Differences

He bit his lip tightly, refusing to make another sound regardless of how much force the bear-race beastmen applied.

Seeing that the excitement had ended, the onlookers chatted with those they knew and gradually dispersed.

Cheng Shuili had truly never seen this tactic of putting someone in a sack to beat them up, but judging by the reactions of the other beastmen, this seemed to be an old tradition of theirs.

Cheng Shuili felt many things, but her mood certainly lightened up significantly; regardless of anything else, this was a satisfying way to vent.

Moreover, since there were enough beastmen watching the spectacle, the matter was quickly spread around. Once the small tribes heard that even the leopard-race leader had been disciplined, they became even less daring to act out, lining up one by one to obediently hand over their energy stones.

By the afternoon, Cheng Shuili placed a checkmark after the final name and opened her panel to find that the number of energy stones had reached over twelve thousand, enough to perform the conversion for the Vial of Eternal Life more than a hundred times.

Now, let alone the patients of the beast-races, the remaining energy stones were enough for Cheng Shuili to use for a very long time to come.

In a pleasant mood, she hummed a little tune and told Xiong Ji to set up an assembly line.

The afternoon sun was much brighter and more glaring than it had been in the morning. Cheng Shuili looked up and realized that two hours had already passed.

Yet, she still hadn't been kicked out of the beastman town.

Cheng Shuili's pupils dilated slightly, and she subconsciously reached into the Abyss Ring to pull out the Rat King's Decree.

This item was more useful than she had imagined.

She had originally thought this object only served to provide quick access to the Rat King's territory, but it had actually removed the time limit as well. Looking at it this way...

Cheng Shuili was thoughtful; this thing should be similar to the temporary pass she had applied for on behalf of Aunt Huo, only more concrete and not temporary.

She raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious about the reason why the Rat King was so insistent on making this deal.

But what was important now was the establishment of the assembly line!

"My King, everything has been arranged as you said, but the mineral water is somewhat insufficient. Would it be alright to use the spring water that our bear-race drinks daily as a substitute?"

Xiong Ji walked over and asked cautiously.

Cheng Shuili paused. "Spring water?"

She truly hadn't expected this possibility. It seemed that not only were the traditions of the beastmen quite different from those of humans, but the ways they obtained resources might also be far apart.

"Is this the kind of spring water you drink daily?" she asked in detail.

Xiong Ji nodded, seemingly realizing that this new King was human and that it was normal for her to not understand things on the beastman side, so he explained in more detail: "It is just spring water. It is also free water granted by the system. Among us large tribes, this water is only used for drinking. As for the small tribes, they use this water for everything."

Cheng Shuili nodded thoughtfully, considering it understood.

Since spring water was available, there was no need to spend game coins to buy mineral water. After handling this matter, Xiong Ji quickly found a few beastmen and brought over a barrel of spring water.

Everything was ready; only the liquid inside the Vial of Eternal Life was missing.

Cheng Shuili stood before the special device, opened the panel, took a deep breath, and began the mechanical and repetitive work.

Convert the state, and after success, add three drops of liquid into the spring water, then repeat these two actions.

The beastmen present went from curious to focused, and then slightly distracted due to boredom.

Until the first barrel of spring water, added with enough golden liquid, was carried out and delivered to a critically ill beastman who was reacting strongly.

Knowing that this barrel contained life-saving medicine, the gazes of all the beastmen were instantly focused here.

That critically ill beastman was an elderly deer-race, currently at his last gasp, breathing in more than he was breathing out; it was clear he did not have much time left.

Because it was the plague, even his family could not approach him, so he lay there alone as a single beastman.

At first, when he heard there was a miracle cure, a strong light had erupted in his eyes, but when he learned that the medication had to be used according to race, that light had naturally dimmed.

The deer-race was only a small tribe; by the time it was their turn, he would likely have long since...

Thus, when a barrel of medicine guarded by heavy troops appeared before him, the elderly deer-race beastman had not yet reacted.

The moment the spring water mixed with the medicinal liquid was carefully fed into the old deer's mouth, the entire beastman town seemed to hold its breath.

Time ticked by second by second.

At first, the old deer had no reaction.

Just as the feeling of disappointment was about to spread, a slight gurgling sound suddenly came from his throat, and immediately after, his painful breathing miraculously calmed down!

