Chapter 23 Metal Ores [3 Updates] Good things brought back by the merchants...

Upon hearing this, everyone on Moye's side tensed up.

Even the usually calm and collected Mo Ye couldn't help but frown.

"Our tribe has changed drastically? What happened? Is it because of that...cloth you mentioned?"

Jiang Kuo exclaimed excitedly, "Pretty much! Your tribe makes clothes and pants out of cloth, which are both stylish and practical! Everyone's been talking about cloth lately!"

He turned to his young orc companion behind him and asked, "Lin Ye, you took some people to the peninsula tribe a couple of days ago, right?"

Lin Ye, with his striking good looks, nodded, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and said, "Yes! We all saw the clothes they were wearing! It's a style we've never seen before! The fabric is both fitted and soft, allowing them to move cleanly and efficiently, without hindering their work at all!"

“That’s right, that’s right,” the others chimed in. “They even dyed the fabric, some red, some blue, some yellow! My God, I never knew clothes could look this good!”

"Wearing their new clothes, the people of the peninsula tribes look absolutely gorgeous."

Lin Ye sighed and said regretfully, "We wanted to exchange fabric with them, but they said everyone in the tribe is too busy to see us and wouldn't let us into the tribe."

"Ah, if only I could touch that fabric."

Hearing everyone's descriptions, Mo Ye and the others were filled with excitement.

In just over six months, such a thing happened in the tribe! And they even produced such a wonderful thing as cloth!

Without Jiang Kuo urging them any further, they couldn't wait to return to the tribe in the blink of an eye and take a good look around!

"We just returned from a trade trip and really don't know any of this. We need to hurry back and check," Mo Ye said urgently, bidding farewell to the group.

Jiang Kuo stepped forward and said solemnly, "When you get back, please tell them that our tribe has prepared all the supplies and really wants to do business with you."

The people behind him echoed, "That's right! I can trade a whole black-armored beast for a piece of cloth!"

"Our two tribes are right next to each other, you must consider us first!"

"Notify us immediately if you have any news!"

While Mo Ye and the others were happy and proud, they also felt a sense of triumph.

Wouldn't it be better to stay home with your partner and child? If life weren't truly difficult, who would want to travel and trade every year?

In the past, the peninsula tribes had nothing of value, so when they offered to deliver things to the tribes, the people from nearby tribes would wave them off, saying they didn't need them.

Now, they're actually scrambling to do business with us!

"When I get back, I will..." He only got halfway through his sentence when a wolf's howl pierced the sky from afar.

Everyone quieted down and listened attentively.

The orcs of the Mingyuan tribe spread a message: the Peninsula tribe organized a large group of people to go to the salt lake to collect salt!

The salt lake is located at the junction of several tribes, covering a large area. It does not belong to any one tribe, and everyone can go there to collect salt for use.

Jiang Kuo's eyes lit up, and he immediately changed his mind: "Let's go take a look at the salt lake too!"

He was afraid that other tribes would beat him to it, so he wanted to finalize the deal as soon as possible.

The suggestion was unanimously approved: "These people are definitely wearing new clothes! Let's go take a look!"

"You guys go first. My partner has been talking about it for days. I need to go back to the tribe right away and bring him with me!"

The people on Moye's side asked for his opinion: "What should we do? Go back to the tribe?"

Jiang Kuo, with an anxious expression that seemed to say, "Can't you see how much loss we're in?", quickly waved his hand.

"Why go back to the tribe! Didn't you hear that everyone in your tribe is at the salt lake right now? Hurry up, let's go to the salt lake together! After you meet up, you can go back together!"

It is indeed closer to the salt lake from here.

Mo Ye didn't know if Xue Fei was there, but he couldn't wait to see him.

“Let’s go to the salt lake,” he decided.

Immediately, Mo Ye and the others transformed into enormous birds and beasts, flapping their wings and soaring into the sky.

The majority of people on the Jiangkuo side are wolf-beastmen who have transformed into enormous wolves, rushing towards the salt lake in the brilliant summer sunlight.

