’Were humans always this difficult to understand?’

Yuki frowned behind her veil.

Her gaze remained fixed on Lord Harald, who was still bowing respectfully below. The more she thought about his words, the less sense they made.

’Humans have always been difficult, Master.’ The voice of the Seduction echoed in her mind.

’Did you forget that idiot sect master ten years ago? The one who tried to stitch me onto her ass because she thought she’d become a nine-tailed fox? I still get goosebumps remembering it.’

The tail shuddered. Yuki silently agreed.

She had never understood that human either.

If combining different species were truly possible, then wouldn’t the world be filled with horrifying abominations?

’I thought the same thing, Master,’ the youngest tail spoke up softly. ’Kai and Selena were easy to trick, but some of their actions were impossible to understand. Like how Kai hated men, but also enjoyed reading orgy novels.’

Yuki blinked.

She decided not to think too deeply about that particular example. Instead, she lowered her eyes toward Lord Harald once more.

’What exactly is this human trying to say?’

He didn’t seem unwilling to participate. But he also didn’t seem prepared. The contradiction bothered her. Then suddenly, realization flashed through her mind.

’Wait.’ She straightened slightly. ’Did he want to postpone the challenge?’

The youngest tail immediately responded. ’That appears to be the case, Master.’

Yuki stared. ’Then why didn’t he just say so?’

The Seduction Tail let out an exasperated sigh. ’Because humans enjoy making simple things complicated. He could have just said, "We need more time." Instead, he recited an entire script.’

’That also appears to be correct,’ the youngest tail agreed.

The Seduction Tail laughed. ’You know, you are allowed to disagree sometimes.’

’...Okay.’ The youngest tail fell silent. The Grand Mage she had taken the appearance of was now pouting, and some disciples of that Grand Mage who were staring at their master cringed seeing an old shriveled mage pout.

Neither Yuki nor her tails bothered to consider the expressions the disciples were making.

After thinking for a few moments, Yuki looked back at Lord Harald.

"I will not postpone the challenge beyond one week." Her voice was calm. Yet the moment their eyes met, Lord Harald felt a chill run down his spine.

For a brief instant, he felt like prey standing before a predator. He forced himself to maintain his smile.

"Of course, Sect Master Azure Lotus. One week is more than generous."

Yuki nodded.

Truthfully, she had considered draining his lifespan for wasting so much of her time. The thought had crossed her mind several times during his speech. But she suppressed the urge.

She couldn’t risk frightening that special human. If he became afraid and decided to hide from her, there was nothing she could do.

She still couldn’t see through his disguise. And she needed him. Especially with the full moon approaching.

The youngest tail spoke again.

’Master... can he really provide enough lifespan? What if we hunt a few thousand Mystic beasts instead? Their bloodlines might be impure, but surely the amount would compensate for it.’

Yuki slowly shook her head.

’For thousands of years, I have consumed corrupted lifespans simply to remain awake.’ Her voice carried an exhaustion she rarely showed. ’Their scents were unpleasant. Their taste was even worse.’

She paused.

’Then I found him.’

The memory alone made her breathing soften. ’For the first time, I sensed a lifespan without corruption. Pure. Clean. Warm.’

She paused for a moment.

’Now that I have tasted even a trace of it,’ Yuki continued, ’every other lifespan disgusts me.’

Her hand unconsciously pressed against her chest. ’And my body has already accumulated too much corruption over the years.’

The youngest tail became worried. ’You mean...’

Yuki nodded.

’If I absorb more corrupted lifespan during the next full moon, I may lose myself completely.’

Silence. Even the Seduction Tail no longer joked.

’Only he can calm me now,’ Yuki finished quietly.

After a long pause, the Seduction Tail finally asked, ’What if he doesn’t participate?’

Yuki’s eyes slowly swept over the crowd below. ’He will participate.’

Her voice held absolute certainty. After all, she had prepared the rewards, as much tempting for him.

The bone fragment.

The cloak.

The egg.

There was no chance he would walk away.

Meanwhile, the three settlement masters had gathered together. Their discussion lasted nearly twenty minutes. Eventually, they reached an agreement.

The challenge would begin in four days. Two days before the full moon. Rhys nodded to himself after hearing the final decision.

He quietly slipped away from the crowd before anyone noticed.

Fortunately, he had already taken two weeks of leave from his job as an insect cleaner, claiming he had personal matters to attend to near Grand Anchor Bay.

His absence wouldn’t cause any problems.

Besides, before leaving, he had thoroughly cleaned almost every insect nest in his assigned areas.

Even the eggs had been removed.

The remaining workers would have an easy time for weeks. The only person who might notice his absence was Old Chen.

And Old Chen had personally approved his leave.

As Rhys walked through the streets of Azure City, he buried his hands inside his pockets.

’So... what do I do for the next four days?’

He could continue farming lifespan. He could prepare for the challenge. Or maybe he could investigate those rewards more carefully.

Lost in thought, he eventually reached the inn. He pushed open the door. Then he stopped.

Several people were already sitting around the tables inside. Blonde hair. Blue eyes.

Rhys’s expression slowly changed.

The Vikings.

*

* *

"No wonder the Chief sent us to an inland event," a young Viking warrior said with a grin. "This is far more exciting than I expected."

Astrid took another sip of Azure City’s famous herbal tea and silently agreed.

When she had received the Chief’s orders, she had obeyed without question. Still, deep down, she had believed this trip would be a waste of time.

After all, what could possibly happen in a gathering of inland settlements that could compare to exploring the endless ocean?

Yet everything had changed.

The sudden appearance of Azure City’s settlement master as a Mystic Mage had shocked everyone.

Then came the challenge. Astrid glanced out the window, her blue eyes thoughtful. Perhaps this journey would prove more rewarding than sailing unknown seas.

A burly warrior sitting nearby laughed loudly.

"Not just Azure City. Every settlement announced their rewards too. And by Thor’s grace, they’re all ridiculous."

He leaned forward with a mischievous grin.

"Speaking of rewards, do you know what our Chief decided to contribute?"

Several warriors exchanged knowing looks. Astrid sighed.

"The treasure map to that longship."

For a moment, the entire table fell silent. Then everyone burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"As expected of the Chief!"

"He’s as shameless as ever!"

One of the younger warriors shook his head while laughing. "I almost died from embarrassment when I heard it."

"Why?" a mage from Azure City asked curiously.

The young warrior snorted. "Because he’s offering something even we couldn’t tame."

More laughter erupted around the table.

"That’s exactly why it’s perfect!"

"If someone else manages to tame it, our Chief loses nothing."

"And if nobody succeeds, he still gets to look generous."

The warriors laughed even harder. Astrid couldn’t help but smile. That really did sound like something their Chief would do. Still, despite the jokes, her eyes briefly flickered with seriousness.

That longship...

Even now, she could still remember it.

The ancient vessel drifting through the mist. The strange symbols carved into its hull. The overwhelming pressure it emitted. Their entire fleet had failed to claim it. In the end, all they could do was record its location and retreat.

"A shame, honestly," one of the older warriors muttered. "If we could’ve controlled that ship, our tribe would’ve dominated the northern seas."

"Forget controlling it," another warrior scoffed. "I was happy just escaping with my life."

The group nodded. No one laughed this time.

In the corner of the inn, Rhys quietly sipped his tea. His expression remained calm. Inside, however, his interest had already been piqued.

A longship. A treasure map to it. And something that even the Vikings couldn’t tame.

Unfortunately, that was all they revealed.....

The conversation soon shifted to drinking contests and complaints about inland food. Rhys leaned back in his chair.

.....but that had already piqued his interest.