The following day.
A shrill scream shattered the dawn's tranquillity.
"Madison! What on earth are you doing here?!" Zoe exclaimed in shock.
She had just woken up, hoping to linger a little longer in her boyfriend's embrace, only to discover a new growth of long hair on his neck.
Ruboo couldn't possibly have grown that much hair overnight, especially not golden hair.
She sat up to investigate, only to find Madison nestled snugly beside Ruboo, fast asleep.
Zoe confronted Madison loudly.
Madison, roused from her sweet dreams, showed not a trace of panic.
Under Zoe's murderous glare, Madison rose naturally, clad only in black lingerie that revealed most of her snow-white skin. She stretched lazily before feigning surprise:
"Isn't this my tent? Oh, I must have wandered in by mistake. My apologies, I was so exhausted last night I must have been seeing things. But what a blissful sleep. I do envy you, Zoe."
Hearing this perfunctory excuse and the wolfish ambition seeping through her words, Zoe's eyes widened.
Though she possessed a temperament of patience, it would have been unnatural not to feel anger now.
Sparks flew within the tent as the tension mounted.
Madison's nonchalant remark shattered Zoe's composure: "Ruboo has a rather fine figure. Zoe, what do you reckon? How long do you two think you'll last?"
Zoe froze.
Then, inexplicably, a pang of guilt washed over her.
Only then did Madison "remember" and hastily apologise:
"My apologies, I nearly forgot about your particular circumstances."
"How pitiful."
Though this final exclamation was directed at Zoe, her gaze clearly drifted towards Ruboo.
Zoe noticed this and instinctively lowered her head.
This isn't China.
Unlike certain ill-mannered girls who call themselves 'boyfriends and girlfriends' but deliberately string you along, never letting you get anywhere. Once they've spent enough of your money or found another 'true love', they immediately throw themselves into someone else's arms, insisting they're still pure and innocent.
Here, many get on board first, experience things for themselves, and only then decide whether to pay the fare.
She's quite generous in her ways.
In a situation like Zoe's, where she couldn't even get into the car, most people would have cut ties long ago if it dragged on.
Madison cautioned again, "Mind your step with the women out there. Should they discover Ruboo's merits, they'll snatch him from you without a second thought."
Are you sure you're not talking about yourself?
Zoe shot Madison a speechless glance.
Madison... her expression remained utterly composed.
Her perfectly groomed, slender brows arched as she suddenly leaned close to Zoe's ear, imparting wisdom in the tone of someone who'd been there: "There are other ways, if you'd like me to show you..."
Zoe's cheeks flushed, yet she still listened intently.
As for the earlier questioning and conflict, they had already been largely forgotten amidst Madison's mix of coaxing and persuasion.
And so, between the two women—one teaching, one learning—
Ruboo, who had long since woken but lay feigning sleep to avoid drawing unwanted attention, listened intently.
It must be said, though Madison was the 'bitch' Quinny spoke of,
it felt rather splendid to have a bitch who had one's best interests at heart.
Seeing the two women had finished their chat, Ruboo rose to greet them: "Good morning, ladies."
"Good morning, Ruboo," Zoe and Madison replied in unison.
"What were you chatting about?"
"Nothing at all!"
Zoe answered first, then planted a kiss on Ruboo.
Madison followed suit with a warm cheek-to-cheek greeting.
Zoe's eyes flickered slightly at the sight, but she said nothing more.
What a splendid day!
Though he'd accumulated nearly a month's worth of leisure time, Ruboo couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he basked in the attention,
if only those task quotas didn't exist.
Ruboo shook his head.
He wasn't foolish enough to ask Madison how she'd ended up here dressed so lightly.
He rose, patting both women on the shoulder. "Right then, let's go deal with those corpses."
"Ruboo, head to the crocodile people first!" Madison suddenly interjected.
Ruboo frowned in confusion. "What's the matter?"
"Last night, I heard those men say crocodile men can actually... well, you know. I want to see it for myself, and cut it off while I'm at it," Madison declared, waving her hand excitedly.
"..."
Ruboo moved slightly away from Madison.
He was beginning to reconsider his earlier stance.
Zoe stared at Madison in utter shock. "You want that thing too?"
Madison shot Zoe a look: "You're so easily surprised."
I hear that stuff soaked in liquor has remarkable effects on men. It's actually been passed down from China. Ruboo, you didn't know? Madison turned to Ruboo again, explaining, "Sell it to those Hollywood blokes, and you'll make a killing!"
I've only heard of snake-infused liquor, never of big-dick-infused liquor.
Ruboo admitted his ignorance.
But regardless, Madison isn't some pervert who just takes things back for his collection.
Selling it for profit, swindling those wealthy Hollywood types, is rather a good thing.
Ruboo took Madison to the crocodile men's burial ground.
Zoe accompanied them.
While keeping an eye on Madison, she was also somewhat curious about the crocodile man's anatomy.
Passing Quinny's tent, Madison deliberately shouted to wake him.
The result was a bit of roughhousing, after which all four set off together.
The fiery inferno of the previous night had long since extinguished itself, leaving only charred earth in its wake.
It won't be long before the marshland's formidable regenerative powers restore everything to its former state.
Accompanied by a group of witches eager to see the crocodile men, Ruboo arrived at the hillside where the battle had taken place.
Fortunately, the headless corpse of the crocodile man remained undisturbed.
The commotion of the previous night had long since sent the local wildlife fleeing in panic.
"It really is here!"
Approaching the crocodile man's corpse, Madison paid no heed to the foul stench and filth. Picking up a stick, she performed a series of deft movements and, sure enough, extracted the very thing they had come for.
Zoe and Quinny, though not as direct as Madison, peered over with curiosity.
Having received extensive sex education in American schools from an early age, coupled with cultural influences, they naturally lacked the bashfulness of Eastern girls.
"A bit peculiar, but it certainly ticks all the boxes for that Hollywood crowd's taste for the bizarre," Madison remarked, utterly unfazed.
After all, having scaled one towering peak after another, viewing lesser mountains held little interest.
Coincidentally, Zoe glanced back after observing.
Ruboo straightened his back.
At that moment, he found himself somewhat grateful for the Book of Containment.
Of course.
Ultimately, it was down to his solid foundation.
"Knife."
Madison extended her hand towards Ruboo.
Ruboo snapped back to his senses, glancing at the Paran blade strapped to his waist that had served him so valiantly the night before. He shook his head hastily in refusal.
Such a splendid blade for cutting men down—he intended to keep using it. It mustn't be wasted here.
In the end, Madison took the dagger from Quinny and with one swift motion, placed the trophy into the prepared glass jar.
Now it only awaited soaking in alcohol upon their return.