Beauty and the Beasts

“Paper?” Parker slowly digested this word. After ascertaining that he had no impression of it at all, he raised Bai Qingqing’s chin and looked at her face, throwing her an inquiring gaze.

Winston didn’t say anything, but he also looked at her curiously. He knew that Bai Qingqing must have something new that she wanted to work on, and it might be beneficial to the City of Beastmen.

Bai Qingqing said, “It’s similar to animal skin, and it’s flat and white. We can use coal to draw pictures on them.”

Winston thought about it deeply. Bai Qingqing’s explanation didn’t seem to be of much use, but he didn’t have any intention to object. He nodded and said, “Alright, we’ll make paper. How do we do that? I’ll go prepare right away.”

Bai Qingqing quickly said, “I don’t know, either. I only know that the raw material is wood pulp. Let’s chop a tree and bring it back first.”

Winston nodded. He was about to leave when she grabbed hold of him again.

“Oh, right, are there upas trees around here?” Bai Qingqing raised her head and asked.

The upas tree had been mentioned before. The ape king who had died used to have one in his courtyard, and Shuu, the wolf beastman, had died because of the poison from this tree. In the end, Bai Qingqing had burned that upas tree entirely.

She recalled that the bark of the upas tree was rich in fiber. If they peeled off the bark and knocked off all the impurities, they’d be able to get a piece of natural fiber fabric that wouldn’t spoil even after a few decades. After soaking, the venom could be completely removed as well.

They’d definitely be able to succeed if they used the bark of an upas tree to make paper.

Of course, the upas tree wasn’t the only tree with such amazing effects. However, this was the only one that Bai Qingqing had heard of before and thus decided to start with it first. They could slowly test out other trees in the future.

Winston had traveled to many places over years and knew that there were a few upas trees nearby. He even specially instructed the beastmen in the village to stay far away from them.

Winston had no idea what Bai Qingqing wanted to do with that tree, but he still answered honestly, “I have seen them before.”

Bai Qingqing hesitated for a moment before making up her mind. “Let’s chop one of them. Be careful about it and don’t let the sap get into your eyes. They’re extremely poisonous.”

Winston nodded seriously. “I know.”

Bai Qingqing still didn’t feel at ease about this and got up to look for a piece of long animal skin, placing it around Winston’s neck. “Bring this along and cover up your eyes when you’re chopping the tree. And if anything happens, there are definitely antidotes growing near the tree. They’re plants that have small white flowers. Do you remember them?”

Winston smiled and nodded.

Bai Qingqing said, “That’s good, then. When you reach the place, look for the plants with the antidote effect before you chop the tree.”

The female chattered away endlessly, being a little naggy. However, toward the male beastmen who had to share her love, this nagging would only make them feel the feelings their mate had toward them. They’d find it sweet instead of troublesome.

Winston rubbed her head, which only reached up to his chest, and said gently, “I understand.”

Only then did Bai Qingqing feel at ease and let him leave, waiting while feeling worried for him.

After a while, she still felt worried and chased Parker out so that they could take care of each other.

Not long later, the two beastmen found an upas tree that over ten people could stand around it completely.

This tree appeared very short compared to the other trees in the forest, but just one of its branches would be comparable to the one that the ape king had transplanted to his courtyard.

The ash-gray tree bark appeared rough, with many bubble-shaped lumps on it. The branches and leaves spread out in all directions, its height being at 45 meters and the crown of the tree having a diameter of 30 to 40 meters, looking like a huge umbrella.

The two adult males stood under the tree, one nimble while the other burly. They exchanged a glance, then each walked to one side of the tree, raised their axes, and started chopping away.