Chapter 66: The Space Levels Up Again

Chapter 66: The Space Levels Up Again

The first group hunt was a resounding success. Antelope carcasses were piled mountain-high, and the sight brought smiles to the faces of the Sand Cat tribe members.

Though this hunt yielded abundant spoils, it also took a heavy toll on their weapons. The stone and bone knives wielded by the male beastmen were mostly worn or damaged. If they wished to continue hunting large herds in the future, the consumption of weapons and tools would only increase, necessitating constant repair and crafting of new ones.

Materials for weapon-making were readily available—the fur, teeth, bones, and sinews from the recently hunted herd, for instance. The real challenge, however, was finding someone to do the crafting.

This work demanded both strength and skill. The tribe's females and sub-females, even if willing, simply couldn't manage it. As for the male beastmen capable of such work, they were all needed for the large-scale hunting expeditions, leaving them no time to spare.

Faced with this dilemma, no one immediately had a good solution. It was unthinkable to expect the male beastmen to hunt at night and then tirelessly craft weapons and tools by day—even the most resilient beastmen couldn't endure such a regimen.

Then, an unexpected group within the tribe stepped forward.

It was the disabled and elderly male beastmen from the tribe's elder cave. These old beastmen, who could no longer contribute to the tribe or hunt, would typically resign themselves to death during the dry season when water and food were scarce.

But Wen Ran had given them hope. Before the dry season, he provided them with dried fish. With his help, the tribe's food stores had a surplus of meat to share with them. He even had a water cellar built specifically for them, filled to the brim. During the dry season, they received meat from sabertoothed tigers and desert wolves, ensuring they had enough to eat and drink. They were profoundly grateful for all of this.

Now that Wen Ran and the tribe faced difficulties, it was time for these "old bones," who had been eating without working, to step up.

Mao De, a male Sand Cat beastman with a lame leg, declared, "Sage Wen Ran, as long as you don't mind our clumsiness, our disabilities, or our age, we are willing to try making weapons for the tribe's hunting team!"

Mao De was indeed a very old male beastman, even older than Chief Mao Ke. The beard on his chin was graying, and his eyes, though cloudy, gleamed with integrity and determination.

"Right! Old De is correct. We old-timers don't want to hide in our caves all day, baking under the sun, waiting for death! We don't want to be a burden on the tribe! We want to contribute our share by helping repair and craft weapons for the tribe! Sage Wen Ran, teach us how, and we will learn diligently!"

"Well said! We are also part of the tribe. We must contribute too!"

Mao Shuang, a male beastman who had lost both legs and could only move using his hands, added, "Brother Mao De is right! Sage Wen Ran, entrust the weapon repairs to us! We will put our hearts into it! With us providing support, the hunting team beastmen can focus entirely on hunting!"

...

Listening to the elder cave beastmen speak passionately, their emotions running high, Wen Ran felt a warm current flow through him. Indeed, human connections were reciprocal; when you offered kindness, you often received countless acts of kindness in return.

He said gently, "I've heard your thoughts. Thank you. However, the acting tribal chief is currently Mao Shi. I need to discuss this with Mao Shi and Shaman Hu Xiu before making a decision. I hope you understand."

Mao De replied, "We understand. We're not in a hurry. We'll wait to hear from you, Sage Wen Ran!"

Wen Ran nodded. After discussing with Shaman Hu Xiu, Mao Shi, and Lang Zhi, they all agreed to let the elder cave beastmen, led by Mao De, take on the weapon repair work. Mao Bu immediately strode forward, clapped Mao De on the shoulder, and grinned widely. "Old De, we can fight side by side hunting beasts again!"

Mao De's eyes reddened, and he nodded repeatedly, overcome with emotion.

...

The elder cave beastmen worked quickly, sharpening stone and bone knives day and night. Every blade was honed to razor-sharpness. Soon, their hands developed blisters, but they didn't mind. In fact, seeing the blisters made them even happier, and they laughed heartily as they worked. "It feels good to work! It fills us with energy and strength, and our spirits are high."

With a dedicated team handling weapon repairs, Wen Ran also entrusted them with applying poison and oil to arrowheads.

Arrowheads coated in oil could be lit before shooting and would burn for a long time without extinguishing—perfect for scaring beast herds.

Of course, the tribe ensured they were compensated. Their meat was provided by the tribe, and each beastman also received an individual share.

Wen Ran even gave Mao De the book "Weapon-Making Methods for Hunting Beasts," which he had received as a mall reward. However, there was a problem: none of the beastmen could read.

Previously, when he gave Mao Zhi the recipe book, she couldn't read the words either. But since each cooking step was illustrated, she followed the pictures to figure it out. Seeing that Mao De intended to do the same, Wen Ran rubbed his chin, thinking that he would have to arrange literacy education when he had time.

After two days and three nights, Mao De and the elder cave beastmen had repaired all the worn weapons in the tribe. Those too damaged to fix were replaced with new materials. Once finished, they brought the weapons to Wen Ran's cave.

Mao De said, "Sage Wen Ran, what do you think? Are these repairs acceptable?"

Wen Ran examined each one. The repairs were even better than the original state—extremely sharp and clearly done with great care. He poured them cups of sweet soup and said, "You've worked hard, Uncle De."

