Chapter 230: Want to Learn Arithmetic

Hearing that, Moluo didn't persist; instead, he began to introduce them to the prices of these stones:

"A single fire stone costs two hundred and fifty Crystal Cores each; when buying in pairs, the price depends on size—two large ones cost six hundred, two small ones five hundred."

"Colored stones range from four hundred to four hundred and twenty; the prettier and more vivid the color, the higher the price. As for moonlight stones and corpse incense stones, moonlight stones are one hundred per piece, corpse incense stones twenty per piece."

Yun Li: "What are these moonlight stones and corpse incense stones used for?"

Luosai answered her: "Moonlight stones are actually a kind of night‑glow stone, but compared with night‑glow stones, the light they emit at night isn't as bright, so people usually buy several of them and place them at home or on beast‑carriages as decoration."

"Corpse incense stones, on the other hand, are stones that can be burned at home; they are formed from piles of insect corpses, and when burned they emit a fragrant smell, hence the name."

It sounds a bit like scented charcoal, suitable for use in the cold season, but their Tribe habitually uses charcoal and some ferocious beast dung during the cold season, so corpse incense stones aren't that appealing to them.

Nevertheless, Yun Li asked again, "Are these corpse incense stones popular elsewhere?"

Luosai scratched his head, thinking that Yun Li Adult really asks about things she doesn't understand, but he answered earnestly, "It's okay, I guess. After all, when the cold season arrives, temperatures drop everywhere. Without corpse incense stones, once the stored wood is all burned, many older beasts and cubs in beast families can't survive the cold season."

Moreover, some beasts love the scent of corpse incense stones, and even outside the cold season they'll ask nomadic Tribes to obtain them for burning at home.

A look of understanding flashed across Yun Li's face; she thanked Luosai and then pointed at the colored stones on their stall, saying:

"Can I have all the colored stones on your stall? As for fire stones, I need four pieces; for moonlight stones, six pieces. Calculate how many Crystal Cores in total."

Luosai perked up at the request and hurried to start calculating for Yun Li.

However, he miscalculated the price of just the four fire stones: two large fire stones are six hundred Crystal Cores, plus two small ones five hundred, so the four should total eleven hundred Crystal Cores, but he mistakenly arrived at nine hundred fifty.

Yun Li: "……"

She thought perhaps she should be pleased that it was under‑counted for her.

But before that thought could settle, she found herself unable to laugh at all.

According to his algorithm, the colored stones were over‑counted by more than eight hundred, so Yun Li, helplessly, let Leng Xiu pay him piece by piece.

"In total, five thousand eight hundred and thirty Crystal Cores."

Listening to Yun Li Adult recite the number so effortlessly, Luosai couldn't help but look at her enviously, "Yun Li Adult, you're truly good at counting; I can never calculate so clearly as you do."

As for whether Yun Li made a mistake, the tribe chief didn't say she was wrong, so Yun Li Adult must be correct.

Yun Li chuckled, "It's just some addition‑subtraction algorithm; quite simple."

Having spent so long in the beast world, she felt the knowledge she learned in the modern era was fading, but after a year in the Tribe she managed to make paper and pens, instead of always writing on beast hide.

Some prepared beast hides could serve as paper, but the consumption of hide was too great for widespread use. Moreover, before Yun Li arrived, the Heiyan Shanmai region mainly used sharp wooden sticks (to carve on hide), hollow feathers (dipped in pigment), or even fingers as pens—such writing was too time‑consuming and labor‑intensive.

So after she invented paper and pens, she couldn't completely stop the gradual forgetting of what she had learned, but at least she wouldn't devolve into total illiteracy.

Thinking of that, Yun Li let out a sigh in her heart.

Having become accustomed to life in this world, it's nice to live so comfortably here, yet there's an unease about merely drifting, eating and waiting for death, as if stopping would turn the events of the previous life into just a dream.

That would be too terrifying.

Luosai stared at Yun Li like that; he was first stunned, then something seemed to click, and his eyes lit up instantly.

He suddenly seized Yun Li's hand, his voice urgent, "Yun Li Adult, let me stay with you forever; I can do anything for you, just let me remain by your side."

His original intention was to stay by Yun Li's side before he and the tribe chief left, to learn her extraordinary skills.

But, in his emotional outburst, his words, to Leng Xiu and the others, sounded as if he had fallen for Yun Li and wanted to cling on as a Beast Husband.

Leng Xiu didn't care whether Luosai's sudden action was reasonable or if there was a misunderstanding; in any case, he was about to explode with anger.

"Let go of my hand."

As he said, the male's hand already reached out without hesitation.

Moluo saw his fury, fully aware that, as a human, he feared Luosai's hand might be twisted off by Leng Xiu, so he didn't think twice and grabbed Leng Xiu's wrist.

"Wait, there must be some misunderstanding here, Luosai, let go quickly."

Luosai looked at Moluo, a question mark hanging over his head, and Yun Li's reaction was already beginning to break free.

"Ah—sorry! Sorry!"

Seeing that he had even hurt Yun Li's hand, Luosai quickly apologized to Yun Li, then, unafraid of death, pleaded, "But I was sincere just now, Yun Li Adult—could you let me stay by your side for a period? I can do anything, be it fighting, hunting, or even bringing cubs to your household…"

These words made Leng Xiu increasingly unable to tolerate; his face darkened, "Shut up, A Li can't keep you."

"Calm down."

Yun Li, seeing the male's anger, quickly embraced him, hurriedly smoothing his fur and said, "If you say you won't keep me, then you won't; I'll obey your wishes."

She actually never thought Luosai was that enlightened beast, she simply didn't understand what his words meant.

Leng Xiu wrapped his arm around his own female's waist, looked at Luosai's face, which was nothing like his own, finally suppressing his anger, and said to Yun Li:

"Since the items have already been purchased, let's go."

He didn't want an outsider to waste his private time with A Li; he wasn't a beast as impulsive as Leng Xiao.

【48】 "Hey! Wait! Yun Li Adult, I truly want to learn arithmetic from you!"

"Luosai looked at Moluo with a puzzled expression, while Yun Li at that moment had already begun to struggle free."

Seeing the two about to walk away, Luosai grew frantic, stood up, and shouted toward their backs.

The voice was so loud that other beasts nearby couldn't help but look over.

Yun Li halted, looked up and met Leng Xiu's gaze, then turned back and asked, "Do you want to learn arithmetic from me?"

It turned out that the earlier grip and those words were all just to learn arithmetic.