Leading the elves away from the mixed-race clans in the forest...
Jiang Yunlan distributed the food to each of the orcs and handed them their food.
The different orcs received different types and quantities of food, but none of them were dissatisfied. They received mostly their favorite foods, and enough to fill their stomachs.
The beastmen didn't know how Lan knew what kind of food they liked, and they weren't surprised or curious.
Because that's Lan. It's only natural that Lan knows everything. Just like the sun rises and trees grow.
In fact, Jiang Yunlan had spent a lot of time with them and adjusted the food distribution many times before gradually observing their appetites and preferences.
Two leopard orcs preferred meat, two lemming orcs liked both meat and vegetables, and the rest preferred vegetables.
She guessed that this might be related to their beast-like forms. Different beastmen require different nutrients; carnivorous beastmen should eat meat, and herbivorous beastmen should eat vegetables.
As for the two cubs and herself, they are probably omnivorous beastmen who are somewhere between carnivorous and herbivorous, and like humans, they have a balanced diet of animal and meat.
But Maple Red seems to be an exception. She's also a vegetarian beastman, yet she's not picky about anything; she'll eat anything given to her. Jiang Yunlan still can't gauge her appetite. She's already given her enough food for two maple syrups to fill her up.
Seeing that Feng Hong didn't seem to feel full, Jiang Yunlan hesitated for a moment and then reduced the amount of food she gave her each time. She wasn't worried about Feng Hong eating too much; she was just afraid that Feng Hong would overeat without realizing it and ruin her stomach.
There was no way around it, because Feng Hong would happily eat anything, as long as it was food. She couldn't tell whether Feng Hong was forcing herself or not.
"Feng Hong, here's your food." Jiang Yunlan scooped the cooked stone tree beast meat into a spoon for Feng Hong, and then ladled a bowl of chrysanthemum leaves left by the deer beastman clan from another earthenware pot.
The leaves of the chrysanthemum curl are clusters of green plants with yellow tips on their stems and leaves, resembling half-open chrysanthemums at first glance. Jiang Yunlan, seeing this, named them chrysanthemum curls.
Feng Hong took the stone tree beast meat, but paused when she saw the chrysanthemum leaf in Lan's hand, and did not take it immediately.
This was the first time Jiang Yunlan had seen Feng Hong suppress her smile when faced with food. The taste of chrysanthemum leaves was bittersweet; Heitu, who disliked bitterness, probably wouldn't like it, but she hadn't expected Feng Hong to dislike it. She had a gut feeling that Feng Hong didn't dislike chrysanthemum leaves. Even foods more bitter than chrysanthemum leaves, Feng Hong could eat with relish.
So, is it because of the deer-beastman clan that left behind the chrysanthemum leaves?
Jiang Yunlan naturally moved the chrysanthemum leaves aside, preparing to give Feng Hong another type of food.
She wouldn't accuse any orc of being "picky eaters"; she would simply replace the food they didn't like with the food they did like.
She was once criticized for being a "picky eater," but so what if she was? Everyone has foods they like and dislike, and there's no need to suppress your preferences just because someone says you're a "picky eater." It's just not eating a certain food; it doesn't mean your body will become unhealthy if you eat less of a certain food.
Jiang Yunlan's intention to change the food was quite obvious. Even someone as oblivious as Feng Hong could realize that Lan had noticed she didn't want to eat the chrysanthemum leaves, so she was giving her something else.
She immediately smiled, took the bowl of food that Lan had put down that was meant for her, and said, "Lan, I like it!"
She said she likes to eat chamomile leaves.
Seeing her smile, Jiang Yunlan smiled too, raised her hand to let her step back after taking the food, and then handed food to Ah Bai behind her.
It was only after discovering the presence of chrysanthemum leaves in the cave that Jiang Yunlan learned from Maple Syrup and Maple Red that their original tribesmen had not died, but had left the forest.
At this moment, Jiang Yunlan's guess was confirmed. There was indeed something more dangerous than wild beasts in the forest.
It was it that injured the two leopard beastmen, and it was it that caused the deer beastman clan and other clans in the forest to migrate to distant places.
What kind of creature is it? Jiang Yunlan couldn't understand the beastmen's use of the word "giant beast," nor could she understand what their gestures meant.
The beastmen were troubled; how could they make Lan understand that the dangerous creature was a "giant beast"?
In a flash, as if struck by a sudden realization, Mo Rong blurted out, "Nature. A beast blessed by nature."
Jiang Yunlan listened to their explanation and nodded in understanding. It was a kind of wild beast, but more powerful than a wild beast. So what exactly was "Woo-woo" (Nature's Blessing)...?
She couldn't figure it out, so she decided to put it out of her mind for now. Right now, she was busy not only leading the orcs in weaving clothes, but also figuring out how to fire mud bricks and where to hunt stone tree beasts. Understanding the orc language could wait until winter.
Jiang Yunlan, who had a cold, stayed in the cave for three more days. The fever on her forehead subsided, and she finally stopped coughing.
With Maple Syrup's help, all the orcs' straw sandals, clothes for the two lemming cubs, and her fur gloves were ready.
The production of mud bricks is also progressing smoothly. Jiang Yunlan has figured out the mixing ratio of mud and riverside plants, and has successfully made mud brick blanks that will not crack after air-drying. All that's left is to fire them to get the first batch of mud bricks.
