Everyone else dispersed, and Si Shuo returned to the cave. She wrote down what was happening and placed the note on the Space Stone Table.

Upon seeing the message, the males in the Bamboo Forest Maze immediately set off with the cubs. Before Si Shuo’s group had gotten in line, they had already asked Tuanzi to leave a mark for them.

They soon arrived outside the city to line up, register, and receive their temporary Identity Cards.

Having arrived in a new place, Si Shuo found everything novel and fascinating, especially since the Yongchang Continent was so different from the lands outside the forest.

Shu Shu poked his head in, smiling as he handed over a bundle of wild vegetables and a few strips of dried meat. "Our Clan Leader asked me to bring these. You all were sort of dragged into this because of us, actually."

"Our clan members’ Levels generally aren’t very high, but there are a lot of us. The other groups resent that and are always trying to drive us out to seize these guest caves. Every time newcomers arrive, they always stir up some trouble."

"Many Beastmen, wanting to avoid trouble, would rather just pay more Crystal Stones. Or they’ll rush to find a female or male to partner with."

Zhi Le took the bundle without hesitation. Si Shuo, in turn, handed over two carrots that were nearly as thick as a person’s arm.

Shu Shu’s eyes lit up. He took them with a smile and immediately squatted by the entrance, holding one and munching away with a loud CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

"This carrot is delicious! And it’s orange. I’ve never seen one like this before."

Ji Liang asked with a smile, "Shu Shu, I’ve noticed people in the city rarely use their Beast Form. Why is that?"

Shu Shu nodded. "That’s right. Our Beast City is built on civilization. We can’t be like those barbaric Beastmen from outside, transforming at the drop of a hat."

"Beast Skins are nice for keeping out the wind and cold during winter, but once the snow melts and the weather warms up, they’re just too hot. Here, we all wear clothes woven from cotton and linen. They’re comfortable, well-fitting, stylish, and versatile."

"It’s just that weaving cotton and linen is very labor-intensive, so the price is high. We all take pride in owning clothes and hats made from them."

"Besides, it’s not convenient to transform when you’re wearing clothes, or they’d just get ripped to shreds... But Beast City is huge, and getting around isn’t easy. So only the less fortunate Beastmen will transform to run or fly. The well-off ones have other Beastmen who serve as their mounts..."

"So, over time, transforming has become a sign of being a lower-class Beastman. But for those of us living on the outskirts of the city, we don’t pay much mind to that. Nothing is more important than filling our bellies..."

Si Shuo asked curiously, "Don’t you need to improve your cultivation to fight Wild Beasts? Especially since Beiping City isn’t far from the Southwest Forest. If you don’t hunt regularly to cull the number of beasts in there, we’ll be the first to get hit when a Beast Tide erupts!"

"We have dedicated Beast Soldiers for that. They’re the ones with powerful combat abilities in their Beast Form, and they act as meat shields. But we also have Crystal Crossbows. You load them with Crystal Stones, and they use that energy to shoot and kill Wild Beasts, instead of using your own superpower. Those users are our cavalry..."

"Crystal Crossbows are incredibly powerful, so they generally aren’t allowed to be used inside the city. There are a lot of rules..."

Si Shuo let out a small "wow" and exchanged a look with Ji Liang beside her. ’I have a Crystal Crossbow like that too,’ she thought. ’Its power really is astonishing!’

With no threat from Wild Beasts and no fear of a Beast Tide, the Beastmen inside Beast City could naturally focus on improving their quality of life.

Shu Shu went on to tell them many other things. Si Shuo kept feeding him carrots until he felt stuffed to the gills, and even his burps tasted like carrots.

Thanks to him holding nothing back, Si Shuo and the others gained a much deeper understanding of the Yongchang Continent.

The ground-floor cave had two waist-high stone walls on the outside, separating it from its neighbors on either side. An inward-swinging wooden fence served as the front gate.

