Dancing

Minos listened closely as Tinka guided him. While he wasn't the dancing type, he took this dance seriously, and began implementing all the tricks Tinka taught him

His steps became more nimble, and his motion more fluid. Tinka watched on in slight shock as Minos improved at a rapid pace.

The entire audience of tribesmen seemed to pause for a moment, as they collectively watched Minos, cheering loudly at his impressive dance moves.

The sand flew everywhere as Minos stomped heavily on the beach. He grabbed Tinka by the waist, taking the lead in guiding the dance.

Tinka couldn't help but blush and laugh as Minos twirled her around. The two danced passionately under the eyes of the rest of the crowd, sweat dripping down their rapidly moving bodies.

Minos and Tinka were soon exhausted, and with one more big move to finish the dance, the two calmed down, looking each other in the eyes.

It was only at this moment Minos really had a chance to appreciate Tinka's beauty. Brown skin and olive-green eyes, a small delicate face that was as smooth porcelain, with hair as charcoal black as Minos's eyes cascading down her back.

The two were caught in a trance as they looked at each other. Tinka's face was burning red at this moment, and Minos seemed to be lost in thought.

Fortunately the uproarious cheering of the crowd brought the two back from the slight awkwardness, the two quickly diverting their eyes to relieve the tension.

The patriarch quickly came in at this moment to break up the crowd. He stood next to the large flames as he laughed loudly and spoke.

"Settle down everyone, the celebration is over for tonight. Another blessed day has come to a close, so it's time to begin the talk of gratitude. Who would like to go first?"

As soon as the patriarch stopped talking, the crowd quickly began reaching their arms into the sky as far as they could, eventually the patriarch picked Inkus.

"I am grateful for the sun above our heads for keeping us warm, the ocean for keeping us fed, and the trees for giving us shelter!" Inkus said with his entire chest.

The crowd applauded Inkus's speech, and soon the next person came up. In general, they all talked about similar things, all that they were grateful for, and what they wished for in the future.

At this moment, the crowd suddenly froze, because they noticed Minos raising his hand. The outsider didn't even understand their language, so even if he had something to say, it's not like they would understand.

Seemingly ignoring their curiosity, Minos came to the front of the flames. The fires flickering behind him, making him look grander. Under everyone's confusion, he began talking.

"I am grateful for the tribe's generosity, for welcoming me and treating me no differently than you'd treat your own. I'm grateful for the lessons you've taught me, even though I've only been here for a short time. Lastly, I'm thankful for your language, for giving me an opportunity to learn and master that which was once foreign."

The entire crowd was silent at this point. Some couldn't help but rub their ears, wondering why they suddenly understood everything the outsider said.

It was only after a few seconds that the crowd all came to the same solution, the outsider had learned their language, and in less than a day.

"The outsider learned our language. So fast?"

"Miracle, must be a miracle!"

"Amazing, the outsider truly is something special."

At this moment, the audience couldn't help but look around and speak to each other, making sure that they had all seen the same miracle.

"The outsider is grateful for our tribe!"

"No problem, outsider, we are all humans at the end of day!"

"Yeah outsider. We are also grateful that we had a chance to meet you!"

Minos smiled as he kept hearing the positivity of the Salt Breathing Tribe. Just before he walked away from the fire, he turned around and said one more thing.

"Also, my name isn't 'outsider', it's Minos."

The day finally ended, and Minos was given a hut to stay in for the night under Tinka's guide. Tinka looked at Minos and wanted to say something, but seemed to be a little anxious as she repeatedly fiddled with her fingers.

Minos eventually reached out, grabbing her hands with his. He looked her in the eyes and said with a slight smile.

"Don't be shy or embarrassed. While the staff is strong for its firmness, the sword is stronger for its flexibility."

Tinka couldn't help but slightly laugh as Minos used her rhetoric against her, but it really did help her calm down.

"Minos, when are you leaving?"

