Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH83

Chapter 83

“Xiao?” Bai Tu called softly, noticing Hei Xiao’s dazed expression.

“I’m here.” Hei Xiao immediately snapped back to attention, nodding. “Go ahead.”

Bai Tu glanced back at Lang Qi, who was still staring at the two of them intently, and decided to lay everything out. “I suspect that the Red Eagle Tribe’s relocation is connected to Hu Bu.” 

After all, many events involving the Red Eagle Tribe seemed to line up perfectly with Hu Bu’s timeline. Bai Tu didn’t believe it was all just a coincidence.

Hei Xiao’s expression visibly shifted to disappointment, but he quickly composed himself and began recalling the past. “It was about fifteen or sixteen years ago. The Red Eagle Tribe suddenly started abducting cubs from nearby tribes. At first, everyone thought the cubs had wandered off and gotten into accidents. But later, it became clear that the Red Eagle Tribe was taking them while their families were out hunting.”

The feathered tribes’ way of life was different from that of other beastmen. 

They liked to build nests on cliffs or in tall trees. 

Their eggs were incubated by the parents, who took turns keeping them warm. During this period, only one parent could go out to hunt, which meant food was scarce, and both parents would grow visibly thinner. 

After the chicks hatched, the parents would hunt together to feed the chicks and replenish their own strength. Newly hatched chicks rarely left the nest, making them particularly vulnerable.

This method of raising young was common across all feathered tribes, but that summer, the number of missing chicks suddenly spiked. 

Tribes began to realize something was wrong. Pretending to go out hunting, some parents instead circled back to their nests from the rear and caught Red Eagles in the act of stealing their chicks.

The Red Eagle Tribe tried to cover their tracks by plucking their feathers to hide their bald heads and sneaking into other tribes. 

The defenseless chicks, who only knew how to cry out for food, couldn’t distinguish between species and had no ability to resist. Most were easily snatched.

That year, over thirty chicks were taken across several tribes. 

One tribe lost as many as eight, while even the luckiest tribe lost four. The Red Eagle Tribe instantly became despised by all other tribes. Several feathered tribes banded together to drive the Red Eagles out of their territory.

The Red Eagle Tribe differed from most feathered tribes in one key aspect: they didn’t require fresh food. 

Most beastmen and feathered tribes would get sick if they ate rotten food—mild cases resulted in vomiting and diarrhea, while severe cases could be fatal. 

Fresh prey wasn’t always available, which meant even powerful tribes could face hunger if hunting opportunities ran dry and stored food spoiled. Rotten food was typically discarded, and only the truly desperate would dare to eat it.

The Red Eagle Tribe, however, was completely different. 

They could eat rotten food without issue—and even enjoyed it. 

During late rainy seasons or winters, when food supplies were exhausted, they would scavenge for food discarded by other tribes, including the corpses of beastmen and feathered tribes. 

On the Beast God Continent, there was almost nothing the Red Eagle Tribe wouldn’t eat. Fresh food? They ate it. Rotten food? They ate that too. And if there was no rotten food, they would eat the corpses of beastmen or feathered tribes. 

Their ability to survive under such conditions meant that their population once reached over 2,000, making them the largest tribe on the Southern Continent.

If not for the heinous act of stealing chicks, the other eagle tribes wouldn’t have driven them out. 

That war left many feathered tribes injured. As a result, the Red Eagle Tribe was forced to leave the central regions of the Southern Continent and relocate to unclaimed lands in the east, far from the other eagle tribes. After that, news about the Red Eagle Tribe became increasingly scarce.

This time, the information Hei Yan obtained came from the Iron Elephant Tribe, just as Bai Tu had suspected. 

The first three beastmen who recovered from their uncontrollable transformations all reported encountering members of the Red Eagle Tribe. They were injured by the Red Eagles, and shortly after, lost consciousness.

Due to the emergence of fallen beasts, the Iron Elephant Tribe had almost entirely cut off contact with other tribes. 

They even rarely sold their iron tools anymore, as much of their iron production was now used to forge iron cages. The elephant beastmen’s massive size required sturdy cages to contain them, as nothing less could hold them. When the first beastman succumbed to the fallen beast condition and went berserk, many people were injured.

The Iron Elephant Tribe managed to capture a few members of the Red Eagle Tribe, but the information they extracted was limited. 

All the captives claimed to be following Wu Lai’s orders. Wu Lai gave them a drug, which they applied to knives before stabbing others and then fleeing. Beyond that, they claimed to know nothing.

