As Lin ate the roasted meat, she began to explain. “A shaman is a very capable person. Only large Tribes have one. They’re clever, the wise ones of their people. They know how to make fire, treat illnesses, find water, observe the weather, and teach everyone all sorts of Hunting techniques. They also shape stones and wood into Weapons. Roasting food over a fire is something they passed down.”
Su Cheng understood. A shaman was probably the sort of person who was smarter than most, someone who had learned from nature over the course of many long years and then put that knowledge to use.
“You’ve never learned how to make fire?” Su Cheng asked curiously.
Lin’s ears drooped as she replied, “The shaman only teaches the Inheritors of the Tribe how to make fire. The knowledge isn’t passed on to everyone. I’ve also heard Mother say that most of the ordinary tribespeople don’t know where the Fire Seed comes from. They only need to go Hunting every day and bring back food. If the fire goes out, the shaman will naturally make another one and pass the Fire Seed along.”
Chun added, “Small Tribes usually trade food with large Tribes for their Fire Seeds, then try their best to keep them burning for as long as possible. The other way is to wait for rain. When the sky rumbles and light falls from above, you can go looking for a Fire Seed.”
“Oh, and I heard Mother say that fire has appeared in stones before, too. I just don’t know if it’s true.”
After hearing them out, Su Cheng had a clear idea of the situation.
Fire could be called the beginning of all civilization. From what he could tell, it hadn’t become widespread yet, and large Tribes even used it as a bargaining chip.
This was a primitive age, and this land was nourished by innocence and savagery.
A cold wind swept through the trees, setting the leaves rustling.
Firelight wavered in the clear eyes of the others. Listening to the Cat-eared Girls around the campfire at Camp, laughing and playing happily, Su Cheng couldn’t help but feel moved.
He felt that the birthday gift Heaven had given him was like a piece of red-hot gold.
Something he couldn’t bear to part with, yet was too hot to hold.
—But it was his gift, so he wanted to protect it well.
“I’ll teach you how to make fire. Then you won’t have to worry about the Fire Seed anymore.”
“Really?” Lin, who was eating roasted meat, widened her eyes and hurriedly swallowed a mouthful. Even Chun was astonished. Her gaze grew fervent as she looked at Su Cheng. Was he really willing to teach them how to make fire?
“You’re willing to teach us how to make fire?”
“Of course. Why would I lie to you? After all, you saved my life,” Su Cheng said.
“We can really learn? That’s wonderful!” Lin was overjoyed. She even excitedly threw herself onto Su Cheng. “Thank you!”
Su Cheng saw a shadow dart toward him and felt something enormous pounce on him. Two soft mounds landed right on his face.
This really was paradise~
Su Cheng felt dizzy, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the moment.
Unlike Lin’s lively, cheerful nature and Chun’s cold indifference, the other Cat-eared Girls were all much the same: they were very good at expressing their feelings.
When they were happy, they let loose. When something truly, truly exciting happened, they naturally showed their friendliness by rushing over to hug someone.
“Thank you.”
As Lin hugged Su Cheng, the coldness around Chun seemed to melt a little, too.
She gazed at the man before her, then suddenly said earnestly, “Hello. Welcome to the Cat-ear Tribe. You can call me Chun.”
Just then, Lin stopped fooling around and looked down at Su Cheng’s face, which was pressed into her breasts, then grinned.
“Hi! My name’s Lin.”
Su Cheng looked at the two of them and smiled in return. “Hello. My name is Su Cheng.”
“Su Cheng… Cheng. Mm, I’ll remember that.” Lin murmured his name, then finally released him and plopped down. She took some more meat from the pouch at her waist and held it out to him.
“Here, eat this, Cheng.”
She didn’t know how else to express her kindness. To her, this was the most sincere kindness she could offer.
“Okay.”
Su Cheng didn’t refuse, because he really was hungry. He’d only eaten a few bites of fruit all day, and his stomach had been empty for ages. As he accepted reality and adapted to it, the stubbornness of his modern self was worn away, and his standards naturally began to lower, bit by bit.
It was only roasted meat. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t eat it.
He copied Lin’s earlier method, skewering the meat on a branch and setting it over the fire to roast.
The smell of meat filled the air. Before he could take a bite, something shoved hard against him. A little head peeked out from under his arm. The Wolf-eared Girl who had been curled up beside him all along had grabbed his Beast-hide Skirt and was looking up at him with an eager expression.
“Cheng, I-I’m Luo. I helped make the fire, too.”
The Wolf-eared Girl, Luo, gazed at him pleadingly. “They said that if you work, you get food.”
All right.
Su Cheng’s mouth twitched. “Fine, fine, you can have some.” As he spoke, he tore off half and handed it to her.
At the sight of the cooked meat, Luo’s eyes lit up at once, and a smile spread across her face. She opened her little mouth and took it directly from him. Then she scrambled up, rolled over, and curled up in Su Cheng’s arms. Her tail swayed gently as she rested her head on his thigh and obediently chewed her meat.
Holy crap!
Too adorable!
What old shut-in could withstand this kind of test?
Su Cheng felt his whole body grow warm.
Across the fire, Chun seemed to be making a bed, spreading a pile of Dry Grass on the ground.
At the sight of this, her eyes flickered, though a trace of regret showed in them.
“The Wolf Ear Tribe usually isn’t this friendly with Outsiders. She really likes you.”
It was just a pity that this Wolf-eared Girl was so weak. It was obvious she’d been abandoned by her people. She came from beyond this forest, and just making it here alive must have been difficult enough.
Hearing this, Su Cheng grinned and rubbed Luo’s ears as she sat in his arms.
“She really does like me.”
She likes the meat in my hand…
Just then, Lin seemed to notice what Chun was doing and asked with wide eyes, “Chun, are you sleeping here tonight?”
“Mm.” Chun nodded, though the corner of her eye fell on Su Cheng across from her, eating his meat with a miserable expression.
“Then I’ll sleep here, too. I saw a few empty Tents.”
Having lived with Chun for over half a year, Lin was close enough to her to guess what was on her mind.
They had to keep a close eye on this man…
They couldn’t let him get away.
Ah~ If only he’d agree to join the Cat Ear Tribe.
After that, Su Cheng took the opportunity to ask about some other things.
To keep himself alive, he had to rely on the Cat Ear Tribe before him. At the same time, if everyone was to make it through this Extreme Winter, he needed to do something to improve their current living conditions.
To do that, he needed to earn the Tribe’s trust and gain enough influence. Of course, he believed that once he taught them how to make fire, all of this would become much easier.
Chun and Lin answered all of Su Cheng’s questions.