Payment

As he spoke, Jian Mo grabbed the cloth he had traded for, then suddenly paused.

Wu Jiong asked, "What is it?"

Jian Mo pulled out the piece of cloth he had grabbed and held it up for Wu Jiong to see. "This piece is different. It seems especially soft."

Chapter 15: Payment

Jian Mo took the grayish-white cloth out of the basket on his back and showed it to Wu Jiong.

Wu Jiong took it and rubbed it between his fingers. "It's woven from Pack-Pack Beast fur."

Jian Mo asked, "Pack-Pack Beast?"

Wu Jiong nodded. "Pack-Pack Beast fur is especially soft. It's different from other beasts' fur, so it's easy to recognize."

It wasn't the first time Jian Mo had heard the name "Pack-Pack Beast," but he had never seen one.

He asked, "What do Pack-Pack Beasts look like? Do many tribes nearby raise them?"

Wu Jiong said, "Not that many. Their fur is excellent, and once they've had young, they can be milked. But they're very hard to raise and easily frightened. One year, our tribe traded a lot of beast meat for three Pack-Pack Beasts. They all died within a season."

Jian Mo said, "That can happen?!"

Wu Jiong nodded. "The tribe even chose to raise them in spring. We didn't dare do it in winter, when they'd be even more likely to die."

Hearing this, Jian Mo couldn't help asking, "If they die so easily, wouldn't it take less beast meat to trade for one?"

Wu Jiong said, "It takes a lot. Few tribes raise them, so they ask for more beast meat."

"Huh?" Jian Mo sighed. "I thought they'd ask for less."

Wu Jiong said, "It doesn't matter if they ask for a lot. We'll trade for two for you to play with."

Jian Mo was stroking the cloth made from Pack-Pack Beast fur again. He still couldn't resist the temptation. "Should we ask first? Maybe they won't need as much beast meat as we think?"

Wu Jiong had no objection. He only asked, "Do you remember which tribe the person who traded you this cloth was from?"

Jian Mo thought for a long time, then shook his head.

Trading the fish pieces had been too chaotic. Everyone had come over with supplies to trade, all at once. He hadn't looked closely at what he received, just stuffed it straight into his basket.

Besides, a lot of people had brought cloth, and he couldn't tell who had brought which piece.

Jian Mo felt a headache coming on. "How about I ask Qing Kuo tomorrow? He knows the sub-beastmen nearby better, so he might remember."

Wu Jiong said, "Let's go ask him now."

Jian Mo looked up at the sky outside. "It's almost dark."

Wu Jiong said, "It's all right. I'll show you where his house is."

It was Jian Mo's first visit to Qing Kuo's house.

Qing Kuo's house wasn't far away. It was downstream, only a short walk from there.

Qing Kuo's house was very large. Although it had only one story, it was bigger than Wu Jiong's. From outside, it looked like a tall, imposing stone house.

Jian Mo guessed it might be because Qing Kuo had two children that his house had been built so large.

Beastmen and sub-beastmen were very strong, but their fertility was low.

Many couples might never have children in their entire lives. Families like Qing Kuo's, with two children, were very rare.

Perhaps hearing their footsteps, Ban Ming ran out of the house.

Seeing Jian Mo and Wu Jiong through the gathering dusk, he was a little surprised. "Chief, Brother Jian Mo?"

Wu Jiong nodded. "We came to ask your father about some cloth."

Ban Ming was confused. "What cloth? Come in."

The two walked into Qing Kuo's house.

Qing Kuo invited them over to eat roasted beast meat.

Jian Mo took a discreet look around. Qing Kuo's home was very clean and tidy, with a natural, rustic beauty.

Everyone sat down by the fire pit, and Wu Jiong explained why they had come.

Qing Kuo did remember. "The cloth came from a sub-beastman of the Ice River Tribe."

Seeing that Jian Mo hadn't realized who he meant, Qing Kuo reminded him, "I even told you to give him an extra portion of fish pieces."

Jian Mo remembered then. "Oh, it was him?"

Qing Kuo said, "You want to trade for a Pack-Pack Beast? They're hard to raise. If you like cloth woven from their fur, you'd be better off trading for some fur directly."

Jian Mo felt a little embarrassed. "Actually, more than the fur, I want Pack-Pack Beast milk."

Qing Kuo wrinkled his nose. "Its milk is a little salty and has a bit of a gamey smell. It doesn't taste very good."

The kitten Banjiu, who had been quiet at the side, suddenly let out a "Meow."

Jian Mo looked at the kitten with the round head.

Ban Ming translated for his younger brother. "Banjiu says Pack-Pack Beast meat doesn't taste good either."

Qing Kuo narrowed his eyes and looked at him, then suddenly grabbed Ban Ming by the ear. "When did you give Banjiu Pack-Pack Beast meat?"

Ban Ming answered awkwardly, "I only traded for a small piece today."

Qing Kuo raised a hand and gave him a knock. "Don't feed Banjiu all sorts of random things!"

Ban Ming said, "Hey, I only let him have a taste!"

Di Ya had been laughing beside them the whole time. He reached out and stroked his younger son's round, furry head.

Jian Mo waited until their playful scuffle had subsided, then asked, "Does the Ice River Tribe usually trade Pack-Pack Beasts to people from other tribes?"

While being hit, Ban Ming looked up. "Yes. Most tribes have raised Pack-Pack Beasts. They're not particularly rare. If the Ice River Tribe won't trade them, you can just catch some in the wild."

Jian Mo was surprised. "They live in the wild?"

Ban Ming said, "Yes, but Pack-Pack Beasts caught in the wild are even harder to raise. They die very easily. A clap of thunder can frighten a whole lot of them to death. If they didn't have so many young, who knows if they'd still exist now?"

Jian Mo said, "Then they really are a little hard to raise, huh?"

Difficult as they were to raise, Jian Mo still wanted to see them. They arranged at Qing Kuo's house to go trade for Pack-Pack Beasts together the next day, then said goodbye to the family and left.

Jian Mo rarely wandered outside at this hour.

It wasn't pitch-black outside. Stars twinkled overhead, the distant mountains and forests were dark, and the river beside the tribe reflected a faint glimmer of light.

The air was a little cold, but walking along the wide, level dirt road was very pleasant.

Jian Mo looked at the distant mountains and said, "I didn't expect an evening walk to feel so nice."

Wu Jiong walked beside him. "Mm."

The two walked around the tribe for a while, then went home early to sleep.