Arthur and his companions worked so hard to reach this star ring, only to have it all wiped out overnight. Who could bear that?

"What is he planning to do?" Guo Xiaoxiao wondered, filled with unease as she waited.

Still feeling uneasy, I went and spoke with Mickelson for a while.

Guo Xiaoxiao: Milker, are you all alright?

Mickelson: Fortunately, we've had several clashes with external enemies in the past few days, but we've been able to hold them off.

Guo Xiaoxiao: Um, Mickson, I'd like to ask, how do females usually end a partnership?

Mickelson: What??

Guo Xiaoxiao: Don't misunderstand, I was just asking.

Miksen guessed that Guo Xiao might want to end her relationship with Carlos, which was why she came to ask him. He said the snake was too ruthless, binding Guo Xiao with a mating ritual; it was better to abandon it.

"To dissolve a semi-partner relationship, the female must genuinely loathe and dislike the male, and voluntarily use a bone knife to break the partnership mark. Only when the mark disappears is the ritual complete. If the female still has feelings for the male, she cannot break the partnership even if forced by others."

Guo Xiaoxiao: Oh, I see. I'm relieved.

Mikkson: Xiaoxiao, do you want to end your partnership with the snake?

Guo Xiaoxiao: No, I was just asking.

Mickson: Did that snake beast bully you?

Guo Xiaoxiao: They feed me so much every day, I've gained weight.

Mickelson paused for a moment, then said: That's good.

Guo Xiaoxiao: Don't worry about me anymore. Focus on handling things in the tribe. I'm safe.

Before being captured, Guo Xiaoxiao dreamed that Carlos hated her and would treat her badly after being caught, and take revenge on her in every way.

Now they've all come to terms with it, truly accepting their situation and living a better life than those in the Yushan tribe.

Guo Xiaoxiao felt guilty, believing that she was the one who caused the tribe's plight, yet she was living so comfortably; it was utterly unacceptable.

She set a goal for herself: to keep Carlos calm, prevent him from going on a killing spree, and prevent him from breaking up with his partner.

Carlos is autocratic; he's very gentle with her, but he won't listen to her on many matters.

His demeanor changed; he became bloodthirsty. Every night before I went to sleep, I could smell the blood on him—even an ordinary person could smell blood.

The orc must have smelled an extremely strong odor.

The next day

Carlos built a stone house outside the castle as a place to discuss matters, so that even while enjoying romantic moments with Guo Xiaoxiao, he wouldn't forget to get down to business.

"Ling Feng, what do you say?"

Ling Feng has been inquiring about things in the north.

"Yushan is very tenacious. Arthur and his group have many strong warriors. The past Beast Kings all wanted to pick up the leftovers and were unwilling to make a move."

Carlos: "Where's Lin Lin?"

Ling Feng: "They've joined forces with the Eagle King; their chances of winning are very high."

Carlos, resting his chin on his hand, said, "Then let's lend them a hand."

Ling Feng: "I await your command."

Carlos: "Send the eagle beast to the north to deliver a message: Arthur, Mikson, and Cang Jue have been abandoned by the females, and their beast marks have backfired, rendering them useless."

Ling Feng was moved: "Would their females agree to the dissolution? After all, it can't be broken if it's not genuine."

Yes, it will.

Carlos said cruelly, "It definitely will."

Ling Feng accepted the order and turned to leave. Carlos looked out at the night sky, a glint of something eerie in his eyes.

Carlos swam along the snake's tail, searching for a plant in the wild. He was missing just this one medicinal herb; his inherited memories contained a herb that could induce a state of trance, and he was determined to find it today.

…

Guo Xiaoxiao felt along the walls in the room. "You think a beast city wouldn't have even one secret escape route?" she thought.

She won't run away, but she needs to be prepared for both possibilities.

Guo Xiaoxiao made her way to the corner of the wall and, sure enough, found a hidden door.

She ran to the conference room where the room was located, looked around to make sure no footsteps were approaching, then turned back and pushed the hidden door, making a clicking sound as she pushed it a few times.

It didn't budge; without increasing my strength, I'm too weak to push the stone door open.

Carlos entered the castle's meeting hall and heard the sound of a door opening.

So they're starting to escape? No matter, he already knew about that door; it was blocked. Pushing it open would only lead to certain death.

Xiaoxiao, where are you?

Carlos deliberately called her name.

"I…"

Guo Xiaoxiao paused, stopped what she was doing, and continued...

"I'm here, in the stone house."

She trotted over and sat on the leather cushion, looking like she was waiting for him to return.

Carlos entered the room, watched her perform, then glanced at the location of the hidden door, walked over and sat down next to Guo Xiaoxiao, staring at her.

Guo Xiaoxiao was startled and instinctively tried to dodge, but Carlos grabbed her and held her tightly.

Should we run away?

"Haha, why would I run away? This place is great fun, with delicious food and drinks. Where would I run to?"

Guo Xiaoxiao's smile was forced. She had only been trying to prepare for the worst, to see if the secret door led to the outside, but then Carlos returned.

You're really good at catching the right moment!

Carlos pulled Guo Xiaoxiao into his arms, holding her tightly and stroking her body.

"what are you up to"

Guo Xiaoxiao was stiff; she even had a stress reaction after mating with Carlos, and then it went on for days and nights—it was terrifying.

Carlos had no intention of mating at that moment; he simply wanted to touch her, he reassured her.

"Don't be afraid, I won't touch you."

He looked up and kissed her. Guo Xiaoxiao, for the time being, believed him and remained still.

"You're back so early today."

"Yeah, I'm done with work. I missed you, so I came back to keep you company."

Guo Xiaoxiao thought to herself, "I just opened the door half an hour later than I came back. What a coincidence!"

"Aren't they going out anymore?"

"certainly"

Carlos nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"Staying in the stone house all day and not allowed to go out, what's so fun about that?" Guo Xiaoxiao couldn't help but complain.

"Besides the sky above where I can see the sunlight, I have no idea what the weather is like outside. Will you take me out?"

Carlos said in a low, hoarse voice, "I'll take you out tomorrow."

Guo Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up

"real"

"Of course it's true."

Carlos's deep voice was alluring, and Guo Xiaoxiao beamed with joy; their relationship instantly became closer.

Late into the night, Carlos brought Guo Xiaoxiao a bowl of soup and had her drink it, saying it was to help regulate her constitution.

Guo Xiaoxiao found the drink a bit bitter and didn't want to drink it anymore, but Carlos insisted that she finish it before he could go to sleep.

She could only tilt her head back and gulp it down. It was too late and she was sleepy. With Carlos's coaxing, Guo Xiaoxiao quickly fell asleep.

In the dead of night, Carlos opened his eyes and took out a bone knife from under the cushion.

"Xiaoxiao, don't blame me. I'm doing this for our future." Her eyes gleamed.

He sat up, leaned close to Guo Xiaoxiao's ear, and in a strange tone, lured her into a deeper dream.

In the dream:

Guo Xiaoxiao was back to where she started, frozen in place, holding her suitcase as she went through the boarding gate.

The programmer looked at her and smiled gently.

"Madam, the plane is about to take off. Please take your seats as soon as possible."

"Hmm... Oh"

Guo Xiaoxiao nodded blankly, took her things and returned to her seat, her mind a jumbled mess, as if she had been in another world.