Chapter 48: Disagreement

Chapter 48: Disagreement

Mao Ke said, "Wise One Wen Ran, tell us your plan."

Wen Ran nodded, "Everyone, listen to me. The experimental fields of watermelon, potatoes, and daikon in the tribe are all yielding food. We must not panic or lose our composure!"

Hearing Wen Ran mention these fields, everyone felt a surge of reassurance. Indeed, the fields they had cultivated under Wen Ran's guidance had mostly borne fruit. Although Wen Ran hadn't yet taught them how to prepare these crops, they still counted as vital food stores.

"Besides that, we can also use man-eating vines to make nets for catching fish!"

"With the combined strength of the entire tribe, after we've hunted the man-eating vines, we can weave them into nets to catch fish in the river. Then, we can dry or smoke the fish into jerky, preserving the meat. At the same time, we must also store water!"

"Currently, the tribe uses wooden bowls and turtle shells to store water, which are insufficient for large quantities. So, I suggest we dig cisterns!"

"We'll store water in these cisterns and use it when the river runs dry."

"However, since the tribe has a large population, we'll need to dig several cisterns to meet our needs. With hundreds of tribe members relying on them, and given that we must dig enough cisterns and fill them with water within three to five sun cycles, while also hunting, fishing, and drying fish—there's simply too much work! Relying solely on the male beastmen, even if they work without eating or drinking for three to five days, it won't be enough!"

"So, Chief, we need all the beastmen in the tribe to help out! This includes the females, lesser females, and the older cubs. The entire tribe must work together and participate! This is a disaster that concerns the survival of everyone in our tribe. Only by mobilizing all beastmen can we buy more time and increase our chances of survival!"

"Only with the entire tribe working together, dividing tasks and cooperating, can we store enough water and food for the tribe within three to five sun cycles!"

Hearing this, the females and lesser females grew excited. Could they really contribute to the tribe and lend a hand?

Mao Ke said solemnly, "We'll follow your arrangements! Wen Ran, the hundreds of sand cat beastmen in this tribe are counting on you! I hope you understand that if we cannot make it through the drought, many of our beastmen will perish!"

Wen Ran nodded gravely, "I understand, Chief Mao Ke! As for the man-eating vines, I have a way to deal with them. Man-eating vines stop moving once they're full! We can first feed them some fish beasts to satiate them. Once they're motionless, we can use fire to burn the vines off the man-eating vines and bring them back to the tribe to weave into fishing nets! With fishing nets, it'll be much easier to catch fish beasts!"

"But fish beasts are inedible! Eating them will kill beastmen!" a beastman shouted.

At this, Mao Bu jumped forward excitedly to refute, "That's not true! Fish beasts are delicious! The reason they were considered inedible or deadly before is that no one knew how to prepare them! Wen Ran's fish beast dishes won't poison beastmen—they're actually very tasty!"

"Mao Bu, how would you know?!"

"Wen Ran once sent fish soup made from fish beasts to the nursery cave. I happened to be on duty there and ate several portions. The delicious flavor nearly overwhelmed me! If it weren't for saving the soup for the cubs, I would've drunk it all!"

"Look, I ate Wen Ran's fish beast soup, and I'm still alive and kicking! If it were poisonous, I'd be dead by now! Fish beasts are truly edible and won't kill beastmen!"

"Moreover, I caught fish beasts myself, made fish soup, and gave it to the beastmen in the elders' cave. They didn't die either! This is proof right before your eyes! Hey, Mao De, you ate my fish soup—why don't you back me up?"

The male beastman named by Mao Bu, limping on one leg but standing tall, pushed through the crowd to the center. His weather-beaten face was etched with indifference and hardship, yet his eyes remained sharp as an eagle's, revealing the glory he once held as a hunter.

Mao De found Wen Ran in the crowd, nodded at him in gratitude, and then addressed everyone present solemnly, "Fish beasts are not poisonous! I've eaten them myself! I'm grateful to Wise One Wen Ran for teaching Mao Bu how to make fish soup, allowing us old and disabled beastmen to enjoy a full belly of soup! I also hope our tribe members can trust Wise One Wen Ran this once! Because Wise One Wen Ran truly possesses great wisdom. I believe he can lead our tribe safely through the drought!"

Wen Ran glanced over. So this was Mao De, the leader of the elders' cave.

The three Mao Yuan brothers also jumped forward, saying, "Fish beasts can not only be made into soup but also fried into fish pieces—they're fragrant and filling! They're truly edible and won't kill beastmen! We three brothers and Lang Zhi have all eaten Wen Ran's fish beast dishes!"

Though Mao Zhi and Mao Fei hadn't eaten Wen Ran's fish beast dishes, they trusted Wen Ran completely and voiced their support.

"But what if Wen Ran's method fails?! Are we betting our entire chance of survival on an outsider lesser female and an outsider male beastman?! Even abandoning the migration method passed down by our ancestors for surviving the drought?! Chief! I think you've all gone mad! What kind of magic potion have Wen Ran and Lang Zhi given you?!"

