After the festival, Gu Liang's observation of Emma reached its peak. Each of her "timely" appearances felt like a lifesaving stone tossed onto the ice of his despair. He couldn't fathom her motives, but survival instinct drove him to subconsciously seek her presence, as if she were the sole beacon pointing toward safety amidst chaos and danger. That subtle dependence, rooted in both fear and gratitude, took quiet hold.
Simultaneously, his desire to learn the beastmen's language grew fiercer than ever. Inability to communicate meant perpetual passivity—like a deaf and blind person, utterly at others' mercy. He began listening more intently, studying the actions and objects paired with each word.
One day, he was assigned to repair a damaged fence on the tribe's outskirts. Accompanying him was the young beastman who had shown him kindness after the fire-gathering incident—named "Fangclaw," a pronunciation Gu Liang struggled to commit to memory.
Fangclaw seemed to feel some sympathy for Gu Liang because he had "attracted" A Lie's attention during the festival. While working, he deliberately slowed down, occasionally pointing at materials and tools and saying their names.
"Wood." Fangclaw tapped a sharpened stake.
"Vine." He tugged at the tough plant used for binding.
"Stone." He tapped the stone hammer used for pounding and securing.
Gu Liang listened intently, clumsily mimicking the sounds: "Wood... vine..."
Seeing his interest, Fang Claw grinned and taught with renewed enthusiasm. He even began introducing simple verbs: "take," "place," "strike," "bind."
This was the first time Gu Liang had engaged in such direct, sustained "communication" with another being since arriving in the Beast World. Though stumbling at times, it gave him a long-forgotten sense of fulfillment from acquiring knowledge. He studied diligently, his exceptional memory allowing him to quickly and accurately identify the items Lao Zhao pointed out.
Lao Zhao was astonished by his learning speed, giving him a thumbs-up and muttering, "Smart!"
Gu Liang nodded slightly, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to Fang Claw's next action. He picked up a gray stone with rough edges and began sharpening the blade of his stone axe.Gu Liang watched the familiar grinding stone, a thought stirring within him. He waited patiently until Lao Zhao paused to rest, then, suppressing the pain in his old hand injury, picked up his own small, hidden grinding stone and moved closer. He pointed to a small chip on Lao Zhao's stone axe, then gestured toward his own grinding stone, mimicking the motion of sharpening.
Liao Zhao looked at him in confusion.
Gu Liang took a deep breath and struggled to piece together the rudimentary orcish vocabulary he'd just learned: "Stone... good... use?" He pointed at Fang Claw's axe and mimed the grinding motion with his own small stone. "Try?"
Liao Zhao understood. A flicker of curiosity crossed his eyes as he handed over his stone axe. Gu Liang took the heavy tool and carefully began grinding around the chipped edge with his own stone, which was more manageable and had sharper edges. His movements weren't fast, but the angles and pressure carried a precision distinct from the Orcs' rough methods.After a moment, though the small chip hadn't vanished entirely, its edges had smoothed considerably, no longer snagging easily on flesh and fibers.
Fangclaw took back the axe, ran his fingers over the polished area, then held it up to the light. His eyes lit up. "Good!" He nodded firmly. This time, the look he gave Gu Liang contained more than just the initial sympathy—it held genuine surprise and recognition.
As if to express this approval, during the brief rest that followed, Fangclaw produced two pieces of tough, dried meat and offered one to Gu Liang.
Gu Liang hesitated before accepting it, murmuring, "Thank... thank you." He used the Orcish word he'd just learned.
Lao Zhao paused, then grinned even wider, slapping Gu Liang's shoulder so hard he staggered. Excited, Lao Zhao began pointing at scattered wooden stakes and vines around them, teaching Gu Liang to count: "One, two, three..."
Gu Liang repeated after him, his eyes scanning the materials. When Lao Zhao reached "five," Gu Liang looked at the bundle of five stakes on the ground. Almost instinctively, driven by his engineering mindset, he murmured, "Five... one group." He made a gesture with his hands, as if gathering things together.
