Chapter 361 – Tantan and Tamina
A day later at noon, a lady with a high ponytail returned to the mansion and stopped in front of Anda's room.
She knocked on the door several times, calling out Anda's name. But there was no response.
"That's strange… Yesterday she told me to come back today. Why isn't she answering?" the lady muttered, frowning slightly.
As she stood there pondering, a small movement caught her eye. Glancing down, she spotted a squirrel sitting near her feet, its big fluffy tail flicking in mild irritation. Startled, she instinctively took a few steps back.
A demonic squirrel? Where did it come from? How did it even get into the mansion? Oh… right. There's no array formation protecting this place. Any small demonic beast could probably sneak in easily.
Once she noticed it wasn't giving off a threatening aura, she relaxed.
"Whew… just a weak little squirrel. It doesn't look dangerous, but I should still chase it out before it scurries around and makes a mess," she said aloud to herself.
The squirrel, who had been quietly observing her all this time, suddenly twitched her ears at the insult. Her small eyes narrowed, and she puffed out her chest indignantly.
"What a rude comment! Who gave you the right to call this princess weak? Do you even know who my master is? Insult me again, and my master will make sure you regret it!" Tantan scolded, her tiny voice sharp and full of authority.
Eh? This demonic squirrel can use sound transmission? Tamina blinked in mild surprise. That means it's most likely a spirit beast… but whose? Don't tell me Anda just tamed this weak little thing? Is this what she wanted to show me? Are pandas friends with squirrels now?
"Stinky lady, why are you staring at this princess like that? Never seen a cute squirrel before? Hmph! Who are you anyway? Why are you sneaking around like this?" Tantan scolded, crossing her tiny arms and tapping a paw on the floor in irritation.
She was loving the sound transmission ability. Finally, she could speak directly to these clueless humans instead of relying on gestures or expressions.
The lady froze, her polite smile twitching at the edges. Stinky lady? Do I… actually stink?
Discreetly, she brought a hand to her sleeve and sniffed. Hah… maybe I do smell a bit earthy. All that digging must've left the scent clinging to me. Ugh, I've probably gotten so used to it I don't even notice anymore.
The lady standing there, fretting over her scent, was none other than Tamina. With a top-grade spirit stone mine on the island, most of her time lately had been spent practicing her excavation skills, painstakingly prying spirit stone chunks from the earth.
And now this squirrel's calling me stinky. Great.
Wait a second… Tamina blinked a few times. The way this squirrel talks… why does it feel oddly familiar?
"Little squirrel, did Anda bring you here?" she asked with a polite tone and a smile, deciding to humor the tiny creature.
"Anda? Oh, the panda lady. Yeah, she brought us here yesterday. Now she's probably sleeping with her husband in this room. We must not make her mad, you know, so stop peeking and go away."
Tantan waved her tiny paw dismissively, as if shooing a servant.
Tamina stood there dumbfounded, the squirrel's words settling into her mind.
Anda's husband… has arrived?
I see. The husband she kept bragging about endlessly… so he's finally here. Congratulations, Anda. Good for you.
A warm smile tugged at Tamina's lips. She felt genuinely happy for Anda. Since arriving in this place, Anda had been her closest friend. They had shared so many conversations and struggles together. She knew how much Anda longed to reunite with her husband.
Despite Lapin's extraordinary abilities, the continent was vast, so finding someone was very challenging. They could've been hidden from the open sky, out of reach of the celestial cloud's visual range. She wouldn't be surprised if Senior Lapin failed to find them even after so many years.
"Little squirrel, are you Leyvi's spirit beast then? That's odd. Anda once told me her husband had a small monkey, not a small squirrel. Are you his new spirit beast? What's your name?" Tamina asked curiously, crouching slightly to get on Tantan's level.
"Hmph! Why would this princess lower herself to become that country bumpkin's spirit beast?" Tantan replied, puffing out her tiny chest proudly. "My master is far superior! He grants this princess's every wish when possible. And for your information, my name is Tantan. A beautiful name my master gave me, combining his name and his fiancée's. Remember it well, for we shall be living together for some time."