The voice was shrill and piercing, grating on Wen Ran's ears. He scratched his ear and looked toward the source, surprised to see it was Mao Yue.

After not seeing her for a long time, Mao Yue had changed dramatically. Wen Ran frowned instinctively after just one glance.

Mao Yue had become even more unpleasant than before, surrounded by an aura that sent chills down one's spine. Her eyes gleamed with coldness and calculation, especially when she looked at Lang Zhi and Wen Ran—her gaze was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

"Chief Mao Ke, sand cat beastmen have always valued females above all! We females hold a higher status in the tribe than males! Even though you are the chief, I have the right to oppose you! If you insist on placing the lives of all our beastmen in the hands of Wen Ran, an outsider lesser female, then I, Mao Yue, refuse to accept it!"

"Yes, Chief! Mao Yue makes a good point! This is a matter of life and death. We should follow our ancestors' ways and migrate to the zebra tribe now! There might still be time!"

Another beastman whispered, "Although Wise One Wen Ran is very capable, and I deeply respect him, he hasn't been in our tribe for long and doesn't know how harsh the drought can be! The drought isn't that simple! When the fireball scorches the earth, the riverbeds dry up, and prey disappears, even if we stay in our dens, we'll still die of heatstroke, thirst, or starvation! I think we should follow our ancestors' traditions and prepare to migrate to the zebra tribe..."

"Yes, Mao Yue is right. Chief, I have cubs not yet a month old to raise in my den—this is my first litter, and I worked hard to bear them. Chief, I can't take this gamble!" A female holding two hand-sized tabby kittens spoke with a pained expression.

"But migrating to the zebra tribe isn't a good option either! First, the zebra tribe is too far from us, and with the drought arriving early, we might die of heat or thirst on the way! Second, during the drought season, the zebra tribe hosts many beastmen from other tribes. Most of those tribes are strong beastmen who aren't friendly to weaker ones. Even if we go, we'll have to hand over large amounts of meat and water just to secure a small temporary place to stay. If we give all our resources to them, what will we eat and drink?!"

A young male sand cat beastman said, "We can hunt within the zebra tribe's territory!"

"You make it sound easy! Hunting isn't that simple! Prey only gathers near water sources! There's none elsewhere—they've all migrated away long ago!"

Mao Bu glared at the male beastman and said, "Mao Run, don't pick on Mao Ye! Mao Ye has just reached adulthood—it's understandable that he'd suggest hunting in the zebra tribe's territory since he hasn't experienced arriving late to the zebra tribe before."

"Mao Bu, that's your fault! Mao Ye is your cub—how could you not explain such an important matter to him before he reached adulthood?"

Mao Bu snorted angrily, ignoring him. He patted his cub's head and said, "Mao Ye, although the zebra tribe is located in grasslands with abundant water and grass, making it a good place to make it through the drought, we're not the only ones who think so. Other tribes share the same idea. This year, we're clearly too late. Even if we go through all that trouble to get there, the good spots near the water sources won't be available to us. If we can't secure a spot near the water, or if those spots are taken by stronger beastmen tribes, we won't be able to hunt there. So, your idea of hunting there isn't feasible."

"Oh," Mao Ye said sadly, "I understand, Father."

......

Everyone chattered and argued, and soon, Mao Ke's den was divided into two camps over whether to migrate to the zebra tribe for the drought.

One camp, led by Mao Yue, believed they should head out right away for the zebra tribe, just like the migrating elephant creatures outside. They argued that they shouldn't pin all their hopes on staying in the tribe or on Wen Ran, an outsider lesser female!

The other camp, led by Wen Ran, consisted of beastmen who advocated staying put to make it through the drought.

Mao Shi looked at Mao Fei's belly, feeling conflicted. After all, Mao Fei's pregnancy was getting bigger. If they were to migrate, what if she went into labor along the way?

Moreover, they had previously consulted Hu Xiu Shaman, who said Mao Fei's due date coincided with the tribe's migration season. Giving birth was dangerous enough, but giving birth during migration—in the desert, lacking water, food, shelter from wind and sand, and a safe, clean environment—offered little chance of survival.

Wen Ran grew anxious, worried they might side with Mao Yue and migrate to the zebra tribe. After all, he had grown quite fond of Mao Fei, the white feline. Besides Lang Zhi and the three cubs, Mao Fei was the first friend he had made since arriving here.

Mao Shi was still hesitating, but Mao Fei said decisively, "Mao Shi, I'm not leaving. I trust Wen Ran!"

Seeing his partner's firm stance, Mao Shi finally decided to respect her opinion and stay. He silently resolved that if they faced shortages of water or food, he would go without, ensuring his partner and cubs had enough first.

Many male beastmen in the tribe shared Mao Shi's concerns. Some had young cubs to raise, others had partners with child, and some were too old or too frail to endure the grueling migration without risking death from exhaustion along the way.