Chapter 115: The Goat’s Future Path

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: The Goat’s Future Path

They had arrived at the Fuzu Tribe very early last night, but when they saw the sprawling fields of rice right outside the gates, they hesitated.

They couldn’t bear to do it. They couldn’t bring themselves to set the crops on fire. It was this very hesitation that had allowed the local males to capture them. They had truly been forced into this situation with no other options, yet when standing right in front of the fields, they couldn’t bear to destroy the rice that had been so painstakingly grown.

Seeing how principled the people of the Mountain Goat Clan were, Ophelia was deeply moved.

"My lack of foresight regarding the rice is to blame. I never meant to harm your clan," Ophelia said. "I have some crops that are suitable for planting in autumn and harvesting in winter. If you’re willing, I can provide you with the seeds.

"You’ve probably heard that we’ve mastered methods for breeding prey. I’d be happy to provide you with breeding rabbits and chicks.

"Besides growing crops, raising your own prey means you’ll no longer have to worry about starving when natural disasters strike."

The males of the Mountain Goat Clan were astonished, never expecting Ophelia to offer such generous terms. For a moment, they were at a loss for words—especially since they had harbored such malicious intentions toward this little female earlier.

Hearing her words, the Mountain Goat Clan Leader’s eyes turned red with emotion, and the tears he had been holding back finally fell. "Thank you, little female."

On the way here, he had already seen the chickens, rabbits, and pigs raised by the Fuzu Tribe. He had thought to himself that if his own clan could master these breeding techniques, they wouldn’t have to rely solely on rice to survive every year.

"Don’t celebrate just yet. My help comes with conditions," she warned.

"Whatever your conditions are, just say the word," the Mountain Goat Clan Leader replied. He didn’t want to miss such a golden opportunity and had already made up his mind—as long as her demands weren’t outrageous, he would agree to anything.

"All the pelts from the prey you raise will belong to me," Ophelia stated. "Furthermore, once you harvest the corn you plant, you must give me one hundred catties per acre as compensation."

Corn was a highly productive crop. In the modern world, a single acre could yield between 1,400 and 1,700 catties. However, the soil in the Beast World was not nearly as fertile. Furthermore, the Mountain Goat Clan had no access to fertilizer, meaning a yield of five hundred catties per acre would be their absolute limit.

No matter how small a rabbit pelt was, it could still be exchanged for points. Her spatial system hadn’t been upgraded in a long time. Right now, cultivating the rice and raising the pigs, chickens, and rabbits was already draining a significant amount of her mental energy. On top of that, Tyler had to go up the mountain every day to gather pigweed, which was exhausting work. It was better to distribute the rabbits and let others raise them, improving everyone’s livelihood in the process.

Every little bit counted. Once everything added up, it would be enough to ensure the Mountain Goat Clan had a warm winter.

"Alright, we accept! I promise that every single rabbit pelt will be saved for you." Before the Mountain Goat Clan Leader could even speak, several other clansmen eagerly chimed in to agree.

"But this payment of a hundred catties of grain per acre... isn’t that a bit..." The Mountain Goat Clan Leader hesitated.

"Don’t worry," Ophelia reassured him. "The corn seeds I’m giving you will yield at least five hundred catties per acre. The production rate is even higher than that of rice."

"Can it really yield five hundred catties per acre?" one of the Mountain Goat Clan males asked doubtfully.

Ophelia raised an eyebrow. "Do you really have any other choice but to trust me?"

The Mountain Goat Clan Leader weighed his options carefully before finally gritting his teeth and deciding to trust her. With the terms settled, Ophelia agreed to deliver the corn seeds to them in three days. She also promised to instruct them on how to plant the crops and told them they were welcome to trade grain at the Fuzu Tribe. She even offered to reserve a dedicated stall just for them in the commercial area along the tribe’s perimeter wall.

The males of the Mountain Goat Clan had been completely ashen-faced and devoid of hope after their capture. They never expected such a dramatic turn of events, let alone a brand-new opportunity.

"Little female, thank you so much. If you ever need any help in the future, just say the word," the Mountain Goat Clan Leader said, looking at Ophelia with immense gratitude. "The Mountain Goat Clan will give you our full support!"

He thanked her profusely for quite a while before finally leading his clansmen away.

Watching their retreating figures, Ophelia couldn’t help but sigh. "He is a good Clan Leader."

A tribe as honest and simple as the Mountain Goat Clan didn’t deserve to die out. Letting them perish would contradict the very reason she had wanted to cultivate rice in the first place.

"The Princess is wonderful, too. In my heart, you are the absolute best," Tyler murmured, pulling Ophelia into his arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Her cheeks flushed at his coaxing, and she shot him a playful glare. "You’re getting entirely too good at sweet-talking."

Tyler chuckled softly. "I’m only speaking the truth."

With no further disruptions from the Mountain Goat Clan, the next three days of sun-drying the rice passed peacefully.

On the morning of the fourth day, people from neighboring tribes flocked over to watch Ophelia and her people husk the rice. They wanted to witness with their own eyes exactly how much grain this crop would yield.

Ophelia already had a rough estimate of the final yield. However, she had kept the number to herself to build curiosity and officially establish the Fuzu Tribe’s reputation for agriculture and livestock breeding. This way, whenever anyone mentioned the Fuzu Tribe in the future, they would immediately be recognized as a powerhouse of farming and husbandry. Once that reputation was set in stone, she could trade massive quantities of rice without arousing any suspicion.

Husking the rice was nowhere near as easy as harvesting it. The force applied had to be precise—too much strength would crush the grains, while too little would fail to remove the husks. It was a process that demanded great skill.

Today, none of the Fuzu Tribe’s males had gone out to hunt; instead, everyone had stayed behind to help husk the rice. By the time the sky grew dark, the entire harvest had been completely processed.

Ophelia brought out the beast skin bags she had prepared in advance and instructed the clansmen to bag the rice right then and there. Each beast skin bag had a maximum capacity of one hundred catties. They filled a staggering twenty bags—a total of two thousand catties.

The spectators who had watched the entire process were flabbergasted, and even the members of the Fuzu Tribe were in utter shock. They had guessed the yield would be at least a thousand catties, but nobody had anticipated filling twenty whole bags.

"Today, we have finished husking our rice!" Ophelia announced. "In a little while, we will prepare a bonfire party to celebrate the Fuzu Tribe’s Harvest Festival.

"Anyone with free time is welcome to join. Also, my previous promise to invite a hundred little females to taste my rice is absolutely true."

Having witnessed the Fuzu Tribe produce two thousand catties of rice with their own eyes, the crowd no longer doubted her willingness to spare twenty catties to entertain the little females. The more quick-witted onlookers immediately sprinted back to their own tribes to spread the news to their relatives.

By nightfall, the moment the Fuzu Tribe’s bonfire was lit, a large number of little females arrived. Of course, they didn’t come empty-handed; everyone brought along small prey as a gift. Yet, these small offerings were nowhere near as precious as twenty catties of rice.

Over by the fire, the bamboo tubes and wrapping leaves Ophelia had prepared for the rice dumplings were finally done boiling.

Zerev frowned. "Ophelia, the number of little females who showed up today has already exceeded a hundred."

Ophelia just smiled. "It’s fine. I made extra—there’s more than enough for them to eat."

No one wanted to miss out on the incredible opportunity to eat free rice. She had fully anticipated that more than a hundred females would show up, so she had prepared well in advance.