Chapter 29: Finding a Helper

The Water Cellar will be completed tomorrow; you're all welcome to visit then.

Lin Manzhi said calmly, "If after seeing it you want to try building one at your own home, you can use Beast Coin to ask me for help; the first Beastfolk gets a discounted price."

The scorching sun beat down as Lin Manzhi stood in the barren courtyard covered with endless yellow dust.

She looked up at the Beastfolk gathered at the courtyard gate; her expression was not the usual haughty femininity but a calm, confident, gentle equality.

The male beasts had never seen a female who spoke so beautifully and gently; the ancient genetic drive for courtship even outweighed their fear of the wild beasts before them.

They were stirred; regardless of whether the Water Cellar was functional, this was at least an excellent chance to get close to the female…

"I want to follow you and build a storage Water Cellar at home!"

Before they could speak, Xi Tao, standing before the tall male beasts, spoke up first.

She had used the Wooden Rake Lin Manzhi gave her, and the results were evident.

Seeing Lin Manzhi handling these in her own courtyard this time, she didn't know why, but instinct told her that following Lin Manzhi would never go wrong.

Lin Manzhi saw Xi Tao step forward first, paused briefly, then said, "Alright."

Regarding Xi Tao, who had come here and helped her a lot, she didn't intend to earn money from her by building the Water Cellar.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Manzhi got an idea; she gestured to Xi Tao, "Come in, let's talk inside the house at leisure."

Xi Tao hesitated upon hearing she should enter Lin Manzhi's home, but still went inside, with the two Beast Husbands tightly following behind.

Since it concerned the important Water Cellar, Lin Manzhi couldn't showcase a finished product to potential outside customers today; she smiled and said, "If you're interested, come back tomorrow afternoon."

After speaking, she closed the stone door, tugged the hand looped around her waist without moving, and lightly patted the silent, cold‑faced male beast.

Mo Lie furrowed his brow and released his grip.

Xi Tao felt a bit regretful.

The courtyard was small and reeked of wild beasts; just standing there felt as if constantly watched, making every inch of skin tense.

Lin Manzhi looked at the three huddling beside her and said gently, "Let's go into the room first; it's too hot outside."

Xi Tao gritted her teeth and followed inside.

It was her first time in Lin Manzhi's home; in the central hall, the uneven yellow rock wall bore nothing but faint, uneven grooves.

In the middle of the room lay a skin rug, gray‑yellow and slightly darker than the floor, its texture as hard as a Grey Armored Beast's hide, appearing newly made and still damp.

Lin Manzhi and Xi Tao sat on the skin rug; Cihe and Cichuan stood behind their own female, heads bowed, watching their feet, shifting restlessly.

When Lin Manzhi sat, Mo Lie also sat on the rug, his long legs, wrapped in black trousers, crossed in a lotus position, his hand lazily propping his chin, eyes lowered as he watched Lin Manzhi's silhouette.

He sat one seat behind Lin Manzhi, his lowered eyes deep; though he said nothing and didn't look at the person opposite, his presence was immense.

In the cramped space, the three with Xi Tao felt extremely uneasy, while Lin Manzhi felt nothing.

The house fell into silence.

"Xi Tao, you're my good friend and also the first to suggest building a Water Cellar," Lin Manzhi broke the brief silence, saying, "I originally planned to collect two hundred kilograms of Small Exotic Beast meat from one household."

Xi Tao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.

Food isn't scarce here; the two Beast Husbands at home can hunt one to two each day, and a small Exotic Beast yields over forty jin of meat.

There are many single male beasts in the tribe, who hunt in groups, so ten heads isn't hard to find.

She widened her eyes and asked, "So about ten small Exotic Beasts, that cheap?? This can store water in the desert!"

Lin Manzhi nodded, "Yes, that's the price."

Of course, since she would eventually live among the Rosangya Tribe, and she didn't know many Beastfolk here, she planned to use teaching Water Cellar construction to forge good relations with the tribe.

Living in a poor, backward place, quickly establishing good ties with the local Beastfolk is essential.

"Then can I have Cihe bring over two Small Exotic Beasts tomorrow?" Xi Tao asked.

Lin Manzhi smiled lightly, "Building a Water Cellar is actually simple, nothing hard, but I don't want your Beast Coin or fresh meat; I have a better idea."

As a female, her strength is that of an ordinary human woman; if she were to teach the tribe's Beastfolk to build a Water Cellar, only Mo Lie could step in.

But she didn't want Mo Lie to be overworked.

Lin Manzhi glanced at Cihe and Cichuan behind Xi Tao and said, "I'll teach you how to dig a Water Cellar at home; you let your two Beast Husbands help me today, and later when Beastfolk from the tribe come, you'll lead them to build. As for the Beast Coin earned, we split it half each, how about that?"

Xi Tao was stunned, "Ah??!!"

She wondered, could Lin Manzhi really share Beast Coin from such a venture?

The price was merely having the male beasts help for a day?

Lin Manzhi thought that now she could just go out and find a male beast to help, and anyone would agree!

Xi Tao wanted to agree outright, eager to take advantage of the cheap deal, but Lin Manzhi was so kind that she felt embarrassed.

She lifted her hand to touch her nose and said, "If you need anything, just ask me directly; there's no need…"

"No, no, helping and working are not the same," Lin Manzhi interjected.

She looked at Xi Tao seriously and said, "This is work that earns Beast Coin; a day of help is free. If future help requests increase, I'll give the Beast Coin to your Beast Husbands to work, so I wouldn't have to ask you."

It's better to set the terms now, so later neighbor Xi Tao won't harbor resentment.

"Also, I'm asking you for help; once you learn how to make a Water Cellar, your family can bypass my handling of the tribe's Beastfolk requests for water cellar construction. But I know you'd feel embarrassed doing that, so let's cooperate."

"I provide the idea, you provide the labor; so it's fair to split the earned Beast Coin half each, okay?" Lin Manzhi looked over.

Xi Tao listened for a while, then nodded, "You seem quite right…."

"But we're only helping with a bit of work; taking half is too much."

Xi Tao's mood was complicated; her two eyes looked uneasy as she said, "I'll take only three per household; that's one more than a daily hunt. This was your idea, and without you, my Beast Husbands, even if strong, couldn't earn it. Let's settle on that."

Lin Manzhi observed Xi Tao's expression, considered their personalities, thought briefly, and agreed without further comment.