Seeing the atmosphere inside the tent and Lia's trembling figure, Bei immediately hurried over and anxiously asked his wife what had happened.
His expression was filled with worry and unease.
The sight surprised Ziqian. This was the first time he had seen the patriarch show such an expression.
When Ziqian first met Xue, the beastman had always been expressionless, almost exactly like the patriarch.
He carried a naturally cold and unapproachable aura that made people instinctively keep their distance. Even when surrounded by others, Xue often looked detached from everything around him, as if there were nothing in the world that could affect him.
At first, Ziqian thought that Xue was difficult to get along with. But after spending more time with him, he slowly realized that Xue was not as he seemed.
He would become angry whenever Ziqian got hurt, turn shy when praised, and silently give in whenever Ziqian insisted on something. He would even sometimes reveal helplessness or frustration.
The more Ziqian got to know him, the more fascinated he became with Xue. It was like opening a tightly locked mystery box to slowly unravel the treasure inside.
And seeing the usually calm patriarch reveal such worry and panic, Ziqian suddenly thought of the saying—like father, like son.
They're not truly cold and unapproachable. It's just that they're only willing to show this side of themselves to a select few people.
Ziqian then turned to look at the quiet man beside him. He could not tell what Xue was thinking.
Ziqian slowly reached out with his uninjured hand and gently held Xue's hand. Xue immediately looked back at him before silently wrapping both of his hands around Ziqian's.
Meanwhile, between suppressed sobs, Lia told Bei everything Ziqian had explained about the true aftereffects of going berserk.
The more Bei listened, the darker his expression became.
He had witnessed countless beastmen lose themselves after going berserk, but this was the first time he learned that the real damage was to the soul itself.
No wonder no medicine had ever worked and those who survived continued suffering afterward.
Lia's shoulders trembled uncontrollably as Bei gently wiped his tears.
"It's all my fault," Lia hoarsely muttered.
Bei immediately pulled Lia closer and gently rubbed his back in reassurance. His movements were in practiced ease, clearly used to comforting his wife.
"It's not your fault," Bei said in a low voice. "No one knew."
But those words did little to calm Lia.
Huo was his son.
As a high priest and a mother, the helplessness he felt right now was killing him.
After a long while, Lia slowly pulled away from Bei's embrace, and his reddened eyes looked toward Ziqian.
At this point, Ziqian had unknowingly become the only hope he could cling to.
Lia clenched his trembling hands tightly before finally speaking in a hoarse voice. He could no longer bear watching Huo writhe in pain.
"Please…" he begged. "Please help Huo."
The desperation in his voice made the entire tent fall silent once more.
Even Bei turned to look at Ziqian quietly.
For a moment, everyone's gaze gathered on him alone.
Ziqian hesitated.
He understood Lia's desperation, but he didn't even know if the single Edea pulp would actually help at all.
The description only stated that it could mend a damaged soul, but it never mentioned how effective a single pulp would be against severe soul damage like Huo's condition.
And because of that, Ziqian could not confidently promise that he could heal Huo.
He didn't want to raise everyone's hopes only for them to be disappointed in the end.
Ziqian actually planned to secretly give the Edea pulp to Huo without telling anyone. That way, if it failed or only helped a little, no one would end up disheartened.
Bei noticed Ziqian's hesitation. He understood that even for Ziqian, who was the god's messenger, this was not an easy problem to solve.
So, instead of pressuring the sub-beast further, Bei decided to ask, "Ziqian, you said that the Edea fruit can be found in the deepest part of a cave beneath the center of the ocean, right?"
"Yes," Ziqian answered softly.
Bei nodded. "Do you have any idea what kind of monster might be guarding it?" he continued asking.
The question immediately made Ziqian look at Bei in surprise.
What did Bei mean by that? Was he actually planning to go there?
Even Lia turned to Bei in shock. "Bei!"
Everyone clearly understood what kind of place the ocean was. Countless terrifying sea monsters lived there, and almost no one who ventured too deep into the ocean ever returned alive.
