After receiving the carrier pigeon, Tu soon led the large troop back, carrying vast amounts of supplies.
The supplies were so abundant that it was astonishing. The ostriches could no longer be ridden. Every one of them was loaded full to the brim with goods. Behind them, they even dragged makeshift wooden sleds.
Even Goose King and the goose soldiers he led were hauling sleds packed with goods, two or three geese pulling one together. Most of the people, too, carried heavy loads on their shoulders.
Only a few who were responsible for security carried fewer belongings. Everyone else, humans and animals alike, were nearly crushed under the weight of the cargo.
They had already received word before that a massive amount of goods had been seized, but seeing it in person still left everyone shocked.
“How can there be so much?”
Yang Yi was stunned, unable to imagine just how many tribes the Blackstone Tribe must have plundered to amass such wealth.
“Part of it was food we exchanged for, using the Blackstone Tribe’s precious artifacts. They had an enormous amount of treasure,” Tu explained. He, too, had been dumbfounded when he saw treasure piled high like a mountain.
There was no way such abundance had been accumulated in just a few days. Back when they were still in the Blackstone Tribe, the process must have already begun. Yet they hadn’t caught wind of a single thing.
Tu had once been a fierce warrior within the Blackstone Tribe, while Hei Lie was even a candidate for the next chieftain. Yet neither of them had known anything at all.
Most likely, the chieftain had long regarded them as thorns in the eye, never intending from the start to pass down his position to Hei Lie
“You all are incredible,” Yang Yi praised. “To have actually found so many tribes willing to trade.”
“This is all thanks to Han Bing’s map. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. We even sought out the merchant caravan from the Western Continent and traded for quite a lot of food there. In fact, we had even more, but I gave part of it away to those who joined us in attacking the Blackstone Tribe.”
Yang Yi nodded in approval. “That’s how it should be.”
“If not for them this time, things definitely wouldn’t have gone so smoothly, nor would our losses have been so few,” Tu sighed.
Those people didn’t even have proper weapons, yet they fought desperately. Not only out of hatred, but also because they wanted to seize this chance at survival.
The Blackstone Tribe was extremely greedy and brutal. They dominated the land, living in comfort while the other tribes suffered.
The territory they occupied was very fertile. In the past, the surrounding tribes also lived fairly well. But because of the Blackstone Tribe’s existence, they were left with no way out.
Even before, when they had no chance of victory, they still chose to resist. Now, seeing the people of the Spark Tribe arrive, witnessing their powerful equipment, and hearing of their strength from rumors, they knew clearly in their hearts that this was the one chance to destroy the Blackstone Tribe.
They did not stand behind, waiting to reap the fruits of victory. Instead, they joined in, charging at the very front lines.
When their numbers were added together, they were not few. Though their weapons were outdated and their stamina weakened by hunger, they still became a formidable force, turning the battle into an overwhelming victory.
In the end, under Tu’s leadership, the Spark Tribe lost only three people, along with eight ostriches and six geese.
This number was far smaller than expected, especially given that the Blackstone Tribe was still an immensely powerful force.
Their Blackstone weapons were nearly comparable to iron, and every one of them was a seasoned fighter. Their lethality was extremely high.
Even though the Spark warriors were stronger, to hope to emerge entirely unscathed would still have been nearly impossible.
Distributing a portion of the spoils to the tribes that had taken part in the battle was only right.
Tu left behind not only food but also some of the Blackstone weapons, so that their ability to protect themselves would be stronger.
Yang Yi greatly admired this action. “If they can develop well, they’ll become our potential clients in the future.”
“They also said that when the next trading fair comes, they’ll definitely come to our Spark Tribe to have a look,” Tu said with a smile. “They especially want to see you, Divine Envoy.”
Hei Lie silently shifted his position, blocking Tu’s line of sight. “Were all the people of the Blackstone Tribe wiped out?”
