Chapter 125

Chapter 125

As soon as the words left his mouth, Luo Ran realized that his statement might be ambiguous. After all, the salt coins required to attend the Sun Moon Tribe's Flower Gathering were already very minimal, and the Mountain Water Tribe could certainly afford them.

Just not charging the salt coins didn't sound particularly appealing.

Luo Ran covered his mouth, apologizing as he rephrased: "That wasn't quite right. To be precise, the Sun Moon Tribe's meaning is that not only for the Flower Gathering, but for any event they host, anyone from the Mountain Water Tribe can participate directly."

Taking the Flower Gathering as an example, paying one "salt coin" was merely the entry threshold. If a tribe wanted to engage in large-scale trade or other activities inside, there were additional fees.

Now, the Sun Moon Tribe's intention is to waive all fees for the Mountain Water Tribe and personally act as their guarantor tribe.

After hearing Luo Ran's full explanation, Xue Tuan and the little black lion, who had been munching on delicious sweet melon, both looked up towards Luo Ran and the others.

Xue Tuan thought silently to himself: *There's such a good thing?*

But upon serious consideration, the Sun Moon Tribe's willingness to offer such significant benefits must stem from genuine gratitude towards the Mountain Water Tribe for forewarning them about the natural disaster.

Perhaps various small tribes, including the Sun Moon Tribe, managed to weather the disaster smoothly thanks to the Mountain Water Tribe's warning. In that case, the Sun Moon Tribe's decision is somewhat understandable.

What Feng Yan and the others didn't know was that what they considered a "small gesture" of warning had, after this disaster, etched the previously obscure "Mountain Water Tribe" into the hearts of many beastmen.

Hearing Luo Ran's words, Rong Shan and Feng Yan exchanged a glance. Then, Rong Shan said somewhat uncertainly, "This... we..."

Before Rong Shan could finish, Luo Ran raised his hand to stop him: "There's no need to refuse. This is entirely the Sun Moon Tribe's intention; we're just here to relay the message."

Though he said that, Luo Ran was genuinely happy for the Mountain Water Tribe to receive such preferential treatment.

In fact, regarding the specific circumstances of the Mountain Water Tribe, the Puffbird Tribe had honored their oath, not disclosing any information to outsiders without the Mountain Water Tribe's consent.

Even their superior tribe, the Sun Moon Tribe, upon learning of the "oath" between the tribes, could not force the Puffbird Tribe to reveal information about the Mountain Water Tribe.

The Mountain Water Tribe's concealment of their "formidable strength" didn't perplex the Puffbird Tribe. On the contrary, they completely understood and respected the Mountain Water Tribe's actions.

If it were the Puffbird Tribe, for the sake of their own tribe, they might have been even more secretive than the Mountain Water Tribe.

Rong Shan: "Then... please help us convey our thanks to the Sun Moon Tribe first. Our tribe is still in a rebuilding phase, so we might not be able to personally visit the Sun Moon Tribe to express gratitude very quickly."

Luo Ran's point was valid; even if the Mountain Water Tribe wanted to refuse, Luo Ran and the others couldn't make decisions on behalf of the Sun Moon Tribe.

Luo Ran quickly waved his hand: "It's fine. Given the special circumstances, the Sun Moon Tribe will understand."

Rong Shan smiled, and the group continued chatting about recent developments. Rong Shan was very happy to see Luo Ran again. Hearing that the overall situation of the Puffbird Tribe was not bad, he and Feng Yan were reassured.

Regarding the cooperation agreement, Rong Shan also told Luo Ran and the others not to rush with making cotton products for them, telling them not to worry about it.

"What about the matter of transporting beastmen to the Pink Bear Tribe...?" For the Puffbirds, ferrying was a relatively simple task. If the Mountain Water Tribe wished to continue, they were fine with it.

Rong Shan looked at Feng Yan, who paused to think before saying, "That won't be necessary for now either. We'll notify you if needed later."

Recently, the Mountain Water Tribe was busy with field work, and no one wanted to leave the tribe at this time. Feng Yan also felt it was better to wait until after this busy period. For now, they still had the previously brought back wrought iron to smelt.

After hearing Feng Yan's words, Luo Ran nodded in understanding: "Alright, feel free to contact us anytime you need."

This was originally something the Puffbird Tribe had promised the Mountain Water Tribe in exchange for the precious weaving tools. They simply needed to follow the Mountain Water Tribe's arrangements.

