Now that all the work is done, it's time for them to return to their own tribes. Even the orcs who still need to work in the Wood Tribe are the same group from before, not the entire tribe indiscriminately hiring young and old.
In the Mu tribe, there's delicious plum juice, and the workers' dormitories have been built—all beautiful brick houses. All they need to do to get these things is work hard, whereas in the past, they had to risk their lives hunting just to get enough to eat in their tribe.
The orcs from all six tribes wanted to continue, and the priests felt the same way.
Shanfeng was suddenly called over by the orcs from the Wood Tribe's food-making team, which made the orcs from other tribes crane their necks to look over.
The Mountain Tribe is now a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe. What could the Wood Tribe possibly want by summoning the Mountain Tribe's priest?
The priests from the six tribes gathered together as if by prior arrangement. "I heard from the elders of the tribes that the farmland is very large and will require a lot of manpower to take care of it. Do you think the Wood Tribe is planning to have all the Mountain Tribe members stay to work?"
"That's possible. The farmland didn't exist before, so now we'll definitely need to find more orcs."
"Sigh, I used to laugh at the Mountain Tribe priest for doing nothing but being a subordinate tribe to others. But now that I think about it, if the Wood Tribe priest could make my Grass Tribe stay, I would also be willing to be a subordinate tribe to the Wood Tribe."
"Open your eyes wide and look around. See these beautiful brick houses? The Grass Tribe doesn't even have many caves. What do the Wood Tribe see in you that makes them want you as a subordinate tribe?"
The grass tribe priest scoffed, "Can't I even think about it?"
The old priest of the Wind Tribe remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
While kneading the dough and making dumpling wrappers, Shen Nong also made a lot of hand-pulled noodles for dinner. She made quite a lot, so she gave some to the mountain tribe members to eat when they got back.
The items prepared for distribution to the beastmen were all packed in baskets, arranged neatly and orderly.
Shanfeng went out carrying a basket filled with noodles.
The priests from the other six tribes craned their necks to look, and saw that the long, thin, white, and tender thing must be made of particularly delicious flour. They were so envious that they almost wanted to go up to it.
Shanfeng ignored the expressions on the faces of the six priests and instead urged the mountain tribe orcs to line up quickly. The wood tribe priest said that the rewards for those who did a good job would be distributed to the mountain tribe first. "Mountain tribesmen, line up quickly. Children should be at the front, the elderly in the middle, and the young and strong orcs at the back."
That's cured meat for everyone, meat patties, and especially delicious candy! Shanfeng's voice was practically splitting from excitement as he shouted, "Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"
"Mountain Tribe Priest, is something going on here? Why are you all queuing up?" The Wind Tribe Priest was the first to react and stepped forward to inquire.
Shanfeng didn't hide anything and told the truth. Anyway, the food preparation team will bring out the food later, and everyone will know.
After hearing this, the Wind Tribe priest quickly gathered the Wind Tribe members together and began to line up in the same order as the Mountain Tribe.
After the priests of the other five tribes realized what was happening, they began arguing about which tribe should rank third. However, they dared not raise their voices too much, for fear of startling the people of the Wood Tribe.
Finally, having exhausted all other options, they decided to draw branches to determine the order. Shanfeng prepared five branches of varying lengths, and arranged them in order of length from shortest to longest according to the branches drawn.
When Shen Nong came out of the food preparation team, the teams of the seven tribes outside were already lined up neatly.
Starting with the Mountain Tribe, the orcs lined up and took turns. They picked up large, washed leaves from the small southern/windy wooden table at the front, and as they passed a basket, the wooden tribe orc standing behind the basket would place the corresponding item on the large leaf in their hands.
The mountain children who were the first to receive the items stared at their hands in disbelief. It was candy! Three pieces! And also cured meat and meat patties!
However, all of these things had to be handed over to the tribe. They took a deep breath of the aroma of the meat patties and cured meat, then stared longingly at the sweet candies for a moment before gritting their teeth and closing the leaves.
Looking at the pained expressions on the children's faces, Shanfeng smiled and said, "This is an extra reward given to you by our high priest because you all worked hard and diligently. It belongs to you and you don't need to hand it over to the tribe."
!!
Cured meat, large meat patties, candy—it's all theirs!
The children were overjoyed and cheered. They eagerly took out a candy and carefully licked it.
So sweet! So delicious!
Several children also ate watermelon-flavored fruit candies and kept shouting that the watermelon had turned into candy, which attracted quite a bit of attention.
As the mountain tribe finished distributing their goods and were about to leave, an orc hurriedly ran from the storeroom with something in his hand and handed it to Shen Nong.
Shen Nong knew that the mountain tribe had no fire, and the torches couldn't last all the way from the wood tribe to the mountain tribe. For convenience, Shen Nong simply gave Shan Feng a tinderbox.
