Chapter 51
Leisure

Shouldn’t she explain that she didn’t see Duogaluo’s ‘place’?

However, Nagu did see it, and nothing can be done about it!

Everyone walks around with their birds out and their chests bare; it’s hard not to see them.

Nagu sat next to Momoli, her hands covering her body awkwardly. She wasn’t wearing any clothes and felt embarrassed being stared at by Hamoyin like that. However, Momoli was different. She impatiently waved her hands at Hamoyin, saying, “Go sit somewhere else; don’t sit here!”

“Don’t talk to him like that…” Nagu tugged at Momoli’s arm. Although her tone still sounded polite on the surface, she was already feeling a bit displeased inside. “Let’s just sit somewhere else.”

“Why? If anyone’s going to change, it should be him.”

While the two girls were talking, Hamoyin stood up silently and then quickly disappeared behind the pile of wild stones behind the tent under Momoli’s satisfied gaze.

“He didn’t come to the previous sacrifices, so I guess he must have some purpose for coming this time.” Momolu whispered to Nagu, “Although he is very obedient… indeed very obedient, he does whatever we ask him to do, but I always feel like there’s something hidden behind those disgusting golden eyes of his.”

Nagu felt a chill down her spine. She had always thought these people’s intuition was too terrifying: “You’re overthinking it, aren’t you?”

“I actually hope I’m overthinking… It’s better if he dies soon. Otherwise, what if one day he suddenly comes to his senses and starts eating children and abducting women?”

Nagu treated Momoli’s harsh words like the wind passing through a hall. Otherwise, she would find it hard to resist the urge to pull Momoli’s hair.

“The leader and the chief should be aware of these things, right? We shouldn’t need to worry too much.”

“You’re right.” Easily swayed, Momoli smiled at Nagu. “By the way, do you think my hair looks good like this? I haven’t had a chance to ask Wa if he likes it today.”

“It looks pretty good.” After saying that, Nagu saw Momoli lower her head and rub her chest in frustration. “…What are you doing?”

“I’m thinking I’m not big enough. Compared to other girls my age, I’m smaller. Even you seem to be fuller than me. Why?” The more Momoli rubbed, the more frustrated she became. “Can’t they get any bigger?”

“Rubbing them like that won’t make them bigger.”

“I hope this will make them bigger! Wa would feel very comfortable rubbing them too.”

No, I don’t really want to talk about this right now, Nagu thought bitterly as she looked to the side. “Wa would definitely be happy to know you’re thinking about him like this…”

Then, the topic about Wa lasted for almost half an hour. Just when Nagu was about to get tired of constantly agreeing, Momoli suddenly let out a short scream, startling her into a cough. “What, what happened?”

“Wa and the others have come out first!” Momoli excitedly jumped off the rock and pointed toward the sacrificial site. “I need to go ask him if my hair looks good! Will you come with me?”

“No, I’ll wait here.” She didn’t want to go over and be forced to watch a bunch of men with fluffy big birds. Saying this, Nagu waved her hand at Momoli. “Go quickly.”

It’s nice to be carefree, Nagu thought with a hint of envy as she watched Momoli hop and skip towards Wa.

If she didn’t have so many things to worry about, could she casually ask Hamoyin if her hair looked good? Would Hamoyin care about her appearance?

Nagu sat on a rock, fiddling with her fingers, feeling her heart race a bit faster. Although she didn’t want to discuss those issues with Momoli earlier, she couldn’t help but scrutinize herself like Momoli did when she thought of Hamoyin. Her skin looked unhealthy pale, with faint freckles on her face and arms, and her hair was a dark ginger color. After living in a food-abundant village for a while, her body was much fuller compared to when Hamoyin rescued her from the leopard’s mouth.

Would Hamoyin like her?

The more she thought about it, the more her cheeks burned. What kind of person would Hamoyin like? Tall and slender or plump and curvy? If he liked slender women, she needed to be careful not to overeat fatty food lately.

But upon careful consideration, Hamoyin wasn’t a complete human, which meant his aesthetic sense might be different from theirs. If that were the case, what should she do? Moreover, Hamoyin really showed signs of this. In the tribe, men and women often exposed their bodies, and everyone was used to it, but it was common for men to get aroused at the sight of a woman’s body.

Men are still full of passion for women’s ample bosoms and the secret places between their legs, and women are always comparing men’s strong physiques and who is worth savoring in bed.

