Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – Chapter 148

Ying Mian had already spoken as fast as he possibly could, yet he still couldn’t keep up with Xiong Liao’s imagination.

But no matter how desperately Xiong Liao wanted to stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, Ying Mian still had to convey what Bai Tu had told him today. Besides, this matter wasn’t any less important than staying.

“Be quiet and listen. Don’t interrupt until I’m finished,” Ying Mian said sternly.

Xiong Liao nodded obediently, though his expression remained confused.

Once he finally settled down, Ying Mian continued, “It’s not about staying. Tu plans to help our tribe build a cafeteria and a breeding area.”

Bai Tu had mentioned more than just those two buildings—there were schools and other facilities as well. But those would come later. After all, the White Bear Tribe hadn’t even begun learning how to write yet.

With every point Ying Mian explained, Xiong Liao’s eyes grew wider and wider.

Once he finished, Xiong Liao frantically pointed at his own mouth, signaling he wanted to speak.

Seeing that he’d covered everything, Ying Mian nodded. “Go ahead.”

Xiong Liao burst out, “Tu’s coming back with us? And the cubs can go back too?”

Ying Mian: “???”

That’s what he got from all that?

“Why would Tu go back with us?” Ying Mian asked. “He lives here. He can just send people to build the houses.”

“Oh…” Xiong Liao deflated. “Then I’ll wait until you return.”

Ying Mian sighed helplessly. “If you don’t go back, who’s going to manage the tribe? Do you want our cubs living in the White Bear Tribe the same way they were before?”

As expected, mentioning the cubs made Xiong Liao fall silent and think.

Only then did Ying Mian finally relax—he had successfully fulfilled Bai Tu’s expectations.

—

Meanwhile, Bai Tu had finished checking Hei Xiao’s three eggs. Eagle Tribe incubation often had unexpected issues: oxygen deprivation, developmental problems, sudden death. And since all of them were birds, Bai Tu reasoned that a thorough check was safest.

Hei Xiao trusted him completely. If Bai Tu wanted to hold the eggs or even set them on the table, he wouldn’t complain.

Hei Yan, however, was different.

“Careful,” Hei Yan said nervously, staring at the egg as if it were about to jump from Bai Tu’s hands. “Be gentle.”

Bai Tu: “…”

Hei Xiao: “…”

Hei Xiao couldn’t help saying, “Tu is an adult—and he’s raised more cubs than anyone here. Do you really think he can’t handle an egg?”

No matter how you looked at it, Bai Tu had more experience caring for cubs of all races than the two of them combined.

Bai Tu had long grown used to Hei Yan’s habit—it was unavoidable whenever Hei Yan was nearby.

Once he finished adjusting the blanket and checking the egg, Bai Tu told Hei Xiao about the plan to cooperate with the White Bear Tribe and asked whether the Black Eagle Tribe wanted to send more people to learn.

Some had come to learn brickmaking and other techniques before, but many aspects remained untouched. No one had been selected to learn how the cafeteria worked, for example. Without their leader, the tribe would be vulnerable; numbers provided safety.

Now that the rainy season had ended and Hei Yan was going back, the Black Eagle Tribe could resume their learning. If any project required on-site guidance, Bai Tu could send a construction team and have them return before winter.

Knowing it would benefit the tribe, Hei Yan listened seriously. Bai Tu sighed in relief—Hei Yan was young, but dependable. Unlike Xiong Liao…

Bai Tu wondered if Ying Mian had managed to explain everything properly.

Just as he, Hei Xiao, and Hei Yan were preparing to leave, they ran into Ying Mian, who was also heading out.

Upon seeing him, Ying Mian immediately brightened. “Tu, I was just coming to find you.”

“Did they agree?” Bai Tu asked.

“Definitely. Everyone agreed,” Ying Mian replied.
Aside from Xiong Liao—whose mind had drifted somewhere else—the others were even happier about Bai Tu’s plan than they had been about temporarily staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe. That was someone else’s tribe. This… this was improving their own tribe.

They all had wanted to join another tribe and bring their families along. But if their own tribe could become this good, of course they’d prefer to grow and develop it themselves.

After explaining everything to Xiong Liao, Ying Mian had spent very little time talking to the others. He had been just about to find Bai Tu when he bumped into him.

