The number of Ox-Head people on the street was not small, but due to wearing many layers of clothes in winter, Eric just looked at a pile of bull heads and couldn’t distinguish between male and female.
Rummaging through his memories of the original story, the Ox-Head tribe seemed to just favor this image; they could also transform into complete human and complete beast forms.
It was just that they preferred a form that was both convenient for labor and could maintain their racial characteristics.
Regarding this peculiar preference of theirs, Eric expressed respect, but couldn’t understand it.
This whole street full of bull heads was truly hard on the eyes, a waste of their beautiful physiques.
But after witnessing it firsthand, he finally understood why the Ox-Head tribe’s houses were more spacious than the Snow Wolf people’s houses.
It turned out the Ox-Head tribe’s human form was already that tall; normal houses truly couldn’t accommodate them.
However, their living conditions were indeed so much better than other beastmen.
Looking at these tidy houses and streets, along with the leisurely crowd, if it weren’t for the overly large houses and the strangely shaped people, it really resembled a wealthy small town in the human world.
The Ox-Head people standing on both sides of the road all smiled friendly at this curious little kid, only that their faces, when smiling, looked somewhat scary.
At this moment, a burly, tall Ox-Head person with a brown bull head hurriedly ran over, that large brown bull head also flashing a "horrifying" smile at them.
"Hey Bi! Is it you welcoming us again this year?"
Thomas was clearly very familiar with this Ox-Head person, greeting him cheerfully.
"Huh, you even brought a beast cub this year?"
A deep, magnetic voice emitted from the bull head in front, truly not matching at all.
The large, round, and moist eyes characteristic of bovines stared curiously at Eric. Two huge, curved horns swayed with their owner’s movements, the sharp tips glinting coldly in the sun.
Facing the large bull head bending down to look at him, Eric found it strangely cute.
Especially with an animal as loyal to its master as a cow, that gaze always made him unable to stop his heart from softening. Before he could collect himself, his hand was faster than his brain, reaching up to touch the person’s nose.
Even Max, who was holding his other hand, didn’t react in time.
The air among the people present seemed to freeze for a second.
Joseph looked at this gutsy little kid with eyes full of admiration. One must know that his Dwarf cubs had been scared to tears several times when they first met the Ox-Head tribe.
Truly worthy of being a Snow Wolf tribe cub, so much nerve.
Bi originally had ill intentions, deliberately coming over to scare the kid. He didn’t expect this Snow Wolf child to be so brave; he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. His large hand patted Eric’s shoulder, then he straightened up.
The moment he touched the short, brown fur of the Ox-Head person, Eric realized it was inappropriate. Luckily, Bi quickly stood up, helping him escape this awkward situation.
It was just that the feeling of touching the slightly coarse fur just now reminded him of the cow back home, which always obediently lowered its head for him to pat like this. The feeling on his hand was also coarse, yet he strangely liked to touch it.
Max looked at Eric with eyes full of resignation, then took his hand and followed Bi.
They passed through long streets, turned a few corners, and Eric estimated they had reached near the center of the Red Grass tribe.
Bi opened the door of one of the wooden houses for them: "Here, still the old place."
After settling them in, Bi said goodbye.
As he was leaving, he intended to reach out and pat Eric’s head, but Max stared with a less-than-friendly gaze, then reached out and pulled Eric to shield him in front of himself.
It was clearly a bull head, yet Eric could make out an "ah, I get it" expression on that face.
Without saying anything more, he waved goodbye to everyone and left.
This house was clearly prepared for guests. Hearing Bi’s meaning as he left, their tribe had also stayed in this house in previous years.
So many beastmen tribes came to trade for food; Bi’s memory was really good, still remembering Thomas’s tribe’s lodging.
Eric walked a lap around the house. The structure of this house wasn’t quite like the Ox-Head people’s own residences; it was divided into many small rooms, specifically for guests to stay in.
They could even cook for themselves. Inside, the Ox-Head people had thoughtfully prepared kitchen utensils and even food. How thorough, Eric silently exclaimed.
After entering the house, Max let go of Eric’s hand. After a lap around the house, Eric ran outside again to look. He didn’t go too far, just wandered around the nearby area.
The entire block of houses around here was probably prepared for beastmen from other places. Voices could be heard from several houses, seeming to indicate guests had already moved in.
He just didn’t know what tribes they were. Eric felt a little antsy. If it weren’t for the fear of bumping into the despicable Black Wolves, he really wanted to knock on their doors for a visit.
Returning to the room, Thomas and Joseph had already arranged everyone’s lodging.
Eric couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
The future chieftain of the Hadu tribe was just busy exploring the new place like a tourist. Who could blame him, as this was the first time he got to meet other beastmen. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t excited.
After all, he was used to living in crowded cities with people coming and going. After coming here, the population was sparse; apart from the people in his own tribe, he hadn’t met anyone else.
This made Eric very unaccustomed. One must know that in the past, even the smallest county town had tens of thousands of people.
Coming here from such a lively place, Eric felt it was already good that he hadn’t been driven crazy.
On the beds that the Ox-Head tribe prepared for the beastmen, there were mattresses and blankets made of hemp cloth.
Although not as good as the cotton cloth they used for themselves, it was already very good for receiving guests.
Currently, most beastmen still slept on piles of grass like primitive tribes; in comparison, the Ox-Head tribe was indeed very generous.
After several tiring days on the road, everyone decided to rest for one night; tomorrow, Eric, Max, and Michael would continue on their way.
Eric felt that, compared to other things, he was still best at cooking.
These past few days under the open sky, everyone had just eaten casually to fill their stomachs. Now the cooking utensils prepared by the Ox-Head tribe were quite complete; it was a good chance to treat everyone to a good meal.
This house even had a bread oven. Eric had always wanted to build one at home, but later got busy and forgot. Now seeing this oven, he couldn’t help but rejoice; he could really show off his skills today.
Among the several partitioned rooms in this house, one was specifically used as a kitchen. Inside, the Ox-Head people had prepared a lot of grain and even some dried meat.
Don’t assume the Ox-Head tribe was vegetarian; among them, there were also a few who were omnivores. It was just that they mainly ate grain and rarely hunted, so it wasn’t strange for there to be dried meat here.
Except for the Ox-Head tribe, the cooking skills of other beastmen were truly a disaster.
Even if given spices, they wouldn’t know how to use them.
The Ox-Head tribe must have understood this, so they didn’t prepare too many spices in the kitchen, only a few simple types.
But Eric had brought quite a few himself when he set out. As a foodie, he could forget anything when going out, except for things related to food.
He checked the food bags; in them, wheat, rice... were all whole grains, with no pre-milled flour.
He also knew the reason for this.
It was said that the beastmen had once tried to learn how to make black bread from the Ox-Head tribe, but no matter what they did, it turned out as a pile of mush.
In the end, no one learned, so the Ox-Head tribe decisively stopped preparing flour for them, letting them directly cook these grains to eat, at least it wouldn’t be wasted.