“An, what do you think they’re calling people one by one into that tent for? Could it be that they want to do something bad?”
Kumu watched as people went one after another into the strange tent that the Spark Tribe had temporarily set up. He was filled with curiosity.
After they had settled down, these Spark people came again, this time even bringing along some people who didn’t look like they had much combat power.
These people were very special. Kumu couldn’t describe with words what exactly was special about them. Anyway, they just looked different.
Seeing these people, he couldn’t help but unconsciously lower his voice when speaking. Otherwise, it always felt like he was being too rough.
In all his life, Kumu had never seen such people. Their combat power wasn’t strong, but you would never think of them as weak because of that.
It took Kumu quite a long time to realize that these people were like the old shamans of their tribe in the past, with eyes that carried wisdom within them.
The Spark Tribe people quickly finished setting up the strange tent.
This kind of tent was the first time Kumu had ever seen it. He didn’t know what kind of hides the materials were. They were extremely light and thin, yet able to block wind and rain. Truly amazing. And their tent was very spacious, with dark green patterns on it.
Once row after row of green tents were set up, the Spark people began calling people inside one by one for questioning.
At first, everyone was extremely wary, afraid that the other side might play some trick. If a person went inside, they basically had no power to resist if something happened.
Because of this, many people just stood to the side and watched, not daring to be the first to go in.
It was only after quite a while that someone was brave enough to take the very first step.
And because this person cooperated, he received praise from the Spark Tribe people and was even allowed to directly become a reserve member of the Spark Tribe.
As long as he could pass the Spark Tribe’s assessment afterwards, he would be able to truly become one of the Spark Tribe! To enjoy the benefits that the Spark people now have.
Right now, he could leave this place and go to where the Spark people worked.
He could live in a tall house that sheltered from wind and rain, and there would be people distributing food to him.
Not only that, he had even received a bag of ground fruits, which he could share with his family, friends, and others.
“As long as you obey the leadership of the Spark Tribe, you will receive preferential treatment. Since you are willing to trust us, we, for the same reason, also trust you.”
Everyone was extremely envious of these benefits. Although the people after him didn’t have such an enviable opportunity again, this matter alone calmed quite a few people down, making them want to seize a chance to show themselves.
Here, although they had not yet entered the Spark Tribe, they were already in an assessment period, which meant they now had hope.
Compared with the initial confusion and restlessness, everyone was now a little calmer.
“Once it’s our turn, we’ll naturally find out.”
An was also extremely curious. But after people came out, they all kept their mouths tightly shut, so there was nowhere to inquire.
Near those tents, soldiers were stationed on guard, preventing anyone from getting close or eavesdropping.
“It’s enough to drive people crazy with anxiety.”
Kumu was restless until both of their names were called. Only then did he walk into that strange tent with a nervous heart.
Just as they had expected, although this tent was very thin, it could still block the wind and snow very well.
Kumu looked curiously at the person inside the tent. This… was just a little girl, wasn’t it? She probably only reached up to his waist, right?
The boy next to the little girl looked even younger than her, yet his strength had already reached the level of a level one warrior! Perhaps even higher.
What were they trying to do?
Kumu was completely bewildered.
“What’s your name? Where are you from? Are you a warrior, and what talent do you possess?”
As soon as Kumu had steadied himself, the girl rattled off a whole string of questions.
“Ah?”
Kumu froze, utterly unprepared that upon entering, he would be asked such things.
He answered honestly, and then the girl asked many more strange questions. For example: where their tribe was located, what mountain ranges were nearby, which tribes were the closest, and so on.
By the time Kumu left the tent, he felt as though he had told the story of his entire life.
“What on earth are they trying to do?” Kumu was extremely puzzled.
An came out of the tent as well, having been asked the very same questions.
An shook his head. He didn’t understand why these people were asking such things, but he was absolutely certain they weren’t asking aimlessly. They definitely had their purpose.
“That little girl you mentioned, was she also writing things down with a pen?”
“Pen?” Kumu blinked. “Are you talking about the feather she was holding in her hand?”
“Mm, then that should be a quill. I’ve heard of it before. It can be used to write words.”
Kumu was deeply amazed: “I never thought such a small child would also know how to write. The Spark Tribe really is just like the rumors say.”
