Dragonfly's eyes turned red with rage. Without thinking, he charged straight at Rabbit Wind, the culprit. Rabbit Wind instinctively raised his hand, and Dragonfly, unable to dodge, was sent flying by the rabbit's paw, which struck him squarely on the head.
Dragonfly felt stars popping out of her head and her head spinning. She fell headfirst into the dense bushes.
Rabbit Wind touched the back of his hand and looked curiously in the direction where Dragonfly had flown away. But all he saw was a three-meter-high jungle tree standing there like a wall, and nothing else.
He was very puzzled, thinking to himself: I felt like I hit something just now, but why didn't I?
The tribal chiefs and hunting team leaders of the Cliff Tribe were worried after Butterfly Flower and Dragonfly Wood left, so they followed them over.
They couldn't run as fast as they could fly, and they still had to go down the mountain, which only had one steep path to traverse. Because it had just rained, the path was wet and slippery, making it take quite a while.
This is why initially only people from the Flower Tribe came to the Cliff Tribe to inquire, while no one from other tribes followed.
When the tribal chiefs and hunting team leaders arrived, they found Butterfly Flower unconscious on the ground, motionless. Looking around, they couldn't find Dragonfly anywhere. The chiefs and team leaders then stared warily at Rabbit Wind and the others.
It was as if the orcs would rush up and tear them apart at the slightest movement.
Rabbit Wind didn't know how things had turned out this way. He looked down at the orcs who had surrounded the Wood Tribe orcs. Although these orcs weren't very high level either, they were two or three levels higher than the orcs who had attacked them in the first wave.
Moreover, the totems on each of their faces were different, some with leaves, some with stones, some with branches... while the orcs who attacked them had flower petals on their faces, and these orcs were not from the same tribe.
Rabbit Wind silently counted the different totems; there were eight. The peripheral tribes had nine—almost all of them were there. Having learned from the previous two experiences, Rabbit Wind was smarter this time. Regardless of whether these people would listen or not, he just spoke first.
Before the orcs could make a move, Rabbit Wind spoke first, shouting, "I'm here to talk to you about the salt trade!"
While the orcs were still stunned, Rabbit Wind quickly recounted what had happened in the Salt Tribe and why they had come. He emphasized that it was that tribe that attacked them first, not that they had attacked first.
Moreover, given their orcish level, if they really wanted to attack, it's impossible that none of these orcs would have survived.
Finally, to prove that they were not really there to attack these tribes, Tu Feng had the Wood Tribe orcs transform into human form.
After listening to Tu Feng's words, the people of the Edge Tribe fell into deep thought. The markings on their faces seemed to belong to the Wood Tribe; they had seen them when exchanging salt stones earlier.
Because the totem of the Wood Tribe and the totem of their peripheral tribe, the Leaf Tribe, are both leaves, only the shapes are different, they have a deeper impression of them.
But isn't the Wood Tribe a very small tribe? When did they become able to replace the most powerful Salt Tribe?
The question remained unasked by the members of the peripheral tribes, and the fact that the Wood Tribe orcs had already transformed into human form indicated that they had no intention of attacking. Their doubts were further dispelled when the Wood Tribe orcs wore a strange object on their bodies.
Fox Tree went to ask the orcs of the Flower Tribe, and it was indeed their tribe that struck first. They thought these people were too strong and assumed they were there to attack the tribe, so they decided to strike first when the orcs weren't looking, hoping to win...
Foxtree didn't want to listen anymore. It was definitely the team that Dragonfly Wood, that idiot, led; they were all equally stupid. How could such high-level orc warriors allow their group of level one and two to successfully launch a sneak attack?
No one knows where that stupid Dragonfly went. When we asked the orcs of the Wood Tribe, they all said they had no recollection of it.
——
The beastmen of the Wood Tribe were eventually taken to the Tree Tribe by the Fox Tree. The beastmen of the Flower Tribe were somewhat afraid of them. The Tree Tribe was the closest tribe to the Flower Tribe, so they followed them there.
Upon entering the Tree Tribe, the orcs were greeted by a series of strangely shaped wooden huts. The huts were crooked and held together by ropes and tree branches.
The roof of the house was even more rudimentary, consisting of just a few pieces of wood covered with large leaves, giving the impression that it could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
The people of the Wood Tribe had all helped build earthen houses in the tribe, and they knew that wooden houses in trees were definitely not going to work. Not to mention that a slightly strong wind could blow them away, even a slight movement by a person could cause them and the house to fall down.
But to the fox tree, their unwavering gaze was an expression of awe at the tree houses of their tree tribe.
Indeed, which of these peripheral tribes isn't like this? Even the Salt Tribe can't build houses and can only live in caves, but the Tree Tribe can! No wonder the Wood Tribe people are staring in disbelief.
Fox Tree was in a good mood, and she thoughtfully didn't disturb the Wood Tribe people from watching their treehouse. "You all watch first, I'll go call the priest. You can talk to our tribe's priest about the specifics of the transaction."
