Chapter 1015: Section 653: Caucasus Trip (Part 5)
The center of Sagareggio Town wasn’t at the inn but rather on the small hill to the east of town—there stood a circular hall constructed from logs. Compared to the ruins of Tbilisi, Sagareggio’s remnants were sparse, so the biochemically altered beings here mainly used wood to build their homes. Most were single-story buildings, with only the circular hall boasting a second floor.
The news of Malin’s visit had already been disseminated—Malin had seen the messenger riding on a war dog, confirming the existence of wild war dog nests and communities in this area.
Malin hadn’t ridden a war dog to get here because he wanted to identify the local flora and fauna. Along the way, however, Malin discovered that his aura made even ordinary animals flee in panic, not to mention the spirits. Only Milani could spot small birds and creatures, such as relatives of hers, in the trees.
It could be said that any creature with a bit of intelligence had already fled, leaving only the less intelligent and the fearless.
This left Malin feeling rather embarrassed.
Carrying a mixture of helplessness and a tinge of sadness, Malin led the team, following Quetos into the hall. They were welcomed by a small biochemical human who, like the others of his kind, was difficult to classify as truly human. Yet he stood proudly, clothed in a linen robe, and when his eyes fell upon Quetos, a smile spread across his face: "Dearest Quetos, you’ve come! Are these your guests?"
"Yes, they are my guests," Quetos replied, introducing Malin and the others and then formally presenting this individual: "This is Konen, the third son of Chief Miryan."
"Hello, Konen," Malin said, extending his hand.
"Hello, Malin." Konen tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth, wary that showing his sharp teeth might alarm the guests: "We very rarely see humans with tender skin around here. Apologies; I’m still not very good at smiling."