Chapter 8

After finishing the "full bug feast," Cloudy was content, patting her belly, feeling like she had just had the most indulgent meal in a month. Seeing Cloudy eat so much made Titus happy too. After the bugs were gone, he pulled Cloudy over to the wreckage to show her how he found these bugs.

These plump larvae were hidden in small mud mounds, easy to find with a bit of careful searching. The larvae weren't buried deep, just covered with a thin layer of soil. Titus only needed to poke a couple of times with his fingers to open one of the mounds, deftly finding two or three larvae to hand to Cloudy.

Cloudy had completely set aside the modern human theory of "bugs are disgusting, how can you eat them raw." As Titus handed them to her, she quickly brushed off the dirt from the larvae and chewed them without hesitation. The scene was like a big monkey feeding a little monkey.

Once she got used to it, Cloudy felt like these larvae could be ancient chewy balls bursting with flavor, reminiscent of pearls in bubble tea. Unfortunately, there was no bubble tea to soak them in.

Fat larvae bursting with juice in bubble tea... Cloudy felt like she might be teetering on the edge of madness, comparing these little fleshworms to the pearls in bubble tea! The real pity wasn't the lack of bubble tea to soak them in, but her unparalleled adaptability.

Reflecting on the past, Cloudy was often criticized by her family for not being able to endure hardship, lacking ambition, and being antisocial even after going to college and entering society. Look at her now! Not only had she survived on her own in this remote place for a month, but she was also enjoying a feast of fat bugs with the local wild man.

Cloudy felt her confidence starting to swell, but what was it swelling with exactly...?

"Cloudy, happy?" Titus saw Cloudy eating one bug after another, her eyes squinted almost shut. His expression might seem a bit scary at first glance, but he was actually smiling very happily. "Bugs, many."

"Happy, bugs, good." Cloudy confidently spoke Titus's language, then continued to swell. Each sound in Titus's language contained many meanings, such as happiness... which was often chanted as 'Agulo' by Titus, also indicating good things, being happy to see you, feeling good, and so on... In short, it was a word used in the current environment, with a positive meaning. Bugs plus Agulo should mean that the bugs are delicious, or that she really likes this bug.

Titus also clearly knew that she was making an effort to learn his language, so he spoke very slowly to her, enunciating more clearly.

"Bugs, I also..." Because she didn't know how to say "let me dig too," Cloudy mimicked digging in the ground. Titus understood her gesture, moved aside, and pointed to a spot in the mud.

Excitedly, Cloudy squeezed next to Titus, carefully searching for the small mounds containing the larvae. It was simpler than she had imagined, and in just a few minutes, she had already grabbed a handful of them.
Cloudy didn't put everything in her mouth but carefully packed the soil into her waist pouch, making sure not to squish the bugs inside. She even loosened the pouch slightly to prevent the bugs from bursting.

When Titus saw Cloudy fiddling with the piece of cloth around her waist, he stared at her curiously. Sensing Titus's curiosity, Cloudy immediately took off the belt and showed him her makeshift 'waist pouch' made from a short sleeve.

However, Titus seemed more interested in the material of the short sleeve than the pouch itself. He kept touching and examining it, making some surprised sounds. "Cloudy, what is this?"

Cloudy gestured awkwardly and tried to explain in Titus's language, showing him by putting the shirt on and then taking it off. The sticky feeling when putting it on made Cloudy realize it might be time to wash the shirt.

"Clothing!" After examining the dirty short sleeve, Titus handed it back to Cloudy and said something else, which Cloudy couldn't understand. Nonetheless, she was happy that their communication was improving.

As Cloudy was folding the short sleeve back into a pouch, Titus suddenly stood up and looked towards the direction of the rainforest. His eyes widened, and he listened intently.

"What's wrong?" Holding the pouch tightly, Cloudy felt nervous due to Titus's actions. Looking in the direction Titus was facing, she saw a few strangers emerging from the rainforest and approaching the plains, carrying something that looked like weapons, which frightened her. She quickly hid inside the skull among the wreckage.

Titus didn't stop Cloudy and positioned himself in front of the skull, pretending to dig for bugs.

After about fifteen minutes, the group of people, possibly Titus's kin, approached. Cloudy cautiously peeked outside through the gaps in the bones.

Initially, it seemed like Titus and the others were having a normal conversation, with both sides speaking calmly but quickly. However, the tone escalated, especially Titus's voice, which Cloudy had never heard before - filled with anger.

Were they arguing? Did they discover me? Are they going to take me somewhere else? But I'm just a powerless outsider!

Cloudy trembled with nerves, considering escaping through the hole on the other side of the skull. However, she realized it wasn't practical - even if she ran at full speed, she couldn't match their pace. After much thought, she stayed put, shivering, clutching the small items inside her pouch.
The bone knife was pulled out and held in hand, thinking that if something sudden happened, one should still leave in a decent manner.

Just as Cloudy had a good grip on the knife, she heard Titus starting to shout, and the voices of others grew louder. The clamor was like wild beasts fighting over territory.

... There were three unfamiliar wild people, dressed very similarly to Titus, with many vertical patterns painted on their bodies in an unattractive greenish paint. What struck Cloudy as strange was their different skin tones; Titus had a sun-kissed brown skin tone, while the other three had a slightly reddish brown hue. There was also a significant difference in height and build, with one being two heads shorter than Titus. The only similarity among them was the three pupils.

Amidst the argument, the leader suddenly approached Titus, grabbing his arm, which clearly angered Titus. He angrily muttered something, then forcefully grabbed the other person by the neck and slammed him to the ground...

Cloudy wasn't exaggerating; Titus did lift the person by the neck... effortlessly, as if lifting a weightless cotton doll.