But Hamoyin is different. No matter whose body he looks at, he has the same expression as if he were looking at a rock. Nagu still clearly remembers when she was recuperating in the treehouse; Hamoyin’s cold expression was the same whether he was wiping her chest or the area between her legs as if he were examining pork.

This realization was a complete blow to Nagu, who was in a heated state of mind. Hamoyin might now see her as a sworn brother, not… not… No, she couldn’t lose heart in such a place. She had to find a time later to test Hamoyin’s preferences!

Then, while Nagu was lost in her thoughts, something lightly hit her back: “?”

Nagu looked back in confusion and saw Hamoyin peeking out from behind a pile of rubble, half of his face visible. Although he didn’t make any gestures, his eyes undoubtedly beckoned her to come over.

“I… I thought you wouldn’t come to the ritual,” Nagu hesitated, her hands protectively covering her chest. She didn’t look up at Hamoyin’s face because she felt embarrassed. “We’ve already dealt with the scales issue. In three days, you’ll have the medicine you need.”

“Mm.”

“Did you call me here for something else?” Nagu finally looked up at Hamoyin cautiously. His face was as expressionless as ever.

In fact, Hamoyin wanted to say that he had killed two men who recognized her, but when the words reached his lips, he suddenly realized he was feeling a sense of pride. He wanted to show off that he could protect her well, but that was foolish. Thinking it over, if he said that, Nagu would just worry about him, thinking he had taken risks again. So, in the end, Hamoyin dismissed his impulsive desire to boast. “I just wanted to tell you that I won’t be coming to the market anymore.”

“Eh? Why, then, when will we meet?” Nagu was a little anxious when she heard Hamoyin say this, and she didn’t bother to cover her upper body but reached out to grab his arm. “I have to give you the medicine.”

Hamoyin tried not to focus on Nagu’s swaying chest. He used to have no thoughts about Nagu’s body because it was no different from other women’s, but now it seemed a bit different. “I will go to the village, so you don’t have to come to the market. It’s safer this way.”

“…Is that so.” Nagu felt ashamed of her overreaction. “Then remember to bring something to shield you from the rain. Don’t catch a cold again.”

“I will.” After saying this, Hamoyin looked past Nagu’s shoulder towards the distant market. “You should go back.”

“Really? But it seems like only some people have come out, not all of them.”

The name Duogaluo made Hamoyin’s eyelid twitch. He recalled the conversation between Momoli and Nagu earlier, which really bothered and upset him.

“?” Nagu looked at Hamoyin, who suddenly grabbed her arm, with confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Hamoyin released Nagu’s hand gloomily. “Go back. I will come to the village to find you later.”

I still want to talk to you more, Nagu thought, feeling aggrieved as she touched the tip of her hair. “Then… be careful on your way back to the treehouse. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I’m not going back yet.” Hamoyin shook his head. “I will wait here until Duogaluo comes out.”

“Why?”

“I have something to deal with, but don’t tell Duogaluo I’m still at the ritual site. If he asks, just say I’ve already returned to the treehouse.”

Nagu looked at Hamoyin in confusion. “Are you planning to deal with Duogaluo? No, you can’t do that!”

“I’m not planning to deal with him.” Hamoyin sighed helplessly. He began to seriously consider that his image in Nagu’s mind might not be very favorable.

“Then, what do you want to do…?”

“I will tell you the result later, don’t worry.”

“Alright, then I’ll really go now?” Nagu moved forward, looking back every few steps. “Be sure to stay safe and don’t do anything dangerous.”

“Mm.” Hamoyin nodded to the girl. “I will.”

Chapter 52: Stiffness

The time without seeing Hamoyin was always hard to endure, even though it had only been a day. In the morning, Momoli came to find her once. She excitedly told Nagu that she was finally bleeding. At first, Nagu, preoccupied with thoughts of Hamoyin, didn’t realize what Momoli meant by ‘bleeding.’ She just worriedly asked if Momoli was hurt and if she needed some medicine.

Momoli complained to her for a while and then ran off. Only after the girl left did Nagu realize the bleeding referred to that kind of bleeding. Momoli had come of age!

Nagu stood in the front yard, leaning on a wooden pole used for sweeping cobwebs, watching sunlight spread over the white stone path. It seemed the so-called witch was quite reliable. Momoli had indeed had her first period in the past few days. So, could she also ask about her own memory issues?

What if there was a way to fill in the gaps, at least to remember her original name?

