Chapter 98

Chapter 98

The sudden arrival of so many strangers initially made Li Xing's tribespeople shrink back, but they were quickly captivated by the Mountain Water Tribe's beautiful pottery and their fire-starting techniques.

"What are they using? How does fire just burst out with a single puff?"

"I don't know... but that's incredibly convenient, much faster than our bow-drill method."

Li Xing's tribesmen whispered among themselves before somewhat hesitantly stepping forward to help.

The elder went to help the beastmen set up fire pits; they had only brought a few small clay stoves, which weren't enough for so many people to use together. The little snow fox and the little black lion, the only two who couldn't take human form, lacked nimble hands to help, so they could only watch over the luggage from the sidelines.

The sky hadn't completely darkened yet. The little snow fox's eyes scanned the area, observing how this small tribe lived for a while.

Suddenly, the little snow fox's gaze froze. Behind a broken wooden stump, he spotted a ball of fluff!

What was that? *A little white bear cub?*

The little cub clung to the wooden stump tightly with its claws. It glanced timidly at the little black lion, not daring to linger, and immediately turned its gaze toward the little snow fox.

The little snow fox jumped down from the little black lion's back. "Zhong Yan, you stay here and don't move."

Then, the little snow fox padded closer to the beast-form cub. Only then did he see clearly—this wasn't a pure white bear; its limbs were a faint pink!

The little pink bear cub was covered in soft, light downy fur. The color on its paws was an extremely pale pink, as if the very tips were dipped in a gentle hue that tugged at the heartstrings. The little pink bear cub was still young. It lay on the ground, its dark, bright eyes meeting the little snow fox's.

"Are you... a child from the Snow God's family?" the little pink bear cub asked curiously. He had heard the elders say that a beautiful Snow God lived on the Snow Ridge. Did he look like this?

The little snow fox shook his head. "No, I'm from the snow fox family!"

"...Then, what's your name?" the little pink bear cub, A Chen, asked next. He really wanted to be friends with this lovely little snow fox.

"Just call me Snowball," the little snow fox said. "Zhong Yan, come over here quickly."

The little snow fox rummaged in Zhong Yan's small bag and pulled out a few small fruits for the little pink bear cub. "Here, have these. Eat a little first; dinner will be ready soon."

The little pink bear cub's nose was short and round, looking endearingly stubby and adorable. Looking at the fruit the little snow fox gave him, he carefully cradled it in his paws and murmured softly, "Thank you..."

"A Chen, where did you go?" In the distance, someone was calling the little pink bear cub's name.

"I have to go," the little pink bear cub said. His limbs were short and clumsy, and in his haste to return, he stumbled a little as he ran. He left faint little paw prints on the ground, and he didn't forget to glance back at the little snow fox, looking back longingly.

How could there be so many adorable, fluffy creatures in the Beast World? It made one's heart melt into a puddle.

As the sky gradually darkened, Rong Shan, afraid his dear cub might get lost, quickly called him back as well.

"I'll stir-fry this meat," Rong Shan said, taking the Horned Sheep meat handed over by Zhang You and setting it aside. Then, holding the wok steady with one hand, he poured in a handful of roughly cut scallions with the other. A sizzle erupted from the bottom of the wok as the beast fat immediately filled the air with the scent of scallions.

Next, the marinated pieces of Horned Sheep meat slid into the wok. Rong Shan moved quickly, stir-frying the meat rapidly. He wanted to achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior, constantly experimenting with the right heat and timing to get it just right.

Before long, a rich aroma of meat mixed with the fresh scent of scallions "rolled" out of the wok and drifted into the little snow fox's nose. Dad seemed to be making scallion stir-fried lamb; it smelled really good.

Seeing his dear cub's eager little expression, Rong Shan's mouth curved into a smile, feeling exceptionally satisfied. He was enjoying the process of cooking and stir-frying more and more.

Meanwhile, the few Pink Bear Tribe beastmen nearby were practically wide-eyed. Smelling the delicious aroma coming from the wok, their expressions grew even more reserved. Was this something they could eat?

They were in a daze. Was this still their tribe? Why were all kinds of food aromas wafting everywhere?

A gentle evening breeze blew, the light from the stove fires reflected in the bright eyes of every member of the Pink Bear Tribe. The previously cold and quiet little tribe was now completely enveloped in the fragrant steam from cooking.

In the warm night, those flames were like the rekindled future of the Pink Bear Tribe.

Even after finishing the best dinner they had ever eaten in their lives, the Pink Bear Tribe beastmen still couldn't snap out of their daze for a long time.

They felt like everything today was a dream. Surely, when they woke up tomorrow, the dream would be over.

Li Xing lay in the thatched hut, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Tonight, he was filled with gratitude for the Mountain Water Tribe. He felt incredibly lucky to have met such a wonderful tribe.

Previously, when the Pink Bear Tribe brought salt to trade for food with other small tribes, if those small tribes themselves were short on food, Li Xing wouldn't have forced them.

But then he saw, just after they'd left, those people bring out a pile of food right in front of them, saying cheerfully how glad they were to still have so much food left.