On the day she recovered from her illness, Jiang Yunlan took advantage of the early morning light and went out with the beastmen to search for the Stone Tree Beast.
The Stone Tree Beast's appearance is a natural camouflage within the forest, allowing it to blend perfectly into the woods. The orcs searched for most of the day without success and thought they would return empty-handed, but luckily, they found a Stone Tree Beast on their way back to the cave.
Maple Red and Black Soil secretly observed the unsuspecting Stone Tree Beast. Its aura and the way it handled its weapons were just like those of a hunting party warrior.
The Stone Tree Beast was wounded by the weapon and cried out as it tried to escape, but the Rock Forest and Rocks, which had transformed into beast forms, blocked its retreat.
The golden leopard approached the stone tree beast, while the orcs wielding stone spears eyed it menacingly.
As Jiang Yunlan took out the bone arrow, she suddenly realized that the beastmen had grown up and could now calmly surround and kill their prey, unlike how disheveled they had been when they first faced the furry beast. She smiled and put the bone arrow back into the vine pouch at her waist, watching them work together to kill their prey.
She couldn't find animal sinew to make a bowstring, and the bow and string she used were made of plant fibers, which weren't very strong and needed to be replaced frequently. The stone spear was too heavy for her; a light bow and arrow were the more suitable weapons.
The beastmen carried the stone tree beasts they had successfully captured back to their cave in high spirits.
Jiang Yunlan didn't stay in the cave to rest. She put on her woolen gloves, called Ah Bai, and prepared to bring the Ice Crystal Spirit out. She wasn't tall enough to climb onto the flower sea platform by herself.
Seeing that Lan had only taken Ah Bai with her when she went out, Feng Hong was worried and suddenly got up to follow her. Ah Bai was fast, but he was weak. If he were caught by a wild beast hiding in the shadows, he would be finished.
As soon as Feng Hong stood up, Hei Tu and Yan Lin also stood up, followed silently by Mo Rong and Yan Shi, who had just sat down to rest.
Jiang Yunlan, who was just about to walk to the top of the mountain: ?
She didn't seem to have told them she was going out.
The beastmen blinked and looked at her with very innocent eyes.
"Alright. Let's go together." She smiled helplessly and waved to the orcs, calling their names.
Jiang Yunlan once again followed the beastmen onto the stone platform where maple-leaved clematis bloomed. The furry beast meat placed there remained undiscovered by the animals and was still perfectly fine.
She glanced at it, and once she confirmed that the meat was still there, she immediately headed straight for the Ice Crystal Elf.
Perhaps because the large rock blocking the cave entrance had been moved to the ground, there seemed to be less ice inside the cave than she had seen the first time.
She didn't take it to heart and walked straight into the cave, with a maple leaf and cotton hanging behind her.
The cave, enveloped in blue light, was filled with a persistent chill, similar to the temperature outside. Jiang Yunlan, wearing a fleece sweater and gloves, didn't feel cold. However, she noticed the two orcs behind her shivering from the cold.
The weather felt like winter had already arrived; both the semi-mature cotton plants and the adult beastmen were struggling to withstand the low temperatures. After tonight, they shouldn't venture out of the cave without their fleece clothing.
Jiang Yunlan withdrew her gaze from behind and quickened her pace toward the ice crystal. 022 floated beside her, looking relaxed, seemingly unconcerned that she would encounter the same situation as before.
“I’m here,” she said, looking at the snow-white ice crystal with a bright smile. “This time, let’s leave this place together.”
The translucent ice crystal shimmered with a soft blue light.
Jiang Yunlan prepared herself for frostbite and reached out to hold the gem-like ice crystal.
The soft down touched the hard crystal. She left the blue cave completely with the ice crystal, unharmed by the cold.
A cold wind blew outside the cave, but Jiang Yunlan inexplicably felt that the surroundings were much warmer.
Her cheeks, exposed to the cold wind, weren't cold; she suddenly realized this wasn't an illusion. She carried the ice crystal down from the stone platform, stroking it through her fuzzy gloves. "You're helping me ward off the cold, aren't you? Thank you, gentle fairy."
The elf who was imprisoned in a cave by the orcs was a very, very good elf. Despite being treated that way, she was still willing to shield her from the cold wind, even though she was also an orc.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to go? I'll take you there," Jiang Yunlan said.
The elf did not speak. Unable to hear a sound, she hesitated for a few moments, then took it back to where the orcs lived and placed it on the semi-circular platform outside.
Jiang Yunlan made a soft cushion for it out of the fur of the furball, carefully placed it on the cushion, and looked at it earnestly, saying, "I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying. But I can hear your voice and read the emotions in your tone. Call me when you don't want to stay here."
"I will take you somewhere else."
She waved to the elf, then turned and walked to the front of the earthen kiln.
Maple Syrup is tending the fire in the earthen kiln. The first batch of bricks has already been fired, and she's now firing the second batch.
"Lan." Maple Syrup picked up a successfully fired clay brick and handed it to Lan.
Lan always has many whimsical ideas; she even made fluffy things to wear. So, what is this hard object used for?
She couldn't figure it out, but she was looking forward to it.
The closer she got to Lan, the more she understood the power of the "wise one." She thought that Lan was the embodiment of the "wise one," and there would never be another beastman as powerful as Lan.
A note from the author:
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