Marked by the Four Beast Lords After Transmigration

The outer reception hall sat higher along the mountain than most of the preparation terraces, carved directly into the stone beside one of the broader central walkways where trade groups could enter without passing through the deeper residential sections of the territory. The path upward curved sharply along the mountain wall, opening occasionally to wide overlooks where cold wind pushed steadily through the carved stone railings.

Nia followed half a step behind Kael while several patrol members moved ahead along the upper walkway. The farther they climbed, the more noticeable the shift in atmosphere became. The mountain did not feel panicked, but the energy moving through the terraces below had sharpened into something more focused and alert. Workers still carried baskets, hides, preserved meats, tools, and bundled firewood between the lower walkways, yet conversations lowered whenever Kael passed nearby. Nia caught fragments of discussion drifting upward through the cold evening air—arguments about the northern passes, concerns over rising food prices, speculation about early snowfall, and repeated questions about winter storage capacity farther uphill.

Smoke from the preparation district rolled upward beneath the darkening sky in pale twisting layers while colder wind settled more heavily across the exposed stone paths. Winter was still some distance away, but after everything she had learned below, Nia found herself noticing the mountain’s preparation differently now. Storage chambers lined portions of the inner walls farther downhill while drying racks stretched across multiple terraces. Salt crates sat stacked beneath protective coverings beside workstations, and firewood reserves filled entire recessed alcoves carved directly into the mountain itself.

The mountain was enormous, but everywhere she looked people were preparing for winter. Firewood, food storage, drying racks, salt reserves, patrol routes—each task seemed small on its own, yet all of them mattered.

Kael glanced back toward her as they climbed another flight of carved stairs.

“You’re doing it again.”

Nia blinked.

“Doing what.”

“Thinking loud enough that your face changes.”

“That is not a real thing.”

“It is when you do it.”

Nia looked away before he could see the reluctant amusement threatening to surface again, though judging from the slight shift at the corner of Kael’s mouth, he had probably noticed anyway.

The upper terraces widened gradually as they approached the trade district carved near the outer mountain face. Unlike the warmer domestic sections deeper inside the territory, this area felt more exposed to the elements. Wind moved more freely here, carrying the sharp scent of cold stone, smoke, wet fur, and unfamiliar travel scents that had likely arrived with the merchants.

Nia noticed the additional guards before they even reached the reception hall entrance. There were not enough to suggest immediate danger, but enough to signal caution.

The guards stationed near the entrance straightened as Kael approached. One stepped forward before lowering his head respectfully.

“Chief. The merchants are waiting inside. Council members Elder Bran and Tarek already arrived.”

Kael nodded once.

“Condition.”

“Tired. Two guards injured. Wagons partially damaged.”

Something tightened faintly behind Kael’s expression at that. Trade routes dangerous enough to damage caravans this early in the season clearly meant more than difficult weather alone.

The guard hesitated briefly before continuing.

“They requested heating stones before negotiations.”

Now even Nia understood the implication behind that detail. Travelers conserving heat that aggressively after arrival probably meant the northern roads were far worse than expected.

Kael pushed open the heavy carved stone doors without another word.

Warm air rolled outward immediately, carrying unfamiliar scents into the corridor beyond. Oil, wet leather, cold fur, and travel dust blended together beneath the heavier scent of exhausted bodies and long-distance travel. The reception hall itself was enormous compared to most spaces Nia had seen inside the mountain so far. Massive carved pillars supported the high stone ceiling while long fire trenches burned steadily through the center of the chamber, casting shifting orange light across layered rugs, trade crates, heavy tables, and bundled goods stacked near the walls.

The merchants themselves looked like people who had spent too long forcing their way through worsening conditions without proper rest. Heavy furs covered most of them, though several cloaks showed signs of weather damage and rough repairs. One guard near the fires kept his arm wrapped tightly beneath layered bandages while another sat farther back with fatigue visible across his posture despite the effort he was clearly making to remain alert.

The room quieted slightly as Kael entered.

Several merchants stood immediately.

One older beastman stepped forward first. Thick gray fur lined the edges of his traveling cloak while pale frost scars crossed one side of his jaw.

“Mountain Chief.”

Kael inclined his head once.

“You traveled early.”

“We traveled fast.”

Not the same thing.

Nia saw Kael recognize the distinction.

The older merchant’s attention shifted toward her then, and brief surprise crossed his face before he smoothed it away behind practiced composure. Rare female beside the mountain chief probably raised several questions very quickly.

Nia resisted the urge to retreat backward beneath the sudden attention.

Kael stepped slightly closer beside her without looking away from the merchants. It was a small movement, but protective anyway, and judging from the subtle shift in several expressions around the room, other people noticed it too.

Unfortunately, Kael also noticed Nia noticing everyone else noticing.

“What.”

“Nothing.”

“That answer keeps becoming less convincing.”

Nia ignored him completely.

One of the younger merchants near the fires looked increasingly confused by the exchange, which honestly felt reasonable.

The older merchant cleared his throat lightly before refocusing.

“The northern roads are closing faster than expected.”

Kael’s posture shifted subtly more serious.

“How bad.”

The merchant exhaled slowly before answering.

“Three settlements already lost eastern supply access after the second ridge storms.”

Nia felt the atmosphere inside the hall tighten slightly around those words even before she fully understood every larger implication.

Kael’s voice lowered.

“This early.”

“Yes.”

The older merchant glanced briefly toward the fire trenches before continuing.

“The Frostpass routes partially collapsed two weeks ago. Several caravans turned back before reaching the upper ridges entirely.”

One of the council members near the farther table muttered something under his breath.

