Chapter 59
From that day on, Hesnemen would blow up the kitchen three times a day, which made the beastmen who were always paying attention to this place very nervous.
After learning that this was the noise made by the person who dared to pretend to be a god while cooking, they were speechless for a moment, but at the same time, their fear of that person was reduced a lot.
The afternoon sun shone directly down from the sky without any obstruction, bringing heat to the earth and making the animals feel as if they were in a steamer.
In the Xionghe Blacksmith Shop, a group of orcs hid in the shade in their spare time, wiping the sweat from their heads and chatting in a buzzing voice.
"Have you heard? Several more small races have been infected by the Divine Hatred. I heard that a member of the Five-Winged Celestial Clan has also been infected!"
"Aren't they the Celestial Clan favored by the gods? How could they be so disliked by the gods?"
"It seems that the infected Celestial Clan member's faith in the gods was not devout enough, and he has now been expelled from the Celestial Clan. I guess we'll see him in the wasteland soon."
When they said this, the faces of several orcs suddenly turned ugly. The wasteland is dangerous enough now. Their hunting team going to Bian Forest suffers a lot of casualties every time they pass through there.
The wasteland was not originally so dangerous, but most of the creatures on the Kana continent who were infected with the God's disgust would come to the wasteland after being expelled from their race.
They would hunt beasts in the wilderness and then use their heads to express their piety to the gods.
While the animals were talking, Jiaojiao, who came out alone with a bottle of milk on her back, came over with her short legs to ask for directions.
Dad said that the smoke and fire during cooking were not suitable for children to be present, so he asked him to come out and play.
In fact, Hesnemen felt that it was too embarrassing to fail frequently and make the kitchen a mess.
It just so happened that the book said that children need to go out for a walk regularly to have a cheerful personality. The face-saving god coaxed Jiaojiao out of the house and prepared to study cooking at home.
Hesnemen, who was a bit competitive in nature, just didn't believe it. How could a dignified god like him be stumped by something as trivial as cooking?!
Jiaojiao didn't know what to play after going out. After thinking for a while, she decided to go find brother Ares and sister Arela.
However, although Jiaojiao knew that brother Ares and sister Arela had gone to dig up Kugen, she didn't know where exactly, so she planned to ask.
The orc was too tall, and completely blocked Jiaojiao, who was walking behind him with her short legs.
Several orcs with grim expressions ignored the unpleasant topic of the wasteland. One of them took a step back and squatted on the ground, just in time to block Jiaojiao who was approaching.
Xiong He was squatting on the ground, drawing the terrain with his fingers. Jiaojiao, who was about to raise her hand to say hello, saw him like this and thought that he had something to do, so she withdrew her hand and waited obediently.
"The black fog has been increasing on the continent lately," Xiong He said, pointing to a few of the graphics to indicate to the beasts. "After some investigation, I discovered that this new black fog is spreading rapidly from the dwarves, tree people, Palming people, humans, celestial beings, and dragon people."
"At first glance, it looks like the black fog is sweeping across the entire continent in a fan-shaped pattern. If that's the case, then our tribe is at the very end, and should be the last to be swept away."
"How is that possible?" one of the orcs, Bao Yu, said self-deprecatingly. "Isn't it said that we the orcs are the race hated by the gods? If this hatred were to truly sweep across the continent, we the orcs would be the first to bear the brunt."
Xiong He was silent for a moment, then reached out and wiped the pattern on the ground: "You're right."
He clapped his hands and stood up while speaking: "These places are protected by gods. Even if the black fog really sweeps over, it is highly likely that nothing will happen, let alone fall..."
"Oh." A small voice that sounded very childish came.
Xiong He looked back in the direction of the sound and saw a strange, white, tender and soft little cub sitting on the ground.
Jiaojiao, who was standing behind Xiong He, was bumped by him when he stood up and fell on her butt. She was rubbing her aching butt while looking up at the tall and strong Xiong He and said, "Uncle bumped into Jiaojiao."
The leopard and other animals also saw the little cub and looked at each other in surprise.
Xiong He was stunned when he was called uncle. Then, unusually at a loss, he said hesitantly in a deep voice, "Sorry, sorry?"
Jiaojiao shook her little head and compared with her hands: "It only hurts a little bit, and it will stop hurting immediately. Jiaojiao doesn't blame me."
After understanding the meaning of the child's words, Xiong He was stunned for no reason, and then looked at him carefully.
The cub in front of him had an exceptionally fair and delicate face. Even though he had a pair of furry ears on his head, Xiong He could tell that he was not an orc, because his eyes were too clear and innocent, and the orcs could not raise such a fair, tender, soft and naive cub.
I thought of the two outsiders who were talked about recently in the city, and also remembered what the clan leader said a few days ago that we must not be hostile or unkind to these two outsiders.
Xiong He squatted down while thinking, and stretched out his rough and scarred hands to help up the cub in front of him.
He stretched out his hand in front of Jiaojiao but didn't know how to move. The cub in front of him was too white, tender and soft. He had the illusion that it would be broken if he was not careful, so he didn't dare to move for a while.
