In the windy and snowy wilderness, the ground was covered with a layer of snow, which looked completely white. The reflected light was even a bit dazzling after looking at it for a long time. A small hill was not obvious in the snow.
.
Because we are located in the north, the coldest winter is also the most difficult time. There is not much food production on the grasslands, most of which are just pasture. Every winter when the land is covered with snow, we can survive by accumulating food.
Since the orcs were driven here a long time ago, most of them made a living by raising animals, but in the eyes of humans, this is actually a slightly strange thing.
For example, the Niutou tribe raises cattle, and the Yangjiao tribe raises sheep. The herdsmen and the livestock they raise have some strange similarities. Businessmen or tourists who occasionally come here to trade will also curiously ask, do you livestock farmers regard these animals as the same kind? Will you bear it?
Kill?
The answer is that they don't have any special feelings. It's just like raising chickens and dogs. Some orcs are annoyed by the question and will ask, do you humans think that you and monkeys are the same kind? The answer is of course no.
Rather than saying that orcs are like animals, they are actually closer to humans. Some scholars even say that humans are a branch of orcs. However, this statement is rejected by many people, and historical research also proves that in the era of the orc empire, there were indeed no human tribes.
, humans seem to have evolved or degenerated from another direction.
The snow-covered hills look normal from the north, but when you turn your gaze to the south, you see a different scene.
The north side of the hill blocks the constantly blowing cold wind and air currents, while the south side is a basin about the size of 10 football fields. There is a fence around the basin, and large tents are pitched on the bottom of the basin against the mountain. Occasionally, there is smoke from the tents.
The middle cylinder rises, and outside the tent is a large fence, which is divided into several sections, and each section is filled with sheep tightly packed together.
They huddle together for warmth and use the thick down on their bodies to resist the cold. Occasionally, they make bleating sounds, just like a large group of cotton. Some cashmere is too thick and even looks a little yellow.
The days are especially shorter in winter. Although the sun shines, it is difficult to feel the warmth. As it sinks behind the horizon, the air becomes colder.
A girl was walking in the snow-covered wilderness. She was wearing a fur jacket and hood. The collar and cuffs were tightly tied to prevent the cold wind from getting in. Only part of her cheeks and corners of her eyes were exposed to the air and were blown by the wind.
It was like a knife cutting, and the shoes made a slight sound when stepping on the snow, and then exposed the black soil and grass underneath.
Sparse starlight dotted the sky, and on the snow-covered ground, a trail snaked into the distance.
Thumb thump——
In front of the fence gate outside the basin, the girl shook the two copper plates hanging above, and they collided with each other, making bursts of clear sound. Several dog barks began to come out in the dark night, echoing each other, making people wonder which direction they were coming from.
"Coming."
An old voice came from the small wooden house not far away from the fence, and then the wooden door opened, and an old man came over holding a lamp. He had a goatee and was a little thin.
"Is Niya back?"
"Yes, Grandpa Ketan, are you the only one?"
As the gate opened, the girl walked in and said hello.
"Yes, everyone went out to get some food during the day, and we are all tired. I will stay here tonight."
"Is there still not enough food?" Niya shook off the snow on her body and asked.
"Yes, caravans from the south would come here in previous years, but this year there is civil strife in West Wind, and many routes are blocked. If that doesn't work, we have no choice but to kill the sheep."
"But it would be a pity to kill those wool-producing sheep, and eating meat would be too luxurious." Niya seemed to be sighing.
The Yangjiao Tribe has a small population, only a few thousand people, and its strength is also weak. The largest income in the year comes from the trade of wool and a small amount of goat milk. It is not cost-effective to kill sheep and sell them for meat. Because of the smell of mutton, the rich of human nobles
People don't like it, and civilians can't pay high prices, so it's very embarrassing.
"Well, everyone knows it, but there is no way. We can't let people starve to death." The old man seemed to be sighing.
"Everyone used to say that those human businessmen were greedy, but now it's hard for us to live without them. It's really helpless."
"By the way, Niya, you went to the Hundred Clans Competition, what was the result there?"
Is it the result? Niya touched the scars on her body, and she still has lingering fears. If the ax light had been stronger, she might not be able to come back.
Seeing that Niya didn't answer, the old man thought that he was talking about her sadness, so he comforted her.
"It's okay. It's good that you can come back alive. No one will blame you. After all, no one in our clan has been chosen for nearly a hundred years."
"I chose it."
"Okay, no need...what, have you chosen?" the old man asked again in surprise.
"Well, yes. Although the process was a bit thrilling, I still chose it." Niya nodded, with a smile on her face that was red from the cold.
"Okay, okay, okay." The old man's voice was so excited that it even trembled.
"Our clan finally has a student of Emenas."
"I will tell everyone tomorrow. No, just tonight. I will tell everyone the good news tonight."
After saying that, the old man with gray beard and hair pulled the girl with horns and walked inside, passing through the open space where hay and debris were piled, passing through the corrals full of sheep, and approaching the groups of tents.
"Everyone is getting up. Our village, no, our clan has made a difference."
Hands as rough as old tree bark tightly grasped Niya's wrist, which was covered in a dull, old blue-purple color. The loud voice sounded like a startling gong in the dark night, spreading far and wide.
"Niya, Niya, she has been selected, she can go to Emenas."
The excited voice even included some crying at the end. Over the years, the regrets and long-cherished wishes of so many generations have finally come true today.
"What?"
"Really?"
“Sister Niya is so amazing!”
"Why don't you sleep? Get up quickly and make some food to celebrate our future heroes."
"That's right."
The originally silent tent group suddenly became lively, and tribesmen rushed to tell each other. Some old people burst into tears after listening to it, crying and laughing. The young children didn't know what it meant, but they just followed the adults and were happy, because it was so exciting.
You can eat delicious food.
In the tall tent, Niya stood in the middle. The hood on her head had been taken off, revealing two small spiral horns. Her childish face was a bit cute. Elders and people gathered in the tent to look at it one by one.
She held her hand excitedly and said some blessings and words of congratulations.
A pair of eyes were full of hope and expectation. Those hands were very rough and calloused, but they were particularly strong and heavy when they were held.