Chapter 103: Discovered a Problem

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Discovered a Problem

To satisfy the onlookers who had come to watch the commotion, Ophelia deliberately opened up the entrance to the tribe. The five-story stone house had already taken shape; even from a distance, one could see the structure towering high. People nearby couldn’t help but be drawn to this wondrous sight. They discovered that the Fuzu Tribe not only possessed Ten Thousand Beasts City’s first five-story stone house, but also perimeter wall shops.

Quite a few people had set up stalls there, and they even spotted some familiar faces. Because there were no communication facilities, every time they wanted something, they had to go to the trading market and try their luck. When in urgent need, they might not find what they were looking for even after waiting three or four days. But these shops in the Fuzu Tribe were different. The variety was extremely comprehensive; everything they could think of was available here. There were even fresh fruits that other trading markets didn’t have.

A male boldly stepped forward and asked, "How much for this fruit?"

Seeing a potential customer, Lam smiled and thoughtfully explained, "One prey in exchange for one fruit."

"One prey for a single fruit? That’s so cheap." Hearing this, the male was in disbelief.

Other customers who recognized Lam chimed in. "What’s impossible about it? His stall has always charged this price. Besides, the fruits are very fresh and taste incredibly sweet. My female loves eating them the most."

"My female also specifically asks for his fruits every time."

"Can I trade Crystal Stones with you?" the male asked, scratching his head. He had originally just come to watch the excitement today and hadn’t expected to encounter someone selling fruits, especially ones of such good quality. Thinking of his pregnant female at home who had no appetite every day, he wanted to trade for some to bring back and stimulate her cravings.

Lam’s eyes curved into crescents as he smiled. "Of course. One Red Crystal Stone can be exchanged for ten fruits."

The male immediately beamed with joy and picked out ten fruits.

Those who came to the Fu Clan to watch the excitement were not just males; there were also young females from nearby tribes. They had heard that the Clan Leader of the Fuzu Tribe was a young female, so they were extremely curious about her. After asking around, they learned that Ophelia was in the fields at the tribe’s entrance, so they flocked over one after another.

The paddy fields outside the city wall were growing exceptionally well. The green seedlings had already grown to knee-height and no longer needed fertilizer. Because the soil was so nutritious, quite a few weeds and bugs had sprung up in the fields. Thus, pesticides and herbicides needed to be sprayed. Ophelia had Tyler specifically craft a wooden watering can for her so she could evenly distribute the herbicide across the crops.

A young female looked at the plants in the field with curiosity. "What are you doing? Are you planting flowers?"

Ophelia smiled and shook her head. "These are paddy rice, meant for eating."

"Paddy rice? Isn’t that just rice? You actually know how to grow rice!"

"A friend I know taught me, and I just followed along to learn. I didn’t expect to actually succeed," Ophelia replied. "In another two months, the rice will be ripe. At that time, it will be stocked in the perimeter wall shops. If you want to eat it, you can come to the Fu Clan to trade. One sack of grain will only cost one prey."

"One prey? That price is way too low!" the young female couldn’t help but exclaim. Grain was scarce in the Beast World; a sack of rice would usually cost at least three prey. She hadn’t expected the Fuzu Tribe’s rice to be so cheap.

A male who overheard their conversation walked over. "I saw this kind of paddy rice in the Snow Wolf Clan, too. Little female, did you teach them? If so, could you teach us? We can pay for it."

Hearing the male’s words, Ophelia was somewhat puzzled. "I didn’t teach them, and this method isn’t something I can easily pass on to outsiders."

You must be joking—her seeds were all produced by the System Space. How could she dare let others plant them?

Although Ophelia’s refusal left the males somewhat disappointed, hearing that she didn’t teach the Snow Wolf Clan how to grow rice made them feel it was fair.

However, one male was still unwilling to give up. "The scent of their rice smells very similar to yours. Did you really not teach them?"

The fact that Ophelia, the Clan Leader of the Fuzu Tribe, was the former mate of the Snow Wolf Clan Leader had long spread throughout the area. Therefore, they felt it was entirely possible that Ophelia had taught the Snow Wolf Clan the method for planting rice.

"I have never taught them how to plant rice, but I will investigate what you just said," Ophelia stated firmly.

If the Snow Wolf Clan suddenly started planting rice just like her, it might be brushed off as a coincidence. But if the scents of their crops were exactly the same, then it was highly suspicious.

So, after Tyler returned from gathering pigweed, Ophelia went with him to the Snow Wolf Clan’s territory.

Sure enough, they discovered a paddy field in the plains area at the center of the Snow Wolf Clan’s lands. The paddy field wasn’t large, only about ten square meters in size.

Ophelia crouched down and carefully observed the rice seedlings. She was exceptionally meticulous when planting her crops, so she could tell at a glance that these rice seedlings were from the exact same batch as hers—also produced by the System Space.

"Princess, what do you think?" Tyler had also caught the identical scent, his brows furrowing slightly.

"These rice seedlings are also produced by the System Space. How did they get their hands on them?" Ophelia murmured.

She couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she thought. After all, the two of them patrolled all the paddy fields every two or three days, yet they hadn’t found any signs of rice being uprooted on a large scale. Thus, the two of them pondered the situation all the way back to the Fu Clan and carefully searched their own fields.

At noon, when Zerev came to the Fu Clan, he didn’t see Ophelia. He was a bit puzzled, but he more or less guessed where she had gone. Soon enough, he found her in the paddy fields not far from the tribe.

"What are you doing? Is there something wrong with the rice?" Zerev asked with concern upon seeing Ophelia’s distressed expression.

"The Snow Wolf Clan is also planting rice, and it looks like it’s from the same batch as ours."

Zerev’s face instantly darkened. "You suspect they stole the rice from your fields?"

"Yes. But Tyler and I have walked all over the paddy fields around here, and neither of us found any traces of the rice being uprooted."

Hearing this, Zerev stood in the dirt and swept his gaze over the crops. His observational skills were rather sharp, so it didn’t take long for him to spot something amiss. Harboring suspicions, he walked to one side, crouched down, and gently parted the rice seedlings.

Seeing this, Ophelia and Tyler also walked over. "Is there a problem?"

Zerev pointed at the gaps between the seedlings. "Look. Some of these gaps are tighter, while others are looser."

When Ophelia looked closely, she found that it was indeed the case.

"They must have pulled a few from each spot. That way, there wouldn’t be any drastic changes in the field. If you didn’t look carefully, you wouldn’t be able to tell," Zerev explained.

Ophelia’s face looked grim. The person who came up with this method was far too meticulous. If she hadn’t happened to hear that male mention it today, they would still be kept in the dark. Maybe before long, the Snow Wolf Clan’s ten-square-meter paddy field would expand to cover one hundred, two hundred, or even three hundred square meters, and they still wouldn’t have noticed.

Such calculated thievery was simply infuriating!

"They’ve gone too far. Whose idea was this? Loki’s or Soro’s?" Ophelia fumed.

The Snow Wolf Clan’s shameless behavior also made Tyler furious.

"I’m going to settle the score with them," Zerev declared. Seeing the crops that his little female had painstakingly planted being stolen so easily, he was livid.