Miles touched his nose. A quick smile flashed in his eyes. Then he followed Tanya and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Tanya picked a thick tree and said, "Please help me cut this one."
The tree was tall and wide. She didn't know the type, but one tree was enough for making some pots, pans, chairs, and a table.
Miles raised his eyebrow. Yesterday she told him not to do anything because it might tear his wound.
Tanya replied, "It's fine. Whether it tears or not, it's all the same. Don't worry. You're strong. You won't die." She placed her hands behind her back and walked away.
The smell of grilled meat was too delicious. It was hard to resist.
Tanya had already checked his wound. It was healing well. Cutting down a tree shouldn't be too hard for him.
Besides, there was no one else more suitable for the job.
Miles was born strong. Chopping down a tree wasn't difficult for him. Soon, he came back dragging a big tree.
While eating grilled meat, Tanya taught them how to carve wooden bowls and pots.
Luckily, not only was Miles good at it, Moon also learned quickly by watching.
After a while, they made many bowls and pots in different sizes. Tanya looked at the results and told them to stop.
She picked a big section near the tree root, about one and a half meters long. She shaved off the top part and hollowed out the rest. When placed flat, it became a bathtub.
That night, they could finally bathe at home. No more cold baths by the river.
Tanya was happy with the results. Then she asked them to use leftover wood to make some stools. The thickest part of the tree root, about a meter tall, was used as a table.
While working, Miles saw her enjoying grilled meat with salt. He suddenly remembered something and said, "Not far from here, there's a large area of salty land."
Tanya was surprised. "Do you mean alkaline land?"
Miles answered, "Is that what it's called? Not much grows there. Even animals avoid the place."
Tanya thought more about it. That sounded like alkaline land. Salty soil could be either saline or alkaline. Saline soil has chloride or sulfate. Alkaline soil has carbonate or phosphate.
Humans need salt with chloride. The others are harmful.
In modern times, people used technology to extract usable salt from such soil. But in this ancient time, it was difficult.
Star's face suddenly changed. She looked worried and said, "Miles, are you talking about the Land of Death?"
"Yes," he said.
"No, we can't go there. Tanya, that place is full of beast clans. It's dangerous."
Tanya asked, "Beast clans? Have you seen them? What do they look like? Are they ugly, scary, and bloodthirsty?"
Star shook her head. She and Moon were still young and had never left the tribe. But they were taught that the beast clans were very dangerous.
Miles had seen them.
They both looked at him.
Miles said, "After transforming, they look like humans. But each beast clan has different powers. They are stronger than humans. After the goddess ancestor died, human tribes grew weaker."
Goddess ancestor? Tanya had never heard of that name. She had read history and myths before. This must be someone these people worship.
Miles added, "So if you see a stranger, be careful. They might not be human."
Tanya nodded, but inside she was curious. She wanted to see the beast clans herself. Were they like the monsters in legends?
Miles finished carving the last stool with a bone knife. Then he prepared to go into the forest.
Moon looked worried. "Miles…"
Miles said, "It's alright. I'm just going to get some food. I won't go far. I'll avoid dangerous animals."
He wanted to hunt small animals.
Tanya also got to work. They had enough meat but no grains.
She had sweet potato seedlings stored in her space. According to her memory, this place had long summers and winters. Now was the right time to plant. If she waited longer, the potatoes might not grow.
She took Star with her and started clearing land behind the bamboo house. They pulled weeds and picked out stones. After a full day, they had made a small field, just enough to plant two rows of sweet potatoes.
Miles returned at sunset. He brought two rabbits and several wild chickens. They were small, but with the leftover snake and lion meat, they had enough food for at least ten days.
It was a shame the rabbits and chickens were already dead. It would have been nice to raise them.
Tanya told Miles about her idea. He didn't really understand but promised to try bringing back live animals next time.
Even though it had only been a few days, Miles already trusted Tanya. He listened to her and worked hard. Even while injured, he still went hunting and tried to bring back as much as possible.
It felt like he wanted to prove he wasn't useless. He wanted to show that he was still strong and able to protect a female.
Tanya didn't know what he was thinking.
That night, before sleeping, Tanya went into her space to check her food. Seeing the pile of meat made her feel very happy.
So much meat. No fear of going hungry.
She then looked at her catalog. Today, she had cut trees and cleared weeds, but the plants were all very common. Their rarity was zero. Still, she got five hundred points.
She used the five hundred points to get a guide for making pottery.
A few more days passed. Miles hunted small animals. Tanya picked wild fruits and dug wild vegetables. Their quality of life became much better.
Especially the food. Tanya taught them how to grill meat and how to stew it with wild vegetables. It was tasty and full of flavor.
Star and Moon ate happily. Their thin bodies were starting to fill out.
Tanya felt happy watching them. She said, "Today we'll make pottery. Once we have a clay pot, we can fry meat."
To make pottery, they needed clay. The guide said there were two ways to find it. One was to wash and settle soil in water. But she didn't have big containers.
The other way was to find clay downstream. Water and wind would carry and gather it there over time.
This village was called Little River Village. A river passed through it. Tanya decided to go downstream to find clay.
Miles stopped her right away. "No. Downstream is the Land of Death. Beast clans are often seen there. It's too dangerous."