Welcome to the summer, now is the era of the Storm...
The village, which had been attacked by monkeys, was in bad shape, but the beastmen were surprisingly in good spirits.
They lacked many things; during the recent snow season, more than twenty orcs had to squeeze into a large wooden hut to survive the snow. But Jiang Yunlan did not hear any news of an orc starving to death here.
It's conceivable that this village, which migrated during the fruit season, could have successfully weathered the flowering season and gradually developed, instead of suffering from hunger as it does now.
After touring the village, Jiang Yunlan had a general understanding of the situation. The orcs stationed there were managing it well and didn't need to be replaced, but some new combat personnel were needed. She returned to the main street after inspecting the planting area, glancing towards the direction of the healing hut, and mentally added...
They also need to deal with the monkey troop that will come to steal their food. They know there's food here, and their companions have died at the hands of the original hunters and other beastmen, so they certainly won't let this village go.
She decided to send her teammates tomorrow to search for the monkey troop and deal with the trouble threatening the beastmen.
Having made up her mind, Jiang Yunlan came back to her senses and went into the treatment room to inquire about the condition of the injured beastmen. Just then, Tian Qingyuhe, who occasionally came to help care for the wounded at night, happily told her that the injured beastmen had all fully recovered under Sveta's and the others' treatment and were now in excellent health.
“Everyone is very happy,” said Tianqing Yuhe, her smiling face also showing her joy.
Upon hearing this, an orc who had just finished treatment reached out and ruffled the head roughly, saying to the white-haired crane orc, "Yes, we can rejoin the team now. You must be ready to receive our guidance, little crane who stole some strange wild fruit."
The word "guidance" in this sentence was emphasized, making it sound like a stormy ordeal was about to begin.
Azure Feather Crane's smile froze on his face. He forced a laugh, saying he had other things to do, and jogged away from the treatment room. The orcs inside didn't really intend to punish him; seeing his fear, they let him run away.
"This guy is like this again." The beastmen in the treatment room said this, their voices filled with helpless laughter.
Jiang Yunlan could tell from their voices that they all really liked the Feathered Crane Beastmen who had already run off. She was quite moved, and looking at the Beastmen getting along so well, she was even more moved. Of all the villages she had seen so far, this was the village where the Beastmen from the main city got along the best with the Beastmen here.
After experiencing migration and attacks by monkeys together, they came to regard each other as one of their own.
Jiang Yunlan watched the orcs laughing and chatting. She smiled along, and relaxed as she checked the village's existing medicines with the village healer. She would replenish any supplies that could be replenished before she left.
It was only during this review that she discovered they had fallen ill during the snow season. The healer's wood power had been depleted during the snow season, leaving her with little strength to heal the injured orcs during the spring season.
Jiang Yunlan silently noted down the village's lack of healers and herbs, then closed the notebook. The notebook also contained information on other villages and towns lacking certain supplies.
These places mostly lack the same things, after all, they are all places that are just beginning to develop.
On their second day here, Jiang Yunlan took 022, Heitu, Yuan Lieyu, and other orcs to explore the surrounding area for any resources they might have, and to bring those resources back to the village.
At this moment, Freya had already led two giant beasts and a group of orcs to find the monkey troop. If the giant beasts couldn't persuade the monkey troop to leave the area, they would have to get serious.
The amphibious beastmen, including Linshui and Wujiao, were eager to see what Xia's village was like, so they stayed behind with Heitu. Sometimes they would see Lan on the street and follow her to the places she was going.
When Jiang Yunlan went out to find supplies, the amphibious beastmen also participated.
They said, "The food we eat here should have been found by ourselves."
Since they were willing to undertake missions outside the area, Jiang Yunlan naturally wouldn't refuse and readily agreed. She also brought along the semi-adult orcs in the group.
Here, even semi-adults do the tasks that adult orcs do, so she tacitly allows them to participate in gathering expeditions. They will continue to go out even after she leaves, so it's actually a good thing for them to learn how to deal with external dangers while having other orcs as their support.
"Lan, where should we go first?" Yuan Lieyu asked.
