Chapter 570: Meat and Mineral Ore, Endless Meat, Endless Soup

While the Defeated Soldiers outside the Mine were troubled by the alien Beast frequently entering and exiting the Jiedian, inside the Mine, it was a scene of bustling activity.

Plump birds of all sizes were piled together like a small mountain of feathers; the feathers, whose colors were indistinguishable in the darkness, now reflected various lusters under the illumination of the torches and fires inside the Mine.

Jier, acting as the organizer, stood before a large pile of Mineral Ore belonging to the Human Villagers, facing the massive quantity of birds the Mao Maos had just brought back, organizing manpower to take out the birds and place them under the eyes of the hundreds of Human Villagers and Mao Maos, comparing a pile of bird carcasses with a pile of Mineral Ore.

Ignoring weight, looking only at volume.

Several large, plump Wild Chickens from the mountain forest were snatched away by impatient female Villagers, and the Mao Maos also stepped up quickly to carry away a small pile of Mineral Ore directly.

Both sides were very satisfied; the girls holding the heavy, plump Wild Chickens held the things in their arms high, walking back into the crowd like victorious generals, while the Villagers waiting all around began to discuss it one after another.

"Hurry and clean these things! Ah, I can practically smell the meat already!"

Gulp—there was the sound of a large group of Villagers swallowing their saliva; clearly, they could not wait even a moment longer to eat meat.

Although since the afternoon, after Jier arrived, these Villagers responsible for mining had managed to eat two full meals for a change, simple Wheat Porridge could not alleviate the physical condition of these Villagers. Seeing the plump Wild Chickens from the mountain forest that had just been traded for, they urged the girls responsible for cooking to start as soon as possible.

In fact, there was no need for people to urge them; the female Villagers responsible for cooking also wanted to eat meat and drink meat soup. Once they received the items, besides showing them to the surrounding Villagers according to Jier's request, they immediately set about plucking, gutting, and cleaning the Wild Chickens.

"Their feathers are nice. When you pluck these birds, remember to keep the feathers separate; I still have a use for them."

Jier spoke and ordered. These bird feathers from the mountain forest were bright and rich in color, reflecting shifting brilliance in places with light—some were fiery red, some blackish-blue, some had the color of a clear sky—all very beautiful. Here, they were not worth a single Iron Coin, but if transported to a large town and sold to merchants who collected them or shops that made hat decorations, they could easily be sold for a good price.

As for the Mao Maos, after they traded back a large amount of Mineral Ore from the Humans in batches, compared to the efficiency of collecting Mineral Ore by stealing and robbing from the Villagers before, they easily discovered that the gap was simply too large.

Before, they would spend the whole day jumping around and causing trouble inside the Mine, and they would often only manage to get one or two baskets of Mineral Ore. After handing over the extra to the Soldiers outside the cave, and finally smelting it into Metal Lumps, there was even less left for them.

Yet now, by using those birds that could be seen everywhere in the Forest, they could so easily exchange for a large amount of Mineral Ore from these Humans that they had previously struggled to obtain. These Mao Maos realized that their previous methods were wrong; they should have used these easily obtained bird foods to go directly to these Human Villagers and trade for Mineral Ore from them.

The Mao Maos no longer had to struggle to carry Mining Picks that were not much smaller than themselves to mine, nor did they have to tiptoe through the shadows to inefficiently steal one or two pieces of Mineral Ore, nor did they have to make a big scene blocking lone Human Villagers and robbing them of the Mineral Ore on their bodies amidst the other party's resistance and hostility.

That was too slow; it wasn't that it didn't work, but it was too slow.

In just a short while, the large quantity of bird carcasses obtained from hunting outside had easily been traded for a pile of Mineral Ore like a small mountain, which left them amazed just looking at it.

Now, it was the Mao Mao leaders' turn to worry about how to transport this pile of Mineral Ore out of the Mine.

Among the Mao Mao leaders, the one who had already woken up and had previously fought Jier was currently awkwardly rubbing its ears, not daring to get too close to the other leaders, because it knew it would definitely be teased and mocked by them.

"Meow meow meow meow." (Changing the method actually yields such good results.)

It muttered to itself, but it was no longer as sparing with its words as before.

A large number of mountain forest birds were accepted, and most of the female Villagers in the Mine were busy at this time. They had their half-grown children bring water from the water source in buckets, then started a fire to boil water, and an iron pot specifically for processing bird feathers was set up.

The bird carcasses were thrown into the pot to be scalded, making their feathers much easier to pluck. Following Jier's instructions, the plucked feathers were all laid out to dry on the side. Then, the few Daggers in the Villagers' hands came in handy.

Some Villagers had carefully hidden some Daggers for self-defense when they were captured, and those Defeated Soldiers did not search very strictly because they still needed the captured Villagers to transport grain and supplies, so the Villagers had more or less kept some things on them.

