Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – Chapter 147

Bai Tu was stunned.
Hugging his leg and crying?
What kind of move was that?!

Even more unbelievable—Xiong Liao actually nodded.

Bai Tu: “…”
So honest? He really would agree to anything…

The two white bear orcs clearly had no idea their little scheme had been overheard by the very person they were plotting about. The bear beside Xiong Liao continued whispering instructions on “how to complain properly.”

But before Xiong Liao could fully memorize his lines, Bai Tu already understood the situation. This bear must have overheard what the cat tribe said and thought playing the victim would help, so he came to “teach” Xiong Liao.

No wonder the bears suddenly appeared today.

Seeing the two about to continue their lesson, Bai Tu cut in:

“Good afternoon.”

The two bears nearly jumped out of their skins.

“I think… I heard Tu’s voice…” Xiong Liao thumped his chest. “Scared me to death.”

“I think… I heard it too…” the bear next to him echoed stiffly.

The two slowly exchanged horrified glances, then turned their heads. Their eyes widened the moment they saw Bai Tu.

The bear nudged Xiong Liao hard—urging him to speak.

Xiong Liao opened his mouth… and nothing came out.

The bears fidgeted anxiously behind him. They knew their own words wouldn’t work. Xiong Liao wasn’t here to join alone—he wanted to bring the entire tribe.

They had been coming to the Snow Rabbit Tribe in groups, becoming more and more accustomed to being there. But their mates, relatives, and cubs were still back in the White Bear Tribe. They couldn’t abandon them.

But their relatives’ relatives were still there.
And their relatives also had relatives.
Calculating all the connections… moving them little by little was impossible.

So the bears discussed moving the entire White Bear Tribe.

But a dozen visiting bears were nowhere near the full size of a tribe. When the idea reached Bai Tu, he rejected it immediately.

For both safety and practical reasons, the Snow Rabbit Tribe simply couldn’t absorb an entire medium-sized tribe—not even the Blood Wolf Tribe would be suitable.

A small number of newcomers could be integrated.
Hundreds of strong bears? Impossible.

The White Bear Tribe had nearly 300 members—half the number of the Wolf Tribe, and their relationship wasn’t even close to what the Snow Rabbit Tribe had with the wolves.

Besides, the tribe’s development was already well underway. Newcomers now would just be benefiting from the foundations built by earlier orcs.

And more importantly—

When people became part of your tribe, they naturally wanted benefits for their own people. But resources were limited; if one side gained more, another would lose. Conflicts were inevitable.

Better not merge at all than merge and split later.

And logistically?
Over 300 bears would need more than a dozen dormitory rows. The current dining hall couldn’t feed them all.

The Snow Rabbit Tribe was only suited for small tribes or lone orcs—not medium or large populations.

There was also political danger. Absorbing an entire neighboring tribe could be seen as annexation. After the Black Forest Tribe incident, any sign of expansion would trigger fear and suspicion. Tribes who needed help—like the White Cat Tribe—might never approach again.

That was the last thing Bai Tu wanted.

But he wasn’t ignoring the White Bear Tribe.
He actually had another plan in mind.
It wasn’t time to share it yet, but he knew they wouldn’t be disappointed.

“Hurry and get back to work,” Bai Tu said, not embarrassing the two frightened bears. “I have other arrangements for your tribe. The rainy season’s over. I’ll earn points these next few days and exchange them for supplies for my family.”

The bears fell silent. They knew what this meant—their request to join had failed.

Xiong Liao, however, still didn’t understand. He frowned.
“Mian is here,” he said as if that explained everything.

If Ying Mian was here, then of course Xiong Liao should be here too—along with all the cubs…

“Can you act like a leader?” Bai Tu sighed.

He wasn’t sure if the White Bear Tribe was lucky or unlucky to have someone like Xiong Liao. But considering that so many bears still insisted on keeping him as their leader even after he left, he must have qualities suitable for leading—or at least, he was a very good hunter.

As for his… other qualities—Bai Tu had experienced enough over the past few days.

A leader couldn’t abandon his tribe. Bai Tu waved them off, letting them return to work.

He would discuss their return plan with Ying Mian later.

