The culture nurtured by the Xia clan will be sung by wandering poets...
After a long day of work, Jiang Yunlan left on time.
She wanted to know what the beastmen would talk about in the open space of the trading area, so she decided to eat at the second canteen today and then go to the open space of the trading area after dinner.
When the three orcs, Maple Syrup, Gray Honey, and Dark Velvet, heard that she wanted to go there, they left work with her and stayed by her side.
As evening fell, the colors of dusk filled the sky.
After finishing their dinner, some of the orcs sat in the open space of the trading area, waiting for today's story to unfold.
This open space was left between Xia's commercial street and trading area. A certain orc had used pebbles to create a large circle here, saying he was setting up what Lan had called a "stage." Surprisingly, it did indeed give off a stage-like feel.
On the "stage," the wolf-beastman was telling stories she had heard in the past when suddenly a storm appeared in her field of vision, coming to listen to her stories.
She couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling as she continued telling the story of the "wise clan" that she had heard from other beastmen.
"...They call their clan the Clan of the Wise, and the wiser the orc, the more valued they are. If you feel misunderstood, come to us; only the wise can understand the world of the wise. That's what they say..."
While the wolf-orc was still talking, Jiang Yunlan remembered what Yue Dujiao had told her: their clan's method of building houses was originally learned from the Sage Clan, and even their planting methods were learned from there.
That was indeed a clan composed of many intelligent orcs, but it's unknown how the Sage Clan has fared now, after dozens of snow seasons.
The wolf-orcs on stage left, and several more orcs came up one after another to recount their past experiences. Then, a group of cubs led several adult orcs into the stage.
They took out some strange items and placed them on the ground, and with the words "Begin," they began the Xia clan's first stage play.
"Clang! Act One, Begins!"
A cub was tapping on a strange object; it turned out it was using that object to create background sound effects.
Jiang Yunlan froze, staring at the crudely staged play for a long time, unable to recover. Actually, the play wasn't particularly good enough to keep her watching, but she couldn't tear her eyes away.
She witnessed the creativity of the orcs. In a "stage play" she had never mentioned, the orcs presented stories they had created.
This is a culture unique to the Xia Dynasty. Rough and simple, yet it contains a radiant light. Jiang Yunlan felt as if she were watching a rough piece of jade gradually transform into a beautiful gem, and this jade was born from her hands.
She couldn't take her eyes off the stage, staring intently at every scene of the play.
Ding ding ding ding.
The beastmen were playing music with strange objects, creating a quirky yet lively tune that perfectly suited the current scene. She couldn't help but laugh, her body shaking with mirth.
The final act of the stage play has ended, and the curtain has fallen.
A ibex-man carrying a low stool in one hand and a harp in the other, walked into the circle of rubble, set up the stool, and sat down.
Gently plucking the strings, the argali beastman uttered an unfamiliar song, a pure and melodious humming that did not belong to any language.
The songs sung by the argali beastmen, accompanied by the sound of their zithers, echoed all around.
The beastmen who had been talking in hushed tones fell silent and turned their gazes toward the argali beastmen who were singing a lullaby.
They listened intently.
Even though it was a ballad without any lyrics, Jiang Yunlan felt she could understand the emotions conveyed by the argali beastman.
The ibex-man said he really liked his life. She heard that voice.
The argali beastman, chanting a wordless song, recounts what he has witnessed.
The ibex-men said they were an orc clan living in the rocky region, forced to leave their homeland and come to the grasslands due to the appearance of giant beasts. Friendly kin extended a helping hand to them, and powerful clans sheltered them and accepted them as members of their own tribe.
A powerful clan, named Xia.
Xia is a clan that protects all orcs and will not refuse any orc to join.
Xia was a clan established by the wise man "Lan," who had countless foods, warm clothes, and tall houses.
Xia's Lan led the beastmen of Xia to create one thing after another that no beastman had ever seen before...
The argali beastman played his harp, hoping that one day he could compose suitable lyrics to convey everything he had seen to the beastmen who belonged to the land, the sea, and the sky.
A light and cheerful song, full of the spirit of the rising sun, lingered in Jiang Yunlan's ears. As she listened, she gradually drifted into a dream, her expression serene, unusually showing no sign of unease.
Maple Syrup sat beside her, reaching out to catch her swaying body as she dozed off, and resting her head on her lap. It was as if the scene was repeating itself, just like when Lan first fell asleep while firing pottery, yet it also seemed somewhat different.
Jiang Yunlan was sleeping soundly, her body slightly curled up. 022 sat beside her, smiling helplessly. Gray Honey and Black Velvet gestured to the surrounding orcs to be quiet, reminding them not to speak too loudly.
The beastmen chuckled softly in unison, exchanging glances and making little noise as they surrounded Lan.
Seeing this, the ram-orc who was about to become a bard plucked the strings again and sang another light and melodious lullaby. It was a lullaby written for the cubs of the Xia clan.
The hot season has quietly passed, and the newborn eggs have moved into their new home.
The Xia clan was busy harvesting the crops they had planted during the flowering season and sowing new seeds. The only beastmen on the grassland who had not joined Xia, the grassland sheep-beastmen, were also harvesting the small amount of crops they had grown.