Bai Tu carefully analyzed this information. 

The Red Eagle Tribe’s history of stealing cubs, combined with the actions of Wu Jiu’s lineage, made it almost certain that Wu Lai was behind all of this. 

The cubs were likely Wu Lai’s offering to gain Wu Jiu’s favor. 

The injuries sustained by the Iron Elephant Tribe’s beastmen were similar to Lang Qi’s—they turned into fallen beasts after being wounded. If the recovery period was indeed six to seven months, Lang Qi might not fully recover until next summer. If Bai Tu wanted to speed up the process, he’d have to find the true culprit.

But then there was the issue of the cubs… Bai Tu suddenly asked, “Were all the eagle cubs captured alive?”

Hei Xiao’s expression grew complicated. He gently patted Bai Tu’s head and quickly pulled his hand back when Bai Tu looked up. “Not just eagle cubs. The Red Eagle Tribe captured cubs from more than ten different species, and they were all taken alive.”

This was another reason the other tribes were baffled. 

If there was a grudge between tribes, they might seek revenge by killing the other tribe’s cubs. For example, lion tribes and leopard tribes, who often had territorial disputes, rarely spared each other’s cubs. But the Red Eagle Tribe wasn’t seeking revenge, nor were they killing the cubs for food—they were specifically targeting them for capture.

Bai Tu, distracted by Hei Xiao’s brief touch, didn’t think much of it. He remembered the lion cubs that had supposedly died and abruptly stood up. “I know what’s wrong.”

At these words, everyone in the group turned to look at him—Hei Xiao, Lang Qi, Lang Ze, and Hei Yan—all wearing expressions of confusion. Even Lang Ze and Hei Yan, who had been secretly kicking at each other, paused their antics.

Bai Tu didn’t explain. He headed straight for Lang You and began questioning the beastmen who had lost their cubs. “Did you see the cubs being killed with your own eyes?”

Shi Zhen’s younger daughter, Shi Jia, recalled the events of that day and shook her head at Bai Tu. “No. Shi Ming claimed the cub wasn’t his and took the cub away.”

The beastman beside Shi Jia nodded. Only two of Shi Hong’s mates had different experiences. “Shi Hong took the cubs away, and later, Hu Bu returned with their dead bodies.”

When the beastwomen who had seen their cubs’ bodies tried to attack Hu Bu in a frenzy, they were stopped by the guards protecting him. 

Many beastwomen who lost their cubs were able to move on quickly, as raising a cub to maturity was a challenging process. But not these women. 

If the cubs had died due to lack of food or illness, they could have accepted it. But to lose their healthy cubs just because their mates doubted their parentage? The pain was unbearable.

Even though Shi Jia had once been deeply in love with Shi Ming, she quickly cut ties with him. 

When she heard a few days ago that Shi Ming had died in a cave, she felt little sadness. In fact, she thought he deserved it and even felt his suffering had been too light!

Bai Tu compiled a list. The beastmen in front of him, all of whom resented their mates, totaled 31 individuals. 

Additionally, there were a few mothers who, due to their status or other reasons, could only silently endure their mates’ baseless accusations. 

Altogether, 41 cubs had been taken from these beastmen. Among them, three of Shi Hong’s mates had seen the bodies of their cubs—five cubs in total. The remaining 36 cubs were neither seen alive nor recovered as corpses.

Including cubs taken from absent beastmen, around 10 more were missing. 

Given that lion births had about a one-third chance of producing twins, it was estimated that around 13 cubs had been taken alive, with no sign of their bodies afterward.

Nearly fifty cubs—Bai Tu made a note of this number and called over Shi Zhen to ask him for the exact time he had seen the member of the Red Eagle Tribe.

Shi Zhen couldn’t recall the specific date but remembered it was during spring, the season with the highest success rate for hunting.

“I remember!” one of the beastmen suddenly spoke up. “The time when someone from the Bald Tribe came was right after my cub had been taken!” She continued, voice trembling. “I went looking for my cub but couldn’t find them. Instead, I saw someone from the Bald Tribe. Later, they said my cub had been killed.”

The beastwoman’s face twisted in disbelief as she voiced a horrifying suspicion. “Did they give our cubs to the Bald Tribe to eat??”

The idea that her child had been turned into someone else’s food was even more unbearable than knowing the cub was dead. 

