"It doesn't have to be that complicated. A few days ago, I found a cave near the forest. It's quite close to both the Snow Wolf Clan and the Golden Dragon Clan. The entrance is small, but it's very spacious inside. Plus, the temperature is low, making it perfect for storing prey. When the time comes, we can block it with vines and rocks, and I guarantee no one will find it.
"I'll patrol it every day to ensure we don't lose a single piece of prey or a single grain of rice," Laxus guaranteed, patting his chest.
It was just a front to keep people from suspecting anything. She wasn't worried about anyone stealing.
"Alright. From now on, I'll put the leftover prey in the cave. Father and you can go get it anytime you need," Ophelia said.
After spending the whole day affectionately bonding with her mother, Rebecca, Ophelia and Tyler returned to the Snow Wolf Clan before the sun went down.
Time passed quickly. The third batch of wheat and rice had matured, automatically husking and storing themselves in the system warehouse.
(195 + 200 = 395)
Warehouse: Level 2, Capacity: 500, Current Storage: 395 (Rice: 295, Wheat: 100)
Looking closely, a few fruit trees were also about to ripen. The warehouse would soon be completely full.
So, as soon as the third day arrived, Ophelia took Lam and Sail to the cave her brother had mentioned.
"Wait here for a moment."
She left Tyler to guard the entrance while she squeezed through the narrow opening into the cave.
About half an hour later, she finally walked out.
"My friends have already placed the rice inside the cave. You can go in and get it."
Tyler led the way holding a torch, thoughtfully shielding Ophelia's head to prevent her from hitting the cave walls. Sail and Lam followed closely behind.
Dry firewood had been prepared in the cave beforehand, and Tyler lit a fire as soon as he entered.
Four baskets full of rice appeared before everyone.
A hint of shock flashed through Lam's eyes. He had assumed that since Ophelia had already traded one hundred and fifty catties of rice, her stock wouldn't be too large. He hadn't expected there to still be so much. With just a quick glance, he estimated there were about two hundred catties of rice here.
"Little female, where on earth did you get so much rice?" the straightforward Sail blurted out.
"I have some friends who have already mastered farming techniques. However, their tribe is hidden, and they aren't good at communicating with outsiders. They've stockpiled quite a lot of rice, so they specifically asked me to help bring it to the trading market for exchange."
This was the perfect explanation Ophelia had spent days coming up with.
"They put the tribe's surplus grain into this cave every once in a while, so if you want a steady supply in the long term, that's possible too," she added.
Lam was a smart man and wouldn't press for details, while Sail was honest and good-natured, with no intention of prying into others' affairs.
"Alright. If this trade goes smoothly, I'll ask for another seventy bags of rice next time."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."
Ophelia nodded. "Alright, let's start packing the rice."
The two males took out several beast skin bags they had prepared in advance and began packing. Ophelia filled every bowl to the brim, and in the end, she even gave them two extra bowls of rice for free.
"The extra rice is a token of my goodwill. I wish you a smooth journey this time."
On the way here, she had learned that Sail planned to take the rice to the eastern trading market. The climate there was cold and unsuitable for growing crops, making rice extremely scarce, so the exchange 'price' would be higher.
Lam, on the other hand, was heading to the southern trading market, which was adjacent to the ocean. The saline-alkali soil there was also unsuitable for plant growth.
"Thank you. I hope we can cooperate long-term," Lam said, full of hope for the future.
"Deal."
Out of the two hundred catties of rice, seventy catties were divided between the two males. The remaining one hundred and thirty catties were all brought to the trading market by Ophelia.
An orderly system for 'selling' rice had already formed. Before Tyler and Ophelia even arrived, the males coming to trade had already formed a long line at their usual spot.
Since exchanging beast skins yielded more points, Ophelia had instructed everyone to bring beast skins for trading whenever possible. This was considered good news for the males. After all, everyone preferred to keep the meat for their own consumption.
This time, the one hundred and thirty catties of rice were traded for two Orange Crystal Stones (for twenty catties), twenty Red Crystal Stones (for twenty catties), four hundred and fifty beast skins (for thirty catties), and six hundred pieces of prey (for sixty catties).
Taking advantage of a free moment, Ophelia quietly checked the warehouse.
Warehouse: Level 2, Capacity: 500, Current Storage: 195 (Rice: 95, Wheat: 100)
"Tyler, go to the Golden Dragon Clan to find Laxus. Have him bring a few males to help move the prey over to the cave."
She intended to move the items into the secret cave base as a smokescreen before secretly transferring them into her farm space; after all, it was best not to let outsiders know too much.
"But you're here all by yourself..." Tyler was a bit worried about leaving Ophelia alone.
"It's fine. Go and come back quickly. I'll be perfectly safe," Ophelia reassured him.
Tyler pursed his lips, then turned and strode briskly toward the Golden Dragon Clan.
Ophelia stayed behind and strolled around the area. She wasn't worried about anyone stealing the prey; after all, there were so many people watching.
However, she had truly underestimated how low some people could stoop.
Amy was fussing about wanting to eat fruit, so left with no choice, Loki and Miche brought her to the trading market to take a look.
It was already afternoon. There wasn't much fresh fruit left, but the corresponding price was also lower.
At a fruit stall, Amy was frozen in her tracks, staring at a fruit with a green rind and red flesh.
Seeing this, the male at the fruit stall picked up a sliced wedge of the early-season watermelon and waved it in front of Amy.
"Little female cub, this is a chill-melon. It's very sweet and especially refreshing to eat in this hot summer. Do you want your father to buy you a big chill-melon?
"One chill-melon only costs five Red Crystal Stones or fifty pieces of prey." The male smiled, waving his hand to fan the sweet aroma of the watermelon into Amy's nose.
Her eyes were glued to the fruit.
"What? Fifty pieces of prey? That's so much!" Even Miche, who had eaten her fair share of fruit, was shocked.
She had heard of chill-melons but had never seen one. She knew that only young females from wealthy families could afford them, making them somewhat of a status symbol in the Beast World, but she hadn't expected them to be this 'expensive.'
Loki furrowed his sword-like brows, clearly dissatisfied with such a steep price.
"I picked these chill-melons deep in the forest. Everyone knows how dangerous the deep forest is; I risked my life to get these. I'm the only one in the entire trading market who has them, and I don't have many. Once summer is over, they'll be gone.
"Tell you what, since it's a hot day, I'll just ask for four Red Crystal Stones, or fifty pieces of prey—regardless of size, as long as the quantity is right." He had picked five chill-melons in the forest this year, and now he only had this last one left. As long as he sold it, he would have enough prey to survive the winter.
"Father, I want this chill-melon." The little female cub's lake-green eyes were filled with longing.
Miche bit her lip. Deep down, she didn't want Loki to exchange fifty pieces of prey for this chill-melon. After all, everything Loki owned belonged to her. Amy wasn't even her biological daughter, so why should her prey be used to buy this chill-melon?
Her eyes darted around, and she bent down, saying softly, "Amy, I heard that Ophelia came to the trading market to trade rice again today."