Chapter 112 The Establishment of the New Tribe—Beast City!

Chapter 112 The Establishment of the New Tribe—Beast City!

Although the Sand Cat Tribe and the Black Wolf Tribe shared a territory, when choosing their caves, both tribes instinctively centered around Wen Ran’s and Lang Zhi’s dwellings. The Black Wolf beastmen occupied the left, while the Sand Cat beastmen resided on the right, maintaining a clear distinction.

However, Wen Ran understood. The sudden merger of two tribes naturally made the beastmen uneasy and wary. With more time spent together, familiarity would grow, and they would gradually become one family. After all, in his previous life, fifty-six ethnic groups had merged as one—this was just two tribes.

Since the two tribes would now live together, it was impractical to keep referring to them separately as the Black Wolf Tribe and the Sand Cat Tribe, as it hindered unity. Wen Ran gathered respected figures from both tribes—Mao Ke, Hu Xiu Shaman, Lang Qing, and others—and, with Lang Zhi, Mao Shi, Mao Bu, and the rest witnessing, encouraged everyone to brainstorm a new name for the tribe.

“How about the Cultivation Tribe? After seeing the crops grown by Wen Ran Sage, I’m convinced that even without hunting, as long as we farm well, we won’t starve! Plus, our new territory has fertile black soil—much better than the desert—making farming easier and yields higher! What do you think?”

“It’s good, but it doesn’t sound grand enough...” Lang Qing remarked.

“If we want something grand, how about the Fur-Bearing Clan? Whether Black Wolves, Sand Cats, or Sand Foxes, we all have fur—it fits perfectly!”

“Then why not the Long-Fur Tribe? Our beast forms all have long fur...”

“...” Seeing the names getting increasingly odd, Wen Ran thought for a moment and said, “A tribe as large as Elephant City is called Elephant City. Since we’ve merged two tribes and our numbers of beastmen are nearly as large, why don’t we call ours Beast City?”

Mao Ke pondered and clapped his hands. “That’s a great name! Elephant City got its name because all its beastmen have elephant beast forms. Our tribe has Sand Cats, Sand Foxes, and Black Wolves—and who knows, other beastmen races might join in the future. ‘Beast City’ is most fitting!”

Lang Zhi also nodded in approval. “Beast City is indeed excellent—grand and suitable.”

With unanimous agreement, the new tribe was named Beast City. To commemorate this historic moment, Wen Ran selected a smooth section of the cave wall above the beastmen’s dwellings and had the characters ‘Beast City’ carved into it, painted white with tree sap for a ceremonial touch.

Whenever beastmen returned to their caves, they could see the three large white characters ‘Beast City’ from afar, making their hearts swell with pride—this was their new tribe!

To foster unity, Lang Zhi and Mao Ke, representing the Black Wolf Tribe and the Sand Cat Tribe respectively, jointly recommended Wen Ran as the chief of Beast City. Only Wen Ran, who was both the Beast God's Messenger and a Sage, could make beastmen from both tribes willingly submit.

Faced with Chief Mao Ke’s second request to step down, Wen Ran paused thoughtfully for a moment before agreeing. After the dry season, Chief Mao Ke had wanted Lang Zhi to lead the Sand Cat Tribe as Ritual Shaman, but Wen Ran had other plans—helping Lang Zhi find his clan and uncover his origins—and didn’t wish to be confined to the Sand Cat Tribe.

Now that all issues were resolved, he had no reason to refuse.

Wen Ran accepted the position of chief, understanding that it came with responsibility. He had to lead the beastmen of both tribes to prosper—ensuring no shortage of food or clothing and preventing bullying by powerful beastmen such as the Iridescent Snake.

Wen Ran solemnly declared to everyone, “I promise you, I will lead our tribe to a better life.”

Wen Ran had personal reasons for accepting the role. Having been here for so long, he realized he couldn’t return to his original world. As a low-status Lesser Female, he indeed needed a position of authority to improve the status of all Lesser Females in the beast world, eliminate gender discrimination, and achieve equality for all.

Thus, he needed a foothold here, and the new tribe was perfect. Wen Ran was confident that once he built houses, few beastmen tribes would live as comfortably or eat as well as theirs.

