It wasn't until the beastmen caught the fish on the shore, started a fire, and threw them whole into the fire that the little ones, who were lying on the grass sunbathing with full stomachs, let out a disdainful "Tch!" in unison.
Having witnessed how meticulously Kaelen cooked, they knew without thinking that the water beast dish made by these beastmen would be inedible.
Sure enough...
"Pfft! Pfft!"
The Black Snake tribe beastman, Hayman, dug the roasted fish out of the firewood. Ignoring its pitch-black color, he opened his mouth and took a bite. "Blergh, what is this thing! It's both fishy and bitter, how can you guys even eat it?"
Wilder puffed out his round belly and proudly replied,
"Of course, how can your cooking compare to Kaelen! He only needs to beckon his hand, and all the foul-smelling water beasts turn into the most delicious food in the world!"
Hearing this, the beastmen turned to look at Kaelen with a mix of scrutiny and curiosity. Since they had chosen to stay here, they naturally didn't have much prejudice against him; their lack of interaction with Kaelen was merely a case of following the crowd.
They had long heard that Kaelen had an exclusive meat seasoning, but because of their pride, they hadn't gone to trade with him. Now, it seemed that to cook this water beast dish, that seasoning was necessary.
Hayman was thick-skinned by nature. He searched his body and took out some beautiful stones that Sub-Beasts would probably like very much. Feeling that such a precious seasoning couldn't be traded for just these few things, he pinned his companions down and stripped them of all their valuables.
"Kaelen, can we use these to trade for your barbecue seasoning?"
Kaelen tilted his head and looked at the items Hayman brought. There were some brightly colored stones that sparkled much like quartz, beast fangs, feathers of some colorful bird... He glanced over them and only took the colored stones and the beast fangs.
He brought the stones back to study. If they were indeed quartz, then not only would pottery making become easier, but even things like glass could be made. As for the beast fangs, he planned to grind them into a dagger for self-defense. He couldn't always let himself fall into dangerous situations like last time.
Thinking of this, Kaelen held the beast fang and glanced at Sane, his eyes sweeping downwards at Sane, as if estimating the success rate of cutting that thing off.
Sane only felt a chill down his spine and subconsciously squeezed his legs tightly together.
Kaelen traded the rest of his seasoning to Hayman's group and taught them how to process the water beasts to make a delicious dish for free. The beastmen followed along, and although they felt their food wasn't as fragrant as Kaelen's, it was much better than the fishy and bitter thing from earlier.
If this method was taught to the dexterous people in the tribe, there might be a new dish for the food-scarce season. Of course, the prerequisite was having Kaelen's exclusive seasoning.
It was getting quite late. Kaelen put the basket containing the crabs and his traded items on his back and led the little ones back to the tribe. Sane didn't follow. That little bit of fish and shrimp could make Kaelen and the beast cubs full, but it was still nothing compared to a beastman's appetite. Sane planned to go hunting with Hayman's group to catch a few more small prey to supplement his meal.
Through the recent meal, the relationship between Kaelen and the little ones became very good. The whole group threw the adults' instructions to the back of their minds, chattering beside Kaelen, telling him where it was fun to play, where there were fragrant flowers, where there were many sweet berries...
Kaelen rubbed the heads of the two little Sub-Beasts and sighed: a single meal had bribed half the young cubs of the tribe. It had to be said that the appeal of delicious food never diminished.
On the way back past the edge of the forest, Kaelen saw a species of tree that looked very similar to a Birch tree, except that it was much larger, and its outer bark seemed a bit rougher. Swiping his claws in a line, the bark was only slashed with a shallow cut, making the corners of Kaelen's mouth twitch.
He didn't understand why the Beast God let Sub-Beasts retain some beastified traits. Their ears weren't as sharp as beastmen's, their tails weren't flexible enough, and their claws weren't sharp enough. Kaelen deeply suspected that those things were just for show.
Roley watched Kaelen's movements and asked curiously,
"Kaelen, what are you trying to do?"
[I want to peel this tree bark off to take a look.]
The children curiously looked at the rough tree. A question spontaneously popped into their minds at the same time: Could this tree bark be edible? Or could it be used to make food taste better?
However, before they could voice their questions, Kaelen automatically added: [I want to see if it can be written on instead of parchment.]
Oh, so it wasn't edible. The children all looked disappointed. However, the little beastmen enthusiastically helped Kaelen peel the tree bark. It wasn't until a whole basket was full that Kaelen waved his hand to tell them to stop, and they continued their journey back.
Before entering the center of the tribe, Kaelen took the initiative to separate from the little ones. He was afraid that if their adults saw them, they would get a severe beating.
Turning towards his own cave, as soon as he returned, he went to the rabbit cage to check on its condition. The anesthetic had worn off, but perhaps due to the leg injury, it didn't dare to move.
Placing some tender grass into the cage for the rabbit to eat, Kaelen didn't immediately open a book to read. He remembered Sane saying that tomorrow the tribe's hunting team would go into the Demonic Beast forest to hunt. This trip would probably take about five to six days round trip, so he could take the opportunity to draw a few types of plants to give to Sane before tonight.
Not having time to make a pencil, Kaelen had to make do with a small branch that had been burned (burned into charcoal but not yet crumbled into ashes). He used a bone knife to scrape off the broken layer of ash on the outside and sharpened one end.
The tree bark he brought back indeed had identical properties to Birch tree bark. He only needed to scrape off the rough outer layer, and the inner membrane had paper-like qualities. Carefully making a slit with a knife, he peeled off that thin membrane, wiped away all the moss dust clinging to the surface, and had a perfect sheet of paper. However, regarding its other uses, he couldn't verify them immediately because the bark lacked the characteristic scent of the Birch tree. Whether it could be used as bandages or painkillers required further investigation.
The charcoal pen was very brittle and easy to break. Kaelen spent the entire afternoon and ruined a third of the bark paper before he managed to draw the shapes of the plants he wanted.
In the evening, he secretly brought the stack of drawings to give to Sane, and not unexpectedly, Sane demanded a little benefit in return. Wiping his swollen lips from being kissed, Kaelen felt endlessly frustrated inside.
Where was the coldest and most abstinent beastman in the tribe?
Kaelen deeply suspected that Sane's soul had been swapped!