Chapter 430

Dashi looked utterly incredulous—could this thing actually make food?

Seeing they all looked bewildered, Wu Yue took out a basket of taro: "See? Put the food in here, then place a wooden bucket at the outlet, and then you push the stone mill to turn."

The two nodded half-believing, half-doubting, and Dashi Uncle, using his absolute martial advantage, subdued his own offspring and snatched this duty.

Beastfolk strength goes without saying; Dashi watched as each piece of taro went in, then turned into water flowing out, while the taro dregs were collected by Shaman Yue.

Only after a basket of taro had been processed did they collect half a wooden bucket of taro juice.

"How are we supposed to eat these?"

Shilin bent over to look at the dregs the shaman had collected in one side of the bucket, and asked curiously.

"These dregs can be mixed with some flour to make patties, or used to feed the animals we've caught; that way they'll grow stronger."

"Hahaha!" Dashi Uncle burst out laughing: "Looks like we'll get to try a new food today."

Wu Yue shook her head: "The new food I meant isn't this taro-dreg patty, but this taro juice."

"Taro... taro juice?"

Even a towering beastman warrior stared blankly at the somewhat murky liquid in the wooden bucket.

How do you eat this? Are we supposed to just lift it and gulp it down?

Shilin leaned in and sniffed: "Oh my A Mu, this definitely doesn't taste good when drunk."

"Don't underestimate this taro juice; once I've processed it, the result will be a food that can be stored for a very long time."

Nothing else mattered, but the promise of being able to store food for a very long time instantly etched itself into the hearts of the two beastfolk.

Now there's no room for disdain; their eyes lit up as they looked at the taro juice in the bucket: "Shaman Yue, tell us how to make this keep for a long time—we've got plenty of strength."

Shaman Yue laughed heartily: "I can handle the rest myself; later I'll summon some females to help and teach them. Since you're strong, go work on the city walls—that's the top priority."

Hearing that, they also thought of the barrier that protects the tribe's safety, and feeling a bit embarrassed, they scratched their heads: "Heh, that's true too—then we'll go."

The father and son, alike in their ways, flung off and ran toward the back hills.

"Tongzi, bring a piece of filtering gauze."

"The user you are calling is out of service area; please try again later."

"Ah, I wanted to give Tongzi a point for the errand, but he's not available—what a pity."

She said this while shaking her head regretfully.

"Dear host, Tongzi is now online; what do you need?"

Wu Yue chuckled: "There's really no one like this realistic Tongzi."

"Give me a piece of filtering gauze."

"Sure thing! Dear host, a piece of filtering gauze costs 10 points, minus 1 point for the errand fee, totaling 11 points. Thanks for your patronage—welcome back next time."

Wu Yue rolled her eyes at the sky; what could she say? She was also utterly desperate.

With the filtering gauze in hand, Wu Yue called over the flower-tree grandmothers who hadn't gone out to gather that afternoon.

"This is the taro juice I ground out with the stone mill; it can be made into a food that keeps for a long time. Today we'll all make it together, so please, Flower-tree Grandmothers, pass the method on to the tribe."

"Shaman Yue, you're amazing—you've come up with yet another long‑lasting food. From now on our tribe won't have to fear starvation in the harsh winter."

Faced with everyone's praise, Shaman Yue just smiled and shook her head, saying it was all thanks to standing on the shoulders of giants; if she were just an ordinary beastfolk female, she'd probably still be disheveled, trailing behind the grandmothers to gather.

The gauze was filtered and dried; while it dried, they wove a few simple strainers from bamboo strips.

Until strand after strand of noodles was fished out of the pot and hung on the rack that had already been set up, the females eyed these long, noodle‑like things with full suspicion.

"Aren't these just noodles? They're just darker in color."

Wu Yue bared a small white tooth and smiled: "These aren't noodles; they're dried vermicelli that can be stored for a long time."

She didn't put all the vermicelli on the drying rack; instead she kept some to go to the kitchen and quickly stir‑fry them with meat.

The females swarmed over, and at Wu Yue's gesture they each picked up a strand of this thing called vermicelli and shoved it into their mouths.

