I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 285 Autumn Silkworm

The loom is only half finished; half of the parts are still missing. Only after those parts are finished can the remaining half be assembled.

Bai Ling said, "The loom is used to weave cloth. Now the tribe uses it to weave silk."

"Silk?" The old orc's eyes widened again. He stretched out his hands to gesture: "Is it the kind of silk that feels soft and smooth to the touch, very light and thin, blue, and feels like holding river water in your hand?"

“Your tribe’s chief gave me a piece of silk, and it is so beautiful.”

Bai Ling nodded: "Yes, that must be silk."

Fei's eyes lit up with longing as he asked, "Ling, could you please show me how this loom weaves silk? I'm so curious."

Bai Ling thought for a moment and said, "Okay, there's a loom in the council room next door. I'll take you to see it."

The council chamber wasn't just one room. Yesterday, Zhan hosted Fei and the others in the central room. By then, the orc weaver had already gone home, so Fei naturally didn't see how the loom worked.

Bai Ling led three orcs to the council room, pushed open the easternmost door, where an orc was weaving cloth, and several other orcs were weaving silkworm trays nearby.

They saw Bai Ling walk in with three unfamiliar orcs, and the orc who was weaving stood up and smiled, "Ling, what brings you here?"

Bai Ling said, "These are the guests the chief brought back yesterday. The chief instructed me to show them around the tribe. They wanted to see how silk is woven, so I brought them here."

The orc sat down again and began weaving silk. Fei and the two other orcs surrounded him, watching as the orc moved his hands and feet simultaneously, his eyes seemingly filled with a burning light.

The orc who was weaving had gotten used to it. Ever since he learned to weave, orcs would come to watch every day. Some of the orcs were much more excited than the three orcs, their eyes practically burning holes in the finished silk.

The three orcs stared at it for a while, then asked Bai Ling how such beautiful silk was made. When they learned that the beautiful silk was woven from the cocoons of insects, the three orcs were all stunned.

The old orc said nothing more. His eyes lingered on the silk on the loom, and he silently followed Bai Ling out of the room.

*

The three orcs didn't stay in the Hightree Tribe for long; they only stayed for two days before heading back.

Zhan brought them a lot of food. The Gaoshu tribe had plenty of food, so the food he sent out was insignificant to the Gaoshu tribe, but it was very important to them.

The old orc thanked Zhan, climbed onto the back of his kin, and flew away into the distance.

The old orc's beast form wasn't very large, but the two sky orcs who came with him were quite large, with wingspans of over ten meters, about the same size as the sky orcs of the central tribe.

After they flew far away, Bai Ling asked, "Chieftain, do you think they would like to move to our tribe?"

Zhan shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either: "Originally, I was planning to go to their tribe again, but then I thought, if I go with them, it would be fine if they are willing to move here, but if they are not willing to move to our tribe, then it would be a bit awkward."

“I have already spoken with Chief Fei. If they move to our tribe, they will receive the same treatment as the orcs in the tribe. They will be given houses, land and tools. If they are willing to come, that would be great. If they are not willing to come, we will continue to look for other tribes.”

Sky orcs are not hard to find, but it is not easy to find a Sky orc tribe willing to relocate. Orcs will not be willing to move unless they really can't make a living.

However, there's no need to rush this matter. The orcs of the central tribe will be staying in the tribe for a long time. Even if they can't find any sky orcs willing to move over in two or three years, the sky orcs of the central tribe can still help.

*

Besides spring silkworms, silkworms can also be raised in autumn.

Autumn silkworm cocoons are not as good as spring silkworm cocoons, nor do they have the same luster. However, these are not problems for the orcs. As long as they can weave silk, the orcs are overjoyed.

When the weather cools down and the crops in the fields are ready for harvest, it's time to raise silkworms.

Each household in the tribe sent one person to learn silkworm rearing from Bai Ling, and neighboring tribes also sent orcs to learn from him.

Bai Ling took out the silkworm eggs that had been stored in a cool, dark place. There were too many silkworms to raise this time, and his side room simply couldn't hold them all. After discussion, Zhan decided to move the silkworm raising area to the ten rooms that had been built this year.

All the silkworm racks and trays had been moved there. Surrounded by a large group of clansmen, Bai Ling carried a wooden box containing silkworm eggs into the newly built house.

Bai Ling placed the wooden box on the ground and had her clansmen bring over a silkworm rack. Then she opened the wooden box, took out a silkworm egg, and placed it on the silkworm tray on the wooden rack.

These silkworm eggs are kept in a cool, dark place, so they are still in a "dormant" state. They will hatch when they are exposed to sunlight and at a suitable temperature.

The silkworm rack was placed in front of the window, and sunlight shone through the glass onto the paper on the silkworm tray, which was covered with densely packed silkworm eggs.

"Before releasing the silkworm eggs, the room for raising silkworms must be thoroughly cleaned. The cracks in the walls and the floor must be disinfected with lime. The silkworm racks and trays must also be washed and dried. Silkworms like cleanliness, and if the environment is dirty, they are very likely to get sick."

A large crowd surrounded Bai Ling. There were so many beastmen who came to learn how to raise silkworms that the entire room couldn't hold them all. Many more beastmen stood outside, their faces pressed against the windows, their eyes wide open, watching Bai Ling's every move.

After placing all the silkworm eggs in the basket, Bai Ling said, "Alright, everyone, you can all go now. The silkworm eggs will take another two or three days to hatch. I'll teach you how to feed them then."

Although Bai Ling said that, the orcs did not disperse. They continued to stare intently at the tiny, dense black dots on the silkworm tray.

Seeing that the clansmen were still unwilling to leave, Bai Ling smiled and then took Yue's hand and left.

*

In the spring, Bai Ling said he would give the Yue family some livestock. Yue asked for a ewe with two lambs and a horned beast with its young.

Bai Ling led the mother sheep, with two lambs running around beside her. Yue led the horned beast, with its young following slowly beside its mother. Bai Ling's father, Feng, and Yue's great-uncle walked behind, helping to drive away the two running lambs.

The wooden gate to the backyard of the Yue family's house was already open. Yue's grandfather stood at the door and said with a smile, "I've prepared the grass and bean powder. Shall we feed them now?"