The wolf-beastmen were incredibly fast, but Mo Ye and his companions flew through the sky, making them even faster.

When they were still quite a distance from the salt lake, they saw small figures on the shore.

Just as they said, the clothes they wore were a style I had never seen before, and they were dyed in different colors.

Reflected in the azure lake and the vast blue sky, streaks of bright color, like sparkling jade, form the most beautiful scenery.

Some people couldn't contain themselves and excitedly chirped loudly.

The shouts startled the people by the lake, who all turned to look and quickly spread their arms, waving them vigorously towards the sky.

"The merchants have returned!!"

"I saw Moye!"

"Hey—! We're here!"

Xuefei and the others stopped scooping salt, dropped their tools, and ran this way.

There was no danger in salt harvesting, so the tribe took Qiu Ze and his children along.

At this moment, Qiu Ze was so anxious that his rabbit ears popped out, and he ran and cried out, "Father! Father!"

Mo Ye and his group arrived quickly. As soon as they landed, they threw off their backpacks, transformed into human form, and rushed toward the people they missed.

"Moye!" Xuefei's eyes were red as she buried herself in Moye's arms.

Mo Ye bent down, wrapped one arm tightly around him, and pulled Qiu Ze into his arms as well.

Beneath his bronze skin, his powerful muscles were taut, pressed tightly against Xue Fei's, leaving no gap between them.

Only in this way can his longing be temporarily relieved.

Xuefei buried her face in his chest and let out a low sob.

Qiu Ze wrapped his thin arms tightly around his neck, calling out "Father" over and over again.

Mo Ye's eyes welled up with tears, his nose stung, and he took a deep breath, saying in a hoarse voice, "Xue Fei, Qiu Ze, I'm back."

There were no relatives of Yu Yan in the group. He did not step forward, but silently watched the reunion scene, and was deeply moved by everyone's tearful eyes.

The tribe was overjoyed when the merchants returned.

Feng Guiye stood with Yu Yan, smiling, looking at each face, but he couldn't find the person he longed for.

Even though he had expected this outcome, he still couldn't help but lower his eyelashes and turn his back to hide his sadness.

Yu Yan noticed his movement, turned around, patted his thin shoulder, and looked at him with concern.

Feng Gui quickly forced a smile and said in a low voice, "I'm fine, I'll go back to shoveling salt."

After saying that, he left in a hurry without waiting for Yu Yan to speak.

Yu Yan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not follow.

"Moye, you're finally back! Did it go smoothly this time?" Cangfeng walked over and asked with a smile.

Mo Ye was originally holding Xue Fei, but when he noticed the marks left by his dirty hands on Xue Fei's light-colored clothes, his pupils constricted and he quickly put his hands down.

Xuefei didn't care about this at all, and laughed very happily, constantly snuggling up to him.

One was dark-skinned and stylish, the other fair-skinned and handsome; their body types were vastly different, yet they looked remarkably well-matched standing together.

Moye moved a little further away and answered Cangfeng's question: "It went quite smoothly. We got a lot of things. We'll show them to everyone when we get back to the tribe."

Cangfeng: "Great! Everyone's back, that's the best!"

Xin Yu also came over and asked, "How did you end up here at the salt lake? Did you see us on your way?"

Moye shook his head: "No, we ran into the Mingyuan tribe."

Just as the explanation was finished, Jiang Kuo and his group arrived. Shortly after, several other nearby tribes also sent people over!

This was the first time Yu Yan had ever seen so many beast-shaped creatures.

Big wolf, big bear, big fox, big python, big rabbit, big civet... The scene was stunning, and he was dazzled by it.

The visitors also stared intently at the people of the peninsula tribe.

After working hard these past few days, they are at least wearing clothes made of cloth.

Everyone was saving the fabric for their little ones first.

People like Shuoxing and Qiuze were wearing shorts and vests, the fabric of which was dyed in warm colors like red and yellow, making them look extremely lively and cute.

