Stone Pillar

Night fell.

The wild plains revealed their harsh, unforgiving face beneath the canopy of stars. The howling wind cut like invisible blades of ice across exposed skin, carrying a bone-deep chill that seemed to freeze life itself.

But the beastfolks had long since prepared for this. A massive bonfire blazed to life like a vigorously beating heart, thick logs crackling in the flames and bursting into countless dancing golden sparks, driving back the darkness and the cold. The night, of course, was still for celebration.

If there was one thing worth lingering for on the wild plains, aside from the beastfolks' hearty camaraderie, it was the region's one-of-a-kind game meat.

Around the bonfire stood rows of rough yet sturdy roasting racks, strung with large slabs of wild meat still carrying the raw essence of the hunt. Heat forced the fat from the flesh, dripping onto the glowing embers with a tempting sizzle, sending up puffs of fragrant smoke.

Sealed earthenware jars of wine were brought out generously, their clay stoppers knocked aside. The thick, mellow aroma of liquor spread immediately, mingling with the bold scent of roasting meat into a primal, intoxicating blend.

Compared to the elaborate, etiquette-laden weddings of human nobility, the feast here was wild and unpolished, lacking refinement and perhaps a certain sophistication. But what unfolded before the eyes was nothing less than the scene every adventurer secretly dreamed of.

At Moke's wedding, Liyana, unsurprisingly, got drunk again.

"Shila! Moke is a good man, I'm tellin' ya! hic"

Liyana let out a drunken burp. Her fair cheeks flushed a vivid red, her emerald eyes—usually sharp with wit—now glazed and unfocused. She swayed unsteadily, her steps as weightless as if she were treading on clouds, yet she still fought to face Shila, waving her wooden cup in the air and shouting across the distance.

"I know Moke's got a rotten temper, and he's short, and stingy, and sharp-tongued, and ruthless… but he really is a good man! You gotta cherish him, you hear me?"

A vein pulsed on Moke's forehead.

If it weren't for the occasion, he would have made that fool pay dearly for this.

Liyana, utterly oblivious, turned her gaze to Moke with a hint of regret in her voice: "Moke, Miss Shila is lively and sweet, kind-hearted, and such a skilled fighter—you'd better treat her well... Ahh!"

Liyana finally steadied herself against a rough stone pillar jutting out from the ground, using it to regain her balance. Then she shook her head, muttering, "If only she'd taken a liking to me back then..."

As a final thought, Liyana raised her voice to Shila again: "Shila! If, if you ever get tired of Moke, you can come trade him in anytime... just find me!"

The surrounding beastfolks went silent for a beat, then erupted into hearty laughter. Some pounded the ground with their fists, wheezing with joy.

"What is she even saying?!" Moke finally snapped, rolling up his sleeves and making to march over and give that dim-witted elf a proper lesson in sobriety.

"Moke!"

Shila wrapped her arms around her husband from behind, her voice carrying a mix of petulance and gentle resolve: "I know you and Liyana are close, but today, your attention belongs to me and me alone."

Shila nuzzled against Moke's back, the softness of her touch instantly making him swallow hard.

"Oh... oh..." His wife's gentle plea doused Moke's anger in an instant, but then pride kicked in and he started to retort, "Hah? Wait—Shila, what makes you think I'm close with that lunatic?"

"You're adorable when you're flustered." Shila nibbled lightly on Moke's ear.

Moke was somewhat forcefully dragged away by Shila, while Liyana continued slurring tales of his embarrassing moments. Though truth be told, Moke didn't have many embarrassing stories to tell—he was fairly steady and reliable in the party, save for his truly unforgivable singing voice. That was about the only thing worth complaining about.

Liyana, on the other hand, had caused more mishaps on their adventures than could be recounted in three days and three nights.

"Aren't you going to do something about her?"

Aina gently nudged her husband's arm beside her and asked in a low voice. She sat gracefully on a stone seat draped in animal hides, keeping a subtle distance from the surrounding chaos.

"It's her happy day. Let her be." Xia Lun smiled and shook his head, watching Liyana dance and sing around the bonfire with the beastfolks. "As long as she doesn't cause any trouble, that's fine."

Aina noticed, however, that Xia Lun's gaze kept drifting toward... a stone pillar. The same pillar Liyana had been leaning on earlier while drinking and chatting with the beastfolks.

The pillar stood about twice a person's height. Its material was neither metal nor stone, with a dull, dark finish that bore strange, faded totemic engravings. Upon closer inspection, one could vaguely discern at the center of the patterns what appeared to be a closed eye. The surface was not smooth but covered in wrinkles and grooves of varying depths, like cracks in parched earth, or the texture of aged skin.

The pillar might have been some kind of relic of the beastfolk faith. Standing in the open square, it looked somewhat out of place, yet the beastfolks around treated it as if it didn't exist.

"What is that pillar?"

Xia Lun stopped a passing little squirrel—one of Shila's household maids named Ruika. She looked no older than thirteen or fourteen, though she was fully grown. It was said her tribe had been destroyed in a conflict, leaving her to wander alone until Shila took pity on her and brought her home, giving her a way to survive.

Life wasn't easy for the weaker races trying to make it among the beastfolk.

Today, for Shila's wedding, the little squirrel was bustling about diligently, her great fluffy tail swishing back and forth as she served drinks and food to the guests.

"Sir, that is the Beast God Pillar." Ruika replied nervously, clasping the edges of her tray with both hands, afraid of making any mistake. She had little experience with humans before... except for Moke.

"The Beast God Pillar?"

"It seems to have been an old belief of the beastfolk. Not many follow it anymore—people these days trust their weapons and their own strength more... Still, some tribes keep remnants like this." Ruika explained.

Xia Lun nodded thoughtfully.

"Is there anything else you need?" Ruika looked up, cautiously watching him.

"No, that's all. You may go—thank you." Xia Lun offered a warm smile.

"Did you sense something?" Aina asked abruptly from beside him. "That pillar is nothing special. I already checked—it has no magical fluctuation at all..."

"Don't worry about it. I was just curious, concerned that Liyana might step on some local taboo..." Xia Lun smiled.

After all, only Liyana was careless enough to lean against that pillar without a second thought.