Tamina's brow arched slightly in amusement. "So you're called Little Tantan? What a cute name. Hehe." Her smile softened as she tilted her head. "Where did you learn to talk like this? It reminds me of someone."
"Of course it does! This princess copied it from my master. Speaking like this makes one feel confident and strong!" Tantan announced with utter conviction. "This princess highly recommends it. You should try it sometime."
Tamina's lips curved into a wry smile as she resisted the urge to laugh. Confident and strong? Maybe… but it also makes people think you're unbearably arrogant. Does she even realize?
She shook her head inwardly. Still, it's… cute in its own way, I suppose.
"Well, I was raised to be polite, so I'm probably not suited to talking like that," Tamina said with a gentle smile. Then her tone brightened as an idea struck her. "Oh right, Little Tantan, why don't you bring me to your master? I'd love to meet all the newcomers who just arrived here."
"Nope. Not now." Tantan crossed her tiny arms and made a big "X" gesture with her hands, her fluffy tail twitching. "My master is in a deep sleep. He seemed really tired from all the journeys he had gone through so far. No sign of him waking up anytime soon."
"Oh, I see," Tamina replied with understanding. "So that's why you're wandering around, huh? Are you bored?"
Tantan tilted her head slightly but didn't deny it.
A playful glint appeared in Tamina's eyes. "How about I take you on a little adventure then? Let's go walk around the town. It may look ruined now, but there are still many interesting things hidden beneath the surface. We can even dig for treasures. I've found some pretty amazing old relics buried underground a couple of times already."
The moment she mentioned digging and treasure, Tantan's eyes lit up like two sparkling gemstones. Her little claws flexed unconsciously as an excited shiver ran through her.
Digging? Treasures? Ohhhh! As a squirrel, she had spent plenty of time digging—whether it was to hide from predators, store food, or just for fun. But ever since her life had changed completely and she became a demonic beast, she hadn't done any real digging. The idea made her fluffy body itch with excitement.
Without another word, Tantan hopped onto Tamina's shoulder, gripping her hair lightly for balance. "Alright! This princess shall honor you with my company! Lead the way, stinky—I mean, nice lady. Let's dig up all the treasures we can find!"
Tamina chuckled softly at the sudden promotion from "stinky lady" to "nice lady." Just like that, she found herself with an unexpected digging partner as they headed out together.
---
Another day slipped by.
Leyvi and Anda were still completely lost in each other, their passion showing no signs of slowing down. What started as tender lovemaking to fulfill their long-suppressed desires had evolved into something far more intense.
As round after round passed, their intimacy morphed into their familiar "night battle"—a heated contest where both sought to overwhelm the other with pleasure until one could no longer endure and faint.
Yet no matter how fiercely Anda fought, no matter how many tactics she switched between, she could never topple Leyvi. Again and again, it was she who succumbed, her body trembling in bliss as her eyes rolled back from sheer ecstasy.
But Anda was not the type to surrender. Each time she regained consciousness, she tried anew, adjusting her methods and storing every bit of data in her mind. If she could not win alone, she would strategize and bring her findings to the harem's next "campaign" against their seemingly invincible husband.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion's grounds, Tamina and Tantan had resumed their little adventures. Confident that Dastan was still sound asleep and wouldn't be needing her, Tantan eagerly followed Tamina out to scavenge and dig through the ruins of the old port town once again.
Their teamwork had improved after yesterday's excursion. Tamina's patient excavation skills paired surprisingly well with Tantan's natural digging instincts. The two had discovered all sorts of odd trinkets, buried relics, and even a few valuable spirit stones among the debris.
---
After over two days of deep sleep, Dastan finally stirred awake as sunlight streamed through the window. He stretched his limbs wide with a satisfying crack of his joints, feeling more refreshed than he had in years.
"Daa hahaha! This prince feels rejuvenated! When was the last time this prince had such a divine sleep? Truly, a proper bed is the greatest treasure in this world!"