Chapter 181
The beastmen from the visiting tribes had a much stronger reaction to the sugar than those from the Hundred Beasts Tribe. This was because the Hundred Beasts Tribe had access to honey—though in small quantities, it was still available occasionally.
Moreover, since they cultivated many fruits in their tribe, they didn’t need to harvest them early like they did when gathering in the wild. With such an abundance, even birds eating some wouldn’t significantly affect the final harvest. They usually waited until the fruits were fully ripe before picking them.
Honey was sweet, and fully ripened fruits were sweet too, though not as sweet as sugar. After an initial few days of excitement, the tribe members gradually calmed down—partly because Bai Tu had introduced new foods again.
However, the visiting beastmen were different. Not every tribe had a team like Lang Ze’s, so honey was extremely scarce for them. As for fully ripened fruits, most tribes—like the Snow Rabbit Tribe before—didn’t dare wait until the fruits were fully mature. They had to pick them as soon as they saw them, or they might not get any at all!
Since they rarely ate sweet foods, the taste of sugar was even more astonishing to them. Even those with few remaining points cards couldn’t resist exchanging for a little.
Some beastmen had originally planned to get sugar for their cubs. But after hearing from others that they should check on their cubs first before deciding, they chose to wait and exchange later. Truthfully, they missed their cubs a lot, but securing salt for their tribe had been the priority. Now that they had traded for salt and could take it with them when they left, they could finally go see their cubs.
A group of them headed to the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s school and waited for the teachers to call out their cubs.
When the cubs finally came out, the beastmen were stunned.
The cubs, who had grown noticeably plumper compared to when they were in their own tribes, were almost unrecognizable. Their facial features were familiar, but their body shapes seemed off.
They didn’t look like cubs anymore—more like soft, risen steamed buns from the Hundred Beasts Tribe, and even whiter than the buns!
While the adult beastmen hesitated to recognize their own cubs, the cubs had already forgotten them.
Cubs had short memories. They could forget something they said yesterday, let alone remember parents they hadn’t seen in three months.
Another reason was that, in their own tribes, cubs had limited time with their parents outside of the snow and rainy seasons. Adult beastmen were busy hunting and gathering food, leaving little time to spend with their young. They were only around at night, but even then, they needed to rest.
During the snow and rainy seasons, there was more time together, but in winter, the cold forced everyone to huddle in caves and sleep, and in summer, when there was no immediate danger, most beastmen and cubs would also sleep. This meant there was very little actual bonding time.
All these factors combined, along with the fact that the cubs had spent this summer in the Hundred Beasts Tribe enjoying food they had never tasted and playing with toys they had never seen—plus the gentle care of the sub-beastmen looking after them—had made their lives incredibly comfortable.
Life in the Hundred Beasts Tribe was so good that the cubs barely missed home. By now, they had been here for six or seven months, so their memories of their parents had faded significantly.
However, beastmen didn’t rely solely on appearance to recognize their kin—they mainly identified each other by scent. Though the cubs didn’t recognize their parents at first, once they transformed into their beast forms, they quickly tumbled together in excitement.
Watching the cubs interact with their families, Bai Chi was reminded of past events. During lunch, he brought up the morning’s situation to Bai Tu.
Bai Tu had been busy at the trading market, but upon hearing what had happened, he took the opportunity to inform the cubs’ families about the future holiday schedule.
Since most tribes weren’t as warm as the Hundred Beasts Tribe during winter, there would be no winter break. Instead, there would be a 20-day holiday during the trading market period. Factoring in travel time, the cubs would still have around half a month to stay in their own tribes.
Additionally, there would be another long holiday—the entire rainy season. This year, the school had barely held any classes during the rainy season, so starting next year, the rainy season would officially be a vacation period. This would be a longer break, lasting around 40 days, allowing cubs to spend about a month in their home tribes.
Hearing that all cubs would go home at the same time reassured the beastmen. Bai Tu had previously mentioned that parents could take their cubs home for a while and then bring them back, but many had hesitated, fearing it would disrupt their cubs’ learning.
Although they didn’t fully understand what their cubs were learning in the Hundred Beasts Tribe, things like numbers and written language sounded impressive. Since the education there was vastly superior to what their own tribes could offer, they didn’t want their cubs to miss out on the opportunity.
Now that there would be an official, unified holiday schedule, they no longer had to worry about disrupting their cubs’ education. All cubs would be returning home at the same time.
