# Chapter 32: The World in the Dream (Part 2)
Relying on her status as the only female on the continent and the almost undisguised doting affection she received from the beastfolk around her, Qi An easily learned the general situation of this world, even managing to uncover some extremely secretive and taboo information.
The elders of the tribe wouldn't easily speak of such matters to outsiders, but the moment they met Qi An's curious eyes, they'd narrate everything like storytellers at a market stall.
They'd set up suspense, gesture wildly, and put on quite the show, all just to capture that glimmering look in Qi An's eyes.
The beastfolk world wasn't all that different from the other worlds Qi An had visited before. The only distinction was their former worship of two deities. One deity advocated for rationality, believing that beastfolk should maintain moral standards and rules in their daily lives—this was the Beast God they now worshipped.
The other deity championed force and plunder, believing that beastfolk should retain the predatory instincts of their beast forms—this was the so-called Evil God. The Evil God hadn't always been called by that name, but ever since a great war several hundred years ago when the Beast God defeated and sealed the Evil God, the latter gradually lost the faith of the beastfolk.
Having fully embraced the Beast God's teachings, they came to appreciate the advantages of rationality. Centuries of peace had passed, and naturally, they had no desire to fall back into war and strife—so the mere mention of the Evil God sent shivers down their spines.
However, something different had been happening lately. Beastfolk in the world were suddenly disappearing, and others were falling into comas. After falling unconscious, the beastly aspects of these beastfolk were gradually amplified.
This change sparked panic throughout the beastfolk tribes. The priest conducted a ritual to communicate with the Beast God, and ultimately discovered that it truly was related to the Evil God.
But...
Qi An suddenly furrowed her brows. She recalled the Beast God's voice during yesterday's ritual—flat and unremarkable. This flatness carried a hint of hidden coldness beneath the surface. It was almost... nothing like the merciful deity the beastfolk described.
[Was yesterday's ritual recording completed?]
[Yes, yes, it was.] The system's response came almost instantly, its voice brimming with delight.
It wasn't hard to understand why it wore such an expression—its host's personal abilities were simply outstanding. Usually, for agents of the Spacetime Bureau, the host and system worked in harmony, but with Qi An, the missions were completed entirely by the host alone. It didn't need to do anything at all, just乖乖地当个看不见的装饰品—be a invisible ornament—and would keep earning points.
So every time Qi An asked it for help, the system was especially happy.
[Alright, did you notice anything unusual?]
[Eh?] The system paused, searching through its memories, then said dejectedly, [Nothing noticed.]
Oh no, oh no. Its host must have discovered some issue and asked it to record, yet it... found nothing.
[It's fine. I was just having some doubts. Let's review it together.] Qi An seemed to sense the system's unhappiness, and her response carried a rare gentleness.
"An'an, why are you still here?" The cat-eared boy Caini蹦蹦跳跳地 bounced in from outside, then scurried over to Qi An. "The Bu'na tribe is coming today to spar with our tribe's beastfolk. Aren't you going to get ready?"
The Bu'na tribe.
Qi An froze for a moment before snapping back to reality.
The Bu'na tribe was the one nearest to their own Hurricane Tribe. Though they maintained peace, the tribes constantly engaged in covert rivalry. To demonstrate their tribe's strength, they graciously called it a "friendly match."
This actually had nothing to do with the almost non-combat-capable亚雌 and females, but the stronger males and亚雄 always garnered more admiration from the亚雌, so the occasion was exceptionally lively. The beastfolk participating in the sparring would尽全力展现自己有安全感的一面, while the亚雌 would dress up nicely to watch their matches.
However, the physically frail Qi An had never been allowed to attend. They feared that the delicate female might get accidentally hurt, and worried even more that such violent, bloody scenes would frighten the youth.
But there was one exception.
The Bu'na tribe.
Because Evan was there.
And every year, this sparring session would become especially intense.
"Then let's go." Qi An felt something微妙 in her heart, but still stood up, offering the cat-eared boy a faint smile.
Because this world existed within a dream.
Qi An had been pondering what kind of identity the dream's owner would arrange for her. Dreams revolve around their owner, so the owner's identity was likely elevated. Through her days of investigation, Qi An discovered three figures known to all beastfolk in this world.
One was herself—the only female in the entire world. Another was Moore, the priest of their tribe and the most powerful in this world. And the third was Evan, famous as the object of her affection.