Yu Yan, having progressed earlier than the others, was wearing trousers, a sleeveless vest, and a thin long-sleeved jacket.

Needless to say, the vest is the same style as the straw vests of the past, designed for easy flight.

The light jacket has buttons down the middle, straight sleeves, and no collar.

To save time, he didn't dye his vest; it was made of white kudzu cloth. His thin jacket, however, was dyed black.

Wearing a black and white outfit paired with dark crimson trousers, and with a cool, classically handsome face, Yu Yan undoubtedly became the focus of attention.

He has already received a lot of praise in the tribe.

Now, everyone stares at his clothes, their eyes filled with envy and longing.

"Who is that sub-beastman? His clothes are so nice, and he's even more handsome."

"I don't know, I've never seen it before."

"The orc in red clothes looks good too, and his clothes even have leaf patterns printed on them."

"I like Xinyu's clothes better! How did you knit the plaid pattern? It's so unique!"

"You don't know this, do you? I heard it's not hand-knitted, it's woven!"

"Weave? How do you weave?"

...

Hearing the envious comments and feeling the burning gazes, the people of the peninsula tribe were extremely proud. They puffed out their chests and couldn't suppress their smiles.

It was worth it for them to come out to collect salt, and they even dressed up in their finest clothes!

What did Yu Yan say again? Right, this is called showing confidence and style! Hahaha.

After transforming into human form, Jiang Kuo scanned the area intently before beckoning, "Clan Chief Cangfeng!!"

Cangfeng gestured to Moye and the others, then walked over with a smile and asked loudly:

Why is everyone here?

Jiang Kuo punched Cang Feng: "Don't play dumb! Your tribe has produced such good fabric, how can we not be curious?"

"Yes! Chief Cangfeng, have you finished your business yet? Can you talk to us about the trade now?"

"Just let us know what supplies you need!"

Surrounded by people, Cang Feng laughed and said, "Don't be in such a hurry. Before we make a deal, we should take a look at our stuff."

He took out a clean piece of white hemp cloth and handed it to Jiang Kuo and the others.

"This is Yu Yan, a sub-beastman from our tribe, who brought us some cloth we wove. Take a good look. Yu Yan, come here!"

Hearing the call, Yu Yan walked over.

Seeing that Yu Yan was the best-dressed and most stylish sub-beastman, everyone had a feeling of "I knew it".

Some people exclaimed in surprise, "I know him! He saved a drowning baby!"

Instantly, everyone's gaze towards him became even more intense.

Yu Yan asked in confusion, "Clan leader, what's wrong?"

Cangfeng replied, "They are from a nearby tribe and want to exchange cloth with us. I've come to ask for your opinion. The cloth you weave and the clothes you make are up to you."

Yu Yan was taken aback, not expecting Cang Feng to let him make the decision.

He looked at Jiang Kuo and the others.

Everyone was stunned by the fabric in their hands. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed that such a fabric could possess the qualities of softness, smoothness, beauty, and durability all at once!

Clothes are definitely better than straw skirts!

Yu Yan, who weaves cloth, is truly amazing.

Worried that Yu Yan might disagree, they immediately said, "Yu Yan, let's switch! We really need the fabric!"

"Or could you teach us how to weave cloth? We can discuss the supplies."

"Please, Yu Yan, we've come all this way."

Seeing the trusting looks in Cang Feng's and the others' eyes, Yu Yan stopped hesitating and said:

"We cannot change the weaving method for you yet. If we really want to change it, we need to sit down and talk it over properly."

Jiang Kuo and the others nodded: "That's right."

Sensing the unspoken meaning in Yu Yan's words, they asked expectantly, "And the woven fabric?"

Yu Yan: "A trade is possible. You can discuss the specific terms with Cangfeng and Xinyu. Let me introduce our fabric to you."

"good!!!"

Thus, what was supposed to be a proper "salt harvesting operation" turned into a "fabric appreciation event".