During this time, she had also sorted through the fragments of her memories. She remembered that she was an adult, probably between nineteen and twenty-five years old, living in a relatively developed city. She might still be studying or had just started working for a year or two. As for her family, she had no memory at all.

Not remembering anything felt terrible. Coupled with the instinctive reactions of this body from time to time, it made Nagu feel very uneasy. She wanted to figure everything out, but with her memory loss, everything she did felt like wandering in a thick fog.

Thinking about these things made Nagu sigh continuously. Recently, she had focused on Hamoyin. Now that his situation had temporarily calmed down, she began to examine her own problems. Should she talk to Hamoyin about her memory issues the next time they meet? But how should she bring it up?

“Nagu!”

Carrying a basket of things to find the old witch, Duogaluo could see the girl standing in the front yard in a daze from a distance. He called out to her a few times. But Nagu still stood there in a daze, lost in thought. She still didn’t notice his presence as he got closer, staring seriously at a point in the air by herself. “…”

Duogaluo stood just two steps away from Nagu, holding a basket, amazed that she hadn’t reacted to a man standing so close. It was a bit much. “Nagu.”

“Ah?” Nagu finally turned her head in a daze, and when she saw Duogaluo so close, she screamed.

“What are you doing, why are you screaming!?” Duogaluo’s hand shook, almost dropping the basket he was holding.

“When did you get here?? You scared me to death!”

I scared her? Duogaluo felt a mix of emotions. “I’ve been here for a while. I called you from over by the stone path, but you didn’t hear me.”

“Oh…”

Duohaluo walked over and bumped Nagu with his shoulder. “What are you thinking about, looking so worried? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get Hamoyin’s medicine for you.”

She wasn’t worried about that but still grateful for Duogaluo’s enthusiasm. “Thank you… By the way, what are you carrying?”

“Food for the witch and you.” Duogaluo lowered himself a bit so Nagu could see inside the basket. It was mostly bread, jerky, thick plant roots, and some bird eggs with yellowish shells.

Usually, other men from the village delivered the food, or Nagu would get it herself. This was the first time the chief had brought it, which made Nagu a bit puzzled. “Why did you bring it? Don’t you have other things to do?”

“Of course, I have other things to do, but aren’t you happy I brought you food?” Duogaluo nodded forward. “Help me open the door. I’ll put this basket inside.”

When they entered the house, the old witch was sitting at the wooden table, grinding something with a creaking sound. Duogaluo greeted her symbolically, but the witch didn’t hear him and didn’t look back.

After placing the basket full of food in the corner, Duogaluo didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he silently looked around the room before pulling Nagu back into the yard. “Can you come to my house tonight?”

“Huh?” Nagu looked at Duogaluo, puzzled. “Why would I go to your place at night?”

“I need to talk to you about something, but I only have time in the evening.” Duogaluo’s expression had a hint of pleading. “Is that okay?”

“Well, it’s okay…” Nagu was a bit confused, but she knew Duogaluo had a habit of being secretive. “Is it inconvenient to talk about it now?”

“Yes, I have other things to do later.”

“Alright… I’ll come over tonight.”

Duogaluo smiled and patted Nagu’s head. “See you tonight. Make sure to come on time.”

Nagu didn’t think much of it. She stayed at home and organized the food Duogaluo had brought. She tied the jerky with a string and hung it on the windowsill, then put the eggs and other items on a clean shelf. After that, she began to study the text seriously. By now, she could recognize most of the characters smoothly.

It wouldn’t be long before she could secretly read some of the other tablets the old witch had collected, which surely contained more information about the rituals.

After studying three tablets, the sun outside finally began to set. She stood up, put the tablets aside, and started boiling water to prepare the witch’s dinner. After the witch finished eating, Nagu began to clean up the table.

Everything was as usual. After the sun completely disappeared, the witch went into the inner room to weave for a while. Feeling sleepy, she began to doze off. Nagu waited until she was completely asleep before extinguishing the fire and taking it outside.

It was about time to find Duogaluo. Nagu took a small torch, lit it, and left the witch’s house. There were still many people active in the village. They greeted her warmly, and some young boys asked if it was true that Momoli had chosen Wa.

“I thought she would at least consider others.” The boy who knew the answer shook his head helplessly. “I was so good to her before!”

Nagu smiled and continued walking. About ten minutes later, she finally arrived in front of Duogaluo’s house. But to her surprise, there seemed to be no one inside, although she could see through the door crack that the fire was burning.