A breeze carrying warmth drifted lazily across the tips of the leaves. The martial arena, perched high above, was the largest structure in the Hurricane Tribe. Because of its vast size and for safety considerations, the beastfolk of the tribe who had gradually退化成兽型 were kept here.
They let out mournful cries. Such sounds might normally chill one's heart, but in this heated, passionate moment, they only amplified the excitement and fervor.
Lost in thought, and because the beastfolk-worn shoes were different from what she was used to, Qi An hadn't yet adapted. So when she stepped onto a rather tall step, she couldn't help but stumble.
This was truly nothing significant for Qi An—she could easily steady herself with just a slight movement.
But for the beastfolk who had been quietly watching her, it was a momentous event. Their amicable expressions instantly changed. A male who had been chatting with an亚雄 shoved someone forcefully in front of Qi An.
This action immediately earned the shoved youth countless glares that could kill.
All sorts of jealous gazes眨在埃文的身上. The亚雄 looked at the fierce, divine-like expressions of the people around him and felt a chill run down his spine. They seemed to want to kill him with their eyes alone.
If their gazes were actually tangible, he would have been riddled with holes by now.
Evan couldn't help but turn his annoyed gaze toward the male who had shoved him, only to be startled to find that the latter's murderous glare was even thicker than everyone else's. His entire face was contorted in displeasure, his eyes burning with jealousy and dissatisfaction as he stared fixedly at Evan.
Good heavens, you shoved me out, and you're not happy either?
Evan composed his expression, standing there like a fool before Qi An.
The youth had already regained her footing, her head slightly lowered as if gradually lifting due to the sudden silence around her.
Then Evan tragically realized he had once again garnered countless gazes of accusation, as if he had committed some unforgivable sin. But that wasn't all. He then saw many people baring their teeth, mouths opening and closing.
They were saying:
You'd better not碰我 later, or I'll teach you how to be a person,呵呵.
The youth's delicate, pale face lifted, gazing around with what seemed like confusion in those ink-black eyes. The beastfolk around her immediately softened their expressions, and when their eyes met hers, they特意展露了标准的灿烂笑容, revealing white teeth without reservation. But the moment the youth's gaze shifted away, they redirected their ferocious glares at Evan.
Evan stared at their instant face-changes, completely dazed, when he heard Qi An's soft voice—seemingly shy, yet also disbelieving: "Are you here... to help me?"
The voice was low, yet it was like someone speaking gently right by his ear.
Soft, and ticklish.
Evan froze, and then he saw the slight raise of the youth's chin before him—white to the point of translucence, yet somewhat pointed. There was barely any flesh on her face; she looked utterly frail.
And precisely because of that, the blush on her cheeks was especially noticeable. Evan could easily see the way Qi An's eyes seemed to sparkle.
Suddenly, Evan's heart trembled.
He had never liked this pampered female before, but now he understood why the beastfolk around her treated her so exceptionally well.
Because she was worth it.
This frail, delicate being was worth being doted on without limit by everyone.
"Ah." Evan seemed to suddenly become immune to the accusing gazes around him, nodding almost uncontrollably. "Yes..."
The annual sparring session proceeded as scheduled. All the beastfolk were full of fighting spirit; despite the current dangerous situation, it had done nothing to extinguish the passion burning in their bones. When Qi An and the others arrived at the viewing stands, everyone automatically made way for her. She easily took the seat prepared for her by the beastfolk.
Pretending to watch intently, Qi An had the system pull up the footage from yesterday's ritual.
Qi An first examined the beastfolk gathered around the elevated platform. Because of their reverence for the Beast God, they all maintained the same posture, with thick layers of piety and respect. Thus, nothing unusual could be detected.
Qi An raised an eyebrow, then turned her gaze to the sky and furrowed her brows again.
There seemed to be nothing strange.
But...
There was always an odd feeling in Qi An's heart. She'd had this feeling since yesterday, and it definitely wasn't solely because of the Beast God's voice.
After some thought, Qi An's gaze fell on the priest atop the platform, and she froze slightly.
She had the system zoom in. Her expression shifted subtly.
Beside the priest was an... eye.
Very small.
It was a vertical pupil, like that of a cold-blooded creature.
And it was looking straight at Qi An.
Qi An suddenly understood why she had felt that strangeness. Because something had been... watching her all along.