Hearing Wen Ran call him "Uncle De," Mao De's eyes lit up slightly, feeling respected and appreciated by Wen Ran.

Since becoming disabled, he hadn't received such sincere and kind respect in a long time.

Mao De felt a lump in his throat, but due to his stoic nature, he wasn't good at expressing sentimental words. He simply nodded silently, took a sip of the sweet soup, and his eyes widened in astonishment. Looking at the sweet soup in the wooden bowl, he took another small sip. In all his years, he had never tasted such delicious sweet soup! Sour and sweet—his female partner would surely love it!

Mao De hesitated, glancing at Wen Ran, pursing his lips, unsure how to broach the subject.

Wen Ran noticed Mao De's hesitation, put down his sweet soup, and asked gently, "What's wrong, Uncle De? Is the sweet soup not to your liking?"

"No, no! It's too delicious. I can't bear to drink it all. I want to save some for my female partner..." Mao De paused, then said, "I want to let the tribe's female, Hu Ying, try it."

Wen Ran frowned. Why did he say "my female partner" first but then change it to "the tribe's female"?

However, since he wasn't very familiar with Mao De and their relationship wasn't close enough to inquire about personal matters, he said, "Uncle De, drink as much as you like. There's plenty. Before you leave, I'll give you some to take back."

Mao De quickly waved his hands. "No, no, that would be too much trouble."

"Uncle De, don't stand on ceremony with me. I won't stand on ceremony with you either."

Mao De had no choice but to accept.

After seeing Mao De off, Wen Ran went to find Mao Fei. The large white cat knew almost everything about the tribe's affairs.

Mao Fei spread his hands and sighed helplessly. "It's all because of the fierce beasts. If it weren't for that predator attack five years ago, Uncle De wouldn't have become lame. He and his female partner would still be living together in one cave, happy. Back then, Uncle De was her Alpha Male too."

"What exactly happened? Tell me quickly and in detail," Wen Ran urged.

"Alright, alright, I'll start from the beginning."

Back then, Mao De and Mao Bu came of age together, joined the hunting team together, and protected the tribe through hunting. But all that ended in an accident five years ago.

Mao De crippled one leg, and his hunting career ended five years ago. Fortunately, he had a good relationship with his female partner, Hu Ying. She didn't drive him out of the cave because of it. However, since he could no longer contribute to the cave through hunting and instead relied on Hu Ying's other males to support him, even though Hu Ying never complained, Mao De probably knew the other males were unwilling to feed him.

Hu Ying made those males accept Mao De each time. But as it became clear that Mao De wouldn't recover, the other males grew restless, each wanting to become Hu Ying's Alpha Male. Though Hu Ying suppressed them forcefully, conflicts eventually arose over time.

To avoid causing trouble for Hu Ying, Mao De voluntarily moved to the public elder cave. However, Hu Ying never agreed to him leaving, often trying to persuade him to return to the cave and occasionally sending him some meat.

But in reality, they had already separated.

After hearing this, Wen Ran also felt a pang of sadness. He thought that after this busy period, he would see if he could help treat Mao De's leg.

...

With these weapons ready, Wen Ran and the others decided to hunt beast herds again. This time, they targeted a group of Grunting Beasts. Using the same method as with the antelopes, they emerged victorious once more.

Later, following the same approach, they hunted several flocks of flamingo beasts and leopard beasts before the beast tide ended. The abundant prey provided a large amount of meat that could supply the entire Sand Cat tribe for a considerable time, alleviating the pressure of food shortage.

Thanks to these beast herds, the elderly, weak, sick, disabled, and young in the tribe all received a fair share of meat, enough to sustain the beastmen's basic livelihood. The bones, fur, sinews, etc., from the herds could be used to make various tools and weapons.

Bones could be crafted into sharp arrowheads and bone needles; fur could be used to make warm winter clothing, bedding, and tents; sinews could be used for bowstrings, etc.

This large-scale hunting during the beast tide filled all the Sand Cat beastmen with excitement. They felt proud and confident. Through this hunt, Wen Ran also felt a deeper sense of belonging and identification with the tribe.

After this, the Maneating Vine became their largest trap in the desert!

Due to the soft sandy ground in the desert, it was difficult to dig pits for traps. But the Maneating Vine, a living trap, was much more effective than pits. Wen Ran described their relationship with the Maneating Vine as mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Sand Cat tribe drove prey to the vine. After the vine ate its fill, the Sand Cat tribe could scavenge the leftovers—both sides could eat their fill.

Also, for twice proposing hunting strategies and providing weapons like bows, arrows, poisons, and medicines, Wen Ran received the largest share of the prey. After selling all the fierce beast meat, his gold coins once again exceeded ten million, even more than before—now around forty million.

Wen Ran spent thirty million to upgrade his space to over three hundred square meters. He designated a plot to build a small farmhouse. The house contained medicines, kitchen supplies, and other daily items. The yard was fenced with a hedge, inside which he kept antelopes and Grunting Beasts.

Looking at the Magical Spring flowing steadily outside the yard, Wen Ran bought a simulated sunlight lamp from the interstellar market and placed it in the space. He renovated the black soil in the space, bought some vegetable seeds, and planted them.

After finishing all this, Wen Ran looked at the small farmhouse and fields before him and clapped his hands—it was beginning to look like a proper little farm.