In the cool breeze by the salt lake, Yu Yan called over Yin Qing, Xin Yu, Xue Fei, and other skillful people to show off their clothes.

Correspondingly, those who were called were very happy, because it represented Yu Yan's recognition of their hard work.

Not only Jiang Kuo and his group, but also Mo Ye and others from their own tribe were stunned by Yu Yan's words, their minds filled with: My God, the fabric is so good!

Such a wonderful thing, and it actually belongs to a peninsula tribe!

The people of the Beast World have a keen sense of smell, so Yu Yan did not hide the fact that the fabric came from the Three-Leaf Vine.

He pointed to Xin Yu's trousers and said, "In addition to the three-leaf vine, we also tried adding some hemp vine to the fabric. The woven fabric is less soft, but more stiff and durable. It is not only suitable for working, but also makes clothes that look neat and good."

"As for the basic dyeing methods, I can teach you. You can buy our dyed fabric or dye it yourself at home."

Dyeing a whole piece of cloth isn't difficult; anyone can do it if they think about it. Yu Yan thought she was just trying to sell it to other tribes.

Everyone was deeply moved by these words and thanked Yu Yan repeatedly.

Jiang Kuo then asked, "Can we use the fabric we exchanged to make the clothes and pants you're wearing?"

Yu Yan: "Of course."

The designs he and the people of his tribe made were the most basic styles from their previous lives; there were still many complex designs they hadn't made yet, but he wasn't afraid of others learning them.

Moreover, he felt that he would be especially happy if the style of his clothes was sought after by a beauty-loving sub-beastman like Yin Qing.

Jiang Kuo and the others were overjoyed to receive permission, exclaiming, "That's great!"

Yu Yan chatted with them for a while longer, then left the rest to Cang Feng and Xin Yu, before running back to Feng Gui's side.

Feng Gui had already pulled himself out of his sorrowful mood and looked at Yu Yan with eyes full of pride.

After this incident, several nearby tribes all knew the name "Yu Yan".

When Mo Ye and the others learned that Yu Yan was "not stupid anymore," they were both shocked and happy for him and Feng Gui.

He whispered to Xuefei, "This time when we went out to do business, we passed by the great river where Ruihua disappeared."

Xuefei immediately asked, "Have you looked around the area?"

Moye nodded: "We've searched all the tribes, big and small, but we still can't find Ruihua. So many years have passed, he's probably..."

Xuefei lowered her eyes sadly, "Moye, when you weren't here, I almost lost our baby too."

Mo Ye's pupils constricted sharply: "What?!"

After listening to Xuefei recount what had happened, Moye broke out in a cold sweat.

He scooped up Qiu Ze, who was snuggling against Xue Fei's legs, with a sigh of relief, and looked at the busy Yu Yan again, his golden eyes filled with gratitude.

...

Having collected enough salt, the people of the peninsula tribe packed up their tools and prepared to return to their tribe.

Jiang Kuo and the others reached a preliminary agreement with Cang Feng on the terms of the transaction and prepared to return.

Many people called out Yu Yan's name to say goodbye.

Yu Yan returned a friendly smile: "Goodbye! We look forward to your visit to our tribe!"

Yes, it will!

"You should come visit our tribe sometime!"

Yu Yan waved to everyone, put her black thin coat back into her spatial storage, and then turned her arms into white wings.

Feng Gui and the others had already set off, and Yu Yan flapped her wings and chased after them.

Looking ahead, Mo Ye had transformed into a golden eagle, and Xue Fei was sitting on his back, with Qiu Ze in her arms.

Xuefei waved happily, "Let's go first!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Ye flew even more energetically, and with a single flap of his wingspan of about twenty meters, he left them far behind.

Qiu Ze excitedly encouraged him, "Father, fly higher and faster!"

Moye climbed upwards, and soon its enormous body disappeared into the white clouds.

Yin Qing flapped her wings and laughed with feigned disgust, "Look, Mo Ye is back. They're so smug. They've forgotten the days when we flew in the sky and he chased us on the ground."