Shen Nong demonstrated how to use it to Shan Feng. When the flame rose from the small bamboo tube, Shan Feng was immediately amazed, regarding it as a divine object. He covered the tinderbox and placed it in Shan Feng's hands, who held it with trembling hands, wishing he could place it on the tribal altar for worship. In a trembling voice, he promised to send an orc back that very night.
Shen Nong didn't care much; the Wood Tribe had plenty of these things. "Take them if you like, just remember to close the lid tightly after you're done using them."
The priests from the other six tribes who were watching from the sidelines stared wide-eyed.
Being a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe is really great! Their High Priest can even create fire for the Mountain Tribe and carry it with him at all times.
The mountain tribe didn't care what the priests from other tribes thought; they were simply happily carrying their things back to their tribe.
When working in the Wood Tribe, they lived directly in the tribe. There was fire there, so they could sleep outside the cave without any problems. Every night before bed, they would wash their bodies with water infused with round-leaf grass and mugwort, and they wouldn't get bitten by mosquitoes at night. It was also very cool.
Fearing that the tribe would fall into disrepair if they were not returned for too long, they sent tribesmen back to clean and tidy up the area regularly.
However, even if people went back, it wouldn't be easy to live there before, as it would take time for the floodwaters to recede and for the cave to dry completely.
Fox Five went hunting today and returned quite late. After dividing the meat, he immediately ran to the vicinity of the Wood Tribe. Before, he had only been sneaking peeks at the aroma of meat emanating from the tribe, without encountering anyone.
This time, however, I saw a lot of people.
Judging from the totem on their faces, they belong to a mountain tribe.
The mountain tribe became a subordinate tribe of the wood tribe, and the news that the wood tribe's priest was appointed as the high priest had spread throughout the various tribes.
Orcs possess exceptional vision, smell, and hearing, which enhance as their level increases. Thus, Fox Five could smell the irresistible aroma of meat from afar, making his mouth water uncontrollably, along with the joyful laughter of the mountain tribe's orcs.
The mountain tribe beastmen drew closer and closer. Fox Five had no time to escape, nor did he try to hide. The mountain tribe chief was also there; even if he hid, he would be discovered, so it was better not to hide at all.
When Songshan saw Fox Five, he was taken aback. He thought someone was just standing there dumbfounded. "Isn't this the most powerful little orc warrior of the Vine Tribe? What are you doing here?"
Fox Five's eyes couldn't help but be fixed on the large leaf in Songshan's hand. "I came here following the scent."
Songshan laughed out loud. Indeed, the meat made by the Wood Tribe was incredibly tempting. No beastman in this beast world could resist the meat and dumplings made by the Wood Tribe.
Noticing Fox Five's gaze, Songshan subconsciously tightened his grip on what he was holding. Remembering how the boy had once let their mountain tribe have a rabbit during a hunt, he opened the tightly wrapped leaf and chose a candy he had eaten before. He hesitated for a moment as he picked it up, then squeezed with two fingers, splitting the round candy in two.
One petal is large, and the other is small.
Songshan's face darkened, but in the end, for the sake of the skinny rabbit, he picked out the largest piece and handed it to Fox Five. Meeting Fox Five's questioning gaze, he explained, "This is candy, it's very rare and incredibly delicious, you can have a taste."
Fox Five took the candy and, under Songshan's pained gaze, stuffed it directly into his mouth.
The moment the candy touched his tongue, Fox Five's pupils contracted, then his eyes lit up. Mmm! Sweet! Even better than honey!
Songshan carefully wrapped the large leaf again. "We need to hurry back to the tribe, so we won't talk to you any longer."
Fox Five ate the candy, the meaty aroma lingering in his nose diminishing considerably as the leaves were covered again. He nodded and took a few steps back.
Because the people walking in front were young and strong orcs, Fox Five assumed that only these orc warriors had such a good thing wrapped in large leaves. However, it turned out that the old people and children behind them each had one, and the size of the leaves wasn't much smaller. The meaty aroma was also the same for everyone.
Fox Five waited until the last young orc in the Mountain Tribe group had left before he moved towards the Vine Tribe.
He couldn't understand why the elderly and children would have it too.
The beastmen of the mountain tribe weren't silent all the time; on the contrary, they were talking the whole time.
They talked about dumplings, meat pies, candy, noodles—all things he couldn't understand. More importantly, by the end, he finally understood that the Wood Tribe had indeed given things to the elderly and children.
Something like an orc warrior.
How could that be? How could a tribe distribute meat to the elderly and children? Don't they usually only get offal and bones with some meat on them?
Fox Five was plunged into intense doubt for the first time.
He returned to the tribe absentmindedly, and before he even reached his cave entrance, he saw orcs carrying an old man up the mountain. Fox Five called out to them, "What's wrong?"
The orc turned back and sighed, "Another one starved to death. The priest told me to hurry up and find a place on the mountain to bury him. I'm afraid the ones in the big cave will be so hungry that they won't be able to resist eating him. If they do eat him, they'll never be able to take human form again. If the children eat him, they won't even be able to awaken."
