Chapter 154: The First Meeting With Maren And The Cold Rejection!
A week later in the outcast territory, Neve and Popi were finally able to walk about freely.
It had taken a few days for them to get used to it. They had to get used to the stares. They had to get used to the weather and everything about the outcast territory. They had to adapt to their new reality of being prisoners who were also allowed to roam.
Popi wished she would just stay holed up in the cave since it was under Zyreth’s direct protection. At least inside the prison, she felt somewhat safe. At least inside the stone walls, she felt like she had some control over her own space.
Whenever she was out here in the open territory, she felt suffocated by the stares. She hated it intensely. It felt like those hungry outcasts were waiting for a perfect moment to pounce on her. It felt like they were predators and she was prey.
She did not know if Neve felt the same way. They sure did look at Neve a lot. After all, he was pretty and feminine looking with his red panda features. His scent was not as strong as it used to be because of the mate bond marks on his body, but the scent was still there. It was still noticeable to anyone who bothered to pay attention.
But they did not look at Neve that much. Not because they were not interested, but because they all knew that Neve was here mainly for the snake king. They knew he was under Zyreth’s protection. They would not dare lay a hand on him. They would not dare risk the king’s wrath.
But for Popi? It was completely different.
She was not officially protected by anyone. She was just a female. And in the outcast territory, females were treated like commodities. Like things to be used and discarded.
"Are you okay?" Neve’s voice snapped her back to reality.
She blinked repeatedly as she stared at him. His golden eyes were filled with concern.
"It just feels weird that we are getting used to these people and they aren’t getting used to us," she said, leaning closer to Neve for comfort and protection. "Why are they staring so much? It makes me feel like I’m being hunted."
Neve looked around at all the stares directed at them and shrugged casually.
He had never cared about their stares in the first place. He was always used to being watched even before he came to this beast world. When he was a zoo tour guide in his former life, he was either being watched by animals or people constantly. It was not different from this. Just different predators with different intentions.
He secretly rolled his eyes at Popi’s nervousness.
"Don’t pay attention to them," Neve said, his voice carrying confidence and reassurance. "You can just get used to their stares. It’s something we’ll have to accept. Don’t worry though. No matter what happens, no one will lay a hand on you. I won’t let them."
Popi immediately sensed some kind of pride and protectiveness in his words. Neve was taking responsibility for her safety. He was claiming her as someone under his protection.
It was comforting.
Neve suddenly walked faster, heading toward the hut that had been built for Maren’s mother. The small structure was simple but sturdy, built with stone and wood and covered with leaves for insulation.
It had been six days since Neve started treating her. Six days of working on the mysterious illness that had been plaguing her for a decade. And in all that time, Neve had never seen Maren there. Not once.
The shark chief had never come to check on his mother’s progress. He had never come to watch Neve work. He had never tried to interact with Neve in any way.
Neve was not even having a single opportunity to converse with him. He did not know what kind of person Maren really was beyond the cold first impression. He did not know how to build any kind of connection with someone who clearly hated him.
He just wanted to find a way to reduce the negative favorability meter floating above Maren’s head. He did not even know if it had increased or decreased over the past week. The system did not provide updates on things like that.
"What are you doing about Maren’s mother’s case?" Popi’s question suddenly snapped him back to reality.
"I’m doing what I can," Neve said, looking around carefully to make sure no one was listening or watching their conversation too closely. He then leaned down and whispered into her ear, keeping his voice as quiet as possible.
"I think she has something similar to what happened to Soren."
Popi gasped in recognition.
"That root poisoning?" she asked quietly. "The same thing that was killing Soren?"
Neve nodded.
"Exactly. I don’t know how she had been surviving for the last ten years, but she’s more difficult to treat than Soren was. Not too difficult for me though. I could probably get her up on her feet completely healed in one week if I used all my power at once."
He paused, his voice becoming even lower and more secretive.