Just when he was frozen, not knowing what to do, Jiaojiao, who was sitting on the ground, tilted his head as he looked at the hand stretched out in front of him. Was his uncle going to pull him up?
After figuring this out, Jiaojiao stretched out her little hand, held his index finger, and looked up at him with a soft smile.
Seeing this smile, Xiong He's breathing became lighter. He exerted a little force with his fingers and pulled the child sitting on the ground up.
Jiaojiao stood up, let go of his hand, patted the dust off his butt, and looked up at him: "Thank you, uncle."
"No thanks, why are you here? Where is your family?" Xiong He said a little unnaturally.
Jiaojiao, who could already roughly understand daily conversations, said, "Jiaojiao plays, and Dad cooks at home."
Xiong He thought of the three loud noises he heard in the side street that day, and the corners of his mouth twitched. That man was indeed unusual, even his cooking style was unique.
"Uncle, do you know where Wakua is?" Jiaojiao asked.
"Dig up the bitter roots? Dig up the bitter roots. Are you going to the place where the bitter roots are dug up?" Xiong He asked.
"Yeah." Jiaojiao nodded: "Let's go play with Brother A Lei and Sister A Lei."
Digging bitter roots is usually done by some old beasts that have lost their fighting ability and young beasts that have not yet reached adulthood in the city. Although bitter roots are bitter, they are very filling and are one of the sources of food in the deserted city.
However, the place where the bitter root was dug was on the edge of an old riverbed that had long dried up in the wasteland. Although it was close to the deserted city, it was still away from the deserted city. Although the danger was small, it still existed.
"It's dangerous there, you can't go there." Xiong He said seriously to the little cub in front of him.
Jiaojiao tilted her head, a hint of worry appearing in her dark, bright eyes: "But Jiaojiao wants to play with brother A Lei and sister."
"I'll take you to the grain field. After they dig up the bitter roots, they will divide them equally there and roast them to eat." Xiong He said after thinking for a while.
Jiaojiao, who only understood the first sentence, nodded, looked up at him with a smile, and said sweetly, "Thank you, uncle. Hello, uncle."
Xiong He stood up, and Bao Yu beside him said, "Xiong He, do you really want to take him to the grain field?"
"Yeah." Xiong He nodded, took a step forward, looked back at the cub behind him, and said in a deep voice: "Let's go."
Jiaojiao stretched out her little hand to him with a sweet smile on her face: "Uncle, hold me. I'm tired and can't walk anymore."
It’s a very long way to walk from home to here. Jiaojiao, who seldom walks, is already a little tired.
Xiong He felt a little stiff when he heard that the cub wanted to be held. He looked down at Jiaojiao's short legs and found that it seemed impossible for the cub to walk over by itself.
It seemed that he really had no choice but to carry the cub over!
After figuring it out, Xiong He hesitated for a moment before walking back and squatting. He raised his hands to hug her but didn't know how to start. Just as his hands were frozen in the air, moving up and down awkwardly, Jiaojiao had already thrown herself into his arms with a curved brow, looking up at him and saying, "Thank you, uncle. Hello, uncle."
The small and soft cub fell into Xiong He's arms. Xiong He froze for a moment. After coming to his senses, he held the cub in his arms a little awkwardly.
Xiong He had never held such a young and weak creature before, so when he stood up with Jiaojiao in his arms, his body looked very uncoordinated and stiff.
Jiaojiao, who was used to being held, automatically adjusted herself to a comfortable position in his arms. After adjusting herself, she tilted her head back and smiled at him with curved eyebrows.
Seeing this smile, Xiong He subconsciously pulled the corners of his mouth, then strode forward.
After about twenty minutes, Xiong He arrived at the destination carrying Jiaojiao. Although it was a granary, it was just a large and open open space.
This place is mainly used to divide the prey. Every time the hunting team comes back from hunting ferocious beasts in the Bian Forest, they will divide the prey here.
When the hunting team has not returned, the team digging bitter roots will gather here every morning. Any orcs who are willing to go can go with them, but the bitter roots they dig belong to the public, and they will divide the bitter roots equally here after they come back.
I found a shady place to put Jiaojiao down, and suddenly felt a little reluctant to let go of Xiong He who was feeling empty in my arms.
You know what, holding such a little cub in such a hot day, not only do I not feel hot, I even feel a little cool.
Jiaojiao, who was placed on the ground, lowered her head and took out a fruit as big as his fist from her pocket in front of her belly and handed it to him: "Uncle, here it is. Thank you, uncle. Hold Jiaojiao here."
Xiong He waved his hand, refused in a muffled voice, then turned and walked away.
How could he, an adult orc, ask for food from a cub?
After chasing the beast for two steps with the fruit in hand, Jiaojiao blinked and called out in a baby voice, "Uncle?"
After calling out several times without getting any response, Jiaojiao lowered her head and put the fruit in her hand back into her pocket. Then she walked back to the shady place, squatted down, and waited obediently for her brother A Lei and sister to come back.
