Chapter 215
The Rabbit Tribe was not as strong as other tribes, yet they had managed to survive on the Beast God Continent for so many years. Besides their well-known high birth rate, the Rabbit Tribe had another defining trait—diligence.
For example, after Bai Tu taught them a new weaving method, the entire group barely stopped along the way. Many rabbits were not used to wearing shoes, which led to a surplus of straw sandals.
On the way back, they could still find materials to weave more sandals. Since the animal hides didn’t come into direct contact with the ground, they weren’t easily damaged and could be reused. That meant they didn’t need to save any sandals for their return journey—all of them could be traded for supplies.
Bai Qi clearly remembered that a significant portion of the baskets they carried was filled with straw sandals. Seeing how a single remark from Bai Tu made a beastman immediately want ten pairs left him more shocked than anything else.
Since shoes came in different sizes, Bai Tu selected a pair based on the beastman’s height. “Try them on first. If they don’t fit, we’ll swap them.”
To ensure a better fit, Bai Tu had woven three sizes—large, medium, and small—so that everyone could wear them comfortably.
“You can try them on?” The beastman was stunned. When trading for animal hides, baskets, or other goods, there was never an option to choose—whatever the trader offered was what you got. Now, hearing that he could actually swap for a better fit, he was completely surprised.
“Of course,” Bai Tu nodded. But by now, he had already learned how to judge sizes accurately, so there was rarely a mismatch.
Sure enough, the beastman put on the straw sandals Bai Tu handed him. Following Bai Qi’s instructions, he tied the laces, and they fit perfectly. Walking around in them didn’t feel uncomfortable at all—far better than the tattered straw sandals he used to make himself. And unlike wrapping his feet entirely in animal hide, these were much more comfortable.
Since the size was just right, the beastman immediately agreed to Bai Tu’s asking price and went back to his stall to fetch a bowl of salt.
Hei Xiao had already prepared a basket to store the salt. A single bowl barely made a dent in the bottom, leaving only a thin layer, but it was still a much better outcome than in previous years.
Bai Qi rubbed his hands together excitedly. Even though he hadn’t done much aside from explaining how to tie the laces, he still felt like he had contributed!
After the beastman left, he proudly showed off his new sandals to his fellow tribesmen. Meanwhile, Bai Tu placed another pair on the stall and carefully adjusted the display.
Before long, another beastman approached. “I want a pair of straw sandals.”
Bai Tu glanced at him. He looked familiar—he was from the same tribe as the first customer, and their stalls were next to each other.
“We have them,” Bai Tu replied, pulling out a pair in the appropriate size.
Before the second beastman even finished trying them on, yet another person arrived.
This time, Bai Tu didn’t wait for them to ask. He had already picked out the right size.
As more and more beastmen gathered, Bai Tu fell into deep thought.
Was the stall next to them really here to trade for food?
The beastmen who had gotten their straw sandals were busy comparing sizes with one another, completely oblivious to Bai Tu’s thoughts.
Beastmen loved a lively crowd. Seeing so many people gathered, those who hadn’t planned on coming over changed their minds and walked over to take a look.
Apart from straw sandals, the stall had many other goods as well. Since trading could happen anywhere, they ended up exchanging quite a few items.
At first, Bai Qi was stunned, but eventually, he became numb to it.
These people didn’t hesitate at all when trading for straw sandals. Was this the privilege of living in a food-abundant tribe? The moment Bai Tu said he might not have enough left, the first beastman panicked, and those behind him were even more desperate to get their hands on a pair.
However… some members of the Rabbit Tribe started feeling uneasy. If this continued, would the beastmen who traded for a lot of sandals come back to demand an explanation?
Some things were better left unthought. Just as their worries surfaced, the beastman who had traded for ten pairs returned.
“Didn’t you say there weren’t any left?”
Bai Qi and the others tensed up, but Hei Xiao remained calm. He glanced at his younger brother without much concern.
The little cub, sitting in the basket, glanced at the beastman confronting Bai Tu, then at the ones still waiting to trade for sandals, and slowly looked away.
Bai Tu stood up and sincerely apologized, “I’m sorry, I misspoke earlier. If you want, you can return the shoes, and I’ll give you back your salt.”
The reputation of the straw sandals had already spread. Now, only a few pairs were left, so even if this beastman who had bought ten pairs wanted to return them, Bai Tu could easily resell them.
In short, he wasn’t worried about sales at all.