Several orcs were amused by him.

"If you're envious, then find a bird-beastman partner too."

Yin Qing bristled: "It's not like I can't fly!"

Yu Yan laughed along with everyone. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a large white tiger running on the ground.

Even from hundreds of meters away, you can still feel the trembling of the strong muscles beneath its fur as it gallops, a wild and beautiful sight.

Judging from his expression, he was clearly not using his full strength, but his speed was by no means slow. He traversed mountains and forded rivers.

Finally, the tribe arrived around the same time as their bird-like orcs.

Yu Yan landed, turned her wings back into arms, and fanned her face with her palms because she was so hot.

Lan Xiu transformed into human form without even breaking a sweat.

Cangfeng and the others had arrived. They clapped their hands and loudly proposed, "Our tribe now has cloth, has negotiated trade with neighboring tribes, and the merchants have returned safely. These are all great things! Everyone has worked hard these past few days. Let's have a feast at the altar square today to celebrate!"

This proposal immediately garnered widespread support.

"Okay!! I'll go home and get the food right away!"

"I brought my earthenware pot from home!"

"I'll lead the men to chop wood!"

Infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere, Yu Yan grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth.

He was just curious to see what Mo Ye and the others had brought back!

The entire tribe was enveloped in a joyous atmosphere.

Seeing someone impatiently turning to run away, Cangfeng repeatedly stopped them, saying, "Don't rush, I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"Is there anything else?"

"Let's see what they've gained first, and then distribute what's rightfully theirs!"

The orc slapped his forehead and chuckled sheepishly, "Look at me, how could I forget the most important thing! I still have some animal hides to trade with Tomerye and the others!"

Xin Yu said, "There's also some pottery that our tribe fired together; I don't know if it's been sold yet."

Mo Ye and Xue Fei stood together, holding Qiu Ze in their strong arms, and nodded, saying, "They've all been traded. Everyone, come and see."

The orcs traveling in the caravan dumped their goods all over the open space in the square, and instantly a crowd gathered around them.

Yu Yan reacted quickly and snagged a good seat in the front row.

When Mo Ye and his companions traveled long distances, they would try to exchange their cargo for items that were small in size, easy to carry, had a long shelf life, and were valuable.

The animal hides, stone tools, pottery, tubers, dried meat, and other items that were taken from the tribe last year are completely gone.

Instead, hard currencies such as pearls, gemstones, and honey were used.

Yu Yan also saw uniquely styled and novelly colored pottery and stone tools, as well as animal hides that were completely absent here. There were several small jars containing what appeared to be oil; judging from the smell, it was probably pressed from some plant fruit.

The items weren't bad, but Yu Yan couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed after looking around.

He wanted crop seeds, metals, new tools, or even rare medicinal herbs, but none of them were available.

Pearls and gemstones could be used to make the exchange. The problem is, where can we do that?

The other members of the peninsula tribe were quite satisfied with the harvest and had already begun discussing it with great interest.

"These green gemstones are so beautiful, they would be perfect for making a necklace!"

"These are freshwater pearls, right? They don't seem as shiny as saltwater pearls, but each one is so round!"

“I think those pottery pieces with flat bellies are very special, and they even have handles on the side. We can also fire some similar pottery.”

"The problem is that our tribe doesn't have this color of glaze."

"These animal hides are so brightly colored! Moye, I'll get some supplies later and we can trade a couple for some."

...

Yu Yan withdrew her gaze listlessly, preparing to leave and give her seat to someone else.

Xuefei, who had been staring at him for a while, immediately walked over and asked:

"Yu Yan, don't you have anyone you like?"

Yu Yan shook her head and replied, "I can't say I don't like them. These things are all very good, but none of them are what I want."

Xuefei was a little anxious: "What do you want? Everyone still has some things they don't plan to exchange that they haven't brought out yet."

Yu Yan felt his words were somewhat contradictory, but she still replied, "Is there any metal?"