Of course, one or two Daggers were of no use; in a fight, Daggers were not even as effective as the Mining Picks issued to the Villagers.

Therefore, it was only now, when it was necessary to gut and clean these plump Wild Chickens and wild birds, that these Daggers finally came in handy.

The bellies of the Wild Chickens and wild birds were emptied. Because they were wary that these things from the mountain forest might be unclean and have parasites, even though the Villagers wanted to eat meat, they ultimately followed Jier's request to cut off the heads and necks of the birds, leaving only the fleshy torsos.

But this way, there was not much left.

Jier had not originally suggested that the Villagers eat the Viscera of the Wild Chickens and birds, but the Villagers checked them carefully and kept the healthy and clean hearts and crops of the birds; these parts were relatively clean, not easily infested with parasites, and felt safer to eat.

Jier could not refuse them, so he reluctantly agreed to this, while the rest of the large pile of Viscera, necks, and heads were all discarded to the side, only to be secretly carried away by some light-fingered Mao Maos.

Everyone saw it, but since Jier did not allow them to eat these things, they could only watch as the Mao Maos excitedly stole them away.

The Mao Maos were not afraid of the parasites in these Viscera and miscellaneous parts. Most parasites took a long time to cause trouble, and the Mao Maos' lifespans were not long—less than fifteen years—so often, before the parasites could revolt, the Mao Maos had already died of old age.

And in fact, most Mao Mao Warriors did not live to the day they died of old age; they mostly died in their youth or prime while hunting outside or in battles fighting over mountain forest territory with other Mao Mao tribes. As for the others who survived, they also had the "exorcism paste" made by the tribal Witch Doctor; after drinking that strange paste made of ground Herbs, Mineral Ore powder, and dried animal carcasses, the parasites inside the Mao Maos' bodies were often cleared out.

Of course, most of those parasites were poisoned to death, and Mao Mao Warriors who had eaten this exorcism paste would often fall into a major illness as a result, shortening their already short lifespans.

But never mind that; you just tell me, was the parasite problem solved or not?

The Witch Doctor's various pastes and medicinal liquids, although they had side effects, were often very useful after years of experimental experience.

The processed plump Wild Chickens were thrown whole into other iron pots, served with high heat; in the bubbling, boiling water, the chunks of meat tumbled up and down, and the aroma of fat soon spread out.

These Wild Chickens from the mountain forest were truly too delicious; just by simply boiling them in water, the entire open mine tunnel was filled with an enticing fragrance.

The sound of swallowing saliva was incessant. Jier found this scene funny, yet also pathetic. He sent people to call back the adult Villagers who were still working hard at mining, letting everyone gather around.

"Although it is already the middle of the night, such delicious things can be enjoyed regardless of day or night. Everyone, stop working hard at mining for now; the Mineral Ore won't run away anyway. You should all come over to eat some meat and drink some fragrant, delicious soup first. Taking good care of your bodies is the most important thing right now."

Jier said loudly: "Listen to me, I guarantee it's the right thing to do. After eating your fill and drinking your fill of soup, everyone get a good night's sleep, and I guarantee you'll have endless energy tomorrow! By then, going back to mine will definitely be much more efficient than you are now!"

"Everyone must understand that the preparation for work is often just as important as the work content itself."

As Jier spoke his big principles, the Villagers sniffed hard at the fragrance spreading from the pots while whispering to each other.

Many people might not have felt sure if this ten-something-year-old outsider Jier could succeed before, but now, looking at the mountain-like pile of bird carcasses, the plump chunks of meat in the pots that were almost too full to hold more, and the fragrant, delicious meat soup, everyone felt that Jier should be able to succeed.

At the very least, he had achieved what he had previously claimed.

Although many people still did not know how Jier would solve the problem of them being trapped here, at least for now, being able to drink a mouthful of fragrant chicken soup and eat a mouthful of meat already made them satisfied.

But Jier's next words surprised them even more, because Jier shouted: "Today, I want everyone to eat their fill of meat! Yes, you heard me right, everyone can eat meat until they are full!"

"Don't think I'm joking or bragging; there's no alcohol here, right? Look at this pile of birds. You might think I'll have everyone save these birds, roast them dry, or smoke them for storage? No, everyone, try to finish eating them as soon as possible!"

Looking at the Villagers' incredulous eyes, Jier shrugged: "It must be finished as soon as possible, because by tomorrow, those alien Beast will send over just as many, or even more, bird meat."

"This is an uninhabited mountain forest; the most abundant things are flocks of birds and animals. And those alien Beast are not a local tribe themselves; they don't care at all about the future population of hunted animals. Therefore, before the last bird is hunted and before we dig out all the Mineral Ore in the Mine, you have meat that you simply cannot finish eating!"

