Chapter 164
Bai Tu was unaware that Bai An and the others were aggressively advertising about the egg incubation issue. He was focused on studying the paper produced by the tribe.
This time, they had more raw materials, so they weren’t limited to making just one type like before. Bai Tu ultimately decided on two kinds:
One was of normal thickness, mainly for recording purposes. The other was thicker, similar to small cards, meant to replace the wooden tags that everyone carried.
Using thick cards for identification had the advantage of allowing stamps to be applied. Even if people couldn’t recognize handwriting, the stamps would help distinguish between genuine and fake IDs. This was especially useful for those from different tribes who weren’t familiar with each other but had ties to their tribe.
For example, the Black Hawk Tribe and the Yellow Lion Tribe—one was in the Southern Continent and the other in the Eastern Continent. Normally, they wouldn’t have any chance to meet. Now, some of the Lion Tribe members, like Shi Su and those who frequently traveled, recognized the Feather Tribe members temporarily residing in their area. However, for most people, their familiarity was only surface-level. If they encountered each other outside, it wouldn’t be easy to recognize one another—even for those who had met before, let alone those who hadn’t.
With ID cards, they could use the same verification method as they did at the market, making it easier to identify their own people.
To make the cards more convenient to carry, Bai Tu encased them in a layer of glass and sealed them with specially colored beeswax. This way, even if someone tried to forge them, it would be impossible to create an exact replica. Both the stamp and the glass casing were difficult to reproduce for anyone outside their tribe.
Just as they had finished making a batch of these standardized cards, Bai Tu suddenly thought of another use for them.
“How about making meal tickets?” Bai Tu asked Lang Qi, holding up a paper card.
“Meal tickets?” Lang Qi glanced at the small piece of paper. Bai Tu had been working on these things a lot lately. Though he had never heard of “meal tickets” before, it wasn’t the first time Bai Tu had introduced a new term. So, after hearing it, Lang Qi began considering what kind of item it might be.
“It’s similar to an ID card—also a card—but we can call it a meal card. The date will be written on it, so beastmen temporarily staying in our tribe can bring their meal tickets directly to the cafeteria for food.”
Right now, to prevent outsiders from taking advantage, beastmen from other tribes or those still in the observation phase had to be accompanied by their squad leader or a host from their group when going to the cafeteria. Otherwise, they had to notify the cafeteria staff in advance, which was inconvenient either way.
With meal cards, things would be much simpler. As long as the beastmen carried them, the cafeteria staff would immediately understand the situation. Lang Qi imagined the scenario Bai Tu described and nodded. “Should we use stamps?”
“Yes,” Bai Tu nodded. “Let’s prepare them together.” The stamps for meal tickets, ID cards, and IOUs all needed unique designs—something that clearly represented their tribe while differentiating the various uses.
After thinking for a while, Bai Tu decided not to make the designs too complex. If they were too intricate, people wouldn’t remember them, making the effort pointless. The circular stamp would have the tribe’s new name in the center, the year of issuance on top, and the purpose at the bottom.
To avoid making things too difficult for the stamp carvers, Bai Tu refrained from adding unnecessary details.
Everything was ready—except for the new tribe name.
Bai Tu had been struggling with the naming issue for a long time. The tribe had narrowed it down to two options: Hundred Beasts Tribe and Fierce Beasts Tribe. Bai Tu preferred the first one because it symbolized inclusivity, like the saying “all rivers flow into the sea.” However, some beastmen felt it wasn’t imposing enough and preferred the second option. The final decision would be made through a vote once all the tribe members returned.
This year, Bai Tu didn’t go to the market. Most of the goods they needed to exchange had already been traded, and since a group had left with Bai An, the number of people going to the market was significantly lower than before.
Previously, several tribes had sent a total of 400–500 people to the market, but this time, the number had been cut in half. It wasn’t just their tribe—other tribes had sent fewer people as well.
Since Bai Tu and Lang Qi stayed in the tribe, the task of trading for salt fell to Bai Chen.
Bai Chen hadn’t gone to the market last year or this year, but he was still very familiar with it—after all, he had gone almost every year for the past decade.
