Irina had been making advances toward him, and he had considered giving in to her. But then he thought it wasn't right. Irina's promises were so convincing. If he were bound by her promises, what would he do if she broke her word?

Every time Irina came to bring him food, she would say that if he became her partner, he wouldn't have to do anything and could even have his babies.

The baby doesn't need him to take care of him; he can sleep whenever he wants, and no one will scold him anymore. If Arthur asks him to do something, Irina will proactively help him turn it down.

It was just too tempting. If it weren't for Fara's strong willpower, and the fact that Irina hadn't taken her on the spot, Irina, who was initially proud and didn't want to get too involved with the clueless Fara, wouldn't have been able to resist. But Fara's Star Ring was there for all to see.

With Guo Xiaoxiao concentrating the top resources in the Beast World, only a few capable and promising individuals remain, such as Falai. He's still young, and with a little more effort, he could become a 5-star ring expert.

Star Ring is very fitting for her status; her personality is quite unpleasant, but Irina is determined, which ignites her desire to conquer.

Humans, sometimes, are driven by certain traits; the more unattainable something is, the more they desire it. Guo Xiaoxiao possesses a five-star, reverse-star male, but is it really that difficult to obtain a four-star one?

Fala deliberately ate slowly. After Guo Xiaoxiao finished serving Arthur his meal, she noticed that Fala was still eating, even though there was no meat left in his bowl. He was just dabbing the soup into his mouth little by little.

Was he shy and embarrassed to serve the meat? Guo Xiaoxiao took Fala's bowl from him.

"Are you still hungry? No problem, there's plenty more. I cooked a lot of meat and chopped it up, I'll scoop out some more for you."

Fala didn't refuse Guo Xiaoxiao, and let her serve him another large bowl of meat soup.

Fale looked at the bowl of meat soup again and then realized that what she had just eaten was cooked by Guo Xiaoxiao herself, and it was quite delicious, unlike what Irina had brought over.

Orcs rarely drink meat soup; they mostly eat roasted meat, which is convenient and delicious, allowing them to chew heartily. When thirsty, they just drink water; making soup is too much trouble.

Farley stared blankly, not touching his chopsticks or bowl. He wasn't used to using them; he'd been forced to eat with his hands earlier.

"Eat up, there's plenty, don't be shy. If you need more, I'll cook you some more."

Falae: "No"

He paused for a moment to think, then continued...

Are you close to Irina?

Falley was a social butterfly, but despite spending so much time in the cave, he hadn't made a single friend. Surprisingly, the person he talked to the most was Arthur.

Because Arthur often assigns him tasks, when he's not busy, he's either sleeping or on his way to sleep. To avoid being idle, he'll even go to very far places.

But Arthur, unable to find Falai, summoned a hawk-beast to bring Falai back and continue assigning him tasks.

In fact, Arthur vaguely sensed that Falai wasn't a competitive orc who wanted to climb the ranks, nor did he care whether his status improved.

Arthur's attraction to Fara was largely spurred on by Batur. Batur, nearly ruined by Kasha, had spent the entire day focused solely on her, unable to think straight. Arthur understood; after all, being reduced to a mere stick, he needed someone to watch over him.

But they could take turns watching over her. Batur couldn't get over his conscience; he felt indebted to Kasha, and he kept postponing the tasks Arthur assigned him, becoming a marginalized figure.

At this point, Falai, one of the four stars, appeared, and Arthur placed his high hopes, which he had placed on Batul, on Falai.

He was also surprised to discover that Fala had absolutely no interest in females, just like Arthur before he met Guo Xiaoxiao.

Powerful and uninterested in females, preferring a free and unrestrained life, a chosen beast, a talent that deserves careful nurturing.

After that, Farley was forced to join the ranks of the working class, albeit unwillingly.

Guo Xiaoxiao's impression of Irina was simply that she was very pretty with regular features; compared to modern beauties, she was far from conventionally beautiful, but still quite attractive.

Her ambition is different from that of the females in the beast world; these two points alone are enough to make her stand out. She's even studying herbalism with Monet; she's the only female in the cave who's so knowledgeable.

Guo Xiaoxiao went to A Luo's place and experienced a day of learning without a notebook, relying solely on her brain to memorize things. Even so, he managed to learn it all by rote.

She deserves a huge thumbs up!

Does Fala mentioning Irina mean he's fallen for her?

"I've spoken to her a few times. You wanted me to help you reconcile? No problem. Once Arthur recovers, I'll talk to Irina and see if she's willing to accept another male."

Fala: "No, no, please don't mean I was just asking."

Guo Xiaoxiao was even more puzzled by Falai's flustered appearance.

"When a male asks about a female's... you know... you know... you know. Be open about it, I won't laugh at you. Irina's great, lots of males like her. It's normal that you like her too. Four-star orcs are powerful, they want to find a pretty female, right? I understand."

Fala scratched the back of his head: "No, you don't understand, things are too complicated between us."

Guo Xiaoxiao: "Then just say what you mean, and I'll help you analyze it. Don't beat around the bush."

Farai didn't know where to begin. Her doubts remained unresolved, her mind a jumbled mess. Perhaps she should talk to Guo Xiaoxiao about it, since she understood the situation.

"Irina asked me to be her male, saying that as long as I'm her partner, I don't have to worry about anything, I can just sleep all day, and she'll take care of me. Would any female ever consider taking care of a male? I'm afraid she's lying to me."

"Bound by the mark of the beast, mating is a major event in our lives as males. If we make a wrong step, we'll suffer for the rest of our lives. What if Irina turns against me before and after mating? I'd have nowhere to cry then."

"When I was a cub, I heard the old beastman say that males have two lives in their lives. The first life is when they are born from the mother's body, and the second life is when they mate with a female. The worst thing is to choose the wrong female."

Why did that sound so familiar? Guo Xiaoxiao didn't think about it too much, but after considering everything Fala said, she realized that Fala had ruined the rest of his life.

"You're worried that Irina isn't someone you can entrust your life to, right? Well then, think about it this way: are you satisfied with your current life?"

Fala replied, "I'm quite satisfied, but there's one thing I'm not satisfied with: Arthur is too annoying, he's always asking me to do things."

Arthur wandered into the puddle again to check his reflection. He had just finished eating and was checking if his makeup was smudged. Guo Xiaoxiao was also happy to have some peace and quiet; he was doing much better this way.

Guo Xiaoxiao continued, "So, from the bottom of your heart, do you want to find a female? Do you like Irina? That's the main thing."

Falley frowned and paused for a moment.

"I wouldn't say I like her, but I do have a good impression of her. She would bring me food from time to time and whisper in my ear that as long as I stayed with her, I would have a good life and she would take care of me."

"You're female too. Do you think it's possible for a female to keep a male as a pet? I didn't believe it at first, but I think she's different; perhaps she's special."

Hmm... the issue is complicated. You can't see into someone's heart, how can you know what they're thinking? But Irina wouldn't lie to a male, would she? In matters of the heart, Guo Xiaoxiao can't take sides.

As Fala said, don't let her ruin someone's second life.