returned again, sitting beside the white lion. Jose huddled deep into Kai’s embrace in panic, watching the approaching firelight.

"Arrived, they are over there." Quinlan flapped his wings and landed on a rock right in front of the deformed group. The guard squad of Crimson quickly stepped forward; the bright torchlight illuminated each haggard face of those people clearly.

A low murmur arose within the squad:

"Oh, there really are people like this. I thought Rokley was just a character in the travelogue."

"They look so miserable; there is even a young beastman and a young Sub-Beast. Oh my, how old is that child, probably only two or three years old at most."

Asher stepped down from Morrow’s back, walked to the front, observed for a moment, and then said:

"Do not be afraid, we are people from the tribe up ahead. Who is in charge of your group?"

The deformed group looked at the menacing crowd approaching and huddled into a ball together. Austin answered tremblingly:

"It is Leonardo, but he has fainted."

Asher let out a sigh, turned, and said to the guard squad: "You guys clear the surroundings, start a fire, and set up camp. Hayman, lead people to take them to a dry spot; there are many snakes in that grass. Morrow, help me start a fire to boil water and porridge; I will examine their bodies first."

While the deformed group was still bewildered, not understanding what was happening, the Crimson guard squad had already scattered to work according to the orders.

Quinlan hopped two or three steps to stand in front of Austin, fluttering his wings as he said: "Do not be afraid, we are here to save you. Asher is our tribe’s healer; he will examine everyone’s health."

Quinlan’s words made the deformed group feel puzzled. Deformed people like them were killed without mercy whenever they were caught; why would this group save them? Could it be these people had some scheme? That was not right; they only had skin and bones left on their bodies, what was there worth scheming for?

"Ah, hey, let... let me go..."

A Sub-Beast with a horn in the middle of his forehead was hoisted up by Hayman, shouting loudly in panic. After shouting, the Sub-Beast realized his companions had also been lifted up; even Leonardo was carried on someone’s shoulder like a wild boar.

Jose was picked up by Asher, staring blankly at this beautiful Rabbit clan older brother. The boy shrank back slightly, afraid the mud on his body would dirty the luxurious clothes the older brother was wearing. Asher rubbed the child’s head, saying softly: "Be a good boy, let me examine you first, alright?"

Perhaps the deformed group had wholeheartedly taken care of this young Sub-Beast; aside from being somewhat thin and having a weak body due to a prolonged lack of salt, there were no serious hidden illnesses. Asher stroked the boy’s ear, asking: "What is your name?"

"I... my name is Jose."

"Is this ear of yours congenital, or was it severed in an accident?"

Jose clutched his head, covering his stump of an ear, and said tremblingly: "I... I was born like this... I am not an ill omen, I am very good... Please do not hit me..."

Asher only felt his heart tighten; he hugged the boy into his embrace, patting and comforting him: "It is okay, it is okay, I will not hit you, do not be afraid. Go over there and sit with that older brother; let me examine the others, alright?"

Jose looked in the direction Asher pointed and saw Morrow with a gentle face attentively stirring sorghum porridge in a pot. Morrow waved his hand, calling: "Little one, come over here to me."

Jose looked at Asher; seeing Asher nod, he timidly took small steps toward Morrow. Morrow placed the boy on a small stool, saying gently: "You must be hungry, wait a moment; I will get some porridge for you to eat."

Morrow added a little salt to the porridge pot, stirred it well, and tasted it; finding the saltiness just right, he brought out a wooden bowl and scooped a bowl of porridge. Using a spoon to scoop a spoonful of porridge, he blew on it until it was completely cool, then brought it to Jose’s mouth.

The fragrant aroma of the porridge stimulated Jose’s salivary glands; the boy swallowed a gulp of saliva, but did not open his mouth to eat, instead saying:

"Jose is not hungry, let the older brothers eat this porridge." Just as he finished speaking, his stomach growled loudly. Jose hurriedly covered his stomach, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

Morrow felt both amused and bitter, saying: "Rest assured, there is enough porridge for everyone to eat. You just eat. Come on, open your mouth."

Only then did Jose obediently open his mouth. The warm porridge entered his mouth carrying the distinct aroma of grains; Jose felt somewhat reluctant to swallow it. Morrow had blown cool a second spoonful of porridge and brought it over; Jose then hurriedly swallowed the porridge in his mouth to eat the second spoonful.

Asher was examining Kai and turned to say: "Morrow, do not let him eat too much, or his stomach will hurt. Eat a little first, then eat again in a few hours."

Then he turned back to Kai, asking: "How long has your stomach been this hard?"

Kai stammered in reply: "It, it has been over five days."

"What did you eat before that?"

Kai tried hard to remember: "I ate tree roots, weeds, and tubers from the ground."

Asher nodded, carefully examining thoroughly. This Sub-Beast had eaten a large amount of indigestible food, resulting in his abdominal area becoming as hard as a rock; any later, and it would have necrosed from the inside. He said: "I will give you some medicine to drink; you will want to vomit later. You must try your best to vomit it all out."

He proceeded to examine the others. In total, there were eight adults and two children, of which the two children had been protected very well, with no serious issues. The adults all had digestive problems and mild poisoning; the Sub-Beast with the horn on his forehead also showed signs of pneumonia. The most serious one was still that white lion beastman.

After finishing the examination, Asher asked: "Did he give all his water and food to everyone?"

Austin said bitterly: "That is right; there was not much to begin with, but he absolutely refused to drink a single drop of water, giving it all to the two children."

Asher said to Quinlan: "This beastman’s situation is a bit serious, and the medicine I have is not enough. You go back and seek the Chief’s instructions, and bring me some medicine along the way."

He went to the cart, took out pen and paper from an animal skin bundle, and wrote down the things he needed. Quinlan took the paper but did not leave immediately. He said:

"I need to understand the situation clearly before I can report to the Chief; let me ask them some questions first, alright?"

The young beastman, who had been silently eating the porridge Hayman fed him all along, quickly said: "I know a lot, ask me."

Quinlan looked at the group of adults who had supported each other to a far corner to vomit, not being overly polite anymore, and stepped forward to ask: "Who are you all? Where did you come from? Where do you plan to go? What is the reason?"

Quinlan asked four questions; the young boy slowly answered each one. They were all deformed people from the other side of the magic beast forest, hunted down because of an order from the Temple. Some were chased away by their tribes, some had escaped their tribe’s pursuit, and some had left voluntarily to avoid implicating their tribes.

"We are not from the same tribe; we were brought together by fate while fleeing the Intermediate City’s pursuit, and then formed a group. Initially, there were nearly two hundred people; some died, some got lost, and in the end, only those here are left. We intended to find a safe, unclaimed piece of land to use as a temporary shelter."

"An order from the Temple? What order?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, raised his head to look at everyone around, and finally, harboring a ’going to die anyway’ mentality, said: "I heard my tribe’s Priest say that the Beast God had sent down Divine Punishment; people with different appearances and abilities like us are all cursed by the god and must be completely exterminated."

"Different abilities?"

"Mhm... Like being able to blow fire or make plants grow. In my group, there were two Sub-Beast older brothers with such abilities, but they died."

The people of Crimson tribe felt their hearts sink upon hearing the boy speak. Weren’t the different abilities the boy mentioned Divine Energy? Since when had Divine Energy become a curse?