"Metal?" Mo Ye chimed in from nearby, "We have indeed seen metal tools, but the supplies they demanded were so numerous that even after emptying our pockets, we still couldn't get a single metal knife in return."

Yu Yan's eyes lit up: "Which tribe did you see the metal tools in? Was it far away?"

Moye and his companion confirmed: "There are five tribes with metal tools, right? Two of them are willing to trade. One of them is actually not far away, called the Highland Tribe. If you fly northwest from our tribe and don't stop for a day and a night, you can get there."

My companion said, "Yes, it was five tribes that revealed they had metal tools. The highland tribe had a small knife, only about the length of a hand. Such a short knife is inconvenient even for cutting meat, yet they wanted two hundred pearls from us!"

"Even if we had two hundred pearls, let alone less than thirty, we still wouldn't have traded them."

Cang Feng frowned and replied, "Indeed, there are too many."

Yu Yan asked with great interest, "What color metal knife? Have you tried it? Is it sharp?"

Moye: "It's definitely sharper than a bone knife or a shell knife, and I remember the color was grayish-white."

Yu Yan was thinking about what kind of alloy was grayish-white when Mo Ye looked in one direction and asked, "Senbo, did you exchange two pieces of gray stone with the people from the mountain tribe?"

"Is gray stone a metal? Has someone traded for it? Can I take a look?" Yu Yan's eyes shone even brighter.

Senbo is also a handsome man with a good-looking appearance and a tall stature; his beast form is a huge black eagle.

Having witnessed the changes in the tribe upon his return, he was very friendly towards Yu Yan, saying, "Of course."

He took out the "gray stone" from his spatial storage and handed it to Yu Yan.

Upon touching it, the cool and unique feel instantly confirmed to Yu Yan that this was a metal ore!

As its name suggests, the stone is gray with a faint metallic sheen.

Yu Yan held it to her nose and sniffed it; there was no strange smell. She squeezed it with her hand; it was very hard.

He didn't know much about metals, only that silver and aluminum had low hardness, and that the piece in his hand was probably some other metal.

No matter what it is, Yu Yan really wants it!

He knew all too well how useful metal tools were! At the very least, they were far more sturdy and durable than wood, pottery, and stone tools!

He grabbed the ore and asked Senber, "You only exchanged two pieces?"

Senbo scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

Another orc asked, "Two pieces aren't enough? He spent two whole animal hides on them! We told him not to exchange them, but he wouldn't listen!"

"He carried these two gray stones with him all the way. He couldn't squeeze them with his hands; he couldn't grind them with stones; he couldn't soften them by burning them! They couldn't be made into tools, so they were no different from useless stones!"

Senbo sighed and said thankfully, "Yeah, it's a good thing we didn't exchange too many, or we would have lost a lot of money."

Given the limited metallurgical conditions in the Beast World, Yu Yan understood their thoughts.

However, these two pieces of gray stone really appealed to him, and he wanted to try smelting them.

If successful, he could either incite the entire tribe to search for metal ores in their territory, or he could personally travel to the highland tribes to discuss trading for these ores!

In short, the return of the merchants was not a complete loss for him!

Yu Yan asked with bright eyes, "Senbo, can you trade me these two gray stones? I'll give you three animal hides. Or I have some soap, meat, wild vegetables, and honey; do you want any of those?"

When Senbo was at the salt lake, he heard from his family that Yu Yan had taught them how to spin, weave and make clothes, so why would he want his things?

"No need, no need, I'll give it to you if you want it."

Yu Yan shook her head firmly: "No, even if it's something light, you carried it back and forth for so long, so we definitely have to give you supplies."

Feng Gui agreed, "Yes, you should discuss it properly later."

Senpai: "Really, no need... More than anything, I'd like to know what soap is?"

As soon as she finished speaking, many people rushed to answer: "It's also a great product made by Yu Yan; its stain-removing ability is amazing!"

