The room was actually quite spacious, hinting at the white-haired elder's status from its side view.
The material of the stone bed wasn't made from Vein Stone but from a type of rock commonly found in the underground caves.
Its hardness wasn't particularly high, making carving relatively easy.
A yellow-veined, unidentified animal hide was spread over the bed, adding comfort.
The elder was dressed rather thickly, with only a small amount of skin exposed. His hair was very long, extending past his feet and draping onto the floor beneath the bed.
His eyebrows were so long they reached the corners of his mouth, covering half his eyes. Even his beard was a messy, grass-like thicket.
It could be said that the elder's beard, hair, and eyebrows were so dense they obscured most of his facial features. It was unclear how many years he had lived or if he had ever cut his hair, eyebrows, or beard since birth.
The aroma of grilled meat slowly seeped into the room from outside. The elder's large, round nose, barely visible beneath his facial hair, twitched several times. His tightly shut eyes cracked open slightly, bleary with sleep.
"What smells so delicious?"
The elder slowly opened his eyes, which were entirely white with no visible black pupils, suggesting he might lack vision.
He is the Chief of the Slu Tribe, with a long lifespan exceeding five hundred years. Every so often, he had to hibernate for at least half a month, allowing his body functions to simulate a state of hibernation.
Sometimes, he would even sleep for a full month.
He was always a late riser, never an early one.
This time, he had woken up three days earlier than the minimum standard, which is an extremely rare occurrence.
The elder struggled to adjust his position on the bed, planting his feet on the ground. His legs resembled deflated balloons, even somewhat emaciated.
The Slu Tribe's legs typically had two bulging, sturdy muscles, resembling two sections of greatly enlarged sausages. This unique physical characteristic was most pronounced in the adults.
The elder's legs, however, were different, covered in layers of wrinkled skin. It seemed that with old age, what was once there could not be retained forever… time mercilessly took it away.
He picked up a bone cane leaning against the bedside, using it to support himself as he stood. His long, pale hair dragged on the ground. He raised his eyebrows, his gaze directed toward the source of the fragrance, faintly hearing the sizzling sounds.
"Are those rascals up to something again?"
The delightful aroma tickled his nose, stirring his appetite. He made his way toward the outside of the house.
Faint starlight poured down, reflecting off the large, glowing red stone slabs, illuminating the cold, narrow stone cavern.
Twenty Slu Tribe's adults lay on the ground, arranged in a fan shape. Each had a stone slab balanced flat on their feet, using their heat-emitting soles to turn the slabs red-hot.
On either side of the fan-shaped stone slabs were Slu Tribe's members holding long strips of spine meat. They stared eagerly at the sizzling meat slices on the slabs, their stomachs growling at the close, tantalizing aroma.
Law channeled his Nen, pulling a strip of spine meat through the air. Under the watchful eyes of the Slu Tribe's people, he swiftly sliced it into uniformly thin pieces. Each operation elicited murmurs of amazement.
All around, whether sitting or standing, on walls, ledges, or even on others' shoulders, the Slu Tribe's members formed a standard crowd of onlookers.
On the outermost edge was a Slu Tribesman who was relatively short. Since all the nearby vantage points were taken, he could only linger at the periphery of the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of the miraculous ability.
The Chief quietly approached from behind this person and gently tapped his shoulder.
That person impatiently brushed away the Chief's hand and continued craning his neck, trying to peer through the gaps in the crowd to see what was happening.
The Chief looked at his hand, which had been swatted away, then reached out and tapped the person again.
Annoyed, the person turned around and saw the Chief silently staring at him. Instantly, he fell silent, his mouth agape.
"It's very lively, what's going on in there?" The Chief's smile was hidden beneath his lush beard.
The person blinked a few times, then let out an incredulous cry.
"The Chief is awake!"
His voice, full of lung power, spread through the crowd at lightning speed, causing widespread shock.
"What? The Chief is awake already?"
"Three days early? Or five? Oh no, does this mean the Chief's lifespan is nearing its end?"
"Shut up! Don't curse the Chief."
The commotion grew, all because the Chief waking up early was highly unusual.
Watching his tribesmen's shocked reactions, the Chief squinted, appearing exceptionally calm.
"Finished?"
The Chief looked at the tribesman who had cried out.
The tribesman awkwardly smiled and said, "Finished."
"Hmm." The Chief nodded faintly, "Then can you answer my question now?"
"Um..." The tribesman scratched his head, embarrassed, "I'm not really sure either."
The Chief sighed softly, raised his bone cane, and tapped it on the ground, "Then why don't you move aside?"
The tribesman felt as if pardoned and quickly stepped aside. His action triggered a chain reaction, with the crowd automatically parted, creating a path that allowed the Chief to see Law, who was busy working.
Biscuit and Tonpa were also there, with Bruna nestled on Biscuit's shoulder. They noticed the obvious commotion but couldn't understand what the Slu Tribesmen were saying. Then they saw the crowd part, and an elderly man leaning on a cane slowly approached.
The Slu Tribe's members looked at the elder with deep respect. Even without that, Biscuit and the others could tell this elder was the Chief.
The Chief first glanced at Biscuit and Tonpa sitting on the ground, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Then he looked at Law, who was using Nen to assist in grilling the meat, his expression gradually turning astonished.
The long-forgotten memory in the corner of his mind was revealed.
Finally, he noticed Bruna on Biscuit's shoulder and fell into complete silence.
Law also noticed the Chief's arrival, but he didn't let it distract him. He remained focused on controlling the heat, especially since managing twenty stone slabs required intense concentration.
The aroma grew stronger, captivating everyone.
Law's grilled meat had opened a door in their culinary world.
The Chief's large, round nose twitched, emitting a faint, mosquito-like hum.
'This must be exceptionally well-prepared grilled meat.'
He thought to himself, then slowly walked forward, his long hair dragging several meters on the ground.
The Slu Tribe's members lying on the ground were tirelessly generating heat. They were the closest and the most eager.
After about five minutes, the meat was ready. Law waved his hand, sending the grilled meat slices floating through the air toward the surrounding crowd. The Slu Tribe's members caught the scalding hot meat slices barehanded and calmly stuffed them into their mouths.
Law deliberately set aside a bowl and offered it to the Chief.
Not far away, Bruna sensed the movement and slowly floated toward Law and the Chief. She knew what she needed to do next.
The Chief glanced at the steaming grilled meat in the bowl. His stomach growled, but he didn't reach out. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Law and said with emotion, "It's been a long time since I've seen outsiders."
The language he used was one Law understood, it was an ancient common tongue that hadn't been fully refined but was sufficient for communication.
The term 'outsiders', coming from the Chief, referred to those from the world outside.
Law was taken aback and was about to say something when the Chief continued, "You... are strange."
At that moment, Bruna landed on Law's shoulder. She didn't yet realize that Law and the Chief could communicate without her tentacles.