Chapter 10 Salt And Other Resources Were Confiscated
Karina’s eyes. lit up. and she quickly made her way down to the river. To her surprise, she managed to catch a fish–an enormous one, weighing at least dozens of pounds!
Beasthumans typically didn’t care much for fish, but as a cat beastwoman, fish happened to be her absolute favorite.
The massive fish rose up, nearly reaching her waist.
Even if a male had come to catch it, a fish this size would have been a real struggle to haul in.
“Lightning–type talents really are impressive,” Karina mused to herself.
She was still only at level one, but if she kept progressing, there was no telling if she’d even be weaker than Xelrik
This only reinforced her determination to strengthen her abilities.
Threading a straw rope through the fish’s mouth, she slung it over her shoulder and happily made her way back home.
“Zareth, why are you chopping down trees?” Draven asked, puzzled. He had just returned from hunting when he noticed Zareth in the forest, felling trees. And not just any trees–the thickest and sturdiest ones he could find.
“Building a house,” Zareth replied simply.
“But don’t you already have a house? Why build another one?”
“Rina wants a new place. If she gets pregnant, I want to make sure she’s comfortable during the
winter.”
Draven frowned at that, clearly displeased. “You’re spoiling her! What’s the point of building a whole new house when there’s already a perfectly good one? She’s just being difficult!” he scoffed. “You’re still hoping she’ll give you a child? Her fertility is zero! She’s just leading you on!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a massive tree crashed down–right onto Draven’s head.
“F*ck! Were you trying to kill me?” Draven shouted, scrambling out of the way.
Zareth’s expression remained firm, his voice cold. “Rina isn’t like that. Chief Aethor hasn’t said anything about her being infertile–those are just rumors. I trust her, and I won’t let about her like that again.”
you
talk
endi
“Fine, fine, let her trick you all she wants. Just don’t come crying to me when you with nothing–not even the clothes on your back.” Draven huffed and stalked off.
Yet before long, he came back, a stone blade in hand.
Chapter 10 Salt And Other Resources Were Confiscated
#Finished
The steady thud of his blade against the tree trunk echoed through the forest, filled with unspoken frustration.
Zareth glanced at him..
“I’m not helping that d*mn beastwoman–I just don’t want you to drop dead. You’re hunting all day and chopping wood at night. Keep this up, and you’re going to keel over from exhaustion!” Draven snorted, still irritated.
Everyone in the tribe knew how relentless Karina’s demands were. Every single night, she kept Zareth up until dawn. What kind of woman didn’t let her beast husband rest?
For days, this had been the routine. Even an iron beast wouldn’t have lasted under such conditions!
But what Draven didn’t know was that although Zareth hadn’t been sleeping much, he had absorbed a large amount of Level–One Beast Crystals. Any fatigue he might have felt was completely washed. away.
Far from being drained, he was getting stronger than ever.
“Thanks for lending me your salt. I’ll repay you double,” Zareth said, keeping Draven’s kindness.
in mind.
The two of them worked tirelessly, chopping down several logs, tying them together, and hauling them back to the tribe. By the time they returned, it was already afternoon.
Before they even reached the cabin, Draven suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. “Who’s cooking? That smells incredible!”
Zareth had a hunch, but he didn’t say anything. He simply continued walking toward the house.
As they approached, they spotted Karina outside, tending to a pot of fish stew. The broth was infused with fresh ginger to mask the fishy scent, simmered with radishes, and finished off with a handful of chopped onions.
The aroma alone was enough to make one’s mouth water. “You’re back,” Karina said, glancing up to see Zareth, with Draven practically drooling behind him. She smiled. “Have you been chopping wood? Perfect timing–I just made some fish stew. Draven, why don’t you stay
with us?”
and eat
She knew that Draven was one of Zareth’s few friends. Although Draven didn’t like her, his care for Zareth was genuine.
Draven stared at the bubbling pot, his earlier irritation forgotten. Without realizing it, he nodded. *All right…”
Before he could sit down, Zareth suddenly let go of the massive log he had been carrying, forcing Draven to catch it as it nearly crushed him. “He doesn’t like fish,” Zareth said flatly.
Chapter 10 Salt And Other Resources Were Confiscated
Draven nearly choked.
Who said I don’t like fish? Who wouldn’t want to taste something that smelled this good?
#Finished
But seeing Zareth’s expression, Draven reluctantly set the log down and muttered, “Ahern, all right, next time then…” He turned and left–but not without looking back every few steps.
Zareth walked over, took the ladle, and scooped up some soup. His deep, magnetic voice asked, “Where’d you get the fish?”
Karina leaned against the table, watching as his slender fingers held the bowl. With a playful smile, she said, “Caught it myself, right from the river.”
“A fish that big? In the river?” Zareth looked skeptical.
“I was just as surprised. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to do it.” Karina grinned. “By the way, I used my lightning–type talent. I never realized how powerful it was until now.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Zareth’s sharp eyes. “You learned how to use your lightning–type talent already?”
Most beasthumans took months to get the hang of their abilities–some, even years. Even he had needed an entire month of hard training to reach proficiency.
But Karina had mastered hers in just a few days.
“Yeah, I spent most of today practicing with the fish,” Karina said, though she couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged at how slow her progress was. Even after practicing all day, she could barely summon any lightning.
Zareth remained silent.
A whole day?
If the other males in the tribe found out, they’d probably want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
After finishing their meal, Zareth went back to cutting logs before nightfall. Not long after he left, Karina suddenly heard excited voices from the direction of Aethor’s home.
“The salt’s here! The trade caravan just got back from the Briarhide Tribe. Hurry up, Chief Aethor’s handing out the salt!”
Briarhide Tribe was famous for its salt production. All the surrounding tribes traded goods for it. In beast world, salt and beast crystals were the closest thing to currency.
Karina stood up immediately. Her older brother had worked himself to the bone mining salt in Briarhide Tribe, just to earn supplies for her. The trade caravans were their only link. She could use this opportunity to ask about him.
Outside the chief’s residence, a crowd of beasthumans had already gathered.
8:24 PM
Chapter 10 Salt And Other Resources Were Confiscated
Tribe to mine salt, he could carn salt and resources for his sister.
Without hesitation, he agreed and left.
Karina searched the faces around her and finally spotted the males distributing salt to the females. Males, on the other hand, got nothing.
Finished
After thinking it over, Karina decided to line up as well. When it was her turn to collect her share, she figured it would also be the perfect chance to question the Aethor about her brother’s supplies.
When it was Karina’s turn, one of Aethor’s attendants casually tossed her a few tiny chunks of salt, no bigger than her fingernails.
She frowned. “That’s it? The others got way more than this. And what about the resources my brother sent?”
In the past, she had been too afraid to speak up about things like this. Avani had tricked her into keeping quiet, fearing Xelrik would think she was being troublesome.
But
But now, it was obvious–her share had been drastically reduced.
If this were just about confiscating her resources, she might have let it go. But some of this salt. had been earned through her brother’s hard work.
“Get lost. That’s all that’s left. Take it or leave it,” the male said dismissively, waving her away. “That fool never asked us to bring anything for you.”
Then, without hesitation, he turned and handed nearly half a jar of fine salt to Avani, who was standing nearby.
“Ava, this is yours. Take it back quickly.”
Avani accepted the salt container, then cast a smug glance at Karina before putting on a look of concern. “Rina, you seem to be running low on salt. Would you like me to lend you some?”