The claw didn't understand what "group" meant, but seeing Gu Liang's gaze and gesture, it seemed to grasp something vaguely. It tried pointing to another pile of vines, roughly seven or eight in number, prompting Gu Liang to count. Gu Liang frowned, his eyes darting quickly, lips moving slightly before hesitantly saying, "Eight... no, seven.Two 'fives'... three missing?" He gestured to convey the concepts of grouping and deficiency.
This counting method was clearly different from the one-by-one counting Lao Zhao was familiar with. Lao Zhao scratched his head, his face showing confusion and surprise, finally blurting out, "You... count... weird! Quick!"
This scene was observed by Emma, patrolling from a distant hilltop. Seeing Gu Liang not only initiate communication but also display cognitive traits transcending their current environment, a fleeting, barely perceptible hint of approval flashed in her eyes.
[Target Individual Gu Liang actively establishes social connections and demonstrates rudimentary logical thinking, fostering positive interactions with tribe members. Despair value decreased, survival will and initiative increased. Positive dependency value +1% (increase weakened as subject is non-host and exhibits autonomy). Current positive dependency value: 6%.]
"Finally doing something right," Emma silently acknowledged. Language and calculation were the foundations for future survival. A simple-minded young beastman like Fangclaw could both provide protection and serve as a stepping stone for Gu Liang to integrate into the tribe—safer and more effective than her getting involved personally.
Not far away, two beastmen carrying prey happened to pass by. One glanced over and sneered at his companion, "Look at that fool Fangclaw, learning to count claws from a two-legged slave? He'd be lucky if he could count his own fingers!" They chuckled and walked off, clearly dismissing it as trivial.
Yet this fleeting peace was soon shattered.
One of A Lie's men passed by, saw Fangclaw and Gu Liang "chatting amiably," and his expression darkened. He strode over and kicked the dried meat out of Gu Liang's hand.
"Who gave you permission to slack off, slave?" The beastman glared viciously at Fangclaw. "And you, Fangclaw! Hanging around with a two-legged slave? You're bringing shame on our Leopard Clan!"
Lao Zhao's face flushed crimson. He wanted to argue back, but seemed intimidated by A Lie's subordinate, stammering without finding his voice.
The beastman turned back to Gu Liang, spotting the repair tools beside him. Deliberately, he stomped on the vine Gu Liang had painstakingly bound, crushing it underfoot. "Sloppy work! All you do is cut corners! Do it over!"
Gu Liang clenched his fists, humiliation and rage surging within him, but he bit his lip hard, refusing to erupt. Silently, he picked up the severed vine.
Liao Zhao tried to help, but a glare from the beastman sent him sulking off to the side.
Just then, a fist-sized stone whistled through the air and slammed into the ground with a thud at the troublemaker's feet, sending mud splattering onto his leg!
The beastman recoiled in fright, leaping back a step as he looked around in alarm.
All eyes followed the trajectory of the stone.
Emma stood on a nearby slope, another stone balanced in her hand, her expression cold and stern. She said nothing, only fixed the troublemaker with a chilling stare from her light brown eyes. Her arm muscles were taut, clearly ready to hurl the second stone at any moment, and her aim would be deadly accurate.
The orc's face flushed pale then crimson. He clearly knew Emma's throwing skill and strength were legendary in the tribe. Ultimately, he dared not confront the chieftain's daughter. Muttering angrily under his breath, he slunk away quickly.
Only then did Emma discard the stone in her hand, as if she'd merely been casually practicing her aim. Her gaze swept over Gu Liang, who had resumed his work with renewed focus, and Fang Claw, still visibly shaken. She turned and continued her patrol.
Gu Liang kept his head down, his heart still pounding from that precise, powerful throw. But he knew Emma had helped him once more. Every time, when he was most helpless.
Silently, he tightened his grip on the vines, binding them with renewed force. The seed of dependence, nourished by fear and gratitude, grew silently within him. Simultaneously, the desire to grow stronger, to seize control of his own destiny, had never burned so fiercely.
He glanced at Fang Claw beside him, her expression still unsettled, then looked toward the hilltop where Emma had vanished. Language was armor and weapon. He must master it faster, must hold onto Fang Claw's hard-won "recognition" with all his might.
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