Ze tribe orcs?

Within two days after the beginning of winter, the orcs of the Wood Tribe led by Shen Yi who were mining iron in Wushan returned. The orcs of the Seaside Tribe managed by Shen Er did not return because there were three other tribes watching them covetously, so as not to give the three tribes any chance to take advantage of them.

The snow was falling heavily, and the warm candlelight shone through the glass on the snow. Tonight, the Mu tribe's food preparation team was very lively, and the huge canteen was full.

Some orcs shouted to the orcs who served the food for more dumpling soup, some were stuffing dumplings into their mouths one by one. Others kept looking at the six roasted whole lambs on the grills by the door. The strong aroma of cumin and the spicy and spicy taste of Sichuan pepper made them very greedy even with dumplings in their mouths.

The orcs had big appetites, so they ordered dumplings just for a taste. The main dish of the day was roasted whole lamb, and there were also various meat patties and seafood. The aroma of the food filled the entire food-making team, making everyone drool.

Persimmon cakes are even rarer than jam because there are only a limited number of them. After they are made, they are given as rewards to orcs with outstanding performance in each team.

Today was the first year of the festival, and Shen Nong was happy, so he divided all the persimmons. One for each person, and there were some left, so Shen Nong didn't keep any, and let the food-making team and the orcs who helped share it. They had been busy for a long time, so they deserved to eat more.

Shen Nong listened to the laughter in the house and looked out the window. It was a dark and quiet night with snow falling. He sliced ​​the mutton and placed it in front of Shen Nong's table. "Priest, eat the meat."

Shen Nong came back to his senses and smelled the aroma of meat. He stared at Ze for a while, then he reached out his hand and pulled Ze to sit down, "Eat dumplings with me."

Although he had eaten dumplings twice after the tribe had flour, Shen Nong thought this time was the best. The dumplings were salty and fragrant, and he had his lover and tribesmen around him. It would be great if Shen Er and the orcs from the Wood Tribe stationed in the seaside tribe could also come back as members of the group.

Next year, we must completely resolve the issue of the seaside tribe and let Shen Er and the others come back to celebrate the New Year and eat dumplings together.

——

The wind was freezing, Shelin's hands and feet were shackled, and he had only a hard animal skin on to protect him from the cold. The orcs escorting him were wrapped in thick animal skins, which were obviously newly hunted, and the fur was still soft and full of blood.

The other party seemed to be dissatisfied with the fact that it was so cold and they had to walk such a long distance to send the slaves to work in the salt field. Along the way, he beat and scolded Shelin, blaming him for walking too slowly and causing him to suffer from the cold wind.

Snake Forest hadn't eaten for several days. Walking barefoot in the snow on such a cold day, he was almost freezing to death. Even for a level 7 orc warrior, all he could do now was to conserve his energy and not freeze to death or starve to death. He could only grit his teeth and endure the beatings from the orcs in the orc city, and he didn't have the extra strength to resist.

He walked from day to night in the Snake Forest, feeling cold and hungry. He didn't know how long he had been walking, and every step was taken with strong willpower.

Suddenly, a fishy smell came from the front, which was like the smell of fish. The strange smell finally made Shelin's brain, which was frozen and unable to think, clear up a little. Finally, they arrived at the place.

The wind here was much stronger than the one he had felt along the way, and the cold wind was howling, but Shelin could still hear in the wind what the orcs escorting him and another orc who was also wrapped thickly were saying.

"This is a new beast slave from the lower slave camp. The beastman is of a high level. Don't give him too much food, or he won't be able to control himself."

The orc at the salt field glanced at Snake Forest and said with a disdainful smile: "Leave it to me, I will make no mistakes."

Shelin knew that the two orcs were not afraid of him hearing them. After hearing their conversation clearly, Shelin's heart sank to the bottom.

The orcs from the salt pan took Snake Forest in without saying a word along the way.

She Lin kept observing the surroundings. Every few meters, there were tall wooden racks with pottery pots on them and fires burning inside. She Lin observed that there was no wood inside and the fire in the pottery pots was burning very high. Even the cold wind only blew it sideways but did not blow it out. He kept this strange place in mind.

After walking for a while, there were sounds of whipping and orcs wailing in pain in front of them. This made Shelin dare not look around anymore, but listened attentively to the movement in front of him.

