Big Black looked at Shen Nong with a pitiful expression, but it didn't dare to whimper anymore, and just stared at her.
Shen Nong found it really funny; she had gone to great lengths to deceive someone, only to find that she couldn't taste anything at all.
He rarely showed any compassion for Dahei, saying, "If you fight well tomorrow, I'll let you taste the sweetness of candy."
Its big, dark eyes lit up, and it let out two loud roars.
Big Black wants candy! I'll definitely fight hard tomorrow! And I'll give some to my little one too.
Ze was undoubtedly the winner today, and Shen Nong handed him a peach-flavored fruit candy.
Tiger Roar and the others stared longingly, their mouths watering.
They all said in unison, "I must get to eat candy tomorrow!"
——
Water Tribe.
"Priest, we're almost out of salt."
The boy, shivering from the cold, was covered in tattered animal skins. "So fast?"
But then I thought about it again, and the salt department had only received a small amount of salt stones in the last exchange.
Because the tribe didn't have enough animal hides for warmth, they could only lick salt stones to give themselves a little strength to resist the cold.
It's normal to eat quickly.
"How much longer can the remaining ones hold out?"
"At most ten days." The person who answered lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "This is the salt that they have left, including those who froze to death."
After a moment of contemplation, the boy pointed to a corner not far away, where a few small salt stones were placed on a slightly flat rock.
“Take my salt stones out and distribute them.”
Niu Si refused without hesitation, "Priest, this is not allowed! If we divide it, what will you eat?"
The boy said self-deprecatingly, "As a priest, I haven't provided my tribe with enough food and animal hides to get through the winter. Even if you give me so much salt, I can't eat it."
"Priest, this isn't your fault; the chieftain made a mistake..."
"Stop talking."
Niu Si realized he had misspoke and immediately lowered his head. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Priest, why don't we go and beg the Wood Tribe?"
"Wood tribe?"
"Do you remember the tribe we encountered when we were exchanging salt in the salt department?"
The boy nodded and said, "I remember, there was someone who was very good-looking, with very short hair. And he dressed differently from us."
Niu Si replied, "That was the Mu tribe. Later, when I went out to collect, I met a collection team from the Yan tribe. They told me that the Mu tribe had exchanged a lot of salt stones."
"They seemed to be about to say something else, but they were interrupted by someone from the Salt Department, so I didn't hear it."
Niu Si pondered, "If the Salt Tribe thinks there's too much salt, the Wood Tribe must still have a lot of salt they haven't eaten. Let's go ask the Wood Tribe for help, Priest."
Although the young man was tempted, he had to think things through. "Niu Si, have you considered what price we would have to pay to get the Mu tribe, who successfully obtained so much salt from the Salt Department, to help us?"
The boy learned from his time in the salt region that impulsiveness never ends well.
Niu Si also knew that the Mu tribe wouldn't help them for no reason, and they had nothing to offer that would be of interest to the Mu tribe.
Rock salt and animal hides are priceless treasures in winter.
What can the water tribe use to exchange for salt stones?
The boy looked at the vast expanse of white outside, just like his current mood.
“Niu Si, the tribe hasn’t had an awakened orc for three years.”
"Perhaps we should find a new priest."
Chapter 28 Surnames
The road to science is long and arduous.
The snow outside kept falling, and the cold wind blew into the cave, making a whistling sound.
Niu Si asked with difficulty, "Priest, what do you mean by that?"
He frowned, grabbed the boy's thin arm, and whispered, "A tribe can only have one priest."
“Niu Si, no orcs have awakened in the Water Tribe for three years. In these three years, we have not dared to hunt during the beast tides, and we have even been driven to this remote place by the Ze Tribe.”
The boy looked at Niu Si, feeling extremely sad.
But the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
His eyes were filled with determination. "The Water Tribe needs a new priest."
"Priest, do you want our tribe to become part of the Wood Tribe, and for the Water Tribe to cease to exist?"
The boy countered, "What's wrong with this instead of everyone just waiting to die?"
Niu Si remained silent; he knew the priest was right.
For the past three years, the tribe has tried everything, but they still haven't been able to awaken any more orcs.
"Moreover, the Wood Tribe may not agree," the boy said worriedly. "We don't know exactly how much salt they have. If they refuse, we might have to beg the Salt Tribe."
Upon hearing this, Niu Si immediately refused, saying, "You absolutely must not go to the Salt Department."