This time, they brought a significant amount of medicine, all carefully prepared by Bai Tu and other sub-beasts in the tribe. The medicine was ready to use as soon as it was received, making it incredibly convenient. Not only did it eliminate the need to seek help from a shaman, but it was also far cheaper than what the shamans used to charge. A single dose only required a small amount of food in exchange.
Bai Chen took Bai Qi, Lang Ze, and Lang Ya to the market, while Bai Tu and Lang Qi stayed behind to guard the tribe. With so many people gone, the tribe felt noticeably empty, making it impossible to gather enough votes for the tribe’s name decision—they would have to wait until both groups returned.
“I hope the chiefs will bring some people over to learn farming and animal domestication,” Bai Tu murmured to himself.
The shift from hunting to livestock raising was inevitable. The later this transition happened, the higher the risk of food shortages. Hunting was too dependent on external factors—bad weather or the absence of prey near the tribe could mean starvation.
Bai An and the others had mentioned this problem before. They had seen many tribes disappear from one year to the next—some due to attacks from the Black Forest Tribe, but many simply starved or were forced to submit to other tribes in search of food.
The more beastmen who learned farming and livestock raising, the more people could have full stomachs. Bai Tu didn’t want to see anyone go hungry.
Animal domestication had another benefit: it reduced environmental damage. If everyone continued hunting recklessly, the entire Beast God Continent’s wildlife would eventually be wiped out, and by then, it would be too late to adjust their way of life.
By raising livestock, they could cultivate the necessary pasture themselves. The continent had an abundance of grass and land—so as long as the population didn’t grow exponentially, there would be more than enough food and livestock to sustain everyone.
Bai Tu hoped Bai An would bring back a good number of people, but he never expected the actual number to be several times higher than he had estimated.
There were about a hundred tribes scattered between their territory and the intersection of the Eastern and Western Continents. Most of them were small tribes, as larger tribes preferred to stay closer to the market for convenience in trading twice a year. The strongest tribes occupied resource-rich areas.
Tribes on the continent’s edges often struggled with food shortages, and most of them had fewer than a hundred members.
Initially, Bai Tu and Bai An had agreed on a recruitment ratio of 50:1—tribes with fewer than 100 members could send one or two people, while larger tribes could send an additional person for every 50 members. Their rough estimate was that they could bring back around 60 to 70 people, and if things went poorly, maybe only 20 or 30.
But now, looking at the crowd, it was clear they had far exceeded their calculations.
“Tu, these are the young ones,” Bai An pointed to one of the groups. Before they had set out, Bai Tu had told them there would be a cap on adult recruits—but no limit on children.
Bai Tu stared at the nearly 200 young beastmen in front of him, momentarily speechless.
Did the chief go to trade for supplies or to bring back young ones? They were only gone for a few days, yet he brought back so many children.
Bai Tu felt somewhat relieved that Bai An was the chief of the Snow Rabbit Tribe. If he had been from the Red Eagle Tribe, he might have managed to convince a bunch of beastmen to willingly hand over their young.
Bai Tu had indeed mentioned that if any tribe was willing to send their young, they could bring them back—mainly because he worried that some tribes wouldn’t have enough food for the winter and might abandon their weaker children.
However, he hadn’t expected Bai An to bring back this many.
But since they were already here, and they were just children, Bai Tu waved his hand and arranged for them to stay in the tribe.
There were fewer adult beastmen who came to learn—just over fifty. The children were all around ten years old, an age where they could both learn and play. Of course, Bai Tu wasn’t going to let them just idle around. This was the perfect age for learning, so he placed them near the adult beastmen to learn alongside them.
With nearly three hundred new arrivals, the Eagle Tribe members had to rearrange their living spaces to make room. Bai Tu was already considering building a few new housing units after winter—there simply wasn’t enough space.
Most of the tribe’s beastmen had returned, and on the very day the market group came back, light snow began to fall.
The first thing the returning beastmen did was rush into their rooms to warm up. Bai Chen, however, didn’t go straight home—he first met with Bai Tu and Bai An to report on the situation. Meanwhile, Lang Ya went to find Lang Qi.