"As soon as I'm done building the boat. The outside world waits for no one, and I'm also slightly worried that danger may come to your tribe."

"Danger?" Tinka inquired.

"I'm not the only one who's come here. There are others trying to find the same thing I am, but hopefully they don't interfere with the Salt Breathing Tribe."

The main reason Minos came to the Salt Breathing Tribe was to borrow a boat. Had he bought one at Underwood City, it would have been a massive pain to lug it all the way out here, considering it wouldn't fit in his spatial ring.

The endless sea was filled with danger, and while he could have fit a smaller boat into his spatial ring if he tried hard enough, he would rather use a large boat that guaranteed more safety.

Of course things don't always go according to plan, and now he was stuck building a boat, which given the size he wants, would likely waste at least a week even with Minos's talent and strength.

Hopefully his competitors aren't limited in the same way, otherwise they would likely come to the Salt Breathing Tribe with the same idea, but whether they were willing to resolve things peacefully or not would be another question.

Ultimately, Minos had no idea how rare spatial rings were, and how his ring was compared to others. In the case spatial rings were more scarce then he originally expected, then the worst case scenario was a likely possibility.

Minos knew well how cruel the cultivation world was, and what could possibly happen to the Salt Breathing Tribe if they refused the cultivators request.

"I hope you'll still tell the patriarch of my worries. If they demand boats, things might get ugly."

"If they demand a boat, can't we just give it to them to avoid any confrontation?" Tinka couldn't help but ask.

"Hopefully they are that civilized, but you should know some cultivators don't value human life, and instead relish in destroying those weaker than them. In any case, it's better to be safe than sorry." Minos said solemnly.

Tinka nodded repeatedly, taking Minos's words seriously. The Salt Breathing Tribe was out of the way and didn't really have any resources of value, so they were left alone for the most part, hence they didn't have a good idea on how the cultivator world operated.

Tinka and Minos eventually said their goodbyes, with Tinka running to the patriarch to tell him of Minos's worries. Meanwhile Minos shut the wooden door and laid back on the bed.

He hoped that his worries were uncalled for, but for matters of life and death, one should always keep their guard up. Not to mention Minos had grown fond of the Salt Breathing Tribe, and wanted them to avoid any problems.

…

The day seemed to start earlier in the Salt Breathing Tribe. Minos woke up a full hour earlier than usual, but with his cultivation, he was well rested.

As he exited the hut, he was quickly greeted by all the tribesmen, everyone preparing for their duties for the day.

The women were making breakfast as the men got their spears, fishing rods and nets ready.

The tribe's diet mostly consisted of seafood, hence the men spent the mornings fishing, getting the fish ready for lunch.

In the meanwhile, breakfast mostly consisted of fruits and vegetables foraged from the forests of the nearby Underwood Mountain Range.

Minos was about to head back to his hut so as to eat the food he prepared in his spatial ring, but before he could do so, he was stopped by Tinka who seemed to have come to find him.

"Minos, you must not have anything to eat. Come join my family, we're more than happy to have you!"

Minos naturally wouldn't reject such a kind invitation, so he followed Tinka towards the largest hut on the beach.

He soon noticed that the hut they were heading to was the same one in which the patriarch came out from earlier. It was only after they entered that Minos's suspicions were confirmed.

"Minos, this my father Ronkus, the current patriarch of our tribe, and my mother Meninka."

Minos was slightly caught off guard by the sudden reveal, but quickly braced himself, greeting the two.

"It's good to meet you two. Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

The patriarch couldn't help but laugh as he heard Minos speak so formally. He patted him heavily on the shoulder as he forced him down into a seat, before finally speaking.

"No need to act so formal boy, we've already met after all."

"It's good to have you in our home. Come, eat, let's save the talking for after we've filled up." Meninka said with a motherly smile on her face. She looked quite similar to Tinka, but her eyes were brown instead of green.