Wen Ran glanced at the cheering crowd and continued, “Since I’ve agreed to be chief, I’ll outline my plans. I intend to disband the current hunting teams of the Sand Cat Tribe and Black Wolf Tribe and form new ones. Each new hunting team must include Sand Cats, Sand Foxes, and Black Wolf beastmen.”

“Based on current numbers, we can form four groups of about twenty-five members each. The Hunting Captains will be Lang Qing, Mao Shi, Cat Tooth, and Lang Zhi.”

Mao Shi and Cat Tooth glanced awkwardly at Chief Mao Ke. Logically, if Mao Ke wasn’t chief, he should be Hunting Captain, but Mao Ke remained unfazed.

Wen Ran continued, “The hunting teams will primarily be responsible for hunting and protecting the tribe’s safety. But I’m aware that our tribe doesn’t have many strong beastmen—only about a third of the total. Most are weak beastmen. Though agile, weak beastmen aren’t as skilled at hunting, even with skilled archers. Relying solely on strong beastmen to feed hundreds of tribe members isn’t feasible. Later, I’ll teach everyone how to set traps. Strong and weak beastmen must learn to cooperate.”

“Additionally, we’ll add three guard teams, three gathering teams, and one weapons-making team.”

“The guard teams will patrol day and night around the tribe, protecting against wild beasts or raids, safeguarding cubs, females, and Lesser Females, and serving as backups for hunting teams. If hunters get injured, guards can substitute. They’ll also protect gathering teams when they go out to collect food. The guard captains are Mao Bu, Mao Run, and Hu Di.”

“The gathering teams will primarily be responsible for collecting all edible wild vegetables, fruits, roots, and beast eggs. The captains are Hu Ya, Mao Zhi, and Langjia.”

Langjia was the only Lesser Female among the Black Wolf beastmen, usually low-key. Wen Ran hadn’t noticed her until Lang Qing mentioned they also had a Lesser Female.

“The weapons-making team is our logistical support team, primarily responsible for making and repairing various weapons such as bone knives, stone knives, and bows and arrows. The captain is Mao De.”

“Finally, I plan to have one chief and two deputies. I’ll be chief, with Mao Ke and Lang Zhi as deputies. Hu Xiu Shaman remains the Ritual Shaman. Major tribal decisions require discussion among the three chiefs, the Ritual Shaman, and all captains, followed by a vote. The final decision will be decided by majority vote.”

Wen Ran clapped his hands. “Any objections?”

Lang Zhi spoke first. “No problem, I’ll follow your arrangements.”

Seeing this, Lang Qing immediately raised his hand. “I’m fine with it too!”

“No objections! We’ll follow Chief Wen Ran’s plans!”

......

With unanimous approval, Wen Ran felt pleased. He smiled and said, “Tonight, we’ll have a barbecue to celebrate our new tribe! Eat well, sleep soundly, and tomorrow, three hunting teams will go out, while the rest help me build houses!”

“Great!”

“Barbecue time!”

“How do we do it, Chief Wen Ran?”

“Hey, you can’t call him Wen Ran Sage anymore—it’s Chief Wen Ran!”

“Oh right, Chief Wen Ran, hehe!”

Everyone chattered excitedly, looking forward to the feast, the houses Chief Wen Ran mentioned, and a brighter future.

Wen Ran chuckled. “It’s simple. I’ll show you, and you’ll learn for next time.”

While Wen Ran and Lang Zhi were away at the Sand Cat Tribe, Lang Qing and the Black Wolf beastmen had hunted plenty of game—rabbits, Quack Beasts, antelopes, Grunting Beasts—stored in a cave. Perfect for a fresh game barbecue feast.

Wen Ran checked the cave and found some animals wounded but still alive. After a quick inspection, he saw they could recover. He designated a cave for livestock raising, so tribe members could have fresh meat in winter.

For those with fatal injuries, like a broken neck, Wen Ran had them slaughtered on the spot, deboned and sliced, and marinated for the barbecue.

Hearing about the feast, tribe members gathered outside Wen Ran’s cave to help—cutting meat, washing vegetables, tending fires. Lang Qing took a dozen beastmen to gather dry wood—essential for the barbecue.

