The Sahara Grassland extends to the southeastern part of the Siacan Kingdom, and its vast expanse is more than three times the size of the entire Siacan Kingdom combined. The region is home to many nomadic tribes, existing in the form of scattered clans.
In recent years, a large number of beastkin tribes have also migrated here, leading to frequent conflicts over grazing land for their sheep and horses.
Perry, the Grand Princess of the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom, established a major beastkin tribe in this region. With a population of 30,000 beastkins, her tribe ranks among the top thirty largest tribes across the entire Sahara Grassland.
Within Perry's tribe lies a vast settlement of round houses stretching across the landscape. At the very center of the tribe stands a house twice as large as the others—this is where Perry resides.
Inside the house, Perry sat by the fire, staring blankly at the flickering flames. She had been in this daze for half an hour.
Memories flooded her mind. At twenty-five years old, she was the Grand Princess of the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom. For the past eight years, she had fought countless battles—against the elves, the bird beastkins, and especially against the humans, with whom the conflicts had been relentless.
Yet, in the end, the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom was destroyed—not by war, but by the merciless wrath of natural disasters. Two years of effort, countless battles, all reduced to nothing. She couldn't help but wonder—had everything she fought for been in vain?
When the disaster struck, the kingdom crumbled. Beastkin families were torn apart, and even her own home was not spared. Her father, Bella's father, and many noble leaders refused to leave. They spoke of saving the kingdom, of resisting fate… but in the end, all they did was tell her and the others to flee.
And so, she left.
That was five years ago.
Perry was now 25 years old. Four years ago, she arrived at the Sahara Grasslands, and with her charisma and sharp intellect, she built a formidable beastkin tribe of thirty thousand. In just four years, she had risen to power, making the surrounding tribes within dozens of kilometers wary of her presence.
"Your Highness, lunch is ready." A maid called softly, carrying a tray.
"Hmm." Perry's lion ears twitched as she turned to glance at the tray. Seeing the large chunks of meat, she sighed. "Mutton again?"
"Yes, it's from a sheep that was slaughtered this morning." The maid replied gently.
"We slaughtered another one?" Perry's golden brows furrowed, her voice carrying an undeniable authority. "Didn't we just butcher a batch two days ago?"
"Princess, the meat from that batch has already been distributed." The maid lowered her head and answered.
In the tribe, sheep were slaughtered collectively, and the meat was distributed according to contribution and ability. Elderly beastkins and children received less, while warrior beastkins and strong males were given more to maintain their combat strength and defend against attacks from other tribes.
"Tell everyone to ration their food. Winter is far from over." Perry sighed, settling into her seat.
"Yes, Your Highness. I will inform them shortly." The maid responded respectfully, quickly placing the meal down—a palm-sized piece of boiled mutton seasoned with salt, accompanied by a cup of goat's milk.
Perry stared at the meat on her plate, the strong gamey smell making her frown. She didn't particularly like it, but there was no other choice. In the dead of winter, fresh vegetables were simply not available.
Or rather, the entire Sahara Grassland was surviving on a diet of slaughtered sheep and meat. If anyone wanted to eat something green, they might as well forget about it—unless they were willing to dig up grass roots from beneath the snow.
Perry tossed her golden hair over her shoulder, picked up the small knife from her plate, sliced off a tiny piece of mutton, and opened her mouth, revealing a small sharp fang as she popped the meat in and chewed.
"Isn't there still some frozen vegetables left? Bring me a little." Perry said, looking up. She was starting to struggle to swallow. After eating nothing but meat for so long, she was getting sick of it—the taste was just unbearable.
In the tribe, resources were scarce, and everything had to be conserved. Firewood was not to be used for burning—or rather, only Perry was allowed to burn wood for warmth. Everyone else had to make do with dried sheep and horse dung as fuel.
"Understood." The maid hesitated for a moment before responding quickly. She stepped outside, brushing away a thick layer of snow to reveal the wooden boards beneath.
This was a cave cellar used for storing food, including the so-called frozen vegetables Perry mentioned—essentially wild greens. Plants like dandelions and ground ivy had been hurriedly harvested on the day of the first snowfall and stored here.
After days of consumption, the supply of wild greens was running low. The maid climbed down, retrieved two shriveled dandelion plants, and brought them up. They would be briefly scalded with boiling water before being mixed into the mutton broth and eaten alongside the meat.
"How much frozen greens are left?" Perry asked as she chewed on the vegetables the maid had prepared. She picked up another piece of mutton, stuffing it into her mouth while speaking. "How many more days can I have them?"
"Your Highness, there's only enough for nine days." The maid replied softly. The portion she referred to meant one serving of frozen vegetables per day.
"..." Perry's hand, which was about to pick up more frozen vegetables, paused mid-air. Silently, she put them down and instead grabbed a piece of mutton, stuffing it into her mouth. She decided to save the remaining frozen greens for dinner.
"Tell them to skin the sheep carefully. Next year, we'll see if any merchants from the Siacan Kingdom are interested in buying them." Perry instructed.
Her entire tribe relied on just two animals—sheep and horses. Sheep were the most numerous. In the first month of winter, they had slaughtered many, storing the meat in snow piles for preservation. The sheepskins were used to make houses or clothing.
The houses on the Sahara Grassland were built with wooden frames, covered with stitched-together sheepskins. Most tribes constructed their homes this way.
Perry's tribe was no exception—their houses were also made of wood and sheepskin. However, the house Perry lived in had several extra layers of sheepskin sewn together, making it significantly warmer.
Since the houses had already been completed before winter arrived, the sheepskins from the newly slaughtered sheep were now piling up in the snow. If human merchants passed through in the spring, they could be sold for some copper coins. After all, once winter was over, sheepskins would lose much of their value.
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