Hearing noise from the room behind Ying Mian, Bai Tu guessed that the White Bear Tribe members were still inside. He said, “Tell them to pack up once they get back. Everyone will leave tomorrow morning.”

Given the distance, it would take a full day to reach the White Bear Tribe. Leaving in the morning meant arriving that same evening.

“I’ll tell them right away,” Ying Mian said eagerly.
He wanted to get everything ready as soon as possible—after all, the sooner the breeding area and cafeteria were built, the better.

During his stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, what Ying Mian envied most was the livestock area. With it, the tribe never worried about food—not during the soaking-wet rainy season or the freezing winter. Even their fresh meat was always… fresh. Nothing was kept long enough to develop strange smells.

The White Bear Tribe could hibernate through winter, but the Feather Tribe couldn’t. They spent winters constantly worrying whether there was enough food. The rainy season was also stressful for the entire tribe. Even the Bears’ keen sense of smell wasn’t useful when there was no prey to find.

But with their own livestock, food would always be available. Even if they couldn’t raise as much as the Snow Rabbit Tribe, it would still be enough to feed everyone through the rainy and winter seasons. They could hunt the rest of the year.

Ensuring food during the two hardest seasons would allow the tribe to grow stronger.

Despite the internal issues, Ying Mian wanted a strong tribe. Only then would everyone be safer. And they couldn’t repay the Snow Rabbit or Blood Wolf Tribes until their own tribe was strong enough.

“Thank you, Tu,” Ying Mian said sincerely. “We’ll definitely raise the livestock well.”

Bai Tu had mentioned that some of the rewards included livestock cubs. Ying Mian planned to have everyone prepare feed as soon as they returned home.

Bai Tu waved him off with a few last instructions, then headed off to find Bai An to discuss the cooperation with the White Bear and Black Eagle Tribes—and also the integration of the White Cat Tribe.

“The Cat Tribe is small,” Bai Tu explained. “A dozen arrived this time, with around thirty more coming—less than fifty total. With a small group, it’s easier to manage and we can test out some new plans.”

Bai An was surprised the White Cat Tribe was so small. “They have so many cubs.”
For a tribe under fifty, nine children under three years old was a lot—definitely more than usual.

“The older cubs are fewer,” Bai Tu recalled. Maochuan had mentioned there were only a dozen cubs total, but most of them were under three. There were fewer between three and adulthood.

“Our tribe is small,” Bai An sighed. “Just take good care of them.”
He had recently been figuring out which tribe to trade salt to and had started handing more responsibilities over to the younger generation.

Bai Tu nodded. Even if Bai An hadn’t been involved much lately, he still needed to be informed to avoid misunderstandings.

Just as Bai Tu was about to leave, Bai An suddenly called out, “Tu, wait. There’s something I need to ask…”

“What is it?” Bai Tu asked. Nothing unusual seemed to be happening.

“Our tribe and the Wolf Tribe…” Bai An hesitated. “When should we merge?”

The two tribes didn’t even have separate living areas anymore. The cafeteria, school, and livestock areas were all shared. Even the patrol teams were under Lang Qi’s command—effectively one person managing both tribes.

Since everything was merged in practice, Bai An thought it was time to make it official. It would simplify matters, especially when he took salt out to trade, without outsiders thinking the tribe was split and vulnerable.

“I’ll go back and ask Qi,” Bai Tu said.
He hadn’t yet decided. It seemed simple, but there were many small but crucial issues: leadership, debt between the tribes, distribution of responsibilities. Even small details mattered—over time, they could cause conflict.

“You and Lang Qi are together every day,” Bai An said. “You can discuss it anytime. The sooner the better, so I can get the salt ready.”

Once the rainy season ended, Bai An had been eager to exchange salt for supplies. He wanted to finalize tribal matters quickly and leave them in the hands of Bai Tu, Bai Chen, Bai Qi, and the others.

Bai Tu: “…”

He was with Lang Qi every day, but that didn’t mean they could discuss political matters all the time.

But seeing how excited and impatient Bai An was, he sighed. “I’ll settle it as soon as possible.”

