From the priests of these tribes, Shen Nong could roughly understand how the relationship between the Beast City and the various tribes had been maintained.
The Beast City is unshakeably powerful, and it also controls the lifeblood of each tribe: salt. Furthermore, the Beast City possesses stone house construction techniques, pottery, and candles, all of which are integral parts of the tribes' lives.
More importantly, since the four major tribes of Beast City were wiped out overnight, these "small" tribes dared not have any thoughts at all.
Shen Nong has no intention of moving the tribe here. The current geographical location and environment of the Wood Tribe are actually much better than those of the Beast City.
However, the salt fields in Beast City could be put to use. Moreover, after Shen Wu's exploration, Beast City had gold and iron mines. Shen Nong also discovered that the candles in Beast City were not made of beeswax, but rather from the wax of white wax insects from a large area of white wax trees in the mountains.
By incorporating the tribes surrounding the Beast City into affiliated tribes, we won't have to worry about manpower or the recurrence of incidents like those involving the coastal tribes.
Shen Nong removed the slave marks from the faces of the slaves in Beast City, letting them choose for themselves.
They could stay in Beast City to continue working, but not as beast slaves; they could become beastmen living there. Or they could go with him to the Wood Tribe. Or perhaps they could find a way back to their original tribe.
There are three options, and each option is chosen by orcs. The most orcs stay, and the fewest return to their original tribes.
After all this time, they could no longer find their way back to their tribe.
Ya Jiu squatted in the shade of the stone house, never imagining that the Mu tribe, which they had previously trampled underfoot, could actually defeat the Beast City. And their Ze tribe, on the other hand, had already been wiped out.
"Ya Jiu, the Ze tribe is gone. We don't need to keep looking for divine blood. We want to stay in Beast City." Two emaciated orcs walked into the shadows. Ya Jiu had already guessed their choice and wasn't too surprised.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the two people's foreheads. The place where the Ze tribe's mark should have been was later covered by the Beast City slave mark. Now that the slave mark has been removed, even the previous tribe mark has disappeared.
I remember that winter when they went out to find the divine blood, there were more than a dozen of them, but now, including him, there are only three left.
Ya Jiu stood up. Although She Lin hadn't explicitly stated it before, upon careful consideration, Ya Jiu could guess that the choice of the Wood Tribe was the divine blood of the Ze Tribe. He knew better than anyone how the Ze Tribe had treated the divine blood.
Looking at the two uneasy beastmen who were afraid he would refuse, Ya Jiu sighed, "You two must never say that you used to be beastmen from the Ze tribe."
After saying that, Ya Jiu left without looking back, knowing he couldn't stay there.
Ze followed Shen Nong to inspect the gold mine in Beast City, and on the way, he saw a familiar person. He turned his head to look, and Ya Jiu happened to be looking over at the same time.
The moment their eyes met, Ya Jiu's feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move. He felt his scalp tingle and his whole body break out in a cold sweat from that icy gaze.
Fortunately, the other person only glanced at him, didn't take him seriously, and then looked away and left.
Ya Jiu felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, his heart pounding in his chest, as if he were celebrating his narrow escape.
Ze Cong never gave strangers a second glance, and his unusual behavior aroused Shen Nong's curiosity. He turned his head and found no one there, and asked curiously, "Who did you see?"
“The orcs of the Ze tribe,” Ze replied truthfully.
Shen Nong frowned. Wasn't the Ze tribe wiped out by cannibals? How could they be in Beast City? He didn't dwell on the question too much. Thinking of Ze's previous experience in the Ze tribe, his voice turned colder, "Should we bring him back?"
Ze shook his head, took Shen Nong's hand and continued walking forward, "Back then, he unintentionally shouted at the cave entrance, giving my mother and me a chance to escape. Now, let's return it to him."
Shen Nong respected Ze's choice and did not intend to interfere further. After walking a while longer, Shen Nong heard the system's voice.
[Host, could you check if there are any prophecy crystals in Beast City? It seems they're with some young master.]
"Prophecy Crystal?" Shen Nong had never heard of this thing before. The name didn't seem like something that would exist in the Beast World. It must be from the system shop.
The system forcibly bound to Mu Qing, the High Priest of Beast City, has been freed. The main system expended a great deal of energy to break free of its forced lock. Now, the items Mu Qing forcibly retrieved from the system shop will also be taken back.
Shen Nong understood, "Does your system lack the authority to reclaim items that have been redeemed?"
The system paused for a moment, then let out a deliberate and exaggerated chuckle, "Host is really smart, you guessed it right away."
"Alright, enough of this nonsense." This time, Shen Nong wasn't looking for an equivalent exchange with the system. He was very concerned about the memories that had appeared out of nowhere while he was unconscious. Especially lately, he felt that Ze was becoming more and more like the Ze from that memory…
Shen Nong replied to the system, "Tell me what those fragments I saw while I was unconscious were all about, and I'll help you find them."
[Host, you know I don't have permission.]
This time, Shen Nong wasn't buying it. He calmly said, "Then let the system with the authority tell me."
