"Indeed not bad, but what are these things you mentioned?" Tan could only see the wall in front of him and didn’t know what the cement and bricks Eric mentioned were.
When building houses initially, there were naturally leftover materials, especially bricks. On sunny days, tribesmen liked to go outdoors. Beastmen would sit on the ground, while Dwarves would pick up bricks and stack them high to use as stools. Over time, there were quite a few leftover bricks in the newly paved courtyard in front of the public cafeteria.
However, Eric usually feared they would be in the way and told the tribesmen to tidy up the bricks and stack them against the wall when leaving.
At this moment, he took a brick and handed it to Tan, then pointed to the roof and said: "What is in your hand is a brick, what is on that roof is tile, and the layer plastered on the outside of the wall is cement."
Beastmen were not as numerous as humans. The Golden Kingdom hadn’t been established for long, so even if Tan and the others were elders or warriors, they had plenty of work to do.
After hearing Eric introduce these three materials, the three of them immediately thought of how to apply them. It was just that the shape of the tile looked strange in their eyes, but its function was probably the same as the roof coverings they had seen.
The Hadu tribe and the beastmen and Dwarf villages they passed on the way were all different. This was the first time they saw a collective cafeteria, and with several stone mills placed right outside, they couldn’t guess the use at a glance. They only guessed it was for processing food from the lingering smell.
Upon entering, this feeling became even more distinct.
Stoves were placed in the corners, and rows of large and small tables and chairs were arranged neatly in the middle of the house. Sunlight shone onto the ground through the bright windows, and the entire cafeteria exuded a relaxed feeling.
Adan noticed a separate partitioned room on the other side. A space was left between the entrance of that room and the dining area.
Eric quickly caught his curious gaze and smiled, explaining: "That is our kitchen. When the cooking is done, the workers will bring the food out and place it in that space to distribute to everyone."
"Your tribe lives quite well." Sunflower exclaimed. While walking on the road, he had noticed that whether it was beastmen or Dwarves here, everyone was in high spirits. It was rare to be like this in winter, which was enough to show that the tribe did not lack food.
Then it was easy to understand why the Dwarves of the Du tribe were willing to stay; it was probably not just because they wanted protection.
Tan nodded slowly. Beastmen lived hard lives, which was why their Golden Lion tribe established the Golden Kingdom. Although they hadn’t fully achieved their original wish, at least the citizens in the kingdom no longer suffered from hunger. In Tan’s eyes, this was still something to be proud of.
The Snow Wolves originally didn’t like the beastmen of the Golden Kingdom, but hearing Sunflower say this, the polite smile on Thomas’s face became a bit more genuine.
Eric naturally knew his tribe didn’t like these people. Usually, when he walked through the tribe, everyone would greet him, but today, neither the Snow Wolves nor the Horned Goat tribe showed their faces.
Dislike was one thing, but creating enmity was another. The Snow Wolf tribe had taken in the Dwarves; that was an undeniable fact.
Eric was also afraid of getting into trouble because of that. If he could win over these guests, he didn’t need them to put in a good word; as long as they didn’t add fuel to the fire, the Golden Kingdom wouldn’t make things difficult for the Snow Wolf tribe over a few hundred Dwarves.
If the kingdom really made a fuss, the Snow Wolf tribe wouldn’t have a good ending, and even other Snow Wolf villages would be implicated because the beastmen army of the kingdom was much larger.
Thinking of this, Eric’s smile became brighter: "You have traveled a long way and must be tired. It’s a good time to rest for a while."
The white wine he brewed before was almost finished, but there were still several jars of sticky rice wine left. This type brewed quickly, tasted sweet, and had a lower alcohol content than white wine; it could even be drunk as a refreshing beverage.
Now that there was enough grain, Eric didn’t mind brewing a bit more. This time it really came in handy. It was easy to talk over drinks, and with good food added, these people from the Golden Kingdom, who already appeared mild, would be even more reassured with a meal and wine, preventing any bad intentions.
Max went into the kitchen and carried out two large jars, setting them down.
The tables and chairs in the cafeteria were school-style, easy to arrange in rows. Thomas pushed several tables together to sit in a circle, eating and chatting, and they could be separated again after eating. Since the cafeteria was established, they had never treated guests like this. This made Eric think of making a few large round tables with rotating trays.
The patriarch of a primitive village thought about such simple and practical things every day.
Seeing Max bring out two jars of wine, Eric’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t that he regretted the rice, but how heavy were these two jars? Wasn’t Max trying to make these people drunk until they collapsed...
Although sticky rice wine had a strong aftereffect, its alcohol content was lower than white wine. But drinking two large jars was enough to knock them out... Thinking back to when they first drank it, Eric and the others had been knocked down by this wine that was sweet like fruit juice.
"What is this?" Sunflower’s eyes lit up. Although the jar was sealed with cloth and clay, he still smelled a sweet fragrance.
Since it was brought out, Eric couldn’t put it back. He could only silently pray for these guests. He smiled and handed a bowl to each person: "This is rice wine brewed by the tribe ourselves. Please try it."
Beastmen of the Golden Kingdom were inherently unwelcome in other villages. Although few dared to confront them directly, in the eyes of many, the beastmen who founded the kingdom back then were traitors.
Additionally, in recent years, the kingdom had intentions of reaching into other territories, so relations were already poor.
For Tan and the others, this was the first time they were treated well in a beastman village. Although they knew clearly the reason was the matter of the Dwarves, they still felt comfortable in their hearts. After all, who didn’t like being treated well rather than being given the cold shoulder?
At this time in the cafeteria, the workers were gone. Sam must have taken the chance to go play, and the others had gone home.
Drinking alone wasn’t a way to treat guests. Eric asked Max to call Sam or Iris over to work overtime, and incidentally go into the cave to get some ingredients, as the cafeteria had run out of fresh meat.
On this side, Thomas had removed the seal on the jar mouth and poured a bowl of sweet wine for Sunflower and the others sitting eagerly nearby.
The Golden Kingdom hadn’t been established for long, so there weren’t many elaborate rules like humans had yet; looking at how these people poured and drank was enough to see that.
Tan and the other two had high status in the kingdom. To be sent to collect taxes in the Dwarf villages, one must first be strong, and secondly have status.
Anyone with sharp eyes could see that this was a lucrative job. Without some strength, one couldn’t get it, not to mention the dangers layered upon dangers on the road; it could be said that benefits and risks coexisted.