"Master William!"
Before William even approached, the fox girl on guard had already noticed William's striking figure with his dark obsidian demon scales.
"Yeah, you don't need to mind me. I just came to find someone to ask a question. Carry on with your duties."
"Yes."
Several fox girls nodded slightly, then turned back to continue carefully observing the wind and grass outside the tribe.
William looked around and finally found a fox girl who appeared quite sophisticated among these guards.
"Do you know which part of the fox tribe's fence is most vulnerable and requires the most personnel?"
The fox girl being questioned looked tense, her tail drawn close and her ears slightly lowered, just like Marigold when she tried to hide her nerves. For fox girl who normally radiated elegance, that vulnerable look was disarmingly charming. William found it incredibly cute.
Looking at this fox girl, William was already thinking about whether to mention to the Tribe Elder on his way back to let her serve under Marigold's command.
Though Marigold was his personal knight, she had no subordinates under her command, which was somewhat embarrassing for a commander position.
Since she was his subordinate, William naturally wouldn't let Marigold suffer such indignity.
"Um, that, this..."
The mature fox girl became nervous for a moment and even stuttered slightly, drawing the attention of other fox girls. It seemed quite rare to see this particular fox girl show such a nervous, flustered expression.
Seeing her stutter speechlessly, William consoled her. "Don't be nervous, i'm not gonna eat you. Speak slowly."
Though this seemed to William to carry a very gentle tone, it sounded extremely cold and deep to these fox girls, like a heavy hammer striking their hearts.
The mature fox girl thought her appearance had displeased William, and her delicate body trembled with fear. If not for her excellent psychological fortitude, she would have surely wet herself.
Arisu and Alice understood the mood William conveyed when speaking because they often spent time with William, and after the other fox girls received explanations from them, they also understood William's speaking tone and wouldn't be frightened.
As for Serena and Marigold, the former regarded William as a deity, while the latter had directly given herself to him. No matter what tone William used, they wouldn't be afraid.
As soon as William's words emerged, the other fox girls who'd been secretly peeking immediately withdrew their gazes, not daring to look again for fear of being caught by William on the spot.
"Yes! Master William, the weakest location is in the northeast!"
"Okay, thank you." William gently nodded, then turned and spread his demon wings, flying away.
After William left, the mature fox girl collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
She murmured with slight lingering fear, "As expected of Master William. Just one sentence made me feel like the pressure of a mountain. I truly admire Sister Arisu and Sister Alice, who serve Master William daily."
Meanwhile, on the other side, after William learned the information he wanted, he quickly flew to the village northeast.
Upon reaching his destination, William immediately came to the fence where numerous fox girls stood guard. These fox girls saw William's arrival and instantly knelt on one knee, bowing to him.
Seeing this, William hurriedly called out to them. "Stop, stop, stop! All of you stand up quickly. I don't like you worshipping me like this. Perhaps other races' guardians require such formalities, but on my job, no such rules need exist. Just greet me casually when you see me."
When these fox girls heard this, they glanced at each other before finally standing from the ground hesitantly.
Among them, the captain of these fox girls stepped forward and carefully asked William, "May I ask what brings Master William here this time? Have we done something wrong that needs correction?"
"Oh, nothing wrong at all. I actually came here this time to help reduce your burden. I specifically found the fox girls guarding the north, and I heard from them that this is the weakest location in the fox tribe's defensive positions."
Hearing this, the fox girl captain nodded. "Yes, Master William. Because this is the weakest location, the number of people the Tribe Elder sent to this side is also the greatest."
"Alright, then you, as captain, go and have half of the young fox girls and half of the experienced fox girls step out from the team. The rest will stay here with you to guard, and I'll reassign the others to different guard positions."
As he spoke, William flew outside the wall, then found a location and extracted the Devourer Seeds. Using his claws, he dug a small hole, planted the seeds directly, and buried them with soil.
Great Sage's voice suddenly sounded in William's mind.
«Query: Please designate growth direction for Devourer plants.»
"Spread horizontally toward the east so it can form a protective perimeter," William said.
«Acknowledged. Implementation commencing.»
As soon as the Great Sage finished saying this, the Devourer Seeds pulsed once like tiny beating hearts before splitting open. Thick petals pushed outward, unfolding slowly like a yawning jaw. Their color was striking: a deep, shadowy purple at the center that gradually faded into a pale, ghostly white toward the tips.
When fully opened, the massive flower looked mesmerizing. Each petal had a smooth, fleshy sheen, trembling ever so slightly as if responding to the air… or listening for footsteps.
They appeared harmless to humans and animals at a glance, beautiful blossoms resting peacefully along the ground and clinging to the wall. But up close, the unsettling details surfaced between the petals were rows of fine, interlocking teeth, barely visible unless the light hit them.
The base of the flower twitched periodically, like something restraining its hunger. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted from them, an enticing scent meant to draw curious creatures closer.
If an intruder or unrecognized presence approached within a certain radius, the entire demeanor of the flower shifted in an instant.
The petals snapped backward like jaws opening wide. A clicking sound burst from inside, sharp, rhythmic, predatory. Dark red veins surfaced along the petals, pulsing with violent energy. And the flower would lunge several meters forward fast, heavy, and brutally precise.
The transformation was so sudden it felt like witnessing two completely different organisms. Noticing the flowers dotting the floor and walls, one fox girl leaned toward the other, her voice barely above a whisper.
"When this magic plant blooms, it looks a lot like Chomper, which I used to play in the game Plants vs. Zombies." William was shocked when, in devouring mode, this unassuming and beautiful magic plant drastically transformed into something terrifying.
"Sister… do you know what these magic plants are?"
The other fox girl's nose twitched slightly as she keenly smelled the floral aroma from these flowers. The scent emitted by them made her want to approach and lick them. But thinking that William said this was to replace some of them for guarding the northeast defense, she also knew these flowers were genuinely dangerous.
"I don't know, but what Master William produced from his hands, if we all knew about it, wouldn't that be strange?"
"I suppose you're right..."
Just as the two fox girls were talking, suddenly the tops of their heads hurt, making them crouch on the ground with covered heads.
"You two, what are you chattering about? Master William is still here, be serious!"
Without them noticing, a fox girl had appeared behind them both. The pain they just felt on their heads was because this girl's fist had struck them.
Seeing who it was, the two fox girls immediately fell silent, lowering their heads and sticking out their tongues.
"Sister Rika, we were wrong..."
"Pay attention next time." The fox girl called Rika rolled her eyes at them. Clearly, she knew these two fox girls' personalities very well.
They always claimed they'd be more careful next time, but ended up repeating the same mistake. Still, these two were her precious sisters-in-arms. In the end, she could only surrender with a helpless smile.