Chapter 1427: Chapter 1266: Ancient Beast World 32
Shuangshuang set off with Yan Ming and thirty beastmen from the tribe, carrying huge baskets filled with goods for trading, in a grand procession.
The location for the tribal gathering is usually a territory allocated by a Super Tribe, which is also responsible for the safety, and those attending are typically from high-level and intermediate tribes.
All tribes attending the gathering must pay the Super Tribe a fee, one strip of meat per person per day, settled daily, with the size of the meat determined by the Super Tribe’s standard, about two pounds or so.
This price isn’t cheap; you should know that these Super Tribes want meat jerky that’s easy to store, dried thoroughly. It takes several pounds of meat to make two pounds of jerky.
Because of this expensive protection fee, some small tribes that lack food simply can’t afford to attend the tribal gatherings.
In the past, unless they ran out of salt, even the Silver Tiger Tribe was reluctant to come to the gatherings, because to ensure safety, it was important to send enough people, and more people meant the entrance fee alone would make hearts ache.
Of course, ever since the Silver Tiger Clan had the Illusion Beast Incense, they didn’t care about such an entrance fee, so they’ve been attending the gatherings quite frequently these past few years.
However, both Shuangshuang and Yan Ming, one always a homebody, the other always indifferent to gatherings, were really attending for the first time.
The other beastmen, being familiar with the gatherings, led the way for Shuangshuang and Yan Ming and handled trivial tasks upon knowing that Shuangshuang had never attended a gathering.
This time, Zhi Yi was lucky enough to be one of those drawn by lot, and since he had always been a leader among the younger generation of the tribe, he and the also-selected Ting Lan were responsible for taking care of Shuangshuang and Yan Ming up close.
Upon arriving, Zhi Yi instructed two beastmen to distribute jerky to everyone, so that when entering, each person could simply hand over their jerky as an entrance fee at the gate.
The reason for not handing them over collectively is because the beastmen here are illiterate and can’t count, even those of the Super Tribe.
If they handed all the meat for everyone at once, the gatekeeping beastmen would undoubtedly be confused, and if they became embarrassed, they might think they were causing trouble.
If a misunderstanding led to a fight, it would be bad, so it’s better for everyone to hold their own jerky, handing it over one by one for peace of mind and convenience.
Zhi Yi distributed jerkies, while Ting Lan took out a small bamboo box, and upon opening it, revealed densely packed small fruit shells about the size of eggs, incredibly hard but empty inside.
Originally, these fruits were picked by the tribe’s beastmen for children to play with, but Shuangshuang noticed that the shells were hard, while the fibrous fruit inside could easily be removed once dried.
The important part was that after removing the pulp, the interior of the shell was smooth and watertight, just perfect for holding some potions or similar items, thus finding a use for these fruit shells.
Ting Lan distributed these fruit shells to everyone, and Shuangshuang removed the wooden stopper from a shell, releasing a burst of fragrance; it contained mosquito repellent.
Although this mosquito repellent smelled pleasant, it effectively repelled snakes, insects, mice, and ants, since its fragrance was made from the flowers of a plant with strong repellent properties.
Shuangshuang wondered why Ting Lan brought this out, as everyone had already applied mosquito repellent and didn’t need more, right?
Soon, Ting Lan explained to Shuangshuang, "This is to be applied under the nose. The smell inside the gathering is unpleasant, different from our tribe.
Especially since this gathering has been going on for quite a while, the smell has intensified, applying this will make it more bearable for us."
Shuangshuang was momentarily puzzled, then quickly recalled the smell in the Silver Tiger Clan before they had built toilets, and immediately understood Ting Lan’s point.
The beastmen from other tribes attending the gathering were surely like those from the former Silver Tiger Clan, accustomed to not bathing and relieving themselves everywhere, meaning the gathering was bound to reek of excrement.
Yet, Yan Ming, due to his cleanliness obsession, reacted even before Shuangshuang did. Upon seeing the mosquito repellent, he instantly remembered the pervasive smell of excrement he experienced before in the Flame Department.
In that instant, Yan Ming’s face blackened with regret, wondering how he could have forgotten this and eagerly followed Shuangshuang to attend the gathering he’d never been to before.
He’d been too comfortable in the Silver Tiger Tribe, completely forgetting why he was unwilling to attend the tribal gatherings in the first place, due to the stronger smells brought by more visiting beastmen.
He chided himself for forgetting such an important issue and foolishly following Shuangshuang out; wasn’t it better staying in the clean, tidy tribe?
In that moment, if Yan Ming had shifted to his beast form, his ears and tail would certainly droop.
Even in his human form, Yan Ming’s face was cold and unyielding, distinctly displeased, akin to the expression he often wore in his past life when he was outside.
Seeing Yan Ming’s icy expression, Shuangshuang couldn’t help but want to laugh. In his past life, Yan Ming had always given off a high-cold impression, rarely going out, and when he did, his icy demeanor scared everyone away.
But now, knowing him better, it’s clear that he wasn’t aloof, just fastidious and particular, so his sullen demeanor and staying indoors were entirely to avoid the smell.
Though everyone applied mosquito repellent under their noses, approaching the gathering they were nearly overwhelmed by the stench of excrement before even entering, wanting to turn on their heels and flee.
Originally, the beastmen of the Silver Tiger Tribe were used to these smells, but having lived cleanly for years, the once familiar scent now became harder to endure.
Fortunately, they coped better, as they attended various tribal gatherings several times a year, rendering the smell less intolerable for them.
However, Shuangshuang overestimated her tolerance, already wanting to turn around before even going in, while Yan Ming stubbornly refused to step through the wooden fence gate.
Yan Ming aside, Shuangshuang herself didn’t want to enter either; she initially planned to stay for two days and thoroughly explore the gathering, but now decided on a quick visit instead.
Since Yan Ming, being the Great Witch with immense strength, could travel alone, she didn’t insist that he join the gathering. Shuangshuang led the group into the gathering herself.
This gathering was essentially a marketplace, where tribes brought what they had in surplus to trade for what they needed.
There were exchanges of beast skins for food, and food for vegetables; food and warm beast skins were the most common and numerous transactions in the gathering.
Remaining items like trinkets made from pretty stones or feathers were traded by larger tribes lacking no necessities.
Those from medium-sized tribes that struggled even for food wouldn’t bother exchanging for such frivolous items.
