Chapter 170

Dawn broke. Odalys was already awake. She washed and took a stroll through the village. Every house was closed. Peering through an uncurtained window, she saw that most villagers were elderly and had mobility problems.

“He attacked the villagers and injured the snake. What does he want? To tame the python? For its poison? To manipulate it to kill others? What is his plot?” Odalys wondered, pondering the elders’ words from the previous night.

Returning to the base, she found her companions washing up.

“Odalys, when did you wake up? Did you make breakfast?” Freya asked, surprised.

Odalys seemed more energetic than Freya, even though she had stayed up as late as they had. Her yellow loose shirt and black pants made her look vibrant.

“I love to lie down. When my agent told me to lose weight, I starved myself. I hate working out; I want to sleep whenever I'm in the gym,” Selah explained.

“If you worked out every day, you could get up early,” Odalys teased.

Selah shook her head. “No.” She admitted a lack of tenacity when it came to exercise.

“I don’t have that problem, but I lack tenacity,” Freya said.

Stellan approached, lifted the pot lid, and saw four potatoes, a plate of meat, four eggs, and a plate of bamboo shoots.

“Odalys, did you go out at dawn?” Stellan asked, surprised. Their food stores hadn't contained potatoes or eggs, and the meat and bamboo shoots had been gathered the previous day. He guessed she'd left early.

“Yes, I jogged at five o'clock. On the way back, I found these,” Odalys said, smiling, and gesturing to the food.

Selah and Freya helped to serve the breakfast. Stellan poured water. Besides the bamboo shoots and meat, each person had a potato and an egg.

“By the way, where are we going?” Freya asked while eating. Odalys looked towards the back of the village. “The cliff. There might be something valuable down there,” she said, peeling her egg.

“We were there yesterday, but we didn’t go down,” Freya reminded them.

The others were startled. Mellan, a look of doubt on his face, lowered his voice. “Didn’t a python appear on the cliff yesterday?”

“Yes,” Odalys replied quietly. She intended to approach the python for more information. The elders had called it the village guardian.

“Relax. As I said, it won’t hurt you if you mean no harm. Let’s see if there are any precious herbs under the cliff. The pheasant will be our lunch. Since we’re already here, it would be a shame to retreat,” Odalys stated. She wouldn't miss such an opportunity.

“Okay,” Selah nodded eagerly. The others agreed.

In contrast to Group I, the atmosphere in Group A was tense. After Group I had breakfast, Group A was just waking up. Finnian was shocked to see Group I doing the dishes.

“Did you all have breakfast?” Finnian asked incredulously, surprised they were awake while his group was still asleep.

“Yes, we’ll go out soon,” Sebh replied.

Finnian pondered this, then ran a hand through his hair as he approached Selah. She instantly distanced herself, looking wary.

“What are you doing?” Selah asked.

His expression brought a bitter smile to Finnian’s face.

“Relax. I mean no harm. I just wanted to ask if I could go with you,” Finnian said quietly.

Selah shook her head without hesitation. “No. It’s better if we work separately. Don’t try any tricks on Odalys. She doesn’t like scandals, and nobody would be happy if there was one.” She’d learned her lesson on the deserted island and was more wary.

Finnian hadn’t expected such a blunt refusal. “You misunderstand. I just think it would be safer if we stayed together,” he insisted.

Selah silently turned and left with the dishes.

Stir washed her hands, hesitated, then approached Odalys and whispered, “Odalys, Finnian wants to go with us. I refused him because I’m afraid he’s up to something.”

“Got it,” Odalys said without looking up. She took the ropes Finnian had cut in half, tied them together, and burned the knot with a lighter, then tested its strength. She tossed one end to Stellan.

“Pull it,” Odalys instructed. Stellan pulled, testing the knot’s security. Satisfied, Odalys rolled up the rope. “Let’s apply some sunscreen. We’ll be leaving soon,” she said. She was anxious to leave and get rid of Group A. Wherever Sophia and Atlas were, there was bound to be trouble.

“Okay,” Odalys’s companions agreed. They understood her eagerness to obtain the mission stone and preferred to avoid Group A.

Chapter 170

“No!” Group B heard Sophia’s scream from the neighboring house as they left their own. Sophia ran out of her room, barefoot and disheveled, her nightgown askew.

“What is this?” she cried, terrified. She felt sticky, as if covered in slime.

“Ugh, what’s that smell?” Atlas recoiled from the foul odor as he approached.

Finnian and Francis came to investigate, surprised by the slime on Sophia’s clothes and the smell of a dead rat.

“What happened?” Sophia felt nauseous, trying unsuccessfully to remove the slime. Seeing Group B, she angrily ran to block Odalys’s path.

“Your doing, isn’t it?” Sophia accused, furious.