I've been transported to the orc continent.

To make it easier to climb the mountain, the two left the basket containing the stones Yue had collected at the foot of the mountain. Now that they were leaving, they naturally had to take the stones from the basket with them.

Bai Ling thought to himself with delight, "This is the first time Yue has ever given me something. I must keep it safe, preferably until the day I go to my grave."

Yue knew that Bai Ling only wanted special stones, and in such a short time he couldn't find many stones. The stones filled about a third of the basket. Yue bent down and threw the stones she had picked up earlier into the basket behind her.

When Bai Ling and Yue go out together, Bai Ling is usually the one being taken care of.

Yue is brave and strong, and has won first place in the Chada Tournament held by the nearby tribes. She can be said to be invincible among the surrounding tribes. Bai Ling, on the other hand, is sickly. He has never even been to a place far away from the tribe, let alone hunted with his tribesmen.

There is a significant difference between the two in terms of physical strength and speed. When they act together, Yue always takes care of Bai Ling. Just like today, even though both of their baskets were full of limestone, Yue still threw the stones she picked up into her own basket, not letting Bai Ling carry them.

Bai Ling also noticed Yue's action. He knew it was Yue taking care of him, but he still couldn't quite accept it: "Yue, me too,"

Yue tossed a stone into the air. The stone traced an arc and landed precisely in the basket on his back. Bai Ling only had time to catch a glimpse of the stone's general shape before it disappeared.

Bai Ling's eyes widened suddenly. He rushed to Yue's side, not even caring about the surprised expression on Yue's face, and reached into the basket on Yue's back to find the stone.

It was a white stone about the size of a palm, with an uneven surface, covered with alternating shades of bluish-gray and yellowish-brown. The stone had tiny pores on its surface, felt rough to the touch, and was heavy in the hand. If you rubbed it carefully with your fingers, it seemed as if you could rub off the powder on it.

Bai Ling couldn't describe his feelings. He raised his head, his eyes as bright and shining as the rising sun as he looked at the moon.

*

Before Yue could figure out what was going on, Bai Ling hugged her tightly.

Now Yue's eyes widened. He stood there helplessly, not knowing how to react. He could only be held tightly by Bai Ling and couldn't move at all.

Both of them were only wearing animal skin skirts, their warm skin pressed together. Yue could even hear Bai Ling's rapid heartbeat. Ling's heartbeat was so fast and so close that it made his heart beat rapidly as well.

A strange feeling spread from her heart to her limbs. This feeling was indescribable, yet it brought a blush to Yue's cheeks.

Yue's lips tightened unconsciously. He reached out and pushed Bai Ling away, taking a step back. His icy blue eyes looked at Bai Ling, filled not with blame or resentment, but with confusion and bewilderment.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Bai Ling didn't even notice what he was doing. He was so happy that he just wanted to share his joy with someone, so he instinctively hugged Yue.

It wasn't until Yue pushed him away that Bai Ling came to his senses and realized what he had done. He, he, he had actually hugged Yue! He had actually hugged Yue! He had actually hugged Yue!

Good heavens, what did he do? Yue won't think he's being reckless and a lecherous man, will she?

In an instant, Bai Ling's joy turned into panic. His face first turned red, then white: "Yue, let me explain. I was too nervous, I..." As Yue gazed into his beautiful icy blue eyes, Bai Ling saw his own reflection in them.

I felt like a thief caught by his owner, completely helpless and flustered.

A deep sense of powerlessness and frustration welled up in Bai Ling's heart. He must have left a very bad impression on Yue, and Yue might even think that his previous approach was all for ulterior motives.

Bai Ling visibly slumped, even her dark eyes seemed to be veiled with mist: "Yue, I was just so happy, that's why..."

Yue interrupted Bai Ling: "Ling, I believe you." His eyes, as clear as an ice lake, narrowed slightly, filled with trust and a smile: "Ling, I know you were overjoyed just now, that's why you did that."

"So, Ling, why are you so happy? Is it because of this stone?"

Yue was very smart. After thinking about the cause and effect, he understood why Bai Ling was so agitated.

Bai Ling nodded, holding the stone in his hand up to Yue, his voice trembling with excitement: "Yue, this is iron ore."

Yue asked in confusion, "Iron ore?"

Bai Ling nodded vigorously: "Yes, iron ore. Iron ore can be used to smelt iron, and iron is an extremely important thing. With iron, our entire tribe, no, the entire orc world, will undergo earth-shattering changes."

The civilization of the orc world is the Stone Age civilization, followed by the Bronze Age civilization, and then the Iron Age civilization. If enough iron can be found, the orc world can skip the Bronze Age and directly enter the Iron Age.

This is a groundbreaking discovery, a milestone worthy of being etched in history.

Yue opened her eyes wide: "Ling, is this kind of stone more important than a blade of grass or a house?"

Bai Ling nodded: "Yes, even if you put cassava and a house together, they're not as important as this stone in my hand." Bai Ling placed the stone in Yue's hand, and the light in his eyes was no longer scorching but fanatical, like the fanaticism of a believer seeing the one true God they worship.

"Moon, you are the first orc to find iron ore. You are my lucky star and the lucky star of the entire orc world."

"Moon, if there is a god of fortune in this world, then you must be the only orc favored by the god of fortune."

Bai Ling's words were rather blatant, and his gaze was undeniably fervent, causing Yue to instinctively avoid Bai Ling's eyes. He whispered, "I just picked these stones randomly; I never expected them to be so useful."

Yue has received plenty of praise and compliments since he was a child, and he can accept others' praise and compliments indifferently. However, Bai Ling's praise makes Yue want to run away.

Because he felt that there was a fire in Ling's eyes that wanted to set him on fire.

Bai Ling laughed and said, "Yue, you just picked the stone randomly, but why did you go looking for a stone? It's because I just mentioned it casually, and you took it to heart."

"Yue, I'm really happy to have a friend like you," Bai Ling emphasized the word "friend," making the two ordinary words sound tender as he spoke them.

Yue's face turned red again.