Nia finally spotted Elder Bran sitting beside the long central table while Tarek leaned nearby with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Neither man looked particularly relaxed.

The older merchant continued.

“We came early because grain prices farther north are already rising.”

Nia’s attention sharpened immediately at the mention of grain. Until now, most of what she had seen within the mountain suggested hunting, gathering, preservation, and trade rather than large-scale farming. Grain changed things.

Kael caught the way her focus disappeared inward almost instantly.

“You started staring into space the moment he mentioned grain.”

Nia looked at him defensively.

“Because grain is important.”

“To you specifically.”

“…Yes.”

Tarek made a noise that sounded suspiciously close to restrained laughter from farther down the table.

The older merchant still looked slightly uncertain about the direction of this conversation, though he wisely chose not to interrupt it.

The older merchant cleared his throat again before continuing carefully.

“Most southern grain is expensive to transport this far north, especially once the mountain routes start freezing over. Smaller territories usually trade for limited amounts before winter and stretch what they have afterward.”

Nia’s attention drifted briefly toward the stacked trade crates near the wall while the merchant continued explaining the northern supply situation. Even limited grain cultivation opened possibilities she had not expected to exist this early.

The older merchant motioned toward several reinforced crates stacked near the back wall.

“We brought what we could secure before the southern prices climbed higher. Mostly rough mountain barley and stone wheat.”

Nia’s attention caught immediately on the mention of wheat. She had honestly started to assume it simply didn't exist in this region.

The merchant might as well have announced treasure.

Nia stared at the crates before she could stop herself. Maybe not flour yet. Maybe not finely ground flour yet. But if wheat existed, then eventually flour could exist too. Bread. Flatbreads. Dumplings. Thickened stews. Noodles if she could figure out workable dough textures and processing methods. Entire categories of food she had assumed were impossible suddenly no longer felt completely out of reach.

Kael noticed her attention locking onto the grain crates again.

“You heard something important.”

Nia looked at him immediately.

“You don’t understand.”

“That seems to happen often around you lately.”

Tarek made a quiet sound against his cup that suspiciously resembled restrained laughter.

The older merchant’s gaze moved cautiously between them.

“Your female works with grain?”

Nia nearly answered yes before stopping herself. Too much knowledge too quickly would eventually become dangerous, especially when she still understood so little about how this world viewed specialized skills and unusual information.

“A little,” she answered instead. “Mostly food storage and preservation.”

The merchant nodded slowly, though uncertainty still lingered across his expression.

“Most territories grind barley roughly for porridge or travel cakes. Wheat is harder to process properly without fine stones.”

That alone told Nia far more than the merchant probably intended. People were already grinding grain into something usable, even if the results sounded rough and inconsistent. If people here already understood how to turn grain into meal, then improving flour quality later might not actually be impossible.

Her attention drifted briefly back toward the grain crates near the wall before she forced herself to focus on the larger conversation again.

Elder Bran leaned one arm against the table.

“If northern trade collapses entirely before deep winter, smaller settlements will start rationing early.”

Nia’s stomach tightened slightly at that. Early rationing meant fear already existed farther north, even if people had not fully slipped into panic yet.

The older merchant exhaled slowly before adding,

“Most territories survive winter. The problem is surviving it comfortably.”

Silence settled briefly across the hall while the fires crackled through the center trenches. Several merchants shifted closer toward the warmth while one of the injured guards carefully adjusted the bandages around his arm. The exhaustion hanging over the room felt heavier now that the immediate trade formalities had faded.

Kael finally moved toward the long central table, motioning for the merchants to sit again. Nia followed beside him while Elder Bran pulled several rolled maps closer across the stone surface.

“Show me the damaged routes,” Kael said.

The older merchant immediately unrolled one of the weathered trade maps. Several charcoal markings crossed portions of the northern paths while darker lines had been drawn through two mountain passes entirely.

“These sections collapsed first,” the merchant explained, tracing one clawed finger across the upper ridge routes. “Ice fractures started earlier this season than usual. Two caravans lost wagons here before we turned south.”

Tarek frowned while studying the markings.

“That route usually stays stable another month.”

“That’s what we thought too.”

Nia leaned slightly closer despite herself, studying the rough geography spread across the table. Most of the territory maps looked partially hand-updated over time, with trade notes and weather symbols layered over older route carvings. The mountain ranges themselves stretched far beyond what she had initially imagined. Kael’s territory alone was enormous.

And apparently connected to a much larger trade network than she had realized.

The older merchant tapped another marked route farther east.

“Several southern territories are already securing larger supply reserves before winter trade closes.”

Elder Bran’s expression sharpened slightly.

“Food.”

“Food. Fuel. Medicinal stock. Anything difficult to replace once the passes freeze.”

Tarek exhaled quietly.

“Everyone’s preparing early.”

Nia’s gaze lingered briefly on the marked trade routes. If more people learned reliable smoking and salting methods, winters like this would become much easier to endure.

The older merchant looked tired suddenly.

“Once the first major storms fully settle across the northern ridges, people start hoarding.”

Nia frowned faintly.

“Hoarding.”

Several heads turned toward her.

The merchant blinked once before clarifying.

“Food. Supplies. Anything people fear losing access to.”

Oh.

Right.

Different world.

Same people.

That realization settled strangely inside her chest. No matter how different Beast World seemed sometimes, fear still pushed people toward familiar patterns. Food insecurity, supply pressure, resource anxiety—once the surface differences fell away, none of it actually felt unfamiliar.

The older merchant studied her curiously.

“You understand trade concerns well for someone focused on kitchens.”

Nia nearly laughed at that.

If only he knew how often food ended up shaping everything else around it.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!