Chosen Mate Of The Beastmen Empire

Zayne asked, “Weren't you sleeping?"

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He hadn't noticed when Nyx had snuck into the bamboo basket. The little rabbit kicked her legs proudly. “I was pretending to sleep."

"Be careful, don't fall." Zayne quickly cupped her in his hands. He didn't know what was worth seeing by the river, but he followed Nyx's instructions and walked over with her.

The river was close to the tribe, and the edible wild vegetables and fruits nearby had long been picked clean. Only bushes, rocks, and dirt remained.

The dirt and rocks looked ordinary, but Nyx's eyes lit up. "Zayne, dig up some soil. We're going to make pottery."

"Make pottery?" Zayne looked puzzled.

Although he didn't understand what Nyx was talking about, he obeyed, crouching down to grab a handful of mud and shaping it into a pot. He then built a fire and placed the pot inside.

The flames licked up, sending waves of heat into the air. Zayne carefully held the little rabbit in his arms and moved further

away.

"Let's try something else next time. Playing with fire is a bit dangerous,” he rubbed Nyx's furry paws and whispered.

Playing with mud was fine, but playing with fire was different. It was okay with him around, but if she ever played with fire alone and got hurt, it would be bad.

"I'm not playing." Nyx stared intently at the fire, calculating the time. "It's about ready. Let's pull it out and check."

This was her first time actually making pottery. She only had theoretical knowledge, no practical experience, so she wasn't sure if it would work.

Perhaps the heavens favored her. When the simple, earthy pot appeared intact before her eyes, Nyx happily jumped onto her mate's head. "It worked."

Zayne looked shocked. Forgetting to pull the little rabbit, who was bouncing around on his head, he quickly stepped forward.

The mud pot had hardened, no longer soft, and made a crisp sound when tapped. Both in appearance and texture, it was no different from the pots he owned.

"It was really made from mud?" If Zayne hadn't done it himself, he would have found it hard to believe.

“Can all soil be used to make pottery?” he asked Nyx.

Before Nyx could answer, his mind raced, and he figured it out himself. He crouched down and grabbed a handful of soil from the riverbank. Only this special kind of soil could be used.

"This is clay.” Nyx looked along the river. "There's plenty of it along this river, enough for our tribe."

Not only could they be self-sufficient, but they could also trade with other tribes.

“Are pottery items expensive?” Nyx's ears twitched with excitement. “How about we sell these at the big market next year?"

Of course, bamboo baskets could be sold too.

But as a new product, bamboo baskets might not sell as well or fetch as high a price, and they were more troublesome to

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make.

The trading price for pottery was already well-established. A lump of mud and a fire could be exchanged for several pieces of animal hide or a large block of salt. It was practically a no-cost, high-profit business.

Zayne narrowed his eyes, also feeling tempted. However, it might upset the tribe that originally sold pottery. The potential profits made such concerns trivial. Besides, this was something the little rabbit had made with her own skills, not stolen.

As he pondered, the pot cooled completely. Zayne filled it with water to test it, confirming it was intact and didn't leak. He then placed it in the bamboo basket.

Though he maintained a calm expression, he was actually extremely excited inside. He couldn't help but pick up the little rabbit and kiss her repeatedly.

She was his treasure. Even though he wanted to make more pots, Zayne held back for now. Finding food for Nyx was more important.

The wild fruits and plants around the tribe had been mostly picked. To fill their stomachs, they had to travel far and wide. Before the sun fully rose and the temperature became too hot, Zayne extinguished the fire and quickened their pace.

Nyx clung to the edge of the bamboo basket, poking her fluffy head out to observe if there was anything useful along the

way.

“Zayne, stop.” She spotted what looked like sweet potato vines.

Zayne saw them too. "You want to eat that?" he frowned.

People in the tribe also ate this wild vegetable, but it wasn't tasty. Only those who were extremely hungry and couldn't find other food would resort to it.

Zayne had eaten it too, during his hungry childhood, and had a bad impression of it.

"I'll take you to pick white-heart fruits." He didn't want Nyx to eat such things.

But Nyx's eyes sparkled. She jumped out of the basket and quickly ran toward the sweet potato patch.

After eating meat for several days, her mouth and stomach were craving some carbs. The sweet potato vines in front of her transformed into roasted sweet potatoes, fried sweet potatoes, and mashed sweet potatoes.

Zayne chased after her, only to see her short legs digging furiously, unearthing a few oddly shaped root tubers.

"Let's take these back. We'll eat them today." Nyx eagerly rubbed her paws.

Zayne bent down to pick up the little rabbit, wiping the dirt off her paws. "Are you sure these are edible?" People in the tribe had never eaten things buried underground, and he had never tried it either.

Nyx nodded like a chick pecking at rice. Not only were they edible, but they were also high-yielding. She planned to plant a patch near their home, so they'd have a steady supply of sweet potatoes.

“Alright. I'll dig. You rest,” Zayne stopped questioning and placed the soft little rabbit back in the basket. He couldn't bear to let such an adorable little rabbit do the work.

The sun had risen, and the temperature was gradually increasing. Zayne cut a bunch of sweet potato vines, using some to line the bottom of the basket and the rest to shade Nyx from the sun.

After doing this, he diligently started digging up sweet potatoes. One, two...

Nyx squatted in the basket, counting the growing pile of sweet potatoes, her ears perking up with joy. Suddenly, she heard

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footsteps approaching.

Then, several female voices greeted Zayne. “Shaman.” The females had come out in a group to forage outside the tribe.

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They hadn't expected to run into the shaman here. They were both nervous and excited, exchanging glances and nudging one of their companions, whispering.

"Gina, look who it is."

"Go on, talk to him."

"While Nyx isn't around-"

Although the shaman already had a mate, it didn't mean others had no chance. At least Gina hadn't given up. She blushed shyly but couldn't resist the shaman's allure and her friends' encouragement. She hesitantly stepped forward.

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"Are you alone? Why isn't Nyx with you? Why are you digging up things buried in the dirt? They're so dirty. Are they edible?" she asked.

As she tried to make conversation, her gaze fell on the bamboo basket nearby. Seeing the fluffy little rabbit inside, she suddenly froze.