The orc who led the way noticed Shelin's change, snorted coldly, and walked faster. Shelin barely caught up, and the shackles dragged on the ground and collided with each other, making a rattling sound.

The two stopped in front of a door. The surrounding area was built with similar-sized stones to form a wall, so Snake Lin couldn't see what was inside. The orc who led the way knocked on the door, and it opened from the inside soon. After the person who opened the door saw who was coming, he quickly bent down and said respectfully, "Captain."

"Leave this man to Hu Qing."

After Shelin was pushed in, the door was closed. The orc who opened the door held the thick rope that tied Shelin in his hand and pulled him in.

After walking for a while, Shelin discovered that there were more braziers inside than outside. Under the light of these countless braziers, Shelin could see the scene clearly in front of him, which was white as far as the eye could see.

The whipping sounds and wailing sounds heard before were even louder. Shelin looked at the skinny orc who was like a withered skeleton and didn't even have an animal skin on his body. His naked body was covered with bloody scars from being whipped. The whip wounds on his body that had been numb with pain seemed to suddenly feel again.

In addition to the orcs who were being beaten, there were countless orcs using strange objects made of wood to push the "snow".

If you move a little slower, you will be whipped and scolded by the orcs in the Beast City who are wrapped in thick animal skins and guarding behind you.

Shelin was suddenly pulled forward by the force, and he looked back at the orc who opened the door. He was no longer timid, and with a fierce light in his eyes, he said fiercely: "Behave yourself when you enter the salt field, and don't look around!"

This orc was only level three, and Shelin only needed to punch him once to make him cry for mercy. But Shelin also knew that even if the other party had not awakened, he could not do anything. Not to mention that this was in the Beast City, just look at the Beast City orcs holding whips in the salt field, they are at least level six orc warriors.

If he takes action today, he will not survive.

She Lin endured it again, thinking that as long as he could find a way to contact the Ninth Young Master, he could get out of this hellhole.

Now, staying alive is the most important thing.

After the orc handed Shelin over to Huqing, he left without staying for long. After Shelin glanced at Huqing unintentionally, he didn't dare to look up again. He had only seen the fierceness in the other's eyes in the most ferocious beasts during the beast tide.

She Lin knew that Hu Qing had been sizing him up, and his gaze on him was more frightening than a whip. It seemed that the next moment, he would raise his hand and break his neck.

Fortunately, all this was Shelin's illusion. After watching him for a while, Hu Qing took him to a place and threw the same thing in his hand and the skinny orcs working around him. "This place belongs to you. If you don't do well, you are not allowed to drink soup or sleep."

After saying this, Hu Qing had no intention of caring about it anymore. Confused, She Lin could only secretly watch the skinny orc's movements and imitate them.

The wood chips pushed up layers of "snow", and Snake Lin, who was close to it, realized that this was not snow, but salt!

In other words, the endless white within the stone wall is all salt.

She Lin worked all night in shackles, but Hu Qing showed no mercy just because he was a novice. As long as he felt that he was moving too slowly, he would hit She Lin's back with the whip without hesitation.

The moment the whip hit him, Shelin felt like it was hitting his bones, excruciating pain that made his heart ache. He couldn't bear it and subconsciously wanted to curl up, but what was waiting for him was a more severe whipping.

——

More than ten days passed. During these days, Shelin could not sleep for long every day because he was forced to work.

Piling up salt and digging it out in the salt field are strenuous jobs. As a level 7 orc warrior, he should be least afraid of strenuous work. But he could only drink half a bowl of bark soup every day, and had to endure the cold and whipping, so how could he have any strength left?

He once tried to tell Hu Qing that he knew the Ninth Young Master, but in return he was forced to work without sleep for three days, and was not even given half a bowl of bark soup, and was whipped like raindrops.

Shelin couldn't stand it any longer. After his observation, he found that when bark soup was distributed every day, the door would be opened for a while. The beastmen in the beast city who were guarding their work would also go into the stone house to eat meat. This was the only chance to escape in a day.

Being caught means nothing more than death, which is better than suffering here for an unknown amount of time.

In order to recuperate and escape more easily, Shelin worked very hard these days. Huqing couldn't find a reason to hit him, but the whip wounds on Shelin's body healed a lot.