With all matters discussed, Luo Ran intended to say goodbye along with Shao Shao, but Feng Yan and Rong Shan stopped them.

Rong Shan furrowed his brow: "I won't keep you for long, as your tribe surely has many matters to attend to. But you two must at least rest well here today before leaving. Traveling so hard will take a toll on your health."

Shao Shao promptly took Luo Ran's arm: "That's right, Father, I'm tired too... let's rest for a day."

Luo Ran turned to look at Shao Shao and, noticing his complexion wasn't great, agreed: "Alright, let's rest then."

Luo Ran didn't have a mirror to see his own appearance, but in truth, his complexion was much worse than Shao Shao's, which was why Rong Shan insisted they not rush back so soon.

After experiencing this natural disaster, all members of the Puffbird Tribe had grown noticeably thinner. With limited food reserves, everyone had been rationing, and surviving was already a blessing.

As for the people of the Mountain Water Tribe, Luo Ran felt they hadn't changed much compared to before the disaster.

Could it be that the Mountain Water Tribe weathered the disaster completely unscathed? This thought shocked even Luo Ran. To his knowledge, even the Sun Moon Tribe had lost many companions during this disaster...

Luo Ran didn't dare dwell on it further... The Mountain Water Tribe was far, far more powerful than he and Ling Yu had imagined.

The fathers took Uncle Luo Ran and Brother Shao Shao to rest in the cave. The "melon-eating onlookers," Xue Tuan and the little black lion, didn't want to disturb them either, so Xue Tuan took the little black lion to play with other cubs.

The next day, after resting, Luo Ran and Shao Shao prepared to depart for the Puffbird Tribe. The beastmen of the Mountain Water Tribe packed them a lot of good food to eat on the journey.

Shao Shao also made Xue Tuan promise to come visit and play with him more often at the Puffbird Tribe. Only then did Shao Shao reluctantly leave.

Today, the little black lion's training was scheduled for the evening, so he had time to accompany Xue Tuan during the day.

After some thought, Xue Tuan decided to have the little black lion give him a ride towards the workshop area.

Xue Tuan: "It's been a while since we visited Elder Grandpa. Zhong Yan, take me there."

As for Uncle Shu Yi and the others, Xue Tuan felt there was no need to visit for now, as they were currently focused on making hemp sacks.

After the crops ripened, they planned to store the grains in hemp sacks, which would be more convenient for transportation and storage than using large pottery jars.

Father had a lot of experience making hemp sacks before. After teaching Uncle Shu Yi, everyone gradually learned. They needed to make as many as possible during this period.

"Alright, the Elder Grandpas also want you to visit often." The little black lion, carrying Xue Tuan, happily trotted towards the direction of the workshop cave.

Even if they just casually walked around without saying a word, the craftsmen would be encouraged. Because that precisely indicated that their work was proceeding without issues!

After all, the items produced in their workshop were each more unique than the last, all things they had never heard of or seen before. Initially, the beastmen might have been in a state of curiosity and excitement, simply pouring their energy into making things.

Later, they gradually realized... they could never finish! How could there be so many "weird and wonderful" things waiting for them! The "Beast God Stone Slab" was truly terrifying—no wonder it was a divine object!

The workshop cave often had an atmosphere of "pain and joy." The pain came from the sometimes incomprehensibly difficult tasks assigned to them. Some older beastmen visibly thinned their fur a little, their beast form's hair losing its luster. The joy came from moments of sudden understanding, the elation upon finally completing a task—a sense of achievement unparalleled for artisans.

Moreover, seeing the tribe's life improve because of the tools they made, who wouldn't be filled with motivation! If talking about which beastmen were most easily "pumped up," it was definitely the workshop beastmen.

Xue Tuan knew the workshop cave was very busy, and he didn't want to disturb anyone. He just wanted to see the current situation and understand the progress. So he instructed the little black lion to move quietly upon entering, minimizing their presence as much as possible.

The little black lion nodded, indicating he would try hard.

Black was the best camouflage. Xue Tuan lay on the little black lion's back as the lion deliberately chose paths with fewer people and more shadows, moving in silence.

After they had been inside the cave for a while, perhaps because the beastmen were too focused, no one actually noticed them.

