Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 143
Chapter 143
Even though two new rows of dormitories had been built, with the sudden influx of so many people, it was still insufficient to house them all. After arranging all the males, the other young females ended up sleeping out in the adjacent training ground, just like when Chen Qi had attended the assembly at the Lion-Wolf Tribe.
They were just a little surprised to see the wooden platform set up in the middle of the training ground, but since there were already so many novel things in Qi Ze City, no one found it particularly strange.
Because he felt guilty, Ayan actively helped with arranging the accommodations. After finishing, he even volunteered to join the day’s fishing and hunting, while the females from the Flame-Hill Tribe helped each other unpack their belongings.
Around the playground, a row of laiche fruit trees had already been planted, but they had only just sprouted and were far from fully grown. Combined with the hot weather, the daytime sun could scorch anyone, making it extremely difficult to sleep outdoors on the playground with any shade.
Chen Qi and Azhang discussed the matter and decided to replace the single beds in the dormitories with bunk beds. Then, by adjusting the spacing between the beds, they figured they could free up enough room for two more beds.
Thus, the dormitories that originally housed four people per room were instantly converted to accommodate twelve people each.
All the beastmen in Qi Ze City already had experience with woodworking, and with the recent help of the Salt-Water Tribe members who were learning as well, plus Chen Qi’s guidance, adding an extra layer to the original wooden beds didn’t take much effort. The new bedboards were simply cut from single, large tree trunks. By noon the next day, everyone who had been sleeping out on the playground had moved into the dormitories, while the extra people squeezed into other residents’ homes. Once everything was settled, it was found to be just enough to accommodate everyone.
Azhang also let out a sigh of relief. After all, it was still summer, not the cool weather after the first snow. He couldn’t bear the thought of people from other tribes having to stay outside, suffering under the scorching sun.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
After finishing the arrangements, Azhang went to consult with the leaders of the other tribes about the gathering.
Ever since the Rock Mountain Tribe merged into the Lion-Wolf Tribe, Azhang hadn’t seen the former chief for several years. Bo De looked a bit weary. He was staying with a few of his male companions, who, probably finding everything in Qi Ze City novel and interesting, had gone off for an early morning stroll. When Azhang arrived, Bo De was the only one left in the room.
Bo De was a bit older than Alì. Probably because he had lost his mate after joining the Lion-Wolf Tribe, and then also lost his only son, he looked considerably aged. Seeing Azhang standing at the doorway, he was dazed for a moment.
“Regarding the gathering, we wanted to discuss a few things. Would you have some time to come to the house next to the city gate later?” Azhang asked, standing at the doorway without any intention of going inside.
Because the light was behind him, Bo De couldn’t make out Azhang’s expression. After delivering his message, Azhang didn’t intend to wait for a reply and was about to turn and leave.
“Do you blame me for not taking you all with me back then?”
Hearing Bo De’s abrupt question, Azhang paused mid-step. He turned back and fixed his gaze on him. Bo De straightened his back slightly; he had once spent a long time in a position of authority, and even now, as an ordinary beastman, he was unwilling to be overshadowed by Azhang’s presence.
Azhang raised an eyebrow. “No, I don’t blame you.”
A hint of surprise appeared in Bo De’s eyes, but before it could fully show, Azhang’s calm voice carried over. “We stayed here of our own free will.” After saying this, he turned and walked away.
He didn’t want to say another word to Bo De. If he had known that the Lion-Wolf Tribe would send Bo De over, he would have refused their request to attend the gathering without a second thought.
Bo De’s expression darkened instantly, and veins bulged on his tightly clenched fists. After a long moment, he slowly relaxed his hands, the sullen look on his face fading. He straightened his fur garments and walked toward the city gate.
After leaving the dormitory, Azhang went to find Axu and Ayan. Because there wasn’t enough space in the dorms, Axu had moved to Ahxu’s place, and at that moment, he was busy with Ahxu, tending to the two newly fermented jars of grape wine.
To ensure the grape wine fermented properly, it needed to be stirred several times each morning and evening with a clean wooden stick. Since Ahxu was a lightweight drinker and didn’t care much for the wine, Axu didn’t feel comfortable leaving it all to him. After he had properly tended to both jars of wine, he finally left with Azhang.
When the three of them arrived at the city gate, they happened to see two groups of roughly fifty or sixty Lion-Wolf Tribe beastmen leaving the tribe.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Although it was a gathering, Qi Ze City didn’t restrict the beastmen’s comings and goings; all they had to do was greet the guards and mention roughly when they would return.
Today, Ake was on guard at the city gate. Seeing the three approaching, he jumped down from the wooden ladder along the city wall, nodded to the other two as a greeting, and then reported to Azhang, “The Lion-Wolf Tribe members are heading to the forest to hunt.”
“Heading to the forest to hunt?” Azhang frowned. “Don’t they know about the disturbances in the forest?”
Ake shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know either.
Azhang waved his hand, signaling Ake to return to his post, while he led the other two into the nearby office.
When the three entered, they saw that Bo De was already seated inside, waiting.