Writing was something extremely sacred. It had already been said before that in the Spark Tribe, everyone had to learn it.
Before, he had thought it unbelievable, thinking it was all nonsense. But he never expected it to be actually true.
“Right, they also gave me some kind of temporary identity token, and there are even numbers on it!” Kumu took out that finely crafted wooden token.
The wooden token had been carbonized, with incomprehensible patterns carved on it. That little girl had said this was called numbers.
“My number is… what was it again? I’ve forgotten.” Kumu slapped his head in annoyance. “They said every person has a unique number, and look at me, I actually forgot it!”
An also took his token off from around his neck: “I have one too. The number is 0011120800058.”
“Wow, you’re amazing, you can even memorize such a long number!” Kumu looked at him with admiration. “What on earth does it mean?”
“0011 represents that we are the eleventh group of people to seek refuge here, 1208 is today’s date, and 00058 means I’m the fifty-eighth person within this group.”
The Spark Tribe didn’t deliberately hide anything. Whenever someone asked, they would explain.
An was full of wonder and confusion. Just this string of numbers alone showed how orderly this tribe was.
“Date? What is a date?”
An explained: “The Spark Tribe takes the cycle of the four seasons as one year. A year has about three hundred and sixty days, and these three hundred and sixty days are further divided into twelve months, each month with about thirty days.”
The current cycles of a year and a month were temporarily set by Yang Yi. It was based on Earth’s system of classification and his observations here, as a convenient way to remember for the time being. Once the laws here could be understood clearly, they would be revised.
The recording of time was to make the development of agriculture, production, and other planning more convenient.
Kumu felt dizzy just listening: “This is way too complicated!”
An chuckled: “Actually, once you understand it, it’s quite interesting. This tribe really is very special. Maybe we truly can live a good life here.”
———
“Divine Envoy, the population survey is complete. Sure enough, quite a few problematic people were found. All the records are here.” Han Bing handed a folder to Yang Yi.
Yang Yi glanced through a few pages, then passed it to Hei Lie beside him.
“For now, we can only make conjectures based on the information. To deal with them, we still need evidence, so that everyone will be convinced. This is also the standard of conduct we follow, based on facts.”
For this group of people seeking refuge, they conducted extremely detailed questioning, using the information from each to deduce whether someone had issues.
This kind of thing was not being done for the first time. In the past, Yang Yi had already been very conscious of checking each person’s information, understanding their relationships with one another, and building a file for every single person.
Internally, it made management easier. Externally, it allowed them to understand the population and strength of other tribes and merchant groups, and so on.
Once gathered, this information was very useful.
However, Yang Yi was not someone trained in such work. He only knew there was such a method, but had never truly practiced it himself, so his experience was lacking.
Later, a specialized information-gathering team was established. With deliberate training, only then did progress come.
All these matters were handled by Hei Lie. Compared to Yang Yi himself, he was much more suited for this kind of work.
Through the collection of such information, combined with Han Bing’s intelligence and talents, they had now already drawn a general map of the Eastern Continent, along with the relationships among the various tribes.
“Have you investigated clearly why they came here?” Hei Lie asked as he flipped through the documents in his hand.
Han Bing nodded: “Most people said that someone told them this was a place blessed by the gods, a divine realm. Here, they could have endless food and warm houses. There were even people distributing food, encouraging them to come here.”
Hei Lie sneered: “Truly generous.”
“To be able to do such a thing, it could only be a tribe of considerable strength. Surely, there are traces of merchant groups from the Western Continent involved.”
Across the entire Eastern Continent, those who could still take out food during the cold season were few and far between.
No one would dare to hand out their stored food at such a time. Should any mishap occur, it could very well lead to the annihilation of their tribe.
Everything was just as they had guessed.
“But the most important reason,” Yang Yi couldn’t help but slightly furrow his brows, “is that they simply couldn’t go on living in their original places.”
The reason they couldn’t survive was because of natural disasters—droughts, floods, great forest fires, and even earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
What Yang Yi feared most in construction was natural disasters. Even on Earth, natural calamities were extremely difficult to deal with. Here, they had even less ability to resist them.
