The strength of Leo and the other Snow Wolf cubs was in no way inferior to that of the adult Dwarves. Together, the children produced a large quantity of brick molds, enough to keep the brick kiln firing without rest.
Thanks to this, the Dwarves didn’t need to work overtime. It wasn’t convenient to lay foundations at night anyway, so apart from a few who tended the fire, everyone else had returned to their tents to rest.
But the young cubs of any race were equally energetic. The Dwarf children didn’t have night vision, so they gathered to play near the firelight and oil lamps. Leo had become friendly with them over the past few days and happily ran over to join the fun.
"Leo, weren’t you already taken home?" Robin asked curiously. The Snow Wolf who took Leo back had looked so stern that the children hadn’t dared to approach.
Leo puffed out his chest, his clear voice ringing out: "Max and my brother are asleep! I snuck out to play!"
The moment he finished speaking, the sound of thighs being slapped suddenly came from the tents behind them. Luban’s face was flushed crimson: "Eric is still just a cub!"
"By the gods, the Snow Wolves are really..." Another Dwarf had an indescribable expression on his face.
Just then, Michael, Grass, and Sam returned from their patrol. Hearing the discussion, they were all stunned. Grass’s beautiful face contorted with anger, and she was about to charge straight into Eric’s house.
"Eric is so young, that Max is too much!"
Michael and Sam, before they could even be surprised, hurriedly held her back: "Max isn’t that kind of beastman, this must be a misunderstanding!" Michael tried to persuade her.
Sam quickly added: "Right, right, their new house isn’t even finished yet, they can’t possibly be in such a hurry!"
"He’s even preparing to build a new house?" Grass couldn’t believe it, her face twisting further with anger: "I’m going to beat him to death!"
"It must be a rumor!" Michael shot Sam a fierce glare. This guy was truly more of a hindrance than a help.
Coaxing and struggling, they finally managed to restrain the furiously angry Grass.
Michael couldn’t help but feel uneasy himself. Max had indeed been increasingly unreliable lately, and Eric wasn’t even an adult yet.
If word of this reached Chief Thomas and Aunt Luci, he dared not imagine the scene.
"How about... we go take a look?" he suggested hesitantly.
Sam looked at Grass with a difficult expression: "If it’s true... then what?"
Michael thought it over and still felt he should trust Max: "Let’s go, it’s probably not true."
The three of them tiptoed towards Eric’s house, leaving Leo still innocently kicking a bamboo ball with the Dwarf children, completely unaware of the great trouble he had caused.
The rumor spread like wildfire, from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, flying throughout the Dwarves’ camp.
...
The Snow Wolves’ night had no lamps. Apart from a few nearly extinguished campfires, the entire tribe was immersed in darkness and moonlight.
Under the clear moonlight, a peaceful scene unfolded. Eric and Max lay head to head, neatly on the grass, their even breaths deep in slumber.
There was still a space between them, and the air around them had no particular smell.
Seeing this, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Sam smelled a sweet fragrance. He followed the scent and discovered a wine jar not far away. Excited, he ran over and ladled out a bowl.
"It’s wine! Much better than the wine we trade from the humans!"
He quickly signaled to the other two, not daring to shout for fear of disturbing their sleep.
Michael and Grass felt they couldn’t make this trip for nothing, so they went over to share the wine.
"Mmm, this wine is delicious! I never thought human wine was anything special before." Grass praised after taking a sip.
They drank until they were hooked. Beastmen rarely had the chance to drink alcohol, and their tolerance hadn’t been trained. Soon, they were dead drunk, falling to the ground one by one, sleeping soundly and sprawled in disarray.
...
Three days after setting up camp, the Hailun merchant caravan departed.
Although only one beast cub had come to trade, it had been the most profitable deal of their entire journey.
On the backs of their horned horses, Corbin and A Duc couldn’t help but smile.
"I’ve heard that the Green Creek Wine of the Elf tribe is unparalleled. I wonder what it tastes like." A Duc said dreamily as he sipped the berry wine.
"It’s a pity the Elves’ territory was snatched by that bunch of Vitas. Hmph, those running dogs of the Qilan Empire!" Corbin cursed unwillingly. The Elves were an ancient and civilized race, incredibly wealthy. How could they be compared to the Golden Kingdom of beastmen, which had been established for less than a hundred years.
"Alright, just think of the merchant caravans that don’t even have the qualifications to enter." the leader of the Silver Horn mercenary group, riding a land dragon alongside them, said with a comforting laugh.
He stared greedily at the wine flasks in their hands. He had been trailing them for two days without getting a single sip and had to resort to a dirty trick.
"Alas, I’m not fortunate enough to drink such fine wine. I just don’t know what Grand Duke Lin will think!"
Corbin was so angry he wanted to draw his sword, but in the end, he could only glare fiercely at the man.
"You are shameless!"
Seeing the other’s cheeky smile, Corbin grew even angrier but could do nothing. If he really let the man tattle to the Grand Duke, he would surely be severely punished.
He reluctantly gave A Duc a look.
A Duc screamed internally. Why did he have to be the unlucky one in the end!
Threatened by Corbin, he miserably handed his wine pouch to the mercenary leader, silently comforting himself that he had fortunately hidden the larger portion.