*Wow*, Xue Tuan realized the little black lion had quite a talent for "stealth." *Should we have brought him along last time when visiting the construction team?*

Xue Tuan also recalled a long time ago, in the old tribe, when he and Bing Qiu had trailed their fathers going hunting, only to be trailed by the little black lion as well. *So even back then, the little black lion was this capable?*

"Hey, wait, I want to take a look over here." Xue Tuan whispered into the little black lion's ear. The little black lion's ears twitched, then he hunkered down in a corner, a small bundle hidden in the shadows.

Last time, Xue Tuan had heard the Elder mention the "enclosed winnowing fan." Due to issues with its internal structure, progress was quite slow.

So, Xue Tuan had been thinking: maybe he should come and suggest the beastmen modify the winnowing fan into a "semi-enclosed" version? That might be a bit easier to make.

The Elders sometimes set their standards too high, always wanting to get it right on the first try. But that's just human nature; it's just that reality often gives them a reality check.

However, the small group ahead was working on... a solid wheel?

Xue Tuan remembered he had indeed mentioned wagons and carts before—tools for transporting things, like grain.

When the tribe was with the Pink Bear Tribe, the beastmen had tried dragging heavy objects by placing logs under wooden planks to move ore. That was their first understanding of wheel mechanics.

Making wheels presented several challenges, but for now, Xue Tuan thought it best to let the beastmen make a few "solid-wheel" carts first to use. Later, when everyone's skills improved, they could try making conventional "spoked wheels."

Making the wheels "round" was the first challenge the beastmen faced. With experience from pottery wheels and millstones, they had already learned a lot about making circles.

Although it was hard to speed up the process, as long as they persevered, by slowly sawing, chiseling, and planing... the beastmen could eventually make "round" wheels.

The wheel's roundness needed to be sufficient so that the wagons wouldn't wobble, bounce, or tilt when pushed, to avoid making transport harder.

Making solid wooden wheels also required picking good wood, especially wood that was hard and had straight grain. However, when it came to selecting materials, the workshop always had experienced older beastmen, so Xue Tuan wasn't worried about that.

Then came splitting and shaping the wood. The beastmen ahead were in the shaping stage, working to shape a massive log into a wheel.

This stage was definitely the most time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring multiple beastmen to work around the large log, following the ink marks to carve it into a circle.

"It seems the uncles are doing quite well..." Xue Tuan whispered into the little black lion's ear. He was already quite satisfied with how far the beastmen had come.

The little black lion's ears twitched again as he softly replied, "Mm."

The beastmen using the workshop tools didn't just take them for free—they often provided feedback to the workshop beastmen on how they worked. Sometimes, they even offered valuable suggestions for the workshop beastmen to make adjustments.

So, if anything felt off with the wagons, Xue Tuan believed the workshop beastmen, upon receiving feedback, would put some thought into it and continue making better wheels.

Just as Xue Tuan was about to tell the little black lion, "Let's go find Grandpa," before he could even speak, he suddenly felt the little black lion shudder violently, as if he had almost jumped up.

Immediately after, a familiar voice rang in Xue Tuan's ears:

"Oops, sorry! Did I step on someone's tail?"

It was Grandpa Bai Xiang.

Xue Tuan quickly reached over to stroke the little black lion's stepped-on tail, asking worriedly, "Zhong Yan, are you okay?"

The little black lion shook his tail and said, "I'm fine." It was just a bit painful when he was first stepped on, but he recovered quickly. It was his fault for spacing out and not retracting his tail in time.

Bai Xiang took a closer look and finally noticed the two cubs hiding in the corner. He crouched down and asked curiously, "What are you two doing hiding here?"

Before they could answer, Bai Xiang muttered to himself, "You two must be here for a tour, right? So, how are we doing?"

With that, Grandpa Bai Xiang picked up Xue Tuan and began showing him around the workshop cave, proudly boasting about their work.

Xue Tuan suspected the little black lion's information was off. This workshop cave didn't seem like it needed him to visit often. With Grandpa Bai Xiang—this "ball of energy"—around, which beastman wasn't "full of enthusiasm"?

Xue Tuan was forced to take a lap around the massive workshop cave, his ears constantly filled with Grandpa Bai Xiang's chatter.

The little black lion wanted to rescue Xue Tuan but couldn't withstand Grandpa Bai Xiang's verbal onslaught, so he could only circle around them.

Just as Xue Tuan's eyes were about to turn into dizzy spirals, a beastman ran into the cave from outside, panting heavily, and shouted loudly:

"The crops are ripe!"