63: hope

As Bai Yao and Xuan Mo approached the cave, the Chief immediately led several beastmen forward to greet them.

To Bai Yao's surprise, the Chief's face held no sign of harsh accusation, but rather undisguised curiosity and anticipation?

"Bai Yao, Xuan Mo, you have returned."

As the Chief spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the cave entrance. "This morning, Yan and a few others were given a kind of food they had never seen before. What was it called... steamed bun? stuffed pancake?"

The young beastman named Yan next to him, who was the Female's mate first to receive the food that morning, immediately nodded.

"Chief, it's true, it was especially delicious! The outside was soft, and the inside was fragrant. I've never eaten anything like it."

The other beastmen who had received the food also chimed in, their words full of awe for the novel delicacy.

The Chief raised a hand to silence the discussion, his gaze burning as he looked at Bai Yao: "Bai Yao, I heard them say this was made from new food you found in the forest? Can you tell me what it actually is?"

Bai Yao felt slightly relieved. So this was what it was about.

She motioned for the Chief to wait, turned, and retrieved the remaining Wheat grains and a small bowl of ground Flour from the cave.

"Chief, this is it."

She poured the Wheat grains into her palm. "I call it Wheat. After grinding it into powder, adding water, and kneading it, you can form various shapes. If you wrap filling inside and steam or fry it, you get steamed buns and stuffed pancakes."

"It doesn't have a special flavor itself, but it absorbs meat juices and grease very well, and it's extremely filling."

The Chief carefully examined the golden grains, then picked up a little Flour with his fingers and sniffed it.

"Filling? You say it can make people full?"

For a Tribe that needed to store large amounts of food for the winter, this was undoubtedly the greatest temptation.

"Yes."

Bai Yao nodded affirmatively and dropped the more crucial piece of information,

"Furthermore, this Wheat can be cultivated. Of what we brought back this time, one part will be used as food, and the other part, I plan to try planting it on a plot of land near the Tribe."

"If successful, by this time next year, we might be able to harvest much more Wheat, and no longer need to rely entirely on hunting and gathering."

"Cultivation?"

The Chief and the surrounding beastmen all showed expressions of shock.

In the Beast World, although there was some gathering and small-scale domestication of minor animals, the concept of large-scale, conscious cultivation was still very vague.

Bai Yao's words seemed to open a door to a new world right before them.

The Chief's breathing quickened. He stared intently at Bai Yao: "Bai Yao, are you telling the truth? Can this stuff really be grown? Do you know how to grow it?"

"I have some methods we can try."

Bai Yao didn't make any absolute promises, but her confident expression gave the Chief immense faith.

"Good! Good!"

The Chief repeated the word 'good' twice, suppressing his excitement. "Bai Yao, can you share some of these seeds called Wheat with the Tribe? We are willing to trade beast crystal or other supplies for them."

"Also, can you teach the Females in the Tribe the method for making this... Flour food?"

This was exactly the result Bai Yao wanted.

She smiled slightly. In the end, both sides reached an agreement: Bai Yao would provide a portion of the Wheat seeds and initial technical guidance on cultivation, and teach the Tribe's Females how to grind the powder and make the simplest Flatbreads.

In return, the Tribe would demarcate a fertile piece of land for Bai Yao's priority experimental cultivation, and pay the equivalent value in beast crystal based on the quantity of seeds she provided.

At the same time, the Tribe would have priority trading rights for any other Flour foods Bai Yao produced in the future.

The agreement was reached, and the Chief left with irrepressible excitement and a small bag of Wheat grains as a sample.

It was foreseeable that this news would soon spread throughout the Tribe, and Bai Yao's status would be that of the Female who brought new hope and food to the entire Tribe.

After seeing the Chief off, Bai Yao looked at the Wheat piled up in the cave and the several high-quality beast crystals she had received in exchange, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

But this was only the beginning. The transaction with Xing Che weighed on her heart like a stone; she had to quickly find something truly scarce and valuable in the Beast World.

Strength was always the hardest currency in the Beast World.

