"Everyone, thank you for joining our celebration, but it's time for our Goddess to rest. It is getting late, and I'm sure she is probably tired already."
The Village Leader announced as he stood up from the table. The sun was already setting, and the Hidden Leaf Village switched to their secondary way of illuminating their cavern— the shiny crystals stuck at its walls, making the cavern feel as if the sky was filled with stars.
When Yiren heard him, she was still playing with the kids and definitely wasn't tired at all. She had the power to play around for the whole night!
"But I'm not sleepy yet," Yiren countered and turned to the kids. "How about you? Do you want to rest already?"
"No!" they called out simultaneously, making Village Leader smile bitterly. He couldn't fight their Goddess, could he?
Thankfully, the golden-haired manager Lisa was there to help him. Compared to Yiren, who spent the whole time playing, Lisa was chatting with the Village Leader about their plans for tomorrow.
"We will depart in the morning, so it is best if we rest early," Lisa explained before suggesting, "If you want, you can play with the kids after we return."
Ah…
"It seems I have to go for now," Yiren said after a deep sigh. "I will come back tomorrow and find you all."
If it was Lisa calling for her, Yiren couldn't help it anymore. She had to respect her sister's wishes.
The kids got momentarily sad, but they weren't that little, able to understand when an adult was busy. Just when they were about to separate, the shy little girl that was clinging to Yiren the whole time called out, "Miss Goddess! Will you come to the Taming Event tonight?"
"Taming Event?" Yiren repeated, interested.
"Yes! It will start soon!" The little girl called out excitedly, "It's a daily event in the arena where we tame Spirit Beasts. My brother will be taming his first beast today. I wanted him to meet you, Miss Goddess. He didn't attend the Celebration as he was busy preparing for his taming."
"Sure! I will come to watch!" Yiren called out without hesitation only to recall the early resting plans and turned to Lisa. "Can I go~?"
"Fine… We will just go for a bit and return," Lisa agreed reluctantly, causing both the little girl and Yiren to exclaim in victory.
"Yes!"
The Village Leader also sighed but then smiled, walking in front of everyone. "If you really want to attend the Taming Event, then let me lead the way for you."
"Let's go!" Yiren called out to the kids as she picked up the little girl into her arms and followed the Village Leader.
Almost everyone who attended the celebration also stood up and gathered with them. It included the kids' parents, elders and various passerby with the group growing bigger the closer they got to the arena. Who wouldn't join them seeing their Goddess at the front of the crowd?
"The Taming method that our youngsters use could be considered standard and doesn't require any power. All of it is based on trust build over time," The Village Leader explained as they walked through the narrow alleys. "After we catch a beast, we bring it back into the Village and let our youngsters feed it. After some time, they will get closer and closer, until the beast knows they are not harmful to it."
"Ohh! That's clever. I just approach the beast and hug it. It usually works for me," Yiren muttered innocently, making everyone amazed.
"Miss Goddess is awesome!" The little girl called out happily, hugging Yiren.
"Unless you are a Master Tamer, it's not really a viable method," Village Leader replied with a bitter smile and turned to everyone before they decide to become the first to try it. "If you don't want to be killed by the beast, please do not try this."
Lisa poked Yiren in the arm and signaled her with the eyes, trying to tell her something. Yiren replied with the same, nodding as if it was apparent. She wasn't stupid to not warn others.
"Yes, yes, you need to be careful. It only works for me because I'm using my special affinity to nature. It won't work for anyone else, so don't try it, or you will get hurt," Yiren followed up with her warning, making all the kids nod eagerly.
The wooden buildings were tightly packed throughout the cavern. All of them had multiple stories to fit all the population inside. If Yiren closed her eyes, she could feel as if she was back at home, making her feel extremely safe and relaxed. Before she knew, they were already in front of the arena.
Compared to their Arena from her Race's Holy Realm, this one was surprisingly quiet. She expected loud noises and cheers, but she realized the purpose was much different. Her own was meant for battles, yet this one was meant for taming where any noise could disturb the Taming Event. After all, any noise could irritate the beast.
"Can we even fit in here?" Yiren questioned quietly as she saw there were barely any seats around the arena.
It was small, barely fifty meters in size, and buried underground with just the top slightly above the ground level. The top was see-though, covered by a thin metal net in case any beast tried to escape.
"Shhh…" the little girl placed her small finger on Yiren's lips, shushing her into silence. "We need to be quiet…"
Everyone seemed to be aware of that as they even walked as soundlessly as possible, approaching the metal net without glancing at the seats. When Yiren and Lisa approached the net, they saw a young man around fifteen years old. He stood in the middle of the arena, facing a black wolf who was more than twice his size.
"It started…" The little girl whispered into Yiren's ear, following the rules even though she seemed really excited. "It's my brother…"
Yiren nodded with a smile, patting the girl on the head and observed the arena. She didn't know what but something felt off.
The young man didn't have any weapon in his hands as he approached the wolf.
"Bolo, it's me. You are free to follow me now. Do you want to leave with me?" The young man asked gently as he finally stopped a few meters away from the wolf, extending his hand to it. "Come."
Grrr…
The wolf growled a bit before stopping, slowly walking forward the youngster while sniffing in his hand direction.
"It's me. Don't worry. I will take you away from here," the youngster assured to which the wolf finally reached his hand, beginning to sniff it around. In the end, the wolf licked him, allowing the youngster to pet him as well.
The young man was delighted, rubbing the wolf under its chin and behind the ears as if it was his pet.
"Another successful taming. Perfect," the Village Leader muttered happily only to be shocked by Yiren's next words.
"No, stop this. This wolf is not tamed at all."
Just as she spoke, the wolf's eyes turned blood red, and it snapped abruptly at the boy's head.
Ahh!
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