"Didn't they get any meat?" Fox Five went to the Wood Tribe after distributing the meat, so it's unclear how the meat was distributed afterward.
"Your hunting team barely had enough meat to go around, and what we guards got was meat mixed with offal. The elderly and children didn't even get bones. It's not like spring when we could still eat wild vegetables. It's normal to starve to death." The orc's tone was calm, as he was already used to this situation. After speaking, he turned and walked up the mountain.
As Fox Five watched the departing figure, he suddenly thought of the smiling old people and children in the mountain tribe.
Outside the priest's cave of the Vine Tribe, the branches in the fire crackled intermittently. The old priest gripped a smooth, thick wooden stick, staring at the rising flames. "The fire sacrifice can't be delayed any longer."
The tall orc opposite remained silent for a long time. "Do they all have to be burned to death? Some of those children will awaken in the fall."
The old priest continued to stare at the fire, as if there were some treasure within that he couldn't look away from. "How do you think cannibals came to be? In a tribe, once one member starts eating people, the rest will soon follow suit. Cannibals all started with the old people and children in the big cave, gradually developing into an entire tribe."
Only by burning them all down before they even show any signs of life and handing them over to the Beast God can the tribe be prevented from becoming cannibals.
The tall orc said in a somber tone, "I can have the hunting party take a smaller share of the meat and give it to the old people and children in the big cave."
"Do you think I want to hold a fire ritual?!" The old priest glared at the person opposite him through the fire. "After this flood, as the chieftain, don't you know how many people are left in the hunting party? The prey we hunted every day at the risk of our lives wasn't enough to feed ourselves. Don't you know how many days the guards have gone hungry?"
"Now you're forcing the already starving hunting party to share meat with those in the cave. If the hunting party gets even less orc meat, they won't even have the strength to transform. Have you thought about the consequences?"
The tall orc bowed his head, while the old priest gripped his wooden stick tightly and pounded the ground several times, making muffled thuds. "I'll tell you what the consequences will be. The consequences will be that in the end, you humans won't even be able to catch a rabbit, and you'll start eating the helpless old people and children in the big hole."
"Rather than feeding you later, it's better to hold a fire sacrifice now so we can see the Beast God."
The orc's shoulders stiffened for a moment before suddenly drooping, and he said in a muffled voice, "I understand, Priest."
The old priest turned his head away, clenching his teeth tightly. He didn't want to do it either, but for the sake of the entire tribe, he had to.
Chapter 89
SOS
Under the blazing midday sun of summer, two filthy and wounded orcs appeared in front of the vine tribe.
The guards assumed the two orcs were orcs who had fallen behind during a migration and had inadvertently wandered into the territory of the Vine Tribe. Seeing the two orcs approaching, they assumed they were coming to seek refuge with the Vine Tribe.
However, both orcs had either lost a leg or a hand, so the priest couldn't accept them.
The guards brandished their stone spears and shouted, "This is the Vine Tribe, don't come any closer."
"It's us! It's us!" Foxwood swept the hair that was covering his face back and exclaimed excitedly, "Bear Three, Bear Four, it's me and Wolf Five who's back!"
The voice sounded familiar. Xiong San and Xiong Si exchanged a glance, both somewhat incredulous. It wasn't that they didn't believe the person before them was a member of the Vine Tribe, but rather that they couldn't believe someone who had been swept away by the flood for so many days could have returned alive.
"Where did your faces go? Fox Five has been looking for you all day, and we haven't heard a sound for so long." Xiong Si put away his stone spear and stepped forward to check the two men's injuries. From a distance, they seemed to be seriously injured.
Xiong Si looked at the two of them, his expression somewhat stiff. "What's wrong with you two?"
Foxwood gave a bleak smile, "I didn't come back before because I was recovering from my injuries. Wolf Five and I were both too badly injured to come back. We only came back when we were both able to walk a little better. If only one of us had gone, we would have been eaten by wild animals halfway there, in our current condition."
Xiong Si remained silent, but Xiong San happened to come over and overheard Hu Mu's words. She glanced at the two of them and, without asking any further questions, said in a low voice, "Go see the priest quickly."
"Okay." Foxwood took Wolf Five's arm with one hand, giving Wolf Five a point of leverage to make it easier for him to walk.
Xiong San and Xiong Si stood there, their faces grim. Xiong Si frowned and asked, "One has a broken leg and is blind in one eye, and the other has a broken arm. Do you think the priest will still allow them to stay in the tribe?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Unless the orcs leave on their own, which tribe would drive them out?" Xiong San gripped his stone spear and stood back in his place. "Those who can't hunt are sent to the big caves by each tribe to live with the elderly and children. They won't be driven out of the tribe."
Xiong Si's brows were still furrowed, but he was much better than before. Although there wasn't much food in the cave, it was at least better than going out and being eaten by wild animals.