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Shao Yun looked at Aderfi before him, and an icy voice came from his mouth.
"What matters isn't how I found you. What matters is—you're going to die."
Aderfi's heart jumped, and a thought flashed through his mind. He immediately assumed Shao Yun had been sent by Babel to kill him.
So, he hurriedly said, "Wait, please, honored guest of the tribe! Were you sent by that venomous witch Babel? She's a snake! In these two months, she's already killed quite a few tribal elders!"
"You're being used. In the end, she'll have you killed too!"
But Shao Yun just shook his head lightly, his expression calm, and said, "I have no interest in your tribe's internal struggles. I'm killing you simply to stretch my muscles, after all, a man gets restless if idle for too long."
"But now I'm thinking… if I kill you, would that make Lumine lose some experience in leveling up [Deadeye]? She needs to practice killing with a gun to improve her gun skills."
Aderfi, listening to these strange and bewildering words, couldn't help but ask, "What are you talking about?"
Shao Yun didn't want to waste words on a corpse. He muttered to himself, "Forget it. Losing a few of you probably won't affect Lumine's Deadeye progression too much…"
Then Shao Yun swiftly drew John's Cattleman Revolver from his belt, aimed it straight at Aderfi, and curled his lips into a faint, eerie smile. "Come on. You and your lackeys—smile for the camera. Say cheese…"
…
As Shao Yun's blade rose and fell, cleanly slicing off Aderfi's hideous head, the massive arm of the ruin colossus nearby suddenly slammed into the ground.
A thunderous CRASH erupted as a cloud of dust shot into the sky, blotting out the sun.
Shao Yun's heart jolted. He immediately sprinted toward the direction of the colossus.
When he reached the front, the smoke began to clear, revealing three figures slowly emerging from the dust.
Focusing, he saw it was Lumine, Paimon, and Jeht.
At that moment, Lumine noticed Shao Yun. Her gaze swept over him and immediately caught the dried dark red bloodstains on his body, along with fresh splatters of bright crimson.
Her heart tightened, and she spoke with concern, "Wow, Shao Yun, what happened to you? Are you hurt?"
Shao Yun looked down at his red shotgun-styled coat, streaked with sand and blood, and calmly patted it a few times.
"Don't worry. This blood isn't mine."
Hearing this, Lumine's mind flashed back to something Shao Yun had said to her two days ago.
Tentatively, she asked, "Did you… just kill that guy named Aderfi?"
Shao Yun was slightly surprised by Lumine's perceptiveness but nodded calmly, replying, "Yes, I just took care of him. His body is over there."
He then pointed toward a nearby location.
At this moment, Jeht was wiping her weapon and muttered softly with some regret, "Aderfi is dead? Huh… I was thinking of handing him over to Mother for judgment since he's a traitor."
Shao Yun turned to Jeht, "Whether you bring him back for me to handle or I deal with him directly now doesn't really conflict."
Jeht still felt a little regretful. "I guess before killing Aderfi, Mother Babel might have wanted to interrogate him for information. Now Azariq is dead, and Aderfi is dead… well, a little less information shouldn't matter."
She finished cleaning her weapon and then asked, "Should we report Azariq and Aderfi's rebellion to the Matriarch first?"
Liloupar immediately vetoed the suggestion. "Going back now just to report that? I don't think that's a good idea."
Then Liloupar slowly gave her reasoning. "If you go back without any progress and only bring the news that two tribal members are dead along with their evidence of rebellion, that eremite woman won't be happy."
Jeht, puzzled, said, "But we have plenty of evidence. The written records we found can prove it, right?"
Liloupar offered another reason. "Using good news to offset bad news is the optimal choice."
"The current situation is that we haven't made any progress, yet two tribal members are dead. Are you sure going back like that in this tribe, which values kinship, won't stir up unnecessary trouble?"
However, Shao Yun was unconcerned. He presented his own differing opinion.
"With me here, there's no problem. Don't you have the evidence? Leave it to me; I'll report it to Babel myself."
Liloupar, hearing that Shao Yun would handle the discussion with that eremite woman, happily agreed. "If it's you talking to her, I doubt she'd dare to act out in your presence. Looks like you really are the right person for this."
Seeing Liloupar's approval, Jeht and Lumine handed Shao Yun the written evidence they had painstakingly gathered.
Not only that, but they also handed over Azariq's head.
Receiving the head, Shao Yun couldn't help but think silently, This guy was too impatient. Hasn't he dealt with Babel before…
…
As they prepared to split up, Lumine looked at Shao Yun. "We'll continue toward the Eternal Oasis. After we lay Jeht's parents' remains to rest, let's meet back at the Tanit Camp and discuss the next steps."
Jeht immediately understood Lumine's meaning: after helping her with her parents' remains, Lumine would leave.