"Yes, yes! Whether it's oil or straw pulp, just add a little water and rub with soap and it comes off. My family can't live without soap now!"

"Especially now that we have fabric, it's heartbreaking to see it get dirty. Soap is especially useful for washing clothes!"

"Yu Yan, is the new batch of soap ready yet? I need to get two more bars, so don't forget."

Yu Yan replied, "Don't worry, I remember it, I won't forget it."

Moye, Senbai, and the others were shocked once again.

How come Yu Yan has produced so many amazing things!

They were very curious about the soap, and after borrowing it from someone nearby, they all stared wide-eyed.

Mo Ye held the soap, turning it over and over, his tone full of regret: "If only we had soap when we set off. It's so useful and easy to carry, it would have been very popular."

Senbo nodded repeatedly: "Yes! You can get a lot of things just by trading soap, which is much better than carrying animal skins."

Moye: "If that's the case, it would be even better to bring cloth. I guarantee that any tribe we see will go crazy."

Xue Fei smiled and said, "It's alright, there's still a long way to go."

Senbo looked at Yu Yan and said apologetically, "If you really want to give me supplies, just give me some soap, two bars, no, one bar will do!"

Yu Yan smiled and agreed, deciding to fill half a basket for him when the time came.

With the mention of metal, Yu Yan's mood brightened, and she asked, "Did you exchange the seeds?"

Moye: "Seeds?"

Not to mention them, the other people in the peninsula tribe couldn't understand why Yu Yan wanted seeds.

In this era, people didn't yet have the concept of farming.

“We didn’t exchange the seeds,” Moye said, “but we did get some food in return. Let me show you.”

Since Yu Yan wanted it, everyone brought out all their most treasured items.

Yu Yan looked at them one by one and saw that there was processed salted meat, as well as some dried vegetables, dried fruit, and dried mushrooms, none of which could be planted.

He lifted the lid of another straw basket and saw the tubers inside. He exclaimed in surprise, "Sweet potatoes?!"

He picked up a round, thick stem that was almost as long as his forearm and examined it closely.

It is definitely a sweet potato! And it's even bigger than modern genetically modified sweet potatoes!

Thinking of the taste of sweet potatoes, Yu Yan almost burst into tears.

God knows how much he's been suffering lately from those dry, tough, tasteless, and unappetizing stems.

Sweet potatoes are delicious even when simply steamed!

Moye said, "This was obtained from a tribe in the north. The people in their tribe call it red bark root."

Seeing Yu Yan's excitement, Xin Yu quickly asked, "Is it delicious?"

Moye nodded: "It's delicious. When it's cooked, it's sweet and delicate, and it even oozes honey. There are also far fewer tough tendrils inside than the stems we usually eat."

Senber added, "That tribe is famous for its red root, and we really liked it after trying it, so we traded a lot with them. We've already eaten more than half of it."

Xin Yu exclaimed in surprise, "It even produces honey? That's really something! Can I trade some of my supplies with you?"

Others also expressed their desire to switch.

This time, Yu Yan finally stood up and loudly emphasized, "You must give me half a basket! I need it very much!"

The merchants laughed and said, "Don't worry, Yu Yan, we won't lose you even if anyone else is gone."

Xin Yu and the others also said, "Let's get Yu Yan changed first, we're not in a hurry."

Xue Fei nodded repeatedly. Even if no one said anything, he would still prioritize Yu Yan.

Seeing Yu Yan's disappointed expression just now made him feel very guilty, and he really wanted to do something for Yu Yan.

Senbai said, "There's plenty of red bark root; everyone should be able to get some. Moye, let's just take some out and have dinner together tonight?"

Moye: "Sure, I'm fine with it."

Yu Yan seemed to already see the bountiful harvest of the vast sweet potatoes she had planted, and her eyes sparkled with joy.

Even if there's nothing else that interests him, he'll be content.

When they got to the last basket, Yu Yan pulled out several stems that were also red-skinned.

Unlike sweet potatoes, this tuber is round, similar to a carrot, but with a much rougher skin.