Zhi Le and Yin Jiang set up a stove under the eaves. When everyone else arrived, they would simmer a large pot of broth, add all sorts of meat and vegetables to stew together, and then everyone could ladle it into their own bowls and add their favorite seasonings.

It was similar to hot pot, but much simpler and more convenient.

After dinner, Si Shuo sat by the entrance, watching the Beastmen come and go as she waited for her family.

The other Beastmen were also very curious about how many males were in her family, and what Level each of them was.

There weren’t many Beastmen lining up to enter the city that afternoon, so she didn’t have to wait long. Soon, she saw a Three-tailed Blue Fox bolting toward her at top speed, and it leaped right into her arms.

The impact sent Si Shuo staggering back two steps, but Yin Jiang caught her from behind, steadying her.

Yin Jiang then plucked Xiao Cheng out of his little female’s arms and unceremoniously tossed him into the air.

Xiao Cheng flipped nimbly in mid-air, landing and rolling twice to break his momentum. He then turned to Si Shuo, wagging his tails with a pitiful expression.

Gong You sneered, "Serves you right!"

Si Shuo pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She turned her head and saw... herself, wearing a veiled hat and being carried by an Iron-eating Beast?!

Her gaze swept over the group, and only then did she realize Xu Chi was missing.

The Si Shuo look-alike—Xu Chi—hopped off the Iron-eating Beast, trotted over, and burrowed right into her arms...

He was delicate and yielding, warm and fragrant in her embrace. Si Shuo’s eyes sparkled as she hugged the "fake female" tightly, nuzzling his neck. The sight of their intimacy made the other males’ faces turn slightly green.

"Sister, you must be tired from your journey. Are you hungry? Come on, let’s go eat!"

The cubs all ran over as well, hugging her with sparkling eyes before obediently heading inside to wait for dinner.

The onlookers watched in amazement as the huge crowd of males and cubs entered the cave. ’That’s so many cubs, and so many different kinds!’ they thought.

Hong Jie crossed his arms and sneered. "And here I thought her mates were so powerful. They’re only around Level 12 or 13. Tsk. When their whole family loses the competition, they’ll be crying their eyes out."

The Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen beside him stared intently at the tightly-wrapped little female, their breathing growing heavy. "That little female looks damn alluring. When the time comes, brothers, you’d better go easy on her. I’ve never tasted a female before... I hear they’re more fragrant and softer than males..."

"Don’t worry. Once we win the competition and get tired of playing with them, we’ll sell them for Crystal Stones and go have our fun in the female caves..." Hong Jie said with a grin. "I’ll make sure all the brothers get a taste..."

"Heh heh, Hong Jie, now that you’ve said that, I’ll definitely give it my all tomorrow!"

Once they were back in their cave, Xu Chi didn’t change back, brazenly staying nestled in Si Shuo’s arms. He was so obedient, delicate, and soft that Si Shuo absolutely adored him.

Seeing this, Xiao Cheng’s eyes darted around. Taking advantage of the fact that their cave’s protective Array was active, he also transformed into a charming female and clung to Si Shuo’s other side.

Oh my. With one on her left and one on her right, Si Shuo was finally getting a taste of the pleasures enjoyed by ancient emperors.

After a bit of playful chaos, Wei Ce spoke up seriously. "The female-to-male ratio on the Yongchang Continent is even more severe than back home—it’s almost fifty percent worse! Every female has twenty to thirty males protecting her."

As he said this, everyone turned to look at Si Shuo.

Even back outside the forest, the number of males in their family was considered low. A female with average fertility would have about ten mates, to say nothing of a Female Saint, who would have twenty or thirty.

Here, having twenty to thirty Beast Husbands was just the starting point!

Si Shuo shuddered. Her eyes darted about for a moment before she smiled. "My answer is still the same: you all are enough for me. Besides, we aren’t planning on having any more cubs anyway. We’ll just say I was injured during childbirth."

"A female who can’t have children won’t be considered a potential mate by them."