Survival of the Nation: My luck was a tiny bit worse.

"For example, we can exchange resources."

Ou Yun thought about it carefully.

"The vine rigging, pulleys, and levers you just used were quite well made. We have plenty of supplies here, but there are some things we do lack—such as your vine-handling techniques and the craftsmanship to make some basic tools."

Although Chen Hao's skills are not bad, it's a bit strenuous for him to do it all by himself...

He and Leng Ruolan are both useless, and even when they help Chen Hao, they are still disliked. Sigh!

Hassan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"We can exchange supplies for technology with you."

Ou Yun shrugged. "Each takes what they need; nobody owes anyone anything."

The three Pakistani soldiers exchanged another glance.

Hassan nodded, Farhan nodded, and Haishen grinned broadly.

"That works!"

Hassan slapped his thigh, "We know a lot about these things, we can discuss anything!"

"Okay then."

So Ou Yun got up, searched the camp, and brought back two mutated porcupine carcasses.

"Here you go. You guys were planning to catch porcupines, but that bear king ruined it. Consider these two as compensation."

Hassan looked at the two porcupines, then at Ouyun, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"That's too much—"

"not much."

Ou Yun interrupted him, "We'll keep the bear king; we'll take the lion's share of the bear skin and meat. This porcupine is what we had left over from our previous hunt; we can't finish it all, and it's a waste to leave it here."

Hassan remained silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly, no longer declining.

The resource exchange was settled.

The three Pakistani soldiers agreed to come and help tomorrow, and they could also teach Chen Hao how to deal with vines, how to make pulleys, and some basic techniques for processing animal hides.

In exchange, Europe will give them some purified water and extra wild animal carcasses.

The matter was settled, and the atmosphere relaxed.

Everyone started chatting casually.

Leng Ruolan roasted a few pieces of porcupine meat and shared them with everyone.

The three Pakistani men were full of praise for her cooking skills.

Leng Ruolan blushed a little, embarrassed by the praise: "Alright, alright, stop flattering me, I was just grilling casually!"

"If it tastes this good even with just a casual grilling, what would it be like to grill it properly?"

"..."

*

It got completely dark.

The campfire was burning brightly, and the firewood was crackling loudly.

The three Pakistani soldiers spent the night at the Dragon Kingdom camp. Ou Yun arranged a corner of the camp for them, where they laid out some hay and animal hides as beds.

Hassan thanked them gratefully and went to bed with Farhan and Haishan—they had to rush back to their camp the next day, but promised to help the Dragon Kingdom deal with the mutated black bears before leaving.

Ou Yun lay on a simple bed on the second floor of the cabin, looking out at the stars through the window.

Nanbei was fast asleep at his feet, snoring softly.

Leng Ruolan turned over in the next cubicle and asked him through the wooden partition:

"Big brother, what are you going to do with that white fox?"

Ou Yun was stunned for a moment—what white fox?—then said "Oh," and added, "I don't know. It can stay if it wants, or leave if it wants."

"Judging from its appearance, it seems determined to stick with you."

Ou Yun chuckled, "That depends on whether the North and South agree."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nanbei, who was sleeping at his feet, twitched his ears, as if he didn't quite agree with the matter even in his dream.

Leng Ruolan chuckled and said nothing more.

*

The next morning, Hassan got up early and, together with Farhan and Haishen, began to deal with the bear king's body.

Their technique was indeed professional—they peeled the meat by cutting along the muscle fibers, which neither damaged the skin nor damaged the meat.

Chen Hao watched from the side, taking notes and asking all sorts of questions.

Hassan patiently answered all his questions and even taught him how to sharpen a knife and how to judge the toughness of leather.

By the time the bear was recovered, more than half of its skin had already been completely peeled off.

He stared at the enormous bear skin spread out on the ground, already starting to think about what he could do with it—

Leng Ruolan went on a patrol of the mountain, and this time she brought mung beans with her.

Although this small lynx was not very big, it was surprisingly reliable when patrolling the mountains.

It can move quickly through the treetops and will emit a sharp cry to warn of any abnormality.

Leng Ruolan was very satisfied with this. When she returned, she praised Lvdou to Ou Yun, which made Nanbei, who was next to her, a little unhappy.

How dare this little thing steal my thunder!

"Oh dear, why are you angry?"

Leng Ruolan scratched Nanbei's ear, "You're not bad either. I saw it when we were fighting the Bear King yesterday. That Soul-Scattering Iron Claw was really cool."

Nanbei then let out a few comfortable snores.

The white fox witnessed the whole thing and let out a soft sneer.

Nanbei, who had just been soothed, instantly snapped again.

That's enough.

Ou Yun grabbed Nanbei's head and said, "Fighting first thing in the morning? Don't you two want to skip lunch?"

The white fox elegantly licked its paws, giving off an expression that said, "I don't care to bother with it," which made Nanbei even angrier.

However, the white fox suddenly stood up.

Its movements were slow, as if it had been carefully considering its actions.

It shook its fur and walked gracefully to Ou Yun—it lowered its head and gently touched the back of Ou Yun's hand with the tip of its nose.

Ou Yun looked puzzled.

The white fox raised its head and gazed at him quietly for a while with its amber eyes.

Then it took two steps back, turned around, and walked towards the camp entrance.

This reminded Ou Yun of how he first met this guy—that's how it left back then.

The white shadow flashed through the trees and then disappeared.

Oh dear, why does it feel so sad?

Ou Yun scratched the back of his head.

*

That night, the campfire burned exceptionally brightly.

The three Pakistani soldiers had already returned to their camp with porcupine meat, purified water, and some supplies provided by the Chinese side.

As he was leaving, Hassan was also moved. He patted Ouyun on the shoulder forcefully and said only one sentence: "We'll come back often to exchange things!"

Now only the three of them are left in the camp—

No, it's three people plus two lynxes plus a cow.

Chen Hao was organizing the notes he had learned from Pakistan during the day inside the house, while Leng Ruolan leaned against the watchtower, gazing at the starry sky, lost in thought.

Two lynxes were sharpening their claws on the cow, which impatiently swung its tail.

Two days later.

The Dragon Kingdom camp welcomed several unexpected visitors.

Europe was awakened by being stepped on by mung beans.

The little creature had climbed onto his bed at some point, its four little paws on his chest, its tail held high, and its round eyes staring at him.

Ou Yun opened his eyes and stared at Lu Dou.

"what……"

Green Bean meowed and patted his face with its paw.

"Go find Captain Leng if you get hungry."

Green Bean meowed again and pointed out the window with its paw.

Ou Yun looked out the window following its claws—there were only trees and sky outside the window, nothing special.

A commotion arose downstairs. Nanbei's shouts carried an emotion he had never heard before. It didn't sound like a protest, but rather like... a greeting.

Ou Yun went downstairs and pushed open the door of the cabin.

The camp gates were open.

Three lynxes stood at the entrance—not Nanbei, nor Lvdou, but three completely unfamiliar lynxes.

They are larger than ordinary lynxes, but not as large as those from the North and South, and their fur colors vary: one is grayish-white, one has brown spots, and one is completely black.

The three lynxes stood side by side at the entrance of the camp, their posture respectful, each with something in its mouth.

The gray one was carrying a plump rabbit, the brown-spotted one was carrying a pheasant, and the black one was carrying a supply box.

A golden supply crate.

"..."

Holy crap.

Ou Yun rubbed his eyes.

So soon there's tribute again?