Beast Taming Star Journey

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a musty smell wafted out, mixed with a faint stench of blood, making my stomach churn. The abandoned tavern was dimly lit, dust swirled in the air, tables and chairs were overturned, and the scene was a mess, as if telling the story of a fierce battle that had once taken place here.

“This is where they hold their secret meetings,” I whispered to Su Yao, gripping my sword tightly. Su Yao nodded, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily, her longsword humming softly as if ready for battle at any moment.

An eerie silence hung in the air, a silence that unsettled me, like the calm before a storm. I cautiously stepped inside, each step taken with extreme care, as if afraid of triggering some trap or mechanism.

"Nong Yu, look!" Su Yao pointed to a pile of ashes in the corner, where something seemed to have been burned. I went over to examine it closely and found some remnants of cloth in the ashes, which looked like fragments of some kind of uniform. "It's the uniform of an Iridium Beast Tamer!" I was shocked. It seemed my guess was correct; the Iridium Beast Tamer was indeed one of the traitors.

Just then, a timid voice came from the corner: "I...I know some things..." I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a thin boy huddled in the corner, trembling.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I...I am the Silver Boy. I saw the Iridium Beastmaster and the Platinum Strategist plotting here..." the Silver Boy said haltingly, his eyes filled with fear.

Based on the clues provided by the Silver Boy, I finally pieced together the identities of all the traitors. The Iridium Beast Tamer was responsible for transmitting intelligence, the Platinum Strategist was responsible for formulating the plan, and the Gold Beast Tamer was framed by them. I immediately told Su Yao this news, and we decided to turn the tables and lure the traitors out.

I told the silver-haired boy to continue pretending he knew nothing, while Su Yao and I hid in the shadows, waiting for the traitors to appear. Sure enough, not long after, the Iridium Beastmaster and the Platinum Strategist sneaked into the tavern. They didn't seem to have noticed us and began discussing their next plan.

“We have successfully framed the Golden Beastmaster. Next is…” Platinum Strategist smiled sinisterly. Before he could finish speaking, Su Yao and I rushed out from the shadows and surrounded them.

"You are surrounded!" I said sternly.

The Iridium Beastmaster and the Platinum Strategist's expressions changed drastically; they clearly hadn't expected us to appear here. They tried to resist, but Su Yao and I were far stronger than them, and we quickly subdued them.

"Tell me! Who is the mastermind behind this?" I pressed.

Platinum Strategist's face was pale, his eyes flickering, but he finally revealed the truth. It turned out that they were just small fry; the real mastermind was someone else... I looked at Platinum Strategist, and a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in my heart.

"Who is it?" I demanded.

Just as the strategist was about to speak, suddenly, a sharp arrow shot in through the window and struck him squarely between the eyebrows...

The strategist's body slowly fell, his terrified eyes wide open, unable to utter the name of the mastermind even in death. Damn it! I cursed under my breath, a strong sense of unease rising within me. Who? Who is manipulating all of this from the shadows?

Su Yao excitedly threw herself into my arms, her body pressed tightly against mine, and I could feel her rapid heartbeat. Her burning eyes were filled with adoration for me, and her hot breath tickled my ear. "Nong Yu, you're amazing! I knew you could do it!" she whispered lovingly in my ear, her voice trembling with a hint of fear. I gently held her, feeling the warmth of her body, my heart filled with mixed emotions. While catching these traitors was certainly a relief, the conspiracy hidden behind it all filled me with even greater anxiety.

“We can’t let our guard down,” I patted Su Yao on the shoulder, my tone grave. “The real enemy is still lurking in the shadows.”

Su Yao lifted her head from my embrace, her eyes resolute. "No matter who it is, we must find him!"

The interrogation did not go smoothly. Although we subdued the Iridium Beastmaster and the Palladium Assistant, they refused to reveal any further information. They seemed to be controlled by some force, preferring death to betraying their mastermind. Left with no other option, we had to detain them pending further investigation.

The Beastmaster Jin, his name cleared, gripped my hand tightly, tears of gratitude welling in his eyes. "Nong Yu, thank you! If it weren't for you, I'm afraid..." He choked, unable to speak. I patted his shoulder. "It's alright, it's all over now."

Although the traitor has been identified, the previous battle plan has been completely exposed, and we need to devise a new one. A new challenge—the struggle for the artifact—is also imminent. Time is of the essence; we must act quickly.

I summoned all the trusted Beastmasters and explained the current situation to them in detail. Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with righteous indignation and expressed their willingness to join me in fighting against the mastermind behind it all and seizing the divine artifact. After a heated discussion, we finally devised a new battle plan.

"This mission is extremely dangerous, everyone must be careful." I looked around at everyone, my tone serious. "Our enemy is not only powerful, but also cunning, we must be fully prepared."

Everyone nodded, their eyes filled with determination and confidence. I know this battle will be incredibly arduous, but we have no other choice. To protect our homeland, for the justice we hold dear, we must fight to the very end!

I took a deep breath and looked towards the distant, rolling mountains. There lay the mysterious valley where the legendary artifact resided. Our group headed towards the valley, embarking on a new journey. But as soon as we entered the dangerous jungle, I sensed something strange around me, a feeling of being secretly watched… “Wait,” I abruptly stopped, raising my hand to signal everyone to halt, my eyes scanning the surroundings warily, “It feels like something is watching us…” My voice was low and clear in the silent jungle. A gust of wind blew, rustling the leaves, as if in response to my words…