After parting with the bears, Bai Tu carried his snacks home.

Several cubs had already crowded near the doorway, ears perked. The moment they heard his footsteps, they rushed forward—only to have Lang Qi grab their tails.

The three smaller cubs were still too weak to break free from their father’s hold and could only wiggle pitifully. The two older cubs exchanged glances, then—thinking themselves clever—shifted into human form.

In human form, they had no tails.
Problem solved!

But the moment they transformed—
—they froze.

Their tails… were still there.
Still tightly held.
Still preventing them from reaching their father.

The two cubs stared at Lang Qi in shock.

Adult orcs could escape restraint by shifting forms—but only if they weren’t completely overpowered. These cubs were far too young. They couldn’t even tuck their tails in properly yet—let alone escape someone gripping them.

“Bad!” Lang Ying patted Lang Qi’s hand angrily. “Bad!”

“Bad guy!” Lang Sui copied him.

Lang Qi didn’t budge. The cubs had gotten so fast lately that if he let go, they’d dash into the yard instantly. And the yard wasn’t cleaned as thoroughly as the corridor—far too messy for cubs.

“I’m coming,” Bai Tu called, hastening over. “Who’s being disobedient?”

Lang Qi released the cubs immediately.

All the little ones froze in place—sitting upright, standing straight, suddenly the most obedient children in the world.

“So good,” Bai Tu praised, then looked at Lang Qi. “Have they eaten yet?”

“They refuse to eat until you come back,” Lang Qi said helplessly.

“Is there food left? I’ll feed them.”

Bai Tu lifted the cubs, and the two older cubs—still in human form—were picked up by Lang Qi. Together, the family walked into the dining room.

The “dining room” was the section connected to the kitchen—originally one large room, now divided. A long table sat in the center, with enough chairs to seat more than a dozen people. Several smaller cub chairs lined the side for them to sit in human form.

The cubs’ meal was already prepared.
Today, Lang Qi had cooked meatballs that Bai Tu had premade.

With an abundance of corn recently, Bai Tu had experimented with extracting corn oil and starch.

Though they looked like completely different products, they came from the same process. He soaked plump corn kernels, separated the germ and endosperm.

The germ became corn oil—low yield, but perfect for cub cooking when he didn’t want to use lard.

The endosperm was crushed, ground, and settled to produce starch.

And with starch, he could finally make dishes with proper texture—like meatballs.

These were mini-sized so cubs in both forms could eat them in one bite.

The bowl was still warm—no need to reheat. Bai Tu sat to feed the cubs.

Wolf Sui and Wolf Ying were placed in special cub chairs with wooden trays.

But instead of eating, both cubs wriggled anxiously—struggling with something behind them.

Lang Ying kept tugging, but the more he pulled, the more his rear hurt. Tears welled up as he whined.

Bai Tu walked over and paused.

He had managed to pull his own tail so hard he made himself cry.

Putting down the bowl and spoon, Bai Tu helped him. The cubs had been seated too far back, trapping their tails between their bodies and the chair. No wonder they were uncomfortable.

After adjusting the chairs to leave space behind them, he looked at Lang Qi.

“We’ll drill holes in these chairs later.”

Bai Tu had just remembered that before reaching adulthood, cubs often couldn’t hide their tails or ears. But these two cubs usually stayed in their animal forms, and even when they transformed into human form, they only stayed like that for a short while before switching back. Because their ears and tails weren’t always visible, he had forgotten about this problem entirely.

This would keep happening—he couldn’t let their tails suffer. Better to drill a hole in the chair’s backrest so the tails could pass through.

Lang Qi frowned. “No. Let them learn to tuck their tails.”

They couldn’t even tuck their own tails. How stupid. At his age, he could already fight older wolf pups.

Bai Tu: “…”

“They’re only three,” Bai Tu reminded him. “They’re at least fourteen years away from adulthood.”

On the Beast God Continent, adulthood came around eighteen. Even well-cared-for cubs needed over ten years before they had full control over their bodies. Even many older wolf cubs in the Langze Squad still exposed ears and tails when excited.

This was perfectly normal. Wolves like Lang Qi—who kept all emotions restrained since childhood—were rare.