Hu Xiu Shaman and the elderly or less mobile beastmen sat wrapped in furs by the bonfire, warming up quickly. The three little ones, Cat King, and other cubs played hide-and-seek, their laughter echoing.

The late autumn night felt like icy water, breath tinged with chill. Lang Zhi draped a coat over Wen Ran for warmth and began skinning an antelope for roasting—it needed only gutting and seasoning.

Nearby, Mao Shi had already skinned two antelopes, while Mao Bu led others in dehairing Grunting Beasts for whole roast and sliced meat. With over three hundred tribe members, they needed plenty of antelopes and Grunting Beasts.

Wen Ran thanked Lang Zhi, tightening the coat—he was indeed feeling cold. As nights grew cooler, he returned to his cave and brought out a large jar of agave liquor, offering everyone wooden bowls to warm up. He called Hu Di: “By the river, there are thin flat stone slabs washed ashore. Take some beastmen to clean and bring them back for grilling. Soak the fresh antelope hides in the river for tanning later.”

“Got it!” Hu Di, a male, downed a bowl of agave liquor in one gulp, then rallied several beastmen to carry the hides to the river under the night sky.

Wen Ran drank a little too, cheeks flushed and body warmer. He continued washing eggplants, peppers, sand ginger, and sand chives with Mao Fei, a male, while Mao Zhi, Hu Jiao, a male, Hu Lai, a female, Hu Ya, and Langjia, a Lesser Female, sliced meat.

Langjia, being reserved, and working with unfamiliar Sand Cat and Sand Fox females and Lesser Females, felt stiff until Mao Fei gave her agave liquor. Slightly intoxicated and amused by Mao Fei and Hu Lai’s banter, she relaxed, laughing and chatting as they worked.

Wen Ran was glad to see Langjia shift from reserved to cheerful—the feast was perfect for bonding.

With many hands, work went quickly. Within an hour, twenty grills stood in the open area below Wen Ran’s cave, roasting antelopes and Grunting Beasts. Beastmen turned the rotating spits steadily.

Wen Ran brushed oil with a brush made of boar bristles. Dripping fat sizzled in the fire, releasing a tantalizing aroma that made everyone salivate.

Amused, Wen Ran prepared three flavors for the roasts: savory original flavor, spicy, and sweet honey-glazed roast pork—sure to please females and cubs.

For extra flavor, he made a large plate of dipping sauce and grilled garlic eggplants, peppers, and greens on stone slabs to cut the richness. He also brought out large jars of agave liquor and sea buckthorn berry juice—tonight was for celebration.

After grilling awhile, Wen Ran grew impatient. Testing the pig’s leg with a knife, he found it needed more time. Mao Fei, a male, stood on tiptoe, sniffing eagerly. “So fragrant, Wen Ran! How much longer? I can’t wait!”

Wen Ran patted the White Cat’s head, chuckling. “Wait a bit longer. Undercooked isn’t tasty. When the oil seeps in, we’ll add salt crystals and chopped scallions—then it’ll be perfect!”

Mao Fei grinned with a chuckle.

The three little ones and the cubs, drawn by the aroma, gathered around Wen Ran, pacing impatiently around the grill. The youngest cubs were drooling eagerly, especially the wolf cubs, who drooled while showing their sharp little canine teeth.

After another ten minutes or so, under everyone's eager gaze, Wen Ran finally removed the roasted meat from the grill, cutting it into large pieces to share with everyone.

Wen Ran picked up a piece of meat and took a bite. "Mmm, it's done. The roasted antelope and Grunting Beast on the other grills are ready too. Help yourselves—take them down and cut them up as you like—everyone, dig in!"

The beastmen cheered excitedly. As the fragrant roasted antelope and Grunting Beast were carried to the bonfire, they eagerly whipped out their bone knives to slice the meat. The crispy skin cracked open, releasing a burst of juicy goodness infused with the saltiness of salt crystals and the unique spiciness of chili. With just one bite, the flavor blew their minds.

"This..." Lang Qing was the first to speak, staring in disbelief at the roasted meat speared on his bone knife. "This is absolutely delicious! I’ve never tasted roasted meat this good before!"