With so many new tasks on his plate, Bai Tu rarely procrastinated unless he had a good reason. Once he returned home, he went through the bamboo slips and looked for the orcs working in the construction team and cafeteria.

The construction team was easy to assign—most buildings were nearly finished. The school and kindergarten would be done in a few days, freeing many workers.

Cafeteria assignments depended on food consumption. The current number of staff was just right—removing one would overload the others.

After thinking it over, Bai Tu decided to assign several orcs who weren’t cafeteria workers but knew how to cook, pairing them with experienced staff. He would also send a few of the cooks to teach the White Bear Tribe.

Lang Qi came over, noticed the unusually long list of cooks, and leaned in. Only then did he realize they were being assigned to the White Bear Tribe.

“The Bears love our food,” Bai Tu said. “Many of them didn’t want to leave because of the cafeteria. Not entirely because of the food, but… mostly.”

Since they were cooperating, the White Bear Tribe’s food quality had to improve.

“Their tribe’s cooking is way too simple,” Bai Tu said. “No matter what ingredients they have, they just chop it up, roast it, and sprinkle salt on top. How could it possibly taste good?”
Ying Mian’s misunderstanding about Xiong Liao’s “terrible cooking” definitely hadn’t helped.

Sending a few more cooks to the White Bear Tribe to teach them better cooking methods would allow everyone to stop worrying about the tribe’s cafeteria.

Lang Qi nodded, tactfully not mentioning that their own tribe had been the same before meeting Bai Tu.

In truth, most tribes were like that. Whether during the packed summer or the freezing winter, once food was distributed, it was immediately roasted and eaten. In the orcs’ worldview, food was only safe once it was in their stomachs. If they didn’t eat it, who knew if someone would steal it?

Of course, they still tried to preserve food—by drying, roasting, or smoking it. Whether it tasted awful later was not something they considered.

But ever since Bai Tu arrived, their meals had gotten better and better. Even plants they once ignored were now turning into delicious dishes, greatly enriching the tribe’s diet.

While Lang Qi was absorbed in his thoughts, Bai Tu had already begun calculating another number:

the number of animal cubs the White Bear Tribe would receive.

The tribe now had a considerable number of young animals, but he had to decide which ones could be allocated. Chickens, ducks, and geese were the most abundant—but before giving out the chicks, he needed to teach the Bears how to keep them safe so they wouldn’t wander into other tribes’ territory.

Next were piglets. Wild boars could produce more than a dozen per litter, and with such numbers, their appetite was enormous. Giving some away would ease the burden on the tribe’s breeders.

Cattle and sheep were fewer in number, but they could also be shared—and the Bears could even learn how to use cattle to transport supplies. At the last market gathering, many people had envied how Bai Tu’s tribe didn’t need to carry heavy loads themselves.

Bai Tu listed each species separately and noted the time required to raise each one. This information was also needed to determine the tribe’s rewards. For example, if the White Bears raised a chick for three months, how much reward should be returned to Bai Tu’s tribe, and how much should stay with the Bears?

The longer the animal was raised, the smaller the reward percentage. Chickens and ducks had higher percentages—but could also be rewarded with eggs instead of live animals.

After spending most of the night finalizing the cooperation plan with the White Bear Tribe, Bai Tu moved on to the Black Eagle Tribe.

The Black Eagles were easier. They already worked closely together, and they didn’t need prey from Bai Tu’s tribe. Even last year, when Bai Tu’s tribe was preparing for the hunt, the Black Eagles had already begun theirs—although their young were still being raised in the caves.

What Bai Tu needed to decide was which construction team members were suitable to send. The round trip to the Black Eagle Tribe took half a month. Sending orcs who had to keep returning home would be troublesome—and would cause even greater losses for the Black Eagles.

Those with partners and cubs couldn’t be gone for months, so Bai Tu divided the candidates into three groups:

—young and unattached,
—older but not seeking partners,
—or those whose partners had unfortunately passed away.

As for the White Bear Tribe, Bai Tu assigned only those orcs who did have partners and cubs. The Bears lived closer—only two or three days away. Traveling nonstop, they could theoretically make the trip in a single day.

Lang Qi wanted to tell Bai Tu that it was getting late, but seeing him so absorbed in his work, he swallowed the reminder and quietly helped with the selections instead.

