A yellow-haired leopard orc walked toward her, holding a bundle of unfamiliar purple flowers. He stopped in front of her with an awestruck expression. "Beautiful female, can I become your beastman?"
The others realized they had been late to act and immediately rushed forward, all scrambling to express their admiration.
Looking at the chaotic scene, Sasha couldn't help being reminded of her days on campus. Back then, she always had a trail of admirers following behind her.
She had always been seen as a campus goddess. With her grandmother being German, she carried a quarter German blood, making her a mixed-race girl with naturally striking features. Her face was delicately sculpted yet soft, like a real-life Barbie doll. Wherever she went, she drew stares.
And out of all those admirers, she had ended up choosing a complete scumbag. Sasha silently cursed her past self for being blind.
Even now, she still couldn't understand why he cheated. She had money, looks, and a long relationship with him that spanned over ten years. What more did he want?
Was it because she focused too much on work? Did he go looking elsewhere out of boredom?
So in the end, men really were unreliable, she thought bitterly. They stared at what was in their bowl while reaching for what was in the pot.
Now, facing the eager orcs confessing one after another, Sasha gave them a charming smile—one that made them dizzy—yet her next words pushed them straight into despair.
"If you want to be my beastman, you'll have to defeat Nolan first. I only like the strong."
Defeat Nolan?
Impossible.
Even if it startled them for a moment, the truth remained. None of them stood a chance.
Staring at the exquisite female before them, the orcs slowly came to terms with reality. One by one, they gave up and walked away dejectedly.
Finally, silence returned. Sasha washed up by the river and then made her way back to the stone house.
After breakfast, Nolan joined the orcs going out for a hunt. Now that he had officially joined the tribe, he had to follow its rules.
The tribe assigned hunting duties in rotating groups so that there would always be enough food. When hunting high-ranked beasts, whoever obtained the crystal core would be allowed to keep it, as long as the beast's body was turned over to the tribe.
If the hunt was a group effort, the crystal cores collected on behalf of the tribe would be distributed to orcs who contributed the most or were of high rank.
The prey would always go first to the females, then to high-ranking males, and lastly to ordinary orcs. Strength dictated everything here—only the strong deserved priority.
After Nolan left, Sasha wandered around the stone house in boredom. Looking at the tall trees nearby, she pondered how simple and rough life here truly was. Sleeping every day on hay with only animal skins was nothing like her soft bed back home.
Thinking of the empty stone house, she realized she could probably build a wooden bed and make some basic furniture herself. The more she considered it, the more feasible the idea seemed.
Under limited conditions, she would simply create her own comfort. If the tribe didn't have what she needed, she would make it. She wasn't the type to accept a rough lifestyle so easily.
By dusk, the sky was dyed red by the setting sun. The warm afterglow cast a gentle shade over the earth.
Nolan returned from the hunt. The sunlight stretched his shadow across the ground as he approached with a bright smile, his white teeth gleaming. From his space, he took out a bamboo tube filled with white powder and held it toward Sasha as though presenting a prized treasure.
"Sasha, this is the powdered salt you wanted. I brought it back for you." His expression was completely expectant, as if waiting for her praise.
Sasha was delighted to see the salt. She peered into the bamboo tube—the grains were much larger than modern salt, but clean and free from impurities.
Adding salt would make the food taste better, and barbecue without it was always nearly flavorless.
She lifted her red lips slightly and glanced sideways at Nolan, her eyes filled with countless shimmering stars. "Thank you, Nolan."
Sasha understood well that Nolan treated her kindly without asking for anything in return, yet she couldn't respond to what he hoped for, which made her feel a faint mixture of subtlety and apology.
Maybe she could try to accept him?
Nolan didn't tell her that he had traded fifty orange crystal nuclei with people from the big tribe. That amount was truly considerable.
But now, seeing her smiling face, he felt everything was worth it. Even if she wanted the moon in the sky, he would try to take it down for her.
"You never need to thank me." His expression was sincere, and the affection in his eyes seemed almost overflowing.
Feeling awkward, Sasha coughed lightly, put the powdered salt away, and shifted the conversation.
After explaining her idea of making a wooden bed, she squatted down and drew the shape of the bed on the ground using a branch, describing each step carefully.
Once Nolan understood most of it, they began the work—but how could they cut down trees without an axe? Sasha quickly ran into a problem.
However, she still underestimated Nolan. His long, powerful legs bent slightly as he grabbed the tree with both hands and pulled it straight out by the roots, lifting it with ease.
With one sharp strike of his palm, he sliced the thick trunk cleanly in half, smoother than a machine cut. Following Sasha's drawing, Nolan focused on shaping the wood.
The sound of "ping pong pong" continued all the way until nightfall, and a large pile of neatly cut wood had gathered on the ground.
Knowing she loved fish, Nolan went to the river and caught several, also bringing back a nest of bird eggs from a tree. He had seen other females eat these.
Looking at the eggs, Sasha thought of making egg drop soup in the stone pot. She was truly tired of eating only meat every day.
After Nolan lit the fire, he placed the stone pot on top. It wasn't too large or too small, and was polished smooth.