I picked it up and smelled it; it didn't smell like radish, but rather had a faint earthy smell.

His eyes lit up, and he had a guess in his mind.

"Whose is this?" he asked, holding up the object.

Moye: "I changed it. That tribe calls it sweet root."

Qiu Ze, who was in his arms, had a piece of honey in his mouth and asked excitedly, "Father, is this sweet too? Is it as sweet as a sweet potato?"

Mo Ye smiled and said, "It is sweet, but it's not the same sweetness as sweet potatoes. It has a light sweetness and a crunchy texture when you chew it."

He looked at Xuefei gently: "Your father-in-law will probably enjoy eating this."

After hearing what he said, Yu Yan was even more certain that this thing was indeed beetroot!

In my past life, compared to eggplant, peppers, and green beans, beets had a raw, earthy taste, and people didn't eat them much on their daily tables.

However, beets have many other uses.

For example—sugar production!

Sugar is ubiquitous in modern times, and people are all concerned about reducing or eliminating sugar intake. Yu Yan occasionally buys a bag of bread, which is always labeled "sugar-free".

But in the beast world, it's different. Sugar can only be collected naturally. It tastes good, but the quantity is limited, so its price naturally rises.

Even though Yu Yan traded a lot of soap for honey, she was reluctant to use it freely.

If we could grow sugar beets and make sugar from them, wouldn't we be able to have as much sugar as we want without worrying about the cost?

The beautiful scene made Yu Yan very happy. He asked Mo Ye, "How many beets do you have... oh, beets is another name for this stuff, can you trade them with me?"

Unlike with sweet potatoes, Moye was in a dilemma this time.

He said, "I only managed to get five. The tribe said that beets grow one year and don't grow the next, so the quantity is very small."

Yu Yan had a bad feeling.

Senbo, as if remembering something, replied with a hint of anger, "You don't know, they actually offered a beet in exchange for a piece of animal hide!"

Xue Fei was shocked: "This is way too expensive!"

Senbai: "Yes, this is a tuber! Unlike what I exchanged, which at least is a metal ore."

Xuefei asked Moye anxiously, "The tubers are gone once they're eaten. How are you going to exchange them for animal hides? It's not worth it."

Mo Ye walked over and explained, "I negotiated the price."

Xue Fei raised an eyebrow: "Finally?"

"Well, it was traded for three animal hides."

"Three Zhangs?! You really are..." Xue Fei felt like biting someone. "What can I say about you!"

Mo Ye bent down and said in a soft voice, "Don't be angry, I know what I'm doing. I'm sure you'll like this tuber. Hunting isn't difficult for me. As long as you like it, a few animal hides are nothing."

Xuefei glared at him, both angry and overwhelmingly moved.

He had been away for half a year, and Xuefei missed him terribly, so she couldn't bear to say anything harsh to him. After a moment of silence, she sighed helplessly.

Mo Ye grinned and touched Xue Fei's forehead with his.

The beets in Yu Yan's hands suddenly became heavy.

Unlike metal ores or sweet potatoes, this was something Mo Ye had painstakingly brought back for Xue Fei; it was unique.

The sentiment involved cannot be measured by material things.

He found it extremely difficult to ask them to part with their love.

Sighing inwardly, Yu Yan silently put the beets back in the basket without mentioning that she wanted to exchange them.

Of course, he didn't give up immediately. Instead, while everyone was enthusiastically distributing supplies and exchanging items, he stepped aside and wondered if he could get two or three beets from Xuefei.

He had just seen that Mo Ye was very attentive to these beets; they were in good condition and would probably sprout after soaking for a while.

If you plant using the cutting method, and then expand the quantity by propagation after the leaves have grown, you might get a good harvest.

The problem is, how should he bring it up with Moye Xuefei?

—Give me your love token, and I'll return it to you in the fall. If it doesn't grow, then pretend I didn't say anything.

Haha, he's afraid of getting beaten up.