The sun gradually climbed to the zenith, and the team that had left the city to dig out Ku Gen began to return.
When Jiaojiao, who was squatting in the shade, saw the figure, she stood up and ran to the front.
Arela, who was following the group, immediately spotted Jiaojiao standing at the edge of the field with a small bottle of milk on her back. She was surprised and quickly ran over: "Jiaojiao, why are you here?"
Seeing her, Jiaojiao curved her eyebrows and said happily, "Come and play with Sister A Lei."
Arela wiped the sweat from his forehead from working hard in the sun and said slowly, "You came out to play, where's your dad?"
"Daddy is cooking and the smoke is bad, let Jiaojiao come out to play." Seeing that she was hot, Jiaojiao stood on tiptoe and stretched out her little hands to fan her.
Arela felt relieved after hearing him say that. She even smiled after seeing Jiaojiao's actions. She showed him the bitter roots in her rag bag and said happily, "We dug a lot of bitter roots today, enough to eat for two or three days."
Although bitter root is bitter and unpalatable, it is really filling and is one of the main foods of the beastmen.
Jiaojiao stretched her head to look at the black stuff in the bag, then looked up at Arela and asked with a confused look in her eyes, "Is it food?"
"Yeah, food." Arela nodded.
Jiaojiao, who had never eaten before, blinked and looked up at Arela with her dark eyes full of curiosity: "Jiaojiao, eat it."
As he spoke, he took out some fruit from his pocket in front of his belly: "Change."
Facing Jiaojiao's curious and expectant eyes, Arela hesitated to speak. She wanted to refuse, but couldn't bear to see him look disappointed.
Soon, thick smoke rose from the granary. Firewood was a scarce commodity in the deserted city, so every time they came back from digging bitter roots, everyone would gather in the granary. Each beast only needed to contribute a small amount of firewood to build a pile, which could be used to roast all the bitter roots of the day and take them back.
About fifteen minutes later, Jiaojiao, who was sitting next to Arela, got a bitter root that looked even darker after being roasted.
While he was looking at the bitter root in his hand with curiosity, the other orcs sitting in the grain field started to devour it voraciously the moment the bitter root was handed to them.
Jiaojiao, holding the bitter root, stared at their actions, then imitated them by opening her mouth wide and biting the bitter root in her hand.
The next second, his fair and tender face wrinkled in pain. Arela, who had been paying attention to him, immediately put her hand to his mouth and said, "Spit it out quickly."
Jiaojiao, tears welling up in her eyes from the bitterness, obediently spat out the bitter root in her mouth and looked up at Arela pitifully: "You can't eat it, Lie Lie."
Arela laughed, "I'm not kidding you, it's edible, but it's bitter."
"Bitter?" Jiaojiao tilted her head in confusion.
“Well, this is suffering.”
"It's bitter, I can't eat it." Jiaojiao said again, and nodded with certainty.
Arela smiled but said nothing. Looking at his cute little appearance, she wanted to raise her hand to touch his head, but she felt that her hands were too dirty. In the end, she opened her hand and shook it twice but still didn't touch it.
"If you don't want to eat it, give it to me." The little orc who heard their conversation suddenly spoke.
"It's bitter, I don't want to eat it." Jiaojiao, who understood, waved her little hands and tried to look serious on her soft little face.
"It's bitter, but it fills my stomach." The eight-year-old orc fixed his greedy eyes on the bitter root in Jiaojiao's hand. He swallowed and said, "If you really can't eat it, give it to me."
"Are you hungry?" Jiaojiao asked doubtfully.
"Hungry! There is no orc in the deserted city who is not hungry." The little orc glanced at his fair and tender face and said.
Due to the long-term shortage of food, all orcs dared only eat until they were half full even if they had surplus food.
Hearing that he was hungry, Jiaojiao climbed up from the ground with her hands and handed the bitter root in her hand to Arela.
The little orc standing by looked away in disappointment, for he knew that once the bitter root fell into Arela's hands, he would not be given it to him.
Only this fair and innocent little cub would give him food. It would be absolutely impossible for Arela to do so. She was stingy and fierce about food, and would guard it to death, and would never give it to him.
After handing the bitter root in her hand to Arela, Jiaojiao squatted down again, stuck out her butt and put her little hands on the ground.
Arela, who was puzzled by Jiaojiao's actions, just opened his mouth to ask, when he saw a green sprout emerging from the ground under Jiaojiao's little hand and scratching the palm of Jiaojiao's hand.
Jiaojiao, who was squatting on the ground, tilted her head. Although she didn't understand, she still supported herself on the ground and climbed up, then walked to the side with her short legs.
Just as Jiaojiao stepped aside, the green bud suddenly erupted with all its stored strength. It grew at an extraordinary rate, and in the blink of an eye, it became a towering tree with lush branches and leaves.
Then, in a blink of an eye, it blooms, withers, bears fruit, and matures!
The fruity fragrance spread in all directions with the blowing wind, and the entire valley fell into silence, leaving only the strange rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.
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