Chapter 51 Sand Tribe

The orc paused, then a look of surprise appeared on his face as he called out to his companion.

Hey! Look!

There's a little female there!

"Are you seeing things? Where would a female come from in this sandy area?"

The other two didn't believe it at all.

He thought he was seeing things, and when he looked again, there was no one there.

Yuanyuan shrank back, leaned against the sand pile, and held her breath.

That orc looks so fierce and scary.

I was trying to slip away quietly, but as soon as I moved, I felt the sand beneath me loosen...

I was thinking of saying that if you encounter a collapse in the desert, you should run away immediately, or you will be buried alive.

In a panic, they rolled to the side, and in their haste, the man and the two beasts tumbled off the sand dune.

Yuanyuan didn't know how long she had been rolling around; all she felt was a burning and itchy sensation.

The sand got all inside my clothes and stuck with my sweat, which was very uncomfortable.

I wanted to take off my clothes and shake off the sand, but as soon as I sat up, I found myself surrounded by those three tall guys from before.

"Who...who are you?"

Three tall men surrounded Yuanyuan, their eyes filled with curiosity and excitement.

The wolf cub emerged from behind her, its fur bristling as it growled at them, while the snake raised its head and stared at the leading orc.

"Little females are not afraid, we are not bad beasts."

The orc leader quickly crouched down, trying to make his voice sound gentler, but his voice was too rough, and lowering it sounded very strange.

"We are orcs from the nearby Zasha tribe, and we are here on patrol."

Why are you here all alone? Where are your parents?

Yuanyuan blinked, and seeing that they meant no harm, she relaxed. "I came here to find herbs, but I accidentally... got lost."

"Looking for herbs?" The leading orc frowned. These beast parents were far too irresponsible.

How could you send a little female to such a dangerous place to look for herbs?

Another orc spoke up, "Are you a witch doctor?"

Although it was incredible, he couldn't think of any other explanation.

And only witch doctors know about herbs.

Yuanyuan nodded. The desert is so vast, it's impossible for her to search alone.

"It's too dangerous for a little female like you to search for herbs in the desert. Come back to the tribe with us!"

Our tribe's shaman might know the herbs you're looking for!

A nearby orc chimed in, "Yes, little female. Our tribe hasn't seen such a small female in a long time. Everyone will love you. Come back with us and we'll give you some good food."

Yuanyuan touched her stomach; she was indeed hungry, and more importantly, she was almost sunburnt. She hesitated for only a second before nodding.

"OK."

"Let's go, I'll carry you."

The sand was scalding hot, but Yuanyuan didn't refuse when someone held her.

Seeing him nod, the leading orc picked Yuanyuan up and said, "Little female, my name is Ali, what's your name?"

"My name is Yuanyuan."

She wrapped her arms around Ali's neck, the little snake coiled around her wrist, and the little wolf approached Ali's feet, sniffed his scent, and only after confirming there was no danger did it follow them.

Don't let its small size fool you, it's surprisingly fast.

After walking for about an hour, a cluster of low, sandy houses appeared in the distance, surrounded by a simple wooden fence.

That is our tribe.

As soon as Ali carried Yuanyuan into the tribe, he immediately attracted the attention of all the orcs.

"Ali's back? Did you notice anything unusual?"

An old orc in his forties or fifties walked over, and his eyes lit up when he saw Yuanyuan.

"There is no danger, everything is normal."

"That's good," the old orc nodded, then noticed the little figure in his arm. "Hmm? What's this?"

"Chief, this is a little female we found in the sand."

Ali put Yuanyuan down, his voice full of excitement.

The tribespeople immediately gathered around, all staring at Yuanyuan with eyes full of wonder. One of the round-faced females gently stroked Yuanyuan's hair, exclaiming, "Oh my, she's a female!"

Yuanyuan stared at her head curiously. This aunt didn't have animal ears?

"Let me take a good look. How long has it been since our tribe has seen a female cub?"

The chieftain sighed; their tribe hadn't had a female cub born for almost twenty years.

Over the years, there have only been a handful of male offspring, and the tribe is almost lifeless.

"Ali, quickly take the little female back to the house, don't let her get sunburned."

Yuanyuan followed them into a simple mud house. Although the house was simple, it was sturdy and had good insulation.

It's like two completely different seasons inside compared to outside.

A short while later, the round-faced female from before came over with a bowl of something and handed it to her.

“Little female, come here, have some camel milk and some jerky. You must be starving after walking such a long way.”

Yuanyuan took the bowl, whispered "thank you," and took a sip of the warm camel milk. She wondered how they processed it so that it didn't have a fishy smell; it tasted quite good.

I took another big sip, and the warm camel milk slid down my throat, carrying a faint milky aroma, which dispelled a lot of fatigue.

She sipped her drink slowly, then took a bite of a piece of dried meat. The meat was firm but not dry, with a natural salty aroma; she didn't know what kind of meat it was.

He took one and gave it to the little wolf next to him.

The little wolf turned his head away in disgust and refused to eat. Yuanyuan didn't force him, thinking that she would wait until no one was around to take fresh pieces of meat from her space for him and the little snake.

The chieftain learned the whole story from Ali and discovered that she might be a witch doctor, so he quickly went to find a witch doctor.

"Yuanyuan, don't be afraid. No one in our tribe will hurt you."

Ali told me you were looking for herbs. What kind of herbs?

"Tell me what it looks like. Our tribe lives in the desert all year round, so we might have seen it before."

Yuanyuan put down her bowl and carefully recalled the description given by the system.

"It has flat leaves, small white flowers with yellow centers, red roots, and can secrete sweet nectar."

The clan chief frowned and pondered for a moment, but still couldn't figure it out.

The witch doctor's eyes lit up. "I've seen this herb you mentioned before. It grows in the shady places on the edge of the oasis. Is it actually a medicinal herb?"

Yuanyuan nodded, "These herbs can relieve pain. If the pain from an injury is unbearable, taking one will alleviate the pain."

"That's amazing?"

"Hmm." The system said it was a natural painkiller. Its effectiveness must be good.

Ali, who was standing nearby, spoke up, "Witch doctor, chieftain, I'll take some people to look for them first thing tomorrow morning!"

The little female dared to come all this way alone; this herb must be very important to her.

The other two orcs chimed in, "Let's go too! More people will make the search much faster!"

Yuanyuan felt a warmth in her heart, "I'll go with you tomorrow."

"That won't do!" The round-faced female grabbed her hand. "It's dangerous in the sand; it's too dangerous for a little cub like you."

"Let Ali and the others go. You just wait in the tribe. We'll make you new clothes and take you to see the little oasis next to the tribe."

As they were talking, several other females from the tribe came over.

Surrounded by their enthusiasm, Yuanyuan's initially nervous mood completely relaxed.

The round-faced female got right to work, quickly bringing out a pile of animal hides. "These are from the last trade fair, they're really pretty, I'll make you a little dress!"