Chapter 391: Please, Don’t Let Me Go

Roxanna wished she could answer his question, but unfortunately, she was just as clueless as he was.

"If a new Void crack really does appear, will our tribe’s defenses be enough to stop the demon beasts that come out of it?" Roxanna asked hesitantly.

Even as the question left her mouth, she already knew the answer probably wasn’t going to be good.

The Vixeria Settlement barely had any real defenses against something as dangerous as the Void if it appeared in the middle of the settlement.

The only protection they had was the black crystals they had gotten from the Demon Fenrir, and Roxanna had no idea whether those crystals would be enough against an entire wave of demon beasts.

Luan had also mentioned before that Cyrus and Calen’s presence helped keep demon beasts away from their territory.

Apparently, most demon beasts could sense how powerful they were and would rather stay far away than risk entering their territory.

But would that still work if a Void crack suddenly opened nearby?

[I’ve never even witnessed the appearance of a Void for the first time,] Roxanna thought in panic. [Damn it, even the evil Roxanna didn’t seem to care much about this kind of thing.]

In fact, that evil fox had never cared enough to learn about this kind of thing. Even when Loba had tried to teach her more about the Void, she had never bothered to listen.

"We can’t panic right now," Zeir said calmly. "If we panic, we won’t be able to think clearly."

Roxanna knew he was right, but knowing that did little to calm the fear building inside her.

She took a slow breath, then another, trying her best to stop herself from falling into a full panic. Without thinking, she reached for one of her husbands’ hands, needing something to hold on to.

Luan happened to be the closest, so her fingers quickly wrapped around his.

"But what should we do?" Roxanna finally asked. "Isn’t there any way to stop a new Void from appearing?"

Her husbands exchanged glances before shaking their heads at the same time.

"We’ve never seen anyone force a Void to close," Cyrus explained.

Calen nodded in agreement. "That’s true. All we know is that a Void will disappear on its own after three months. But closing one before those three months are over? No one knows how to do that."

Hearing that from Calen made the situation feel even worse.

After all, Calen had spent three whole years observing demon beasts and Voids while serving his old master. If even he had never heard of a way to force a Void to close, then Roxanna had no idea who else would know.

"For now, I’ll tighten the security around the settlement," Zeir said. "We’ll also try to set up as many traps as possible around the area."

Roxanna immediately nodded at his suggestion. "We can also ask Skiv to make more poison. It should be effective against the demon beasts, especially if we use it on the traps."

"That could work," Cyrus agreed. "But we shouldn’t rely on poison alone. Some demon beasts are more resistant to it than others."

"Then we’ll prepare different kinds," Roxanna quickly replied. Her mind was already racing through everything they could possibly do. "Poison, traps, weapons, anything that can give us an advantage."

If they could not stop the Void from appearing, then the only thing they could do was make sure Vixeria was ready when it happened.

"We should also tell everyone in the settlement," Luan suddenly said.

His expression had become serious. "If a Void really opens nearby, everyone needs to know what to do. We can’t wait until demon beasts start appearing before we tell them."

Of course, Luan looked very serious. His old tribe had also been destroyed because a Void suddenly appeared in the middle of the settlement. If something like that happened again, he would probably blame himself even more.

Zeir then nodded. "I agree. We should prepare a place for the females and children first. Somewhere they can hide if the settlement is attacked."

"The underground storage?" Calen suggested.

"No." Cyrus immediately shook his head. "If demon beasts enter the settlement, they could get trapped down there."

Roxanna frowned as she thought about it. They had spent so much time improving Vixeria lately. They had built better huts, planted crops, decorated their homes, and were even preparing a new place for their future children.

Therefore, she refused to let everything they had built be destroyed by a Void.

"We can make an evacuation area farther away from the settlement," Roxanna suggested. "Somewhere hidden, but still close enough that everyone can reach it quickly."

Zeir considered her suggestion for a moment before nodding. "I’ll look for a suitable place tomorrow."

"Then I’ll talk to Skiv," Roxanna said. "We should start making more medicine too, not just poison. If there’s going to be a fight, someone will definitely get hurt."

At least, they had a plan.

It was far from perfect, and there was still no guarantee that any of it would be enough, but at least they were doing something instead of simply waiting for disaster to arrive.

Roxanna was about to say something else when she suddenly felt Luan’s hand tighten around hers.

At first, she thought he was simply trying to comfort her. However, when she looked at him, the words she had been about to say immediately disappeared.

Luan was staring at nothing.

"Luan?" Roxanna called for him, but he did not answer.

His fingers tightened around hers again, much harder this time.

"Luan." Roxanna tugged at his hand. "What’s wrong?"

Still no response.

The others immediately noticed that something was wrong.

Cyrus moved closer. "Luan?"

He reached out, intending to touch Luan’s shoulder, but before his hand could reach him, Luan suddenly turned and hissed.

Cyrus immediately pulled his hand back. "For God’s sake, Luan!" he shouted, staring at him in shock. The cat beastman had nearly bitten him. "What is wrong with you?"

Luan’s eyes widened the moment he snapped back to reality. For a few seconds, he simply stared at everyone around him, looking confused about what had just happened. At least the strange look in his eyes was gone now, and he seemed to have regained some of his senses.

"Sorry, sorry," he quickly apologized to Cyrus. "I was just startled, that’s all."

He rubbed his face in frustration, but Roxanna could tell that it was more than that.

Luan was anxious.

He did not say anything about it, but she could see it in the way his body remained tense and how restless he looked.

"Do you want to get some fresh air?" Roxanna offered gently. "I can come with you."

The news about the new crack was urgent, but right now, Luan was just as important to her. Besides, her other husbands were already discussing what needed to be done to protect the settlement. Roxanna could leave that to them for a while and focus on Luan instead.

Whatever was going on inside his head, she did not want him to deal with it alone.

Still, Roxanna was not sure whether Luan actually wanted her company. Sometimes, when people were overwhelmed, they simply wanted to be left alone.

"Yes," Luan suddenly answered, surprising her. "Please, take me somewhere else. I feel a little cramped in here."

There were indeed too many people inside the hut, but Roxanna had a feeling that was not the only reason Luan felt that way.

"Alright. Let’s go outside." Roxanna stood first and gently pulled Luan up by the hand. Before leaving, she turned toward her other husbands. "I’ll be gone for a while."

Zeir nodded. His eyes briefly moved toward Luan before returning to her. "Be careful."

Roxanna kept holding Luan’s hand as she led him outside.

She did not immediately ask him what was wrong. Instead, she simply took him for a walk around the settlement, hoping that the fresh air and nature would help him calm down.

Roxanna deliberately walked slowly. Luan stayed beside her the entire time, but he was unusually quiet. Every now and then, Roxanna glanced at him, only to find him staring ahead with a distant look in his eyes.

She wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but she held herself back.

If Luan wanted to talk, she would listen. But for now, she thought it might be better to give him some time.

After walking around the settlement for a while, Roxanna eventually led him toward the large tree near the wine warehouse.

The place was far enough from the other huts to give them some privacy, but still close enough to the settlement that Roxanna did not feel worried about being alone there.

"Let’s sit here," she said softly.

Luan nodded and then they sat beneath the tree, their backs resting against its thick trunk. Roxanna finally released his hand, but Luan immediately reached for it again.

"Please don’t let me go," Luan suddenly said. He took a deep breath before turning toward her. "Roxanna, I... I’m scared."