Tu’s gaze grew deep. “Those who were able to remain in the Blackstone Tribe had already become no different from the Fang Tribe. Even if I wanted to spare them, there was no way.”
Those who had once been cruelly oppressed by the Blackstone Tribe all raised their weapons and killed them, then impaled each body on wooden stakes.
“I brought back the heads of the Blackstone chieftain and the shaman.” Tu lifted a fur bag, intending to hand it over.
Hei Lie said, “Show it to me later.”
Tu glanced at Yang Yi, instantly understanding, and hurriedly put it away.
Everyone in the tribe knew that the Divine Envoy could not bear the sight of cruel scenes.
Tu’s return, to some extent, resolved the crisis the tribe had been about to face.
Although the Blackstone Tribe only numbered in the thousands, excluding the slaves, the amount of food they had hoarded was astonishing.
On top of that, they had the habit of eating human flesh, which made the stockpiles of food all the greater.
There was even a good amount that had already rotted, clearly stored for a very long time.
When Tu saw this food, his hatred only deepened.
Back when they were still in the Blackstone Tribe, some people had starved to death because of food shortages.
The Blackstone chieftain had even exploited this, using the excuse to eliminate the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. All along, they had believed that the tribe’s food supply was extremely tight.
It turned out, it wasn’t because there was too little food, but because they would rather hide it away and let it rot than share it with their own clansmen!
Tu had also brought back some of that rotten food, but not to be eaten, rather, to show everyone exactly what the Blackstone Tribe had done.
He wanted the people of the tribe to know that, beyond their Spark Tribe, such cruel things were happening.
If the Spark Tribe did not exist, they too might one day encounter such tribes and be ruthlessly exploited and oppressed.
After the Blackstone Tribe was wiped out, the large wave of defectors also disappeared. Only a few scattered ones, drawn by the Spark Tribe’s reputation, traveled from afar to join them.
The number of these people was very limited. The Spark Tribe’s population entered a relatively stable period.
At present, the Spark Tribe has already reached over 58,000 people. The number of those outside the core tribe was even greater than the tribe’s own people, making it an enormously large tribe.
On the Eastern Continent, it was the tribe with the largest known population.
No other tribe could be like them, able to support so many people living together in one place.
Currently, most tribes on the Eastern Continent have not developed the habits of farming and animal husbandry. Even if they practiced it, the scale was small and the harvests meager.
Yields were often only two or three times the seed sown. It was far from enough to sustain survival solely through farming.
“The tribe’s population is growing faster than we imagined. The previously planned farmland area is far from enough. We must expand planting. Qing, can your side supply the seeds?”
“Divine Envoy, there’s no problem on my end!” Qing nodded. “It’s just that the best-grade seeds are already running low. To achieve another great harvest like before, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
Seeds would degenerate over time. Although Qing had always been leading those with plant-related talents in researching how to optimize seeds, they still couldn’t keep them at a consistently high level.
“To maintain even half the yield of the seeds I first brought, that alone is astonishing.”
Yang Yi had calculated that if it were rice, one mu of land could provide enough food for ten warriors and ten ordinary people for an entire year. If higher-yield staples like sweet potatoes and corn were added to the diet, then the number could be even greater.
As long as this data could remain stable, overall output could still stay at a very high level, much luckier than Earth in the days before hybrid rice and chemical fertilizers.
“Divine Envoy, this much I can guarantee!” Qing said with great confidence.
“Your energy is limited as well. For now, focus mainly on staple crops. First, we must ensure that no one goes hungry. As for low-yield crops, reduce their planting area. Put the main effort into those that produce more, are easier to store, and can fill the stomach.”
Previously, they were still in the stage of planting whatever seeds they had, wanting to learn what kinds of crops were suited to this land and what the yields might be. As a result, much of the planting was indiscriminate.
However many seeds Yang Yi purchased, that was how many were planted. The second and third batches were done the same way, simply expanding the quantity in equal proportions.
