Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off novel Chapter 496

Chapter 496: Chapter 496: She Proposed Building Houses from Stone?!

After everything calmed down, Su Qinglan quietly looked around and met everyone from the tribe.

Her gaze then fell on the other fox tribesmen who were busy working with many thick logs of wood.

They had cut and gathered the logs to copy the style of houses used in the Dragon Beast City.

She inspected the half-built structures carefully. The wooden poles were driven into the ground and bound tightly, just like the house she was staying in. It looked sturdy, but she still had some doubts.

Su Qinglan glanced at her father, who was happily playing with his grandchildren. She did not want to disturb him, so she let him enjoy his time with the cubs.

Instead, she walked over to Elder Bao.

Elder Bao was a respected elder in the tribe. He always oversaw many important matters managing the storage, assigning work, keeping peace inside the tribe, and handling living conditions for everyone.

Su Qinglan greeted him politely, "Elder Bao."

The old man smiled kindly and patted the stone beside him. "Child Qinglan, you have come. Come, come sit with Uncle Bao."

Su Qinglan did not refuse. She sat down on the stone next to him and asked, "Are you building houses the same as the ones in the Dragon Beast City?"

Elder Bao nodded. "Yes. The city lord sent someone to teach us how to build this kind of house. It is really good, so we are trying to learn it. The work is hard and a bit complicated, but it is much better than living in caves."

Su Qinglan nodded. These wooden houses were indeed better than caves.

In caves, they had to rely on natural rock shelters or dig new ones with wide openings that offered no real cover. In winter, the cold wind would blow straight in and everyone could freeze.

These huts were more covered and secure.

Most importantly, they could build as many as they wanted and many orcs could have their own space instead of squeezing together.

Afterall with caves, only big families used to get individual caves before.

Still, Su Qinglan looked at the wooden log walls and felt worried.

Could these really withstand the freezing cold of the Beast World? She had heard that the winters here were extremely harsh. The snow alone could bury people alive, and the cold was bone-chilling.

The gaps between the wooden logs would let cold wind pass through easily. Would the females and cubs be able to survive the winter like this?

She asked Elder Bao the same question.

Su Qinglan continued patiently. "There is a plant that grows abundantly in the forest around here. I mean, I learned about it recently. Its leaves and stems can be crushed and boiled together with certain clays and fine sand from the riverbank to make a strong binding paste."

"When it dries, it hardens like rock and holds the stones firmly in place. It becomes extremely durable."

"The Dragon Beast City must know about this plant after all, they built that massive stone wall around the city. I’m not sure why they haven’t used it for ordinary houses yet, but it should work perfectly for us."

She added softly, "Once the stone walls are built and the cement has hardened, we can plaster the inside with a layer of smooth mud mixed with a bit of straw for a clean finish."

"Or we can even leave the stone exposed if we like the look. Either way, the house will be far stronger than wooden ones. It will stay much warmer in winter and cooler in summer, and it will last for many, many years."

Elder Bao listened carefully, his brows furrowed in thought. He clearly found it hard to believe at first, but the confidence in Su Qinglan’s voice made him pause.

Seeing his doubtful expression, Su Qinglan said gently, "Why don’t we try it first? We can pick a small area and build one test house. If the stones fit well and the cement holds strongly after drying, then we can build more. If it doesn’t work, we can always go back to the wooden style or improve the method."

Elder Bao thought for a while, then slowly nodded. "Alright. Since you suggest it, we can give it a try. One small house won’t waste too much effort. Let’s see if this stone-cutting and cement method is really feasible."

The sun was still high in the sky as Su Qinglan and Elder Bao continued talking about the details.