Chapter 01: Male, Will You Marry Me?
This wasn't a dilapidated shack?!
Changxia stared at the 50-60 square-foot earth-pit tent. Old animal hides were draped over branches, bound together with vines – simple and rustic. Changxia’s lips twitched uncontrollably; she could only feel speechless. The tribesmen who had brought her here had already left.
She put down her backpack, placing her belongings to the side, not hurrying to begin work.
There was no mistake; this would be her home for the rest of her life.
After silently appreciating it for a moment, Changxia turned to look at Chen Rong behind her. His face was pale, his gait weak and unsteady. One glance revealed his poor health.
“You stay outside, I’ll go in and clean up alone,” Changxia said.
“It’s fine, let me come in with you. This animal den hasn’t been lived in for a long time. Besides insects and ants, we need to check if the roof is rotting,” Chen Rong smiled slightly, explaining that he wasn’t comfortable letting Changxia work alone.
Although the tribesmen had helped inspect the den, there certainly weren’t any major problems. But who knows if there are any minor issues? After all, it's a distance from the tribe, and this den has been abandoned for a long time. Even though he's weak, he's still a male beastman, much stronger than a female.
Hearing this,
Changxia thought for a moment and agreed.
“Okay, I collected some mugwort earlier. Later we’ll light it to smoke out the insects and ants in the den, and then you can check the roof.”
Soon, a pungent smell spread.
A rustling sound, like something crawling, reached their ears.
“Back up!” Chen Rong pulled Changxia, picked up the backpack beside them, and quickly retreated seven or eight steps.
Various insects and ants quickly crawled out of the den; apparently, the smell of mugwort was unpleasant to them. After a few minutes, the mugwort burned out, and no more insects crawled out of the den.
The two then lifted the animal hide curtain to ventilate the den.
Changxia efficiently began throwing out the discarded things in the den, while paying attention to Chen Rong inspecting the roof, and simultaneously recalling what had happened a few days ago.
One second, Changxia was busy killing high-level zombies that had appeared, struggling for survival. The next second, she had become a female of the He Luo tribe – Xia.
Among the beastmen, adulthood meant independent living.
Every year, the tribe would take the adult males and females to Normandy. Normandy was the largest market in the Dusk Forest, where various races such as beastmen, birdmen, and fishmen gathered. Males and females who found each other appealing would choose to marry and then decide to live in their chosen tribe.
Changxia didn't want to marry, but the only way to gain the tribe's approval was to marry.
This continent was different from Earth.
It was incredibly dangerous; without the protection of a tribe, even she couldn't guarantee she would survive. Having experienced the apocalypse, Changxia's only thought was to live.
A few days ago.
She followed the He Luo tribe to Normandy, where there were many males and females looking to marry. Changxia was taken by the tribespeople to meet potential partners. She was small and frail, a weak Marmot, and many rejected her.
Marriage among beastmen wasn't like on Earth. Appearance wasn't that important; what mattered was race, fighting ability, and strength.
Otherwise, how could they deal with powerful beasts?
Those who valued appearance were the birdmen. Birdmen were exclusive and rarely intermarried with beastmen. Similarly, the fishmen were the same.
Changxia, small and frail, a Marmot who wasn't good at fighting, naturally wasn't appealing to anyone.
Changxia had no choice, so she simply huddled in a corner.
The beastmen were all big and burly. They didn't like her, and Changxia didn't like them. They were all muscle-bound, looked like they ate a lot, and were ugly.
She was small—
It was clear that the beastmen weren't normal. What was the concept of everyone being two meters tall?
It made Changxia, who was 1.7 meters tall, feel like she had arrived in a land of giants.
Changxia's He Luo tribe was located in the eastern Dusk Forest, a paradise for beastmen. To the east were the birdmen, and to the south was the sea, where the fishmen lived. Further than that, Changxia didn’t know.
Changxia was weak and sickly, and had lived in the He Luo tribe since she had memories. She had never met her parents. She heard from the He Luo tribe chief, Gen, that Changxia was found by a witch outside the Dusk Forest. The witch lived alone on Mount Kana in the Dusk Forest and couldn’t raise Changxia, so she sent her to the He Luo tribe.
Changxia was in poor health, ate little, and was picky.
Naturally, she was thin and weak.
Beastmen valued offspring, and even though Changxia had no blood ties to the He Luo tribe, the tribespeople raised her with care. Unfortunately, Changxia's body was weak, and even at adulthood, she still looked sickly.
Grrr.
Changxia touched her rumbling stomach. She was hungry. The tribe's food, besides roasted meat, was stew, and the taste could be described in one word: awful.
Even after struggling for years in the apocalypse, Changxia still couldn't accept it.
However, she couldn't be too unique while living in the tribe. She could only endure it. This time she came to the Normandy market, she was also desperate; she had to find a pleasing male, not just to avoid being nagged by the chief and tribespeople, but for food. She had to marry, otherwise life wouldn’t be bearable.
The Normandy market was located in the Normandy plains.
It was called a market, but it was actually made up of various animal skin tents. Beastmen lived roughly, without much regard for hygiene or aesthetics. Except for the birdmen and fishmen who were somewhat particular, beastmen usually slept directly on the ground…
Looking at the crowds coming and going, Changxia had a headache.
In her mind, she couldn't help but recall the chief's words.
“You’re too weak, you need to quickly find a male to marry, otherwise, how will you support yourself in the future?”
Of course, beastmen didn't forcibly require marriage upon reaching adulthood. Changxia was an exception, weak and prone to illness, and the tribe could no longer support her at adulthood. Without marriage, the tribespeople naturally worried she would starve to death.
As the sun began to set.
Would today be another wasted day?
Changxia touched her empty stomach, her eyes constantly scanning the passing crowd.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
A thin male walked from the edge of the market. He was very thin, tall, about two meters tall. His hair was messy and tangled, his face pale, his skin almost translucent, his walk unsteady and slow, looking as if he was gravely ill and wouldn't live long.
Strength or not, Changxia didn't care.
After all, she wasn't truly helpless.
The most important thing was that the male was handsome, the most handsome and beautiful she had ever seen.
Thinking.
Changxia got up and approached.
“Male, will you marry me?”
(End of chapter)
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Just came across this just because I got bored searching for novels to read. Seems promising for a slow pace novel.
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