No matter how angry he felt inside, there was nothing he could do. If others weren't willing to trade, they couldn't do anything about it.

The others still had prey and other resources in their territory, while the Pink Bear Tribe's supplies were nearly gone.

This time, Li Xing was in charge of bringing the ore to the Flower Gathering. Actually, another small team had also been sent to exchange for food, but they hadn't returned yet.

Additionally, two more teams had been sent out: one to continue looking for tribes willing to exchange food, and another to go to more distant places for gathering and hunting.

But these weren't long-term solutions. They not only had to avoid territories already claimed by other tribes but also had to try their best to deal with other, less friendly tribes.

More realistically, Li Xing had already realized their tribe simply couldn't hold out much longer. In the end, no matter how reluctant they were to leave this mine, they would have to go against the elders' wishes and relocate the entire tribe.

The elders were just too stubborn, always believing the tribe could continue surviving on this land, leaving Li Xing unsure how to persuade them otherwise.

If they hadn't met the people from the Mountain Water Tribe, Li Xing didn't dare imagine how difficult the coming days would have been.

Li Xing was too exhausted, his mind full of thoughts. He let his mind wander for a while but ultimately couldn't resist drowsiness and fell asleep.

·

The next day, as soon as the first light touched the ore mountain, Li Xing set off with the Mountain Water Tribe group.

Everyone knew Li Xing was eager to take them to see that mine, wanting to hammer out the details of the trade as soon as possible.

The Mountain Water Tribe members also understood Li Xing's feelings, so they got up early without complaint and followed Li Xing to the mine their tribe had protected for years.

The ore mountain wasn't far from the Pink Bear Tribe's base; they hadn't walked long before they arrived.

Next, they split into several groups, holding the small iron ore pieces the Young Priest had exchanged at the gathering. They searched for ore of the same type to confirm the extent of the mine.

Among them, many were from the earliest group who had memorized the mnemonic chant Priest Yunlu taught them. Naturally, they also inexplicably held a deep desire to find ore in their hearts.

However, the most surprised was Hui Qiong. He had also just learned that this kind of ore could be used to make better tools.

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Because large tribes were not only hard to find but also hard to enter, and the person he was looking for most likely wouldn't go to large tribes either, they weren't part of his search.

In his travels, he also hadn't encountered any tribe that used iron ore to make special tools.

Could this iron ore really be used to make tools better than stone knives and bone knives? How unusual! Hui Qiong also wanted to witness the birth of such tools quickly.

As for why the Mountain Water Tribe could understand this unique stone and know the method to work it, Hui Qiong had also heard Feng Yan and Rong Shan's explanation. He never expected that their cub was already a Priest of a tribe!

He was happy, but also quite worried. Hui Qiong spent some time digesting everything that had happened to Feng Yan and the others during his time away from the tribe.

Contrary to Feng Yan and Rong Shan's expectations, Hui Qiong digested it faster than they imagined. He came to terms with it very quickly.

They didn't even need to remind Gray Dome much about Snowball's situation or to keep it a secret. Instead, it was Gray Dome who told them with a serious expression that they must protect Snowball well.

If you're too different, you're more likely to get weird looks from people. After hearing about Snowball, Gray Dome's first thought was that their cub must be exceptionally intelligent—his cub was definitely not a monster.

During those years, the cub must have been digesting the knowledge passed down by the Beast God, which is why he was often in a daze. Once he understood this, he accepted everything very quickly.

Fortunately, the people of the Mountain Stream Tribe were just like Wind Rock and Velvet Fir; none of them saw Snowball as some kind of monster. Everyone cherished Snowball dearly, which made him feel very reassured about the cub's future.

Today, the cubs were out with Wind Rock. Grandpa had more experience in the wild, and working alone, he could more efficiently survey the extent of this mine.

They stood on a slope with many broken stones underfoot. Some of the rocks had been cracked open, their surfaces rough and jagged, so they had to be careful.

"Good boy, is this also that kind of iron ore?" Wind Rock used a tool to chip at a large rock, comparing it with the small stone in his hand and finding them quite similar.

"Yes, Father," the little fox replied. It seemed Li Xing hadn't lied; they really did have a mine here, and it was most likely all iron ore.

"Father, do you remember the flint I asked you to bring?" the little fox asked.

Wind Rock certainly remembered. He took out the flint from his bag, which hadn't been used in a long time—it had been borrowed from the Pink Bear Tribe.

The little fox said, "Didn't it use to take a long time to start a fire with flint?"

Hearing this, both Wind Rock and Ice Mound recalled the days when they had just left their tribe and headed south. Back then, whether rubbing sticks together or using flint, it always took a very long time to start a fire. It wasn't until they had fire-starter sticks that the process became quick and convenient.

The little fox continued, "Father, why don't you try using that stone you just chipped?"

Wind Rock nodded. Holding the chipped stone in one hand, he took out the flint and a small pile of tinder with the other, preparing to try lighting a fire.

With a sharp "clink," sparks flashed from the fractured surface, instantly causing the small pile of grass to start smoking.

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Author's Note: Thank you, little angels, for the nutrient solution [kiss].