Chapter 99: A Burning Crisis: The Consequences of Not Eating Salt!
Lin Ye looked at Sakura, who was fast asleep in his arms.
Then he thought about what she had said earlier.
Lin Ye couldn’t help but tremble.
Susu had apparently told Sakura everything that happened in the forest that morning.
She had even said, “Next time, we’ll go together.”
Hearing this, Lin Ye’s blood pressure shot up.
However, Sakura didn’t know what that meant. It seemed he would have to give her a vivid introductory lesson in the future.
Looking at Sakura’s delicate face and her small nose twitching occasionally as she slept,
Lin Ye couldn’t help but lower his head and kiss her forehead.
Then, Lin Ye also fell into a deep sleep.
With the ice cubes cooling him down, Lin Ye slept exceptionally soundly that night.
He was no longer sticky and uncomfortable when he woke up, as he had been before.
However, after waking up today, Lin Ye felt that something was not quite right with his body.
Lin Ye felt a slight sense of weakness.
Although it was very mild, Lin Ye’s body had been perfectly fine since he took the Strength Pill.
Lin Ye assumed he was just tired and got up from the ground, walking out of the tent.
He brought the remaining small piece of ice out of the tent and casually threw it away, knowing it would melt soon anyway.
Lin Ye stood at the entrance of the tent, stretched his body, and then performed his Daily Sign-in, receiving a hundred points.
Hearing the system’s prompt, Lin Ye chuckled at himself, feeling no emotional wave.
Then he walked towards the open space. Along the way, Lin Ye observed the Beast-eared Girls one by one.
Lin Ye discovered that the tribe had a big problem.
Almost every Beast-eared Girl had a weary look on her face and pale lips.
Even simple tasks like walking and finishing the 587 charcoal from the burning felt strenuous.
Some Beast-eared Girls were also gagging intermittently.
Lin Ye’s heart sank instantly.
Could it be that something was wrong with what they ate last night?
But after walking a few steps, Lin Ye saw that Sakura seemed unfazed and was already running around everywhere.
Moreover, the other Beast-eared Girls, despite their poor complexion, seemed to be physically fine.
Lin Ye stroked his chin, deep in thought. He himself had felt a slight weakness that morning.
And the Beast-eared Girls were exhibiting the same symptoms.
Lin Ye racked his brain for an explanation.
At this moment, seeing Lin Ye standing still, Sakura ran towards him with bared teeth.
Lin Ye was looking down, lost in thought, when Sakura’s head suddenly popped up from below.
Lin Ye was startled by Sakura’s sudden appearance.
After realizing it was Sakura, Lin Ye smiled and petted her head.
But Sakura, having run around all morning, was already covered in sweat.
After petting her a couple of times, Lin Ye suddenly thought of something.
He looked down at the sweat droplets on Sakura’s forehead, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.
Lin Ye now understood why all the Beast-eared Girls in the tribe looked so unwell.
The weather had been very hot these past few days, and they had drunk a lot of water and sweated profusely.
This had caused a significant loss of salt from their bodies without any replenishment.
Sakura herself was fine, possibly because she was still young and didn’t require as much salt, hence her delayed reaction.
However, if she didn’t replenish her fluids soon, she would likely end up like the other Beast-eared Girls.
Moreover, if the other Beast-eared Girls didn’t replenish their salt intake, the consequences would extend beyond pale complexions.
Prolonged lack of salt intake could lead to low blood pressure and shock.
Understanding the cause, Lin Ye’s expression did not lighten at all.
Instead, it became even more somber.
Salt was something Lin Ye had never encountered since the first day he arrived in this world.
Even now, Lin Ye still hadn’t found any trace of salt.
Now, all the Beast-eared Girls were experiencing health problems due to their lack of salt intake.
The search for salt had become the top priority.
With this thought, Lin Ye asked Sakura, “Sakura, have you seen any salt around here?”
“Salt? What is salt? Is it delicious?”
Sakura blinked her large eyes and asked Lin Ye with a confused expression.