Since the successful trade of the sandals was partly thanks to this beastman, Bai Tu took the initiative to offer a discount. “Just return nine pairs. You can keep the extra one as a gift from us.”
The beastman had come over aggressively to confront him, but when Bai Tu freely gave away a pair, he suddenly felt too embarrassed to argue.
“Forget it. You guys don’t have much salt anyway,” the beastman said with a dismissive wave of his hand, choosing not to make a fuss.
Bai Tu: “…” He knew it was the truth, but why did it sound so depressing?
In total, they had brought around a hundred pairs of straw sandals in three baskets, along with some tools from their tribe. Within half a day, everything was sold, earning them about a third of a basket of salt and some food.
Bai Qi stared at the salt. Since they had traded for it bowl by bowl, it didn’t look as clean as the salt directly obtained from the Salt Trading Tribe. However, that didn’t change the fact that they had exchanged for an amount equivalent to two months’ worth of salt for their tribe.
The other rabbits were just as stunned. After following the salt-trading team to the market for so long, today had undoubtedly been their smoothest trade.
If they could weave sandals along the journey, then what if the whole tribe started making them…?
Bai Tu interrupted their thoughts. “Scarcity makes things valuable. If we come back next time, we definitely won’t be able to trade for this much food.”
Weaving straw sandals didn’t require high technical skills. Some beastmen who were experienced in making tools could copy about seventy to eighty percent of the design just by looking at the sandals. Even if they couldn’t figure out the exact weaving method, they could still make something similar enough. If they couldn’t make high-quality sandals, they could at least make rough ones.
Today’s high sales were partly because the sandals were “new” and partly due to the few beastmen who had bought in bulk, driving up demand. Next time, prices would likely drop by at least thirty percent, and they might not even be able to sell them at all.
Having the entire tribe focus on weaving straw sandals was absolutely not worth it. The Beast God Continent wasn’t like the modern world with its advanced online networks. If they overproduced and stockpiled too many, they wouldn’t even have a fallback way to sell them.
Moreover, not all beastmen were accustomed to wearing shoes. The number of those willing to wear them and having extra food or salt to trade was limited. If multiple tribes started competing to sell sandals, the likely outcome would be mutual losses.
Bai Tu thought through all of this in a short time. The place where he grew up had many elderly people skilled in weaving handmade tools. However, since they didn’t know how to use the internet to promote their products, they had to rely on old customers. In the end, their hard-made crafts just piled up in storage.
Before graduating, Bai Tu had heard that a big investor planned to fund development in his hometown. He hadn’t been back for years and originally planned to visit before starting his new job. But before that could happen, he ended up here.
Bai Tu let out a slow sigh. If he ever got the chance to return, he would definitely visit home.
The little cub had been watching the group when he noticed Bai Tu deep in thought. For some reason, he didn’t want him to continue thinking like that. He reached out his paw and gently scratched at Bai Tu.
Bai Tu snapped out of his thoughts, pinched the cub’s soft pink paw, and kissed it lightly. “Hungry?”
He was fine, but the cub was young and probably got hungry quickly. Bai Tu rubbed the little one’s belly—it was indeed a bit flat. He reassured him, “We’ll head back soon.”
The cub quickly pulled back his paw, his ear tips turning red.
Bai Tu didn’t notice anything unusual. Since most of their goods were already traded and there was little left, he asked Hei Xiao if they should head back. “Brother, should we return now?”
Before setting out, they had already arranged a temporary place to stay. If nothing unexpected happened, they would rest here for the night and start the journey home early tomorrow.
It was already close to noon, and with so few items left, no one was paying much attention to their stall. People were naturally more drawn to stalls with abundant goods. Since these remaining items might not sell anytime soon, waiting around felt like a waste of time—they might as well head back and rest.
Hei Xiao glanced around, as if looking for something. In the end, he didn’t find it and retracted his gaze, nodding. “Mm, let’s go back.” His tone carried a faint trace of disappointment.
When they left, they had brought a load of tools. By the time they returned, only one basket of tools remained, but they had gained some salt and food. Though the latter wasn’t much, it was what their tribe needed the most.
Bai Tu glanced at Hei Xiao, sensing that something was on his mind. This feeling reached its peak when they arrived at their temporary resting place—Hei Xiao nearly poured the salt into the food basket!
Although he hadn’t been awake in this world for long, Bai Tu had already gotten a good grasp of Hei Xiao’s personality. Hei Xiao was usually very meticulous. He wouldn’t make such a simple mistake unless his mind was preoccupied with something else.
