That day, I asked for a private audience with the chieftain of the Wujia tribe, and after some wait, they led me inside a great tree at the center of the forest, which was presumably where the chieftain lived. The inside of the tree was surprisingly elegant for a place that seemed so wild. I saw expensive monster skin rugs, precious stone engravements, gold furnishings, and beautiful decorations everywhere, but the sofa at the center of the room caught my attention. Or rather, the matchless beauty who sat on the sofa.

"Are you the one who asked for an audience with me?" She asked in a semi-impatient tone. 

"Y-yes, my name is Daphne," I answered with a polite bow. 

"If this is about payment, you don't have to—"

I went down on my knees and begged, "Please don't kill him!" I couldn't afford to have him die, as it would have a negative ripple effect on the party. Kimmel would be out of it, which would then affect the rest of the party's morale. And this was not even considering the loss of the little strength we had. "Bringing him to the brink of death is fine, but please don't kill him!" I was bowing my head, so I couldn't see their expressions. My heart was racing, and I could barely breathe in that tense atmosphere, as everything depended on whether she accepted or not. 

"Huh? You would use us to punish him? I like that!" The chieftain exclaimed with a wild look in her eyes. What a scary smile. Her glistening brown skin and irresistible body were one thing, but the ferocious aura that emanated from her was another. She licked her lips seductively and said, "But we'll need a substitute."

"Huh?" The sound escaped from my lips before I knew it.

"I could tell my girls to stop when he's about to die, but they won't listen unless you provide another man who will take his place." Two Wujia were standing behind her with golden spears in their hands. I didn't even know where to look between that and their clothing, which left little to the imagination. 

"I don't mean to sound rude, but don't you need these men to mate? Wouldn't it be better to care for and keep them alive so they can effectively act as your stud? It seems pretty inefficient to me, is all I'm saying..." I shrunk under the glares of the two soldiers behind her, but the chieftain didn't seem bothered at all. She actually looked like she was having fun as she explained it to me,

"You don't understand. It's like the icing on the cake, the sweetest part for us, Wujia, when the light in their eye fades, bodies turn cold, and they become unresponsive. That's when we feel the greatest pleasure!" She said with a fierce, borderline crazy look in her eyes. It wasn't directed at me, but I still felt like I was in danger. "I like you, girl, so I could gladly show you the ropes!"

"Umm, n-no thanks," I rejected her offer, but her next suggestion almost had me falling on the spot.

"Or would you rather have fun with me?" She said with a sultry look. Oh, no! She's like Phildina, but worse! I honestly kind of did because, in all my life, I'd never seen a woman as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as her, but she had a few screws loose, and I didn't like the looks the guards were giving me, so I politely declined and left the room redder than I'd ever been in my life.

Phildina wouldn't stop asking me about what happened, but that was basically how the negotiations went down. Now, we were on our way to the Forest City again with an unconscious man in tow, just like the first time! Phildina was happily humming along as we explored the forest midair, looking out for the Forest City. The man was weighing her down, so Phildina wasn't flying at her usual speed, which meant that I could actually relax and enjoy the journey. Who's the unconscious man? Dunno. Thinking about what may or may not happen to his family only worsened the guilt, but those were the terms of the agreement, the price of saving Sarde's life. 

We eventually got there to find the Wujia already waiting for us with a shriveled-looking, miserable thing waiting for us. Is that... Sarde? He was almost unrecognizable from how he looked before. He had lost a lot of weight, his body was covered with scratch marks from the chest down, and heavy bags were under his eyes. He looked like a gentle breeze would topple him over, but it was perfect, as it meant I was able to accomplish my goal. 

"I brought your substitute," I bowed as soon as I got off the Pegasus. Phildina followed suit because the chieftain was standing at the Forest City town square with several other Wujia, probably her guards.

"You may rise," She spoke authoritatively, and then she ordered two of her guards to inspect the unconscious man. 

"He seems to be in good condition," One remarked, and she nodded, seemingly satisfied by her answer. 

"Kathryn, my youngest daughter, has always wanted to travel the world. She's only at level 47, but she could prove useful to you on your journey," Only at level 47?!

"We'd be glad to have her," I said, quickly jumping at the offer. 

"Kathryn, don't be shy now..." The chieftain urged her, and a little girl poked her head out from behind her. H-how cute! With light brown skin and red eyes, I could see the resemblance, but she had a different charm to her. 

"Hi there! My name is Daphne!" I introduced myself to her with a cheery smile.

"U-umm, I'm Kathryn. Nice to meet you..." Aww, she's melting my heart already! I just wanted to protect her, but at the same time, I remembered she was at a higher level than me. H-how depressing... Unlike the Wujia, who generally favored spears, she wielded a short sword, which made me wonder whether she was a Swordsman or a Mercenary. Did Wujia even adopt the same classes? I wondered, but I could ask her about it later. For now, there was something else I had to do. 

I thanked the chieftain once more and turned my attention to Sarde, who had been gasping for air all this while. His eyes shook in fear, and he fell on his back as he tried to run away from me. He tried to back away with each step I took, but I eventually caught up to him.

"Sarde, I'll ask you again: are you family, or should I consider you an enemy?" I asked as I looked down on him.

"I-I'm family! I'm your family! I belong to your family!" He wept as he hugged my leg desperately. 

"Then, I'll welcome you back into my family," I said to him with a smile. You could either force an enemy to submit to you or kill them outright, and I did the former. With this, he would never be able to go against me for the rest of his life, and if he started to get some funny ideas, I could always threaten him again. Aren't I merciful? We let him cry for a while before finally saying our goodbyes and leaving with a new party member in tow!