"There used to be a bird tribe. After they joined the salt tribe, all the other members of their tribe, except for the young male and female beastmen, were sent by the salt tribe to cannibals to be traded as human flesh."
Niu Si thought of the people of the Water Tribe, "If our tribe goes there, our fate won't be much better than that of the Bird Tribe."
“In this place, apart from the Wood Tribe and us, which have never sent flesh-eating people to cannibals, all the other tribes have done so. No tribe is safe.”
The boy made up his mind, "Niu Si, come with me to the Mu tribe."
He couldn't possibly lead the tribe to migrate to a distant, unfamiliar place; that would only hasten their demise.
After much deliberation, it turned out that only the Wood Tribe could save them.
...
After the hunting team of the Wood Tribe finished their training, they all gathered in the large earthen house in the square.
There was no kang (heated brick bed) for sleeping in the earthen house, but there was an underground heating system.
The fire in the hearth slowly grew hot, and the earthenware pot above it was boiling water.
As the ground began to warm up, the group took off their hats and gloves and listened attentively as Shen Nong explained ancient military strategies.
"The story of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' refers to the Zhao tribe being attacked by the Wei tribe. The Qi tribe, a close ally of the Zhao tribe, took advantage of the Wei tribe's absence and surrounded the Wei tribe, pretending to attack them."
"The Wei tribe quickly withdrew the orcs attacking the Zhao tribe and returned to their own tribe to defend it, and thus the Zhao tribe was saved..."
Shen Nong looked around at everyone, seeing their blank expressions, and smiled, "Did you understand?"
Tiger Roar waved his hand, "Understood!"
"real?"
Shen Nong clearly didn't believe it, and Hu Xiao was the most completely bewildered among them.
"Of course it's true."
Hu Xiao glanced at Ze, then said to Shen Nong, "Priest, when Ze fights me tomorrow, surround him from behind so I can be saved."
"But priest, don't let go after I'm saved. I have to beat him before I can eat the candy."
Shen Nong was amused by the tiger's roar metaphor, "Why is it me surrounding Ze?"
Without hesitation, Hu Xiao said, "No one in the entire tribe, except you, the priest, can get close to him from behind."
"That's because you guys are too weak." Shen Nong asked with a smile, "You've already revealed the plan, and Ze heard it too. Do you think he'll fall for it again tomorrow?"
Before Hu Xiao could answer, Ze, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "I will."
"Priest Ze said he can!" Tiger Roar was overjoyed upon hearing this and shouted, "Then can I eat candy tomorrow? I'm so drooling! Ze has been winning all these past few days."
Shen Nong's heart skipped a beat for no reason. He ignored the unusual emotion and didn't even refuse Hu Xiao's suggestion, only thinking about changing the subject.
"After orcs awaken and transform, they all take on the same animal form as their mothers, and their surnames are also based on their animal form. Ze, your current animal form does resemble a black panther, so your surname is Panther?"
Ze shook his head and said, "Leopards don't have golden stripes and can't fly."
Shen Nong pondered for a moment and said, "That's true, but you don't have a surname..."
"Priest, what is your surname?"
Shen Nong: ? ?
Shen Nong, who was about to say that not having a surname was fine, became interested when she heard Ze's question, "What, you want to take my surname?"
Ze lowered his head, his hands unconsciously clenching together, revealing his anticipation. "Mmm."
Shen Nong rested her chin on her hand, recalling the meaning behind choosing a name.
To choose; to select.
Shen Ze.
To take my surname, my...choice?
Shen Nong's face flushed from his own wild thoughts. He picked up the ceramic cup beside him haphazardly, sat up straight, and said in a stiff tone, "You wish."
Although Hu Xiao didn't understand why, he had been pondering this for a long time, so he chimed in, "That's right, wishful thinking."
Rabbit Wind, remembering that he had never tasted a single piece of candy, chimed in, "Yeah, wishful thinking."
Ze didn't listen to what the two were saying at all, but just stared at Shen Nong and said, "Priest, you finished the water in the cup when you came in. The hot water is still boiling, and no more water has been added."
Shen Nong glanced at the cup and found that it was indeed empty. He put down the ceramic cup and said indifferently, "Oh."
Ze got up to add water for Shen Nong, while Yang Lei braved the wind and snow to come in from outside.
"Priest, the people of the Water Tribe have arrived."
Shen Nong raised her eyebrows slightly. Water Tribe?