Lang Qi looked at Bai Tu, then at the cubs.
So… he’d have to endure them arguing with him about Bai Tu for over a decade?

He suddenly wanted to go back six months and slap his past self—the one whose head was full of nothing but cubs.

But he couldn’t slap his past self, so he could only accept the reality: he’d have to modify the cubs’ dining chairs as Bai Tu suggested.

Bai Tu knew he would agree. He lifted a spoonful of food before the cubs.

The food was the same, but with Daddy feeding them, it might as well have been a feast. The cubs ate obediently—absurdly so.

Lang Qi’s expression tightened at the stark difference.

The cubs glanced at him proudly, clearly showing off—Daddy was feeding them, not feeding Daddy!

“Eat properly,” Bai Tu reminded them. They were so busy showing off they didn’t even look at the spoon.

Lang Qi suddenly spoke. “If you’re not eating, you’re not hungry.”

“Not hungry?” Bai Tu looked at the cubs. Their attention clearly wasn’t on food. “Did you feed them this morning?”

“Just a snack,” Lang Qi said calmly. “Go eat first. I’ll feed them.”
These cubs should not have waited all this time to eat until Bai Tu came back. That wasn’t being good—it was being disobedient.

Bai Tu touched the cubs’ tummies. Still a bit flat.

The cubs stared at Daddy, then at Father, totally confused.

Why weren’t they eating?

“Dad, eat~” Lang Sui pointed at the food in front of him.

Bai Tu: “…”

He looked at Lang Qi. “Did they really only eat snacks?”

The cubs were hungry—just not starving.

“You’re disobedient,” Lang Qi said sternly. “Next time, eat when you’re hungry.”

Bai Tu: “…”
Still arguing with the cubs.

“Next time, feed the obedient ones first,” Bai Tu instructed. “Let them finish before giving food to the disobedient ones. They’re smart—once they learn that eating properly means going out to play sooner, they’ll behave.”

Lang Qi was silent for a moment.

Obedient…?

From that silence, Bai Tu knew something wasn’t right. He glanced at the cubs—who had already finished eating—and patted each one before lifting them into their cribs.

“You’re all disobedient.”

Then he told Lang Qi, “I’m done.”

Lang Qi: “…”

“Okay. Let’s go get snacks without them,” Bai Tu coaxed.
The older cubs weren’t as easily distracted as the younger ones. The younger cubs could play with a wooden bone toy for hours, but the older ones needed something more enticing.

Bai Tu had brought back a cafeteria snack—honey twisted dough sticks. They were made from flour and eggs, fried, coated in honey, sprinkled with sesame seeds—delicious, endlessly addictive.

Even though they cost a lot of points, the cafeteria never had leftovers. Bai Tu had reminded Tu Mu about this the moment he arrived; otherwise they’d be gone instantly.

He rarely gave the cubs snacks. He only left a tiny portion for them, and the rest went to him and Lang Qi.

Tu Mu had misunderstood—thinking the cubs ate the snacks. But in reality, most of it went to these two adults.

And today, there was someone else missing too.

Eating snacks was just a secondary matter—Bai Tu had brought Lang Qi out to discuss something important.

The White Cat Tribe’s request to join them.

Bai Tu had not made this invitation lightly. The White Cat Tribe’s size and circumstances made them ideal candidates.

Even if a small tribe regretted joining later, it wouldn’t cause major problems. The orcs in the tribe were sharp; they’d immediately notice if someone caused trouble.

The White Cat Tribe had been ostracized before. Now, their whole tribe had come to seek medical treatment for their cubs and find their missing kittens. Their old territory might no longer be safe. Going back wasn’t easy either—it had taken over ten days to get there, similar to a round trip to the market. The journey was exhausting.

The longer the journey, the harder it was. A few days versus more than ten days wasn’t double the difficulty—it was several times worse.

Mao Chuan’s attitude at noon also showed how strained their situation was. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to leave their old territory—they just feared facing the same ostracism somewhere else. If nothing changed, then all their suffering would’ve been for nothing.

Joining the Snow Rabbit Tribe would be a huge blessing for them.
No need to seek new territory.
No more fear of discrimination.

