Zelan's birth has marked the beginning of summer for the Xia tribe, and will usher in...
Three days later.
The grassland horse-beastmen and the White River Mountain horse-beastmen, who were preparing to find mates, listened to the household registration administrator's explanation while looking at the bulletin board inside the house.
"The tribe only allows two orcs to register as partners. After you register your relationship, neither of you can have children with other orcs, nor can you use the fact that the other is your partner to inflict violence on the other..." The registration administrator rambled on, dumping all the knowledge he had crammed into his head over the past three days onto the two horse-orcs.
She explained in great detail, and the two horse-orcs nodded vigorously, choosing to remain mates even after hearing her explanation.
"Oh, right, Lan also said that if you two want to hold a wedding ceremony, she will officiate it for you." The household registration administrator said, writing down their information in his hand.
Upon hearing this, the two orcs, who had already become partners, perked up and leaned closer to the white egret orc in front of them. "When is Lan coming? We'll hold the ceremony when Lan is free!"
They didn't know what a wedding ceremony was, but when they heard Lan say she would come, they agreed without hesitation.
Moreover, anything that Lan values must be very important.
This matter is both important and not so important. Jiang Yunlan proposed the "marriage ceremony" mainly to plant a seed in the minds of the beastmen who watched the ceremony, to make them realize that in addition to family, beastmen can also have another kind of relationship called a partner.
Orcs have never cared about things they are not interested in. When they see someone forming a mate, they don't need to break off their relationship with their original family members; they simply put the matter of the mate out of their minds.
After Xia took over the management of the flower cultivation, the orcs became accustomed to only having rooms with a fixed person during the same flower cultivation time. This was Lan's requirement. During the period when an orc had a fixed person, they could not have relations with other orcs.
Because changing your permanent partner during the same flower-breeding period is conditional. Most orcs find it troublesome and usually only change partners during the next flower-breeding period. Two orcs who get along well will even agree to continue being permanent partners during the next flower-breeding period.
With this rule in place, many orcs glanced at the new announcement on the bulletin board and were filled with doubt, wondering who was so foolish as to put themselves in such a bind. They didn't notice that some orcs who had spent several consecutive "flower-breeding" sessions with their chosen partners were restless, frequently peeking out to find their preferred orcs.
The orc who fell in love, harboring feelings he was unaware of, followed other orcs who were simply curious about the marriage Lan had mentioned, into the place where the two horse orcs were holding their wedding ceremony.
The marriage ceremony is simple, consisting of only two steps. The first step is for the orcs to receive blessings from other orcs, and the second step is for them to promise to protect each other.
The scene of two horse-orcs swearing an oath to each other evoked a solemn and indescribable feeling, making it impossible for the orcs to look away.
A young orc, experiencing his first stirrings of love, seizes the opportunity to test the waters with the orc he admires, thus beginning a long and arduous journey to win his beloved's heart. Only one pair of orcs successfully reciprocates the feelings. But from this day forward, Jiang Yunlan witnesses many orcs boldly expressing their love and passionately pursuing the ones they cherish.
Looking at the group of orcs active in their habitat, she couldn't help but sigh that the season of youth had arrived, before throwing herself back into the busy shipbuilding work.
At the end of the flowering season, Lorelei and the others suddenly gathered together and walked up to Jiang Yunlan, including Chaoxia.
“Lan, we need to leave our habitat for a few days,” the Zelans said.
Jiang Yunlan looked at Zhelan, now all present, with a puzzled expression. Her thoughts instinctively drifted towards the worst. She frowned, asking worriedly, "Has something happened?"
As soon as Zhong Zelan saw her expression, she knew that she was wrong.
Sveta, familiar with Zeran, couldn't help but burst into laughter, explaining in a chuckled voice, "They're going to pick up the newborn eggs."
"Can I go and see?" Jiang Yunlan asked curiously. She really couldn't imagine how the asexual Zelans could produce offspring. She had once thought it was conceived through perception, but now it seemed to be a different way of birth.
The Zelans did not refuse and led Lan and Lan's guards towards the wooded area.
The birds in the woodland have seen Lorelei and other Zellans in recent seasons. As soon as they see them, they chirp happily and fly to their side, accompanying them into the depths of the woodland.
Jiang Yunlan followed behind them, peeking left and right, looking around. The surroundings seemed very familiar. She must have been here before.
As the crowd stopped, 022 spoke up: "Lan, this is where you found the sunrise."
She suddenly realized and stopped searching through her memories.
"Lan".
She heard Sveta calling her and looked down at the forest spirit in her pocket. Sveta was radiating a glowing light that spread outwards.
“Put me on the ground, Zeran should wake up his companions,” Sveta said.
Jiang Yunlan responded, found a flat spot on the ground, and carefully placed the Svita from her pocket on the ground. The small mushroom tree stood upright, urging her to back away.
Obediently, she stood up and stepped back. She looked up at the surrounding scenery and suddenly realized that the light emanating from the woods was not just Sveta's light.
The power of wood and the power of earth permeate this space.
The Zelans all squatted down, placed their hands on the weed-covered soil, and said something.
