TPWBI Chapter 103

The first winter fishing brought a bountiful harvest, calming the unease of those who had sought refuge and filling them with anticipation for the future.

Although they had not yet lived the life they had hoped for, seeing the dawn of survival made them less restless.

Even if there was an imbalance in their hearts, they would still be intimidated by the formidable military strength displayed by the Spark Tribe.

Especially one day, when they heard a loud explosion from a place. After the commotion subsided and they went to look, a huge pit had appeared out of thin air.

The people of the Spark Tribe said, “This is power bestowed by the gods, used to protect our Spark Tribe. The gods sent down their envoy so that humans would possess wisdom and then use that wisdom to create a beautiful future.

“But there will always be some foolish people who believe the gods will directly grant food and such, and so they go as far as to harm the divine envoy. To resolve this problem, not only does the envoy have the strongest warrior guards, but he also holds power enough to blow away an entire mountain.”

Those who had sought refuge were all shaken, completely subdued by this terrifying power.

The Spark Tribe was indeed strong, but they, too, were still humans like themselves. There was a gap, but it was not an unbridgeable chasm.

But the power bestowed by the gods was different. It was mysterious and fearsome. That was the almighty god. No one dared show contempt toward the god.

Such a massive pit could never have been created by human hands in an instant.

That deafening sound just now was even more terrifying, filled with an aura of unknown mystery.

Most of those who had come here to seek refuge had been forced to migrate because of natural disasters.

To them, natural disasters were punishments from the gods or the mischief of demons. They did not know it was simply nature’s calamity.

Adding to that, the development of the Spark Tribe was so wondrous. The things they displayed were unheard of.

For example, a projection that could display images. Without a doubt, that was a miracle of the gods.

Moreover, this was only a newly established tribe. Yet they could already build it into what it was now. If not for the gods, no one could possibly achieve such a thing.

Therefore, upon hearing this explanation, there was almost no one who did not believe it.

Now that life once again held hope, most of the people who had migrated here simply to survive all settled down, earnestly striving for and completing the tasks issued by the Spark Tribe.

“An, did you see the latest mission posted by the Spark Tribe!” Kumu ran back to the tent in excitement, eager to share the message he had received and accepted.

An lifted his eyes and nodded: “You mean the matter about attending training, and then taking the examination?”

“Yes, yes! You’re so smart. You’ll definitely be able to pass the exam.” Kumu was overjoyed. “As long as you pass the exam, you can also become a reserve member of the Spark Tribe!”

An pressed his lips together, his gaze firm.

He had not expected the opportunity to come so quickly. The moment he learned the news, his heart surged with excitement.

Since this opportunity was here, he absolutely would not let it slip by.

“I will go and give it a try.”

“You definitely can. Even the Spark commander once praised your cleverness. And they even remembered your name, and told me I must make sure to drag you along to the training.”

Kumu felt honored by association, even more excited than if he himself had been admitted.

“You could try, too.”

Kumu laughed: “Forget it. I can’t even count to a hundred yet. I don’t even know how many tents it makes if you add ten canopies to ten tents.”

An felt a little downhearted. Kumu was his best friend. Along this entire journey, if it hadn’t been for Kumu taking care of him, he never would have made it this far.

“What are you doing? Come on now. I’ll definitely be able to join, too. It’ll just take me a little longer than you.” Kumu gave his shoulder a push.

An smiled: “I’ll be there waiting for you!”

Ever since the resettlement area had punished several waves of troublemakers, things here had gradually stabilized. The Spark Tribe also began arranging other kinds of work beyond just physical labor, like digging canals.

Every so often, they would release some small missions. As long as one could complete them, they could become reserve members ahead of time.

These missions were all very special, each one completely different from the last, and the difficulty was extremely high.

But every time, there would always be a few people chosen. After leaving the resettlement area and then returning, they looked like entirely different people.

Everyone could clearly see that their spirit and energy were different, and they were visibly plumper.

Without needing to say it, everyone knew how well their lives must be going. This was only for reserve members!

The true Spark people enjoyed treatment far better than the reserves.

From them, it was easy to see just how fortunate it was to become one of the Spark, giving everyone even more motivation to strive forward.

Compared to the miserable deaths of those who resisted or tried to stir up trouble, the contrast was stark.

What was most terrifying was that whenever the Spark Tribe made a move, no matter how strong the warriors were, they had no power to fight back.

