Sitting cross-legged atop Minho's back, Hayoon's fingers twitched slightly as she instinctively wanted to stare a little longer.
Suddenly, Minho accelerated and instantly pulled far ahead of the other beastmen.
Behind them, Beom's giant bear form panted heavily as he said in shock, "We have been running nonstop this whole way, and you still have enough strength left to move that fast?"
Jinsan whose carrying Immo on his back nodded enviously.
Meanwhile, the people from the Voz-Karr Tribe verbally praised them. "As expected of the warriors from the Ur-Shet Tribe. Your endurance is impressive."
But in reality, their competitive spirit had also been ignited, and they immediately sped up as well.
The canine beastmen looked even more agile as they ran beneath the sunlight.
How could Beom and Jinsan possibly allow themselves to lose?
The two giant bears immediately lowered their heads and charged forward.
The one suffering the most was Chief Baek.
He was already over a hundred years old. How could his stamina compare to beastmen in their prime?
Panting heavily as he ran, he shouted, "Slow down, all of you! Do you think these old bones can keep up with you?!"
The only response he received was several excited wolf howls and a few guilty-sounding bear roars.
Sitting at the very front, Hayoon had no idea how things had somehow developed into a race.
She held back her laughter so hard that her shoulders trembled.
From the edge of the Voz-Karr Tribe's territory to the place where they actually lived, another hour or so passed.
The sunlight warmly blanketed the land.
Out on the open field, Chorong and several others were already waiting for them.
The beastmen from the Ur-Shet Tribe stopped running and transformed back into human form before walking over together with the sub-beastwomen.
Chorong waved with a smile. "Welcome. You arrived quite quickly. You must be thirsty. Drink some water first."
Several people stepped forward and handed each of them red pottery jars filled with cool spring water.
Hayoon gulped down several large mouthfuls while wiping sweat from her forehead and observing the Voz-Karr Tribe around her.
Their tribe truly was enormous.
Looking around, besides countless caves, Hayoon also spotted many treehouses and simple grass shelters.
The scents drifting through the wind were also mixed and varied, clearly not belonging only to canine beastmen.
After all, the Voz-Karr Tribe was the largest and most prosperous tribe nearby, so there were naturally many outsiders living here as well.
After drinking water, the two groups exchanged a few polite words.
Then Chorong's gaze landed on Hayoon's face, and he broke into a bright smile. "Hayoon, we meet again. This time, you are the one teaching us the weaving method?"
Chorong friendliness caught Hayoon slightly by surprise, but she still smiled and replied, "Yes, Chief Chorong."
Chorong's smile instantly widened further. "Good, good, good. Then stay in our tribe without worries. We will prepare lodging and food for you."
As he spoke, he even reached out and patted Hayoon on the shoulder, acting extremely familiar with her.
Minho's deep red eyes swept toward him as he said flatly, "I will stay in the Voz-Karr Tribe together with her. I can hunt for food."
Hayoon immediately looked at Minho in surprise and delight.
Truthfully, if she had really been left here alone, she would have felt somewhat nervous too.
Chorong withdrew his hand and laughed awkwardly. "Our tribe is this large and has so many people. Surely you do not think Hayoon would go hungry here?"
Immo smiled warmly and said, "Of course not. But Hayoon is still a member of our Ur-Shet Tribe. Having Minho stay here as well means they can look after each other. Once Hayoon finishes teaching the weaving method, the two of them can return together."
She deliberately emphasized the words "Ur-Shet Tribe" and "return together."
Minho added, "If I stay here, I will pay your tribe with supplies."
Chorong narrowed his fox-like eyes and replied with a half-smile, "You are too polite."
Turning his head, he looked toward Chief Baek and asked, "Chief Baek, would you like to rest a little longer first, or should we go see the pottery kiln now?"
Chief Baek answered, "Let's go now. The sun will set later."
Chorong agreed readily. "Alright, then let's go."
As a result, the people from the Ur-Shet Tribe did not even enter the deeper parts of the tribe before transforming back into their beast forms and following behind Chorong and the other beastmen at a run.
The important sub-beastman all rode on the backs of the beastmen.
This time, they only ran for around ten minutes before stopping again.
Hayoon slid down from Minho's back and looked toward the low mountain ahead.
All the vegetation on it had been cleared away, exposing pale yellow soil.
Directly ahead stood a cave entrance over five meters tall, its interior pitch black.
A cool evening breeze drifted past, carrying the scent of burnt firewood and ashes.
Hayoon's heart began pounding excitedly.
"So this is your pottery kiln?" Beom asked curiously.
"That's right. Light the torches and I will take you inside to look around," Chorong replied.
Everyone quickly lit torches and followed Chorong into the cave.
After walking through a tunnel-like passage of moderate length and turning several corners, Hayoon suddenly noticed the texture beneath her feet change and instinctively looked down.
Although the area had clearly been cleaned before, years and years of wood ash had already seeped deep into the rock and soil, giving the cave walls a dark glossy sheen.
Chorong gave Hayoon an approving glance and explained, "This is where we begin stacking the firewood. The flames continue burning all the way toward the kiln pit ahead."
Then he raised the torch higher. "The smoke vents are opened in these areas."
Hayoon listened attentively while mentally estimating how much firewood would be required for a single firing.
The terrifying number she eventually calculated made her eyes widen involuntarily.
Everyone else stayed close beside Chorong, but Minho quietly moved closer to Hayoon and asked, "What is wrong?"