"Waaah, I'm so hungry! Why can't I find even a single fruit?"
After walking for about three hours, the sun was already high in the sky. Little Cat Night hung limply on Su Yuan, while the stomachs of the other Beast Girls rumbled from time to time.
"Wuwuwu… if only we had saved some fruit from last night…"
White Rabbit looked like she was about to cry. Her upright ears drooped down, turning her from a cute rabbit into a wilted one.
"Wait here for a moment."
Su Yuan was also hungry. Since yesterday, he had only eaten two fruits. Unfortunately, his hiking backpack was full of tools, and the small pouch with food had been lost somewhere along the way.
The only edible thing left was a box of chocolate drink powder—but without a container, it was useless.
"Su Yuan, are you going hunting?"
Shi Shi followed him with her bone knife. In this frozen world, there were no animals in sight.
"No. I'm just looking for something useful. You all rest for a bit."
Su Yuan scanned the surroundings. The snowfield was barren, and after the blizzard, even fewer objects remained visible. Fortunately, not far away stood a bare tree trunk.
"This should be worth some points… right?"
The trunk was about as thick as a bowl, with only a few branches left. Around three meters of it stuck out from the snow.
Without hesitation, Su Yuan pulled out his entrenching tool.
Even Shi Shi's worn shoes had been worth 5 points—this couldn't be worthless.
Thunk!
The shovel only left a small dent in the trunk.
"Shi Shi! Can you come here for a moment?!"
After yesterday, Su Yuan knew her strength far exceeded his.
"Su Yuan, what is it?"
"Can you help me cut down this tree?"
He handed her the entrenching tool. Shi Shi hesitated, looking at it with concern.
To her, using such a sharp weapon on a tree felt like a waste.
"It's fine. It's sturdier than you think. And we need food."
"…Mm. I understand!"
Gripping the tool, she swung.
Crack!
A deep gash appeared in the trunk.
With one more powerful strike—
Snap!
The tree split cleanly.
"…That's terrifying. Is Shi Shi secretly a bear?"
Her ears clearly resembled a lion's, though.
"Here, Su Yuan."
She handed the tool back, looking a little distressed. The blade had dulled slightly.
"Keep it," Su Yuan said. "I'll teach you how to use it properly later."
"Mm! Thank you, Su Yuan. I'll take good care of it."
Her face lit up with joy as she secured it at her waist, replacing her bone knife.
"Can I see that knife?"
"This? It's made of wolf bone. Not as sharp as your tool."
She handed it over.
"System, evaluate these."
[Wolf Bone Knife: 20 points][Snow Yew Tree (Half): 75 points]
"…Not bad at all."
The tree alone was worth a lot.
"Trade the tree."
[Trade successful. Gained 75 points.]
The tree vanished instantly, leaving only an imprint in the snow.
Shi Shi stared in shock.
"Su Yuan… you…"
"Let's go back first. I'll explain everything."
Back with the others, Su Yuan gathered them into a circle.
"I have something important to tell you."
"Is it about you being a Shaman?!" Cat Night immediately pressed against him, rubbing her chin on his head.
"…Close enough."
"When I offer items to the Heavenly God, I can receive rewards in return. The rarer the item, the greater the reward."
When in doubt—use religion.
The system was impossible to explain otherwise.
The Beast Girls were stunned.
Then—
"Yay! I knew it! Su Yuan is a Divine Shaman!"
Cat Night hugged him tightly.
"Now our tribe has TWO Shamans!"
Shi Shi and the others were also overjoyed. A Divine Shaman—someone who could communicate with the heavens—was something only the largest tribes possessed.
Even White Rabbit smiled brightly.
"But you must keep this a secret," Su Yuan added seriously. "Otherwise, I'll be captured by hostile tribes."
They all nodded solemnly.
In their minds, Su Yuan had already become a mysterious figure who escaped from a great tribe.
"Alright. Now I'll ask the Heavenly God for food."
Immediately, all the Beast Girls knelt reverently in the snow.
"…You don't have to—never mind."
Su Yuan sighed and opened the system shop.
"Show me food items."
[Handsome Fu Instant Noodles: 15 points][Chubby Big Bread: 8 points][Woof Woof Cat Food Gift Pack: 30 points][...]
"…Wait. Why is there cat food?"
He glanced at Cat Night in his arms.
Well…
Cat girls are still cats, right?
…Right?