His skin, which had been flushed due to a high fever, faded from its unnatural redness at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his body temperature was dropping rapidly!

In the old deer's cloudy eyes, a light of clarity emerged bit by bit.

He tried to move his arm; this simple action had been like carrying a heavy burden yesterday, but now it was completed with ease.

He looked down at his arm in disbelief, then slowly raised his head to look at the bear-race guards holding their breath nearby and the other beastmen and patients waiting expectantly in the distance.

He moved his lips, and although his voice was hoarse, it came out clearly: "...The fever... has broken. My body... doesn't hurt anymore either."

After a brief silence, there was an eruption of wild joy!

"He lived! He really lived!"

"Divine medicine! This is divine medicine!"

"The plague can be saved!"

The news swept through the entire beastman town like wildfire.

The camp, originally shrouded in despair and silence, was instantly injected with surging vitality.

Countless eyes focused on the team transporting the medicine. Hope, desire, and fervent gazes were layered upon one another, also mixed with dark emotions that had suddenly sprouted.

The watched bear-race guards had their muscles tensed, emitting low, deterrent growls from their throats as they firmly protected the medicine barrel in the center.

They could feel that besides hope, there was also madness brewing within the despair of those gazes!

If the distribution was slightly unfair, or if someone felt they had been left out, the long-suppressed panic would instantly trigger a riot!!

At that point, let alone controlling it, the guards who were trying to maintain order would likely not meet a good end themselves.

After all, this was just their job; it was the King's order, but these patients... were truly capable of risking their lives!

Xiong Ji had come out with the team. Seeing this, his experienced self jumped onto a high spot, his deep roar overpowering all the noise: "All of you, be quiet! Line up! Our King has said: priority to the critically ill! Follow the rules of contribution points! Follow the rules and wait honestly, and everyone will get medicine, but if anyone dares to cause trouble, you, this beastman, and your entire tribe will not get any medicine!"

This was said quite severely.

If it were only themselves being punished, these beastmen might still act impulsively, but upon hearing that it would implicate their entire tribe, all the beastmen calmed down.

Added to the fact that Dean Xiong personally emphasized that all patients would receive medicine, and that critically ill patients would have priority, ensuring they wouldn't lose their lives, they felt much more at ease.

Occasionally, one or two beastmen in the crowd were not calm, but before they could take any action, they were slapped by their tribal elders: "Use your brains! Don't drag our entire tribe into this!"

For a time, the sounds of disciplining the younger generation rose one after another.

Not only was the scene finally brought under control, but the beastmen, although still anxious, helped the bear-race beastmen maintain order, watching eagerly as the medicine water was distributed spoonful by spoonful to the patients in the most critical condition.

Xiong Ji jumped down from the high spot and wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, still shaken.

He had also broken into a cold sweat just now; if a riot had truly broken out, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Fortunately, the King's rules were solid, and the deterrent of "collective punishment" was extremely effective for beastmen who valued their tribes.

He dared not delay, immediately directing the guards to speed up the distribution!

The setting sun sank completely below the horizon, and night fell.

Bonfires were lit in the camp, the dancing flames reflecting on faces that were tired yet filled with hope.

The beastmen who drank the medicine water had stabilized, their symptoms had significantly lessened, or they had even recovered directly.

Suppressed moans and crying were replaced by whispers of survival and the occasional weak laughter.

Cheng Shuili finally stopped her almost mechanical movements, rubbing her sore wrists and neck.

The consumption of energy stones was faster than she had anticipated, but the results were outstanding.

Xiong Ji happened to walk in at this moment, his face carrying undisguised excitement and reverence: "My King, of the tribes distributed to today, all the critically ill have turned from danger to safety, or even recovered! The rat-race and our own cubs have also received medicine; all of the Five Great Beast Races except for the leopard-race have been properly arranged!"

Cheng Shuili listened quietly, and only after Xiong Ji finished did she nod. "Well done. Continue tomorrow, strictly following the order of contribution points; we will absolutely abide by the rules we set ourselves."

Xiong Ji was both excited and happy, looking at Cheng Shuili with bright eyes; if his tail weren't too short to wag, it probably would have turned into a propeller.

Cheng Shuili had seen such gazes too many times.

