When Shao Yun carried the crocodile feed down to the crocodile pens at the bottom of the ravine, he immediately spotted Yuften busy at work.
Yuften, seeing Shao Yun approaching, instantly showed a simple, honest smile and greeted him with a stutter.
"Y—you… hello, honored guest of the tribe. Y-you're here, w-what can I do for you? D-don't tell me… m-my dried crocodile meat d-didn't suit your taste?"
Shao Yun stood quietly in place, patiently listening to Yuften's peculiar way of speaking in which he stuttered three times for every two sentences.
He slowly crouched and gently set the heavy crocodile feed on the ground, saying, "It's not about the dried crocodile meat. I'm just running an errand to deliver the crocodile feed you ordered earlier from Aderfi."
Hearing this, Yuften stuttered his heartfelt gratitude.
"Th-that's… that's great! R-really, thank you so much! This… th-this is for you, just a token of my appreciation!"
With that, Yuften took out several pieces of smoked crocodile jerky.
Shao Yun accepted the jerky—over a pound in weight, equivalent to a unit of large game meat.
Then, without being overly polite, he casually stuffed the crocodile jerky into his backpack and thanked Yuften. "Thanks for the crocodile meat…"
…
Meanwhile, over at Masseira's place.
He stood in front of his tent, supervising Tadhla as she carefully packed the supplies for her training trip.
Masseira looked stern, arms crossed, occasionally reminding her, "Make sure everything is ready. Don't leave anything behind."
At that moment, Shao Yun took out the box of bandages and said, "Delivery service—your order of bandages has arrived."
The moment Masseira heard Shao Yun's voice, he turned around, reached out, caught the bandages steadily, and thanked him sincerely. "Ah, thank you! Esteemed guest of the tribe, sorry to trouble you with this trip."
He then passed the bandages to Tadhla beside him, reminding her, "Take these, Tadhla. Make sure to wrap your wounds properly—don't treat them carelessly."
Tadhla silently took the bandages and responded with a gentle nod.
Then she stuffed the bandages into her bulging backpack.
Shao Yun stood to the side, watching Tadhla with interest.
He recalled meeting her once two months ago at the lively welcoming banquet held for Jeht.
And now, he finally had a chance to observe this "Falcon" up close, more carefully.
Tadhla's skin bore the typical tone of the Sumeru desert people, though deeper than the usual wheat color.
Her top was extremely simple and refreshing—similar to Jeht's—just a bandeau that perfectly outlined her healthy and energetic figure.
She wore loose pants on her lower body and boots suited for traveling across the desert.
Like most women of the Tanit, she wore an eyemask. Her golden hair was braided into many strands, tied into a high ponytail.
When Shao Yun's gaze fell on Tadhla's slightly trembling right arm—clearly showing signs of a strain—he couldn't help suggesting to Masseira beside him.
"Mr. Masseira, may I suggest letting your adopted daughter rest a bit? In this condition, she doesn't look fit for a long trip."
Masseira pondered for a moment after hearing Shao Yun, then responded.
His answer seemed directed at Shao Yun, yet also at Tadhla.
"Training waits for no one. The desert will not allow the falcon to rest."
Tadhla accepted her foster father's words without hesitation.
"Yes! I understand. I'll depart at once!"
With that, she used her uninjured left hand to lift her supply bag and turned to leave the tribe.
Shao Yun watched her gradually fading silhouette, frowning, then looked back at Masseira. "Are you sure? Her right arm looks strained. Her movements are stiff. She doesn't look like she can draw a bow."
Facing the question, Masseira explained calmly, unfaltering in his stance that she must go.
"All training is for her coming-of-age ceremony. I could let her rest, but the sands and dangers won't…"
"If Tadhla stops training over a minor injury, that wouldn't be caring for her—it would harm her. If she fails to complete her ceremony, the tribe will abandon her!"
"Honored guest, you may think my words cruel, but this is necessary for desert survival."
Shao Yun listened and thought to himself, So basically, minor wounds don't need treatment, major wounds can't be treated; as long as she doesn't die during training, keep training her to death…
But then again, in this desert… providing basic bandages is already something… better than smearing sand on the wound.
Shao Yun had no desire to meddle in the tribe's affairs, nor would he give Tadhla his potions—they weren't close enough for that.
Besides, he still had Babel's delivery to make, so half a minute after Tadhla left, he departed as well.
…
Now, only Matron Babel's delivery remained.
After asking around, Shao Yun learned that Babel should be in her private chamber.
Thus, Shao Yun hurried toward Babel's quarters.
In no time, he stood before the door—a tightly shut sand-colored wall.
He looked up at it and politely called, "Hello, Madam Babel? The package you ordered from Afid has been delivered."
But the room was strangely silent, no response whatsoever.
Shao Yun frowned. Was Babel not inside?
Just as he was about to leave, Babel's voice drifted out from within.
"Oh, come in."
Shao Yun paused—so she was inside. Right… why didn't she just come out to receive it?
Well, she was the mistress of the tribe after all.
If the tribe's matriarch had to personally handle even small matters like this, without being able to command others, then what difference would it make whether she was leader or not…
With a faint sound, the sand-colored door slowly opened.
Shao Yun walked in and said while entering, "Alright, then I'm coming in."
The moment he stepped inside, a faint fragrance reached his nose.
He sniffed slightly—he couldn't tell whether it was perfume or incense. But considering Sumeru, it was probably incense.