This time, the market was unusually quiet. Many tribes had begun to notice a decline in available prey, so to save food during travel, multiple tribes teamed up to send a single group to trade for salt.
This method had its benefits, as only one group needed to provide rations. However, it was also risky—each member carried large amounts of food, making them easy targets for rogue beastmen.
Surprisingly, no one encountered any rogue beastmen along the way. It was possible that the previous market cleanup had scared them off. That was at least one piece of good news.
In past years, after trading for salt, many groups would stay at the market for a day or two. But this time, almost every group left as soon as they had their salt. The sooner they returned, the less food they wasted.
Previously, Bai Tu had taught several tribes how to grow corn and other crops. Some had already harvested a batch, while others hadn’t even started—after all, farming required a significant workforce, and some tribes were reluctant to divert so much labor before seeing results.
Now, after the rainy season, the tribes that hadn’t planted any crops could only watch enviously as others reaped their harvests.
While crops didn’t taste as good as meat, they still filled empty stomachs. Many tribes had even brought corn along on their journey to the market.
Easy-to-grow, high-yield crops like corn and melons became extremely popular. Melons, in particular, could bear fruit in just a few months and had an abundant yield, making them a favorite among the tribes.
Even though some crops had become so common that they could no longer be used for valuable trades at the market, people were still happy—because at least they had food for themselves.
The food shortage was a serious problem for the salt-trading tribes. These tribes relied on trading salt for food, but with food supplies running low, its value had increased. The same amount of food could now be exchanged for more salt—but conversely, the same amount of salt could buy much less food.
Every beastman who came to trade carried the survival of their entire tribe on their shoulders. In the end, the amount of salt they obtained was at least one-third less than expected. Many tribal chiefs and team leaders wore worried expressions.
But there was nothing they could do. Even if they hadn’t gotten enough food, they had to return quickly. The cold weather made travel difficult, and the longer they delayed, the greater the risk.
In the past, many tribes had to transport food back in multiple trips, but this year, within just two or three days of the market opening, many had already left.
“When we left, there were hardly any people left at the market,” Bai Chen reported. Per Bai Tu’s instructions, they had stayed a few extra days to observe. They originally estimated they’d need about seven days, but by the third day, the market was nearly deserted.
“Did you find out where the salt-trading tribes are located?” Bai Tu asked. Their tribe currently wasn’t lacking in salt, but the coastal areas had other valuable resources.
His plan was to establish cooperation with those tribes so that, in addition to producing salt, they could also catch fish. He could help research better processing methods, allowing these tribes to trade sea fish with others for supplies.
People on Beast God Continent generally disliked eating fish, mainly because of the bitter gallbladder. Most didn’t know how to remove it, and some didn’t even bother descaling the fish, which made the taste unappetizing.
However, fish actually tasted great when prepared correctly—it could be a delicacy. Additionally, the coastal areas could support the farming of seaweed, crabs, and shrimp.
Thinking about all the delicious seafood, Bai Tu was already craving it. But before any cooperation could be established, he needed to find out the exact location of these tribes. Otherwise, they would only meet twice a year at the market, which was too long a wait.
“We found out. When they saw our tribe and recognized Qi, they directly told us their location. Quan and a few Black Hawk Tribe members followed them back,” Bai Chen reported.
Everyone still vividly remembered the events of the previous market gathering and deeply trusted the leading tribes. Upon seeing Bai Qi and Xiong Tuan, they had no doubts and readily agreed to cooperate.
Of course, they had caught sea fish before. Whenever they couldn’t trade for food or ran out of supplies, they relied on the sea for sustenance.
However, fishing wasn’t easy. Even beastmen who were skilled swimmers had to resurface frequently, while fish were incredibly agile in water. Catching just a few fish often took an entire day.
Moreover, fishing was considered a dangerous task—many beastmen had lost their lives trying to catch fish. Bai Chen addressed this concern when he proposed cooperation and introduced a tool that Bai Tu had taught the tribe to make: fishing nets.