On the Beast God Continent, the bodies of deceased beastmen were buried at the base of a mountain near the tribe, symbolizing a return to the Beast God’s embrace. But did this mean their children wouldn’t even have the chance to return to the Beast God?

The mothers, already devastated by the loss of their cubs, broke down completely. This new possibility plunged them into utter despair.

“That’s not necessarily the case,” Bai Tu interjected. “It’s possible the cubs were taken alive.” 

He suspected the cubs hadn’t been killed. Wu Jiu was known for using the blood of live cubs to summon the Beast God’s power, and Wu Lai likely followed the same practice. 

Living cubs were far more valuable to them than dead ones. Considering the timing, it was highly suspicious that the Red Eagle Tribe members showed up right after the cubs had been taken. Bai Tu speculated that the cubs taken by Shi Hong and the sub-leaders were likely delivered to Wu Lai.

Hearing that their cubs might still be alive, the mothers immediately turned to Bai Tu with hope in their eyes.

“Bai Tu, can you help us find our cubs?”

“Please, help me bring my child back…”

“Tu…”

Lang Qi stepped in front of Bai Tu, shielding him. “If you want your cubs back, find them yourselves.” 

Lang Qi knew Bai Tu had a soft heart, but entering the Red Eagle Tribe’s territory was extremely dangerous, and he had no intention of letting Bai Tu take such a risk—especially not for lion cubs.

Bai Tu didn’t promise to help and instead reminded the mothers of the uncertainty: “I can’t guarantee the cubs are alive. If you want to know what happened to them, it depends on whether Hu Bu is willing to tell the truth.”

Given the current situation, the only people who knew the cubs’ whereabouts were Hu Bu and those he trusted. Unfortunately, those trusted by Hu Bu were often fanatically loyal to him. 

Even now, at least a dozen lions were working while secretly trying to carry out Hu Bu’s so-called “Destroy the Wolves and Devour the Rabbits” plan.

Hearing Bai Tu’s words, the crowd immediately burst into a cacophony of voices.

“I’ll answer any question you ask!”

“I know who Hu Bu’s been in contact with!”

The mothers, energized as if they’d been injected with adrenaline, were now fully motivated. 

Previously, many of them had resigned themselves to their losses, with some even finding new mates. But now that they knew their cubs might still be alive, none of them could give up. 

Lion cubs were being born in ever-decreasing numbers. 

Decades ago, a single litter could have three or four cubs, or even more. Nowadays, twins were rare, and most litters produced only one cub. Many beastmen could only raise two or three cubs in their entire lives, or even fewer. Learning that their cubs might still be alive sparked an uncontainable determination.

“If you cooperate, I’ll do my best,” Bai Tu promised. 

However, he also didn’t sugarcoat the reality. “But how many cubs are still alive is beyond my control.” 

He explained that while it seemed the cubs were alive when they were taken, he couldn’t guarantee what had happened to them since then or whether they had survived until now. Bai Tu didn’t want to give them false hope, so he made sure they understood all the possibilities upfront.

Shi Jia lifted her head and, speaking on behalf of the others, responded firmly, “Whether the cubs are alive or not, we’ll help you.” To these mothers, even if their cubs were gone, Bai Tu’s willingness to help them search was already something they were deeply grateful for.

Bai Tu nodded, resolved to do everything he could to uncover the cubs’ fates. “Start by recalling any details you might have missed earlier. It’s not just about Hu Bu—think about whether anyone else had contact with other tribes. I’ll go talk to Hu Bu.”

The cave where Hu Bu was imprisoned was located further down the mountain. 

When Bai Tu arrived, two wolf tribe youths were delivering water to Hu Bu. One held Hu Bu’s hands down while the other removed his muzzle. The moment the muzzle was unlocked, the two boys bolted, running away as fast as they could.

Hu Bu reached out, trying to grab the two wolves, but failed. 

When he saw Bai Tu standing at the cave entrance, he opened his mouth to hurl insults and taunts—only to freeze mid-breath when he caught sight of Hei Xiao standing next to Bai Tu.

His face instantly drained of color, and his eyes filled with pure terror. “How… how is this possible…?” he stammered.

How could Hei Xiao have found Bai Tu so quickly? He had deliberately brought Bai Tu all the way to the Eastern Continent to ensure this wouldn’t happen.

The sight of these two standing together sent a chill down Hu Bu’s spine. The sheer dread of what they could do when combined was a nightmare he’d feared not just in this life, but in his previous one as well.