"Let's go to that stone fruit forest first. Once they harden, they won't be edible anymore, so we need to pick them as soon as possible," Jiang Yunlan said. She remembered that the beastmen had also mentioned that there was a certain direction in the stone fruit forest that they hadn't explored yet.
With the goal set, the team set off.
The warm sun shone on the beastmen, and a rustling sound occasionally appeared. The beastmen pushed aside the surrounding plants and came to the Stone Fruit Forest.
The low shrubs bore round, black fruits, and the stone fruits of all sizes came into the sight of the orcs.
Stone fruits are black whether ripe or unripe, making it difficult to tell their maturity by appearance alone. However, Jiang Yunlan knew how to determine ripeness by tapping the stone fruit. Using what was available, she picked a stone fruit and gave it to the beastmen, including Yuan Lieyu, for a demonstration.
They watched very carefully and learned it quickly.
Having learned to distinguish stone fruits, the orcs immediately focused their attention on the stone fruit forest in their field of vision, beginning their joyful daily gathering. Their empty baskets were replenished with food, causing the orcs, including Yuan Lieyu, to unconsciously grin foolishly.
“This much is enough for one harvest, no need to collect more,” Jiang Yunlan explained to the excited beastmen as she glanced at the remaining half of the stone fruits. “The stone fruits will begin to harden after they are harvested. The stone fruits on the tree can be picked next time. They haven’t fallen yet, and they haven’t hardened yet, so they can continue to grow.”
Upon hearing this, the orcs stopped, satisfied, and happily followed Jiang Yunlan.
They carried the ripe stone fruits on their backs and continued forward across the stone fruit forest, looking around curiously. Whenever they saw an unfamiliar plant that looked edible, they would present it to Jiang Yunlan.
"Lan! Is this food?" the beastmen asked.
“This is non-toxic, but it’s not suitable as our food,” Jiang Yunlan said.
If they receive a negative answer, the beastmen will throw away the weeds they are holding and begin the next round of searching until they find new edible food.
Occasionally, they would see the figures of wild beasts.
Then they would reveal their sharp claws or pick up a sharp weapon and snatch their prey. Once the prey fell, they would quickly cover up the smell of blood on its body, happily loading the prey, large or small, into their carts, to be taken out and processed when a campfire was lit at night.
"Lan, what are we having for dinner tonight?" The beastmen, having just caught their prey, grinned, their voices light and cheerful.
Jiang Yunlan remembered the mushrooms she had collected that afternoon and said with a smile, "Let's have a barbecue. Stone fruit is refreshing and helps cut through the grease, so it's a great accompaniment to barbecue. Everyone should try it tonight."
The orcs cheered and started a fire to make kebabs.
The skewers of meat and mushrooms were placed above the flickering flames, sizzling as time passed. The aroma of slightly charred meat and mushrooms filled the air, making the hungry beastmen unable to stop swallowing their saliva.
The orc who was grilling food also felt his stomach growling with hunger, but he calmly sprinkled the last bit of special seasoning on the skewers and handed half of the grilled skewer to the orcs who gathered around him, saying, "Eat up."
The orcs, who had no talent for cooking, thanked him profusely, gratefully accepted the food, and ate it. After finishing, they huddled around another orc to continue mooching. They scavenged food from several campfires, and when they were seven or eight tenths full and felt a bit greasy, they would dart over to sit next to Jiang Yunlan and the other orcs, eagerly waiting for the roasted stone fruit in the fire.
"How many stone fruits would you like to eat?" Jiang Yunlan asked.
"Lan, I want to eat two."
"One is enough."
"I want to eat..."
After hearing their answers, Jiang Yunlan stretched out a branch and pulled out the stone fruit from the edge of the fire. She then casually grabbed a thick leaf from beside her, wrapped the stone fruit in it, and handed the food to the orcs who were eagerly waiting for the delicious meal.
Seeing this, the orcs who were roasting stone fruits with her also learned to do it just as well. They handed the hot food to the other orcs and then pushed the new stone fruits into the fire.
The orcs, having obtained the stone fruit, let it cool slightly before breaking it in half and eating it directly, completely unconcerned that the surface was covered in dust and dirt, which soiled their hands. A few orcs, including Yuan Lieyu, enjoyed the crisp, sweet taste of the stone fruit, so they held it in their left hand and ate it, while using their right hand to pick up a thick twig and join the roasting stone fruit craze.