The nets were made from tough plant fibers. By holding onto the attached ropes, the nets wouldn’t easily be washed away by strong currents. The beastmen could stake wooden posts into the shoreline and secure the nets to them. Once the waves passed, they could simply pull the nets back in.
This method was not only highly efficient but also significantly safer—far better than having beastmen dive in, catch fish, and swim back up.
Since the coastal tribes already trusted the Snow Rabbit Tribe, and Bai Chen had now introduced such a useful tool, many immediately expressed interest in cooperation, even before trying it out.
They could eat fish, but that didn’t mean they wanted to eat it all the time. They had already been consuming fish regularly and longed for other types of food. That was why they traveled to the market every year with their sun-dried salt to trade for goods.
Bai Tu’s proposal perfectly aligned with their needs, so they had no reason to refuse.
Bai Chen described the entire scene and mentioned something else:
“A few beastmen who previously traded with us really want to trade again.”
“For what?” Bai Tu recalled the tribes he had interacted with at past markets.
“Dried meat and jerky. They said their own doesn’t taste as good as ours.”
Despite the limited time, many tribes still missed the food the Snow Rabbit Tribe had brought before. However, this time, they had brought only a small amount, exchanging it for necessities rather than for common food items like fruit or grains, which their tribe already had in abundance.
Bai Tu thought about it. Once the young ones finished learning how to grow medicinal herbs and were ready to return, he could teach them how to make dried meat and jerky.
A little extra processing made meat taste far better than the usual roasted chunks. He never intended to use dried meat and jerky as a major trade good—after all, their tribe was already far better off than most. There was no need to hoard food just to trade for more raw materials from other tribes.
“And canned food!” Bai Chen suddenly added. “The canned goods we brought—many tribes have been asking about them.”
When traveling, beastmen ate whatever they could find. Most tribes, including their own in the past, relied on roasted meat chunks. Freshly hunted meat was simply roasted over an open fire, left to blacken on the outside, and then stored away. On the road, they would heat it up over a fire before eating.
This method was convenient, but the taste was terrible. Bai Chen still remembered his own experiences eating roasted meat—some cuts became so tough after multiple rounds of roasting that they were as hard as animal hide. A single meal could leave him exhausted.
Now, their tribe no longer carried large chunks of meat on journeys. Instead, they brought dried meat, jerky, and braised meat—delicious, ready-to-eat foods.
Braised meat was still fine in the current cold season, but if it were the rainy season’s market gathering, it would have to be eaten within two or three days. Any longer, and the meat would spoil.
This was common knowledge among the tribes. That’s why most beastmen preferred to gnaw on rock-hard meat chunks rather than cook their meat beforehand—the latter had a much shorter shelf life. Meat chunks, on the other hand, could last for days after returning to their tribe.
Even the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe had rarely eaten braised meat at past markets. But this time, things were different.
They also brought another easy-to-eat and incredibly delicious food—canned goods.
Canned food had a much longer shelf life than braised meat. When Bai An set off with the market team, Bai Tu split the warehouse’s canned goods in half, giving each team an equal share. These were originally prepared as supplies for an attack on the West River Tribe. Each can contained more than half a jar of meat, and once opened and heated, it tasted better than most freshly prepared meals.
As they passed by nearby tribes on their way to the market, others were curious about how they still had the time to cook food on the journey. When asked, they explained that they had brought canned food, which only needed a quick boil to be ready to eat.
The beastmen from other tribes had never heard of canned food before, but they could smell the delicious aroma wafting through the air. Such appetizing food was naturally desirable. Tribes with limited food supplies could only look on enviously before hurrying away. Those who had more provisions, however, actively inquired whether they could trade for some.
Since the food was meant for their own consumption, and there had been no prior discussion about selling it, Bai Chen was momentarily unsure how to respond.
In the end, Lang Ya came up with a solution: each team member would take out one can. If any tribe was interested, they could let them taste a small portion—but they wouldn’t be allowed to take the can itself.
“Many tribes were tempted,” Bai Chen said.
Canned food had a better texture and flavor than most other meals, so of course, they were eager to trade for it. Some tribes wanted to trade immediately, while others, with fewer food reserves, asked about the exchange rate, hoping to make a deal in the coming years when their supplies improved.