She knocked a few more times, but no one answered.

“Excuse me.” Nagu stopped a man who happened to be passing by. She remembered that this man lived near Duogaluo’s house. “Is the chief not at home?”

“He should be. There’s nothing else going on tonight unless a woman called him out.” The man laughed a few times. “The chief hasn’t been very popular with women lately. If a woman did call him out, don’t disturb him. Let the chief have some fun.”

“Ah… okay.” Nagu awkwardly watched the man leave, then stared blankly at Duogaluo’s door. Could he really be out with a woman? How long would that take, half an hour? An hour?

As Nagu was thinking about Dogaro’s stamina, the door suddenly opened, and Duogaluo appeared behind it. “Nagu, you’re here!”

“???” Nagu looked at Duogaluo as if she had seen a ghost. “Weren’t you out with a woman?”

“Who told you that?” Duogaluo pulled Nagu into the house and locked the door. “I was just sleeping. Sorry, I was so tired.”

“Really…” Nagu stared at Duogaluo, feeling something was off. “So, what do you want to talk about now?”

“Of course, it’s about Hamoyin.”

As soon as Hamoyin’s name was mentioned, Nagu perked up. “What about Hamoyin? What do you want to say?”

“It’s like this, you know Hamoyin doesn’t really like me, right? But now, with the issue of Gongduo, I want to discuss it with Hamoyin, but he doesn’t want to come to me.” Duogaluo sighed as he spoke. “So I thought, since Hamoyin listens to you, maybe… you could talk to him? At least get him to meet with me alone.”

“What do you want to discuss with him?”

“It’s better if you don’t know the specifics. So, will you help me talk to him?” Duogaluo looked at Nagu with his tired eyes. “Just mention it. Let him consider it.”

“I can… but I can only promise to tell him. Whether he wants to come to you, I really don’t know.”

“It’s fine, just talk to him.” Duogaluo smiled. “Alright, that’s all I wanted to say.”

“?” Nagu stared at Duogaluo. “That’s it?”

Duogaluo nodded.

“You could have said this at noon. You had time then…”

“Noon was too rushed. I had to go out with them to find the runaway beast.” Duogaluo shrugged, not intending to explain further. “You should go back. Be careful on your way.”

“…Alright.” Nagu felt something was off. She didn’t want to doubt Duogaluo, but she had become wary of him ever since Hamoyin told her Duogaluo was lying. “I’ll tell Hamoyin about this as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.” Duogaluo waved to Nagu as she walked to the door. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow…”

With a restless heart, Nagu returned to the witch’s hut. She was tired, so she didn’t bother lighting the fire pit and went straight to her small rug in the inner room.

After closing her eyes, Nagu thought about what Duogaluo wanted to discuss with Hamoyin. She instinctively felt it was related to Azuran and Gongduo. But why did Duogaluo need Hamoyin’s help? Thinking about this, Nagu gradually fell asleep.

She slept uneasily, dreaming of flickering flames and flailing limbs. Her neck and back were covered in cold sweat when she woke up. She planned to boil water to wash herself. Shakily, Nagu got up from the blanket. The witch was still sleeping, wrapped in her blanket. Nagu didn’t wake her but washed her face and prepared breakfast and hot water.

“Granny, it’s time to get up.” After preparing everything, Nagu returned to the inner room. She half-knelt on the ground and shook the witch’s body. “Granny?”

“…Granny.” After calling several times without a response, Nagu felt something was wrong. She lifted the witch’s blanket slightly, but the witch didn’t wake up, her body stiff and eyes closed.

No, no, no…

Nagu suppressed her urge to scream and placed her trembling hand under the witch’s nose.

No breath.

She gently touched the witch’s arm.

Cold, stiff.

Nagu stood up abruptly and backed away frantically until she hit the wall.

“…”

Dead, the old witch was dead. When did she stop breathing? Last night?

Before or after she came back last night?

Dead, really dead?

Thinking this, Nagu reached out again to confirm, but the result was the same every time.

The old witch had stopped breathing, her body stiff and cold.

After a few seconds of stunned confusion, Nagu scrambled out of the hut, but someone grabbed her wrist as soon as she reached the door.

“Ah!!” Nagu screamed, her breath chaotic and rapid, trying to shake off the hand. But she forced herself to calm down when she saw who it was.

“…Why are you here?”

Hamoyin held Nagu’s wrist without speaking.