Her heart tightened, and she became emotional. She quickly spoke, trying to stop them. "You're leaving just like that? Can't we… spend a little more time together?"
Lumine understood Jeht's feelings but said gently, "About enough. We can't stay here forever…"
Hearing this, Jeht's small body trembled, and her face showed unmistakable sadness.
At that moment, Liloupar, watching Jeht's slightly discomposed expression with amusement, teasingly remarked, "Look at her—like a little cat about to be abandoned…"
Jeht immediately bristled. "What!? You bottle spirit! I'm just… I really don't want to part from Lumine because we're good friends!"
The more Jeht explained, the more confused she became. She finally urged, "Uh… let's focus on getting to the Eternal Oasis! Let's go, go!"
…
At the Tanit Camps.
Shao Yun, covered in blood, had traveled under the sun and wind. The heat and sweat mixed with the dried blood, giving off a peculiar and indescribable smell.
He first returned to his tent to change into his Gunslinger Outfit before going to see Matriarch Babel.
Matriarch Babel was seated at the edge of the bed, as usual. Seeing Shao Yun enter, she immediately stood and stepped forward.
"Oh, honored guest, since your departure, I've been praying to the Flower Goddess every moment, asking her to bless your safe return."
Shao Yun nodded slightly, then took out two tightly wrapped packages.
As he opened the outer fabric, two grotesque heads were revealed inside.
"Your Falcons can rest easy. That guy named Aderfi has already been taken care of."
Shao Yun said that Aderfi had been killed, but he pulled out two heads.
Babel understood the death of Aderfi but not Azariq.
Babel's mind raced. Could this man be interested in me… and knows about my dealings with Azariq…? No, what am I thinking…
"Azariq… why did you kill him too? Explain yourself." Babel asked, "Can you explain?"
Shao Yun didn't answer immediately. Instead, he produced several letters and scattered written evidence and placed them in front of Babel.
"Look at these first."
Babel hesitated slightly as she took the evidence.
She casually skimmed the writing, but even a glance made her expression stiffen.
As she read further, her face darkened, lips pressed tight, and her hands clenched the paper unconsciously.
"So that explains it. Just one small Aderfi couldn't have conspired with so many outsiders… Azariq was involved too!"
Babel gritted her teeth, forehead vein throbbing with anger, nearly breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought that Azariq and Aderfi were secretly colluding to seize the Eternal Oasis and overturn her position.
She hadn't expected these two to go this far. Originally, she thought it would happen later… I can't wait any longer. I have to deal with the rest immediately…
Shao Yun, seeing Babel engrossed in the evidence, spoke earnestly with a hint of warning, "I don't want to get involved in your tribe's internal affairs. You need to restrain your people, or else…"
With Shao Yun's -6 honor value, combined with the effect of the Gunslinger outfit, Babel felt a strong sense of hostility.
Yet instead of fear, this intense aura sparked a strange, irresistible fascination deep in her mind.
Suppressing her desire, she forced a respectful demeanor and said, "Understood, honored guest. I will strictly discipline my people and won't cause you any trouble."
…
After Shao Yun left, Babel examined the heads of Azariq and Aderfi and the written evidence proving their collusion to rebel.
She picked up Azariq's head with one hand.
A faint, contemptuous smile appeared on her lips. Azariq… you were just a toy of mine, yet you dared to try to take charge?
"Hmph! Since you were so eager to die, you've actually saved me some trouble."
She set down the head and scrutinized the letters further.
"You really thought I would train Jeht as my successor? Ridiculous. She's merely a puppet to strengthen my rule."
Babel secretly felt pleased with her own cunning.
"Luckily I've been paying attention to Jeht these past two months, otherwise these two fools might have succeeded. My own dog might have turned on me…"
…
After dealing with Azariq and Aderfi's heads, Babel calmly took a small box of fragrant powder from her drawer. Opening it, a strong aroma immediately filled the room.
She dipped her fingers in the powder and rubbed it over her hands to mask the lingering scent of death.
Finishing this, Babel placed the box away and sat back on the bed.
Her mind raced, planning her next moves carefully.
"Azariq and Aderfi are dead. Now, only Masseira is left as an obstacle."
She thought about how close she was to fully controlling the Tanit Tribe and became more cautious.
"Jeht isn't here. Who will deal with Masseira? And under what pretext?"
Babel considered Shao Yun and spoke boldly, Should I try him?
But recalling Shao Yun's words, she dismissed the thought. He said he doesn't want to get involved in our tribe's affairs… and I barely know him… he doesn't even care about me…
At that moment, Babel didn't let desire cloud her judgment. She linked it to Aderfi's situation and immediately seized the key point.
If Masseira acts first against that golden-haired traveler, then… yes, that's the plan!
Killing a tribal elder requires justification, but if the elder attacks an honored guest… no reason is needed, and perhaps she wouldn't even have to act herself.
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