Jiang Yunlan didn't understand the language of Ze Lan, nor did she understand what they were doing, but she could see a plant suddenly sprouting in the open space between them and Sveta.
The surrounding wood and earth elements surged into the newborn plant. The tender green shoot rapidly grew into a mature plant, sprouting lush leaves.
She immediately realized that the Ze Lan cubs were born from the tree, and she didn't dare to blink, afraid that she might miss something.
However, the lush tree only dropped a dozen or so green fruits before returning to the earth, carrying with it the full power of nature within it, without making any further noise.
Jiang Yunlan was taken aback, blinking several times unconsciously before turning to look at the green fruit that Lorelei and the others had caught. She wasn't mistaken; they had caught a green fruit, not a black Ze Lan egg. She couldn't help but wonder, cautiously observing the Ze Lans' expressions, which showed concern.
Lorelei and the others were clearly familiar with the situation before them. They paused for a moment, then calmly put away the green fruit. Even Dawn had the same reaction.
“It seems no offspring have been born this flowering season,” Lorelei turned to look at Jiang Yunlan, who had composed herself, and said with a hint of apology, “We’ll bring you to see them next time… when we sense that our kind is about to be born.”
Upon hearing his invitation, Jiang Yunlan accepted, but a sense of confusion arose within her. Why hadn't the cubs of Zelan appeared?
Sveta was equally puzzled. He didn't even bother with Lan's pocket anymore, but stood directly on Lorelei's hand and said in a serious tone, "What exactly happened? Your clan has stopped even giving birth to cubs."
“We don’t understand why either. Starting from a certain day, fewer and fewer of our kind were born, and it has become the norm for no new kind to be born like this,” Lorelei said helplessly, his voice calm and his emotions as usual.
The forest spirit fell silent, thinking of the dragons who had lost their habitat. The guardians of the sky and the guardians of the earth were both in dire straits. And what of Miman, the guardian of the ocean? Was she alright now?
It thought to itself that if the ancient tower were still there, it would definitely turn around and lead the feathered sparrows back to the ocean.
Sveta sighed, his gaze sweeping over the forests and land where natural power was scarce. Even though Zeran lived here, the situation was so dire.
"Never mind. When I saw that there were only about a hundred of you, I should have realized that there would be far fewer of you than before. However, the green fruits in your hands are rich in wood and earth energy, making them the most suitable food for your race." It pondered, the twenty-one Ze Lan eggs in the Lan house appearing in its mind.
The Zelans and the Zelans had the same idea and said in unison, "Leave it for the unborn cubs to eat."
The extra fruits were given to the weakest members of their clan. They silently replenished their supplies, exchanging glances with their kin, all understanding each other's thoughts.
“Speaking of which, since returning to the grasslands this time, the Ze Lans in my room have been much more active than before. Sometimes they even sneak out to the window to sunbathe when I’m not looking. Are they about to be born?” Jiang Yunlan asked the Ze Lans with a puzzled look, before turning back to their grassland habitat.
Zhong Zelan followed Lan's footsteps and slowly replied, "That depends on when they want to appear. Their condition is indeed better than before, so there's no need to worry about them suddenly disappearing one day."
Jiang Yunlan recalled the birth of Chaoxia, blinking her eyes blankly. Well, she really didn't know much about the Zelan clan.
They seem to be different from other orcs; whether or not they hatch depends entirely on their own will.
Her gaze softened, and a smile played on her lips as she spoke with anticipation, "I wish they would be born. I really want them to see this world. I want them to know what it's like to live in those many summers. It must have been so painful for them to stay inside the egg all this time."
Her offhand remark drew the attention of everyone except 022.
"Why would you," Chaoxia paused awkwardly for a second, changing the truth she almost revealed into a question, "think that my people are suffering?"
Jiang Yunlan once shared a similar feeling with the Zelan eggs, dreaming about Zelan's past. However, because that dream happened so long ago, she lowered her head and pondered for a while before hesitatingly saying, "I just have this feeling for no reason, otherwise they wouldn't have sneaked out to sunbathe when I wasn't looking."
She found it amusing when she talked about it. Luckily, when she set up the nest, she was worried they would fall, so she didn't put any frames on them. They would roll slightly, and sometimes they could even bring the nest with them right up to the window.
It was really difficult to pretend she hadn't noticed; she almost burst out laughing several times.
"Thinking about it now, I always felt like they were worried about something, but I still hope they show up soon. No matter what it is, we're here for you." Jiang Yunlan said, suddenly bending down to look at the sunrise behind her, her gaze softening.
Caught off guard by Lan's gaze, Chaoxia instinctively tried to look away, but quickly restrained herself, looking back at Lan with a blank expression, as if she hadn't understood.
“Summer will protect its people, and I will protect you. So do not be afraid, come and speak to me,” she said.
Chaoxia froze, her eyes widening involuntarily. So, Lan had already guessed it?
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Author's Note: Although the Ze Lan are born from plants and look like eggs, they are not real eggs. However, from God's perspective, we have been using the term "Lan" (岚) and will continue to use "egg" to describe them, mainly because we haven't found a more fitting adjective.
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