Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Although not much time had passed, the settlement was slowly changing due to Cloudy's arrival.

The biggest change was undoubtedly the introduction of the rudimentary technology of pottery making. While the locals didn't quite understand the workings of this technology... and Cloudy didn't either, they had all wholeheartedly embraced the pottery-making craze. It seemed like it wouldn't be long before the settlement would be filled with all sorts of peculiar pottery.

Apart from the firing of containers and bricks, there were also charcoal, animal-hide pouches, hoes, stone spears, bone spears, knots, trap cages, stone leaf water filters, simple vine hammocks, uses of animal fat, insulated houses... Upon reflection, she had actually brought in a lot of new technologies, with pottery and charcoal being the most significant, possibly advancing them by several thousand... or even tens of thousands of years? Cloudy felt somewhat proud of herself in a way.

The date for the second expedition was drawing nearer, this time a bit further away as Titus was leading the way. While the rest of the group tracked down herds, Titus was tasked with scouting ahead. Cloudy had specially crafted a new large double-shoulder animal-hide bag for him to carry more provisions and herbs.

"In three sunsets, we shall depart!" Titus squatted beside Cloudy, drawing a map on a slate with a stone. "We will head to the great lake to set up Cloudy's traps. Then I will circle around the lake and head north..."

"North? What's there?" Cloudy was busy tending to the fields in the backyard, where the seeds she had planted some time ago were sprouting, and she had just planted a new batch. The plants Titus brought back had all withered after some time... it seemed that directly transplanting them back was too abrupt; the soil and water composition were different, and the plants couldn't adapt.

There was no progress in domestication; the traps caught many different small animals, but all invariably died of stress upon being brought back to the settlement... turning into delicious roasted meat. Cloudy had completely given up on this aspect, as she couldn't balance both cultivation and domestication with her energy and skills. However, she, in her role as a mother, informed the hunters that if they managed to catch small animals without injuries, they should bring them back alive and let nature take its course.

The locals were not all foolish; perhaps they could come up with some innovations themselves? For now, Cloudy planned to continue focusing on tools and her modest backyard.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead and turned to the wild man who was still enthusiastically drawing the map, "Titus going alone to the north to scout, right?"

"Yes, that area is peculiar. There are many rocks and mountains. But there are numerous caves, and animals hide in them." Titus drew a circular shape on the slate, "There will be newborns, and if you attack them, the cries will attract... adult wild beasts."

Wait, that sounds incredibly dangerous no matter how you hear it?! Cloudy couldn't help but widen her eyes. She knew Titus...
Us is a powerful hunter, having seen him slap dinosaurs, tear apart giant insects, and crush enemies' heads at close range... But isn't it terrifying to provoke the anger of wild beasts by attacking their cubs? It creates a triple-layered protective effect out of thin air.

"It's very dangerous!" Her raised voice was distorted. "Wild beasts become even more dangerous to protect their cubs!"

"Yes," Titus nodded solemnly. "But I can kill them."

Originally, Cloudy wasn't too worried about Titus hunting outside, as the range had decreased significantly and the time had been shortened to 20 days. But upon hearing his hunting plan, her heart started pounding again.

No, Cloudy. You can't let yourself be so jittery about this. Titus will be fine; if something were to happen to him, it would have happened already... No, that's not right. In any case, nothing must happen! Stop thinking about it!!

Cloudy raised her hand to cover her heart; she believed that the scariest thing for her so far was losing Titus. She had grown accustomed to having Titus by her side, and if he suddenly didn't come back... "You can't die out there, you have to come back."

"I will come back." The wild man didn't sense Cloudy's unease and continued mapping out traps along the way from the settlement.

He's not really listening to me... Seeing that Titus wasn't focused on her words, she suppressed her anxiety and looked at the slate in the wild man's hands. The white marks on it were somewhat messy, but she could still make them out.

Titus had roughly marked out the directions of north, south, east, and west. From the slate, it was clear that the rainforest to the north was more dangerous because Titus had drawn many circles and triangles. Triangles represented large beasts, while squares represented lakes: "Heading north from the settlement, the rainforest is straightforward. Cloudy can come too."

I can come?

"Not with us, but to check the traps along the way," Titus pointed on the slate. "Cloudy, we want to catch live animals, so we'll set many traps. After a few sunsets, Cloudy can take the slate and follow my drawings to check the traps."

Is that so! So, was the whole morning spent drawing maps for me today?! Cloudy finally began to take the slate in Titus's hands seriously, realizing that this was, in a way, participating in the hunt with Titus.

"However, the lake." Seeing Cloudy's eyes light up, Titus felt he had done the right thing. She really enjoyed going out hunting, but unfortunately, Cloudy's body was too weak to venture deeper into the northern rainforest, where there were larger beasts. Cloudy, who loved riding large beasts, would surely like it there. "When Cloudy reaches the lake, she must return to the settlement. Don't go further, alone, it's dangerous."

He deliberately pointed to the location of the lake. "Here, there will be many beasts. In the water, in the woods, the beasts will devour..."
"Water."

She understood that she couldn't linger too long at the water source in the wild.

"Can't I go out with you guys? I'll come back when it gets dark."

"No, Matriarch is worried. And on the first day, we'll be running fast, can't bring Cloudy along."

True, better not cause trouble on the first day. Titus also told her the route of the other hunters. After tracking the group of wild animals, they would return to the lakeside and then continue north. They would set up camp behind Titus, with two hunters staying behind at the camp while the rest followed the marks Titus left.

So, there was no more time to waste in the fields today. Cloudy pulled Titus up, saying, "I want to make a new weapon!" She dragged Titus into the room. Although Titus had no talent for craftsmanship, helping her out was still convenient!

Titus had long noticed this. Whenever Cloudy's eyes sparkled and she pulled him into the room, he knew she wanted him to do some repetitive and boring tasks, like twisting vines last time, or smashing rocks...

"Cloudy, can you let me do something fun?"

"Helping me isn't fun?"

"...It is fun."