Excited at the thought of taking their cubs back with them, the beastmen hurriedly finished trading for supplies and eagerly brought their cubs back to their temporary lodgings.
The temporary lodgings were the caves previously inhabited by the Blood Wolf Tribe. Before the rainy season, the Black Hawk Tribe had stayed there for a while. Now that the hawk people had returned to their own tribe, the caves were vacant again.
A new ring of houses had been built around the residential area, but since these visiting beastmen were only here to trade supplies, Bai Tu, Lang Qi, Bai Chen, and others decided that they would stay in the caves. The houses near the residential area were reserved for beastmen who were planning to officially join the Hundred Beasts Tribe.
This also served as an observation period. After all, no one could fully know what was in the hearts of every beastman. The Hundred Beasts Tribe had an especially high number of cubs, and their food and resources far exceeded many other tribes—extra precautions had to be taken.
Even though they were caves, they were well-equipped. The wolf tribe had lived there for a long time, and the residential area had been thoroughly prepared. When they moved, they had only taken their personal belongings like animal hides, leaving the cooking stoves and beds intact. With just a pot, the caves were ready for cooking.
A well had been dug behind the caves, and beastmen from the Hundred Beasts Tribe taught those who had never seen a well before how to draw water. They also stressed the importance of safety, warning them not to let cubs get too close to the well.
For cooking fuel, they could gather materials from the territory, or if they couldn’t find enough, they could exchange points for it—one point could get them a pile of coal, enough to last a whole group.
The visitors took out food they had brought from their own tribes. Though the Hundred Beasts Tribe offered a wide variety of foods, the prices were slightly higher due to the quality and taste. Most beastmen only spent a portion of their points on food, preferring to save where they could and eat what they had brought. The adult beastmen ate their own food, but for their cubs, they exchanged for freshly prepared meals from the trading market.
The trading market offered both long-term storage foods and perishable foods that lasted only a day or two, though in smaller quantities.
Out of concern for their cubs, and also because cooking while traveling was inconvenient, they chose to provide their young with ready-made food from the Hundred Beasts Tribe.
What surprised them most was that the tribe not only provided a place to trade but also access to clean water—this was far better than any marketplace they had visited.
At regular markets, clean well water was unheard of; even river water wasn’t always available. As more people arrived, the water would get dirtier and eventually become unusable.
It wasn’t just the water—the lodging was also far better than they had expected. When the Black Hawk Tribe had spread word about the Hundred Beasts Tribe, most assumed it would be like the open fields surrounding market areas. Only now did they realize they would be staying in caves—fully equipped caves.
Living in these caves was better than what they had in their own tribes. Some even considered staying in the Hundred Beasts Tribe permanently. After all, their own tribes were running low on resources, and moving here as a group seemed like a good idea.
However, the Hundred Beasts Tribe had stopped accepting beastmen freely since last year, so this thought could only remain a fantasy.
Even though they couldn’t stay, they made an interesting discovery: some of the surrounding tribes had buildings identical to those in the Hundred Beasts Tribe. These tribes had followed the same construction methods.
If those tribes could build houses like that, why couldn’t their own tribes do the same?
What the beastmen envied most wasn’t the houses themselves. Caves, though not as comfortable, still provided shelter from the rain, and in winter, staying deep inside was enough to keep warm.
What they truly envied was the livestock area of the Hundred Beasts Tribe.
Livestock farming was a major feature of the Hundred Beasts Tribe and its surrounding allies. Those who had visited before weren’t too shocked, though they did marvel at how much the livestock area had expanded. A larger livestock area meant more prey being raised, which was incredibly desirable.
However, for the beastmen visiting for the first time, there was much to be astonished by.
Prey could be raised like this? Just kept inside enclosures?
Even without seeing all the animals, they could already imagine the benefits of such a system. The Hundred Beasts Tribe would never run out of meat.
The lifelong pursuit of beastmen was to live in a safe territory, have enough food every day, stay warm in winter, and not have to eat spoiled meat in summer. The Hundred Beasts Tribe had already fully achieved this, as had the surrounding tribes. While envying these tribes, many also hoped their own tribes could become the same.
As the group chatted, even those who had never considered it before began to imagine—how wonderful it would be if their tribe could be like the Hundred Beasts Tribe!
The more cautious beastmen only dared to think about it, but the bolder ones wasted no time. The next morning, they started asking if they could learn how to build a livestock area. Naturally, they asked Bai Qi, who had led them into the tribe and introduced them to its various sections.