That day, Shelin sneaked to the door while the bark soup was being distributed at noon. He thought he was hiding well, but he didn't know that in addition to the orcs from the Beast City in the open, there were also many orcs from the Beast City in the dark.

Shelin was captured by the orcs from the Beast City before he even had time to step out of the door.

All the beast slaves in the salt field were called over, and She Lin was hung upside down on a wooden stake with a rope. Hu Qing held a whip dipped in salt water and hit She Lin again and again. The sound of breaking through the air was whistling, and the skin and flesh were torn apart with one whip.

Shelin howled in pain at first, but later he didn't even have the strength to scream.

When Shelin was about to lose consciousness, he vaguely seemed to see an orc's messy steps. The orc stopped in front of him and said to Huqing, "The captain means that if we kill them in the middle of winter, there will be no place to find an orc slave of this level to fill the vacancy. Keep him alive first and wait until the winter is over."

After hearing this, Shelin fainted.

When he woke up again, he found himself in the wooden shed where he usually slept. The wounds on his body were still bleeding, and the place where Shelin lay was covered with blood.

Not only did my body hurt, my stomach hurt too, it was simply because of hunger.

"Are you awake?" An old and aged voice sounded, and She Lin instantly became alert. The old beastman sat down in front of She Lin and looked him over. "Although Hu Qing was ruthless, the wounds on your body will heal in a few days. You won't die, but it hurts a lot."

Shelin felt uncomfortable being stared at, and asked in a bad tone, "Who are you?"

"I sleep opposite you every day, don't you recognize me?" the old orc asked curiously.

Shelin shook his head. It was pitch black when he came home every night and he was exhausted. Who would have the energy to see who was sleeping around him?

The old orc didn't care whether Snake Forest knew him or not. He knew that this man didn't want to pay attention to him. He was about to leave, but was stopped by Snake Forest, "How much do you know about the salt field?"

"You still want to escape?" the old orc asked in surprise.

Shelin felt that he failed to escape this time because he did not know the salt field well enough. If he knew more clearly, he would definitely be able to escape successfully. He stared at the old orc and threatened in a low voice: "Old man, you'd better tell me everything you know, and don't even think about telling this to the orcs in the Beast City.

The reason I didn't die this time was because they thought I was a high-level orc and they didn't want me to die like this. Even if you tell them, I will just get beaten up again, but as long as I am alive, I will definitely find a way to kill you."

The old orc was frightened by Shelin's eyes. How could this man look like Huqing! Those eyes staring at you are like they can eat people. The old orc calmed down and took a deep breath. "I don't know much about the salt field. I only know that the beast slaves here are all beast slaves from the lower-class slave house."

"Low-class slave camp?" Shelin thought that he was sent to this place. He didn't quite understand what this place was used for. "What is this place? What does this name mean?"

Seeing that Shelin really didn’t know anything about beast slaves, the old orc couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you an orc from the tribe affiliated with the Beast City?”

Shelin shook his head, "Why are you asking this? What does it have to do with that low-class slave?"

"Just asking." The old orc didn't know much about the salt field, but he knew everything about the lower-class slave camps. "The high priest of the Beast City arranged the orcs according to their levels. The orcs in the salt field of the Beast City all came from the lower-class slave camps. In addition to the lower-class slave camps, there are also the middle-class slave camps and the high-class slave camps. The orcs in these three slave camps are not called orcs, but beast slaves.

We, the lower beast slaves, are the lowest class, doing the dirtiest, hardest, and most exhausting work. In addition to those who work hard at the salt fields, there are also some who work for the young masters, and the higher beastmen also carry feces and urine in various teams and fields. The lower beast slaves only have one meal a day, which is wild vegetables and tree bark, and they are given to us regardless of whether they are edible or not.

If we don't die from eating the wild vegetables and tree barks we don't recognize, then we can be sure that the wild vegetables and tree barks are edible. Only those that are confirmed to be non-toxic will be given to the middle-level beast slaves. The middle-level beast slaves work as laborers for the young masters or high-level orc warriors, and the high-level beast slaves serve the young masters and high-level orcs."

The old orc paused for a moment and said, "What's wrong with you? Why do you look like that?"