Rabbit Wind and the others nodded. After Fox Tree left, these few Wood Tribe beastmen began to huddle together, whispering and gossiping.
"Sigh, I still think our mud houses are the best. Once you go inside, you won't be exposed to the wind or the rain."
"Yes, their wooden roof only has a few leaves, so it leaks everywhere if it rains even a little too heavily."
"Our roof is still the best; it won't leak if we replace it regularly."
When Fox Tree arrived with the Tree Tribe priest, the group had already discussed how to build a wooden house using the same methods as building earthen houses.
In the end, they didn't come to a conclusion. They had only helped build the mud houses, and the specific details of the methods could only be understood by asking the orcs in the construction team.
The Wood Tribe made this special trip not only to inform the outlying tribes that they would be handling the salt exchange business from now on, but also because their priest wanted to organize a market.
At the market, each tribe can freely exchange their own goods; what they bring and in what quantities is up to each tribe. Their priest said this was the first time a market had been held, and no one had ever heard of one before. Therefore, it was best to inform the orc tribes in advance to avoid confusion and uncertainty upon arrival.
Then, tell the various tribes that they can also bring some items that are unique to their own tribe to set up stalls at the market, so that other tribes can come to their stalls to trade.
Rabbit Wind's trip was also to give the orcs from the outskirts of the tribe a brief overview of the market, and to remind them that if they were going to the market, they should bring plenty of things worth trading, because there would be a lot of items there, and bringing too few wouldn't be enough to exchange.
Fox Tree raised an eyebrow but didn't speak. After a while, Tree Fruit, the priest of the Tree Tribe, squinted and said, "Your priests are very powerful."
Rabbit Wind knew their priest was very powerful, but the Tree Tribe priest had never seen their priest before, so how did he know? However, Rabbit Wind didn't dwell on this question, but simply asked, "Could you help me call over the priests from the other tribes? I need to tell them too."
Previously, the Flower Tribe had treated them as attackers of another tribe, which made Rabbit Wind reluctant to try going to other tribes. It would be best if they could be summoned, but since they couldn't, they could only split into pairs and go to various tribes to find their priests.
"It just so happens that the Cliff Tribe is preparing for a fire sacrifice, and all the priests and chiefs of the tribes will be going there." Fox Tree asked Rabbit Wind, "However, not all twelve of you can go, but you can pick two to go with you."
Rabbit Wind nodded and said, "Okay."
The Tree Tribe members led the Wood Tribe orcs to a large cave. Not everyone in their tribe was qualified to live in treehouses. Some tribesmen did live in the large cave, usually orc children and elderly people without parents.
They can't climb the treehouse either. Slightly older orc children can climb it, but they're very noisy and can destroy the treehouse in one night.
The cave is quite large, and many elderly people and children already live inside. Now that the weather is warm, the twelve members of the Mu tribe can squeeze in at the cave entrance and find a comfortable place to sleep.
After Rabbit Wind and the others left, Tree Fruit asked Fox Tree, "Is the curse on Wolf Cliff that severe? How could they die in just a few days?"
Fox Tree shook his head. "He's not dead. He was in so much pain that he couldn't move. When he couldn't take it anymore, he wanted to hold the fire ritual ahead of schedule."
Tree Fruit pursed its lips, remaining silent. Even someone as powerful as Wolf Cliff couldn't bear the pain; how powerful must this curse be…?
The fire sacrifice was to be held the next day, so the Wood Tribe had to stay at the Tree Tribe's for the day. However, they weren't idle; they went out hunting. Perhaps the surrounding prey had never seen such a high-level orc warrior before, as some gave up resistance upon sensing his powerful aura.
The Wood Tribe orcs quickly returned laden with their spoils.
The Tree Tribe's guards were envious. These orcs had only just gone out, had they? How come they're back so soon, and with so much prey!
With so much prey, there was enough for their entire tribe to have a full meal!
The higher the orc warrior's level, the bigger their appetite, regardless of height or weight. Therefore, the prey hunted by the Wood Tribe was only enough for twelve people for one meal tonight and one for tomorrow morning.
The hearth of the Tree Tribe was not far away, and Rabbit Wind wanted to save some tinder, so he sent someone to the Tree Tribe's hearth to get some fire while he led the other orcs to process the prey.
The old people and children living in the large cave would occasionally peek out, looking towards the direction piled high with prey. Each time, they would glance at it and then quickly look away.
They had an innate fear of high-ranking orc warriors and dared not do anything, only swallowing their saliva and clutching their stomachs as they looked at the meat.
They could still hold back for now, but once the orcs of the Wood Tribe set up their earthenware pots and added oyster sauce, salt, and chili powder to season them, the aroma of meat and the fragrance of food they had never smelled before assaulted their senses.