After saying this, he devoured several more pieces. The more he chewed, the better it tasted. Lang Qing’s eyes shone brighter than the sparks in the fire as he glanced at the roasted meat. While eating, he turned to Lang Zhi and said, "Young Clan Leader, what kind of amazing life have you been living with Chief Wen Ran before this? I’m so envious!"

Lang Zhi smirked and chuckled. "Don’t call me Young Clan Leader anymore. Just call me Zhi, like everyone else."

"Oh, right, right." Lang Qing took a big gulp of wine and went to try the other types of roasted meat.

"Oh my god, this is so good!" Hu Lai’s mouth was stuffed full of food, and she instinctively tightened her grip on her wooden bowl, which was already piled high with meat slices. Cat Tooth kept cutting and serving her more meat, making everyone think Cat Tooth was a great male.

The more Hu Lai ate, the more she wanted. Her fox ears stood straight up, and her red fox tail swished contentedly back and forth. She mumbled between bites, "This is even better than the antelope skewers we had last time!"

"Exactly! Look how sizzling and juicy this meat is—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Even cubs and elderly beastmen with bad teeth can chew it easily!"

"It just shows how amazing our Chief Wen Ran is! The same meat, the same antelope and Grunting Beast, but when he prepares it, it turns out so delicious. When I try to roast it, it just ends up tough, dry, and flavorless!"

A wolf beastman couldn't take his eyes off the cracked skin of the roasted Grunting Beast and exclaimed in surprise, "The skin of the Grunting Beast is this delicious when roasted?! We used to just throw the skin away—what a huge waste! If only we’d known we could roast it too!"

"I’ve never tasted roasted meat this good either! We've gotta roast this again next time!"

......

The beastmen crowded around the grills, eating while exclaiming in amazement one after another. The atmosphere was lively and harmonious, filled with the warmth of communal joy. Wen Ran sat by the bonfire, sipping his wine, thinking to himself how wonderful it would be if every day could be this lively.

Lang Zhi walked up to the roasted antelope with his bone knife. As soon as the tip of the knife touched the golden-brown skin, there was a crisp cracking sound—the crispy skin split open, revealing steaming, tender meat inside. Juices dripped from the cut. He sliced off a large piece of leg meat, placed it on a broad leaf, and handed it to Wen Ran. "Here, have some antelope leg. There’s more meat on the leg. Be careful, it’s hot."

After a few bites, Wen Ran started to feel a bit overwhelmed by the richness. He sat to the side, eating garlic-roasted eggplant and sipping wine. Noticing that the other Grunting Beast was almost done roasting, he asked Lang Zhi to bring it over. This Grunting Beast was prepared with a sweet honey glaze, specially made for Round Cat, the three little ones, Mao Fei’s twins, Cat King from the cubs’ den, and the other cubs.

Lang Zhi quickly brought it over. The pigskin was slightly puffed up, cracking at the slightest touch to reveal pink, tender meat inside. Wen Ran thinly sliced the meat and distributed it among the cubs, also pouring each of them a bowl of sea buckthorn berry juice—sweet and tangy to cut through the richness.

Watching the little ones purr contentedly as they ate, Wen Ran’s lips curled into a slight smile. Indeed, feeding fluffy little ones was the most relaxing and satisfying thing.

Round Cat carefully blew on a piece of meat with skin still attached, took a bite, and squinted with satisfaction. "If only we could eat delicious roasted meat like this every day! When I finally take human form, I’ll definitely grow tall—maybe even taller than Zhi."

Wen Ran affectionately patted Round Cat’s head and said with a smile, "Whenever you want to eat it, just let me know. I’ll make it for you, and I promise you’ll grow tall and strong."

Round Cat nuzzled Wen Ran’s palm and said coyly, "Wen Ran, you’re the best!"

Using knives to cut the meat became inconvenient after a while, and soon the male orcs were tearing into large chunks of roasted meat with their hands. The Lesser Female and other females ate more delicately, using bone knives to cut the meat into small pieces. Beastmen gathered around the bonfire in small groups, sitting or standing, eating and chatting.