Bai Chen simply told them that an answer would be available next year. Tribes with members studying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe would get an update in the spring.
“We can trade. Let’s increase production this year,” Bai Tu decided.
Unlike dried meat and jerky, which were relatively simple to make, canned food required more effort. Just making the canning jars was something not all tribes could accomplish. Therefore, Bai Tu planned to keep the canning process a secret and use canned food as a valuable trade item in the future.
But those were plans for later. Right now, the tribe had two important matters to handle:
First, waiting for the Black Hawk Tribe’s return. Ying Quan and others had followed the salt-trading tribes back to learn the route and bring back their caught fish. Bai Chen had just returned, but the Black Hawk team would take at least two or three more days.
Second, voting for a new tribe name. Everyone had been anticipating this for a long time, and now that it was finally happening, they were excited.
When Bai Tu mentioned voting, the tribe members were confused at first—this was the first time they had heard of such a method.
Bai Tu brought out bamboo slips, each marked with a number. He distributed them to everyone and explained the process:
“This box represents the Hundred Beasts Tribe, that box represents the Fierce Beasts Tribe, and the third box is for ‘Other Opinions.’”
“Each person gets one vote. Place your bamboo slip into the box of your preferred name. If you don’t like either option, put it in the third box.”
“Once all votes are cast, we’ll count them.”
The process was simple—just vote for the name you liked! The tribe members quickly understood. Looking at the two main boxes, many were eager to cast their votes.
Once Bai Tu announced that voting had begun, a swarm of beastmen rushed forward to vote for their preferred name.
In the past, name changes led to heated debates, with endless arguments due to differing opinions. This method was straightforward and clear—everyone could visibly see which name had more support.
After everyone had cast their votes, Bai Tu, Lang Qi, Bai Chen, Lang Ze, Bai Qi, and Lang Ya counted the slips—two people per box.
The results surprised Bai Tu: the Hundred Beasts Tribe received nearly half more votes than the Fierce Beasts Tribe. He had noticed that more people were leaning toward it, but he hadn’t expected such a big gap.
“The name ‘Fierce Beasts’ sounds too aggressive,” Bai An commented. “Other beastmen might mistake us for a tribe like the Black Forest Tribe.”
Bai An had already seen the advantages of salt trading and wanted to continue these trade routes in the future. He realized that many tribes didn’t bring all their resources to the market, and through trading, he had discovered new and unfamiliar items.
Even Bai An was surprised by some of the plants they discovered—let alone Bai Tu. For example, they found a white root vegetable, about the size of a sweet potato. It looked plain and unremarkable, but its taste was sweet.
The moment Bai Tu saw it, he immediately thought of sugar. Currently, the only sources of sweetness in the tribe were honey and fruit. Since honey was scarce, many recipes that required sugar had either been simplified or abandoned altogether. But now, seeing this plant, countless food possibilities flashed through his mind.
However, the plant had only been discovered this year, so its quantity was extremely limited. Bai An brought back both the roots and the entire plant, and Bai Tu carefully extracted the seeds from the top. He decided to split them into two batches—one to attempt planting in the spring, and if that failed, the other batch would be planted after the rainy season.
This was just one of many newly discovered plants, proving that the barter expeditions had been highly beneficial. Bai An was eager to continue trading, which is why he preferred a less intimidating tribe name. If the name sounded too aggressive, it might scare off tribes that wanted to trade.
Bai An supported the name Hundred Beasts Tribe, and the rabbit clan naturally chose it as well. When Bai Tu checked the vote numbers, he noticed that a large group from the wolf clan had also voted for it.
“These votes… from the wolf hunting team?” Bai Tu wondered.
He didn’t know every member personally, but based on the numbering system, he could tell which group they belonged to. After all, the numbers were assigned according to work divisions.
“Ze told them that you like it,” Lang Qi said.
“Me?” Lang Ze, who had been handing out snacks to the younger wolves after finishing his task, suddenly popped up. “Bai Tu, you need something from me?”
Bai Tu was silent for a moment before saying, “…Never mind.”
“They chose it on their own,” Lang Qi emphasized.