She Lin was stunned when he heard this. What expression did he have? He only knew that when he heard about the actions of the High Priest of Beast City, he only regretted that he had not known it earlier. If he had known it earlier, which of those meat shield tribes would dare to betray their Salt Tribe? And how could the cannibal tribe and the Wood Tribe dare to rebel against the Salt Tribe?

After the old orc's interruption, Shelin's expression returned to normal unconsciously. He raised his head and signaled, "Continue."

"Nothing else, but there is one thing I know about the saltworks."

"What is it?" Shelin stood up and asked.

The old orc sighed and said, "The salt field was built by the high priest. All matters in the salt field, no matter how big or small, are subject to the high priest's decision. No one can walk out of the salt field alive without the high priest's order."

"Impossible." She Lin leaned against the stone again. It was not that he did not believe the old orc's words, but that he did not want to believe them. She Lin suddenly stared at the old orc and said firmly: "I know the ninth young master. If he knows I am here, he will rescue me."

"Do you know the Ninth Young Master?" The old orc was surprised to know that Shelin actually knew the young master of the Beast City, but soon turned back to his previous lifeless look, "So what if he knows him? Have you forgotten what I just said? This place is directly under the jurisdiction of the high priest. Don't say you know the Ninth Young Master. Even if you are the Ninth Young Master, you can't leave the salt field without the high priest's order."

Shelin retorted, more determined and more flustered than before, "Impossible!"

Shelin's unbelieving reaction made the old orc eager to prove that what he said was true. He snorted, "What's impossible? There was a seventh young master who was sent here before. It was winter when he first came. He was treated the same as us, without animal skins to wear, and walked barefoot in the salt field.

Hu Qing's whip fell on him many times. The high priest came several times, but he didn't even look at him. It was not until the beginning of spring when the high priest came that he and the high priest agreed to something and were taken away by the high priest. "

Having said that, She Lin no longer had any hope. He was certain that even if the Ninth Young Master knew he was here, he would not be able to rescue him.

What's more, he was just helping the Ninth Young Master to bring the orcs from the Beast City to the Wood Tribe, and he didn't really know the Ninth Young Master...

Shelin grabbed his hair dejectedly, it seemed that he was really going to die here this time.

A skinny orc walked in from the wooden shed, holding a steaming pottery bowl in his hand. His frozen hands were warmed by the heat from the bowl and began to feel instinctive. The orc was reluctant to put down the bowl, but he didn't dare to go against the captain Hu Qing's wishes.

The orcs in the salt field had no hot soup to drink, all of it was cold, and some of it was even frozen, which was equivalent to chewing ice. In winter, it was instinctive to get close to heat sources. When the old orcs saw the hot soup, their eyes were glued to the pottery bowl and their hands stretched out uncontrollably.

The orc delivering the soup dodged the old orc's hand that was reaching for the pottery bowl and said, "The captain asked me to give this hot bark soup to the level 7 beast slave who was beaten today."

Knowing that it was Hu Qing who gave it to She Lin, the old orc quickly sat up straight and dared not move.

Shelin probably guessed that he was afraid that he would not survive and really die, so he sent him a bowl of hot bark soup to warm him up. He was not polite, and did not even look at the orc who sent the soup. He endured the pain and stood up to grab the hot soup, holding the ceramic bowl and pouring it directly into his mouth, not caring about the burn.

The old orc sitting opposite took one look and turned his back, breathing heavily with his hands to his mouth.

She Lin drank the bowl of hot soup without leaving any sip. He touched his mouth, raised his hand casually, and handed the bowl back to the orc who brought the soup.

After the other party took the pottery bowl, he called out uncertainly, "Snake Forest?"

She Lin was stunned. No one in this salt field knew his name. When he went to the slave house before, no orc asked him his name. When he arrived at the salt field, no one asked him his name.

Previously, he thought that the orcs in Beast City didn't care about his name. After listening to the old orc's talk about the beast slaves today, She Lin probably understood that it was not that they forgot to ask for his name before. It was that the orcs in Beast City thought that beast slaves were not qualified to have names, so they simply didn't ask.

When Shelin saw the totem on the orc's face, he was slightly surprised, "Are you an orc from the Ze tribe?"