"But I’m going to slow her treatment down deliberately," he continued. "I’m going to stretch it out. That way, we can get accepted here more quickly. People will see that I’m making progress but that I need time. And it also gives us more time before Cael and the others come for us. More time for them to plan the rescue."
Popi nodded in agreement, understanding his strategy.
"If you need anything, just let me know," she said. "I’ll help however I can."
Neve nodded.
They got to the hut and saw Maren’s mother lying on a straw mat with some snake skin fabric covering her body. That was what they used here since they were outcasts with limited resources. The woman had white hair and a gaunt face. She looked like she was slowly fading away, like her life was draining out of her bit by bit.
"Please get some water, Popi," Neve ordered, slipping into his healer mode. "I need fresh water for the treatment."
Popi nodded and hurried away to get water.
Neve took out his medical box from his inventory. He pulled out his needle pouch and spread it out carefully in front of him. He took out a silver needle, checking it for any impurities or damage. The needle gleamed in the dim light of the hut.
He was going to use acupuncture. He was going to place the needle at specific points on Maren’s mother’s body to help draw out the poison and stimulate her healing. It was a technique that had worked on Soren. It would work on her too.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. He expected it to be Popi returning with water.
His hand flew up, raised to wash his hand in preparation for the treatment. But instead of water, a figure appeared in the doorway.
Without thinking, without checking first, Neve’s fist flew straight toward the stranger’s stomach.
The stranger did not bulge neither did he move. He didn’t even react to being hit.
But Neve swore he heard a cracking sound from his own fist connecting with something impossibly hard. Like punching stone. Like punching the chest of someone made of solid muscle and power.
Neve groaned in pain as a moan slipped from his mouth involuntarily. The impact had hurt him more than it had hurt the other person. His hand was throbbing with pain.
He suddenly looked up to check who he had hit and froze.
"M... Maren?" he whispered, recognizing the silver eyes and the sharp features of the shark chief.
Of all the people who could have appeared, it had to be Maren. The one person Neve was trying so hard to impress. The one person whose favorability he needed to increase. And Neve had just punched him.
Maren’s expression was cold and unforgiving.
"I never gave you permission to call my name," he frowned, his voice carrying absolute disdain. "You don’t get to use my name. You don’t get to be familiar with me. You’re just a healer. You’re just someone being used. You don’t have that privilege."
Neve frowned too, his eyes burning with tears as his hand hurt. His knuckles were likely bruised. His fingers might be broken. And Maren had not even apologized for standing directly in his path. He had not even acknowledged the fact that Neve had accidentally hit him.
’And he didn’t even apologize. This fucker! How the hell am I to handle someone like him?’
Neve thought to himself, his frustration and pain mixing together into a bitter emotion.
’Do I apologise or act soft or cold, just like him?’
He really was confused about what kind of person he was.
Maren stood there watching Neve cradle his injured hand. The shark chief’s expression did not change. He did not offer sympathy. He did not offer help. He just stood there with cold, empty eyes.
"How is my mother?" Maren asked, his voice devoid of any warmth or emotion.
It was a simple question. A straightforward one. But the way he asked it made it clear that he did not care about Neve’s injury. He did not care about Neve’s pain. He only cared about the progress being made on his mother’s treatment.
"She’s improving," Neve said through gritted teeth, trying to hide the pain in his voice. "I’m making progress with the poison removal. It will take time, but she will recover."
"Good," Maren said coldly. "Then continue your work. Don’t waste time on idle conversation."
He turned to leave.
"Wait," Neve called out, desperation creeping into his voice.
Maren paused but did not turn around.
"What?" he asked coldly.
"I... I’m sorry for hitting you. It was an accident. I didn’t mean to. I just reacted without thinking."
Maren was silent for a long moment.
"Apologies mean nothing to me," he said finally, still not turning around. "Just focus on healing my mother. That’s the only thing that matters."
He left the hut without another word.
Neve stood there alone with the injured hand and the crushing weight of Maren’s coldness.
’This fucker!’