Half of their tribe was white in color—but that meant nothing here. Their neighbors were white rabbits, white wolves, white lions, white deer… No one would be ostracized for their fur color.

For the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes, this small tribe was perfect for testing their integration system. It would save them the trouble of evaluating every individual orc who wanted to join in the future.

When forming a new settlement, it was best to establish everything early—relationships with neighboring tribes, rules, and personnel systems.

Originally, Bai An should’ve handled this discussion. But these days, he’d been focused on salt production and planning trade. He was older, knew fewer characters, and complained of headaches whenever faced with paperwork. He didn’t want the hassle and simply dumped the responsibility on Bai Tu.

So Bai Tu discussed the matter with Lang Qi first, then planned to inform Bai An later.

After listening to Bai Tu’s reasoning, Lang Qi looked at him quietly.

“What?” Bai Tu wondered. That look was intimidating.

“You want to keep him just because he cried?” Lang Qi asked. “Should every orc who wants to join our tribe come cry for you too?”

Bai Tu: “…”

Don’t mention that. Some really were planning to cry—like the two bears he ran into on his way home.

Lang Qi knew he was right the moment Bai Tu failed to reply. He thought for a moment.
“…Xiong Liao?”

Bai Tu sighed. “Can you stop being so sharp?”
If he hadn’t been sure Lang Qi was home all day with the cubs, he would’ve suspected he had watched the whole scene play out.

“Did you agree?” Lang Qi asked.

“How is that possible?” Bai Tu insisted. “The White Bear Tribe can’t join. We agreed on that from the start. How could I secretly change the rules?”

He was easygoing, but he wasn’t someone who agreed blindly. Especially not with a huge, simple-minded tribe like the White Bear Tribe. Bai Tu had a hunch that if he said yes once, the bears would move in immediately.

Xiong Liao’s relocation speed proved the White Bear Tribe was terrifyingly efficient.

So of course he didn’t agree.

Bai Tu and Lang Qi discussed the arrangements for the White Bear Tribe.

When they first let the white bear orcs work temporarily, they already knew it was impossible to retain all of them. Now it was even clearer. At most, once the next group of bears arrived, this batch would return.

Even if the White Bear Tribe wanted to recreate the “Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa” story, they couldn’t keep everyone here.

Their territory was large and far from the Snow Rabbit settlement. It would be wasteful and difficult to manage if everyone left.

So Bai Tu planned to use the model he had used for the Black Eagle Tribe—sending workers to help them build new structures and teach them animal husbandry.

Though the tribes were scattered, they functioned as a unified system. When the surrounding tribes grew stronger, their own tribe’s security and prosperity also increased.

This mutual-aid model had strengthened their relationships with several neighboring tribes already.

It was a sustainable system.
Bai Tu liked it.
He didn’t demand that other tribes adopt the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s system exactly—but the White Bear Tribe was different. They actively wanted to join.

Since they were already determined to relocate, helping transform the White Bear Tribe into a self-sufficient settlement was a win–win.

“Send some construction workers and kitchen staff to help them build a dining hall and animal husbandry area,” Bai Tu said.
The white bears were obsessed with food—they’d take to it quickly.

And since the tribe’s main settlement was finished, the construction team now had far less work. They needed projects.

Sending the construction team to the White Bear Tribe killed two birds with one stone: it kept the workers busy, and the White Bear Tribe would finally have the dining hall they’d been longing for.

As for compensation, the rainy season had only just ended. Even the strongest white bears barely had any food left, much less the stores their tribe had accumulated for so long.

Bai Tu’s plan was simple:
No compensation for the first year, and he’d even lend them some of the tribe’s livestock cubs. Once the White Bear Tribe expanded their breeding program and developed properly, they would repay the cost of the dining hall, the new settlement, and the livestock.

Bai Tu genuinely hoped the surrounding tribes would improve. Ideally, every tribe would thrive. If the day ever came when it became known that his tribe could produce salt, they’d need allies. Working together would always be safer than standing alone.

“Okay,” Lang Qi nodded, acknowledging that Bai Tu’s plan was excellent.

