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Join the ServerGern brought Xiao Ying back to the previous canyon.
The hypnotized Serpentman squad leader was still facing the dirt wall, his hands ceaselessly drawing circles on its surface.
Saliva even dribbled from the corners of his mouth, dampening the ground where he stood, as he mumbled incessantly.
“Hehe, fun, really fun.”
His fingers were raw and bleeding, yet he showed no sign of stopping. Gern’s mouth twitched uncontrollably at the sight. She had told him to go play, but not to turn into an idiot!
‘Hiss~ Wait! I wasn’t like this when Lilia hypnotized me, was I?’
As this thought surfaced, a vivid image involuntarily materialized in Gern’s mind.
The silver-haired dragon girl stared blankly at the ceiling, saliva trailing from her lips, muttering ceaselessly.
“Sister-dono, ehehehe, Sister-dono…”
The mere thought of that scene made all the hairs on Gern’s body stand on end. It was too terrifying; she resolved never to let Lilia get her hands on a hypnotic potion again.
Otherwise, what awaited her would be an endless… well… Gern found it hard to describe.
In any case, Lilia absolutely could not be allowed to acquire hypnotic potions in the future.
Perhaps the Serpentman squad leader’s mental will was simply too weak. Even after Gern attempted to restore him, he continued to drool.
Fortunately, his sanity was preserved, which was a positive outcome. At least now, he could still be of great assistance to her.
After the trio departed the canyon, Gern’s mind whirred. She turned to the still-drooling Serpentman squad leader and inquired.
“Do you know of any bandits or brigands in the vicinity?”
The Serpentman squad leader heard her, but offered no reply. Gern felt a pang of disappointment, for she knew there ought to be many bandits around.
Inferring from the human side of things, with two nations at war and the conflict so fiercely contested.
Intense internal conflicts would inevitably erupt within both countries, leading to a surge in bandits and brigands.
However, the situation in the Beastman tribes differed slightly from that of humans. Their population was less dense, and the land was exceedingly desolate, suggesting there might not be many suitable places for outlaws to establish hideouts.
Just as Gern was about to give up, she suddenly heard the squad leader’s voice.
“I… I know… there’s… a… mountain… stronghold… a few… hundred… miles… away.”
Ravaged by the hypnotic potion, the squad leader’s speech was somewhat slurred, yet Gern grasped his general meaning.
Following the direction indicated by the squad leader, Gern indeed discovered a small stronghold housing several hundred people.
Perched high, it nestled beside an oasis, making it a truly prosperous location. It was no wonder that bandits would choose to settle here.
Gern had no other intention in seeking out these bandits than to make them take the blame for her actions.
After all, most of the people she had killed earlier were regular Serpentman soldiers. If her involvement were discovered, she herself wouldn’t be too concerned.
However, the small village would be in grave danger. Once the Serpentman authorities noticed something amiss and investigated.
‘Well, well. The conscription team they sent out hasn’t returned, yet the children in these villages are perfectly fine.’
‘Where did those soldiers go? It must be that the villagers, unwilling to let their children join the army, killed them all.’
If events unfolded in this manner, the small village would be massacred within days, an outcome Gern absolutely wished to avoid.
However, if she pinned her actions on these mountain bandits, it would be a different story. These individuals were ruthless, and likely plundered plenty of food and resources from the surrounding areas in their daily lives.
When the Serpentman authorities investigated and found the bandit leaders, the common folk would be spared their wrath, and the local menace would be eradicated—killing two birds with one stone.
Gern couldn’t help but admire her own cleverness. She truly was incredibly intelligent.
What Gern didn’t realize, however, was that this very action of hers would provide a crucial clue to the young blood-kin who would later pursue her.
Several days later, guided by the squad leader, Gern returned to the skies above the Serpentman army encampment, bringing the squad leader with her.
Gern did not descend rashly. She circled in the sky for a while before finding a secluded spot to land.
The disguise potions provided by the Witch Guild were not to be used carelessly. They could only disguise someone as a member of their own race, not facilitate cross-racial transformations.
After all, the differences between humans and Serpentmen were substantial. Yet, for Gern, this was hardly an obstacle.
What kind of person was she? She was a pervert with three forms… Oh, no, a genius with three forms.
Disguising herself as Quade Turner was an utterly effortless task for her.
However… the effect of this disguise didn’t seem quite right.
Gern gazed into the ice mirror before her, scrutinizing her reflection. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this face, compared to the original Quade Turner, possessed a hint of effeminate softness.
‘Hmm… how to put it? It felt like a man who had been *censored*, awkward no matter how she looked at it.’
Just then, Xiao Ying suddenly ran over and saw the heroic, black-haired Serpentwoman version of Gern.
The little girl paused, momentarily stunned. Then, sensing the unique Serpentman pheromones emanating from her, she immediately widened her small, serpentine pupils.
“Sister, you?”
‘Sigh~’
Gern made a silencing gesture with one hand, then knelt before Xiao Ying and whispered softly.
“Xiao Ying, this is my secret, okay? Please keep it just between us, for your sister.”
Xiao Ying nodded blankly. She didn’t quite understand what Gern was saying, but she knew to simply follow Gern’s instructions, as she had been doing for days.
After making a final adjustment to her face, Gern finally nodded with satisfaction. Though a strong effeminate aura still lingered, her appearance was now indistinguishable from Quade’s.
She struck a fierce expression in the ice mirror, yet for some reason, it carried the subtle implication of a young girl playfully pouting.
Gern felt a wave of exasperation. Her appearance was clearly so close to a man’s, yet why did she still exude a girlish charm?
‘Am I… am I truly degenerating?’
The sudden thought startled Gern.
‘Impossible, absolutely impossible. It must be my own psychology playing tricks on me. It has to be.’
She mused internally, then called over Xiao Ying, who was watching nearby, and asked.
“Little one, do you think big sister… *cough*, do you think big brother has a manly aura?”
“Hmm?”
Xiao Ying’s large eyes blinked, darting back and forth over Gern’s form, before she nodded emphatically.
Gern, seeing this, immediately felt a flicker of joy, and then…
“Mhm, big sister is very feminine! I want to be like big sister when I grow up too.”
‘Pfft~’
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