He knew the Wolf Tribe orcs far better than Bai Tu did. Bai Tu had to dig through records to confirm who had partners or children, while Lang Qi recognized every name instantly.

Bai Tu had been struggling through the lists himself, but once he realized how efficient Lang Qi was, he stopped searching altogether and simply asked him directly.

With Lang Qi’s help, the lists were finalized quickly. They would be presented to the construction team the next day.

The White Bear orcs would leave early the next morning, but the construction team didn’t need to go yet—there was no point, since the materials weren’t prepared.

And since the team wasn’t from the White Bear Tribe, showing up too early could make unaware Bears suspicious.

So Bai Tu decided that the White Bear orcs would return first to inform their tribe. Then the construction team and cooks would follow.

It also gave the team two days to prepare—say goodbye to family, rest, and recharge before months of continuous work.

After organizing the lists, Bai Tu set them on the table. He and Lang Qi went to bed shortly after. Before falling asleep, they quietly discussed what Bai An had mentioned.

“The chief asked about when we should merge the two tribes,” Bai Tu murmured sleepily. “When do you think is best?”

“Whenever you want,” Lang Qi answered without hesitation. He couldn’t wait for the official merge—only then would he finally feel at ease.

“I told him it’ll take a little time,” Bai Tu said, yawning. “But it won’t be long. Let’s settle last month’s accounts first, then we can talk about a new name for the tribe.”

The accounts referred to the rainy season’s monthly tallies. Aside from three meals a day and lodging, all other items had to be purchased with points, and points were totaled every month.

Last month had just ended, and the ledgers from the cafeterias, warehouses, and supply areas had already arrived. Bai Tu hadn’t done the final summary yet, but once the accounts were settled, they could move on to preparing the new tribe name.

The previous tribe names were based on their beast forms. Since the two tribes were equals, they couldn’t choose a name that belonged to only one side—it would imply superiority.

“Okay,” Lang Qi agreed.
The next day, while Bai Tu arranged the White Bear Tribe’s departure, Lang Qi stayed home with the cub and searched for the ledgers.

Bai Tu’s schedule was packed. He saw off the White Bears, discussed details with Hei Xiao again, gave Bai Chen the list of departing orcs, and asked him to notify them.

He also had to arrange work for the White Cat Tribe—a surprisingly difficult task. Although there were only a dozen or so, including many cubs, a poorly arranged schedule would reflect terribly on their tribe’s reputation.

Even though other tribes wouldn’t offer the same level of care, Bai Tu still wanted the White Cats to feel comfortable and secure.

Eventually, he assigned them to the weaving and harvesting teams, while the cubs were temporarily placed with Tu Cai. Surrounded by other cubs and lots of toys, they quickly forgot their nervousness.

The White Cats were shy, especially with outsiders. After dinner the previous night, Mao Chuan had timidly talked to Bai Tu, using all his courage to speak. He had offered no opinions of his own and followed every instruction obediently.

If even Mao Chuan was like this, the others naturally followed Bai Tu’s guidance without question. Bai Tu loved working with such easygoing tribes, so he introduced them to the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes carefully.

“You’ve probably heard that there used to be two tribes here,” Bai Tu explained. “But they’re planning to merge next month. So don’t worry—no one here will laugh at you because of your fur, and you don’t need to worry about safety.”

The cats listened attentively. Some tried weaving. Harvesting was even easier—they climbed trees all the time for fun, and now that skill finally had a practical use.

Bai Tu had always known cats were agile climbers, and today confirmed it again. They weren’t exactly the same as the original cat tribe, but they were just as good in the trees.

Both tasks were easy for them, and not only was Bai Tu satisfied—they were delighted. Working meant they could stay here.

After arranging schedules for three tribes in a single day, Bai Tu returned home with an aching back—and found many more people at home than usual.

He glanced into the living room and saw several little wolves, each holding a writing brush, sitting before wooden boards and looking utterly lost. Some were even holding their brushes upside down.

Seeing them, Bai Tu exclaimed in surprise, “You’re all here?”

The little wolves usually came by often, spending almost the entire rainy season at Lang Qi’s house—eating, napping, playing. But after the rainy season ended, they ran around outside every day. Bai Tu hadn’t seen them in two or three days.