Bai Tu couldn’t understand what was on Hei Xiao’s mind that made him so distracted. They had successfully traded almost all their tools for salt, and once the chief arrived, they could exchange that for furs and other necessities. Their main goals for this trip had been accomplished—better than anyone had expected. Yet, Hei Xiao’s expression seemed like he had left something unfinished.
Unable to figure it out, Bai Tu decided to focus on getting some food instead.
Lately, they had been constantly traveling or searching for materials to make straw sandals, barely resting along the way. Naturally, there hadn’t been much time to prepare proper meals, and for the most part, they had relied on Hei Xiao. But since they were outside the tribe, even Hei Xiao’s help was limited.
To be honest, the food in the tribe was just enough to fill their stomachs—there wasn’t much else good about it.
Hei Xiao’s cooking was already more refined than what most beastmen ate, but Bai Tu still wanted to improve it.
Fortunately, they had an extra stone pot left from their trades, so Bai Tu borrowed it from the beastman carrying it.
In another basket were various plants they had gathered along the way—some were medicinal herbs, some edible, and some useful as seasonings. The beastmen in their tribe were especially generous, always willing to help him carry things even without him asking. Bai Tu sorted through the useful ones, proving once again that his eye for valuable items was sharp. Even if nothing else, the straw sandals alone had brought great returns to the tribe.
Although the sandals’ success was probably short-lived, at the very least, it meant their tribe wouldn’t have to be so stingy with salt for the next few months. If they were lucky, there might even be some left over, which would make preparations for the pre-winter market much easier.
With limited resources, there weren’t many cooking options. After some effort, Bai Tu found a piece of pork with a little fat. He cut off the fat to render it into oil.
The wild pigs here were different from the ones he had seen before. The fact that they could develop any fat at all in the summer heat was impressive. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
The common ways to cook meat here were roasting or boiling. Roasting often resulted in uneven cooking—burnt outside, raw inside. Boiling was safer, as it was almost impossible to ruin, but the taste depended entirely on personal tolerance.
After extracting a bit of lard, Bai Tu sliced the pork and pan-fried it in the oil.
The meat had a slight gamey smell, but it was better than expected—otherwise, he wouldn’t have eaten it over the past few days. He had tolerated it when there were no other options, but now that he had time and resources, he wanted to improve their meals.
Once the meat was cooked, he sprinkled it with Sichuan peppercorns and cumin seeds. Then, he divided the pan-fried meat into two portions—one for Hei Xiao and one for himself.
Both of them had relatively small appetites, so the portions weren’t large—each had about ten slices. Bai Tu also gave a piece to the little cub, cutting it into small chunks with a stone knife so the cub could chew on it slowly.
The leftover oil in the pan was carefully set aside to cool before being collected into a clean bamboo tube.
Although the wild pigs here had some fat, they weren’t nearly as fatty as the ones from his past life. Saving even a small amount of lard was difficult, so he naturally wanted to keep it for later use.
Hei Xiao had just returned from storing their supplies when he saw his younger brother cooking. From the moment Bai Tu started serving the food, Hei Xiao hadn’t taken his eyes off him. He stared at the finished dish, inhaling the delicious aroma, almost in disbelief.
“You made this?”
His little brother had never done this kind of work since birth. Hei Xiao immediately grabbed Bai Tu’s hands, checking for any injuries.
In the tribe, young ones learning to cook for the first time often burned or scalded themselves, sometimes badly enough to leave scars.
Bai Tu: “…”
Both his body and his mind were fully grown, yet Hei Xiao still treated him like a child.
“I was very careful,” Bai Tu explained. The tools here were crude, but he knew how to use them. Of course, he had been cautious while cooking.
Only after Bai Tu reassured him multiple times did Hei Xiao finally relax, letting go of his hands. He then picked up the food his brother had made and took a bite.
The taste was completely different from their usual food. It was slightly unfamiliar, but strangely fragrant, making them want to take another bite after the first.
As the two brothers were eating, Bai An and Lang Ze returned. They had come back to deliver salt and set some aside before heading to the market to trade for other supplies.
If not for the need to exchange salt for furs and other essentials, they would have already been preparing to leave. Even so, Bai An only allowed them half a day before departure.