The smooth texture instantly made their eyes widen: "Truly... truly delicious!"

Since Wu Yue had kept some for others, the bowl wasn't very full; after slurping the noodles, the crowd, still wanting more, gazed at the vermicelli swaying on the rack.

"Yue, after these vermicelli are dried, do we need to boil them in water to soften before eating again?"

Flower‑tree Grandmother looked at Wu Yue with eyes shining.

"Of course; dried vermicelli kept in a dry, well‑ventilated place can be stored for a very long time, and when you want to eat it you just need to boil it briefly."

The next day, Wu Yue's newly made vermicelli once again all the rage in the Snow Tiger Tribe; the females formed groups to tour the stone mill in the courtyard, then begged their partners to go home and make it.

They promised that once they built the stone mill they'd make tasty vermicelli for them; lured by the females' big‑pie promises, the males set to the stone mill with extra vigor.

Of course, this applied only to beastfolk families; ordinary human families would exchange some food for the chance to use the stone mill.

"Yue, I need your help with something."

Yuan Lang walked into the courtyard drenched in sweat, beads still dripping from his temples.

Wu Yue quickly fetched a cup of water from the bamboo jar on the stone table and handed it to him: "What's the matter?"

Seeing the little female's worried gaze, Yuan Lang felt warm: "It's the brick‑kiln; one can't keep up with demand, we need to build a few more, and the tribe's males need to hunt, patrol, and build walls—we're short on hands."

Wu Yue frowned: "I can help with building the brick kiln, but I can't do anything about the manpower shortage."

Yuan Lang sat on the stone bench, his deep eyes looking at her with a hint of a smile: "Our tribe now lacks nothing but food, and since it's a season of abundance, I was thinking we could hire males from the surrounding small tribes to help."

We'll pay them in food, which is safer than them having to forage on their own.

Wu Yue also brightened at that: "That's naturally a good idea, but we need to agree beforehand that the wall‑building quality must pass, and those who do well can earn extra food."

Yuan Lang leaned in and pressed a fervent kiss to Wu Yue's forehead: "I'll go talk to the shaman and the chieftain about this right now; the brick‑kiln matter is left to you."

Wu Yue patted her small chest confidently: "Don't worry—those beastman warriors built one before; rebuilding just requires paying extra attention to a few key points."

"Hmm."

The beastman's Adam's apple rolled as he gave a deep look at the small female's watery eyes before turning and leaving.

Yuan Lang's proposal clearly won the approval of the shaman, the chieftain, and the tribe's uncles, so in the afternoon he led some beastman warriors out.

Captain, those guys from the small and medium tribes are all skinny as sticks—what can they do?

Shi Lin scratched his head and asked doubtfully.

Because the small and medium tribes lack Beastfolk and Half-Beast Warriors, hunting in the forest is extremely difficult; they almost live on gathered fruits and wild vegetables.

Often they can eat meat only once every few months or half a year, so compared to the males of the large tribes, the difference is not just in height but also in strength.

The first to arrive was a small tribe; if Wu Yue had followed them, she would surely recognize it—this is the tribe where she and her father A Mu once lived.

Seeing a group of white-haired Beastman Warriors approach, the old male who was polishing crude stone tools in the clearing was so frightened he collapsed on the spot.

What... what's going on? Where did all these Snow Tiger Tribe Beastman Warriors come from? Thinking that his tribe had once lived in the Snow Tiger Tribe's garrison, he felt his heart turn cold.

He came crawling and stumbling to the Beastmen's front: "Beastman Sirs, please forgive our small tribe; we will never dare go to the Snow Tiger Tribe's garrison again—please forgive us."

The old male wailed heart-wrenchingly; the women in the cave, holding their young, also came out and knelt on the ground, crying and kowtowing.

Perhaps because the female bent over, making the young uncomfortable, the little one let out a wail and started crying.

For a moment, outside the not-large cave, the cries of males and females and the young one's wails made Yuan Lang's group feel overwhelmed.

We didn't come to cause you trouble—it's...

Beastman Sir, please forgive us... waa waa waa...

