Chapter 122
Couple Ceremony
Shen Nong and Ze's partner ceremony did not require a priest, but Shen Nong also wanted it to be a bit more lively.
Except for the affiliated tribes from Beast City, all the other affiliated tribes gathered at Wood Tribe.
The huge wooden tribe was packed to the brim, with beastmen walking shoulder to shoulder on the cement road, creating a lively scene.
The pairing ceremony in the beast world doesn't have many rules, and there's no need for oaths. Shen Nong wasn't nervous at all; it was just a matter of dripping blood, nothing serious.
But when the system reminded him that he could access interstellar space and project his "wedding" scene into his teacher and his wife's dream, Shen Nong was inexplicably at a loss.
There was no mirror here, so Shen Nong grabbed Ze and made him look at her, "My clothes are neat, don't they look good?"
Shen Nong wore a new linen dress and comfortable cloth shoes. Since he didn't know how to cut hair, Shen Nong hadn't had a haircut since coming to the Beast World. His hair was now very long, tied up high, and held in place with a wooden hairpin with a crane feather-shaped end.
Ze gazed at it intently, then whispered, "Beautiful."
Shen Nong felt a little uneasy under Ze's unwavering gaze, so he raised his hand to cover Ze's eyes. Long eyelashes brushed against Shen Nong's palm, tickling him. Shen Nong endured the itch and said helplessly, "Calm down."
Noticing his partner's alarmed expression, Ze couldn't help but chuckle. He gently grasped Shen Nong's wrist, pulled her hand away, and replied with a smile, "Yes, I'm calm."
Shen Nong blinked. She seemed genuinely happy these past few days. She was laughing much more often than before. Although she would laugh occasionally before, she mostly wore a serious face that showed she was older than her age.
No one would believe that Ze is younger than him.
As the system notification read, "Connection successful, entering the dream," Shen Nong, who had been half-lying on Ze's body, instantly straightened up, becoming extremely serious.
A sudden panic gripped her heart. Grabbing Shen Nong's wrist, she asked worriedly, "Priestess, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Shen Nong shook her head, then reminded Ze, "You better behave, okay?"
Ze roughly guessed what "performance" meant, and nodded earnestly in promise to Shen Nong, "Yes, I know."
Shen Nong subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that her teacher and his wife would be satisfied with the choice.
…
Many orcs from the Laimu tribe participated in the ceremony. Those seated at the front were the priests, chieftains, and team leaders from each tribe. The other orcs ate and drank in the back.
Shen Nong didn't like being too formal, so she arranged several tables in a long line, which were filled with meat and fruit.
Shen Nong also exchanged some fruit wine, since it was a "wedding" and everyone should drink something different.
Alcohol was a novelty for the beastmen, who had never encountered it before. Shen Nong chose fruit wines with exceptionally low alcohol content, all around nine degrees. Those who had tried them before could drink them directly as a fruit beverage.
Shen Nong was worried that the beastmen had never drunk alcohol before, and it wouldn't be good if they got drunk.
Before the ceremony even began, the Wood Tribe orcs ran over and said that the fruit wine was gone.
Shen Nong was stunned. He had exchanged for a hundred wooden barrels, all of them large ones, and they were all gone? He quickly asked, "Is anyone drunk? Like, dizzy, unsteady on their feet, or shouting and making a racket?"
The Wood Tribe orc thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head. "No, his face was just a little red and he looked particularly happy."
Shen Nong remained silent for a moment. These orcs could really drink...
Just in case, Shen Nong didn't give them any more fruit wine, but instead had the Wood Tribe orcs give them milk or honey water.
Now that they had been in a dream for some time, Shen Nong figured that his teacher and his wife should have realized what was happening. He took Ze's hand and walked outside.
The bloodstone was placed on a high platform, which the priest could only go up to when the orcs awakened in autumn. Now, Ze followed Shen Nong up the platform.
The orcs below gradually quieted down, all turning their gazes to the two figures on the platform. The shock in their eyes hadn't yet subsided; they hadn't expected anyone to actually perform a partner ceremony, binding their lives to another person, especially one who was the high priest of the main tribe.
Shen Nong himself didn't know what the future held. The only thing he was certain of was that no matter the outcome, he wouldn't regret it.
The exquisite dagger sliced through their fingertips, and round beads of blood oozed out, dripping into the bloodstone under deliberate pressure.
The Bloodstone will recognize the person who sheds the first drop of blood as the leader in the relationship, choosing to lag behind Shen Nong by one step, waiting for Shen Nong's blood to soak into the blood before covering it with his own.