She recalled how beastmen mostly relied on their beast form's sharp teeth and claws, or rudimentary Stone Spears and Bone Spears, when hunting. This was inefficient and heavily dependent on individual valor.

A thought became clear in her mind

—the crossbow.

If she could create a long-range weapon, it would not only greatly increase hunting efficiency and reduce casualties, but also allow weaker beastmen to possess the ability to defend themselves and participate in hunting.

This would absolutely be a groundbreaking existence in the Beast World.

No sooner had the Chief left than the smile on Bai Yao's face faded.

She looked at the pile of golden Wheat in the corner, knowing clearly that this was only the first step.

"What are you thinking about?"

Xuan Mo's deep voice sounded behind her.

Bai Yao turned around. "I'm thinking about the deal with Xing Che. He probably doesn't lack beast crystal or furs. We need to come up with something he hasn't seen and can't refuse."

Xuan Mo raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

"The crossbow."

Bai Yao uttered the two words, picked up a branch, and started drawing on the dirt floor,

"A long-range weapon. A wooden body, a Beast Tendon string. It doesn't require much strength, but it can shoot an arrow a hundred meters away. Even the weakest Female, with this, can take down prey from a safe distance."

Xuan Mo stared at the crude drawing on the ground, his golden eyes narrowing slightly.

He couldn't imagine the weapon's power, but he trusted Bai Yao.

"What do you need?"

"The hardest wood, the most elastic Beast Tendons, and some hard Bone Chips."

Xuan Mo nodded, asked no further questions, and turned to leave.

That evening, he returned with the materials.

There were several segments of dark Ironwood, its grain dense like stone; several tanned Giant Horned Ox Back Tendons, gleaming with an oily luster; and several thin Bone Chips, sharp enough to cut a hand.

"Is this enough?"

"It's enough."

Bai Yao touched the materials, feeling confident.

In the following days, the sound of scraping and grinding echoed through the cave all day long.

Bai Yao was completely engrossed, failing several times. Either the bow arm lacked elasticity, or the Crossbow Mechanism couldn't hold the string.

Xuan Mo stayed by her side, watching her work, occasionally lending a hand when she needed strength.

On the fifth day, the item was complete.

The thing looked inherently strange. The bow body, carved from Ironwood, bent into a smooth arc, the Ox Tendon string was taut, and the mechanism, made of Bone Chips, was cleverly embedded in the center.

Bai Yao hefted it in her hand; it was quite weighty.

"Let's go test it."

The two went to the open ground outside the Tribe. Bai Yao loaded a sharpened Hardwood Arrow and aimed at a crooked tree a hundred meters away.

Xuan Mo stood behind her, his gaze fixed on her steadily held arm.

"Swish

—"

A short, sharp sound of something slicing the air.

The arrow flashed, and the next second, it was embedded in the tree trunk, the fletching vibrating rapidly.

Xuan Mo's pupils suddenly contracted. He saw clearly that the speed and force of this arrow were absolutely no less than a Bone Spear thrown with all the strength of a robust beastman.

Yet, Bai Yao had used almost no effort at all.

Bai Yao walked over and had to pull hard to retrieve the arrow. The arrowhead had penetrated deeply into the wood.

"What do you think?"

Xuan Mo didn't speak. He reached out and took the strange weapon, examining every component closely.

He tried a dry fire, feeling the crisp click of the Trigger when the string was released and the force of the string snapping back.

"This thing..."

He paused, then found the right words, "It can change the rules."

"This is just the beginning."

Bai Yao took the crossbow back. "We can make smaller ones for Female self-defense. We can also make larger ones that can fire several arrows at once. The arrowheads can also be replaced, or use harder bone, specifically to break through thick hides."

As she spoke, the expression Xing Che would have upon seeing this item already flashed through her mind.

That fox-like man would certainly not miss out on a weapon that could overturn the balance of power.

Xuan Mo looked at the spirited Female beside him, and a certain spot in his heart softened.

She was always able to bring unexpected things, from food, to weapons, to... hope.

"Let's go back,"

He reached out and brushed the wood shavings from her shoulder. "The wind is picking up."