Francis chuckled in agreement. “At least two meals, guaranteed.”

Chapter 193

[Note: Chapter 195 appears before Chapter 193 in the original text. The chapters have been reordered here for clarity.]

Chapter 195

They simply picked up their belongings and worked together to help Odalys. Troya, Selah, and Odin took a break. They resumed work and noticed two men approaching. Odalys's breath caught in her throat, and she instinctively started backing away, grabbing her friends with urgent gestures. "Odalys, look!"

Its massive body rose into the air, hovering just above the ground, its eyes fixed directly on them. Could it be coming for revenge? But they hadn’t hurt it. Sca grabbed the other two women’s arms, trying to pull them away, but Odalys moved cautiously. She glanced at them and, without hesitation, turned toward the creature. "Let's follow," said Emily, already stepping forward. They saw Odalys moving ahead and, reluctantly, followed her. The cameraman and the rest of the crew walked with the group to the edge of a cliff. The creature, moving more dangerously with its massive girth, paused and released a powerful breath. The surrounding debris flew in a gust of wind.

Odalys whispered, taken aback. Nearby, a nest contained hatching snakes. Tiny snakes poked their heads out, their tongues flicking in and out. The giant snake slowly nodded, seemingly united in a feeling of pride at the new life emerging. "I thought snakes are cold-blooded. This one is different. It's a spiritual creature. Most of its kind wouldn't harm humans," Odalys explained. She had killed mindless creatures with no power on the island—this one had transcended. Its kind was revered as powerful beings of great spiritual significance.

Selah, though cautious, couldn't help but comment, "So it's actually hatched little ones. That's kinda cool." Freya, surprisingly unpanicked, felt the weight of fear creeping up her spine. She instinctively took a half step back as the giant snake approached. Hesitating for a split second, Freya extended a trembling hand, gently touching its scales. The snake didn’t recoil. In fact, it barely reacted. Freya felt a slight tremor beneath her fingers and whispered, "This is the first time I've ever touched a snake."

"Congrats," Odalys said, grinning as she glanced at the giant serpent. Selah quickly joined in, reaching out and rubbing the snake's side.

The crew stood frozen, utterly bewildered. They had expected chaos or danger, but instead, the snake was allowing them to interact with it. The cameraman froze in place, momentarily unsure whether to keep filming or flee. But instead, he instinctively raised the camera to capture the moment.

Suddenly, the giant snake sat down, lowering its massive body to the ground, locking eyes with them. It was as wide as an adult's torso, but there was no malice in its gaze. Selah, trying to calm herself, reached out once more. The giant snake tilted its head and nudged her hand with its face.

Then, without warning, the camera went dark.

"What the hell! The camera's broken!" the cameraman said in confusion, looking at the screen in disbelief. The same thing had happened twice before during their time in the village—strange blackouts, equipment inexplicably failing. They hadn't bothered repairing the cameras after the first couple of incidents because, curiously, they always seemed to work again the next day, as if nothing had happened.

"Not again. It just broke down the other night and fixed itself by morning," the cameraman muttered. "Do you think it's something we're not supposed to film?" someone whispered. "Doesn't the snake have some kind of spirit?" another crew member added nervously. "Could it be… we're not allowed to film it?"

They all looked at each other, fear creeping into their voices. As the crew murmured among themselves, Odalys and her friends began to walk back. But by the time they turned around, the giant snake and its tiny offspring had disappeared without a trace. It was as though they had never been there at all.

"Look, the camera's working again," someone said, pointing to the screen, which had suddenly flickered back to life. The crew exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether they had just witnessed something beyond their understanding.

Meanwhile, the livestream audience exploded with disbelief.

[What just happened? Was I seeing things!] [Was that a giant python?] [I think I saw snake eggs hatching. But then it all went black!] [I didn't see anything—just static and blackness!] [What was that glitch? Is there something we're not supposed to see?] [Did anyone else notice the camera malfunction! VIP members, did you see what happened!]

The chat was flooded with frantic comments. People couldn’t make sense of what they’d just witnessed.

As Odalys and her friends walked back, Freya and Selah kept raising their hands, still feeling the lingering sensation of the snake's scales on their fingers. Both were in a daze, still struggling to believe they had actually touched such a creature.

Remembering the alert, docile giant snake, and Sophia's desire to hurt it… Freya growled through gritted teeth. Selah nodded in agreement, her face twisted in anger. "Exactly. It's so frustrating."

But Odalys, unusually quiet, was lost in thought. She glanced over at Selah, her mind drifting to the dark memory of her past life, where Selah had been tragically isolated by a group of men and left to die in a pool of blood. Odalys wondered: If she hadn’t been reborn, would Selah have died in the same way on the day of her forced marriage?

Yet here they were, both standing together, laughing, talking—alive. It was a bittersweet feeling. Life's path had shifted so drastically for so many. And as for Percival, Odalys still wasn’t sure what had happened to him in her past life. Had he died too? But this time, Odalys had promised to marry in her place, and with her skills, she had temporarily neutralized the poison coursing through Percival's body. In doing so, she had saved him, even if only for now.

Chapter 193

Her thoughts were interrupted when she looked up and saw the sky—the rain had cleared, leaving the air fresh and crisp. The breeze was gentle, and the sound of wind in the trees calmed her. She felt an unexpected lightness in her heart.

"Did you guys get back already?" Odalys said, a bit startled. She had completely forgotten about the two men. But now, as she saw Stellan and Francis walking back with buckets in hand, she rushed over to them, curious.

"Wait, are those shrimp?" Selah exclaimed, surprised.

Stellan held up the buckets, grinning. "We were just walking around when a villager passed by. Apparently, since we’re guests, they gave us some shrimp, crabs, and even two yellowbone fish. They also gave us some taro."

Odalys was a little taken aback. These villagers were strange—they had hardly seen anyone outside since their arrival. The thought that someone would bring them food was unexpected. Her eyes flicked over to the old man’s house. The door creaked open, and the elderly figure peered out. Their eyes met, and the old man gave a small nod before disappearing back inside. Perhaps he knew they were leaving soon and wanted to offer something but couldn’t show himself.