Lin Ye’s breath hitched at Sakura’s question, and he shook his head helplessly.
He then spoke to Sakura again,
“Gather everyone. I need to ask them something.”
Lin Ye couldn’t just search randomly like a headless fly, hoping for luck.
He needed to ask the Beast-eared Girls if they had seen anything resembling salt.
The Beast-eared Girls might have seen it before but didn’t know it was salt.
Upon hearing Lin Ye’s words, Sakura immediately went to notify the others.
Lin Ye stood there, recalling what salt formed in nature might look like.
It certainly wouldn’t be the refined salt sold in supermarkets.
Lin Ye remembered a book he had read before, which happened to discuss how to refine coarse salt into refined salt.
Soon, all the Beast-eared Girls gathered upon hearing the news.
Lin Ye looked at their pale faces, feeling a pang of heartache.
Seeing them all looking at him, waiting for him to speak, Lin Ye thought for a moment before asking,
“Has anyone seen a white or gray, transparent stone nearby? It looks similar to ice, but not as transparent as ice. Some are big and some are small.” Lin Ye described the appearance of salt as it might occur in nature, based on his memory.
The Beast-eared Girls frowned upon hearing Lin Ye’s description and began to ponder.
Lin Ye wasn’t sure if they could understand his description.
He also kept recalling the appearance of salt in nature.
Lin Ye added, “That kind of stone tastes very bitter.”
After Lin Ye finished speaking, the Beast-eared Girls were still confused. They wouldn’t go around licking stones for no reason, so no one responded.
Suddenly, Lin Ye’s eyes lit up. He remembered a crucial point and said to the Beast-eared Girls,
“Wild oxen often go to find and lick those stones themselves. Have any of you seen oxen licking stones somewhere?” Hearing this, a few of the Beast-eared Girls from the hunting team seemed to recall something, but they weren’t entirely sure.
At this moment, Xiao Rou, the deer-horned girl from the hunting team, suddenly raised her head and said to Lin Ye,
“I remember now. When we were hunting before, I saw a large area filled with the kind of stones you described. We followed the wild oxen there, and they were licking those stones.” With Xiao Rou’s words, the memories of the other hunting team members also began to surface.
They then looked up at Lin Ye and said, “Yes, I remember too.”
The twin raccoon-eared girls also looked up simultaneously and said in unison,
“Yes, those wild oxen wouldn’t look up when they licked those stones. We caught a very large wild ox that day.” Hearing the Beast-eared Girls’ words, Lin Ye’s face broke into a smile, and he asked eagerly, “Do you still remember where that place is? Take me there to see.”
At this, Xing stepped forward and nodded, saying,
“We should still be able to find it, but it’s quite far from the tribe. We need to set off soon.” “Alright, grab a wooden bucket, and let’s go immediately!” Lin Ye nodded quickly.
After speaking, Lin Ye turned to get the wooden bucket, and the Beast-eared Girls dispersed.
The Beast-eared Girls also brought their bows and arrows, and Lin Ye slung a wild ox horn over his shoulder.
Soon, Lin Ye set off with the hunting team.
Sakura still wanted to follow, but Lin Ye patted her behind and sent her back, making her pout again.
According to Xing, the place was very far, and by the time they got there and back, it might be dark.
Naturally, Lin Ye wouldn’t let Sakura go with them.
The hunting team members and Lin Ye moved quickly through the forest. Lin Ye used the wild ox horn to leave marks along the way.
On such a long journey, if it got dark, they would rely on these markings to find their way back.
This was another direction Lin Ye had never traveled before.
Along the way, Lin Ye discovered many medicinal herbs.
Lin Ye noted them all down. Although they weren’t useful now, one never knew about the future.
Moreover, Lin Ye also found a large patch of motherwort on a hillside. This season was perfect for harvesting it.
Lin Ye noted down the location, knowing that this would definitely be useful in the future.
Lin Ye also found several types of edible wild vegetables, but their season had already passed.
Lin Ye also found dandelions in this world, but they had already grown old and had all bloomed into those fluffy seed heads.
