Chapter 89

Chapter 89

When the little arctic fox woke up, he wasn’t upset about still being in his beast form—it was something he’d expected, and by now, he’d grown numb to it.

The little black lion happened to come looking for the little arctic fox, Xue Tuan, and found the Little Dumpling sitting dazedly in his nest, his fluffy fur tousled from sleep—so much so that one instinctively wanted to smooth it down for him.

Back when he’d still been in human form, he’d often arrived right on time to help the Little Dumpling groom his fur. But today, that task had fallen to Bing Qiu.

Bing Qiu, happily smoothing the snow-white Little Dumpling’s fur as he held him, glanced up as the black lion approached and said casually, “You’ll have to wait.”

The little black lion had no choice but to lie down quietly nearby, sour-faced as he watched the little arctic fox nestled comfortably in Bing Qiu’s arms.

Seeing his furry friend arrive, Xue Tuan perked up. He suddenly remembered—the little black lion was now in beast form, meaning he couldn’t help copy texts today either…

Fortunately, both of them had been exceptionally diligent lately and had already recorded a great deal of material—enough to sustain the tribe for a long time. There was no real urgency.

Noticing the Little Dumpling staring at him, the little black lion recalled something and lifted his head. “Grandpa wants us to go see him today.”

The little arctic fox yawned widely and obediently replied, “Alright.”

He guessed Grandpa must have realized the little black lion could no longer hold a brush—and had likely assigned them some other task instead.

“I need to go find Brother Ye Cong,” Bing Qiu said. “You two be good and listen to Elder Grandpa.” Lately, besides hunting and fishing, Bing Qiu had been learning from Brother Ye Cong. Ye Cong often worked with the construction team, and Bing Qiu had picked up many new skills there—gradually growing deeply absorbed in the work.

Something important *was* indeed happening at the workshop cave: they were about to begin assembling the combined bamboo-and-wood waterwheel.

Yet the little arctic fox guessed wrong. Elder Grandpa wasn’t assigning them a task—he simply wanted them to watch.

In front of the cave, on a cleared, flat, and spacious open area, tribe members bustled around a pile of wooden components.

“This main shaft—lay it horizontally first, check the mortise positions before slotting it in, and don’t let it tilt!” Elder Mushi stood beside a thick log, pointing to pre-cut grooves as he loudly instructed several young beastmen.

Those beastmen lifted the wooden shaft together, carefully aligning it with the slots—sweat already beading on their foreheads.

“Slowly, slowly… a bit more to the left. Yes, yes—it’s in!”

With a dull thud, the thick main shaft finally settled firmly into its pre-prepared grooves. Zhe Yang and Lu Meng, along with several other beastmen, quickly stepped forward, retrieving whittled wooden wedges and driving them into the gaps to secure it.

On the other side, several beastmen were arranging the planks for the water buckets one by one. Each piece had been sanded smooth and reinforced for durability, and they were securing these buckets between the wheel’s spokes.

The little black lion carried the little arctic fox over. Even the waterwheel’s parts were enormous—so the little black lion dared not get too close, fearing the little arctic fox might get bumped or injured.

The little arctic fox noticed that beside them ran water channels fashioned from halved bamboo sections—channels designed to guide water to the top of the wheel, allowing it to flow smoothly into each bucket.

The beastmen assembled all parts that could feasibly be joined on land first. The remaining components would then be carried to the ice river for final assembly.

Even before full assembly, a single wheel frame required over a dozen beastmen working in unison just to lift it.

It was quite a spectacle. Every time this group passed by a cave, a cluster of beastmen would gather to watch—and soon follow along, eager to witness the colossal waterwheel the tribe had labored over for so long.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan had also arrived. As two of the strongest, they naturally pitched in. Shi Hu followed closely behind, accompanied by several of his subordinates.

The little black lion pushed forward with the little arctic fox for a better view. The little arctic fox stood atop the little black lion’s back, clutching his head nervously, seeking comfort.

“Come on—set up the other side’s wheel frame too!” Down by the riverbank, Zhe Yang took over directing, shouting instructions.

Over a dozen beastmen gritted their teeth and strained, lifting the heavy wheel frame with immense effort. They needed to erect tall supports on both sides, insert them into pre-dug foundation sockets, and then secure them firmly with several crossbeams.

“Steady—don’t let it tilt outward!” Shi Hu threw his shoulder against the wheel frame, sweat streaming down his cheeks.

“Just one more crossbeam!” Zhe Yang shouted.

“Right here!” Lu Meng and several others hurried over, carrying a long, polished timber. Feng Yan and Rong Shan worked together to lift the timber to the top, while others drove its ends into the slots with heavy hammer blows—immediately stabilizing the entire frame.

“Now quickly install the wheel! We can’t hold on much longer!”

The little arctic fox’s heart leapt into his throat; his claws gripped the little black lion’s fur so tightly they hurt.

Yet the crowd erupted in excited cheers as dozens of hands worked in concert, carefully sliding the massive wheel onto the axle!

The elders’ meticulous efforts paid off: after checking every component countless times—and relying on exceptional spatial imagination to mentally simulate the assembly—the waterwheel actually began turning slowly with the water flow the moment it was mounted!

