| GB | Encouragement to Continue | 94
By the middle of the third month of winter, Yu Bai, who had been recovering for over a month, finally regained his full health.
The soundproofing of the house wasn't great, and the orcs were busy outside, chatting among themselves, occasionally accompanied by hurried footsteps.
Most of the conversations revolved around the new tribe's rules. After adapting for about a month, the majority of the orcs agreed that the new rules were good.
The tribe also got a new name.
Originally, the orcs thought the name would be based on the strength of the tribes, such as the Giant tribe, which was the most powerful. If the tribe were named after the Giant tribe, the other orc tribes wouldn't object.
Some suggested naming the tribe after Yu Bai.
The priest was the spiritual pillar of a tribe. As long as the priest was present, the tribe would endure.
Yu Bai was favored by the Orc God, who granted them endless heritage. Naming the tribe after Yu Bai was something the orc tribes wouldn't oppose.
However, Huo Duo'er and Yu Bai didn't adopt these suggestions.
In the end, with the enthusiastic support of the orcs, Yu Bai named the tribe with the meanings of hope, stability, and peace.
In the orc language, the pronunciation symbolizing hope and peace closely resembled the Chinese homophone for "Fantasy Land," so the new tribe was named Fantasy Tribe.
Upon hearing the name, all the orcs thought it was excellent. As they worked, they would occasionally chant the name "Fantasy Land," and over time, the sound filled their hearts with hope and motivation, making their work more efficient.
—
Yu Bai dressed and slipped his feet into two fluffy beast fur socks, stepping onto the carpet as he walked to the window.
Most of the room's floor was covered with beast fur rugs, so his legs wouldn't get cold.
There were also two charcoal basins placed around, filled with charcoal that Huo Duo'er had made during the night, specifically for Yu Bai's warmth.
Winter here didn't bring snow, and it wasn't as cold as the northern continent, so the orcs didn't need much fur. The extra fur was sent to Yu Bai or reserved for the younger and weaker orcs in the tribe.
In the first year of building the new territory, the living conditions were far from those of the Yuan tribe.
But most of the orc tribes were happy because the new territory wasn't as bitterly cold as the north, and without a snow season, they no longer had to worry about freezing to death as they had in the past.
To move into the new houses as quickly as possible, the orcs didn't stay indoors this winter. They started working as soon as the sky turned gray at dawn.
According to the tribe's new rules, they worked for five and a half days a week, with the remaining day and a half for rest.
On rest days, the orcs could go out hunting, gathering, or even do nothing at all.
Apart from the portion handed over to the tribe each month, all other supplies were considered personal belongings. The items given to the tribe were partly used as rewards—those who worked diligently, made new contributions, or were elderly and weak orcs could receive rewards and subsidies—and the rest were stored as reserves.
The sky was a dull gray. Huo Duo'er returned from his busy morning and entered the courtyard. Seeing the window open, he tossed the prey he had been carrying onto a corner.
Behind the window, Yu Bai smiled faintly and raised his right hand to wave.
"Huo Duo'er."
The orc responded in a deep voice, "Bai."
As he answered, he scooped some cold water, lathered soap, and scrubbed the stains off his hands. After cleaning up, he entered the kitchen and brought the pot of porridge that had been warming over the fire into the room.
The charcoal burned fiercely, and the warm, dry air enveloped Huo Duo'er. His face soon flushed red from the heat.
Unlike Yu Bai, who had a fair complexion, Huo Duo'er's skin was darker. As he got closer, Yu Bai noticed that his face and the roots of his ears were hot.
Yu Bai reached out to touch him, then turned to widen the gap in the window to let more air circulate into the room.
In the pot, coarse rice was steaming, along with a large bowl of egg and lean meat soup.
Yu Bai scooped out a generous portion of the soup and handed it to Huo Duo'er, complaining slightly, "Why didn’t you were hot?”
Huo Duo'er shook his head, "It'll pass in a moment."
He quietly pushed some of the soup and rice back into Yu Bai's bowl.
The tribe was running low on rice, and Yu Bai loved eating it. If Huo Duo'er didn't eat, he could save a few more mouthfuls for Yu Bai.