“Once you find what we need, trade for it immediately. Don’t come back to ask for permission—by the time you return, the other party might be gone,” Bai An instructed. High-quality tanned furs were rare among tribes, so if they found some well-crafted ones, they should secure them right away instead of wasting time.
After giving instructions, Bai An distributed the salt, about a bowl per person.
Bai Tu received a little more than the others because the straw sandals he had helped make had earned them a good amount of food and salt.
As Bai An finished distributing the salt, he noticed that Lang Ze was missing. Looking around, he spotted Lang Ze staring at the little cub Bai Tu had brought back.
“I think…” Lang Ze looked at the cub, then at Bai Tu.
Bai Tu met his gaze. Did he recognize which tribe the cub came from?
As Bai Tu was making guesses, Lang Ze finally spoke: “The cub can’t eat this!”
Bai Tu: “…?”
He looked down at the cub, who was happily chewing on the roasted meat he had given it. Hesitant, he asked, “Why not?”
Was the pan-fried meat too tough? But the food they had prepared in the past few days wasn’t particularly soft either, and the cub had managed to eat it. While traveling, they hadn’t had time to prepare easily digestible meals, so the cub had to make do.
Lang Ze spoke seriously, “The cub is too young. It won’t digest the meat properly and could get sick.” Then he added, “It should be given to adult—no, nearly adult beastmen instead. They need the nutrition.”
Bai Tu: “…?”
So basically, you just want to eat it, right?
He had actually thought Lang Ze was about to say something important, but it turned out to be nonsense.
Bai Tu glanced at the remaining lard in the pot and asked, “Do you want some?”
Lang Ze immediately answered, “Yes!” Then he quickly added, “I have good digestion.” No matter how much he ate, he wasn’t afraid of stomach problems.
Bai Tu: “…”
As expected, he had guessed right. After going in circles, Lang Ze’s real motive was just to get some food.
Lang Ze looked rather pleased with himself, but then he caught sight of the cub staring at him expressionlessly. For some reason, he suddenly shivered.
Weird.
For a moment, the cub reminded him of his older brother.
The thought was terrifying. The disappearance of his brother was supposed to be an urgent and distressing matter, yet looking at this little wolf cub, all he felt was an inexplicable fear.
Hesitating for a moment, Lang Ze saw that Bai Tu had already started cooking for him. Without another thought, he reached out and covered the cub’s eyes with his hand.
There. Now it couldn’t stare at him anymore.
If he couldn’t see those eyes, he wouldn’t feel afraid.
Brilliant! This was an ingenious solution—one that only he could come up with.
Lang Ze mentally patted himself on the back for his cleverness.
The cub: “…”
…
Bai Tu handed Lang Ze a portion of pan-fried meat—about the same amount that both he and Hei Xiao would eat together. Seeing that there were no tables or suitable stones nearby, he simply placed the food in Lang Ze’s hands and, in the same motion, rescued the cub from his grip.
Since he had confirmed that the cub wasn’t from the Blood Wolf Tribe, he no longer had to worry about it being taken away by these wolves. He occasionally set the cub aside when necessary.
Bai Tu had already decided to bring the little wolf cub back to his own tribe. However, since his tribe had no wolf clansmen, the cub would need to start learning survival skills from a young age.
He had originally wanted to let the cub stay near Lang Ze to observe and learn wolf behaviors. But now, seeing Lang Ze’s odd habits, Bai Tu started to question if that was a good idea.
Would the cub grow up with strange behaviors if it learned from Lang Ze?
Bai Tu looked down at the cub in his arms, then glanced at Lang Ze.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to leave the cub with Lang Ze anymore.
The little wolf cub, feeling itself being held, looked up at Bai Tu, then followed his gaze toward Lang Ze. It pursed its lips but said nothing.
Bai Tu didn’t notice the cub’s reaction. He was focused on observing Hei Xiao.
Ever since noon, Hei Xiao had been acting strangely. And now, in the afternoon, he seemed even more off. Even after receiving his share of salt, he hadn’t shown any happiness. The difference from his usual behavior was too drastic.
What was going on?
Feeling a bit concerned, Bai Tu thought for a moment before deciding to follow Hei Xiao. “Brother, I’ll go with you.”
“Aren’t you going to rest here for a bit?” Hei Xiao asked.
Most of the trading earlier that morning had been handled by Bai Tu, with the others just watching from the side. After the whole morning, Hei Xiao felt like his little brother had lost weight.
