When considering supplies for the cows, the presence of cows seemed particularly important. While they would take up a lot of space on the ship, their value couldn't be ignored. Even after they grew old, they could still be used as a source of meat, ensuring no waste.
However, special attention needed to be paid when choosing cows. It was best to select breeds that were smaller in size but produced high milk yields. This wasn't easy to achieve in the current era. After all, this period lacked advanced industrial technology and modern agricultural support. Modern high-yielding black and white cows were only bred by the Dutch over a thousand years later. During the time of ancient Greece, there were only a few primitive breeds, with relatively limited milk production.
Perhaps other options could be considered, like goat milk. Linley remembered seeing advertisements before, claiming that goat milk has smaller molecules, making it easier for the human body to absorb and less likely to cause allergic reactions.
Suddenly, Linley had an idea and asked Odysseus, "Goats can produce milk, right?"
Odysseus replied, "Goats only produce milk when they give birth to kids."
Linley explained, "Cows also only have milk when they give birth to calves."
Odysseus seemed surprised, "Really?"
Linley was even more astonished. He couldn't understand why Odysseus, as a local, didn't know these basic facts.
Odysseus explained, "I've always been a priest, and I've never cared about milk. I've never drunk milk before; I prefer wine. I thought cows would always produce milk."
Linley realized that even the locals in ancient Greece weren't necessarily experts on everything. For instance, Pandora knew very little about things on land. As a priest of Dionysus, Odysseus had been staying in the temple in Athens for a long time, so his knowledge of cows was naturally limited.
Linley further explained, "Cows need to be pregnant and give birth to calves before they produce milk. Mammals only lactate during childbirth; this is the primary function of milk. As for calves, some are raised, while others are eaten because they cannot survive. Although some drugs can stimulate milk production in cows, they are expensive, unreliable in terms of yield, and can be harmful to the cow's health."
The situation with goat milk was similar; they must first become pregnant and give birth to kids before they can produce milk.
Odysseus sighed, "I didn't know."
Dave also said, "I didn't know this either."
As a fisherman, Dave had never raised sheep and was unfamiliar with these details.
Linley suggested, "You caught a lot of goats, didn't you? Go and check."
Odysseus and the others had kept the captured goats in a cave, blocking the entrance with a wooden door. The cave was filled with weeds and grape leaves, and the goats were eating happily and didn't seem to want to escape. Most of them were female, with only a few males, because female goats were easier to catch, while male goats were more aggressive, larger in size, and harder to capture.
These female goats looked thin and showed no signs of lactation, indicating they weren't yet in their breeding season. Therefore, it was still necessary to get some cows back. Relying on these female goats was not realistic. After all, it was unknown when they would become pregnant, and whether they would be able to give birth on time was also a question.
Linley was about to leave when he suddenly remembered the issue of mounts. He pulled a goat aside for a closer look, finding that these goats were not large, about the size of a small donkey, reaching about 1.2 meters in height. Children or women could ride them, but adult men would find it a bit of a struggle.
The male goat was relatively larger, with a shoulder height of about 1.23 meters, allowing an adult male to barely mount it. However, once mounted, the goat would often move about erratically, not following commands, making it incredibly difficult to control.
Throughout history, humans have only domesticated horses, donkeys, and camels as their primary riding animals, and there are deep-seated reasons for this. Though there are legends of half-humans riding large dogs, wild men riding wolves, and even riding reindeer, wild boars, and elephants, these animals are unsuitable as primary mounts in reality, especially in warfare.
Linley gently stroked the head of a goat, only to have it bite him. However, due to the divine power within Linley, the goat not only failed to injure him, but also broke its own teeth.
"Meee!" The goat cried out in pain continuously spitting out blood.
Just then, a white light flashed outside the cave. Linley's sharp eyes spotted a huge white goat. It appeared very anxious, pacing outside the cave but hesitant to approach.
Linley emerged from the cave, and the white mountain goat immediately turned and fled, agilely leaping between the cliffs. Despite Linley's strenuous pursuit, he couldn't close the distance between them. This goat clearly ran exceptionally fast, leaving Linley unable to catch it.
However, the islanders, all devout followers of Linley, rushed out of their houses when they saw him chasing the goat. They took up strategic positions on high ground, assisting in driving the goat away. Furious, the goat lowered its head and charged towards Linley.
Its speed was like a flash of white light. Linley held his breath. When the white goat reached him, he swiftly grabbed its horns and twisted violently. He flung the goat onto the rocks with a loud bang.
For an ordinary person, this blow would have been fatal. However, the white goat instantly climbed to its feet, unscathed, and charged at Linley again. Linley repeatedly threw it dozens of times, finally immobilizing it.
This goat was massive, with white fur as pure as jade, thick, powerful legs, and black hooves that could retract and grip the crevices of rocks. This allowed it to move effortlessly on cliffs, even climbing near-vertical precipices.
From afar, the goat seemed light and nimble, but up close, it was muscular, covered in a thick coat of fur that protected it from serious injury when thrown to the ground.
Linley pulled out a small bag of salt from her chest and held it near the white goat's mouth. The goat licked it, and immediately looked delighted. It stood up and ate all the salt.
It turned out that the goats usually maintained their normal bodily functions by licking salt from rocks in the cave, but since the cave had been taken over by Linley's temple, other places where the goats could get salt had been occupied by his followers, and the goats hadn't had any salt for a long time.
Herbivores must consume salt to maintain their physiological functions, and goats are no exception. After eating salt from Linley, the white goat looked much more docile, and even began following behind her.
Linley mounted the goat's back and grasped its neck, allowing it to walk on the stone mountain. At first, the goat seemed a bit uncomfortable, but after Linley gave it some salt, it no longer resisted.
After running for a while, the goat looked exhausted. Linley injected a little divine power into its body, and the goat immediately perked up and carried Linley jumping through the mountains. They ran to the dock, to the temple, to the top of the mountain, and even to the back of the mountain.