I've been transported to the orc continent.

Bai Ling and a group of children sat on a large rock in front of their house, slowly eating red berries. In the distance, they heard the sound of animals running quickly. Bai Ling looked up and saw a huge white lion running towards them.

The white lion was huge and incredibly agile. When it ran at full speed, it was like a large off-road vehicle with tremendous power; the ground even trembled when it ran.

It kicked up a cloud of dust and arrived in front of Bai Ling in the blink of an eye. It wasn't until the white lion was right in front of Bai Ling that she realized just how big it was.

The white lion's shoulders were about two meters wide, its standing height was nearly four meters, and its length was about seven or eight meters. It was even taller than a typical room, and its mere presence was incredibly imposing. Its obsidian-like eyes were fixed on Bai Ling, as if trying to bore a hole through him.

Bai Ling, however, was not afraid at all; in fact, she felt a sense of familiarity towards him.

This white lion is Bai Ling's father, Cang.

Bai Ling reached out and gently touched the white lion's front leg, calling out, "Father."

The white lion was stunned. It looked at its eldest son with disbelief and great joy, and for a moment even forgot to transform back into human form.

The children jumped down from the rocks and began to circle around the white lion. Some of the bolder ones even took the opportunity to pull on the white lion's tail.

Cang was a warrior in the tribe. He was kind and gentle, and very popular with the tribe members, especially the children. He didn't get angry when the children played around him; instead, he lowered his head and gently licked Bai Ling's face with his tongue.

This is one way adult orcs express their affection for their young.

Bai Ling took a step back and complained, "Father, I'm not a child anymore, stop licking my face."

Cang's eyes were full of joy. He took a step back, then ran to the back of his house. A short while later, a handsome man with wheat-colored skin came out.

Cang ran up to Bai Ling like a gust of wind and said, "Ling, call me again."

"Father, Father, Father," Bai Ling called out three times in a row.

Cang Hefeng's eyes reddened. He didn't know what to say, he just kept staring at Bai Ling, not even daring to blink, for fear that this was all a dream.

*

As it was getting dark, Bai Ling's younger brother, Chen, also returned.

Chen also had wheat-colored skin. Although he was a white wolf beastman like his father Feng, his face resembled his father Cang more. He had imposing features, was handsome and sunny, and was a somewhat talkative male beastman.

Chen's mouth was stuffed full of chunks of meat, his cheeks bulging from the excess food. After struggling to swallow a large mouthful, Chen asked, "Brother, is it really okay if you just had a dream? You can still make lots of delicious food, right?"

Bai Ling nodded: "Yes, I also know a lot of delicious food, all of which you haven't tried before." Before Chen could be happy, Bai Ling continued, "However, our tribe doesn't have enough raw materials, so we can't make most of the food."

Chen Liang's bright eyes dimmed, but he quickly cheered up again: "Brother, I would be very satisfied if I could eat your stewed meat and meat rolls every day."

This was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten; it was so delicious that he wished he could swallow his tongue along with it.

Bai Ling took a sip of hot soup, her eyes narrowing comfortably: "Once I'm better, I'll go outside and see if I can find any useful seasonings?"

Chen asked doubtfully, "Seasonings?"

"Yes, it's something that makes food taste better."

Onions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, and various spices—these are what make food taste better.

Most importantly, you need to find a stable source of staple food, preferably wheat and rice. Only with these two things can you make truly delicious food.

*

There are no beds in the tribe. The ground is covered with a thick layer of dry grass, and then animal hides are laid on top, which is where people sleep.

It's autumn now, and the weather is gradually getting cooler. Even with dry grass and animal hides laid out, the ground is still damp. Bai Ling felt a little uncomfortable lying down, and he wasn't sleepy. He opened his eyes and looked at the moonlight streaming in through the window.

Just a wall away was her father's and father's bedroom. They weren't asleep either. The house wasn't soundproof at all, and Bai Ling could hear their conversation clearly.

“We need to leave early tomorrow,” it was his father’s voice. “We’re going to the forest to the south, where there might be more prey.”

Father asked, "How many days will you be gone?"

"The weather has been bad this year. First it didn't rain, then it rained too much. We've collected less food than in previous years, and we'll have to make up for the rest by hunting. We might stay there for a few more days."

In Bai Ling's memory, it didn't rain much this summer, but it rained for many days after autumn arrived. The summer drought naturally prevented plants from growing, resulting in less food to gather. If the vegetation didn't grow well, herbivores would be affected, and if herbivores were affected, carnivores would naturally be affected as well.

Bai Ling used to be clueless and didn't know how much food the tribe needed to store for the winter, but judging from his father's words, the situation this year was probably not good.

The conversation between the father and father continued. The father said, "Feng, don't go out these next few days. Just stay home and take care of Ling."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

Bai Ling was listening intently to his father and father, hoping to get more information from them, when he suddenly heard some other voices.

His face flushed red, and he quickly closed his eyes, forcing himself not to listen anymore.

But those sounds reached Bai Ling's ears clearly, and he couldn't help but hear them.

*

Bai Ling didn't know when he fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already broad daylight.

Bai Ling stretched and slowly walked out of the house, knowing her younger brother Chen was no longer there.

Feng was squatting on the ground, processing the food his partner Cang had brought back yesterday. Hearing the noise, he turned around and saw his son had returned. He pointed to the hearth in the shed and said, "Ling, breakfast is in the earthenware pot. Go and eat."

The leftover broth from yesterday, along with meat, dried vegetables, and pumpkin, was stewed together, making a decent breakfast.

Bai Ling drank two bowls of meat soup. With nothing to do, he simply squatted on the ground and watched his father process the animal hides.

Orcs use a crude method to process animal hides. After peeling off the entire hide, they scrape off any remaining flesh and blood with a stone knife, rub it with animal fat, wash it clean in water, and finally place it on a rack to be smoked for a day. That completes the processing of an animal hide.

The hides treated in this way are not very soft, but they are better than untreated hides, and the entire tribe uses this method to process hides.

Bai Ling watched for a while and then asked, "Father, I know another way to process animal hides. Do you have any small pieces of hide? I'll try it and see if it works."