Yasenia''s group curiously looked at the restrained beast that ambushed them. It was impressive that it was able to escape the detection of all of them and get close enough to snatch away one of the maids.


    The maids were highly trained individuals who could react to assassins with rtive ease. And yet, this beast was able to get close enough to physically grab one of the maids. Yasenia observed the beast and saw that it was a fully white spider-like beast but with a beast''s body and two pincers.


    A strange being in aspect, but fully evolved to walk in this area untouched. Tatyanamented, surprised. "Oh? They have a strange attribute."


    Yasenia asked, confused. "A strange attribute?"


    Tatyana smiled. "Well, an attribute that''s not usually gained when one is born, like Kaleina''s Void attribute." She pointed at the beast and said. "This creature has control over the [Mist] attribute. A fascinating element that usually develops as a mutation of the water, fire, and wind attributes."


    Evelyn raised her eyebrow. "Water and fire? That''s a Yin and Yangbination. Can it really happen?"


    Yasenia patted her shoulder with her tail, and when Evelyn looked over, she pointed at herself with a smile. "Don''t I exist?"


    Evelyn blinked twice andughed wryly. "Right, I have the biggest exception right by my side." She looked back at the beast and touched its body; the sensation made her show a surprised face. "This beast''s body…"


    Yasenia walked forward, interested. "What''s wrong?"Evelyn didn''t answer, and instead, she pped the leg of the beast. A sound of patting powder was heard, followed by the leg area Evelyn patted distorting into a cloud. Evelyn looked at the rest of the surprised people and smirked. "The body is not solid."


    Valeria walked forward, making everyone look over due to her high stature. "These beasts… they are probably older than the Heavenly Cataclysm."


    "Woah..." Angel muttered. "Really? This beast is older than the Heavenly Cataclysm?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Valeria chuckled as she touched the beast''s body. "Not this one. I meant the species. For a creature to have evolved to perfectly fuse with their environment to such an extent, you need many generations and years of development."


    Yaseniamented, her tone thoughtful. "Doesn''t that mean that this mountain has been here since those years?"


    Tatyana patted Yasenia''s back with a smile. "Don''t forget that the Heavenly Cataclysm happened not that long ago. One million years is basically nothing for the mountains and rivers."


    While she couldn''t deny that, with how much fighting urred during those one million years, thend changing a few times was not that umon. A mountain could be created and destroyed in just a few minutes with enough strength.


    And yet, this one has proven the passage of time, even when it was explored quite frequently. That feat alone made the mountain quite special. Yasenia was about to speak, but Cecile muttered. "Cute."


    Everyone paused and looked at Cecile with strange eyes. Even Yasenia was a bit baffled. "Um… What''s cute, Sweetheart?"


    Cecile pointed at the eight-legged white beast. "Cute."


    Yasenia and the others felt a droplet of sweat falling on her temple as they tried to see how this beast was considered cute. Cecile approached Yasenia and looked directly into her eyes. "I want one."


    How could Yasenia resist such an eager gaze on her Sweetheart''s usually in facial expression? This was the first time Cecile got interested in anything other than their family in a long time!


    Andrea saw Yasenia''s face and stuttered. "A-Are we really going to give her one?"


    Yasenia looked at Andrea, her face indignant. "My Sweetheart wants one and says they are cute! Of course, I will want to find one and give it to her!"


    Andrea had a sense of deja vu, as if this had happened before with herself as well. ''Ah… Well, that''s Yasenia for you, I guess.''


    Meanwhile, Cecile crossed her arms and nodded twice. "Right."


    Everyone deadpanned at Cecile. ''Don''t "right" us!''


    And so, their first objective in the [Moon Swallowing Mountain] became finding one of these beasts that had enough intelligence and potential to follow Cecile as a contracted beast.


    Angel looked around the ce, trying to look far but being unable to. Frustrated, shemented. "With our limited range of view, we will never find anything!"


    Evelyn grinned. "What if that one was the only one?"


    Cecilemented tly. "Then, I''ll make it submit by force."


    Looking at her, they saw the phoenix woman dragging the fainted mist beast along. The beast was not small, so the situation looked quiteical. Andrea pointed out. "While it is big, it''s nothingpared to Yasenia, Cecile, or Kali. And yet, it had quite a high-level of strength."


    Le, the brown-furred dogkin that was Andrea''s personal maid,mented. "Not all beasts grow in size with their level. If that were the case, continents where there are many Mythical Core Beast Realm beasts would look like ces where mountains walk!"


    "Fair point." Andrea agreed and asked. "Then… Will Yasenia, Cecile, and Kali shrink in the future? Currently, they are mountain-sized, so if they continue to grow… Eventually,s will look small by their side!"


    Yasenia smiled, crossing arms with Andrea. "Well, Uncle Long is a good example. He is as big as arge Moon, but he can shrink to being asrge as a mountain range."


    Andrea rolled her eyes. "That''s not much different from my point of view, eh? You went from, ''Oh, I can only make sense of your eye because the rest goes beyond the horizon,'' to, ''Oh, your body is sorge that you actually span my entire vision!"


    Yaseniaughed. "Don''t worry, I will probably be able to manipte my size~. I don''t know about a [Life Origin''s Nine-Tailed Fox] or a [Moon Phoenix]."


    Kalimented faintly. "I should have no problem… Although, my size will probably also be veryrge…"


    Cecile muttered. "I''ve read that a [Moon Phoenix] can even be the size of a pigeon. I can''t control my size much for now, though."