“The gods will not always bring happiness. They will also use disasters to make us stronger.” Hei Lie spoke calmly.
Natural disasters were indeed terrifying, but that did not mean there was no way out. These people who had fled here were the best proof of that.
Yang Yi sighed: “We still have to vigorously develop, to increase our ability to resist disasters.”
“Divine Envoy, I have a request.” Han Bing spoke up at this time.
“Go ahead.”
“After the tribe stabilizes, I want to form an expedition team to travel around. I want to draw out the entire Eastern Continent.” A gleam of light flickered in Han Bing’s eyes.
Yang Yi was surprised. When Han Bing had first begun drawing maps, it had actually been a case of being pushed into it.
Having a talent for painting and being good at drawing maps were two completely different things.
But since there really was no one else, the task had fallen to Han Bing, who seemed to have at least a little bit of a connection to the skill.
Han Bing had not disappointed Yang Yi’s expectations either. Drawing maps had become more and more natural for him, and the accuracy higher and higher.
Who would have thought that now Han Bing was even fascinated by it.
“This is by no means an easy matter, and it is very dangerous.”
Since someone had such ambition, Yang Yi naturally would not refuse.
In this way, they could understand the Eastern Continent even more, something closely tied to the tribe’s safety and development.
Only by understanding this world could they make better use of it.
By knowing where there were people, by knowing the other side’s situation, they could make preparations in advance more effectively.
They could also learn about the distribution of resources, and thereby provide the tribe with more supplies, and so on.
“Divine Envoy, I’m not afraid of danger!” Han Bing’s eyes lit up, feeling that there was hope.
“It’s just that my combat power is too low. I’ll need a group of people to assist me to reach farther places.”
“People can be given to you, and supplies can also be provided for you,” Hei Lie spoke.
Han Bing was overjoyed: “Thank you, Divine Envoy. Thank you, Chieftain!”
“Don’t be happy too soon. The people you want to choose must also agree to go with you.”
Although this matter was very important, it was also extremely dangerous.
The reason the Western Continent could move freely across the Eastern Continent, able to incite so many people so easily, was precisely because the information they possessed about the Eastern Continent was even more complete than what the Eastern Continent’s own people had.
They too needed such information. They would absolutely never reveal everything they knew.
But within the tribe at present, this matter was still not the most pressing one to resolve. To some people, it was hard to understand.
Providing supplies was very simple, but providing manpower required more consideration.
Staying within the tribe or hunting near the tribe carried a much higher degree of safety.
As life in the tribe grew better and better, everyone also came to treasure their lives all the more.
Orders could easily be given, and no one would object. But Hei Lie, at this moment, did not want to do that.
Han Bing pressed his lips together and nodded solemnly: “Alright! I will find suitable people.”
“This is not an easy matter. For now, focus on doing your own duties well. There are still many nearby areas you all haven’t mapped clearly yet. Take it step by step first,” Yang Yi said.
“Divine Envoy, I understand.” Han Bing smiled a little awkwardly. “Now that these people have arrived, the maps I drew before have become even more detailed and precise. It really makes me want to complete them properly.”
Yang Yi encouraged him: “It’s very good that you have such an idea. Later, there will be even more people. The more we understand about the outside, the safer it will be when going out.”
After Han Bing left, Yang Yi said, “Han Bing’s maps will be very useful for us in attacking the Blackstone Tribe.”
Attacking the Blackstone Tribe had already been put on the agenda. They had been deceived so many times. If they did not strike back now, there would only be countless more times waiting for them.
Even if the Blackstone Tribe disappeared, it would not prevent the same kind of thing from happening again in the future.
But it would still serve as a strong and powerful warning: whoever dared provoke the Spark Tribe, no matter where they fled, even to the ends of the earth, they would be torn to pieces.
Everyone must understand that even hiding behind others to play schemes does not mean safety.
“Mm, barring any accidents, before the rainy season arrives, we’ll be able to march,” Hei Lie clenched his fist, his eyes dark.
“So soon…”
“Since they’re so eager for us to provide relief to these people, then they should bleed for it.”
The Blackstone Tribe possessed a great amount of resources. If they could be defeated, the problem of food shortages in the tribe could also be more than half resolved.