Wen Ran stood up and raised his wine bowl. "Come, let’s all raise a toast to celebrate the establishment of our new tribe—Beast City! And may we always have plenty of meat to eat after moving to our new territory!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone cheered and downed their wine in one go. One of the beastmen curiously asked, "Chief, what did you mean earlier about building houses? Are we digging new dens?"

"No, we won’t be digging new dens. Time is short, so I plan to renovate our existing dens. We’ll build heated brick beds, heated walls, and stoves inside, connecting the stoves to the beds and walls. That way, when we cook, the heat from the stove will warm the beds and walls, raising the temperature inside the den. We won’t need to bundle up in multiple layers of fur at night, and the cubs won’t have to worry about freezing."

"Hopefully, we can also find suitable materials to install windows in the dens. That way, the dens will be bright and won’t rely solely on firelight for illumination."

Wen Ran had originally planned to make bricks and build brick houses, but time was too short, and temperatures were dropping fast. Making bricks is time-consuming and complicated, so it wasn’t feasible. Instead, they would convert the dens into cave-like dwellings for now and reconsider building proper houses when the weather warmed up next year.

Holding his wine bowl, Wen Ran rubbed the rim thoughtfully as he spoke. "Besides building houses and heated beds, we also need to capture live antelope, Grunting Beasts, Cow Beasts, Quack Beasts, and rabbits to raise. Ideally, we should focus on rabbits since they reproduce quickly. In the heavy snow of winter, hunting will be difficult, so we can slaughter them for food."

"Of course, capturing live prey won’t be easy, and time is limited. So whether we catch them alive or dead, anything goes. We’ll hunt as much as we can. The dead ones can be preserved as cured meat, sausages, air-dried meat, lard-preserved meat, and jerky. Once it snows, we can also freeze the meat for storage."

He took a bite of meat and continued, somewhat vaguely, "Once the cave dwellings are ready and the heated beds are warm, we’ll move all our stored meat, wild fruits, and other food into the dens. This snow season, we’ll surely live comfortably! Then we’ll roast another huge Grunting Beast, and everyone can gather around the fire again, drinking and chatting!"

Everyone’s eyes shone with anticipation and longing, as if they could already see the bright, warm dens, the cozy heated beds, and the delightful scenes of enjoying fresh, delicious meat with wine.

The thick, dry logs in the bonfire burned bright red, crackling and sending sparks flying with the night breeze, illuminating countless smiling faces.

By the end, not a trace of the Grunting Beast or antelope remained—even the bones had been gnawed clean. Mao Bu finished the last rib, wiped the grease from his mouth, and looked around at his satisfied clansmen. He couldn’t help but laugh heartily. "That was so satisfying! Next time, let’s hunt more and have another tribe-wide roast!"

His words were met with cheers. By the time everything wrapped up, another hour had passed.

Wen Ran looked at the drunken black wolves scattered haphazardly on the ground, both amused and exasperated. They had never tasted tequila before and hadn’t realized how strong it was—now they were all knocked out. Lang Zhi, with a stern expression, along with Mao Shi and other male orcs, carried the black wolves back to their dens one by one.

Lang Qing, even drunk, was restless. As they walked, he said to Lang Zhi, "Zhi, today is the happiest day of my life! Clearly, the Beast God favors me, leading me to you and letting me join such a wonderful tribe with you and Chief Wen Ran! I’m really looking forward to the snow season—something I never dared to imagine before."

Lang Zhi glanced at the scar running across Lang Qing’s face and said solemnly, "You’ve had a tough few months, Qing."

"Not tough, not tough at all. Everything was for the tribe and our people. I’m not complaining—it’s just my luck. Oh, wuu... Zhi, you already have such an amazing mate in Chief Wen Ran, but I’m still a lone wolf, wuu..."

Lang Zhi: "..."

Lang Zhi laid Lang Qing down on a fur bed and turned to head back to Wen Ran and their den. Wen Ran was still waiting for him inside.

But Lang Qing’s words lingered in his mind. Although they had been living together in the same den, was Wen Ran truly his mate? In his heart, Lang Zhi already saw Wen Ran as his mate, but what did Wen Ran think?

Tonight, he wanted an answer.