"Meat that can't be finished?" Some Villagers thought they had misheard, picked at their ears, and were somewhat unable to believe it.

But it was hard for Jier to explain to these Villagers. Based on his calculation of the animal distribution density he observed along the way, just the mountain forest around the enemy Jiedian alone, simply estimating the number of animals, was dozens to a hundred times the total number of all Humans in the Jiedian.

And the number of birds was even more terrifying. Because birds could fly and move, unless they could eat all the millions of birds in the surrounding mountains, just by relying on this small number of Humans, they could not shake the number of birds in the surrounding mountain forest at all just by eating them.

Even a freezing rain or a hailstorm or something that killed birds would be enough for the Villagers to eat for a whole year.

It was just that exaggerated.

But Humans found it hard to live very comfortably in the mountain forest because it was not easy for Humans to hunt enough prey as easily as the Mao Maos could.

The Mao Maos were small and agile, and the tails on their bodies were their natural hunting tools. By picking up any stone or tree bark, they could turn it into a weapon to injure or kill birds and small animals through the whipping of their tails.

They could easily get close to their prey without being discovered by the other party. But Humans could not; even the most professional Hunter could hardly achieve the same hunting efficiency in the mountain forest as the Mao Maos.

Moreover, the Mao Maos often hunted in groups, which made their efficiency even higher, far beyond what Human Hunters going out in groups of two or three could compare to.

Therefore, in the mountain forests, what often limits the number of Mao Mao tribes is not these ordinary animals, but rather some more terrifying Monsters and Magic Beasts, predators higher up in the life hierarchy; they often treat the Mao Mao as prey, while even higher-level Magic Beasts treat some terrifying Monsters as prey as well, one link after another, which is the life hierarchy of predator and prey in nature.

Everyone still didn't quite believe that so many of them could all eat meat and soup, but after Jier said it, he didn't say anything more; in any case, the facts would make the Villagers understand.

"Eat the meat directly once it's ready! Don't push it back and forth, whoever is hungriest, go ahead and eat! No need to hold back, there is plenty of meat to eat anyway."

Jier walked up to the iron pot, maintaining order as he spoke: "But I have a requirement: you cannot crowd, all of you stand in a line for me, and come forward one by one to take the meat. You must bring your own soup bowls or other eating utensils; you are not allowed to grab it with your hands!"

Some people looked at their own dirty hands and smiled awkwardly.

Afterwards, while taking advantage of the time before the meat was ready, everyone went off to look for things they could use as bowls.

Soon, the female Villagers cooking confirmed by poking holes with wooden branches that the incredibly fragrant and succulent Wild Chicken in the iron pot was cooked, and they quietly notified Jier.

Unexpectedly, Jier immediately shouted loudly: "The meat is ready! Everyone come over and line up to eat meat! Remember to bring your own bowls for eating; those who have nothing cannot come over to eat. Borrowing other people's bowls afterwards is also fine."

Some Villagers crowded over, and Jier frowned, then stepped forward to disperse them: "Can you not understand my words? Line up in a row; anyone who crowds forward will not be allowed near the eating area."

Someone even spoke up to retort, but Jier glared, and the dozen or so people in that direction were instantly frightened into retreating several steps, falling to the ground.

They were all terrified by the killing intent on Jier at that moment; that kind of tangible killing intent was simply not something ordinary Villagers could withstand. After this encounter, these young Villagers all wilted like frost-bitten eggplants, shrinking their bodies and honestly lining up.

"Very good, just like that."

Jier walked through the lines, pulling men, women, old, and young into order, and the several lines soon became smooth.

The Villagers at the very front of the lines could hardly wait to scoop up meat and ladle out soup, slowly filling their Wooden Bowls with soup, yet they only dared to carefully take one piece of chicken or bird meat from the pot.

Jier smiled when he saw this, said nothing, and signaled for the Villagers who had taken meat and soup to move to the side, letting the Villagers behind them move forward.

The Villagers at the very front, after obtaining the delicious and fragrant chicken soup and meat, did not eat it first, but instead went to where their families were; the family would take turns drinking the delicious chicken soup from the bowl, and the adults would often only take a small bite of the meat before handing it over to their half-grown children to eat.

Although it was heartwarming, Jier shook his head; come on, do you have to be so frugal? Open your eyes wide and take a good look, there is still a mountain-like pile of Wild Chicken and wild birds nearby; if he doesn't stuff these poor fellows until they can't eat anymore tonight, he won't be called Jier!

Jier waved his hand, telling the female Villagers in charge of cooking to continue processing those Wild Chickens and birds; once a pot of soup was finished and the meat inside was eaten, they were to continue making more until all the meat was gone, or until everyone could no longer eat another bite.

?? Welcome everyone to subscribe to this book, add it to your favorites, and support it with recommendation votes, monthly tickets, and tips.