“Then let’s do it,” Bai Tu decided.
The rainy season had just ended, and the construction teams were waiting for him to assign them work. Except for a few lazy orcs, everyone else was desperate to earn points. Their appetites were huge, and the cafeteria kept releasing new snacks—too many tasty things, but never enough points.

Seeing other departments gradually return to work while they remained idle made the construction, brick-making, glass-making, and other raw-material teams even more anxious.

And Bai Tu didn’t want to keep them waiting. After all, the workable season only lasted a few months. It seemed long, but it would pass in a flash. Winter wasn’t far off. If they didn’t hurry, the orcs would earn fewer points and wouldn’t have enough stockpiled for winter.

The sooner they started cooperating with the White Bear Tribe, the better.

Seeing that there were still hours before sunset, Bai Tu told Lang Qi, “I’ll go talk to Mian first.”
Since they had already agreed today, everyone could depart as early as tomorrow. Any delay would slow the White Bear Tribe’s breeding progress.

“You’re looking for Ying Mian again?” Lang Qi questioned the frequency of his visits to Ying Mian and Hei Xiao.

“I’ll be back before dark,” Bai Tu promised. He lifted a hand and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’ll try to be early. I’ll discuss the plan with him first, then go to my brother’s place to check on the cubs. They’re the first two litters of the Feather Tribe born here. The more cubs that hatch, the greater our reputation.”

Lang Qi, satisfied with the word our, finally let go.

Bai Tu smiled, waved, and hurried off to find Ying Mian.

Ever since witnessing Xiong Liao’s… “unique” logic, Bai Tu had changed his method of communication. Whenever he discussed important matters, he preferred to have Ying Mian present. It didn’t matter whether Xiong Liao understood—what mattered was that Ying Mian did. Even if Xiong Liao misunderstood something, Ying Mian would interpret it correctly and ensure he didn’t go off on a strange tangent.

With cubs around, Ying Mian rarely left the house. As expected, when Bai Tu arrived, Ying Mian was sewing clothes for the cubs, and Xiong Liao wasn’t there. Since Ying Mian was the key person, Bai Tu decided not to wait for Xiong Liao and spoke directly to him.

But first, he glanced at the small garment in Ying Mian’s hands—it was beautifully sewn.

“It’ll turn cold soon after the cubs hatch,” Ying Mian explained, noticing Bai Tu’s interest. Feathered cubs usually hatched before the rainy season. According to the typical timeline, winter would arrive within a month or two after hatching. Temperatures dropped sharply then.

The White Bear Tribe wanted to stay here permanently, but Ying Mian knew that wasn’t possible.

“That’s true,” Bai Tu nodded. He hadn’t expected Ying Mian to start preparing clothes this early, but when he saw the cotton and cotton cloth on the table, he understood.

The surrounding tribes didn’t have these materials. Ying Mian must have spent nearly all of Xiong Liao’s points to buy them.

“Mian, what do you think of our tribe?” Bai Tu asked, though he already knew the answer.

“This is the best tribe I’ve ever seen or heard of,” Ying Mian said honestly.

He hadn’t visited many tribes, but when he was young, the talkative little chief of the Eagle Five Tribe often told them about the outside world. Even then, Ying Mian had never heard of a tribe better than the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes.

And it wasn’t just that the orcs in these two tribes lived well—they also helped others.

Ying Mian had lived here long enough to hear stories from the past. He knew Bai Tu had been helping others since long before the tribe grew to its current size.

Especially the cubs—the tribe had raised so many cubs belonging to other tribes. Some cubs still hadn’t been picked up because their families had died or their tribe had fallen. Others had been given away as compensation by their families to the Red Eagle Tribe.

Ying Mian had seen those cubs. Raising so many would be difficult for even a large tribe, let alone the Snow Rabbit Tribe, which wasn’t very large at the time. Yet Bai Tu had taken care of them all.

Before the rainy season, Bai Tu had also rescued so many sub-beasts and female orcs. Ying Mian sometimes wondered—if his father hadn’t escaped the Black Eagle Tribe with him, Bai Tu would surely have saved him too.

The longer he lived here, the more he admired Bai Tu. Bai Tu was the strongest person he had ever met.

Seeing Ying Mian’s glowing eyes, Bai Tu was briefly puzzled.
Why was he looking at him like that?
But since he couldn’t figure it out, he continued.