Now that they had finished exchanging most of the goods, the only task left was to trade for furs. After that, they could return to the tribe and rest. Bai Tu didn’t need to go out again.
Hei Xiao wanted Bai Tu to take a break.
However, Bai Tu just wanted to follow him.
Hei Xiao, of course, couldn’t refuse Bai Tu. He could have rejected him if he were firm enough, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. So, in the end, when they went to the market, a little tail followed behind him.
Bai Tu carried a basket. He had anticipated that there might be more people outside, which could scare the cub. So, he added a cover to the basket, leaving only a small opening. This way, the cub could see the outside world through the small gap, but the beastmen outside wouldn’t be able to see what was inside unless they lifted the lid.
With this setup, the basket became the cub’s safe haven. No matter how crowded the surroundings got, the cub wouldn’t be afraid.
The two of them, along with several other rabbit beastmen, arrived at a designated area for displaying animal hides.
At first, only a few tribes brought their hides here to exchange for food. But over time, people realized that gathering all the goods for sale in one place attracted more buyers. After a few rounds of development, this area became specifically designated for selling animal hides. Since many tribes produced hides, and they wanted to select the warmest and best-quality ones, they split into several groups for easier selection.
Bai Tu noticed that the stalls here were similar to the ones they had seen in the morning. The only difference was that now, they were buyers instead of sellers. Instead of letting others pick from their goods, they were the ones making the choices.
Bai Tu had no experience in selecting animal hides, so he left everything to Hei Xiao while he stood to the side like an ornament.
Hei Xiao was inspecting the hides carefully, taking his time. In contrast, the beastmen next to them were much quicker—while Hei Xiao examined one hide, they had already checked two or three.
Not wanting to make others wait around, Hei Xiao suggested, “You guys go check over there first. Once we’re done here, we’ll come find you.”
The rabbit beastmen didn’t want to stand around doing nothing either, so they nodded in agreement and moved to another section to browse.
Hei Xiao eventually found a few particularly soft hides and began inquiring about their prices.
As he was negotiating with the beastman selling the hides, someone suddenly barged in, walking straight up to Hei Xiao.
Bai Tu’s first instinct was that this person was looking for a fight. He was just about to raise his hand when he noticed that Hei Xiao’s expression was slightly unusual.
He was absolutely certain—Hei Xiao was thrilled.
The contrast between Hei Xiao now and the one from earlier that afternoon was like night and day.
When they returned to their temporary lodging, Bai Tu finally learned that the person who had approached them was named Hei Yan—Hei Xiao’s childhood playmate.
Bai Tu glanced at Hei Yan, then at Hei Xiao, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
Noticing his brother’s expression, Hei Xiao figured Bai Tu had something on his mind. So, he found an excuse and took Bai Tu a short distance away, stopping under a nearby tree.
Bai Tu, who had been holding back his question for a long time, finally had the chance to ask: “Brother, he’s not a beastman, is he? How did you grow up together?”
Though Bai Tu hadn’t been here long, he had already learned to distinguish between beastmen and avian tribes. The young man who had approached them earlier looked very young, yet for some reason, Bai Tu instinctively felt he wasn’t a beastman.
Bai Tu’s knowledge of the Beast God Continent wasn’t complete, but he had heard that many beastman tribes didn’t like the avian tribes. The two races generally lived far apart from each other.
What he couldn’t understand was—Hei Xiao was clearly a rabbit beastman like him, so how did he end up knowing someone from the avian race? Even if there were some avian tribes near their own, it would still take several days to travel between them.
Hei Xiao looked at his younger brother, then glanced at Hei Yan, who was not far away. Hei Yan occasionally cast a glance in their direction but quickly averted his gaze, pretending not to be watching.
Hei Xiao let out a small sigh and explained, “When we were kids, we lived in the Black Hawk Tribe for a while. We only moved here after we got older.”
“Black Hawk Tribe?” Bai Tu felt the name was familiar but couldn’t recall where he had heard it before.
“Yes,” Hei Xiao nodded. “Most of the people in that tribe are from the avian race. When I was very young, our father sought refuge there for certain reasons. Later, he returned to the Eastern Continent and sent us to the Snow Rabbit Tribe.”
Bai Tu was stunned.
He had always thought that he and Hei Xiao had grown up in the Snow Rabbit Tribe from birth. He never expected that they had actually been sent there later to be fostered.
