Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Mia’s Origins

Luna Sutton’s face turned beet red. She couldn’t possibly go out like this, covering her butt, could she?

If someone saw her, where would her dignity go?

Even though the Beast world is open-minded, and you can do the deed anytime, anywhere, without worrying about being seen.

She really couldn’t just run around with her butt bare.

Looking down at the shredded grass skirt on her, her face darkened to the point where it could drip water.

Her stomach was also growling with hunger. All day, she only ate some leftover grilled fish from yesterday in the morning and some wild fruit at noon. Now, she was starving.

There was no beast skin in the cave, hence no food as well.

Going out now was definitely not an option. Although it was dark, everyone was still bustling on the plaza.

Or maybe, wait until all the Beastmen in the tribe go to sleep before going to the plaza to gather some beast skins?

No, no, that’s not possible.

The tribe is lively at night, like they’re singing, constantly doing the deed. Who knows when these Beastmen go to sleep?

By the time those Beastmen go to rest, she’d probably have starved to death.

As Luna Sutton paced anxiously in the cave, uncertain of what to do.

She suddenly saw several Beastmen carrying stone pots, stone mills, and seven or eight baskets full of supplies.

Panicking, she hurriedly covered her butt and hid inside the cave, afraid of being seen by those Beastmen.

Her toes awkwardly dug into the ground.

The Beastmen didn’t see her, assumed she wasn’t there, and left the items before leaving without staying too long.

Hearing the footsteps leaving and no longer making any noise, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of the cave.

Seeing the stone pots, stone mills, and the baskets full of items at the cave entrance, her face lit up with joy.

The stone pot could stay here for now; she planned to set up a makeshift stove by the cave later for future cooking.

Half of the stone mill would also stay here; she’d see if she could find the matching other half later.

There was also a basket with various stones, including a stone pestle for crushing garlic, a stone slab for grilling, and items like stone bowls, stone plates, stone knives…

These things would also stay here; she wasn’t planning to bring them in.

The other seven or eight baskets were filled with what she gathered from Tagren Forest today.

There were various wild fruits, mushrooms, wild vegetables, herbs, two baskets of burrs, over twenty pieces of wild ginger, as well as spices like wild onions, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and soothing grass.

Unfortunately, she didn’t find chili peppers, garlic, or salt.

Chili peppers and garlic would have to wait to be found later. As for salt, she could ask Kian Sterling to give her some, or attempt to trade for it.

Luna Sutton moved all these baskets full of supplies into the cave, sweating profusely.

Luckily, everything was moved inside.

Her gaze fell on the two baskets of burrs. They were still unpeeled, but leaving them for a few days wouldn’t be a problem, so she wasn’t in a hurry to process them.

Mushrooms, however, could spoil easily, especially if stuffed together.

She planned to spread them out first to dry them tomorrow.

A woman’s voice called from the cave entrance.

“Cynthia, are you there?”

Upon hearing the voice, Luna Sutton quickly looked up to see a middle-aged woman stepping into the cave.

The woman had a somewhat rounded figure, regular features, healthy wheat-colored skin, wore a beast skin skirt, with hair tied back.

It was none other than her original host’s Matron Quinn.

She looked at the woman before her without any particular affection or dislike.

Matron Quinn severely disliked the original host, always showing displeasure towards her, often scolding her and forbidding Lyle Sutton and Mason Sutton from giving her meat.

Though they were biologically related, she behaved more like a stepmother.

But the blame partly lay with the original host’s attitude, whom no one liked—despised by others, she was the laughingstock of The Wolf Tribe.

As the original host’s Matron, Quinn constantly faced humiliation due to this, facing countless grievances.

Every time the original host embarrassed herself, Quinn would take out her frustrations on her.

Her beatings were relentless, almost driving her to death.

The original host feared Quinn the most; she would hide upon seeing her.

Even though it was the original host’s fault, it wasn’t a reason to abuse her.

“Matron, what brings you here?”

Luna Sutton watched Quinn enter with a calm expression.

Quinn looked at her increasingly pretty face with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Had this ugly duckling suddenly cleaned up? The pimples and pustules on her face were gone, but her protruding teeth were still unattractive.

She was so ugly that it didn’t seem like she was biologically related.

Quinn often suspected that during childbirth, her child had been switched with another female’s.

Otherwise, how could she have produced such trash?

Her eyes glanced around the cave, noticing seven to eight baskets; she’d learned the term. They were handy for carrying items.

Word had spread that this little troublemaker had made them.

She also gathered a bunch of weird stones and random items.

Not only that, but word had it this little ingrate had awakened abilities, becoming cleaner and more hardworking, so she wanted to check it out.

“I heard you’ve awakened abilities?”

Quinn looked at her, her demeanor probing.

Seeing the probing in her eyes, Luna Sutton coldly nodded, “Yes, I awakened yesterday. It’s the Wood Element, currently very low-level, not particularly useful.”

Quinn, hearing it wasn’t useful, pouted in disbelief.

Her eyes settled on Luna Sutton’s face.

Though she didn’t know how the pimples and pustules had disappeared, it must be related to her abilities.

How could that be considered not useful?

Indeed a little ingrate, she didn’t even mention such a major event as awakening an ability and let her hear about it from others.

Thinking of this, her face darkened, looking at her harshly, “Did you upset Mia today?”

Luna Sutton instantly understood her reason for coming, she was here to demand an explanation.

Even though she was her daughter, she continually sided with someone else, as if Mia was her real daughter.

She truly couldn’t understand what was going on in her head.

Looking at Quinn, she asked with a slight smile, “Matron, who told you that?”

Quinn, caught in her gaze, felt a little uneasy for some reason, and snapped angrily, “Don’t you worry about who told me. Just tell me, is it true?”

Luna Sutton looked at her, quietly asking, “It was Mia who told you, wasn’t it?”

Aside from that green tea b*tch Mia, who else would be this bored?

Quinn’s face changed slightly, responding coldly, “So what if it was? Mia is more obedient and sensible than you, and prettier too. If she’s a swan, you’re an ugly duckling. How can you compare to her? Don’t you dare upset her.”

Though she openly belittled Luna Sutton, who was indeed her daughter, no one knew Mia was also her child.

Except Mia wasn’t born with Lyle, but secretly with other Beastmen from the tribe.

Lyle, as the leader of The Wolf Tribe, couldn’t allow sharing a partner with other Beastmen, even if females were scarce.

Quinn, unsatisfied with having only Lyle as her Beast Husband, secretly engaged in affairs with others.

She secretly birthed several offspring, with Mia being one of them.

However, this was a secret from Lyle and everyone else.

Mia knew, hence her frequent complaints to Quinn.

The beast world romance game didn’t elaborate much about Quinn, nor did it mention Mia’s background.

Luna Sutton didn’t know the truth, only feeling Quinn’s overbearing leniency toward Mia, even more so now.

“You’d believe anything Mia says? She says I upset her, and you come here to question me? Matron, am I your daughter, or is she? Why do you always side with outsiders?”

She truly couldn’t understand how there could be a mother like this.

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