Chief Tu gave Eric five million pounds of food and five hundred thousand pounds of vegetables. Just the few of them couldn’t possibly carry it all back.
Eric had originally planned to let the warriors make another trip, but unexpectedly, Chief Tu waved his hand and directly sent Balu and Kiet to help them transport the food.
In his opinion, Balu and Kiet were responsible for going to the Dwarf tribe to transport farming tools every winter anyway. This year the Du tribe didn’t need them to run there, so it was just right to compensate from the Hadu tribe’s side.
Moreover, don’t look at the two of them being so gluttonous (Chief Tu had a serious expression but was secretly criticizing them in his stomach), they were actually excellent farmers. It was a good opportunity for them to get familiar first, so they could be sent to help the Snow Wolf people farm next year.
Since the Ox-Head tribe was so sincere, contributing both wealth and effort, Eric naturally had to do his best. Before leaving, he made a batch of soybean paste and sweet paste for the Ox-Head tribe, and gave Boa detailed instructions on the fermentation process and the remaining fermentation level.
Both types of paste needed sun exposure, but leaving them outside in this weather would freeze them solid. Fortunately, the Ox-Head tribe’s wooden houses all had glass windows, so Eric placed the paste jars inside the houses, in places that could catch sunlight.
Making paste this way certainly wouldn’t be as fast as when Eric made it in the hot season; it was estimated to take at least two months to be edible. During this time, the paste had to be stirred diligently.
The Ox-Head tribe had many empty rooms; Chief Tu specially found a few wooden houses to sun the paste, and even assigned people to be responsible for lighting the fireplaces in these houses every day to prevent the indoors from being too cold, freezing the paste after the flour and beans had fermented.
Chief Tu talked about the quantity of food and vegetables, but the choice of which types was up to Eric. Regarding vegetables, Eric naturally chose corn, potatoes, pumpkins, and peanuts.
These things were both edible and easy to preserve, and could also be used as seeds. He only took the smallest amount of cabbage.
Seeing that Eric was the only Snow Wolf person who liked eating vegetables like their Ox-Head tribe, when he was about to leave, Bi secretly stuffed a bag of cabbage seeds into his hand, telling him to plant some himself to eat when he got back.
"If only you had come to us in the hot season. We have lots of vegetables then; very few can be kept in winter," Bi said regretfully.
Eric really liked this enthusiastic Ox-Head beastman; the fierce ox head in his eyes also became adorable:
"Wait until I get back, I’ll think of a way to build a greenhouse; by then we can also grow vegetables in winter."
Bi excitedly grabbed Eric’s shoulders:
"Oh magical young chief, if what you say is true, our Ox-Head tribe would be willing to give any amount of food, even gold coins!"
He now had blind faith in this young chief. Eric had only casually mentioned it, yet he was extremely excited, making Eric feel embarrassed.
But he really wasn’t just talking nonsense. Anyone who had done farming knew the importance of a greenhouse. Having decided on self-sufficient farming, researching greenhouses was a matter of sooner or later.
Glass and iron could be made, but where to find the plastic sheeting best for heat retention was still unknown. Using glass to make a greenhouse would be very labor-intensive.
But these were all matters for later. After all, since Eric came here, he had figured out and made everything himself; lacking a greenhouse wasn’t a big deal.
Only pity the Dwarves; every time Eric came up with a new idea, they were the ones to implement it...
Joseph had originally intended to visit Julia on this trip. Her tribe had suffered heavy losses; he didn’t know how they were doing now. Although Eric had told him that the magic beasts in the vicinity had been mostly cleared by Max and Michael, he still wasn’t reassured.
But going there and returning to the Hadu tribe were in two different directions. He didn’t want to delay transporting food back for the tribe, so after thinking over and over, he didn’t speak up.
Eric saw he had something on his mind, so during a rest stop, he asked:
"Uncle Joseph, what’s wrong with you lately? You look so sad, what are you thinking about?"
"Sigh, I’m a bit worried about the Gray Iron tribe, don’t know how your Aunt Julia is doing." Joseph sighed, speaking worriedly.
Ah, so that was it. Eric suddenly understood and comforted him:
"No need to worry. Wait until winter passes, I will send two warriors to go with you. Uncle Joseph can lead a few more tribesmen; we will help them bake bricks to build houses, and conveniently have the warriors clear the surrounding magic beasts."
Joseph looked at Eric gratefully:
"In spring there’s farming again, you Snow Wolf people also have to build houses; being so busy yet still accompanying me to the Gray Iron tribe. Your help to the Dwarves, we will remember in our hearts."
Whether it was the Ox-Head tribe or the Snow Wolf people, their help to the Dwarves was significant; otherwise, the Dwarves would have disappeared from this continent long ago.
Balu sat nearby, smiling benevolently:
"The Dwarves have also helped us a lot. Before you guys came, we had to do many things ourselves, which wasn’t as fast as using farming tools."
A smile bloomed on Joseph’s face, but his thoughts had flown far away.
He didn’t know how Chief Henry and Aunt Julia were living; their age was considered old among the Dwarf tribe. Since that battle, many elderly people couldn’t withstand the torment and had passed away on the road. The two of them were the only elders left in the tribe.
If Eric knew what he was thinking, he would definitely criticize him thoroughly. Although the place they lived was dangerous, don’t look at their old age; they had already given birth to a second child, a point where even Joseph couldn’t compare.
...
The Gray Iron Tribe.
"Chief Henry, I have brought the food and vegetables."
The Ox-Head person had sharp reddish-brown horns and a tall figure. At this moment, he was scratching his horns while talking with a smiling face.
Behind him were goods piled up like a mountain. Feared of freezing on the way, they were wrapped very carefully; food was tied on the outside, vegetables inside.
Chief Henry and Julia stood side by side in front of him, struggling to look up. Julia laughed heartily:
"Oh my, Moc arrived so fast. Let me go cook you a bowl of meat soup; you must be tired from the journey."
Dwarves ate little, so the exchanged food wasn’t much, only a few hundred thousand pounds. The Ox-Head tribe was strong; Moc alone could carry it.
Moc touched his stomach, laughing awkwardly a few times. Because of rushing, he didn’t rest much; he was indeed hungry right now. He followed Julia to the tent set up separately for him.
"Eh, was this tent set up again? And those houses around..."
Moc looked in surprise at the brand-new tent compared to previous years. His gaze shifted, and only then did he see the houses of the Gray Iron tribe, more than half destroyed, his expression becoming serious:
"Did magic beasts invade again? Were there casualties among your tribesmen?"
This time he came, besides completing the transaction, he was also responsible for ensuring the safety around the Gray Iron tribe, clearing a wave of magic beasts every year.
The Ox-Head people sent by the Red Grass tribe to trade with the Dwarves were all warriors with top combat power.
Moc was no exception.
On the way, he even felt that the surroundings of the Gray Iron tribe were particularly quiet this year; he didn’t expect the magic beasts had already come, truly caught off guard.