Chapter 269: Chapter 137: Struggles Among All Sides As time passed, the relationship between the juvenile dragon and the Catman tribe began to rapidly grow closer.
When the juvenile dragon lands near the Dragon Stone Altar again, the surrounding Catmen actively greet it, offering food and some shiny items. If the juvenile dragon is interested, it takes them; otherwise, the Catmen keep them for themselves.
These Catmen try their best to offer their finest possessions to the juvenile dragon, to please the Giant Dragon that protects them.
The entire Catman tribe began to swiftly transform.
Initially, there were only some simple tents; then came the first complete wooden house, followed by one house after another. When the juvenile dragon was in a good mood, it would help them cut down some trees. With its sharp Dragon Claws, it easily snapped tree branches, and it could drag several tons of tree trunks through the snow without any effort.
The combined bloodline power of giants and dragons manifested in the juvenile dragon more exaggeratedly than in humans, to the extent that its strength attribute was no weaker than that of a mature elephant.
However, the population of the Catman tribe was still too small.
With slightly over a hundred people, they only needed about ten wooden houses, barely making it a small village.
About half a month later, large schools of fish began to appear in the nearby river. These migrating fish looked somewhat like blade fish. As the ice layers on the river surface continuously melted, the Catmen could no longer squat on the ice to fish.
This was when the woven fishing nets came into play. Small fishing boats could move freely within the river channels, although the Catmen hunters were not very adept at rowing.
Finally, one day, the freshly awakened juvenile dragon also joined the hunt.
By this time, large schools of fish had already begun to appear. When the juvenile dragon’s silhouette swept across the sky, one could see the sparkling river surface, densely packed with fish, their scales shining silvery white under the sun’s rays.
Numerous hibernating creatures emerged along the riverbanks and various tributaries, with Northern Bears dispersed along the riverpath and Winter Wolves leading packs of Northern Wolves appearing in the distance.
This was a gift from nature.
The Ancient Catman tribe started a large-scale mobilization the day before, with nearly everyone, young and old, joining in.
The elder feline priest chose a tributary with a smaller stream. Here the ice and snow were almost melted, avoiding damage to the freshly woven fishing nets by ice chunks.
Subsequently, Catman hunters began to drive the fish, herding thousands upon thousands toward the tributary stream. They continuously beat the water’s surface, occasionally spearing a fish with a fishhook, then tossing it to the nearby running Catman cubs.
Today, even the weakest Catman cubs ate until their bellies were round, with the tender fish roe providing them the nourishment needed for their growth and development.
"No way!"
"It’s still too slow. The capture efficiency is too low."
Duncan took a look and decided to personally intervene.
The wind howled!
As the juvenile dragon’s silhouette swept across the sky, thanks to the presence of the Giant Dragon, the Catman tribe held an excellent fishing spot. There were no other creatures around to compete; neither Northern Bears nor Winter Wolves disturbed them, even the yeti groups descended from the mountains stayed far away.
Roar!
A low rumble from the Giant Dragon resonated; a faint fierce aura began to emanate from the juvenile dragon’s body. When it let out a deep roar, the entire fish population in the river went berserk, driven mad by the dragon’s pressure, with even large patches of flying fish appearing on the water’s surface.
The river erupted into chaos; compared to the Catman hunters, the juvenile dragon’s slight movements had already pushed them to their limits.
Thousands upon thousands of fish were driven into the tributary stream.
Duncan wasn’t sure how many fish there actually were, but the catch seemed worthy of a significant celebration even in Britain.
"There’s too many!"
"There’s too many fish! The nets will break!"
The elder feline priest, below the tributary stream, was anxious enough to scratch his ears. He was delighted that the juvenile dragon was helping and astonished by the dragon’s intelligence, yet worried about the overwhelming number of fish, fearing the nets couldn’t hold and might be torn apart by the mass of fish.
What to do now?
Having too many fish also posed a problem.
Duncan could handle this. The juvenile dragon flew a circle, noticed the Catman tribe’s trouble, then found a narrow section of the river. Upon drawing a deep breath:
——Dragon Breath Spray!
A chill breath surged with the Wind of Magic, and in an instant, the river surface began to freeze, like a dam, as thick ice sheets spread, eventually blocking one tributary stream.
Soon, the massive fish shoal were piled up inside this stream.
No fishing nets were needed here.
The Catmen directly reached into the icy river, grabbing several fish at a time and tossing them ashore. Soon, fish were strewn everywhere, as the elderly, women, and children began transporting them to the village, with the crafted fishing boats filled to the brim, nearly capsizing from the overflow.
"Seems the Northern Land isn’t as barren as imagined; this should feed the whole tribe for a long time."
The elder feline priest quickly ran into trouble, as the abundance of fish might not be preserved for long, especially with warming weather.
If only there was salt.
The juvenile dragon was stuffed today, aided by the Power of Gluttony; it consumed almost three times its weight in food but the fish shoals hadn’t visibly diminished. Unfortunately, the fish migration happened only once a year, otherwise the river would suffice to feed the juvenile dragon until its maturity.
After nearly two days of busyness, the Catman tribe’s ten wooden huts were packed full, even the caves were stuffed with dead fish, with that saber-toothed tiger eating until it burped, lying there unmoving.
The entire tribe was enveloped in a stench of dead fish.
The Giant Dragon’s keen sense of smell made it unwilling to stay nearby, even refusing to eat the fresh fish offerings.
Enough. Thank you.
This abundant catch has resolved the long-standing survival issue of the Catman Tribe, and even the adult Catmen have started considering the matter of creating new offspring. Usually, during times of food scarcity, the Catman Tribe actively reduces the birth of new offspring.
"This should finally allow them to gain a foothold in the Northern Land."
The juvenile dragon quickly entered a new state of dormancy.