Once one person raised the question, others quickly followed, afraid their own tribes would be left behind:
“Our tribe wants to build one too!”
“Can our tribe build one?”
“We also want to…”
Hearing so many ask about livestock areas, Bai Qi neither agreed nor refused. Instead, he said, “You’ll need to ask Bai Tu about that.”
In the tribe, Bai Tu was responsible for all new rules and buildings. Anything related to new resources also needed his approval. Bai Qi could only give a definite answer after Bai Tu agreed.
Reactions to his answer varied. Those familiar with the Hundred Beasts Tribe knew that if the request had reached Bai Tu, there was a good chance it would succeed.
After all, it wasn’t just about food. Even before the rainy season, when they had last visited, they had been given a large number of freshly hatched chickens, ducks, and geese. Now, these animals were thriving in their tribes, making food supplies more abundant than in previous years. While these animals weren’t as large as pigs, cattle, or sheep, their sheer numbers made up for it.
These changes in their tribes were all thanks to Bai Tu and the Hundred Beasts Tribe. Thinking about it, they felt their request to learn about livestock areas had a high chance of approval. Remembering how much help they had received, many felt deeply grateful and even wanted to return home to pray to the Beast God in thanks.
On the other hand, those unfamiliar with the Hundred Beasts Tribe were uneasy. In any tribe, valuable knowledge was usually kept secret. Even if shared, it typically required a hefty exchange of food or resources.
It wasn’t that they were unwilling to trade food—after all, learning how to build a livestock area was worth any price. But their tribes had little food left. Even if they sacrificed several days’ worth of rations, it still wouldn’t be enough to exchange for a livestock area.
Bai Qi didn’t keep them in suspense for long. By midday, he told them that the Hundred Beasts Tribe would help them build it—but only after winter ended.
Bai Tu had already thought about this when he was teaching the surrounding tribes how to construct various buildings. From the beginning, he had planned to help other tribes build livestock areas in the future.
Currently, thanks to the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s training, over a thousand beastmen across multiple tribes had learned how to build houses. With most of the tribe’s own construction work complete, there was no longer a need for so many builders. Sending some to help other tribes build livestock areas would not only solve their farming needs but also generate income for the tribe—a win-win situation.
So, Bai Tu gave Bai Qi a direct answer: once winter ended, the tribes could sign up to have their livestock areas built.
The beastmen, who had originally just hoped to learn the method, were overjoyed—they had only expected the Hundred Beasts Tribe to teach them, but now the tribe was actually offering to build it for them!
Even more shocking, materials and labor would also be provided by the Hundred Beasts Tribe. The only thing the other tribes had to do was find a flat piece of land and clean it up.
That was no trouble at all. Even the smaller tribes could prepare a suitable area within a day or two, and with the snow season approaching, they had plenty of time to get ready.
As for Bai Qi’s final condition—that within two years after the livestock area was built, they must provide a set amount of food to the Hundred Beasts Tribe—no one had any complaints.
In the past, when trading with other tribes, they had to pay upfront. But the Hundred Beasts Tribe was offering to build the livestock areas first and only require repayment later, giving them a generous two-year deadline.
No one had ever seen a tribe willing to do something like this. After all, tribes were usually far apart and didn’t trust each other. Even when exchanging supplies, they were extremely cautious, always worried that someone might steal their food—let alone help build entire livestock areas for others.
What’s more, Bai Tu had even said that the host tribes wouldn’t have to provide food for the workers!
This shocked everyone even more. They didn’t even have to provide meals? The Hundred Beasts Tribe was willing to supply that many resources?
Bai Qi repeated Bai Tu’s words, “Tu said that once your livestock areas are built, as long as you raise your animals properly, our tribe will help you with any difficulties.”
Then, he asked, “Do you want to sign up? The sooner you register, the sooner Tu can arrange everything.”
Building a livestock area wasn’t something that could be done overnight—it required advance preparation. The materials prepared last winter had already been used by the surrounding tribes and the Black Eagle Tribe. Later, the newly produced materials were used to build the Beast God Temple and the trading market.
So if these tribes wanted to build livestock areas, the Hundred Beasts Tribe would have a busy winter ahead.
Hearing Bai Qi’s question, the stunned beastmen quickly snapped out of their shock. No matter how surprised they were, they had to sign up immediately!
