Even just half a piece of dry, hard roast at, a mouthful of warm water, she would waver.
When that mont cos, she will have to bow her head.
Realizing this, Seraphina Caldwell wasn’t worried anymore.
The nerves that had been tense suddenly relaxed.
She understood that panic was useless, and anger couldn’t change the current situation.
Since the opponent had already made up his mind to drag it out, she couldn’t lose her composure first.
Calmness was the most needed thing at the mont.
As long as she remained clear-headed, there was still a chance.
She turned her back on Silas Shaw, walked to the innermost part of the cave, and sat down on that worn beast skin.
The beast skin had long been worn, its edges curled up, exuding an old fishy sll.
But she didn’t care, she just gently brushed away the dust on the surface and sat cross-legged.
She neither looked at him nor spoke.
Her eyes were slightly closed, her eyelashes drooping, and there was no expression on her face.
To compete with a madman?
It’s aningless.
It would only exhaust herself.
She knew Silas Shaw too well.
He seed calm, but was actually obsessively close to madness.
Once he decided on sothing, not even nine oxen could pull him back.
Reasoning with him?
Useless.
Instead of wasting energy fighting against soone who wouldn’t listen.
Better to save that energy for sothing truly useful.
Impulsiveness would solve nothing, it would only make her fall quicker into the trap he set.
Silas Shaw stared at her lonely back, the stubbornness in his eyes slightly softened.
But he still had no plans to let her go.
His heart trembled slightly.
But that mont of hesitation lasted only an instant.
He told himself, this was for her own good.
As long as the bonding was completed, she would gain protection and wouldn’t be humiliated by other beastfolk.
So, no matter how resistant she was now, he couldn’t be soft-hearted.
He was silent for a while, his voice softening again.
"Seraphina, I’ll get you so roast at. Think about it, don’t disappoint when I co back."
He took a few steps closer, then stopped.
Seraphina neither turned back nor made a sound.
Her silence itself was a response.
I hear you, but I won’t change my mind.
Eating that piece of roast at would only make her more reliant on him.
She would rather starve than let him think she was starting to compromise.
The mountain wind swept into the cave, carrying a moist chill.
This silence was more piercing than any rebuttal.
Silas Shaw stood there, looking at her back, his Adam’s apple rolling, but he ultimately said nothing more.
He wasn’t angry, he just turned and left.
He knew her temper and was prepared for a long standoff.
Anger wouldn’t solve the problem.
Especially when facing soone like Seraphina who would rather break than bend.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
This cave was like a cage he wove for her.
Outsiders couldn’t co in, and she couldn’t go out.
Once the door closed, the cold wind rushed into the cave with the moist air from the cliff, causing her hair to dance wildly.
The simple door made of rough wood and chains fell with a clang.
In an instant, a gust of cold wind slamd into the cave.
Her black hair was lifted, wildly flying in the air, with a few strands brushing her cheek, causing an itch.
The damp, cold air seeped into her collar, making her shiver involuntarily.
She leaned out and looked down.
Her heart sank to ice.
All she could see was endless void and roiling clouds.
She had already been trapped in the cracks of the abyss.
The cave was wedged in the middle of a cliff, with not even a stone outside to step on.
The cave entrance was suspended, with a bottomless rift below.
Not to ntion a foothold, there wasn’t even a protrusion to leverage.
If she jumped down, the only end would be smashed to pieces.
Looking down, the clouds swallowed the bottom, faint sounds of water were heard, but the end wasn’t visible.
She held her breath, focused on listening.
Indeed, from deep down ca the sound of flowing water.
She raised her head, her gaze following the rock wall upward until her neck ached.
The rock wall was as if cut by a knife, smooth and vertical, almost without any points to cling to.
Not to ntion her, even a monkey would struggle to climb such a steep wall bare-handed.
"It’s impossible to escape even with wings..."
She finally understood why Silas Shaw dared to leave her alone in the cave.
Because he knew she couldn’t escape at all.
Seraphina bit her lower lip, feeling weak inside.
Fear never disappeared, it was just forcibly suppressed by her.
She wasn’t afraid of death, but feared powerlessness.
Silas Shaw was right.
It was a fact she had to admit.
He indeed had her lifeline in his grasp.
Without him, she couldn’t leave this cliff.
Silas Shaw held the only key.
Her forr husbands never liked her.
Those brief marriages were never out of love.
And she was always the dispensable "substitute".
Once soone more suitable appeared, she would be rcilessly abandoned.
Her existence was never truly cherished.
Knowing she was captured by Silas Shaw, they might even secretly rejoice.
They were probably hiding in their territories, drinking and celebrating.
They wouldn’t feel guilty, nor see the need to rescue her.
To them, Seraphina was a burden.
And Silas Shaw was a strongman who could take on this burden.
As long as she agreed to the bonding, they would feel it’s easier.
Why bother rescuing her?
Bonding ant she would completely belong to Silas Shaw, with no ties to them.
Besides, Silas Shaw was nearing the Blue Rank.
Blue Rank was a symbol of strength among the Beastfolk.
Entering this realm ant having far superior strength and speed than ordinary people.
Ordinary beastfolk encountering a Blue-level strongman wouldn’t have the courage to resist.
And her forr husbands, at most Yellow Rank Peak, had a substantial gap.
Would they really co to rescue her?
They likely didn’t even qualify to approach this cliff.
Silas Shaw’s cave was not only located dangerously, but also had multiple traps he set up.
Other beastfolk approaching without permission would be noticed imdiately.
Once the defenses were triggered, they would face an enraged Blue-level beastman.
Who would dare to gamble their life?
Maybe... they couldn’t wait for her to be tied to Silas Shaw, to get relief early.
She smiled bitterly, a trace of sorrow flashing in her eyes.
Once, she fantasized they would rember old tis.
But reality cruelly told her, no one cared about her life or death.
Seraphina contemplated for a long ti.
She finally realized, relying on others was less reliable than relying on herself.
Instead of waiting and hoping for those people to rescue her.
Waiting was the most passive choice.
And being passive ant being at others’ rcy.
She couldn’t entrust her fate to those who didn’t care about her.
Better to act herself, and take a chance.
Retreating was an impasse, advancing might lead to survival.
Last ti after swallowing that Beast Crystal, her body had clearly changed.
In the following days, she always felt a stream of heat flowing inside, her strength quietly growing.
At first, she thought it was an illusion.
Until one day, when she easily moved a giant stone that previously required two people, she realized her body was truly changing.
Stones she couldn’t lift before could now be raised with one hand.
An azure-gray stone, half a person’s height, weighing at least three hundred pounds.
In the past, she struggled even to push it.
But that day, she just casually lifted it single-handedly, holding it overhead steadily.
Her strength was undergoing a qualitative leap.
This cliff, maybe... wasn’t that desperate.
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