"Such a brilliant method, how many of these large pits are there in the entire breeding farm?" Corvinus exclaimed in admiration.
"There are a total of eighteen large pits, varying in size, but even the smallest pit houses over three thousand dragon rats. With eighteen pits, we have approximately one hundred thousand dragon rats."
"One hundred thousand dragon rats?" Corvinus was astonished. If laid out, one hundred thousand dragon rats could fill several football fields.
"So many dragon rats, yet they can't supply two hundred war wolves?" Corvinus found it hard to believe.
If distributed among the tribe members, the lives of the werewolves should significantly improve.
"Chieftain, you might be mistaken!" Kordiak shook his head with a wry smile.
"Although we have nearly a hundred thousand, eighty percent of them are females and pups. Only about ten thousand are mature dragon rats suitable for meat. Even this number is barely sufficient."
"Dragon rats reproduce once a month, with at least seven or eight in a litter, but these large pits are not easy to manage. Based on the long-term observations of my handlers, at least half of the pups will die young or be killed by other adult dragon rats."
"I see."
Corvinus understood.
In this light, one hundred thousand dragon rats were not as exaggerated as they seemed.
"How many more of these dragon rat pits do you plan to add?" Corvinus looked at the pit at his feet.
There were numerous dragon rats of various sizes moving about on the surface, either foraging for roots or gnawing on grass.
To be honest, this breeding method, while space-efficient, was quite primitive by the standards of another world.
As Kordiak mentioned, the low survival rate of the pups was a significant issue.
There were also sanitation concerns; the pervasive stench in the air was somewhat suffocating.
However, although he understood, he also knew that now was not the time for reform. Stability was needed, and once the tribe was firmly established, the breeding farm could be reformed.
"I plan to add twenty more breeding pits," Kordiak replied.
"Twenty more? That would double the breeding capacity?"
"Yes, Chieftain. Moreover, for these additional twenty pits, I plan to expand the space because with the new war wolves joining, the breeding might peak in three to four months." Kordiak nodded.
According to statistics, there were a total of two hundred and sixty-seven war wolves in the area, including fifty-six adult females. Excluding a few that had recently given birth, more than forty females might be pregnant in three to four months.
A war wolf litter averages three to four pups, which means over a hundred pups could be born. Thus, the food supply for the war wolves needed to be prepared in advance.
"Your idea is good. As the saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach.'"
"However, twenty more pits are not enough!" Corvinus looked at Kordiak approvingly, but then his tone changed.
Kordiak was taken aback.
He was about to ask what Corvinus meant when Corvinus spoke: "War wolves are crucial, and wolf cavalry is the foundation of our tribe's combat strength."
"But our people are also important. You should know that the shortage of meat in the tribe is very serious. We werewolves are not vegetarians; we need meat to supplement the nutrients our bodies require."
"But now the tribe hardly has any source of meat. Even I, as the chieftain, can only eat a little meat every four or five days, let alone the ordinary tribe members."
Although the Silvermane Tribe was a tribe, it did not practice a centralized distribution system. Although food was still distributed by the tribe's logistics, it was usually every five days.
Moreover, tribe members also had ranks!
Food was primarily supplied to the tribal hierarchy, and they received the largest portions. Next were the werewolf families with adult warriors at home.
Of course, this referred to the age range of ten to fifty.
Werewolves did not have the shortest lifespan among orcs; on the contrary, their lifespan was second only to the tiger people, elephant people, lion people, and minotaur people.
The average lifespan of a werewolf was at least seventy years, similar to that of a regular human.
However, unlike humans, ninety percent of male werewolves could reach the second tier as adults without any innate defects.
Because they were second-tier warriors, their lifespan increased. Of course, this increase was not specific, but second-tier werewolves, barring illness, could live to at least eighty years old.
This was because the tribe needed to maintain the combat strength of its adult warriors, as they were the foundation of the tribe.
Next were the families with underage male werewolves; the more there were, the higher the proportion of food allocated.
Corvinus was not pleased when he first heard this, as it was a typical preference for males over females.
However, the existence of the tribe was not easy, and male werewolves were needed to defend it, so in this light, this distribution method was actually quite normal.
After that, were the most ordinary families, namely the elderly werewolf households without children.
Of course, there were very few such families, possibly not more than ten in the entire tribe, as werewolves usually gave birth to two to three children per pregnancy, so most families had several, even more than ten children.
For example, his father had more than a dozen sons, which meant he had more than a dozen younger brothers, the youngest being only about one year old.
Thus, it was not easy to have a completely childless elderly couple.
This was the class structure of the tribe.
As an outsider from another world, although Corvinus disliked this class system, he understood after becoming the chieftain that it was a necessity.
After all, with scarce food supplies, only with this class system could the Silvermane Tribe persist.
"Especially our warriors, who have been deprived of meat for so long, it's a very serious issue."
"If these warriors collapse, how can our tribe resist the enemy?" Corvinus said, looking at Kordiak.
Kordiak was puzzled at the moment. Although Corvinus was right, the tribe was indeed in a precarious situation, but this was a problem for the chieftain to solve, not for him, a mere beast tamer.
"So, I'd like you to expand the dragon rat pits further and breed more dragon rats to provide some meat for the tribe's people."
"Provide meat for the tribe?" Kordiak was taken aback, then he understood why the chieftain had come to him.
"Chieftain, the tribe's meat supply is indeed a big issue, but adding twenty more dragon rat pits has already exceeded our breeding capacity. If we add more..." Kordiak was in a difficult position, but he couldn't outright refuse.
"Kordiak, since I'm here, you should understand that when I say the dragon rat breeding pits must increase, they will increase," Corvinus said, his smile fading as he glanced at Kordiak, then looked at the dragon rat pit at his feet.
"Yes, I understand the chieftain's meaning."
Kordiak reluctantly agreed, as it seemed he had no choice but to comply.
"Of course, you can make requests. If I can fulfill them, I will try my best, but the dragon rat pits must increase," Corvinus said, staring at a particularly plump dragon rat.
Dragon rats were not like mice; instead, they resembled the chubby, round creatures from another world known as chinchillas.
If not for their skittish nature, he would have loved to hold one and pet it.