I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 126 The Orcs of the Central Tribe

The guards from the Great River tribe stepped forward and greeted them, "Are you a caravan from the Central Tribe?"

The leading sky orc said, "Yes."

The guards of the Great River Tribe laughed and said, "That's wonderful."

Another orc from the Great River Tribe laughed and said, "I've been wanting to trade with you for a while now. My father really liked those sweet and sour fruits you brought last time, and I'd like to trade some more this time."

The Sky Orc nodded and said, "Sure, we brought some red berries with us this time. If you want some, you can exchange them at the Chada Assembly."

Two Sky Orcs went to meet their people, while the remaining few inquired about the Round Lake Tribe with the River Tribe Orcs.

"Did something happen to the Yuanhu tribe? We went to that tribe first and found that no one has lived there for a long time."

The captain of the Great River Tribe's guard team said, "Last year, the Round Lake Tribe suffered a flood, and their winter caves were destroyed. The orcs of the Round Lake Tribe went to the High Tree Tribe."

The Sky Orc nodded and said, "No wonder."

*

As darkness fell, the orcs of the Great River Tribe and the Central Tribe began to light fires and cook.

The orcs of the central tribe brought out their food, and the orcs of the river tribe also brought out their food, and even went to capture a wild beast.

The two tribes' food was placed together. The food of the central tribe consisted of some smoked meat and some wild vegetables and fruits, while the food of the orcs of the Great River tribe consisted of cassava cakes.

The orcs of the central tribe had never seen this kind of food before. It didn't look like animal meat, nor did it look like food they had gathered. They were all puzzled. The orc leader of the central tribe asked, "What is this?"

"These are cassava cakes," said the orc from the Great River Tribe, placing the cassava cakes on the fire to bake. In no time, the surface of the cassava cakes turned golden brown, and a faint aroma wafted out.

The orcs of the Great River tribe enthusiastically shared cassava cakes with the orcs of the Central Tribe: "These are made with cassava, and they taste very good. They'll taste even better if you fry them in oil after they're done."

"It's a pity we can't easily do this while we're out here. When we get back to the tribe, we'll treat you to cassava cakes fried in animal fat. The taste is amazing!" The orc took a deep breath, his face full of ecstasy, as if he were holding not fire-roasted cassava cakes, but golden-brown, fragrant cassava cakes fried in animal fat.

Upon hearing that the food was made from basil, several orcs from the central tribes were stunned. They knew what basil was; it was a poisonous food that could not be eaten at all.

"Can you eat cassava?" asked the orc from the central tribe, holding a cassava cake in his hand. "Isn't it poisonous?"

“As long as it’s handled properly, it won’t be poisonous,” said an orc from a river tribe. “Because we discovered how to eat the root grass, not a single orc starved to death last winter, not only in our tribe but also in the surrounding tribes.”

Even powerful central tribes face food shortages; if they cannot store enough food in the autumn, some tribesmen will freeze or starve to death.

The central tribe doesn't have taro, but that doesn't stop the people of the central tribe from carefully inquiring about how to eat taro.

There was nothing to hide. The orcs of the Great River Tribe readily explained how to eat the large root grass, and stated that it was discovered by an orc named "Ling" from the High Tree Tribe.

The leader of the central tribe kept the name in mind and decided to meet this orc named "Ling" at the Chada Conference.

*

After the meal, it was completely dark. The beastmen did not immediately enter the cave, but instead sat around the fire chatting and laughing.

The orcs of the central tribe heard the name "Ling" again from the orcs of the river tribe. This time, the reason was that Ling had invented something called a kang (heated platform bed). This thing was warm in winter, and the orcs slept on it very comfortably. Whether it was the elderly, children, or cubs, they could all spend the whole winter comfortably with a kang.

The orcs of the Central Tribe were truly surprised. Winters in the Central Tribe were warmer than in the Great River Tribe, but for the frail elderly, children, and cubs, winter was still a difficult season.

They will still not survive the winter for one reason or another.

If the kang (heated brick bed) is really as magical as the orcs of the Great River Tribe say, they must learn the technology behind it.

Faced with the questioning from the orcs of the central tribe, the people of the Great River tribe looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, the leader of the Great River tribe said, "We don't know how the kang (heated brick bed) is made either. According to the tribesmen who have spent the winter in the Great River tribe, you first make mud bricks, then use the mud bricks to build the kang. In winter, you light a fire at the opening of the kang, and the kang will get warm."

The leader of the central tribe said, "This orc named Ling lives in the Tall Tree tribe, right? Then let's go to the Tall Tree tribe and see how the kang (heated brick bed) is made."

Another orc from the central tribe said, "Ling discovered how to eat cassava. If we want to learn, we have to give him some gifts. Tomorrow, we'll go see your chieftain to discuss the Chada Conference, and then we'll go to the Tall Tree tribe to find Ling."

And so it was agreed, and the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere among the beastmen was restored.

*

Green, the orc who was going to trade red fruit with the central tribe, got up, walked to the basket, took a piece of animal skin, and sat back down by the fire.

This time he moved closer to the fire, completely disregarding the heat it brought. You see, it was summer, and the orcs wouldn't have lit a fire at all if it weren't for the need for light.

As soon as Green sat down, one of his tribesmen, who was closest to him, immediately followed, staring longingly at the long sword wrapped in animal hide in his hand: "Green, can you lend me your sword for a day tomorrow?"

Because of the need to farm this year, the Gaoshu tribe's ironworks are working hard to forge farm tools. Even members of their own tribe can't all have a piece of ironware, let alone other tribes.

Green is an orc born in the High Tree Tribe. He came to live in the Great River Tribe because of his mate. This long sword was given to him by his father, and it is one of the few long swords in the tribe.

All the orcs in the tribe envied their people who possessed iron weapons, but Green treasured this longsword like the apple of his eye and never lent it out.

Every night, Green would smear animal oil on her longsword with animal hide. It was said that this was a method passed down from the High Tree tribe, and that doing so would make the longsword even sharper.

The orc wasn't saddened by the rejection. Instead, he continued to sit beside Green, watching as Green unwrapped the animal hide covering his long sword. The cold blade reflected the light of the campfire, and the orc beside Green stared wide-eyed.

The love of weapons is probably ingrained in the genes of every orc. The orcs of the High Tree Tribe are no exception, nor are the orcs of the Great River Tribe, and naturally, the orcs of the Central Tribe are no exception either.