Saliva was gushing from their mouths, and their stomachs were rumbling. They had already eaten meat today, although it had gone bad, but it was still a rare treat to have meat at all. After all, they were a group of people who couldn't do any work and could only rely on the tribe for sustenance.
It's already very kind of the tribe to give them a piece of meat.
The children of the Tree Tribe stared wide-eyed at the bones, which had been stripped of meat and still had bits of meat clinging to them. It was fresh meat; they hadn't tasted fresh meat in ages!
Thinking that the powerful orc warriors had fallen asleep, he went to pick up the bones and gnaw on the bits of meat on them. But the orc warriors didn't intend to throw them away. Instead, they chopped them up with stone axes and put them into their strange "stone pots" to cook.
The older folks, with their extensive experience, could tell that the "stone pots" used by these foreign orc warriors were different from the stone pots they knew.
These stone pots are much larger and can cook a lot of things. The bubbling sound of water and the rising steam prove that these "stone pots" heat up very easily.
Unlike their stone pots, which take a long time to heat up, stone pots are rarely used...
The aroma of roasted meat from the Wood Tribe had already traveled far and wide, and the beastmen with their keen sense of smell had all caught a whiff of it.
Fox Tree stretched its neck, its nose twitching, sniffing hard at the meaty smell in the air. "Priest, do you smell anything particularly delicious?"
Tree Fruit wasn't an orc, and her sense of smell wasn't that keen. She shook her head and said, "No."
The fox tree was so captivated by the fragrance that it let the tree fruit go back on its own, sniffing the scent all the way, determined to find the source.
Bone broth needs to be simmered for a longer time to achieve a white broth and rich flavor.
When Fox Tree followed the scent, the meat soup from the Wood Tribe was just ready.
"You guys made this smell so good?" Fox Tree darted to Rabbit Wind's side, sniffing the meat broth in the earthenware pot. It smelled wonderful! Wonderful! So wonderful!
Rabbit Wind took a spare earthenware bowl from his basket, filled it to the brim with meat broth, and handed it to Fox Tree. After all, they were staying in someone else's tribe, and it wouldn't be right not to feed the chieftain.
Fox Tree was overjoyed, but his expression remained unchanged; in fact, his brow was slightly furrowed. Rabbit Wind, thinking he was annoyed that he hadn't given Fox Tree enough, added another piece of meat to his bowl.
He can't give us any more; if he gives us any more, we won't have enough to eat.
Fox Tree stared at the protruding chunk of meat and thought to herself that the Wood Tribe orcs were really generous, giving her so much meat.
However, Fox Tree wasn't so decisive when it ate it. It hesitated for a while, but finally, it was so enticed by the aroma of the broth that it picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into its mouth with a "whatever" expression.
The moment the meat entered his mouth, Fox Tree's eyes lit up.
tasty!
I wanted to eat more after just one bite!
Fox Tree has a strange quirk: she can't swallow meat that's even slightly stale, and if forced to eat it, she'll vomit. She can't go without meat, but other foods don't fill her up, and she gets hungry again in no time.
So she only eats fresh meat, but that's only so she can swallow it and not vomit it up.
And now, for the first time, she doesn't dislike meat; in fact, she wants to eat it again after eating it.
If you taste it carefully, you'll find that the meat not only has a meaty flavor, but also some other flavors, and the taste of the broth is different for everyone.
Some of the meat broth smelled rather strong, and the broth was a bit reddish. Fox Tree swallowed hard, finished the bowl of meat broth Rabbit Wind gave him, and then ran off.
She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn't be able to resist digging into the stone pots of the other orcs in the Wood Tribe!
After the Wood Tribe orcs finished their meat soup, the bone broth in the earthenware pot was almost ready. Rabbit Wind lifted the lid of the pot, and the rich aroma of the bone broth wafted out.
Inside the cave, the elderly and children had started covering their noses at some point. Having gotten used to the aroma of the meat broth, covering their noses was somewhat effective.
The new fragrance is so strong and alluring that they feel as if the scent is seeping into their noses through their fingers.
It smells so good!
"Come and have a drink."
This is bone broth they prepared specifically for the elderly and children in the cave. They hadn't originally planned to make this, since the amount of prey they hunted was limited.
Moreover, when they first arrived, they saw that both the elderly and children were eating meat. That little bit of meat certainly wouldn't be enough to fill their stomachs, but it wouldn't kill them either. The Tree Tribe was supporting these people.
Some tribes don't care whether the elderly live or die.
Seeing the way these old people and children stared at the meat suddenly reminded me of the old Mu tribe.
At that time, the Mu tribe had no priests, and life was difficult. Even the warriors in the hunting teams couldn't get enough to eat, let alone the elderly and children. In the Mu tribe at that time, almost every day, elderly people and children starved to death…
Those who came this time were all from the Wood Tribe. Cat Grass and Deer Water grew up in such large caves. They had all seen the way the old people and children in these caves looked at the meat.