Chapter 67

After the argument between Titus and his brother, training continued. However, everyone was silent, making the atmosphere very awkward.

The training was obviously dull without needing a close look. Uro was inferior in all aspects compared to the other child, more clumsy and slower. Even though Cloudy thought Uro's physical fitness was already very good, it was only in comparison to her. Thanks to these highly physical training exercises, Cloudy was able to determine the genders of the two children while observing.

Uro should be male, while the other, more robust child, was female. Indeed, there was no clear concept of gender in the settlement; they didn't even have specific words to describe males and females.

"..." Although Titus didn't want Uro to be among the first group of children to go out for training after the rainy season, Uro clearly had no such thoughts. He took training very seriously, even if he couldn't keep up with the child next to him, he still tried hard to jump towards the trees.

After watching for a while, Cloudy felt detached from the scene in front of her. This strange sense of detachment had occurred before when she lived on Green Slope. It gave her a strong awareness that she didn't belong here, and that everything in front of her shouldn't exist.

Why was this happening? If Titus wasn't standing nearby, she felt she might panic; there was a feeling of... what am I doing right now? Why am I starting to think about the hunters?

As she sat there lost in thought, Titus once again got into an argument with his brother. The general content was similar to before, with Tizu blaming Titus for not being serious enough, and that not being serious enough in guidance could harm the children.

After the argument, the atmosphere became even more silent. Cloudy had many thoughts in her mind; after all, her frail race could survive in the rainforest on their own, so there was no reason Uro couldn't.

But Uro wasn't going out to survive in the rainforest; he was going out to hunt wild beasts. He needed more than just survival skills.

Apart from talking to the Matriarch, what else could she do to help him? Honestly, if it weren't for Titus caring, these things had nothing to do with her. After all, the settlement people had previously thrown her out and left her to fend for herself; she didn't need to be so concerned.

"Cloudy, why don't you go back first?" Seeing Cloudy sitting there silently, Titus felt guilty and didn't want her to witness any more arguments. He wanted her to go back. "I'm sorry; I originally wanted you to play in the rainforest."

"Do you always argue because of this?" Cloudy patted the tree root next to her, signaling for Titus to sit beside her. The two of them leaned in and began to whisper to each other.

"Well, he and I have different views," Titus sighed softly. "Last rainy season, before I met Cloudy, Tizu chose guards and mothers to participate in the external hunt."
"Everyone is dead."

Cloudy didn't know how to respond. Her previous impression of the settlement... it was a place of safety and security, but now it seemed to be facing difficult times.

"What do other settlements do?"

Titus' expression stiffened as he replied, "Patrolling individuals bring back news. If another settlement is in more danger than us, they might attack us."

This was a direction Cloudy had never considered before. "Do we need to worry about other settlements?"

Titus shook his head. "Not for now. If there's a problem, the patrollers will alert us."

Their quiet conversation paused briefly. "Cloudy, you looked upset just now. Is something on your mind?" Titus eventually broke the silence.

"I'm not sure what to do." Cloudy hesitated before sharing her thoughts. If she couldn't discuss them with Titus, she had no one else to talk to. "I've thought of a solution for the newborns, but we have to wait for the hunting to end for the materials. Seeing the children head into the rainforest, it feels like sending them to their deaths. I don't know what to do." It was a long and complex sentence, and Cloudy tried her best to convey her current feelings of complexity and confusion to Titus.

To her surprise, Titus summed up all her emotions in one sentence: "Are you feeling troubled, Cloudy?"

Yes, she was feeling troubled. More precisely, it was a nuisance. However, this emotion couldn't show on her face now. She had to rely on the settlement's provided "safe living environment." Feeling that dealing with matters in the settlement was a hassle would mean she didn't appreciate what she had.

Cloudy didn't want to complain to Titus, but she realized that her current life was completely different from before. She now needed to worry about interpersonal relationships and other troublesome matters? When she lived on the Green Slope, her main concern was survival and making fire every day. Cloudy wasn't sure if this change was good or bad. By helping the newborns in the settlement, she would inevitably integrate into the settlement's system.

When it came to the division of power and responsibilities in the settlement, Cloudy was completely clueless.

From her modern perspective, the structure of the settlement was definitely flawed. However, at any time in history, there has never been a perfect social structure. There will always be illogical aspects, especially thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago.

She believed that the settlements in the rainforest had already explored a sustainable development model. As an outsider, she had no right to criticize or mock them. The correct solution always emerges through trial and error.

Furthermore, Cloudy had a clear self-awareness that she was not intelligent. She was just an ordinary person who had forgotten much of what she learned in school. She had made it this far relying fifty percent on intuition and fifty percent on Titus.
She looked at the hunter standing not far away under the tree, directing the children to continue climbing. What would happen to her relationship with Titus if they continued to live inside the settlement? They now seemed very much like a family... Oh, what a bother.

She didn't want to think about it, but her mind involuntarily started pondering troublesome matters. She somewhat missed having a mind filled only with thoughts of hunting, exploring outside to gather food... She even began to miss the little wooden hut inside the cave and her two stone companions.

And the day when she and Titus sat happily on the grass eating fish together.

"Other than keeping newborns warm, I might not be of much use." Cloudy leaned against Titus' head, sighing continuously. "Titus has always thought I'm amazing, so I want to help you solve your troubles. But maybe, I'm not that amazing."

"No." Titus gently tapped Cloudy's forehead and then rubbed against her left and right. "Cloudy is amazing. In my eyes, Cloudy is the best."

"Is, is that so..."

"Yes!"

Cloudy began to feel like Titus was just using sweet words... because if it wasn't just sweet words, why would her cheeks start to blush, and why would those negative and pessimistic thoughts vanish in an instant with a few words of praise from Titus?

Annoying, but she really loved hearing Titus praise her unconditionally!