“When I was young, I met Hei Yan. Ever since I moved here, he comes to the market every time,” Hei Xiao explained the reason for Hei Yan’s visit. The market was one of the few opportunities they had to meet. Today, Hei Yan had arrived late, and Hei Xiao had been worried that something had happened to him. That explained why he had been distracted in the morning.
Bai Tu glanced at his brother and silently sighed. The moment Hei Yan arrived, his brother became so happy. As for the reason why, he didn’t even need to think about it to understand. However, there was still a more pressing question…
Bai Tu glanced at Hei Yan, who was waiting anxiously nearby, and decided to let him wait a little longer. “Where did Father go?” he asked.
Since their father had returned to the Eastern Continent back then, why had they not seen him for so long?
Upon hearing the question, Hei Xiao raised his hand and ruffled Bai Tu’s hair. “Our father… had an accident while investigating something.”
Bai Tu could tell that Hei Xiao didn’t want to say more. Given that the news wasn’t good, he simply nodded and didn’t press further.
Returning to the topic of the Black Hawk Tribe, Hei Xiao said, “You left the Black Hawk Tribe when you were three years old. You probably don’t remember much from back then. But even if you had left at an older age, you likely wouldn’t recall much either.”
Bai Tu: “…”
His brother had changed. Before this morning, he would never have cracked a joke like that. Just seeing Hei Yan had improved his mood so much.
Hei Xiao, unaware of his own change in demeanor, walked toward Hei Yan after finishing his conversation with Bai Tu. On the surface, he still looked like his usual self.
Bai Tu watched as the two talked together and left while holding the little wolf cub. His footsteps were noticeably heavier than usual.
Even though he had only known Hei Xiao as his older brother for a few days, he was already getting the feeling that his dear brother was about to be stolen away by someone.
Bai Tu looked down at the little wolf cub in his arms and said, “When you grow up, don’t let anyone take you away.” Preferably, you should be the one to take them away instead.
The little wolf cub didn’t seem to understand, but it looked up at him and rubbed its head against his hand.
Bai Tu was immediately captivated by the fluffy texture, lifting the cub up and giving it several kisses before finally putting it down. “Let’s go see what everyone traded for!”
The items they brought back were placed at the center of the resting area. The most important one was, of course, salt, followed by some animal hides.
Salt was essential for every tribe. No matter how powerful a tribe was, they had to find ways to trade for salt; otherwise, survival was impossible.
There was also a large quantity of animal hides. The ones their tribe usually processed were either too stiff or lacked warmth, making them impractical to use. Since they couldn’t go without clothing in the winter, trading for better hides was necessary.
Aside from these two essential goods, the other items in the baskets varied.
These weren’t collectively acquired for the tribe but were personal trades made by the salt-trading team members. Some were brought back as favors for others, while only a small portion was for themselves.
Bai Tu didn’t touch anything but observed for a while before seeking out Bai An. “Chief, didn’t we trade for any fruit?”
He remembered seeing several fruit stalls on the way back that morning. They could have picked up some fruit in the afternoon as well, but then Hei Yan had shown up unexpectedly.
Bai Tu hadn’t wanted to make things difficult for Hei Xiao, so when they decided to return to the tribe, he simply agreed.
However, he had assumed that at least some of the other members would have traded for fruit. Yet, after scanning the baskets, he didn’t see a single one containing fruit.
“Do you want to eat fruit?” Bai An asked.
Bai Tu nodded. “Yes, and I also want to check the seeds.”
Most fruits could be grown from seeds, though some took several years to bear fruit. However, others—like strawberries and sugarcane—were annuals. Bai Tu was hoping to find some of those.
“I’ll have Qi trade for some for you,” Bai An said. “It won’t cost much.”
If Bai Tu had wanted something else, Bai An might have needed to consider it. But since it was just fruit, that was an easy request. A whole basket of fruit wasn’t even as valuable as a few pairs of straw sandals.
However, Bai An wasn’t comfortable letting Bai Tu go out alone. One reason was that it wasn’t safe for a sub-beast to travel alone, and the other was that Bai Tu wouldn’t be able to carry such a large basket by himself—he needed help.
Bai Qi had been busy with other tasks, but upon hearing this, he quickly dusted off his hands and walked over. “Where are we trading for fruit?”
“Go with Tu,” Bai An pointed at Bai Tu. “Bring a few more people and make sure to trade for plenty.”
Since Bai Tu had helped them earn a lot of supplies and only asked for this small favor, they were happy to fulfill his request.
“Got it!” Bai Qi responded enthusiastically.