Yu Bai saw through it but didn't point it out. "Are you going out again this afternoon?"
Huo Duo'er nodded, "I'll be back before evening."
The young man's eyes flickered, but Huo Duo'er cut him off before he could speak.
"Bai, until the weather warms up, you should rest indoors."
Yu Bai pursed his lips, glanced up, and silently drank his soup.
Huo Duo'er said softly, "Just bear with it a little longer."
The young man nodded, but his left foot, resting on the rug, subtly shifted to the left, stepping on the orc's foot.
Huo Duo'er: "..."
He didn't move, but his Adam's apple bobbed.
Yu Bai suppressed a laugh, the sole of his foot lightly rubbing against Huo Duo'er's sturdy calf.
What had started as a playful gesture quickly turned into something more as Huo Duo'er's breathing grew noticeably heavier, and Yu Bai's heart began to race.
"Bai..." Huo Duo'er's voice was helpless, but he made no move to stop him.
Yu Bai tried to pull his leg back, but his calf was firmly held in place by a large hand.
Rough fingertips slipped into the fluffy sock, pressing against his ankle.
Huo Duo'er's expression was completely open, and Yu Bai, who had initially been shy, met the orc's silver, glowing eyes. Gritting his teeth, he pressed his foot against the palm that held him captive, giving it a firm step.
Through the layer of animal hide, the intense heat spread from the sole of his foot to the rest of his body, and Yu Bai's cheeks burned red.
He felt the spot under his foot pulse heavily a few times, and he stammered, "You... let go..."
Huo Duo'er didn't release him. Instead, he guided Yu Bai's foot, encouraging him to keep stepping.
Yu Bai closed his eyes and decisively pressed down harder.
—
Before they could finish their meal, Huo Duo'er held Yu Bai close for a while, then changed into his animal hide robe and hurried out to work, mindful of the time.
Yu Bai changed his socks, washed them with warm water, and hung them out to dry in the courtyard.
With nothing else to do, he sorted through the prepared herbs. Hearing the little wolf howling outside the door, he quickly went to open it.
Two animals, one large and one small, dashed into the courtyard. The little wolf dropped the large wild rabbit it had been carrying and nuzzled Yu Bai's side.
"Awoo awoo~"
Small two-legged creature, look~
It and Jinjin had brought food back for Yu Bai!
After howling, the little wolf squatted nearby, cleaning its paws, with bloodstains around its mouth and whiskers.
Jinjin meowed, and the little wolf lay down. The aloof leopard cat extended its tongue to lick and clean it.
Yu Bai petted the two beasts for a while and was about to prepare the wild rabbit when A’Li hurriedly arrived at the door, saying, "Bai, the tribe has captured two female orcs!"
"Female orcs?" Yu Bai was puzzled.
A’Li: "They are female orcs from another orc tribe!"
Yu Bai understood.
In this area, besides Fantasy Land, there was another indigenous tribe larger in scale than their tribe.
It was winter, and for the past two months, they had been busy building their territory and had not interacted with that tribe.
As Yu Bai walked, he asked, "Were they sent by that tribe?"
A’Li shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. Jiu Fe who was patrolling the territory spotted their sneaky figures and captured them, but we can't understand what they're saying!"
Yu Bai hurried to the square, where orcs, whether working or not, were gathered around the two bound female orcs.
They were skinny, with little clothing to cover their bodies, their exposed skin bruised and purple, with small, pointed gray furry ears. One of them seemed to have half an ear cut off.
Which tribe would treat their female orcs like this?
It was practically abuse!
Huo Duo'er frowned, having failed to communicate with them.
Noticing his orc partner, he went over and brought him to his side.
"Please, please don't kill us, we, we mean no harm..."
As soon as he approached, Yu Bai was surprised.
The language spoken by these two foreign female orcs was somewhat similar to the dialect from his hometown.
Yu Bai hadn't spoken his hometown dialect for several years, and when he did, his words were slightly awkward.
Huo Duo'er and the surrounding orcs secretly pricked up their ears.
Wow!
Then they felt proud in their hearts!
Their priest was indeed favored by the Orc God, even able to speak the language of the southern orcs!
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