Chapter 15 I Became a Beast God in the Beast World (5)
"Really?" An orc couldn't help but swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"Tender! Fragrant! And there's this indescribable flavor!" Benyue's face flushed with excitement, and he could barely speak properly. "It's a hundred times better than raw meat! No, a thousand times better!"
These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
"I want to try some too!"
"Give me a piece!"
The beastmen instantly stirred, their eyes fixed on the kebabs in Zhou Jue's hand, their gazes burning with a intensity even greater than when they saw the fattest prey.
Zhou Jue grilled a few more skewers and distributed them to several of the orcs around him.
"Hmm!"
"It's so delicious!"
"I never knew meat could be eaten like this! What kind of rubbish have I been eating before?!"
Watching them wolf down their food with such satisfaction, Zhou Jue felt a sense of fulfillment. But he still felt that the taste was somewhat lacking.
She handed the task over to Benyue and another rabbit-beastman named Dali, teaching them how to flip the meat and how to tell if it was cooked. She then took a piece of plump, tender Gugu bird leg meat and pulled out a few bright red spicy fruits from the Starry Sky Secret Realm.
"Lord Witch, you can't eat that!" a rabbit-beastman shrieked, nearly dropping the meat skewer in his hand.
All eyes immediately focused on the red fruit in Zhou Jue's hand.
A thin, rabbit-like beastman turned pale and stammered, "Witch... Witch Master, I ate that, and my stomach ached all day. I almost died."
"Yes, those are poisonous fruits!" Gray Ears exclaimed anxiously, stepping forward. "You can't take that risk!"
The orcs' hearts, which had just been at ease, were filled with anxiety again, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"Don't be afraid, this isn't poison, it's just a taste called 'spicy'." Zhou Jue looked at the pale-faced rabbit-beastman and asked gently, "What's your name?"
"Stone...stone."
"Stone, when you ate it, you only had a stomachache, but it wasn't life-threatening, right?"
Shi Tou paused for a moment, then nodded honestly: "Yes... it hurt so much that I was rolling on the ground."
"Lord Wu!" Benyue suddenly thumped his chest loudly, "Since there's no danger to your life, let me taste it for you first! I'm tough, a day of pain is nothing!"
Looking at this group of tense yet simple-minded orcs, Zhou Jue felt both helpless and moved.
She ignored Benyue and instead grilled a small piece of meat with a little bit of spicy fruit on it, then handed it to Shitou.
"Here, Stone, try this one. This time, it won't give you a stomachache, do you believe me?"
Stone stared at the glistening, sizzling meat with its strange aroma, his body trembling with fear of pain.
Looking into Zhou Jue's gentle and encouraging eyes, he believed in the shaman and knew that the shaman would never harm him. He gritted his teeth, took the shaman, closed his eyes, and put it in his mouth.
One second, two seconds...
Stone suddenly opened his eyes.
"Ah!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening. "So...so fragrant! My mouth feels numb and warm, such a strange sensation! But...it doesn't hurt!"
"Really?" Grey Ears leaned closer and sniffed hard.
"Really!" Stone exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms and legs. "It's even better than the barbecue we had before! This warmth goes from my mouth all the way down to my stomach, it's so comforting!"
Now, the orcs' gaze towards the red fruit completely changed.
"I want to try the spicy one too!" Xiaobai was the first to raise her hand.
“Me too!” Luo Ying retorted defiantly.
Before long, the area around the campfire was clearly divided into several small circles.
One faction, led by Benyue, advocates for the original flavor of meat, insisting that the original taste of the meat is the best.
One faction, led by Grey Ear, is the Salt Party, who believe that saltiness is the most delicious taste in the world, and of course, the salt is sponsored by Zhou Jue.
Meanwhile, the spicy food party, led by Stone and Little White, became completely addicted to that exhilarating and stimulating feeling.
There were even a few old orcs who preferred their meat to be undercooked and still bloody, believing that this was the best texture.
The area around the bonfire was bustling with activity and filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Zhou Jue took a roasted Gugu beast leg and sat down next to the old clan chief.
"Chief, tell me about the gathering in detail."
The old chieftain put down the meat in his hand, his expression turning serious: "The gathering... that's the most important thing in our forest." He lowered his voice: "The day after every full moon, tribes large and small send people to the 'Moonlight Market' in the center of the forest to trade."
Which tribes are involved?
“We will definitely go to those four major tribes.” A hint of apprehension flashed in the old chief’s eyes. “There are also more than a dozen other small and medium-sized tribes. Our Rabbit Beastman tribe is one of the smallest tribes.”
The old chieftain sighed: "It's safe at the gathering; no one will make a move. Only a small tribe like ours dares to go."
"What did they all change?"
“We’ll trade anything. Animal hides, animal meat, weapons, fruits… The Iron Claw Wolf tribe has weapons that can easily tear through the fur of wild beasts, the Iron Wall Ape tribe has salt, and the Red Monkey tribe has fruit wine that can increase strength.”
"And what about us?"
The old clan chief gave a bitter smile, his wrinkles deepening: "We... all we can offer are some ordinary animal hides and fruits, which we can't exchange for much each time."
"Our main job is to exchange salt. In the hot season, we can survive by eating prey instead of salt. But in the cold season, we don't have salt and we can't hunt, so we lose our strength. The old orcs, females, and cubs in the tribe have the hardest time during the cold season." The old chieftain looked even more distressed.
Zhou Jueming understood that animal blood contains a small amount of salt: "Is it far from here?"
"It takes most of the day to walk there," the old clan chief said. "The road is not safe."
"How so?"
"Besides the ferocious beasts, we also need to be wary of other tribes." The old chieftain's voice turned serious. "Especially the Iron Claw Wolf tribe. They are the most domineering. If they want your things, they will openly steal them. Lord Wu, your status is too high. It's too dangerous for you to go."
“Yes, Lord Witch,” Gray Ear chimed in, “Our tribe has finally found you; we can’t afford any mishaps.”
Zhou Jue took a bite of the bird leg, his gaze calmly fixed on the flickering flames.
No, I have to go.
"Why?" the old patriarch and Gray Ear asked in unison.
“Because we lack salt, weapons, and everything that can make our tribe strong.” Zhou Jue’s voice was not loud, but every word clearly reached their ears: “A shaman who only hides in a cave cannot make his people live a good life. I want to see with my own eyes what makes those powerful tribes so strong.”
Her words silenced both the old clan chief and Gray Ear.
After a long silence, the old chieftain sighed heavily: "Alright. But you must take Benyue and the others with you. The tribe's most capable warriors must come with you!"
“Of course.” Zhou Jue nodded.
The firelight reflected on her face, and in her dark eyes, a light brighter than the flames danced.
Three days later at the Moonlight Market, Iron Claw Wolf, Iron Wall Ape... she was looking forward to this meeting.
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