Over the next few days Chiaki watched as Ji Mo turned down one offer to mate after another, using the excuse she wanted to make sure all the other females were getting enough salt to cure the sickness. There had been a bunch of drama between Ji Mo and the Shaman, it ended with the Shaman being chased out of the village by the Matriarch.

Then there had been a misunderstanding with the Winged Tiger Clan. But Ji Mo had actually handled things very well. Of course the leader of the Winged Tiger Clan had become smitten with Ji Mo and that had helped smooth things over.

Now Chiaki was helping gather up sweet potatoes, a root vegetable that the Winged Lion Clan didn't know was edible. Ji Mo had found them and explained to the Matriarch about the plant. Chiaki was shocked that they didn't know it was anything more than a random weed that grew in the rainy season.

It looked like Ji Mo really would be good for the Winged Lion Clan. Now Chiaki needed to find the place that needed her. Other than trying to make Ji Mo see that this was likely their home world for the rest of their lives, Chiaki felt she wasn't needed here.

"Look! I found carrots!" Ji Mo suddenly called out from in the sky. Chiaki, Qianhuang, and the group of males that were busy collecting sweet potatoes in this area all looked up. Ji Mo was being carried by one of the males and in her arms were several orange colored root vegetables. "Carrots!" Ji Mo called again, as the male landed.

Indeed those were carrots, large bright dark orange carrots. "What are carrots?" Qianhuang asked.

"They are another food that can be kept and eaten in winter." Ji Mo said with a smile. Chiaki was sure of it now, Ji Mo was meant to help the Winged Lion Clan. She might have trouble adjusting to the customs, but she would do just fine in the less modern world. Tonight she would ask Qianhuang if they could start traveling towards the City of Beasts.

Ji Mo hadn't just found carrots it turned out, but enough sweet potatoes to keep the Winged Lion Clan fed all through the cold season. The whole clan spent the entire day together, gathering the two new foods.

"Key-ang?" Chiaki asked as they returned to their home as the sun began to set that evening. "I want to travel to the City of Beasts."

"But-" He started.

"I feel like I'm needed somewhere else." She said.

"I see. But must it be so sudden?"

Chiaki shook her head. "I don't think I need to leave this very moment, but soon?"

"Is this something to do with why the Beast God sent you to our world?"

"I don't know." She answered truthfully.

"Then let's not think about it anymore tonight." He said as he pulled her close, capturing her lip with his own.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

The next morning Qianhuang said that the Okapi skin was ready to be worked on. He pulled out a small clay pot that had been sealed shut. "This is the cooked down brain of the animal." He said and chuckled softly at the face Chiaki made.

She watched as he took a smooth bone antler and began to scrape the fur from the hide that had been removed from the drying rack. Once all the hair had been removed Qianhuang stood up. "I need to wash this in the river. I'll be back quickly." He said.

It was a very short time before he returned, washed hide in hand. He showed her how to press most of the water back out of the hide, then how to cover it with the brain mixture and to make sure to rub it into every inch.

"This is as much as we can do today." He said as he rolled up the Okapi hide. "Tomorrow we can continue working on tanning the hide. Let's go wash up!" He scooped up Chiaki and flew them to the river for a bath.

"I wonder if Ji Mo has found anything else today." Chiaki said offhandedly as they bathed.

"She is very impressive. I think I remember hearing that she was going to teach the Clan how to preserve the food with the salt from the ocean."

"We should be there for that, I know how to preserve some foods, but not with the items in this world."

"Then we will go."

"We should hurry then." Chiaki said, pulling herself out of the water. It had been a week since her last bath and that was before she'd transmigrated to this world. She hadn't even thought about a bath, or a proper toilet, or electricity for a whole week. She was amazed by how easy it was to get caught up in the Winged Lion Clan's way of life. Though now that she had thought about those things, she kind of wanted a way to take a heated bath, this river was pretty chilly. She didn't want to think about bathing in it during the winter.

The lesson on preserving meat with salt was interesting to all of the clan and Chiaki too. And how to pickle carrots. And ways to cook sweet potatoes. Ji Mo was on a role. But Ji Mo was still refusing the advances of every male in the Winged Lion Clan.

"Go on a walk around the village with one of them!" Chiaki suggested. "Talk to them, see if all they keep doing is asking to mate or if they can actually hold a conversation! Lord Priest has a mate and he can talk to us normally without falling over himself."

Ji Mo thought about it. "I- okay. I'll give them a chance to prove they aren't just shallow and only want me because they think I'm beautiful."

Chiaki sighed. "I want to talk about something else Ji Mo. Key-ang and I are going to leave the village and travel to the City of Beasts."

"You're leaving?!" Ji Mo asked in surprise.

"Yes, but not forever. I want to stay there and learn more about this world." Chiaki held up her hand. "We will leave in two weeks."