    "What about half transformations?" Yasenia extended her hand as she asked, her skin changing to a scally blue surface as her fingers curved and grew sharp and long ws at the tips.


    Kali shook her head. "I have no idea how to do that. I''ve tried, but it seems that''s not something I can do."


    Cecile nodded. "I am the same."


    Valeria smiled faintly, patting Cecile''s and Kali''s heads. "Semi-transformation is a quality that dragons have for the most part. Very few other beasts can do that."


    "Huh?" Cecile frowned, feeling somewhat miffed about it. "How so?"


    Thinking about it, Valeria tapped her chin with her finger and muttered. "I honestly don''t know." Valeria looked at Angel and asked. "Do you know?"


    Angel blinked a few times, confused. "Eh? Me?"


    Mirrory appeared and gently bonked Angel''s head. "She is clearly asking me, silly girl."


    Angel pouted and blew a raspberry. Mirrory shook her head as well. "I don''t know either. However, if I had to guess, I say it is because dragons are a race that can easily gain their human form. Much easier than other races. This ease might be a way for dragons to hide from their predators in the past. I am unsure, though."


    Everyone pondered, and eventually, they just epted it as a fact. Not everything needed to have a deep and profound exnation. Over that…


    "Hey, where are the other friends of our eight-legged creature?"


    Andrea answered Evelyn''sint with augh. "Well, we are dragging one of them with us, if there are more, won''t they be intelligent enough to not mess with us?"


    "Ah…"


    Everyone looked back at Cecile, and the Moon Phoenix became defensive. "I am not releasing Fluffy."


    "Fluffy…" Kali rubbed her forehead. "Have you named it already?"


    Cecile blinked and asked innocently. "I have. Why?"


    Kali sighed and asked, her eyes somewhat knowing what was about to happen. "So, if we have to kill Fluffy, would you agree?"


    Cecile blinked twice and looked at Yasenia. "Do we have to kill it?"


    Her tone and facial expression were as emotionless as ever, but for our dragoness''s ultra-sharp senses, Cecile currently looked like a lost puppy begging not to steal her toy. "Of course not!"


    Yasenia looked at the rest. "Even if Fluffy is notpatible to be a contracted beast, I can carry it…" Looking at Cecile, the Moon Phoenixmented. "Female." Yasenia nodded and continued. "...I can carry her in my ring!"


    Evelynughed, looking at the big mist beast. "It seems that you''ll be one of us even if you don''t want to."


    The beast twitched, raising everyone''s eyebrows. Cecile pped her wings andnded in front of its head. The head was actually not that creepy. It was a canine head with blue eyes. A long snout, furry head, and… ten eyes. Well, a bit creepy, but much better looking than one could imagine with such a description!


    Cecile saw the beast''s ten eyes opening asynchronously andughed faintly. "Cute."


    The beast''s ten eyes moved and locked on Cecile, making the Moon Phoenix tilt her head. "What''s wrong?"


    The beast opened its mouth, and Cecile smiled. "Oh, do you want to speak?"


    CHOMP!


    Yasenia blinked a few times as she saw the beast eat Cecile. ''Um… Sweetheart, are you okay?''


    Cecile''s voice reached Yasenia''s mind. ''No problem.''


    The rest were stunned, looking at the beast. However, seeing that the dragoness hadn''t sted it to pieces with a Dragon Breath, they assumed that Cecile was not harmed and waited.


    Before they could think further, they heard arge explosion inside the beast''s mouth.


    BOOM!


    The jaws of the beast were sted open, and Cecile stepped out with a frown. She turned around and ced her arms akimbo. "Why did you eat me? That''s rude!"


    The beast was bbergasted and looked at Cecile again with its ten eyes. Cecile crossed her arms and asked. "What? Are you going to eat-"


    CHOMP!


    Yasenia and the others felt their eyebrows trembling. ''Is this beast that stupid!?''


    Yasenia asked, just in case. ''Sweetheart?''


    ''Tsk. I am annoyed.''


    Yasenia''s lips twitched, not knowing how to react. ''Annoyed, eh? Well, I would be too if someone ate me.''


    ''Hm?'' Cecilemented. ''No. I am not annoyed because it ate me. The cute beast is ignoring me! Moreover, what if eating me is a sign of affection?''


    Yasenia facepalmed. ''Denial. She is inplete denial.''


    BANG!


    The mouth of the beast was kicked open again, and Cecile stepped out with a small pout that made her beautiful face utterly adorable. Cecile looked at the mist beast and spoke sternly. "I understand that you are hungry, so how about I give you something to eat and you stop trying to eat me? If you do it again, I''ll do that to you too!"


    CHOMP!


    "..."


    Seeing the same scene repeat a third time, everyone deadpanned. ''Can''t she at least dodge!? Why is she allowing it to eat her!?''


    BANG!


    Cecile stepped out once more, stomping on the snow angrily. "Okay, since you are like that, I''ll make you go through the same experience! [Moon Phoenix''s Dignity]!"


    WHOOSH!


    The ten-eyed beast saw Cecile''s figure suddenly grow, transforming into a gorgeous silver phoenix that made itself look like a small creature.


    Then, Cecile lowered her beak and…


    CHOMP!


    Looking at the [Moon Phoenix] eating the beast, everyone looked skyward and decided that epting the current events as a form ofmunication would make it better for their sanity.


    The beast inside Cecile''s mouth blinked with its ten eyes, confused. ''Did I just get eaten by the savory-looking bird woman?''