Chapter 106: A New Defense For The Tribe (1)
As she had guessed earlier, the commotion wasn’t anything dangerous.
"They’re just celebrating the end of the ritual," Ikarus explained as they stepped out of their hut. Lior was sleeping peacefully in his arm, while Maeve held onto his other arm as they walked together.
"And we’ll also be waiting for the red moon tonight," Ikarus added.
"Oh?" Maeve looked up at him with curiosity. "Since so many women will be pregnant, how does the red moon know who’s pregnant and who isn’t?"
After all, it wasn’t impossible that some of them wouldn’t be able to conceive.
"It’s actually very rare for one of our females to be unable to conceive," Ikarus said. "But to answer your question, usually the moon shines on the ones who are pregnant, while those who aren’t won’t be touched by its light."
Maeve suddenly felt anxious about the possibility that some of them might not be pregnant tonight.
"What if someone isn’t pregnant yet?" she asked hesitantly. "Will you... make her keep mating until she gets pregnant?"
The idea sounded horrible, but in a world like this, it seemed normal for people to pressure women into having children.
"If someone isn’t pregnant yet, we’ll inspect her mate," Ikarus replied.
Maeve blinked several times, caught off guard. "What? Why would you inspect her mate?"
Usually, people would question the woman first. But in this tribe... they questioned the man instead?
"There are many reasons why a female might not become pregnant," Ikarus explained. "Maybe we failed to give her enough food. Maybe we made her work too hard. Or maybe she’s carrying too much stress."
He looked ahead as he continued, "Making sure none of that happens is her mate’s responsibility. If she’s suffering because of those things, then he has failed."
"If a male can’t even take good care of his mate," Ikarus said, "how can he be trusted to take care of his children?"
He paused for a moment before adding, "That’s why we’ll keep him inside a hut for a while and teach him how to become a better mate."
He said it in a slightly cold tone, which was rare for Ikarus. Because of that, Maeve guessed that his idea of "teaching" would probably involve a fair amount of scolding as well.
"That sounds a little scary," she admitted with a nervous laugh.
"It should be," Ikarus replied without hesitation. "A male who neglects his mate shouldn’t be treated lightly."
Maeve held her breath. "But... you won’t be punish him by hurting him, right?"
Ikarus shook his head. "No. Hurting him won’t make him understand his mistakes. But making him face the elders, listen to their words, and reflect on what he did—that’s different."
He glanced down at the sleeping Lior in his arm before continuing. "If he truly wants to become a good father, then he has to learn how to become a good mate first."
Maeve couldn’t help smiling. The more she learned about the Azuryn people, the more she realized that their customs were very different from what she had first imagined.
They lived in a harsh world where survival came before everything else, yet when it came to their families, they cared more than she had expected.
"Goddess!" Zini called out cheerfully, waving both hands at her. "Come here! We’re roasting a huge boar!"
Maeve smiled and waved back. Rather than raising her voice, she turned to Ikarus, who was walking beside her.
"I know today is supposed to be a day of celebration," she said softly, "but could you gather everyone around noon? I’d like to talk about our defense plan."
She paused for a moment before adding, "The Sky Mother has blessed me with some knowledge that might help protect the settlement."
Ikarus nodded without asking any questions. "If the Sky Mother has given you new knowledge, then it’s something everyone should hear," he said. "I’ll gather the tribe after the meal."
Maeve let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
By the time they reached the center of the settlement, several large fires had already been lit. A massive wild boar was slowly roasting over one of them, filling the air with the rich smell of grilled meat. Tribe members moved around with bright smiles, chatting and laughing as they prepared food for everyone.
"Come, Goddess!" Zini called again, this time grabbing Maeve’s hand and gently pulling her closer. "It’s almost ready!"
Maeve laughed softly and let herself be led over. "I didn’t expect such a big celebration."
"Of course!" Zini replied with a grin. "Many families are going to welcome new children soon. That’s always something worth celebrating."