Antelope Grass was worried about the poorly growing plants, and admired the Xia Clan. How did the Xia beastmen manage to cultivate such vast expanses of plants, seemingly endless, and keep them so vibrant and lush?
She really wanted to know how the Xia clan prevented insects from eating their crops and how they managed to revive plants with withered leaves...
Why is it that the plants we grassland sheep-beastmen grow either die, die, or die from disease? In the end, only these malnourished lone seedlings remain.
On her day off, Lingyuan and the other beastmen returned to their clan's habitat from the Xia clan. Hearing her confusion, they all gathered around the clan's fields.
Seeing the desolate state of the crops, the grassland sheep-beastmen who had participated in the Xia clan's harvest season were stunned. How could the clan's crops be so wretched? Compared to the Xia clan's crops, they looked even more pitiful. They almost didn't recognize them as the same crop.
“You’re not often in the clan, and we’re the ones who take care of the plants in the fields. I never imagined it would end up like this,” Antelope Grass said with a wry smile.
She and her fellow tribesmen had little experience in farming, and if it weren't for a tribesman who had worked in Xia who reminded them, they would have almost drowned the growing plants by watering them too often at the beginning.
The orcs, including Lingyuan, hadn't paid much attention to the clan's crops. Now, they were looking at the plants in the field, observing Lingxiaocao's expression while secretly probing.
"The planting distance for each type of plant is different. Some people in the clan plant them according to the Xia clan's method, so it shouldn't be a problem. Sigh, planting is really difficult, I can't learn it."
"But then again, did we forget to give them... fertilizer? How does the Xia clan make fertilizer? Has anyone learned how?"
The group of grassland sheep-beastmen all shook their heads.
Ling Xiaocao listened to their discussion, struggling to write down the Chinese they were using. Much of the knowledge related to farming needed to be explained in Chinese, and since she hadn't learned the Xia language in Xia's academy, understanding these unfamiliar words was especially difficult.
She tried hard to remember, when suddenly she saw her people turn to her and say, "Chieftain, why don't you come with us to the Xia Clan after this holiday? We can't learn farming, but we believe you can!"
Ling Xiaocao was so overwhelmed by their continuous praise that she nodded heavily.
There was no other way; in order for the clan to be able to grow food successfully, she had to step in!
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Ling Xiaocao followed her tribesmen to the Xia clan. The Xia clan was still busy with the autumn harvest and planting, and all the Xia clan beastmen took turns resting there.
On her first day at the Xia Clan, Ling Xiaocao chose to carry food and observe the beastmen's methods of harvesting crops.
She was so exhausted that she almost couldn't get out of her soft bed when she woke up the next day.
On her second day at the Xia Clan, Ling Xiaocao confidently chose to harvest food, carefully identifying various crops. The more she looked, the more she felt that coming to the Xia Clan to learn was the right choice.
Later, because he was so engrossed in harvesting the crops, he was so tired that he could barely feel his hands.
On the fifth day since arriving at the Xia clan, the Xia clan was going to plant new crops, so Ling Xiaocao ran off to plant the seeds.
Today, she is also obsessed with farming.
By the time she came to her senses, she had already made many trips to the Xia clan, and had also learned a lot of the Xia language at the Xia school.
She suddenly realized that her people weren't forcing smiles at them. Being with the Xia clan was truly joyful. She loved going to the Xia's library and general store; they had so many interesting books and fascinating items.
It's a little difficult to restrain the urge to spend work points.
"I wish I could exchange for more of Xia's items," she said, feeling regretful.
The feathered beastmen who came from the mountains to the grasslands had the same idea.
They came to Xia's habitat with the minerals promised to the Xia clan, and also exchanged many items with Xia on behalf of other clans in the mountains, receiving a warm welcome from the Xia clan.
Fragrant and soft rice, delicious and chewy noodle soup, crispy and hot flatbread...
The winged beastmen buried themselves in their food, their movements swift and elegant. Even the dragons, whose food consisted of energy stones, were tempted by their blissful expressions and couldn't resist reaching out two claws towards Jiang Yunlan.
“The dragon wants it too!” he said.
"Is this food something you can eat?" Jiang Yunlan hesitated, not daring to give it to him directly.
The dragon didn't understand, the dragon was stunned, the dragon raised its claws and grabbed the clothes of the Azure Wood Crow, looking expectantly at the beastman who had specially followed it to Xia.
Feeling the extra pull beside him, Cangmu Yuya reluctantly put down his bowl and spoon, looked up and said, "I should be able to eat a little. In the past, the clan leaders would occasionally take out food from our clan for Gracia to eat."
Hearing that he agreed, Jiang Yunlan was relieved and asked Long what food he wanted to eat most, so she ordered one for him.
The dragon ordered the easiest-to-eat flatbread, filled with meat and other fillings, and took a big bite. After eating, he held the flatbread in his two paws, paused strangely for a while, and then silently continued to eat bite by bite.
After finishing all the food in its hands, the dragon lowered its claws, raised its eyes which seemed to hold the sky, and looked at Lan, saying, "Beastman, have you seen a beastman named Zelan?"
He tasted the power of the forest and the earth in the food he ate in summer.
Mother once said that there is only one nature in the world: the sky, the earth, and the ocean. The orcs who possess fragments of the earth's nature are the guardians of the earth, Zelan.
They are "kindred spirits" of their kind.
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