Now that they had a general understanding, Yang Yi no longer intended to continue this approach.
Their food crisis had still not passed. They had no reserves whatsoever, which meant they could not bear risks.
For a tribe with such an enormous population, this was extremely dangerous.
Thus, Yang Yi’s plan for this year was straightforward: the primary goals were to fill stomachs and stockpile grain. Flavor, variety—those would all be set aside for now. What mattered was simply providing enough nutrition.
Qing was puzzled. “But many of the low-yield crops can fetch more food at the trading fair.”
“Food that fills our stomachs must never depend on others. Even our most profitable crafts, like pottery and porcelain, must come only after the tribe’s food needs are met. Only then can we spare extra labor to make them. Otherwise, we’ll be led by the nose, and those items won’t even trade for much.”
This time, when the Spark Tribe encountered a crisis, there were indeed tribes and caravans that wanted to take advantage of the situation. But they failed to succeed.
Since Qing had always been focused on the farmlands, she wasn’t too aware of these matters.
But she quickly reacted, deeply impressed. “Divine Envoy, your foresight is incredible!”
Yang Yi smiled. “I’ve simply seen too many similar cases, that’s all.”
“Did all these things happen in the Divine Realm? Do gods trade like humans do?”
“Not in the Divine Realm, but in another world.”
Yang Yi realized he had slipped, but he couldn’t take it back. He simply chose not to hide it deliberately, though he also didn’t go into too much detail.
Qing didn’t ask further. What she had said earlier was only in passing. She clearly understood what Yang Yi’s taboos were.
With the food issue more or less resolved, the long-delayed military training activities began at the settlement.
The newcomers, having experienced the Spark Tribe’s atmosphere during this time, felt no resistance toward these activities whose meaning they didn’t fully understand.
Especially after hearing that every Spark Tribesperson went through such training when officially joining, they became even more enthusiastic about participating.
Everyone trained desperately hard, hoping their performance would be recognized so they could enter the probationary member stage sooner.
In recent days, people have been continuously accepted as probationary members. Without exception, those who entered the Spark Tribe praised it highly, and every one of them became visibly transformed.
Just the occasional treats they brought back—rock sugar candy, and chili peppers that exploded with heat in the mouth—were enough to fill people with longing.
The Spark Tribe carried out rewards and punishments to the extreme. Those who followed Spark’s rules would receive generous rewards.
On the other hand, those who broke the rules, cheated, or tried to take advantage would be driven out without hesitation, or even executed outright.
The Spark Tribe never killed lightly. Every time they held a public trial, they laid out all the evidence and let everyone understand why that person was sentenced to death.
Ever since the Blackstone Tribe had been destroyed, people had become much more restrained and obedient.
The Blackstone Tribe’s name had once resounded far and wide. There was hardly anyone who didn’t know of it.
Now that it had been completely annihilated, the shock was immense. People came to understand even more deeply the strength of the Spark Tribe, no longer daring to harbor reckless thoughts.
Anyone who provoked the Spark Tribe, no matter how far away, would be hunted down and wiped out. Who would dare cause trouble?
Even the Western Continent caravans had changed their attitude, now actively trading with the Spark Tribe at fairer prices and shrewdly bringing goods the tribe most needed.
By the time the snow melted and green buds appeared on the branches, the Spark Tribe had already traded for three hundred cattle, five hundred sheep, five hundred pigs, and other livestock from the Western Continent.
They even obtained fifty horses. The caravan that brought them was the very one that had once tried to press down prices and had tangled connections to the recent crisis.
This time, however, not only did they bring the rare horses, but they also offered them at a very fair price—most of them being young mares—as a gesture of sincerity.
“There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.”
Hei Lie, magnanimous in manner, temporarily set aside what they had done. Though he still kept it in mind that if the other party dared act out again, things would not be handled so leniently.
During contact with them, Hei Lie did not hesitate to issue a stern warning and even lowered their trading rank to the minimum.