The space in the office wasn’t very large. In the center stood a rectangular table made by joining several large wooden tables, covered with a red tablecloth. Around it were about ten chairs. Near the door was a clay brazier for burning wood, next to it a wooden bucket filled with water, and a small stack of firewood—used for boiling tea during discussions.
Bo De was sitting upright at the head of the table, directly facing the door. When he saw the three enter, he merely smiled faintly and exchanged a brief greeting with them.
Axu subtly frowned. Azhang pulled out the outermost chair and sat down, and Axu followed suit, taking the seat next to him. Ayan paused for a moment, hesitated slightly, and then walked over to sit beside Bo De.
“The forest around here doesn’t have much prey left. I should have had someone explain the current situation in the forest to you earlier—so why are you heading in there now?” Azhang looked at Bo De. Although he didn’t particularly like him, he couldn’t allow the other beastmen to recklessly risk themselves in the forest.
Bo De smiled. “Don’t worry about it. The ones going to hunt in the forest this time are the strongest females in our tribe. They have extensive hunting experience, and we’ve always hunted in the forest regularly. This time, we’re just starting from your settlement.” The implication was clear: they weren’t taking the disturbances in the forest seriously at all.
“Next year, the animals on the Dora Plains will migrate back. The Duosha River and Chishui River already provide enough food for your tribe. Why risk going into the forest?”
Bo De shrugged. “This was the chief’s decision, not mine. Besides, our tribe is so large now. For countless generations, when the animals on the plains migrated, we relied on the forest to survive the winter. The forest is dangerous, yes, but isn’t winter dangerous too? Who knows if just relying on fish will be enough to get through the winter?”
Azhang snorted. “If you think eating only fish is dangerous, why don’t you try it yourself?” He knew that ever since Bo De arrived at Qi Ze City, he had always avoided eating fish. So when Bo De said he didn’t know if relying solely on fish would get them through the winter, Azhang suspected that some people had probably never even considered actually trying it.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Azhang, you called me over to discuss the assembly, right? Not to debate whether we should enter the forest.” Bo De tapped his hand on the table, sending out a few dull “dong dong” sounds as a reminder.
This time, the Lion-Wolf Tribe also brought supplies for trade, but the items were quite miscellaneous—flint, animal hides, fabrics, salt stones, and the like. All were common goods among the tribes, but none were things the people of Qi Ze City urgently needed at the moment.
The assembly could have actually started the moment they arrived. The process of trading goods was much like last year’s assembly at the Lion-Wolf Tribe: anyone who wanted to trade would set up their items beside the playground, and those interested would negotiate with them on how to make the exchange.
What Azhang needed to discuss with them wasn’t how to trade goods, of course, but the ultimate purpose of this assembly: how the matchmaking would be conducted.
Before the other tribes arrived, Azhang had already discussed with the members of his own tribe, and the final plan was to go with the bonfire party that Chen Qi had suggested.
At night, without the sun’s scorching heat, the temperature was fairly cool. They lit fires around the newly built wooden platform for illumination, creating an atmosphere that was also well suited for the war dance performance they had been rehearsing for over half a month.
Setting aside the fact that the people from the Lion-Wolf Tribe still insisted on going into the forest to hunt, Azhang and the others went over their plan in detail.
“I think this method will work,” Axu said. He hadn’t really had any strong opinions about how to handle this matchmaking feast. Although the single females in Qi Ze City were generally much older than the males from his tribe, he did hope that his tribe’s males would stay here.
Ayan nodded, indicating that he didn’t have any objections either.
Azhang turned his gaze to Bo De.
Bo De said, “I don’t have any objections either, but the people from our tribe just went hunting. They won’t be back for at least two or three days, so this… bonfire gathering can’t start until they return.”
Azhang slightly nodded. Since the members of the Lion-Wolf Tribe had said they would attend the gathering, he naturally couldn’t start it secretly while they were out.
After confirming the time for the bonfire gathering, Azhang went on to discuss the schedule for the coming days with the others, as well as the departure times for the members of the various tribes.
The Salt-Water Tribe, because of the long journey and the fact that they had brought along quite a few males, decided to wait until after the first snowfall to set off back to their tribe, even though they didn’t know how many of their males would stay behind.
The Lion-Wolf Tribe was nearby and planned to return to their tribe the day after the bonfire party. It seemed they had no intention of letting their males have much interaction with the females here.
Azhang didn’t mind either way. After confirming the arrangements for the coming days with them, he dismissed the meeting.
Seeing Azhang stand up to leave, Bo De quickly called after him, then turned to Axu and Ayan and said, “I have something I want to discuss with Azhang. Could you two leave first?”
Axu and Ayan exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and left the room first.
“I don’t think there’s anything we need to discuss.”
“En, I really don’t have anything I need to talk to you about.” Bo De nodded. “I just wanted to ask how Ali is doing now.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Extra chapter thanks to Magpie for the kofi~ PS: instant dislike of certain character, who’s with me?
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
Proofreader: Yume
Editor stepping into the realm of MTL translating, starting with CLWP. Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