What if they waited too long and missed their chance? They would regret it forever!
Out of the seven tribes present, six immediately signed up. The last tribe hesitated because they didn’t have enough resources and considered giving up. But a beastman from another tribe quickly said, “Our tribe will go first. You can still sign up now, and once our livestock area is built, you can decide whether or not to proceed with yours.”
Hearing that they had a second chance to decide, and seeing the hopeful expressions of their fellow tribesmen, the hesitant chief finally agreed.
Bai Qi recorded the names of the tribes and made notes: six were confirmed for construction after winter, and one was undecided.
These two options had been set by Bai Tu.
For those who were sure, materials would be delivered during winter, so construction could start immediately when winter ended.
For those undecided, materials would only be delivered after the first batch of livestock areas was nearly complete.
As for those who hadn’t made any request at all, they would have to wait their turn. If too many tribes wanted to build, they might have to wait until after the rainy season or even next winter.
In short, the Hundred Beasts Tribe and its allied tribes had limited manpower—so those who signed up first would be prioritized.
Many tribes had the same idea: visit the Hundred Beasts Tribe first, and if things didn’t work out, they could always go to the market instead.
From the first wave of arriving beastmen, more and more tribes came over time—
At first, most were from tribes that had previously received help. Then, some were from tribes that had fought together against the Black Forest Tribe. Later, even tribes that had never interacted with the Hundred Beasts Tribe—only heard of them from others—began to arrive.
Most tribes were shocked when they entered the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s territory—there were no wild animals!
Normally, the more wildlife within a tribe’s territory, the wealthier the tribe. But after touring the livestock areas, they finally understood:
The Hundred Beasts Tribe raised all their game together.
Seeing the fat, well-fed animals, almost everyone felt deep envy—even those from tribes with strong hunting abilities didn’t have this much stored food.
If they caught live prey, they could only keep it for a month at most before eating it. Anything longer was nearly impossible.
Worse still, their captured animals only got thinner over time.
But here? All the livestock were getting fatter.
After visiting the livestock area, the beastmen were already shocked beyond words—but then, the Hundred Beasts Tribe actually offered to help them build their own!
Surprise after surprise!
Previously, they had already been grateful when the Hundred Beasts Tribe lent them seeds and young prey animals—they thought that was generous enough. But now, they were being offered help to build entire livestock areas!
And it didn’t stop there—other buildings could be constructed too! They just had to wait a little longer.
A wait of one or two years was nothing to them. Everyone rushed to sign up, eager to build their livestock areas, dining halls, and residential quarters all at once.
Of course, that wasn’t possible.
For now, they could only sign up for livestock areas, and they would still have to wait some time before construction began. When they heard that work wouldn’t start until after winter, they wished the season would end immediately!
In the past, they had always wanted the snow season to pass quickly, but never as urgently as this year.
And their mindset was completely different from before—
Before, they dreaded winter because it meant no food, and they weren’t even sure if they could successfully hunt in the spring. Now, even if there were no prey after winter, they would definitely have a livestock area. And with a livestock area, would prey ever be far away?
Even if they hadn’t yet captured young prey, they could move their chickens, ducks, and geese into the livestock area first.
While the other beastmen daydreamed about their future lives after winter, Bai Tu was busy checking the recent transaction records at the trading market.
The market had been running for half a month now. The weather had already turned cold enough to require thick clothing, and nearly 200 tribes had come to trade.
Some tribes didn’t come in person but instead sent food with other tribes to exchange for a small amount of salt. If they only needed a little, it wasn’t worth sending someone on a separate trip. Instead, they gave their food to a nearby tribe, asking them to trade on their behalf, with a small commission as payment.
If the Snow Rabbit Tribe and Blood Wolf Tribe hadn’t merged so quickly, the Snow Rabbit Tribe would have done the same.
As more and more tribes came to trade for salt, the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s stockpile of meat grew rapidly. It was far more than they could consume.
Bai Tu was now planning to send a team to the Salt Tribe before the heavy snow—not only to trade for more salt but also to bring back some fish.
At that moment, Lang Qi’s expression suddenly darkened.
From the moment Bai Tu mentioned sending people to the Salt Tribe, Lang Qi had already had a bad feeling. But when he heard that Bai Tu also wanted Ying Quan to bring back fish, his face changed instantly.
“Aren’t the ones we have in the tribe already enough?”
Bai Tu: “?”
He meant fish for eating!
