Chapter 194: Solution
The atmosphere was quiet as they stared at each other and then at Sunnie. They didn’t seem to understand the bigger picture she was talking about.
"So... what’s that supposed to mean...?" Luka inquired.
Sunnie smiled as she explained to them all. "Well, I’ve been thinking for a while now. From the look of things, it’s clear that the harvest was a success. And I’m pretty sure that the harvest will attract a lot of attention from people far and near."
"Far and near?" Eris asked as Sunnie nodded.
She continued, "Yes. It certainly has started pulling the attention of the wild beasts around, who certainly want to tear down the remaining crops and even possibly come back to our place to have the rest. But that’s not the only group of people it has pulled in."
They tilted their heads, listening attentively to what she had to say. "And who else...?"
Sunnie paused as she said, "I might be wrong, but while we were returning, I carefully observed the marks on the land, and not all seemed like wild monsters. One of them looked familiar."
She continued, "It belonged to a human—that’s to say, a human foot with claws and all."
"So it’s not a wild monster...?" Eris asked.
Sunnie shrugged. "I’m guessing so. Since most wild monsters here are animals, seeing human feet with claws can be a bit suspicious. I know there might be some beastmen here, but having stayed here for long now and not seeing any animals rules out that option for now."
"So what are you suggesting?" Azure inquired.
Sunnie sighed as she said, "It’s pretty easy. Some people outside the evil forest have also learned about the harvest. And since it’s a big one, I’m also guessing that it’ll pull people from even outside there. Because if my guess is right, then people from outside have already started coming in. And judging from where their footprints lead, it potentially means they’re studying the area."
Zuna slowly nodded as she completed her sentence, "...and looking for the perfect opportunity to strike."
Sunnie nodded. "That’s exactly my thoughts. So the bigger issue isn’t necessarily the wild beasts now, but possibly the outsiders, who can be more dangerous."
While they all listened to what she said, they were quiet. It was obvious that they understood what she meant and also seemingly agreed with her point of view.
"So what do we do then? How does feeding them possibly help anything, though?" Karl inquired.
Everyone stared at Sunnie for some solutions. "I’ve been thinking," Sunnie said, "Instead of turning these wild beasts into enemies and driving them off violently, why not make them into friends who will potentially protect us for the future?"
She continued, "They basically live around us and might as well be our neighbors. And it’s not always good to fight with your neighbors. So I’m thinking of getting them on our side. So when these outsiders come, they can help. And they can also keep the farmland safe in the future."
Zuna and Zukka nodded to the idea, along with the women. They were pretty much following up the idea and found it worth it.
"I think that’s a good idea," Zuna said.
"Me too," Elza also agreed.
They slowly nodded at the suggestion as Little Black expressed his concern. "But I’m also worried about the fact that it won’t be so easy to get close to these wild beasts and get them to support us. They’ll probably tear us into pieces before that. So how do you plan on doing so?"
Karl folded his arms while staring at Sunnie as he said, "Yes, I’m also curious to know that."
But Sunnie said, "We’re not necessarily running to them to make friends and all. We’re going to do that indirectly. And what’s the best way to do that? Feed them."
Sunnie explained how she got close to the wolf by feeding it while it was hungry. "And since these wild beasts are eating up what we planted, I’m guessing they’re simply hungry. So instead of making more enemies here and driving them away, let’s indirectly feed them and make them into loyal companions."
She explained the method she planned on feeding them: by dropping food particles at a distance from the farm—a spot where they could always come for more. When she was done explaining, everyone nodded. It was a plan that could possibly work.
"But with which food?" Luka inquired. "That means we’re feeding them our hard work."
Sunnie explained, "Well, kind of. But not necessarily that. What we give them are our underwhelming crops—maybe those that didn’t do well and won’t potentially serve as food. We’ll throw them to them since they’ll prefer it to the undergrown ones at the farm."
"But will they even accept it?" the leader of the chipmunks asked.
"Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll work on it and make it appealing enough to eat." She sighed. "Although to some extent we might take a bit from our harvest, at least it’s worth investing in if we want to protect ourselves and our farmland with stronger forces."
As she explained, everyone went quiet and then slowly nodded in agreement. Even Karl and Zayn had no objections; they had agreed with it.
"Not bad... not bad. I guess it’s something that can be worked with," Zayn slowly nodded.
Eris and Luka stared at Zayn, rather surprised, as they cleared their eyes and ears. "What? Pinch me. Am I seeing things, or did Zayn praise someone’s plan?" Luka asked.
Eris nodded. "Yes, I also saw it. Am I the one possessed, or is he the one possessed? What’s happening?" He shook his head as Zayn cast them a cold glare.
"Shut up," he snapped at them as they immediately looked away, smiling to themselves.
"So when do we begin the plan?" Karl asked, arms folded with a neutral expression.
But Sunnie stared at him with a smile as she replied enthusiastically, "As soon as possible."