Just before leaving, Bai Tu hesitated. Should he bring the little cub along?
Trading for fruit was different from trading for other supplies. Fruit was heavy, and even with Bai Qi and the others carrying some, Bai Tu might still need to help. It would be best to leave the cub behind. However, ever since he found the little cub, he had never left it anywhere else; it had always been by his side.
After some hesitation, he took out two ropes and adjusted the straps on his basket. He decided to carry the basket by hand on the way there, and if he needed his hands free on the way back, he could strap the cub onto his back. That way, it would still be convenient.
The Beast God Continent had a wide variety of fruits, but fruit stalls at the market were scarce. Many tribes lived far apart, and transporting fruit over long distances was difficult. Even if the fruit didn’t spoil along the way, the journey itself consumed too many resources. A single adult beastman would need to eat dozens of pounds of food just to make the round trip, yet a whole basket of fruit wasn’t worth that much food in trade.
For most tribes, trading fruit for other supplies was a losing deal. Only those with fast transportation or those living close to the market would even attempt it.
Bai Tu carefully selected a few types of fruit that their tribe didn’t have before returning to their temporary lodging with Bai Qi and the others.
When Bai An saw how much fruit they had brought back, he felt a twinge of distress. “Why did you trade for so much? We won’t be able to finish it all in a few days, and it’ll spoil soon.”
The weather was hot, and most of the fruit was already ripe. Given the current conditions, the fruit would only last two or three days at most.
Bai An wasn’t concerned about the salt Bai Tu had spent—it wasn’t a big deal, especially since Bai Tu had contributed a lot to earning those supplies. What worried him was that the fruit would go to waste if they couldn’t eat it in time.
“We’ll definitely finish it all,” Bai Tu declared confidently.
That evening, he invited the entire team of beastmen to eat fruit—not just those from the Snow Rabbit Tribe but also the ones from the Blood Wolf Tribe and even the Eagle Clan members brought by Hei Yan.
“Make sure to save the seeds,” Bai Tu emphasized, finally revealing his true goal.
There was simply too much fruit in the baskets. If he ate it all by himself, even at three meals a day, it would take him a whole month to finish. But Bai Tu had never intended to hoard the fruit—what he really wanted were the seeds left behind after eating.
So, it didn’t matter who ate the fruit; what mattered was collecting the seeds.
In the sweltering heat, enjoying fresh fruit was a welcome treat. The only small restriction was that they couldn’t devour it as they normally would—they had to be careful to save the seeds.
Bai An listened to Bai Tu’s words and became even more puzzled.
By now, Hei Xiao had spent some time with Hei Yan in the afternoon and was no longer as excited as he had been when they first met. Now that his emotions had settled, he walked over to see what his younger brother was up to.
As soon as he reached Bai Tu’s side, a freshly washed fruit was shoved into his hand.
“Brother, have an apple,” Bai Tu said, handing one to Hei Xiao while holding two more—one for himself and one for the cub.
Bai Tu took a bite, then let the little cub nibble at it. Of course, since the cub’s teeth were still small, it could only taste the juice without actually biting off much.
Hei Xiao glanced at the beastmen not far away, who were happily devouring fruit, and then asked Bai Tu, “Tu, what are you planning?”
Bai Tu had never intended to hide anything from anyone, especially not from his brother. He replied honestly, “I plan to plant these seeds in our territory and see if they can grow into fruit trees.”
Most of the fruit they had bought contained seeds, and there were a lot of them. If they planted them around the tribe’s territory and some of them successfully grew into fruit trees, it would be a huge gain.
Even if none of them grew, it wouldn’t be a loss—after all, the fruit had already been eaten, so nothing was wasted.
Since there was no downside, why not try? If even one or two types of fruit trees successfully bore fruit, it would mean an additional food source for the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
Hei Xiao looked at the seeds, then at Bai Tu. He had seen many kinds of fruit trees before, and they were generally quite large. Growing a full-sized fruit tree from a tiny seed seemed difficult, but if his brother was the one doing it, he had a gut feeling that it would succeed.
Beside Bai Tu, the little wolf cub, Yiri, sat in the basket, staring thoughtfully at the collected seeds.
He felt that these things were important and wanted to remember this moment. But why were they important? What was he supposed to do with this knowledge in the future? He couldn’t figure it out.
The little cub raised a paw and scratched his ear in frustration, annoyed that he couldn’t make sense of it all.
