"Visit my home daily." Grehha said as he held the refined Mud Viper Tonic, "Come after dinner time."
"Sure," Inala nodded. By inviting him to his house, Grehha was exhibiting his level of trust. The two had allied now and intended to walk towards a common survival. Since they didn't need to fight for the cure, there wasn't any significant reason to be in conflict.
Moreover, by allying, they could pool their resources and plan for a better future.
"Do you plan to reveal the true nature of the cure to the other reincarnates?" Grehha paused just as he was about to open the door, turning around to stare at Inala.
"Heck no!" Inala growled, "If I say anything to them, there's a guaranteed chance they'll destroy the Zinger Queen's egg. Therefore, I intend to play dumb and act as if I'll drop out of the race."
"Blola and Yennda creep me the fuck out. Virala is fucking greedy. He most definitely plans to proceed in the same route as Resha." Inala continued in irritation, "They're all snakes. And unlike me or you, they desire strength even if everyone else is killed in the process."
"Destructive greed, huh?" Grehha nodded. He thought of his plan, followed by Inala's, 'Both of us are incredibly greedy too. But our plans don't involve destroying others. The two of us fall under Constructive Greed.'
"What do we do about them?" Grehha asked, "We need to do something to thwart their plans. There's also the problem with Gannala's lifespan. After she dies, our lives would become terrible."
Gannala was the 44th Empyrean Tusk's name. Inala was now aware of it. He frowned as he pondered, "In Sumatra Chronicles, after her death, only twenty remained alive in this settlement. They weren't accepted as refugees by the other settlements."
Even though Empyrean Tusks moved as a herd, they were averse to having Mammoth Clansmen from other Empyrean Tusks live on them. That was because of one primary reason.
A Mammoth Clansmen born on the 44th Empyrean Tusk was considered part of its immune system. To the 43rd Empyrean Tusk, a Mammoth Clansman from the 44th Settlement was a foreign bacterium, not exactly an enemy but not a friend either.
It would be similar to the human body's immune system registering weak bacteria as a powerful enemy and launching a full-scale attack on it. The enemy would be dealt with so swiftly that the white blood cells wouldn't know what to do and hence turn up on the body's cells.
This was what primarily caused rashes.
A foreign Mammoth Clansman living on an Empyrean Tusk would cause it to develop a rash too. It would develop stress trying to ensure its gravitational fields didn't squash him by mistake.
For an Empyrean Tusk's mind, that stress was dangerous. Because it would quickly accumulate and pass over the tipping point, causing the Empyrean Tusk to enter an aggressive state. It would immediately attack the rest of the herd.
Just one foreigner, if cooped up in a house like a prisoner wasn't an issue. But if there were around a dozen, with each moving around like people of that settlement, then things became serious. Twenty survivors from the 44th Settlement were pretty much dangerous If invited into other Settlements.
It was because the Mammoth Clan disliked taking care of someone that didn't contribute. But to contribute, these refugees would have to take up work, meaning they would move throughout the settlement, only adding to the Empyrean Tusk's stress. The reward was nothing while the risks included the possible downfall of more than one Empyrean Tusk.
"Due to that reason, those survivors had to run after the herd and live a life worse than dogs." Inala sighed. Once a Mammoth Clansmen reaches the Body Stage, they would require a lot of resources, most of which could only be produced by their Empyrean Tusk.
Without that, they wouldn't be able to cultivate. Forget cultivation, if the situation progressed for an extended duration, their bones would begin to turn brittle. But it wasn't the Fragment Disease. Their bodies were simply starting to collapse.
"That arc was messed up," Grehha stated in worry, "The survivors faced the Second, Third, and Fourth Minor Crisis in that state. I remember having sleepless nights while reading that arc. The gore was…ugly."
"I stopped reading it for two months," Inala trembled faintly, thinking that they would have to face it next, "Only after the next arc started and I saw comments that things had recovered did I dare read that arc."
"The Mammoth Clan's ugliness would be on full display." Grehha shuddered at the thought, "Eventually, Resha's parents returned with a baby Empyrean Tusk. It accepted them as part of its immune system. Things barely recovered after that."
"I'm working on my goal to ensure I can prolong Gannala's lifespan until the baby Empyrean Tusk arrives," Inala said.
Grehha's eyes lit up, "Right, the Zinger Queen's power…"
"But," He frowned, "You won't have a large enough window after becoming the Zinger Queen to save Gannala. Or rather, I don't think you'll make it on time."
"Which is why I'm allying with you." Inala said in seriousness, "I'll support you with all my strength. And during the First Major Disaster, you'll become my bodyguard."
"In today's fair, all the reincarnates have gained a means of revenue. There aren't any significant opportunities after this for them to reveal themselves." Inala concluded, "So, I fear all of them would be busy holed up in their houses, cultivating and preparing their schemes."
"We won't get any other opportunities to kill them. That's what you're saying, right?" Grehha nodded, "The earliest opportunity is during our graduation. But that's an hour before the First Major Disaster starts. It's too risky to target them in that situation."
"Right, even if we target one reincarnate, we might also be injured in the process." Inala grunted, "If that happens, we'll miss our opportunity. That risk is the reason all schemes will stop until the First Major Disaster starts. But,"
His eyes turned cold, "Once they succeed in their scheme, they'll start hunting everyone else."
"I get what you're saying," Grehha nodded and opened the door, "I'll be your bodyguard. To avoid living through that arc, I'll do my best to help you succeed."
"Same here," Inala nodded, "I'll give my wholehearted cooperation for your success too."
Grehha closed the door and returned to his home. Inala looked around, feeling the silence of the place, "It seems Gannala stopped flailing her tail."
Inala left his home and sat on the ground, closer to the settlement's edge. He observed the vast darkness that stretched beyond, faintly illuminated by the majestic celestial bodies in the sky.
"Gannala, if you're able to hear me, gently slap your tail twice." He muttered after a while.
Immediately in response, the 44th Empyrean Tusk's tail gently slapped its butt twice, just as he had requested. It usually only slapped once, aloud, and that was to deter any Pranic Beast that crept towards it.
As the Empyrean Tusk moving last in the herd, it needed to be attentive about any enemies that might ambush the herd from behind. That was why it continued to make loud sounds using its tail.
Upon hearing the two, soft sounds, Inala laughed, faintly tearing up in happiness, "Ahhh!"
"I'm happy to have been reincarnated to this world. Thank you for tolerating my existence, Gannala. I'll definitely help you survive the First Major Disaster. After all," His face beamed as he stared at one of the celestial planets in the sky that faintly resembled Jupiter, "I dreamed of living a long life in this world."
"Sumatra Chronicles is hype!"