【All right……】
The main system seemed to care a lot about what Mu Qing got from the system store, and actually replaced Shen Nong's system by coming over in person.
As expected of the main system, it spoke without any hesitation, "I can only tell you that the fate of the entire Beast World rests on your shoulders. If you die, the Beast World will collapse. As for the rest, you will know after you awaken and your memories return."
Shen Nong asked in confusion, "Awakening?"
[Your current wood-type ability is powered by the overall energy of the Beast World. The stronger this world becomes, the stronger you will be. Sufficient power can break through all constraints.]
Shen Nong understood now; she was certain that what she saw while unconscious was her own memory. She was also certain that her transmigration to the Beast World was not random, but inevitable. Her initial attitude towards Ze Bian, which was different from others, was probably influenced to some extent by her past life's relationship... It wasn't hard to see from that memory that they were deeply in love.
Regarding the subtle changes in Ze, Shen Nong asked the main system, "Has Ze regained his memories?"
The main system replied after five seconds, "Upon inspection, there are signs of recovery. Due to the world's rules, as long as you haven't awakened all of your destiny's power, his memories will remain locked."
Shen Nong understood. His power was slowly awakening, and his sealed memories were gradually loosening. When he fully awakened, his memories would be completely restored.
The way the main system described it felt strange. The power of the entire world belonged to him. When he lived, the world survived; when he died, the world collapsed.
Although his new identity surprised him, Shen Nong couldn't think of anything else for the time being. "I'm the Beast God of the Beast World?"
[It wasn't before, it's not now, but it will be after awakening.]
Shen Nong asked everything she could, and the main system replied to everything it could.
The items that Mu Qing forcibly obtained from the system store were also things that Shen Nong had to go through a lot of trouble to find for the system.
Not all of these were kept at Mu Qing's residence; some were given to his dozen or so children. Those young masters were extremely fond of the good things they received and hid them very secretly.
The system most wants to retrieve two items, one of which is a crystal with prophetic abilities.
Logically, if something like this were used in the Beast World, the system should have quickly noticed something was wrong. However, because the orcs didn't have enough power to make the crystal's prophecies more accurate, and it had never made a correct prediction before, the system hadn't noticed.
This thing was dug out from under the stone house of the second young master of Beast City. This person hid it quite well; it really took digging three feet into the ground to get it out.
The other thing is all of Mu Qing's children.
Shen Nong learned from the main system that no matter how similar the interstellar humans and the beastmen looked, and no matter how similar their structures were, interstellar humans were essentially two different species. Simply put, there was reproductive isolation between them.
This means that Mu Qing should not have had offspring in the beast world. But now he not only has them, he has quite a few.
The eldest son was even a divine beast warrior. Some of the other sons and daughters were either high-level beastmen or had awakened superpowers. Although their levels were not high, they mainly used the spirit cores dug out from the brains of the priests and priest candidates.
These young masters of the Beast City were less like Mu Qing's children and more like his experimental subjects. He had exchanged for a top-grade fertility pill from the system. As long as he divided the pill in half, Mu Qing would eat one half, and the other half could be given to a male animal, and he could make it conceive.
After acquiring these elixirs, Mu Qing began selecting powerful beastmen, priests, or priest candidates. He aimed to produce high-quality offspring. If the offspring were not exceptional, he would directly absorb all of the child's lifespan to extend his own.
The children he carefully selected to survive would be replaced if a better one came along.
The men and women who bore his children were priests and priest candidates. They all endured torture after giving birth until they could no longer have children, and their spirit cores were dug out by Mu Qing before they died. The beastmen had their lifespans absorbed, but at least they didn't have to endure inhuman torture before they died.
Shen Nong knew Mu Qing was a pervert, but she never imagined he was this perverted. Even more unexpected was that the system actually possessed such a strange thing as a fertility pill.
Mu Qing's children were all taken away by the system. What the system did next was an internal secret, and Shen Nong had no authority to know.
After the main system left, the system bound to Shen Nong immediately went online. Once online, it mysteriously said to Shen Nong, "Host, I just came back from the main system space. Guess what I heard there?"
Shen Nong knew that when this guy used this tone, he couldn't hold back his words. However, since the main system had already said everything it could say, and what the system could hear was what it could say, she figured she already knew it all, so she casually repeated, "Heard what?"
Upon hearing Shen Nong's question, the system spilled everything it had heard, "That Mu Qing, his time travel actually has some connection to you, host."
Shen Nong perked up this time, "Tell me in detail."
The system made a soft coughing sound effect, "Host, when you were born in the interstellar world, you caused a fluctuation in spacetime energy. It was at this moment that Mu Qing was drawn into the energy, along with the system, which was on vacation in the interstellar world."
"Your system even has vacations?" Shen Nong's focus was a bit off.
[There will definitely be vacations. Each of our missions is quite extensive, and after completing them, we have a long period of rest. During this time, we can choose one of many worlds to travel to, as long as we don't change the course of the world's development.]