Yang Yi’s mood instantly grew much heavier. War also meant death.
The Blackstone Tribe was not easy to deal with. Their weapons were powerful, and their people were all strong warriors.
Defeating them would not be easy, especially since they would have to travel such a long distance to get there, which was already a disadvantage.
Although the Blackstone Tribe people were very familiar with the nearby area, they had, after all, been away for some time.
To Yang Yi, those people were not just numbers in a report. But each and every one of them was a vivid and living life.
Especially since, in order to protect him, Hei Lie could not go together.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Tu, but Tu’s strength truly fell far short of Hei Lie’s. His level of leadership was also much inferior.
If Hei Lie could go, it would be a great guarantee. But because of him, their chances of victory dropped a lot, and the potential losses could also increase greatly.
“Don’t think too much. In any tribe, the chieftain doesn’t personally handle every single matter. Moreover, to leave for such a long time, being without the chieftain would be very dangerous.”
Hei Lie walked up behind Yang Yi, rubbed his temples, and helped him relax.
“Still, I’m very glad for your recognition of my abilities.”
Yang Yi smiled, his heart full of conflict.
If Hei Lie really went, he also wouldn’t be able to feel at ease.
Hei Lie was the person closest to him. Between them, there was also a symbiotic contract.
Letting him enter such a dangerous situation, no matter how he thought of it, left him anxious and uneasy.
But if he didn’t go, he worried that because of him, many people might be lost.
“Your safety is above all else. If something were to happen to you, it would be a loss the entire tribe could not bear.”
“Actually, I’m not that important.” Yang Yi laughed wryly.
The people here were very clever. Within just a short time, they had already grasped many skills.
As their learning deepened further, more and more talent would emerge.
If he were to leave, perhaps there would be some turmoil for a while. But as long as talent and books were preserved, this group of people could still rely on their own strength to reach another peak.
“You underestimate yourself too much.” Hei Lie strongly disagreed with these words. “There is no one in this world more important than you!”
Yang Yi smiled even brighter and took out his notebook.
“Instead of thinking about all these pointless things, let’s plan out the work ahead, so we can provide the best support for Tu’s expedition!”
The first wave of those who had taken refuge quickly settled down in the Spark Tribe. During this time, although there were some small conflicts, they were soon pacified.
Not long after, the Spark Tribe began arranging work for them. Those with strong bodies were basically all assigned to hunt and obtain food, while the others were allocated to dig irrigation ditches, chop firewood, and perform other types of physical labor.
For those without tools, the Spark Tribe would provide them. But as a price, part of their food rations would be deducted.
“Everyone, move quickly. Soon you’ll be able to receive food. Today, the hunting team will also return, and you’ll get plenty of food.”
The Spark Tribe overseer shouted into a megaphone, rallying and encouraging everyone.
“In weather this cold, can we really catch prey?”
“Yeah. It’s so hard to find prey in winter. And with so many of us, there’s not nearly enough to go around.”
Others were also deeply worried. Their food was extremely scarce. Although each day they could get some food through labor, it only kept them in a state of not starving to death.
The work caused them to burn through energy quickly. Their stomachs were always hungry.
They could only work desperately, hoping to earn a bit more food.
“Everyone, don’t be like this. Having something is better than nothing. With the Spark Tribe’s hunting team, no matter how bad, it’ll still be better than before,” someone said, full of hope.
“Exactly, at least we’re still alive now, aren’t we?”
Along the way, many had died on the road.
Some starved to death, some froze to death, and some were killed by wild beasts. Staying in their original place left them with no way to survive. At least now it was much better than before.
The Spark Tribe overseer didn’t say much more. Until after work, when they returned to the camp and smelled the fragrance from afar, everyone was stunned.
“What am I smelling?”
“So fragrant! It’s meat. It’s fish meat!”
At that moment, everyone completely forgot their exhaustion from labor and all rushed into the camp, where they saw the large cauldrons the Spark Tribe had lent them set over the fire, cooking something.
When the hunting team saw everyone, they burst out laughing:
“Today we can eat our fill! We caught so, so, so many fish!”
“Fish? How could there be fish? Hasn’t the river surface already frozen over?”
Everyone was incredulous.