Shen Nong was unaware that the bloodstone had such an effect. He used his supernatural ability to heal the wounds of the two men and put the dagger into the system space together with the gun that was out of bullets.
The dagger he brought with him when he transmigrated had long been given to Lai Ze. Shen Nong later saw that this dagger was exactly the same as the one she had before in the mall, so she exchanged it for it. It had been sitting in the system warehouse and hadn't been put to any use.
The bloodstone, infused with the blood of the two, emitted a red light before immediately returning to calm. Shen Nong then placed it in the system's inventory, thus completing the companionship ritual.
Shen Nong knew his teacher and his wife were watching. He took Ze's hand, faced everyone, his eyes shining brightly, and said with a smile, "He, Shen Ze, is my future partner!"
Teacher, teacher's wife, can you hear me?
This was the first time the orcs had learned the priest's name, and they also learned that Ze, who had never had a surname before, had now adopted the priest's surname.
This was also the first time Ze had ever heard Shen Nong's full name, and the first time Shen Nong had ever called him Shen Ze in front of so many people.
Ze held Shen Nong's hand tightly, turned his head to stare at Shen Nong's face, and whispered with a smile, "Shen Nong, Shen Nong, I belong to Shen Nong."
There was nothing wrong with what he said, but Shen Nong felt embarrassed when he thought about his teacher and his wife watching. His ears turned bright red, and fearing that Ze would say something else, he quickly said, "Don't say anything more!"
Ze did not ask for the reason and simply nodded in agreement.
Shen Nong had a surprise for Ze. He grabbed Ze's hand and ran down the platform, instructing Hu Xiao and Mao Yun, "Keep an eye on the beastmen and don't let them cause any trouble. Don't come looking for me today unless it's something serious."
Cat Cloud and Tiger Roar replied, "Yes, Priest."
Pulling Ze back to the courtyard, Shen Nong hurriedly tapped the system, "Has the dream entry with Teacher and Master's wife ended?"
[You've finished entering the courtyard. Now, shall we begin preparing for the holographic projection?]
A long time ago, in order to let Ze see his deceased mother one more time, Shen Nong had the system generate data for holographic projection. However, one thing led to another, and Shen Nong forgot about it.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for holographic projection, and today is the perfect day to do so.
Shen Nong pulled Ze to sit on the bed, held Ze's hands, and pressed his forehead against Ze's. He urged the system, "Yes, hurry up."
Ze initially thought Shen Nong wanted a kiss, so he closed his eyes but didn't see any movement. Shen Nong felt a tickle on the tip of his nose and knew that Ze was deliberately teasing him with his nose, so he leaned close to Ze's lips and gave him a kiss. "Okay, now close your eyes and don't move."
Ze closed his eyes and remained motionless. In the darkness, a beam of light appeared. There was a blurry figure in the light, but Ze only glanced at it and then looked away. Instead, he focused on listening to the sound, ready to open his eyes the moment Shen Nong told him to.
"Ze, is that you?"
The familiar voice made Ze look again in the direction of the light, and the person under the light was now very clear. Ze stood still, confirming that he really saw his dead mother, and he strode forward, but stopped halfway.
He dared not approach; he knew his mother was dead, and it was all a lie.
“Ze, today is the day you are to be married. Come closer so your mother can see you.”
Yu Bing's voice was as gentle as ever. Hearing the familiar yet unfamiliar voice, she slowly walked forward, her voice choked with emotion, "Mother..."
After calling out "Mother," Ze didn't speak again. He just stared at Yu Bing, trying to recreate her appearance from his blurred memory.
The holographic projection time is limited to five minutes.
After Ze clearly recalled the face in his memory, the beam of light disappeared, along with Yu Bing's figure.
Shen Nong straightened up and saw that Ze's eyes were still closed and there were tears on his cheeks. He wiped away Ze's tears with his fingertips and kissed his eyes. "Okay, open your eyes."
Upon seeing Shen Nong's face, Ze pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. He rested his chin on Shen Nong's neck and whispered, "Priest, I saw Mother."
"Yes, I know." Shen Nong understood Ze's feelings; he also longed to see his teacher and teacher's wife again. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to. But letting his teacher and teacher's wife know that he was still alive was enough.
Ze's emotions finally calmed down. He looked at the person dozing in his arms and couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and opened the door of the bedside drawer, took out the contents, and stuffed them into Shen Nong's hands.