After the leader was brought down, the other two immediately made attacking gestures behind him, but they didn't rush forward. They just glared menacingly at Titus, ears perked, pupils dilated, bodies tense, as if they were about to pounce and bite Titus in the next second.

From Cloudy's angle, she could only see Titus's back, his arm muscles tensed outside the animal skin, looking as though he was about to grab the other and tear him apart... The standoff continued until the leader on the ground stood up, coughed a few times, and muttered something.

There didn't seem to be any intention to fight. Cloudy couldn't understand their conversation, but the atmosphere seemed to ease, and Titus didn't make any more aggressive moves. After about ten minutes of conversation, the three individuals left.

Wait, they left? Just like that? Titus didn't leave; he walked towards the skull, reached in and patted Cloudy's head, then proceeded to grab her arm and pull her out.

"Cloudy." After pulling Cloudy out, he didn't let go. He bent down as if teaching a child, pointing and saying, "Rainforest, cave, close."

Cloudy listened in confusion. She didn't quite understand what was happening but tried to piece it together... Was it that she lived too close to the rainforest, or was it because living so close made it easy for other wild people to find her?

No... not find her. From the start, Titus knew where she lived, indicating he was from the settlement that had once thrown her out. The people there all knew she lived in the cave on the green slope, which explained why, upon first meeting her, Titus could directly bring her back to the cave.

But where else could she live? Cloudy felt a bit anxious and very helpless, as if being ordered by a landlord to move out within three days...
"The cave is the only place left to live..." Cloudy muttered to herself, not caring whether Titus understood or not, "No matter how I look at it, your kind seems more powerful than me. Why can't I live inside the cave? I don't seem like I could be a threat to you in any way."

Although Titus couldn't understand, he could tell that Cloudy was very anxious. He gently patted Cloudy's head in reassurance, "Cave, live, &%￥&."

Feeling inexplicably anxious, Cloudy realized she might be relying too much on Titus. She had just been considering asking Titus to help her find a new place to stay.

This was wrong. Titus was very friendly to her, but his friendliness came with conditions. With a clear mind at that moment, Cloudy began analyzing the events that had occurred during her time with Titus. He would give her food and patiently teach her things.

But Titus had never tried to take her to the settlement. In such a dangerous environment, he had never mentioned bringing her to a settlement much safer than the cave. What did that imply?

Cloudy wasn't blaming Titus for not being a good person to the end; she was trying to understand what she really was in the eyes of these wild people. They didn't allow her into the settlement, yet after kicking her out, they still knew where she lived... If they saw her as a threat, why not just kill her directly?

Titus and the other three people were residents of the same settlement. When Titus knocked down one of them, the other two didn't retaliate... Did that mean Titus held a higher status among them? Or did they know they couldn't beat Titus in a fight, so they dared not act rashly?

Cloudy felt trapped in a dilemma, but a very simple answer came to her mind - there are things in every era that defy logic and explanation... Faith.

If the group Titus belonged to had their own belief system, and if that belief happened to include a rule that matched Cloudy's current situation, like having two pupils.

Cloudy and Titus's races didn't differ much in their general appearance, with hands, feet, ears, mouths, noses... The only difference was the pupils. Cloudy had only two pupils, while they had six.

Having two pupils was unusual, but not worthy of death. Did their belief system happen to have such a rule?

"Sigh..." In her eyes, the strange Titus tribe wasn't strange at all; they belonged to this world. She was the truly strange one. In Titus's eyes, she might be seen as a monster, but not a threatening or aggressive one.

The good thing was, her life wasn't in danger. Cloudy decided not to worry too much. It was impossible to leave Green Slope at this stage. Even if she wanted to leave, she needed to acquire basic survival skills first. Unless the local wild people came to force her to leave... she would deal with it then!

"Cloudy?" Because she had been silent for a long time, and her face was solemn.
Titus appeared very flustered and kept gently patting Cloudy's side, saying, "Cloudy?"

Cloudy looked up at the sky, which was clear and deep blue, indicating it was probably not even noon yet. She had plenty of time to search for useful items and food near the wreckage. She had already filled her entire waist pouch with the bugs Titus had taught her to dig up earlier, and she knew she could also find some roots nearby that she often ate.

"Food, back to the cave," Cloudy pointed to her waist pouch, deciding to set aside Titus's concerns and start fresh according to her own plan and pace. "Titus, let's go back."

Upon hearing that he had to go back, Titus was surprised and widened his eyes, his ears perking up. "Go back?" Suddenly, he grabbed Cloudy and lifted her up, asking, "Cloudy?"

"Put me down...!" Cloudy futilely kicked her legs. "I want to collect bugs to take back to the cave!"

Titus didn't understand, but seeing Cloudy resist, he eventually put her down. Once back on the ground, Cloudy resumed collecting bugs, and after observing for a while, Titus squatted down to help her dig them up.

After gathering enough bugs, Cloudy began searching for roots around, with Titus following her every move. Cloudy couldn't help but wonder why... as she diligently collected food, she absentmindedly pondered Titus's actions. In her world, his behavior would undoubtedly be seen as a gesture of goodwill between a man and a woman.

Unable to understand, feeling a bit frustrated, Cloudy dug harder into the soil, releasing some pent-up frustration. Titus, seeing her dig so vigorously, also dug with great effort, quickly creating a large hole. Cloudy looked at him somewhat speechlessly, "Are you digging a grave for me?"

Seeing Cloudy speak to him, even though he couldn't understand, Titus happily pointed to the hole, waiting for Cloudy's approval. "Cloudy!" as if seeking praise from her.

"...Thank you."