Seeing that they were enjoying their meal, Jiang Yunlan rattled off a list of crop names and described the taste of the food after it was roasted. The surrounding beastmen were so tempted that they ate dozens more skewers of roasted meat, and then, still wanting more, stuffed some sour fruit into their stomachs to aid digestion.
“These aren’t rare foods. These crops grow around other villages, and they happen to be suitable for your area as well. You can discuss it with your village chief and apply to plant them,” Jiang Yunlan said with a smile. She specifically mentioned these plants as a reference for them.
The beastmen noted down the crops she mentioned, obediently responded, and continued to stir the fruit in the fire with branches.
The flames flickered all night, then dwindled and died out in the early morning, leaving only ashes.
The team has started its journey again.
During the time that Tianqing Yuhe and the other beastmen went out with Jiang Yunlan, their eyes looked at Jiang Yunlan with increasing brightness. They also unknowingly picked up the habit of Heitu, Yuanlieyu, and the other beastmen, and always mentioned Jiang Yunlan's name.
When they returned to the village after their outing, Freya and her group had not yet returned.
Several days passed, and Jiang Yunlan had finished communicating with the village chief about all the village's issues. Freya and her group had also dealt with the monkey troop and returned to the village.
"Lord Lan, are you going back?" Tian Qingyu ran up to Jiang Yunlan and looked up at her with reluctance.
“After all, if I don’t go back soon, I might miss the leader’s swearing-in ceremony. Your village’s representatives have already gone to the main city with the Flower Season’s supply team. I can’t just stay here until that orc returns to the village with the Hot Season’s supply team, can I?” Jiang Yunlan blinked and said with a smile.
Azure Crane then remembered that the hot season would begin in three days. However, the leader's swearing-in ceremony would be held on the last day of the flower season.
He paused for two seconds before snapping out of his daze, then excitedly clenched his hand and said, "Then we can call you 'Leader' from now on! Lord Lan, you probably prefer 'Leader' to 'King'!"
"Ah, you figured it out. Yes, I prefer having someone standing by my side; it makes me feel like I'm not fighting alone," Jiang Yunlan said quite frankly.
Lan's answer puzzled him. He didn't quite understand the difference between "King" and "Leader," and why Lan would express such sentiments. Lan was a leader, Lan was a King, and Lan was also a Leader. Ultimately, it was because of Lan's existence that Xia had a leader, a King, and a Leader.
But he understood what Lan meant. Lan wanted companions; Lan needed leaders to guide Xia towards the future with her.
The message from the supplies team of the Flower Season echoed in Tianqing Yuhe's ears.
Suddenly, the Azure Crane heard a resounding thud in its chest. Its heart was telling it—
"I will definitely become the next leader! Lord Lan, I will become the leader and your companion." He said earnestly, his still-childish face unconsciously becoming serious.
Jiang Yunlan was taken aback, then said to him gently, "Do you want to become a leader in the future? That's a great goal, Tian Qingyuhe. You have to work hard!"
He smiled brightly and nodded emphatically. He knew that if it were Lan, she wouldn't laugh at him or mock his arrogance. Xia wasn't Tianqi; even though he was born a beastman slave, he was qualified to compete for the leader's position and to become Lan's companion.
Azure Feather Crane wanted to prove himself, to prove to the orcs who had once denied him, that he was no different from the other orcs. Just as Lan had said.
We are all born equal.
On the day Jiang Yunlan and her group left, Tianqing Yuhe and all the beastmen who came to see them off watched Lan's figure disappear, silently encouraging herself in her heart: I will try my best.
He finally realized that his initiative to join the expedition, to share his food with the wounded orcs, and to test the unfamiliar stone fruit was all because he wanted to be recognized.
He understood that the recognition he wanted had already been given to him, and to all the orcs.
Therefore, from now on, his goal is to "become a leader".
At this moment, Azure Feather Crane was unaware that most of the creatures in the entire Xia Kingdom shared the same goal as him. He wanted to become Lan's ally, not only to defeat these creatures but also to win their approval.
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