Bei's expression remained calm. "If there's even the slightest chance to save Huo, then I have to try," he said in a low voice.
Lia's tears, which had already stopped, once again flowed continuously. "But it's too dangerous…" he said breathlessly.
Bei silently tightened his hold on Lia's shoulder before looking back at Ziqian again. "Is there anything else we should know about that place?"
Ziqian stared at Bei, not knowing what to say.
It's not that he didn't want to answer his questions. The problem was that he didn't know anything else.
He just blurted out the information written in the description earlier.
Ziqian lowered his head and bit his lip lightly. "I'm sorry… I don't know," he admitted honestly.
Bei sighed softly and nodded in understanding. He then looked down at Lia, who was still crying in his arms.
"I'll gather the warriors first and ask who would be willing to come with me," he said in a steady voice.
Bei knew how dangerous the journey would be, and he had no intention of forcing anyone to go with him.
He then stood up after kissing Lia's forehead.
Xue also stood up and followed after his father. He was planning to speak with him. The two men were just about to leave the tent when a soft voice suddenly called out behind them.
"W-wait…"
Both of them immediately turned back to look at Ziqian.
Ziqian had hesitated earlier, but seeing how determined the patriarch was, he finally decided to tell them about the Edea pulp he had.
Before Bei risked his life by venturing into such a dangerous place, Ziqian wanted to try using the Edea pulp first.
At the very least, he hoped that it would help ease Huo's pain or stabilize his condition a little. That way, Bei would no longer need to go to the center of the ocean.
Then he would just work hard to complete more quests, earn more points, and buy another one later.
"I have a pulp of Edea," Ziqian confessed.
Ziqian lowered his head slightly before hurriedly explaining himself.
"It's only one pulp. I was afraid it wouldn't help much… so I was originally planning to secretly give it to Huo."
The others immediately understood what he meant.
Lia abruptly stood up and hurried over to Ziqian's side.
"Don't worry, Ziqian," Lia quickly said. His voice was trembling and hoarse from crying. "Let's try it first. We won't be disappointed even if it doesn't work. Please… please."
Ziqian did not hesitate anymore and nodded.
He then immediately acted like he was taking the pulp out from the pouch tied to his side, but he was actually taking it from his inventory.
The moment Ziqian took out the Edea pulp, everyone inside the tent was stunned, even Ziqian himself.
When he read the word "pulp" earlier, the first thing that came to Ziqian's mind was the tiny pulp inside oranges back on Earth.
Because of that, he assumed the Edea pulp was also very small, which was why he had been so worried all this time.
But the item in his hand was completely different from what he had imagined.
He did not expect the Edea pulp to be as large as a fingernail and shaped like a teardrop. It looked more like a soft, translucent crystal than fruit pulp.
It also emitted a faint glow, and a sweet, cool fragrance quietly spread throughout the tent the moment it appeared.
What should I do next? How do I feed this to Huo? Ziqian asked the four guardians.
"Just place it on his lips," Gae answered.
Ziqian carefully moved closer, and using his right hand, he gently brought the Edea pulp toward Huo's lips.
But the moment the pulp touched Huo's lips, it suddenly burst.
Ziqian's eyes widened in panic.
Lia, who was watching closely, also exclaimed in shock. Bei and Xue hurriedly approached them.
But before anyone could react further, the burst pulp did not spill. The translucent juice slowly flowed into Huo's mouth on its own.
A faint glow slowly spread from Huo's lips to the rest of his body. And the sweet and cool fragrance inside the tent became stronger.
Slowly, Huo's painful groans began to subside, and his ragged breathing gradually calmed down. Even the pained expression on his face eased considerably.
Huo would still let out a soft groan from time to time, but his condition had clearly improved.
This visible improvement instantly made Lia feel relief and joy. "Thank you… thank you so much!" he cried as he tightly hugged Ziqian.
Ziqian was caught off guard by the sudden hug, but he still let the high priest cry on his shoulder and awkwardly rubbed his back in comfort.
Finally, Huo was now fine.
Or so he thought.