Feng Yan and Rong Shan stood side by side on one side, pushing with all their might. With a rushing sound, the waterwheel spun even more smoothly!

“Hahaha—the waterwheel works! The waterwheel works!”

Zhe Yang was thrilled too—but kept his head. “Alright, alright—not done yet! We still have the buckets and water channels to install!”

Everyone then realized they’d celebrated too early—but completing this colossal structure alone was enough to electrify them all for days.

“Alright, alright—everyone, come help, quickly!” Zhe Yang said. The beastmen used giant logs to chock the waterwheel, bringing it to a temporary halt.

Installing the water buckets was time-consuming. Each bucket had to be fitted precisely between the spokes, secured with ropes and wooden wedges, then repeatedly checked for looseness or weight-bearing issues.

But the most difficult part was over. What remained was simply a matter of time and patience.

The beastmen took turns climbing the wheel frame, using their hands to secure each water bucket with precision. At first, the youngsters merely ran excitedly along the riverbank, cheeks flushed. Later, they wisely gathered beneath the wheel frame, forming an improvised “human pyramid” to help pass up ropes and wedges.

By the time all the water buckets were installed, many beastmen’s fur clothing was soaked—whether from sweat or river water was impossible to tell.

“Almost done! Almost done! Let’s test it again!”

The beastmen removed the giant logs. Icy river water flowed through the channels into an inclined trough on the waterwheel, then rushed into the buckets. The filled bucket immediately sank downward, causing the wheel to creak—and then spin faster.

“It’s turning!” The crowd cheered again, children darting joyfully around the rotating waterwheel.

“It’s turning again!”

“That bucket… it’s carrying water upward—from the low area to the high one… truly remarkable,” the little black lion murmured softly. The little arctic fox kept his eyes fixed on the waterwheel—and patted the little black lion’s head with his paw in silent agreement.

After the buckets carried water to the higher level, they slowly tipped their contents into connected bamboo channels, which then directed the water into field ditches—finally solving the problem of elevation differences.

All their efforts had not been in vain. Elder Mushi and Bai Xiang both smiled.

Yun Lu and Shi Hu appeared calm on the surface—but couldn’t hide their inner excitement: “From now on, we won’t need to carry water bucket by bucket for irrigation.”

“Yeah!” Shi Hu always grew sentimental at moments like these. He didn’t dare say much—afraid his slightly hoarse voice would betray him.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan stood side by side, silently observing the Mountain Water Tribe’s achievement.

“Let’s observe it for a few days first. If any issues arise, we’ll need to ask the elders to make prompt adjustments,” Feng Yan said.

“Naturally,” Elder Mushi replied, stroking his beard. This was exactly what they should do—there was no reason to give up halfway.

The little arctic fox looked toward Mushi and asked, “Grandpa, did you plan for a major flood? Will the waterwheel withstand it? Rebuilding it would be an enormous task if it got washed away.”

Mushi: “We’ve already added several extra wooden beams to reinforce the wheel body according to your drawings—and we plan to build stone walls around the water channels. If a major flood does occur, we can remove the water channels and use giant logs to lock the waterwheel in place.”

The little arctic fox nodded, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction at Grandpa's explanation—the elders were indeed reliable.

"Let's go. Everyone, head back and rest." Feng Yan waved his hand, and the group settled their excitement, making their way back to the tribe together.

Next up was the Flower Gathering.

Knowing the adults were about to discuss preparations for the gathering, the little arctic fox quickly called the little black lion over to secure a spot at the long table—this time, they were determined to participate!

However, the adults were used to the two young ones occupying the table early on; no one even bothered to tell them to leave.

The little arctic fox had prepared a bunch of reasons to stay, but they went unused. He quietly took out some malt candy from his small bamboo tube, eating one himself and feeding one to the little black lion.

"How much salt currency should we prepare?" Yun Lu asked as he brewed tea. By now, he had become the go-to tea person for every meeting. He had completely caught the bug from the elders and become a devoted believer in "tea leaves."

The little fox had also heard about the salt currency from his father. Currently, salt currency could serve as a circulating currency simply because it aligned with the living standards of the beastmen.

But in reality, salt currency was unlikely to last long as a form of money. As a daily necessity, it would inevitably be consumed. Its unstable supply limited its circulation, destined to prevent it from truly becoming a symbol of currency over the passage of time.

For now, though, the Mountain Water Tribe didn’t need to think that far ahead. After all, they hadn’t even found copper or iron mines yet, let alone silver or gold ones.

The thought made the little fox sulk, so he popped another candy into his mouth.

Feng Yan looked at Yun Lu and replied, "It depends on what we plan to bring for exchange and how much." If they didn’t intend to barter goods, they could simply bring salt currency, which would lighten their load the most.

"If we bring pottery, we can store the salt inside—that’ll save space," Rong Shan suggested.

But carrying pottery would slow their travel pace. Unlike their previous trip to the Brown-eared Leopard Tribe, where they could take their time, their journey to the Flower Gathering was a bit rushed.

"I’ll think it over a bit more..." Yun Lu said, feeling unsure. He also needed to check how much salt they had left and how long it would last.

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Author's Note: Thanks for the nutrient solution [Heart].