Hearing his voice, the frustrated little wolves immediately lit up and jumped to their feet.

“Tu!” Langze looked as if he had found salvation. “I really can’t figure this out!”

“What is it?” Bai Tu changed his shoes and walked inside. Lanqi wasn’t in the room, but the cub was asleep in the inner room. Bai Tu blinked. “Where’s your brother?”

“Brother said he had to get two account books. He told us we should calculate these first.” Langze pointed at the bamboo slips and wooden boards. The numbers gave him a headache—just trying to do his own account made his brain feel like mush.

“Account books?” Bai Tu flipped through them and realized they were the tribe’s items–exchange ledgers. These were supposed to be his task. Why had Lang Qi started so early?

Monthly accounting made it easier to calculate year-end totals and prevented orcs from withdrawing more supplies than they earned, then refusing to work.

This was last month’s ledger. Bai Tu would record the results and give each manager a new ledger showing each orc’s remaining points.

That limited how many points each orc could spend. For example, someone with 500 points could spend only 200 in the warehouse and another 200 in the cafeteria. Fewer points could be used elsewhere.

This kept orcs from overspending. Even if they used everything, their debt wouldn’t be too large—they could repay it in ten days or half a month at most.

Without limits, some orcs would think, “Well, I already owe a lot. Might as well owe more.” And if they couldn’t repay in a year or two, they might simply stop working and rely on the tribe’s rations.

To prevent this, Bai Tu always updated accounts monthly.
But cooperation with the other tribes was more urgent now, so he had postponed it for a few days.

To Bai Tu’s surprise, Lang Qi had called for help before even starting the work. Looking at the group of wolf pups completely stumped by simple calculations, Bai Tu felt a mix of helplessness and amusement.

“Tu, why is there so much stuff?!” Langze groaned, grabbing his hair. Until today, he had never realized how troublesome exchanging supplies could be—after seeing the thick ledger, he knew it would take ages just to finish one.

“All right, clean up here. I’ll do the calculations later,” Bai Tu said, not wanting to embarrass the wolves who had only just begun learning math. “And wash your hands before you eat.”

Their hands and faces were pitch black from the brushes—and maybe a scuffle or two. There was no way he’d let them near food like that.

Hearing that Bai Tu would help, the wolf pups nearly howled in joy, but remembering the sleeping cubs, they clamped their hands over their mouths.

“Go play,” Bai Tu waved them off. He’d still need to redo the accounts afterward, so it didn’t matter if they filled anything out—checking their work would be just as time-consuming as doing it himself.

Honestly, it was better if he did it alone. As for why Langze had tied himself into knots, no one understood—until they found out he had somehow managed to give himself negative points.

What surprised Bai Tu even more was Lang Qi’s two-faced efficiency. Yesterday, he hadn’t acted anxious at all. Today, he was desperate to finish the accounts. Bai Tu had been doing this every month since before winter—it was a tough task for wolf pups, but he could finish it quickly. It was just basic arithmetic, after all.

The pups struggled only because they didn’t understand multiplication.

And then Bai Tu froze mid-calculation.

Wait…
Had he forgotten to teach them the multiplication table?

After thinking it through—yes, he had. Except for final accounting, multiplication and division rarely came up, so he’d naturally forgotten.

He pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote “Multiplication Table” across the top.

This would be added to the curriculum once the school officially started. Previously, the tribe rushed to build the residential area, only completing the frames of the school and kindergarten. The partition walls were only added after the rainy season.

Bai Tu added new lessons whenever he remembered them. If not for the wolf pups today, he wouldn’t have remembered the multiplication table for a while.

Meanwhile, the pups were blissfully unaware that their “rescue” was temporary—greater mathematical horrors awaited them.

After washing up in the yard, they skipped to the cafeteria for dinner.

Langze picked out his own food, then remembered his brother wasn’t home and Bai Tu was still helping with the accounts. He immediately grabbed another meal for Bai Tu—and then piled on more for the cubs.

When Lang Qi returned with the account books, he stopped dead at the sight of Langze carrying four food boxes in each hand.

Lang Qi: “???”