Babel sat on the bedside, her long, shapely legs crossed, the angle of her raised leg just right.
With her slight movements, her legs swayed subtly, carrying an indescribable allure.
But because she wore the Tanit's distinctive eyemask, Shao Yun couldn't see what emotions or intent lay behind her eyes.
Shao Yun glanced briefly at the swaying legs, then looked up calmly at Babel's mostly obscured face and asked, "Madam Babel, where should I put your package?"
Babel slowly extended a hand, curling her fingers in a beckoning gesture.
At the same time, her voice—magnetic and teasing—flowed out.
"Give it to me. Let me inspect the goods first."
Unfazed, Shao Yun handed the box to her.
Babel received it, opened it gently, and examined the contents carefully, nodding from time to time.
She seemed quite satisfied.
Shao Yun, standing across from her, was curious about what exactly was inside, but from his angle he couldn't see a thing.
Finally, Babel straightened up and placed the box on the bed beside her.
She nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "Mm, very good. Thank you for bringing it over."
Seeing the delivery task completed, Shao Yun didn't linger. He nodded and said simply, "In that case, I'll take my leave."
He turned to go, but before he could, Babel quickly reached out and gestured urgently.
"Wait, please stay!"
Shao Yun looked back at her. "Madam Babel, is there something else you wish to ask?"
Babel lifted her chin slightly, a faint smile on her lips, motioning for him to sit before continuing.
"Come, have a seat. Let's talk slowly."
Shao Yun noticed she was gently tapping the edge of the bed with her slender fingers, seemingly hinting that he should sit there.
But instead, he turned his gaze toward the stool in front of the vanity, walked over, and sat down steadily.
Once seated, he looked at Babel again and asked politely, "What is it that Madam Babel wishes to discuss?"
Seeing Shao Yun seated before the vanity instead of beside her, Babel remained perfectly composed and said softly, "Let's talk about how you've been living in the tribe these past two months."
Shao Yun kept his expression respectful and courteous. "Thank you for your concern, Madam Babel. Thanks to your hospitality, we've been living quite well."
Hearing that he had been living comfortably in the tribe, Babel gently propped her cheek with one hand, her toes swaying slightly as she spoke softly, "If during this time anything has made you unhappy, please don't hesitate—just come to me. I will gladly help you resolve any trouble."
Seeing Babel take the initiative to show goodwill, Shao Yun remained calm and simply replied, "Alright. Thank you for your kindness and concern."
The two of them chatted idly for a few more minutes—no more than five.
Then Shao Yun excused himself, saying he did not wish to disturb her rest, and departed.
…
After leaving Babel's room, he went to find Aderfi to report the completion of the task.
Soon, he arrived at Aderfi's tent.
Aderfi was busy organizing items; somehow all the packages had already been distributed.
Seeing this, Shao Yun spoke directly. "Everything has been delivered. Now, shall we discuss the reward you mentioned earlier?"
Upon hearing that, Aderfi grabbed a book from nearby, handed it over without looking back, and said, "Here, I prepared it long ago. Take it."
Shao Yun took the book, glanced at the cover, and asked in shock, "'The Gunslinger Butcher from Fontaine', Volume Four? How did you even get this?!"
More importantly—Volume Four existed?! Did the author Junkichi, the one who wrote Onibudou, actually write a fourth volume?
Aderfi, still buried in his work, answered casually without looking up, "Oh, just bought it from a Sumeru book merchant."
"I was buying old academy books that the Akademiya discarded, and he tossed this in as a freebie."
"I heard those Akademiya folks nowadays rely entirely on that Akasha thing to acquire knowledge. So I can buy tons of outdated books at dirt-cheap prices."
Before Shao Yun could respond, Aderfi grew impatient.
He waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, if there's nothing important, I'm leaving."
"I've suddenly got work to deal with—no time to chat."
With that, he grabbed his packed bag and strode out of the tent, disappearing from Shao Yun's sight.
Shao Yun put the book away and thought as he listened to Aderfi talk about the Akademiya still using Akasha Terminals, Your information network is seriously outdated… frogs at the bottom of the well. No wonder you're so arrogant…
…
Meanwhile, inside Babel's chamber.
After Shao Yun left, Babel picked up the censer beside the bed, frowning as she muttered softly, "Strange… why didn't this incense stir his desire for me? Could it be expired?"
She shook the censer lightly as she muttered to herself.
According to her original plan, she would use this special incense to awaken Shao Yun's primal desire.
Once he reacted, she would tease him—advance only to retreat—letting anticipation build.
Next would come a phase of ambiguous, back-and-forth temptation, and when the moment was ripe, she would deliver the perfect push-and-pull of feigned refusal.
That way, she could easily take him and make him hers.
This tactic worked perfectly on Azariq before—so why didn't it work on Shao Yun?
However, despite the failed attempt, Babel was not the least bit upset.
To her, the most important matter now was the Eternal Oasis.
This attempt to seduce Shao Yun was mainly because Azariq had been dispatched on a mission—no one had been accompanying her at night lately.
So when she heard Shao Yun's voice, she simply thought to test whether she could capture him the same way. Even though it failed, it didn't matter.
After all, when weighing the cause of unifying the desert tribes against her own primal desires, she knew clearly which mattered more.
Then, losing interest, Babel tossed the censer aside.
"Forget it. If it didn't work this time, there's no need to rush. Right now, the most important thing is finding the Eternal Oasis!"
===BREAK===
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