He knew Bai Tu had used this voting method to ensure fairness. Lang Ze had only mentioned once that Bai Tu liked the name, but the final choice was still up to the wolves themselves.
Bai Tu recalculated the vote difference and suddenly realized that even if Lang Ze hadn’t said anything, Hundred Beasts Tribe would have still won over Fierce Beasts Tribe.
Seeing how seriously he was taking this, Lang Qi added, “The other beast clans liked the name too.”
Hundred Beasts Tribe—the name suggested diversity and inclusivity, which naturally appealed to many different clans.
With that, Bai Tu finally felt at ease.
Thus, the tribe’s new name was officially decided: Hundred Beasts Tribe.
With the name settled, Bai Tu could now proceed with designing the new tribe seals.
He handed his drawn designs to the best woodworker in the tribe, who then carved three seals onto stone using a chisel. Each seal had a specific purpose:
Identity Seal – Used for identity cards. Any beastman entering or leaving the tribe, whether a member or a collaborator, would need to carry an identity card for registration.
Resource Seal – Mainly used for meal tickets and food cards. Visiting beastmen staying one day received three meal tickets. Those staying longer received a durable food card with their stay duration written on it. Bai Tu also planned to introduce a points system using this seal.
Diplomatic Seal – Used for external affairs and negotiations. The tribe was growing rapidly, and the old system of tracking resources separately for each area was becoming too cumbersome.
Previously, they only needed to track data for around 100 people. But now, the population had expanded over tenfold, including: Tribe members, allied tribe members and beastmen who wanted to join the tribe
The last two groups didn’t have fixed residency, making record-keeping even more complicated. Sometimes, by the time their bamboo records were updated, the beastmen had already left—only to return later, requiring even more record-checking.
To simplify things, Bai Tu decided to change the points-tracking system:
At the end of each workday, team leaders would distribute point cards to the beastmen. Each beastman could store these cards and, at the end of the month, go to the designated record-keeper to have their points logged. Alternatively, they could immediately exchange points for goods or use them for food cards.
This system eliminated monthly account balancing and allowed beastmen to trade points privately without needing a formal record entry. They could simply hand over a points card for a small trade—saving a lot of work.
Of course, this method had a downside: point cards could be easily lost.
So, Bai Tu made a small modification to everyone’s clothing—each person now had a pocket at the center of their outfit, just big enough to fit a points card. As long as they didn’t walk upside down, the card wouldn’t fall out.
After discussing with Lang Qi, Bai An, Bai Chen, and the others, Bai Tu confirmed that this method was feasible.
Currently, after each day’s work, every squad leader had to record how much work each person had completed.
Based on the workload, they would then record the corresponding points on bamboo slips. They had to flip to the right person’s entry, write down the number, and then leave it to dry before proceeding to the next.
This entire process took a considerable amount of time. For squads with fewer members, it wasn’t too bad, but for larger squads, by the time the points were recorded, others had already finished eating. The squad leaders had it the hardest—they had to wait for the ink to dry before collecting the records and bringing them back to their rooms before they could finally go eat.
Switching to directly handing out points cards would be much simpler—there’d be no risk of recording mistakes, and no need to wait for the ink to dry.
Then there was the issue of private trades among the beastmen. Sometimes, when someone didn’t have enough points but wanted a particular item, they could barter with their own belongings. However, if there was a price difference, they had to either make up for it with additional items or go to their squad leader and ask them to transfer some of their points to the other party.
With points cards, things would be much easier—if there was a price difference, they could just hand over the right amount of points cards directly.
By now, regardless of age, all the beastmen in the tribe had learned numbers, and they could do basic addition and subtraction. So, there was no need to worry about them not recognizing or knowing how to use the points cards. Since everyone agreed, Bai Tu planned to finalize this system over the winter and implement it in the spring.
Conveniently, the new records he had been writing were all marked with the year 0001.
Just as the group was about to disperse, Bai Tu suddenly added, “Ze’s squad will continue using the original method.”