The system continued, then changed the subject, "However, the main system was afraid that there were still similar systems that had been forcibly bound but thought they were on vacation because the system hadn't contacted us, so we recalled all of them from vacation. We also stipulated that every system on vacation must send its location to the main system every day."
Shen Nong realized that all of this was inextricably linked to her, and her feelings were complicated.
The system, unaware of Shen Nong's emotions, recalled the main system's words during the handover and said happily, "Host, the main system said that you were able to discover Mu Qing before a major disaster occurred because of your keen observation. Therefore, you can make a request, and as long as it's not excessive, the main system will do its best to fulfill it for you."
For a moment, Shen Nong couldn't think of any requests, so she said she would put them aside for now.
The situation in Beast City has been mostly resolved. Having wasted so much time, Shen Nong is very worried about the farmland of the Wood Tribe. They've decided to return to the Wood Tribe early the next morning, leaving the remaining matters in Beast City to Lu Shuang for the time being.
That evening, Shen Nong, who was fast asleep, was abruptly awakened by Ze Sheng's strangulation. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that Ze's eyes were tightly closed, his long eyelashes were wet with sweat, and his brows were furrowed as if he was in great pain.
Shen Nong was unable to move while being restrained, and he could only call out Ze's name, but Ze remained unconscious.
As dawn broke, Ze finally emerged from the dream. Although the strength in his arm had not diminished at all, his brows had gradually relaxed.
Shen Nong stayed awake for most of the night until dawn. When Ze woke up, he looked down at Shen Nong's haggard appearance and was stunned for a moment. His long, strong fingers slid across Shen Nong's eyes, and Ze's voice was a little hoarse from waking up, "Didn't you sleep well?"
"What did you dream about?" Shen Nong yawned, hugged Ze's waist, and buried her head in Ze's chest.
Ze recalled the scene from his dream, his body stiffening for a moment. Shen Nong noticed this and didn't say anything. Ze's large hand supported Shen Nong's back, and he said in a muffled voice, "In the dream, I was the clan leader, and you were the priestess. We decided to become partners, but the day before the ceremony, you turned into light and disappeared before my eyes."
Shen Nong sighed softly. It seemed their past lives had been quite tragic. He recalled that Ze had once proposed to become partners, and at that time, he felt a strange sense of despair and sadness, which made him hesitant to agree to Ze's proposal.
Looking back now, I guess it was just lingering emotions at play.
Now that I know the reason for my inexplicable emotions back then, I have fewer reservations. What I couldn't accomplish in my past life, I can accomplish in this one.
Shen Nong suddenly looked up at Ze with bright, sparkling eyes and said, "Let's become partners."
"Really?" Ze asked uncertainly, staring intently at Shen Nong, afraid that he was still dreaming.
Shen Nong opened her mouth and bit Ze's chest, leaving a round tooth mark. "Does it hurt? If it does, then it really hurts."
Ze's gaze was deep. He caressed Shen Nong's rosy lips with his fingertips, gently pushing them inward. As he lowered his head to kiss her, he whispered, "It hurts."
Originally scheduled to return to the Wood Tribe today, Shen Nong changed it to tomorrow due to feeling unwell. At the same time, Shen Nong also thought about what conditions she should make to the system.
"You want your teacher and his wife to attend your wedding ceremony?" The system's voice cracked with surprise.
Shen Nong rubbed her temples. "Let me finish before you get excited. I didn't say they had to come over. Video calls are fine too."
The system let out a "whoosh" and said helplessly, "Videos won't work either. You're already dead in interstellar space. According to the laws of the interstellar world, you absolutely cannot let the people of interstellar space know that you are still alive in any form. Otherwise, it will disrupt the operation of the interstellar world, and in severe cases, the world may even collapse."
Shen Nong lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then asked the system, "Would it work if we entered a dream? We could have my teacher and his wife participate in the dream. Aren't there records in ancient books of deceased relatives appearing in dreams? So entering a dream is possible, right?"
The system instinctively wanted to object, but swallowed its words; it seemed it really could work. Many predecessors had done this before…
[Entering a dream has very strict timing requirements. Host, you need to calculate the time for your wedding ceremony and their dream entry carefully. Once you set the exact time, I will apply for dream entry permission from the main system.]
The pairing ceremony in the Beast World is actually very simple: the two who become partners drip blood from their fingertips into the bloodstone in the presence of a priest.
The bloodstones dripped with the blood of the two individuals were unused, meaning they had not been used to test the orc level with other orcs, nor had they formed a pact with any orc.
The bloodstone was ultimately entrusted to the two of them for safekeeping. The bloodstone connected their lives; if one lived, the other would live, and if one died, the other would die.
Shen Nong wanted to let his teacher and his wife see that he was still alive and well as soon as possible, and Ze had always wanted to become Shen Nong's partner quickly. Shen Nong himself was a priest, and did not need a priest to witness him.
Because the night in the interstellar world is the twilight of the beast world, in order to ensure that the entire process would enter the dreams of her teacher and his wife, Shen Nong decided to hold a ceremony to become partners with Ze at dusk.