Worshipping her was also a normal thing.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and she raised her hand to brush her bangs aside as she continued: "You did well today. The guards who followed you to distribute the medicine also worked hard; remember to change to a different batch tomorrow. Order must be maintained well."

"I understand!" Xiong Ji's answer was resounding, just short of stamping his feet to salute Cheng Shuili.

Cheng Shuili laughed in spite of herself and reached out to pat his shoulder.

If even the steady Dean Xiong could be made to look like this, the level of excitement among the other beastmen was easy to imagine.

Watching Xiong Ji leave, Cheng Shuili couldn't help but yawn.

After a busy day, she was also exhausted.

Fortunately, the work for the faction and the safe zone had been arranged, otherwise she would have had to live the painful life of an ox or horse, working for the beastmen during the day and running her own business at night.

At this moment, Cheng Shuili felt that her past self, who had delegated the work, was incredibly wise.

And... although Xinxue and the others were absolutely trustworthy, there were too many positions to arrange all of them for her, so she could only arrange them for more people.

When there were more people, all sorts of things would happen.

To prevent endless trouble, those who could become "civil servants" in Black Feather had all signed contracts with Cheng Shuili personally.

The contract content was something Guanghui and Xinxue had researched for a week, and with the additions from the Guide and the Consultant, this contract covered almost all possible backstabbing and loopholes, and its effectiveness was extremely strong.

With the system's endorsement, Cheng Shuili wasn't worried about any trouble arising in the rear.

What she was more worried about now was clearly the development of the safe zone.

Humans were different from beastmen; few humans possessed stable channels for goods, whereas in the beastman town, almost every beastman who opened a shop had their own channels and could provide stable goods.

Perhaps...

Cheng Shuili rested her chin in her hand; she should consider recruiting some beastman shopkeepers who were friendly to humans.

Thinking of this, she stood up and walked slowly out of the hospital.

The beastman town in the dead of night was brightly lit, with streetlights illuminating the streetscape and every beastman lying on the floor.

These were all beastmen infected with the plague.

Because it was a special period, the beastman town seemed to have become a gathering place for patients.

All the shops had their doors tightly shut, and the market area that should have been lively was now filled with various forms of beastmen, with painful moans and heavy breathing rising one after another.

Only the heavy footsteps of the bear-race guards on patrol, and the teams occasionally passing by with water buckets, could bring a faint sense of order.

Cheng Shuili's appearance immediately attracted the gazes of all the beastmen who were still conscious.

Those gazes were incomparably complex.

There was hope from seeing a savior, awe of the "rules" she had set, hidden fear, and perhaps even straightforward resentment.

She accepted these stares calmly, walking with a steady pace along the temporarily cleared path.

The shops on both sides of the street were indeed all closed tightly, the insides swept spotlessly clean, as if they were prepared for a long-term closure.

Cheng Shuili stood before the glass door of a shop for a long time, then lifted her feet to walk along the street.

Suddenly, rapid footsteps came from behind, neat and heavy; to Cheng Shuili, they were also somewhat familiar.

Everything she had heard throughout the day were sounds like these; they were the sounds made by the bear-race beastmen who formed the assembly line.

Without needing to look back, she spoke directly: "Don't follow me, I'll walk around by myself."

The one who came was indeed a bear-race beastman: "My King! It is late now, and there are always places in the beastman town that we cannot look after. If those who are blind bump into you..."

The bear-race guard's tone was anxious, his huge body leaning forward slightly, attempting to dissuade her.

Cheng Shuili stopped her pace and turned her head to look at him. Her gaze in the night was extremely calm; she had no expression, only repeating: "I said, I will walk around by myself."

There was no temper in these words, but Cheng Shuili herself knew how much anger was surging in her heart.

She was indeed the King of the bear-race now, but it could not be denied that in the eyes of these bear-race beastmen, she was different from other Kings.

Other Kings were powerful and independent, while she was merely a human who needed protection. When Xiong Ji was the bear-race King, he hadn't seen these guards rushing to protect him, had he?

This kind of subtle looking-down-upon was truly irritating.

Cheng Shuili's voice was not high, but because the Bear Tooth was in her hand, the bear-race guard instantly fell silent, his massive body subconsciously retreating half a step as he lowered his head: "...Yes, my King."

Cheng Shuili did not say anything more, continuing to walk forward along the silent street.