Shen Nong felt a chill in his palm. He tried to lift it but couldn't. He was really curious about what was inside, so he looked down. When he saw it, all of Shen Nong's drowsiness vanished.
Dragon Stone Jadeite!
He looked up and asked, "Where did this come from?"
“Lu Shuang and the others took me to hide in that cave,” Ze replied truthfully.
Shen Nong sat up, preparing to get out of bed, when Ze grabbed her waist and asked, "Where are you going, Priest?"
"Let's go to Beast City!" Shen Nong held a piece of dragon-stone jadeite in her hands, which was full of water and exuded a cold aura. How many infrastructure points would this be worth!
Suddenly, his waist tightened, and Shen Nong, holding the dragon-stone jadeite in his arms, was lifted into the air for a moment. When he came to his senses, he was already on the inside of the bed.
The jade in his hand was taken away, and Ze Zheng rested one hand on the side of his face, looking down at him.
"Let's go tomorrow."
When Shen Nong fainted and then woke up, he felt that Ze's suggestion to go tomorrow was all a lie.
——
In the end, Shen Nong didn't go to Beast City; it was Shen Wu who went. Everyone has their own expertise, and he could conduct a comprehensive survey and testing.
Shen Nong was busy with the autumn harvest. The rice and cotton yielded a bumper crop. During his time in the Beast City, the beastmen had taken excellent care of the fields. There were no pesticides here, so to prevent pests, one had to keep a close eye on catching insects, which was very tiring work.
After the busy autumn harvest, the beastmen in the fields were exhausted. Shen Nong gave all the beastmen extra silver so they could rest for a few days. The beastmen, with shadows tucked into their pockets, made plans to go to the market to buy some things to get through the winter.
The fruit wine served at the mating ceremony is very popular among the beastmen. This year there is a good harvest of fruit, so in addition to making dried fruit and jam, it would be nice to take some to make fruit wine as well.
Shen Nong now has another dragon stone jade cave. He has no shortage of infrastructure points. He bought fruit wine yeast, which is specially made for making fruit wine, from the system store. It can fully bring out the sweetness of the fruit, and the brewed fruit wine will taste sweeter and better.
Shen Nong asked the porcelain-making team to first fire a batch of large porcelain jars for brewing wine. They didn't need to be too big; this year was just a trial run, and if they made too many and the wine didn't taste good, it would be a waste.
Since she was going to experiment, Shen Nong made wine from every kind of fruit that the Mu tribe had. After brewing, she would taste each one and focus on brewing the one that tasted best.
While Shen Nong was busy making fruit wine, the market was in an uproar.
Autumn has arrived, and the orcs of each tribe must prepare for the winter before it comes.
In the past, the most common items traded were salt, cured meat, and animal hides. This market is a little different.
Once the mountain tribe's orc, Tushan, placed his hand on the soft, white cotton, he couldn't bring himself to remove it. He eagerly asked the stall owner, "What is this? It's even softer and more comfortable than the animal hides made by the wood tribe!"
"This is cotton that our Mu tribe just grew. In winter, if you make it into cotton clothes and cotton shoes, you won't feel cold running in the snow. If you make it into a quilt to sleep under, you can also lay it on the kang (heated brick bed) as a quilt. At night, you can keep warm by just one layer on the kang, and it won't harden and will stay soft for a long time."
The orcs who sell cotton are all trained before they start their jobs, and are given a thorough introduction to all the uses of cotton.
More and more orcs were drawn to this cloud-like, soft, white cotton, and as they listened to the orcs' introduction, they became increasingly eager to try it out.
However, they were ultimately swayed by the price; for the same price, they could buy two large pieces of animal hide. Although the hides felt soft and warm to the touch, and the Wood Tribe wouldn't lie to them, they were simply too expensive, and most of the orcs who had been surrounding the stall left.
Whether cotton is used to make clothes or quilts, it requires linen and the handcrafting of the Mu Tribe clothing team, which costs extra.
And so, most of the remaining orcs left.
Tu Shan touched the cotton. Although the animal hides were good, they couldn't be washed, and the hides used for heating the kang (a heated brick bed) in winter would harden. Especially the hides on the kang, even with a thick layer of dry straw underneath, were useless.
I have to buy animal hides every autumn, so I might as well spend a little more money this time and save money on buying animal hides in the future.
Tushan took out the money he had saved for animal hides. He bought a quilt to put on the kang (a heated brick bed) and a blanket to cover himself with. The money he had saved could have bought eight large pieces of animal hides, but now he could only buy two blankets.