Points cards were fine for everyone else, but as for the young wolves in that squad—they even tossed around their fur pelts carelessly. Bai Tu was certain that if they went out, they’d probably lose both their clothes and their points cards. So, in their case, it was better to stick with the old system, even if it was more troublesome. After all, it was only a few dozen people’s records—not too difficult to manage.
Upon hearing this, the others all nodded in agreement.
Bai An said, “Ze’s squad definitely can’t switch.”
Bai Chen agreed.
Lang Qi remained silent, avoiding Bai Tu’s gaze.
Since no one objected, Bai Tu finalized the decision.
Outside, the snowfall grew heavier, but inside the tribe, no one felt cold. There was no need to mention the rooms incubating the feathered race’s hatchlings—the temperature inside was so warm that even wearing short sleeves felt hot.
As for the other houses, people controlled the heat themselves by stoking their heated kang beds. Those who liked warmth added more coal, while those who preferred cooler temperatures used less. With a coal mine in the tribe, they had no need to worry about running out.
On the fifth day of snowfall, the underground tunnel was completed. It was a massive project, but such an important accomplishment wasn’t something they could publicly celebrate. Instead, the tribe marked the occasion by having the kitchen prepare extra dishes.
The beastmen who weren’t aware of the tunnel’s construction didn’t understand why, but seeing more food in the kitchen naturally made them very happy.
Who wouldn’t want to eat better? After all, working hard every day was ultimately for the sake of a good meal!
A large group of people gathered in the warm, steaming dining hall, eating hotpot. The more they ate, the hotter they felt, as if they weren’t experiencing winter at all, but summer instead.
Winter would last at least three more months, so there was no rush to transport supplies, but defense preparations could begin. Guards were stationed at each of the tunnels.
No matter how many new foods Bai Tu introduced, stone-grilled meat and hotpot held a special place in everyone’s hearts. Many still remembered those few days on the marketplace road last year.
Back then, it was summer, but everyone still remembered the excitement of that time. Before that, the Rabbit Tribe had always struggled with food shortages, and those rare full meals were unforgettable. As for the Wolf Tribe, it was only after eating food prepared by the rabbits that they realized what they had been eating before could hardly be called a proper meal.
As they ate, they reminisced about the past, while elsewhere, several rabbits were sprinting toward the tribal residential area from different directions.
The underground tunnel was incredibly smooth, allowing them to run at an impressive speed. A journey that would take half a day aboveground could now be completed in half the time underground.
Bai Tu’s appetite hadn’t changed much from before—while the others were still eating, he was already full. Wiping his mouth, he was about to check on the young ones when Bai Qi suddenly rushed in from outside and whispered in his ear.
“We spotted three different tribes heading this way.”
Bai Tu was stunned. “Three?”
Before he could say anything else, Tu Xun ran in. “Tu, there are two members of the Feathered Tribe searching for something at the edge of our territory—it looks like they’re trying to find our tribe.”
Just as Tu Xun finished speaking, Lang Yang came running in. He stopped between Lang Qi and Bai Tu and reported, “A member of the Deer Tribe is heading toward the Leopard Tribe’s territory.”
Though the Leopard Tribe wasn’t part of their own tribe, they were close allies who patrolled together. If something was off, it was best to report it immediately.
Seated at the same table as Bai Tu were Bai An, Bai Chen, and a few others. Upon hearing this string of reports, they were momentarily dumbfounded.
They exchanged glances—this was the first time they had encountered such a situation.
Lang Qi reacted first. “Assemble!”
“Wait…” Bai Tu stopped Lang Qi. “When we get there, don’t act rashly. Ask them what’s going on first.”
Bai Tu didn’t believe their tribe could have suddenly offended so many different groups at once—there had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
Lang Qi acknowledged the order, and in an instant, the wolves eating in the dining hall transformed into their beast forms and split into three groups, each heading in a different direction.
*
Half a day later.
“Lord Bai Tu, please help us! Our tribe hasn’t had a single newborn in a year!”
“Lord Bai Tu, this is the latest egg from our tribe—can it still be incubated?”
“Lord Bai Tu…!”
Bai Tu slowly turned his gaze toward Bai An.
Bai An covered his face, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Don’t look at me. I know nothing.
Thank you for the update