Chapter 62

After spending an afternoon, Cloudy had a good grasp of the layout of the entire settlement. It was indeed a place of very high civilization, as she had anticipated, evident from the facilities within the settlement. Everything needed in a basic village was basically available here.

On the cliff facing the mountain, there was a long-distance lookout tower, and in the center of the settlement, there was another lookout tower that allowed for good observation of the rainforest and potential enemies. The structure within the entire settlement could be described as circular. Titus and a group of hunters lived in houses on the outermost circle near the wall, to defend against external threats. The hunters' houses were mostly constructed with a mix of wood and stone, overall taller and more spacious than the houses where the other residents of the settlement lived. To the far south and east of the settlement were two rows of hunters' houses.

Roughly estimating, Cloudy counted around 20 buildings in total, and from Titus, she learned that there were a total of 38 hunters in the settlement, with some hunters living together. This was the structure of the outermost and first circle.

The second circle consisted of what were known as residential houses, all made of stone, with slightly lower ceilings compared to Titus's home. Each house had one or two animal skin tents outside. After observing closely today, Cloudy realized that these were not "tents" but rather a way the locals dried animal skins. The houses were not crowded together; most had ample space between them.

While visiting the residential houses, interaction with the locals was inevitable. In the afternoon, most of the elderly locals who stayed at home seemed quite wary of Cloudy's presence, always sitting outside their houses, urging Titus to quickly take her away. This was somewhat similar to modern times... Cloudy didn't pay much attention to this, considering they were elderly.

After touring the residential houses, they reached the center of the settlement. This was where the ceremony for Cloudy had taken place earlier. At the very center was a wooden lookout tower and a stone longhouse. Behind the longhouse was a deliberately arranged circular plaza, roughly the size of a basketball court. This was the gathering place for the entire village to eat, with a burnt wood fire pit at the center.

"In the settlement, there's usually nothing much to do. Cloudy might find it boring, just like me." Titus felt a bit bored while aimlessly wandering with Cloudy, not sure what to introduce her to, but luckily, Cloudy was only interested in learning more about the terrain.

After exploring the plaza, Titus carried Cloudy on his back and hurried to the lookout tower next to the longhouse. Although it was a lookout tower, it was not the typical kind with a small cabin at the top; this one in the settlement was quite rough. They had used five very long whole logs, each about 10 meters high.

They leaned the logs against each other to form a triangle, made a slight foundation, then tied vines horizontally between the logs, creating a ladder-like structure to climb up. As Titus climbed up with her on his back, the entire lookout tower swayed slightly, making Cloudy nervous, gripping tightly with both hands and legs around Ti.
Titus: "Why did we climb up here?"

"Because it's the most fun in the settlement."

For you, is this a climbing frame... but it's good, from the watchtower, you can get a better view of the entire settlement. On top of this, Titus also pointed out to her the water source on the west side of the settlement and the firehouse.

The firehouse was built against the rock wall, and it was more likely built directly into a cave in the rock wall: "That's where I stole fire for Cloudy."

Cloudy also remembered that extraordinary afternoon... she looked at the distant firehouse and felt a subtle sense of amusement. "Are there guards there now?"

"Yes, there are always people there. Cloudy can go see if she wants. But they won't allow us in."

Because she already knew how to make fire, Cloudy didn't have a particularly strong attachment to the firehouse. After spending a few minutes on the watchtower, Titus took her back down to the ground, and thus the viewing activities in the settlement came to an end.

"..."

The two stood at the edge of the square, locking eyes. Now, both of them didn't know what to do next. Should they go home and make a table? Cloudy felt something was off; they had come to a completely new environment, and perhaps she should find something new to do... but Titus was someone who didn't find the settlement an interesting place, so he couldn't suggest anything.

The sunlight was still abundant at this time, enveloping the entire settlement in the golden rainforest sunlight.

Back when she lived in the caves, Cloudy would have taken her weapons and gone out early in the morning to find food. By the time she returned after finding food, it was nearly sunset, and lighting a fire would mark the end of the day, even though her daily routine was very monotonous, it kept her busy without much rest.

Thanks to the daily intense training, Cloudy had now acquired a set of skills out of necessity.

But it was clear upon arriving at the settlement that she no longer needed to worry about food. It seemed that the Matriarch only needed her to provide ideas to help with the newborns, and everything else was taken care of by others. She didn't even need to maintain her weapons daily; basically, everything needed for daily life was readily available in the settlement. The division of labor in the settlement was very clear, with mothers responsible for construction, healthcare, and nurturing newborns, while hunters handled everything external.