Before Teng Qian could finish his words, the old male at the front interrupted him, making his forehead veins bulge.

Shut up and listen to me!

Teng Qian let out an irritated roar, and the cavern trembled instantly.

The old male and a few females hiccuped from crying, their faces filled with terror as they looked at the Beastman Warriors before them.

Yuan Lang suddenly turned his head toward the grass patch: "Since you're back, come out—we have business with you."

His eyes sharp as a blade, he looked at the grass clump as tall as a Beastman's chest and said.

The tall, strong male naturally knew the strength of the Beastman Warriors; he swallowed, then led his people out from the grass clump.

Are you their chief?

Teng Qian glanced at the tall, strong male standing at the front and said.

This guy, all fat-headed and big-eared, must be the lead sheep.

The tall, strong Beastman looked at Yuan Lang's group with a fawning expression: "Yes... yes, I am the chief of this small tribe; what do you Beastman Sirs want us to do?"

The fawning look on the male's face made Teng Qian instantly think of those slaves from his past life; he said unhappily: "Our tribe wants to build stone houses, but we lack manpower—if your tribe is willing, come work for us."

Seeing the tall, strong male's dejected look, he then said: "Of course we won't let you work for nothing; as long as you work, our tribe will give you food, and we'll provide meals during your work period."

Those who work well get extra food rations—will you go?

The tall, strong Beastman felt as if suddenly blessed by the Beast God, somewhat dazed: "Still... still food?"

He couldn't believe it no matter how he thought—surely it's not just wild vegetables?

Teng Qian gave a cold snort, and only then did the tall, strong Beastman realize he had accidentally blurted out his inner thoughts.

Our tribe naturally distributes game—just say yes or no; we still have to visit other tribes.

The tall, strong Beastman turned to look at the hopeful eyes of his people behind him, then gritted his teeth and said: "Let's go—do we need females?"

Teng Qian glanced at their thin females behind them: "Only males are needed, but you can bring the rest of your people along while you work; you'll be responsible for their food, eating what you receive."

The tall, strong Beastman fell to his knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

Thank you, Beastman Sirs, thank you, Beastman Sirs.

Eating meat and being able to bring the tribe along—it's simply wonderful.

Thinking of this good fortune falling on him, the tall, strong Beastman cautiously edged up to Teng Qian and asked: "Just how much construction is there? Are our tribe's males enough?"

Looking at the hope in the tall, strong male's eyes, Teng Qian patted his shoulder and said: "There's a lot of construction—plenty more than enough; even if we scour all the small and medium tribes around, we might still fall short, so you don't need to worry about having no work."

His little scheme exposed, the tall, strong Beastman gave a hesitant, embarrassed laugh: "Um, I know all the small and medium tribes around; I'll lead you Beastman Sirs over."

Teng Qian gave the other a smug, "you know your place" look, and the group left amid the small tribe's people gazing at them as if they were deities.

As afternoon approached, many tribes had just returned from hunting or gathering; seeing the tall, strong Beastman leading a group of Beastman Sirs over, each was nearly scared to piss themselves.

Especially noticing the Beastman Warriors' hair color, they also thought they had come to settle scores.

After Teng Qian explained their purpose, fear and terror turned entirely into delight.

Just one day's work brings food—meat, even—this life is simply perfect.

The group didn't return to the Snow Tiger Tribe until the next day; after making the rounds, nearly all the surrounding small and medium tribes had agreed to come work.

Fact proves that the lure of tenderness is still strong; seeing one small and medium tribe after another bring their families into the tribe, arranged by Yuan Lang's group at different stages of the wall, everyone realized this was indeed a substantial labor force.

After several days of training, nearly all the males had adapted to wall-building work; and upon seeing a small tribe's male rewarded with an extra leg of game for good work, everyone grew envious and threw themselves into the task with fervor.

The speed of wall construction also became visibly faster.

Tongzi, is this herb precious? How many points can it be exchanged for?

Hearing Qingcao say the gathering site this time was fairly far from the tribe, Wu Yue hoisted her basket and hurriedly joined in.

This task of replenishing points must be gotten underway.

Precious insect-repelling herb—ten points per stalk.