Chapter 177: Night Watch Initiative

Nothing was innovative.

Making beggar’s chicken, something they had never seen before, would be enough to shock them.

When Sora had told the tribe how to make beggar’s chicken, Serena had learned diligently, thinking that one day it might come in handy.

Unexpectedly, today it truly proved useful.

However, she had initially imagined herself shining brightly in Sora’s absence, not hiding in the mountains digging mud.

After hard work, she caught a few chickens, marinated them with the seasonings Sora had provided, wrapped them in large leaves, coated them with mud, and placed them under the fire to roast.

The people of the Black Pig tribe had never seen such a strange way of cooking chicken and couldn’t help but ask,

"Can this chicken coated in mud be eaten? It looks dirty. Are we really going to eat mud later?"

Henry frowned upon seeing Serena coating the chicken in mud.

"Serena, are you sure this chicken coated in mud is edible?"

Hearing Henry doubt her, Serena didn’t show it on her face, but she felt a strong dislike inside.

Compared to him, Xavier and Ace were really far ahead.

At that time, when Sora had done this, they had never doubted her.

Although she thought this way, she had to smile gently at Henry and say,

"Of course, it can be eaten. Once it’s roasted, just knock off the mud, and you’ll get juicy chicken meat inside."

After roasting for a while, the chicken was finally cooked, and the fragrant aroma of the fresh leaves instantly attracted everyone in the Black Pig tribe.

Soon, Serena distributed pieces to them one by one.

And after everyone tasted it, they were all shocked.

They had never expected that chicken roasted in mud could be so delicious.

They suddenly became enthusiastic toward Serena.

"Serena, what is this chicken called? It’s so delicious!"

Just as Serena was about to blurt out "beggar’s chicken," she changed her words at the last moment.

"This is my homemade dish. I call it Rena’s chicken."

Why call it beggar’s chicken?

That name sounded terrible.

It was better to use her own name.

That way, whenever the tribe made this chicken in the future, they would think of Serena.

In primitive tribes, it was customary to name things after oneself.

So, hearing Serena say this, everyone found it not strange at all.

Instead, they were surprised that Serena could even create such delicious food.

They all nodded.

"Serena, this Rena chicken is really good."

Henry also looked at her with admiration.

"Meeting you is a blessing for our tribe."

Serena pretended to shyly glance at Henry and smiled.

"Actually, this is nothing. If I have time, I can also teach everyone how to make milk tea and pottery."

The things Serena mentioned were unheard of by the people of the Black Pig tribe.

The more they listened, the more impressive they found Serena.

Their fondness for her grew.

Sora thought that if she was pregnant, she could enjoy a happy time without having to strategize, just lying flat.

However, as soon as she returned to her small house that night, she saw six people standing at the door.

Sora looked at the six of them in confusion and asked,

"Did you come here for something today?"

Lucas’s eyes sparkled with a mysterious light.

"For the safety of the little one, we will keep watch for you starting today."

He looked at Sora with determination.

"You could choose one."

He was determined to seize this opportunity this time.

Sora was puzzled upon hearing this. Night watch? What night watch? We’re not in the wilderness, so what do we need to watch for at night?

She remembered the last time she had to keep watch was when she had fled from a flood to her current residence. And Martin had told her to find a beast man to spend the night with her.

Ace was surprised to hear her say this.

"You actually don’t know about night watch. It sounds like you should know about it. Otherwise, it’s a bit strange."

Sora was secretly alarmed.

Could it be that the original owner had known about it? However, forgetting such things should be quite normal, right?

Sora decided to casually brush it off.

She glanced at Ace and said, "What’s so strange about not knowing? I can still make a bread oven, and you can’t even do that."

Ace’s attention was drawn away, and his surprised expression diminished significantly.

He explained, "That’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised that a female doesn’t know something that even a beast man knows. Didn’t the chief’s wife mention this to you?"

Oh, so that’s what night watch meant.

Upon hearing this, Sora felt it was quite normal not to know. After all, Lyra usually didn’t pay much attention to her. And since Serena had said something to her, she had felt so embarrassed that she hadn’t shown her face in front of the tribe for a long time, let alone discuss pregnancy matters with Sora.

After Ace finished speaking, he realized he had misspoken.

How could he have forgotten? Lyra was different from other females. She didn’t have a good attitude towards Sora and might not have told her certain things.

Furthermore, Sora had grown up with a black bear foster mother, and it was quite normal for them not to have night watches there. After all, with the size of a black bear, ordinary beasts wouldn’t easily choose to attack them.

Thinking of this, he felt a bit regretful and said, "I’m sorry, Kaelira. I didn’t mean to."

Sora didn’t feel too sad after hearing that. After all, Ace was speaking the truth, and she was used to Lyra’s behavior.

She shook her head and said, "It’s okay. She really hasn’t told me about this."

Lukan looked at Sora gently and explained slowly, "Actually, it’s not a big deal. It’s a custom passed down from our ancestors."

Seeing Sora’s confused expression, Lukan continued, "A long time ago, our ancestors lived in the wild, and when they slept outdoors, they were vulnerable to attacks from other beastmen at night, especially when the tribe was at its weakest. Pregnant females were particularly at risk when there were young ones coming."

Of course, there was one thing he didn’t tell her.

The original purpose of the night watch was to prevent sudden attacks from wild beasts that could harm the females and their unborn young. But over time, it gradually evolved into a way to enhance the relationship between females and their beast man partners.

During the night watch, the beastmen would sleep with the females, making it easier to take care of them while also fulfilling some of their own needs.

After hearing this, Sora finally understood what the so-called night watch was all about.

However, that was a long time ago.

Now, they lived in wooden houses, so would there be sudden attacks from wild beasts?

Moreover, this night watch shouldn’t just be about two people staying in one room, right?

Without needing to think too much, she looked into Lucas’s bright green eyes and felt that this matter wasn’t simple.

It was much more comfortable to sleep alone in a room. She could sleep however she wanted, and besides, Sora considered her sleeping posture not very good.

Having another person in the room would make her feel awkward and somewhat uncomfortable.

Thus, when she received the night watch invitation from the six of them, she didn’t think twice before directly rejecting it.

"No need. I’m quite safe living in the wooden house. You don’t have to worry about wild beast attacks. Besides, you all live nearby. If there’s any danger, you’ll know with just one shout. No need to make it so troublesome."

Before the few of them could respond, Sora added another sentence, preemptively shutting them down.

She was very clear that these people wouldn’t easily give up just because she said one sentence. They might raise some safety concerns as an excuse to stay in her room.

So, she spoke first to block what they were about to say.

To be honest, Lucas and the others had not expected Sora to refuse.

She had previously seemed eager to share their beds, and now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she actually turned it down.

They were all looking forward to the night watch.

Apart from the intimate moments with Sora, they had never properly slept in the same bed with her.

Compared to other females in the tribe who shared beds with their beastmen, they were quite the odd ones.

Since forming the totem with Sora, they had always slept separately, even in different rooms.