“Why aren’t you coming in?” Bai Tu had just finished another ledger and had stepped outside to stretch before grabbing food. Seeing Lang Qi frozen at the doorway, he called out casually.

Lang Qi snapped out of his daze, walked inside, and silently took the ledger to the room.

Right behind him came Langze. Bai Tu stared at the mountain of food boxes hanging from him and fell speechless.

Normally, food for him, Lang Qi, and the five cubs fit in one box. Langze had four.

What was he—part human, part storage space?

“Tu! I brought food for you and the cubs!” Langze announced proudly.

“What did you bring?” Bai Tu washed his hands. Since the food was here, he didn’t need to cook. But… this much?

“Ze… has your appetite increased recently?”
No wonder Langze’s points went negative every month and needed Lang Qi and Lang Ya to bail him out. With an appetite like this, even a snack wouldn’t last a month.

“Not really, just a little extra,” Langze said innocently as he opened the boxes.

The four boxes filled the entire table. They weren’t all packed full, but together, it was more than triple their usual amount.

Bai Tu carried the cubs into the dining area and fed them first—while witnessing Langze’s astonishing appetite.

It wasn’t truly bottomless… but very close.

Worse, the cubs also ate more than usual, probably influenced by Langze. Lang Qi, who’d skipped lunch and worked until now, also ate more. Only Bai Tu kept to his typical portion.

They had collectively eaten enough food for six or seven adult orcs.

Bai Tu looked at Langze, sitting on a stool and burping contentedly, and whispered to Lang Qi, “Is it really okay to eat like this?”

Lang Qi kept staring at Langze as if examining a rare creature. Langze was the only one who thought nothing was wrong.

“Everyone ate a lot!” Langze said earnestly. In fact, he felt like he could still eat—his stomach was itching for more.

Bai Tu frowned. Something wasn’t right. These cubs already had big appetites, but this was excessive.

He wasn’t being stingy—he was worried. Eating too much could strain their bodies. Orcs could eat ten or twenty pounds in one sitting, but that was usually after starvation, or if they needed to store energy for a long time.

But the wolf pups ate full meals every day. Could they really eat this much every time?

Lang Qi had never encountered this situation, but he also sensed something was off. He glanced at Langze, gave up interrogating him, and told Bai Tu, “I’ll go ask.” It was best to consult the tribe’s elders.

Bai Tu agreed. This wasn’t just Langze—the entire group of pups was affected. They needed to know why the gluttony suddenly increased.

Langze had eaten so much that Bai Tu didn’t dare let him run outside immediately, afraid he’d go out and start playing. Instead, he told him to take the cubs into the room to play while Bai Tu continued the accounting.

Langze did want to go outside, but since Bai Tu assigned the task, he grudgingly obeyed. After all, Bai Tu was doing their calculations!

Thinking about how he’d been calculating all day and still couldn’t figure out a single ledger, Langze carried the cubs into the room.

But the cubs refused. They wanted their father.

The three smaller ones squirmed, and the two older ones, now in human form, outright called for their dad.

“Can’t you let Uncle play with you for a while?” Langze begged. If only one or two were unruly, he could handle them—but five?

Bai Tu finally gave up and brought the cubs into his arms. He coaxed them while continuing to work, calculating mentally and having Langze record the numbers.

This was easy for Langze—he only needed his hands, not his brain. But halfway through, his attention wandered again.

Bai Tu: “…”

He looked down at the cubs, who were already falling asleep, and sighed. “Go play.”

It had been a while since dinner. He could run off now.

After settling the cubs in bed, Bai Tu waited until Lang Qi returned—with a very complicated expression.

“What is it? Did you find out?” Bai Tu asked nervously.

“I did.” Lang Qi sat down. “They’re almost adults.”

Orcs nearing adulthood prepared to find a mate, and their behavior often changed—but not always in predictable ways. Some became more aggressive, some more territorial. Apparently, this batch of little wolves… showed it through gluttony.

Bai Tu: “…”

Of all the reasons, he had never expected this.

Now he felt genuinely worried. At this rate… would these wolves ever find mates?

Even Xiong Liao knew to save food for his partner.
But these pups… Bai Tu suspected they might eat their mate’s portion too.