Chapter 301: The Ring Is the Token of the Contract

Thorne raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "The Dragon God? So what?"

Even if he was powerful, Thorne wasn’t afraid. Besides, who ever said the Dragon God was invincible?

’He carved out the Triangle Sea, splitting off the Beastman City-states and Norfell. It was the most blatant expression of his betrayal of the Beast God’s faith, but so what? We still crossed the Triangle Sea and made it here, didn’t we?’

’In the future, countless more Norfell Beastmen will come here. The Beastman Continent will no longer be divided!’

Aiden Atwood trembled all over, his expression twisting with fury.

Just when Thorne thought he was about to erupt, Aiden Atwood simply took a deep breath and hurried away with Riley Atwood.

Thorne narrowed his eyes and said to Evangeline in a low voice, "We can’t stay here for long."

Evangeline’s gaze was calm as she shook her head. "Don’t worry. Right now, he wants to win us over, not start a fight."

Danton nodded slightly in agreement. "We still haven’t figured out what this ’Sharp Teeth Judgment’ is. Perhaps we need to use the Otterhaven City-State to learn the location of the Grimgar City-State."

Their goal was to travel to the Grimgar City-State and find Caden Albright and Lachlan.

As Aiden Atwood had said, it was the mysterious Holy Land of the Beastman City-states. A small city-state like Otterhaven wasn’t even qualified to know its location, so how could they possibly find it easily?

Drake pressed his lips together, his gaze turning to Evangeline. "No reaction from the Contract Mark?" he asked in a low voice.

They were all well aware that a female could sense each of her mates through the Contract Mark.

"The Beast God’s power is waning, and the beastmen of the City-states now worship the Dragon God. Here, the bond from our mate contract is almost nullified. Likewise, the backlash from breaking the Contract here is negligible."

Evangeline’s explanation was concise and cut straight to the core of the matter.

Her narrowed eyes swept thoughtfully over her mates.

The implication was that from the moment they set foot in the lands of the Beastman City-states, they could break their Contract without consequence, become beastmen of the City-states, and enjoy the free and happy life of polygyny.

’As a mission executor who abides by her commitments, I certainly wouldn’t stop my mission targets from pursuing their own happiness.’

’Of course, in theory, I would only allow a target to break the Contract after he had been successfully ’conquered’ and we’d had a child together.’

’Though, I admit, that sounds rather cold-hearted.’

’I don’t think the Dragon God’s betrayal of the Beast God was an absolute mistake, but splitting the continent was a bit extreme.’

’In Norfell, females are put on a pedestal while males are ground into the dust. That’s the root cause of the tragic fates of my men. Where there is oppression, there will be resistance. I understand the Beast God’s original intention in protecting the ’weaker’ females was to ensure the continuation of the Beastman Continent, but that shouldn’t have been built on the suffering of the males. The Beast God is a male—he clearly didn’t understand how the favored can become arrogant.’

Hearing Evangeline’s words, Thorne was instantly on alert. "Eva! What are you planning? I’m telling you, I will not break the Contract! I’ll never break it! If you break our Contract, I won’t go on living, backlash or not!"

Thorne was direct and hot-tempered. Fearing Evangeline might actually break their Contract, he rushed to get his feelings out in the open.

The other males all frowned in unison, their eyes snapping to Evangeline.

The Everwake stared at her, his colorful eyes fixed on her and his brow tightly furrowed. "We’re not from the Beastman City-states!"

"Don’t ever say something like that again." Even Loras, who was never one for words, chimed in, a rare occurrence.

Drake’s back went ramrod straight, and a sharp light glinted in his deep, reserved eyes as he stared fixedly at Evangeline.

Danton, however, changed the subject. "So, we’re staying in the Otterhaven City-State?" he asked Evangeline.

Evangeline nodded slightly. "There’s no rush."

Elias Moretti sat quietly, saying nothing. His gaze swept over the other males, a flicker of disappointment in his crimson eyes.

He had hoped they might develop a longing for the freedom of the City-states and break their Contracts.

’Then, Evangeline would finally know who was the one to truly stay by her side, the one who genuinely cared for her.’

After the meal, some of Aiden Atwood’s females led them to their quarters. They were housed in a small, European-style courtyard villa with a peaked roof. The rooms were spacious and bright, and though simply decorated, they exuded comfort. Compared to their crude caves and tents, this was pure luxury.

The Everwake placed the soundly sleeping Genesis on the bed, then stretched his long, slender frame. He glanced around, raising a long eyebrow. "Life in the Beastman City-states is certainly much more pleasant than in Norfell."

Hearing this, Thorne scoffed. "Getting jealous? Why don’t you break your Contract, then?"

He couldn’t stand The Everwake, so he naturally wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to take a jab at him.

The Everwake shot him a sidelong glance and retorted, "Jealous? I just think this kind of life is what Eva deserves. Why are you always the one bringing up breaking the Contract? Are you projecting your own secret desires?"

Thorne’s dark green eyes narrowed into slits, and the black scales on his neck flared. "What did you say?!"

"If you’re going to argue, take it outside and let Eva rest." Danton tucked the blankets around the little ones sleeping soundly side-by-side. He then turned to the two men, who were ready to pounce on each other, his light-blue eyes filled with disapproval.

With a flick of her wrist, five Jade Tokens appeared in Evangeline’s palm. They were even more lustrous than the ones she had previously given to The Ravening Wolves.

Her eyes shifted, and a faint spiritual light bloomed at her fingertips. The Jade Tokens gradually transformed into five exquisite rings, each carved with an intricate pattern: the flowing lines of a Mermaid Tail, the cold glint of snake scales, the delicate petals of a Moonlight Flower, the splendor of twelve butterfly wings, and the fiery beauty of golden-red Feather Wings. Each design was so lifelike that its owner was unmistakable.

"Wear these." With a gentle push from Evangeline, the Jade Rings seemed to gain a life of their own, hovering before each of the men. "If anything unexpected happens, I can use these to find you."

Seeing that The Everwake and Thorne were distracted, she added, "Otterhaven City-State has treacherous undercurrents. Don’t go out alone."

"Eva, what is this?" Thorne toyed with the small jade circlet, rubbing the snake scales that gleamed with a cold light. The sensation made his pupils narrow into slits. He was intrigued; the novel things his female came up with always fascinated him.

The corners of Evangeline’s eyes curved slightly. "A ring. Where I’m from, this is... the true symbol of a contract."

At her words, all the males grew excited. Drake was the first to slip the ring onto his finger.

The other males saw this and quickly followed suit, all except for The Everwake, whose eyes glinted thoughtfully.

Seeing that the others had all put on their rings, a light danced in his eyes. He slowly approached Evangeline, holding the ring carved with butterfly wings.

Thorne’s pupils contracted sharply. He was about to make a sarcastic comment, but then he saw The Everwake lower his head in an elegant bow. His iridescent, glass-like eyes reflected Evangeline’s stunning face as he held out his hand to her, a bewitching smile playing on his lips.

"If you would be so kind, my dear female."

Evangeline gazed at the long, slender hand before her. The back of it was slightly broad, with delicate knuckles, and the edges of his nails shimmered with a pearlescent light.

’It was a very beautiful hand.’

Thorne’s face instantly turned livid, his expression agitated.

’This guy isn’t like one of the Swarm at all. He’s more like a preening peacock in a Swarm member’s skin!’