“Are you satisfied living here?”

Ying Mian nodded immediately.
Of course he was.

If he hadn’t figured out the reasons behind Xiong Liao’s earlier behavior, he would have insisted on staying permanently. But now, of course, they’d have to return eventually.

He would stay until the cubs hatched. Xiong Liao would return in a few days.

Ying Mian was worried—not for himself, but for the Feathered Tribe within the White Bear Tribe. If Xiong Liao lost his position as leader, the replacement would be the man who had always opposed him. That man had tried to reduce the Feather Tribe’s food share even when Xiong Liao was still leader. Ying Mian didn’t want to imagine what would happen once he had real authority.

This was one of the reasons he had been urging Xiong Liao to go back.
But Xiong Liao wanted to stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe—and ideally bring the entire White Bear Tribe with him.

Joining the Snow Rabbit Tribe would be ideal, but Ying Mian remembered the troublemakers in their own tribe. He didn’t want to cause Bai Tu any problems. If the Snow Rabbit Tribe encountered too much trouble, they might stop helping others in the future.

Neither knew that despite coming from different directions, they had arrived at the same conclusion.

After asking Ying Mian a few more questions, Bai Tu finally asked,
“How about we make the White Bear Tribe like this one?”

“Huh?” Ying Mian blinked.

He had been trying to figure out how to convince Xiong Liao to go home, and for a moment, he thought he had hallucinated—he thought Bai Tu was repeating Xiong Liao’s dreamlike nonsense.

“Don’t you want to?” Bai Tu asked again.

Ying Mian thought he must have misheard. “Can… it be like this?”

The Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes were the envy of all nearby tribes. Even the powerful Lion, Deer, and Leopard Tribes hadn’t achieved this. Could their tribe really do it?

“Of course,” Bai Tu nodded.
It wasn’t difficult—just required cooperation.

He explained the plan he had discussed with Lang Qi. It wasn’t free—the White Bear Tribe would repay everything after their crops harvested.

“Yes! I want it!” Ying Mian said instantly.

He hadn’t expected Bai Tu to discuss something so important, but he agreed without hesitation. He knew how much the White Bear orcs wanted to stay. If their own tribe could become like this, none of them would refuse to return.

Even without Xiong Liao or the others present, Ying Mian could already imagine their reaction. Some would undoubtedly object—but that didn’t matter. As long as most agreed, it would work. Many things didn’t require unanimous approval.

“Good. Then tell Liao later,” Bai Tu instructed.
He had a lot to explain, and Ying Mian was trustworthy.

“I will,” Ying Mian promised, serious and confident. “I’ll tell him clearly.”

Satisfied, Bai Tu checked the eggs in the incubator.

“They’re all alive, right?” Ying Mian whispered nervously.

This was his first time laying eggs. He had seen eggs incubated in the Feather Tribe before—dead eggs were thrown out, and when broken, they smelled awful. The difference between a life and a puddle of foul water was thin, and Ying Mian was terrified something would go wrong.

“Of course they’re alive.”
Bai Tu checked the eggs, then the temperature and humidity.

Although he was a new father, Ying Mian was extremely attentive. Even if the cubs’ other father was utterly unreliable, Ying Mian cared for them carefully and thoroughly.

Hearing Bai Tu’s reassurance, Ying Mian finally relaxed. He’d believed the eggs were alive, but he couldn’t trust himself without getting Bai Tu or Hei Xiao to confirm it.

After checking on the cubs, Bai Tu went next door to Hei Xiao’s place—there were several more cubs to examine.

He hadn’t expected Eagle eggs to grow on their own—getting larger and larger as they developed.

Not long after Bai Tu left, Xiong Liao rushed home after finishing his work.

In the Snow Rabbit Tribe, the white bear orcs were treated equally—and as their leader, he was busy earning points for their cubs.

The moment Xiong Liao stepped inside, Ying Mian said, “Tu came and said—”

Before he could finish, Xiong Liao blurted out,
“Tu agreed to let our whole tribe move in?”

Ying Mian: “…”

He knew that no matter how fast he tried to explain,
there was no saving this.