Cloudy was a little confused; did that mean she could now... rest however she wanted? No, that doesn't seem right...

"Titus, if the Matriarch finds out I'm of no use to the settlement, will I be kicked out?" She approached Titus like a thief and whispered, "I actually have no idea why I can walk in the rainy season; I just hate the heat."

Titus wrinkled his nose slightly, as if about to smile, but then suppressed it. "I know, Cloudy, you're naturally unafraid of the cold and rain."

"But maybe Cloudy can come up with a way to help the newborns."
Certainly... but not 100% successful: "Would Titus feel disappointed if I can't help the newborns? Because I'm not that skilled."

He shook his head, "It's enough that Cloudy is willing to help the newborns."

Cloudy felt a bit happy; Titus never put any pressure on her. Just as Cloudy was about to skip over the topic, she sensed something amiss. Titus intentionally left out the answer to the question, "If I can't help the newborns, will I be kicked out?"

"Cloudy! How about we go check on the newborns now?" Titus grinned widely, his ears perking up in a pleasing manner. She could tell right away... Titus was genuinely avoiding answering her.

"So, does that mean I'll be kicked out?"

Titus's ears drooped, "Cloudy, why do you always ask? If you're not helpful, they'll surely kick you out, but so what? Let's head back to the cave."

The problem lay here; the unexpected sense of relaxation upon entering the settlement made Cloudy reluctant to leave. Though she wasn't good at interacting with many people, being from a secure society, thick walls and a dedicated security team were crucial to her.

She made up her mind; she would stay in the settlement no matter what, which was good for both her and Titus. It provided her with a great sense of security, and Titus didn't have to make frequent trips between the cave and settlement, nor worry about his safety during hunting expeditions.

"Titus, I want to stay in the settlement. It's safe for me here, and you don't have to worry about me." Titus didn't have much affection for the settlement; he was probably contributing out of a sense of duty. Hearing her say this surely didn't make him too happy.

As Cloudy had expected, Titus's expression became somewhat complex, "Do you really think the settlement is good? But here, you must do as they say. You told me before that you didn't want to come to the settlement."

"Yes, but now I've changed my mind, I'm sorry..."

Titus made a rumbling sound in his throat, a sound Cloudy heard for the first time... like a low growl. It definitely didn't reflect positive emotions. She quickly raised her hand to comfort Titus, "But, but when we first met, you wanted to bring me to the settlement."

"No, back then I thought you would surely die outside."

Cloudy now understood clearly what that rumbling sound meant - anger. Titus's tone became very harsh, his eyebrows furrowed, "I didn't know you would like it here, Cloudy. If I had known, I wouldn't have brought you."

"It's not like I like it here that much..."

Titus looked ahead
Cloudy, who was several heads shorter than him, looked panicked as she tried to grab his arm for comfort, but he kept avoiding her outstretched hand.

Titus felt a mix of anger and frustration towards Cloudy. He couldn't quite understand why he was upset with her. Was it because she wanted to stay in the settlement? Titus knew he might be unreasonable, but he feared that Cloudy would get bored like everyone else if she stayed in the settlement for too long.

But it wasn't just that. He was also afraid that Cloudy would get to know other people and no longer need him. Why did this fear manifest as anger towards Cloudy?

"Why are you mad at me, Titus?" Cloudy finally grabbed Titus's wrist, looking anxious. "Maybe I could live near the settlement? Close to the materials factory or even further, building a cabin."

"No need," Titus mumbled, still trying to understand his inexplicable anger. "Cloudy, why am I so angry?"

"How should I know!" Cloudy felt sweat trickle down her forehead. "Because you hate the settlement, so I should hate it too."

"No, that's not it!" Titus suddenly raised his voice. Cloudy had to hush him to avoid drawing attention. They ended up pushing each other behind the stone longhouse for several minutes until Cloudy finally sat down exhausted, asking, "Why are you mad at me?"

"In the settlement, you won't need me anymore!" Titus stood firm, fists clenched, looking like a defiant child. "I'm angry!"

"But we live together, why wouldn't I need you?" Cloudy noticed Titus surprisingly lacked a sense of security within his towering frame.

"I don't know, it's just a feeling," Titus's voice lowered, his demeanor becoming secretive. "But I'm the best hunter in the settlement, no one can match me."

And then?

"Cloudy must want the best."

"I'm not here to pick watermelons in the settlement..."