“Divine Envoy, these cattle are truly useful. Using them to plow the fields makes the work much easier, and the efficiency is far higher.”
The head of the farmland reported to Yang Yi with great delight.
It was once again the season for major planting. Half of the labor force had been assigned to open new farmland.
Cattle were also brought in to help with the fields, letting everyone see clearly that, beyond being delicious to eat, they were the best tools for plowing.
“Some of the cows are already pregnant. Be sure not to let them overwork.”
“Divine Envoy, rest assured! I take care of them even more carefully than I do my own children!”
The Spark people, who had already raised poultry before, knew very well the importance of these livestock.
Raising these creatures was far easier than hunting!
Most importantly, even the weak could do the work, allowing every person’s abilities to be fully used.
The great planting effort surged forward with vigor, the cultivated land area expanding rapidly, most of it outside the moat.
The previously planned land within the moat was already insufficient to provide enough farmland.
With the warming weather, house construction also resumed. With the soaring population, the existing houses could no longer meet the demand.
Fortunately, the area enclosed by the moat at the start was large enough, so even with everyone moving in now, there was still no problem.
At first, the capacity had only been set at fifty thousand people. Later, when it became clear that attracting population wasn’t as difficult as expected, it was adjusted to the current scale of one hundred thousand.
However, the moat couldn’t be built too long, otherwise it would drain too much manpower and resources, so farmland and the like had to be placed outside the city.
“The livestock pens also need to be moved out. The current space is completely insufficient for them. And with too many people around, it’s easier for them to catch diseases.”
Yang Yi studied the map, calculating which location would be most suitable.
The livestock pens were also high-risk. With large numbers of poultry living together, if disease ever broke out, it could wipe out vast numbers at once.
Not just here. Even on technologically advanced Earth, there often wasn’t a particularly good solution.
“All the fertilized eggs from before were kept. If we hatch them all, we’ll need to set aside a large dedicated area for separate rearing.”
Hei Lie agreed with Yang Yi’s view and pointed to a location.
“I think this spot is good. It is between the residential zone and the manufacturing area, not far from the water channels. Behind it, there’s also a crevice, which can prevent animals from launching attacks from that side.”
Yang Yi glanced at it and asked curiously, “There’s a crevice? How wide?”
“About twenty to thirty meters across, and extremely deep. I once threw a stone down, but never heard it hit the ground.”
“There’s actually a place like that?” Yang Yi marveled. “Now that you mention it, I’ve always just walked the roads nearby, never really explored properly.”
“If you want to go, we can set out right now.”
Yang Yi shook his head with a smile. “Forget it. I still have a pile of work to do.”
“You don’t need to push yourself so hard…”
Yang Yi cut him off directly. “I may often seem lazy and laid-back, but when I decide to do something, I do it with full seriousness.
Now isn’t the time to rest. But I believe soon enough we’ll have free time. By then, I not only want to explore the depths of the wasteland, but also take a look at the Western Continent.”
“Alright. No matter where you go, I’ll go with you.”
“If the two of us both leave, won’t the tribe fall into chaos?”
Hei Lie, however, was unconcerned. “One day, new people will take our place. We can’t possibly control this tribe forever. We have to cultivate successors.”
“Then you’ll have your power seized.”
“If that person has the ability, why not? I’d rather give up power early than become like the Blackstone chieftain, clinging to power out of greed.”
The Blackstone chieftain hadn’t been like that from the start. He had once been a very wise leader.
The Blackstone Tribe’s rise to power owed much to him as well.
But because he became too greedy for power, he gradually stepped onto a crooked path.
“Your awareness is admirable,” Yang Yi praised.
The stronger one’s power, the more one sometimes fears being defeated and replaced.
Here, handing over the chieftain’s position meant more than just relinquishing authority. It was an admission to all that: I am old. I can no longer fulfill this role. I must be replaced by someone younger and stronger.
For one who had once been a king, that was not an easy thing to accept.