“Just smash open the ice, that’s all! We’ve got tough fishing nets—really, really big fishing nets!”
The hunters were so excited. They had never known it was possible to catch fish like this.
The fishing nets Yang Yi had brought couldn’t trap the fish here. But once everyone saw such a thing and understood how it worked, some began to pay attention to what kind of rope could catch the fish here.
Through everyone’s efforts, they finally found such a plant.
It had about the same toughness as the nets Yang Yi brought, but it gave off a scent that made fish not want to come near.
So when fishing, some skill was required. Once you mastered the technique, you could get fish into the net just like in a trap.
As for net-fishing beneath the ice, Yang Yi had absolutely no experience. He only knew about cutting holes and placing the net in, but the nets were extremely, extremely large, and setting them was also a long process.
He only knew this from once watching a variety show, and later watching some documentaries for a deeper understanding.
Otherwise, for a southerner who had never even seen snow in his homeland, he truly wouldn’t have known you could fish like this.
He had once gone to attend a local winter fishing festival, but it was too cold there. He didn’t have the patience to watch from the beginning to the end. He only went over during the net-pulling and even bought quite a lot of fish.
The fish there were delicious, and also extremely large in size.
Yang Yi, as an outsider, couldn’t really give any guidance. These techniques looked like they weren’t especially complicated, but once you actually tried to do them, they were far from something that could be done casually. They all required the guidance of skilled masters.
Still, he had some related books and videos. With collective strength, if he couldn’t do it, there were always others.
With everyone working together to find a way, it could still be accomplished.
Even though there were some discrepancies because of the nets, the clever Spark people still managed to grasp this method.
And it was the good fortune of those who had defected, just when they were about to arrive at the Spark Tribe, that group of Spark folk who loved tinkering and researching had gradually mastered the method. After several failures, they finally obtained a sizable catch and gained some experience.
“This is really too amazing. Just setting the net took us a long time. At first, I didn’t quite dare to believe that we could actually catch fish this way. But once we started pulling in the net, we caught so, so many fish! You didn’t see the scene. It was truly shocking!”
“It’s all thanks to the Spark people bringing sleds. Otherwise, those roads would’ve been really hard to travel. Now, no matter how thick the snow is, we’re not afraid. We can even move really fast.”
One of the tools that left everyone in awe was precisely the sleds brought by the Spark people. In winter, traveling in the snow was very difficult, especially when transporting things. It always felt unbearably heavy.
But with sleds and skis and the like, things became obviously much easier.
If they had to go uphill, they also had shovels to clear the way. The snow here wasn’t as thick as in the places many of them had lived before, making travel even more convenient.
“But it’s a pity that some nets got bitten through. When we were pulling them up, quite a few fish escaped. Otherwise, the number would’ve been even greater.”
The fish here were still very ferocious. Not every fish was willing to be caught in a net, so the failure rate was still quite high.
Luckily, the holes weren’t big, so the result still left everyone extremely satisfied.
Also, the fish weren’t all roasted like many people usually do, but instead were put into clay pots to cook.
This way, the fish wouldn’t lose weight from water reduction through roasting, and there would also be a wonderfully rich fish soup.
The fish soup was not only delicious, but also contained the fish oil boiled out. With salt added in, drinking it not only warmed the whole body but also provided energy.
“Oh, why is this so delicious! I used to cook fish before, but it always had a really unpleasant taste.”
Someone exclaimed in wonder, completely conquered by this delicious fish soup.
“The fish soup has ginger added to remove the fishy smell. You also have to scrape off the scales and clean out the innards. Although it’s troublesome, it really does taste better,” said the one in charge of cooking.
When the Spark people taught her to do it this way, she had felt it wasn’t necessary.
But now, after drinking this soup, she thought it was absolutely necessary! Even though no matter what it tasted like they would still eat it, who wouldn’t like delicious food?
Anyway, once you got used to doing it, it wasn’t so troublesome. It even turned eating into an enjoyment, and drinking a bit more soup could also make the stomach feel fuller.
“Ah, if only we could be this lucky all the time from now on.”
At this moment, the person in charge from Spark finally spoke at the right time: “As long as you follow Spark’s leadership and obey Spark’s arrangements, this is only just the beginning.”