Oraya nodded in agreement. "And if the red moon blesses us tonight, we’ll know which families should start preparing for a baby."
Zini smiled and said, "Goddess, you should prepare one of your precious belongings to offer during the Purification Fire Ceremony."
Hearing that, Maeve suddenly remembered the tribe’s tradition. Whenever a new baby was about to become part of the Azuryn Tribe, the parents would throw one of their precious belongings into the sacred fire as an offering.
"But if so many babies are coming," Maeve asked nervously, "do we have to offer one item for each of them?"
To be honest, she didn’t own many things in this world.
Oraya smiled and shook her head. "Oh, you don’t have to do that. Since we’ll be holding one ceremony for everyone, you only need to offer one precious item."
Maeve nodded, showing that she understood. Even so, her mind was already racing as she tried to think of something she could throw into the fire.
She didn’t have many belongings, and she certainly didn’t want to sacrifice anything she had bought from the System.
Speaking of belongings... she suddenly remembered that she still hadn’t given the Harmony Bracelets—the reward from the System—to her husbands.
She had completely forgotten about them. Besides, she had been a little confused because there were only three bracelets. Since she had three husbands, that meant she wouldn’t be wearing one herself.
[You don’t have to wear one, Host!] Pinky said cheerfully. [The bracelets will automatically connect to your soul. Even if you don’t wear one, both your strength and your husbands’ strength will still increase by fifty percent.]
’But still...’ Maeve replied inwardly. ’They’ll definitely think it’s strange if they’re all wearing matching bracelets while I’m not.’
[Then just buy another bracelet from the Black Market, Host!] Pinky suggested happily.
She couldn’t help twitching the corner of her eye. ’I don’t want to wear something from the Black Market that close to my skin,’ she thought. ’I’d rather make one myself.’
She figured she could use some seeds to make a simple bracelet.
’And maybe it’s better if I give them the bracelets after the Purification Fire Ceremony,’ she added inwardly. ’I don’t want them to accidentally throw them into the fire.’
She could simply tell them not to offer the bracelets, but just to be safe, it would be better to give them the bracelets afterward.
===
By noon, Ikarus had gathered everyone in the Azuryn Tribe at the center of the settlement. The cheerful atmosphere from the morning celebration gradually settled as everyone turned their attention to him.
"Everyone," Ikarus began, his voice calm but clear, "we’re here today to talk about a new plan to strengthen our settlement’s defenses."
Standing beside him, Axan stepped forward and continued, "Until now, we’ve relied almost entirely on my barrier to protect the tribe. But our tribe is about to grow, and many children will soon be born."
He glanced around at the people gathered before him. "So instead of relying on the barrier alone, it’s time for us to build more defenses as well. That way, we can keep our future children safe from wild beasts and other dangers."
"Fortunately, the Sky Mother has blessed our tribe once again," Axan added.
When Axan finished speaking, everyone’s attention naturally shifted to Maeve.
Many of them already knew that whenever the Sky Mother blessed their Goddess with new knowledge, it always brought something that improved the tribe’s lives.
Maeve took a deep breath. She gently handed Lior to Cerus, who was standing beside her, before turning back to the crowd.
"The Sky Mother has given me blueprints that show us how to build stronger defenses," she said.
As soon as she finished speaking, she opened her System Inventory and took out two rolled-up blueprints.
To everyone else, it looked as though they had simply appeared in her hands.
A wave of surprise spread through the crowd.
"The Sky Mother’s gift..."
"It’s another divine item!"
Maeve slowly unrolled the first blueprint on a big stone nearby. She had been worried that no one would be able to read it. But fortunately, the blueprint didn’t rely on written instructions.
Instead, every step was explained through detailed drawings.
The illustrations showed how to dig the pit, where each wooden beam should be placed, how to connect the flexible beast tendons to the hidden mechanism, and how to cover everything with grass, leaves, and soil.