Just like many beauties, it is difficult for them to face the fact of growing old.
For Hei Lie to be so open-minded, it was truly not easy.
“Compared to you, I’m still far behind,” Hei Lie said with complete seriousness, without a hint of mockery.
Yang Yi was puzzled. “There’s no such thing as me stepping down. I’m the first envoy, and I’ll also be the last.”
Unless another traveler like him appeared, someone with a powerful golden finger and a decent brain.
Defending a city was often harder than building one. A single leader could easily bring about the downfall of an entire city.
“The fact that you could come here from your world and adapt to this place, that alone is extraordinary.”
Yang Yi waved his hand dismissively. “You and I are different. I was forced here. Honestly, if I had the choice, I would never have come.”
As a man who had lived comfortably and freely, if he truly had an adventurous spirit, he would’ve gone exploring the Amazon long ago, instead of waiting for a chance crossing.
“I’m glad you didn’t have that choice.”
Hei Lie looked smug, his smile practically begging for a beating.
Yang Yi rolled his eyes at him. “I suppose I’m also a little bit glad to have had this chance to come here.”
Hei Lie’s smile grew even brighter. In one swift move, he scooped Yang Yi up and darted into the next room.
By the time the two of them emerged again, several hours had already passed.
Defeating the Blackstone Tribe had not made Yang Yi and Hei Lie drop their guard. They doubled the manpower digging the moat, further strengthening the tribe’s defenses.
By the time the chili peppers in the fields began to bear fruit, the moat had been fully dug through.
The entire tribe held a grand celebration. During the festival, the newly hatched crocodiles were released into the river one by one.
Although these crocodiles were still small, they already displayed remarkable strength.
The breeding farm had previously hatched dozens of them. These crocodiles grew to enormous sizes. Adult crocodiles could reach over ten meters long, like the prehistoric giants seen in movies.
When Yang Yi saw them, he couldn’t help but shiver inwardly.
Their bite force was incredibly strong, and their skin was tough and resilient. They were truly fierce beasts.
Yet their meat was delicious. Roasted, it tasted much like chicken, nothing like their terrifying, savage appearance suggested.
At first, Yang Yi hesitated about raising such massive creatures. Their appetite was enormous! Though they were omnivores and could eat wild fruits and roots, they still required meat.
But everyone found them fascinating. The moat was otherwise empty, with nothing in it. The breeding grounds had been relocated, so there were no geese or ducks playing around. Raising some creatures there made things far more lively.
Besides, they consumed less meat than their bodies grew, and they could also be fed with offal, rats, and other scraps.
Their hides were extremely tough and could be crafted into defensive equipment.
While alive, they could guard the tribe, preventing beasts or bandits from sneaking in to harm the people.
Although there were no large packs of predators near the tribe, ambushes still occurred from time to time.
Before the moat was completed, a child who had wandered too far had nearly been carried off.
Although the guards spotted it in time, the child was badly mauled. Even though they managed to save him, the injuries left irreversible damage, leaving the child frail and weak.
The people here possessed all sorts of talents. Even among the beasts, there were those that could swim and climb.
Once, a beast had even climbed up a house and nearly dragged away the person sleeping inside. Though it was a rare occurrence, it had still happened.
Even with the powerful warriors and the tall, sturdy houses of the Spark Tribe, it didn’t mean the central living area was absolutely safe.
This world was filled with dangers of every kind. It was only safer here by comparison.
Hearing this, Yang Yi no longer objected. He simply made sure the crocodiles wouldn’t be able to climb out of the moat, then brought out all the crocodile eggs from his space and had them hatched.
If these creatures proved too difficult to raise, then they could always be eaten.
The crocodiles might be formidable, but they still couldn’t defeat the Spark Tribe’s people, nor could they best Goose King or Little White.
No matter how fierce, they could always end up as a dish on the table.
![The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao](https://novels.space/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_143139.png "The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao")