And those who struck were not even warriors, but merely sturdier-than-average ordinary people.

They were well-trained, working together to strangle their opponents with unstoppable momentum. Their combat strength in cooperation was far greater than that of other ordinary people, to the point that even an equal number of warriors working together struggled to withstand them.

With such a contrast, those who only wanted to live a good life all knew what choice to make.

“This group of people has basically stabilized,” Hei Lie said. “Including them, our tribe now has more than thirty thousand people.”

Yang Yi looked at the latest report handed in. It mainly described the current situation at the resettlement area: overall, it was trending toward stability. Even if conflicts occasionally arose, they were within a reasonable range.

At present, it could basically be determined that these people are already counted as a secure population and could be converted into labor.

Anyone who could endure the harsh winter and make it this far had pretty good physical strength. They also worked with great enthusiasm.

They had no choice but to be enthusiastic. Not only because of food, but also because the posts provided by the Spark Tribe could not accommodate everyone, which meant there was competition among them.

Yang Yi and Hei Lie had spent a great deal of time studying just how many posts should be released. Too many or too few would easily cause problems.

Too many posts would make the tribe’s food consumption increase too quickly, something they did not have the capacity to sustain. Too few posts would cause people to lose hope, even to the point of rising in rebellion.

It was best to maintain it at the stage where one had to jump a bit higher to reach the apple. This was one of the most basic methods in management theory. Yang Yi understood the principle, but the actual execution was far from simple.

Over this matter, Yang Yi was practically worrying himself bald. He and Hei Lie had already used up countless sheets of draft paper.

Judging by the current situation, their planning matched the present needs. Small conflicts still existed, but the overall direction was no longer a problem.

“The school has also submitted a report. Among these people, there are a few who are extremely intelligent—some with extraordinarily strong memories, others with outstanding computational abilities,” Yang Yi said excitedly.

What this place lacked least were people with great physical strength. On top of that, many of them had various innate talents. This made them possess a kind of drive and execution ability that Earthlings did not have.

Compared to physical strength, clever minds were very scarce. Most were just ordinary, about the same as Earthlings.

It was just that these people accepted everything wholeheartedly without other distractions. They didn’t think it was too hard. They wouldn’t come up with the notion that “studying is useless”, and there weren’t things like Honor of Kings blocking their way.

Therefore, their learning speed was relatively fast. In truth, the level of intelligence of most people was not much different from Earthlings.

A genius like Lan Jian was extremely rare. At present, she was the only one.

There were somewhat more people who fell between Lan Jian and the ordinary, but their number was still very limited.

This naturally led to a problem: for some technical tasks, the ones that required research, there simply weren’t enough people available to carry out deep study.

After all, many of them had only just started learning, hadn’t even recognized many characters yet, and their knowledge level was limited. As for specialized knowledge, they simply couldn’t understand it at this point.

Education was a long-term process. For ordinary people, it took a long time to cultivate talent. For now, they could only hope that more geniuses would appear to fill in the gap during this period.

At present, the tribe was not lacking in people with physical strength, but rather in people with sharp minds. Whether in technical fields or in management, they were in dire shortage.

“This is good news,” Hei Lie was also very pleased.

But Yang Yi calmed down at this moment: “These people must be carefully examined for character and loyalty. The destructive power of clever people is far greater than that of ordinary ones.”

“I’ll have Jiao keep an eye on them.”

Yang Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Jiao had already started “preaching” at the resettlement area. In this world where people believed in spirits and gods, the work was progressing quite smoothly.

Now Jiao looked increasingly kind-eyed and benevolent, appearing very gentle and full of influence, making it easy for others to lower their guard.

She even controlled her voice, making it a real pleasure to listen to her speak, like being bathed in the spring breeze.

Before, they had always thought a talent in voice was nothing more than being loud. Only now did they realize it could actually carry a power of enchantment.

Jiao was also a diligent person, with a strong love for reading, which made her persuasion all the more substantial.

She used the simplest language to explain certain principles. In plainer terms, she was very skilled at pouring out “chicken soup for the soul”.

This was something neither Yang Yi nor Hei Lie could do. Yang Yi, though gentle, was far too different, which caused many people to look up to him from a distance.

As for Hei Lie, there was no need to mention it. He had always been the symbol of cruelty.

He and Yang Yi had a clear division of labor. Although every order was the result of discussions between the two, all the good deeds were credited to Yang Yi, while all the cruel ones were said to be carried out by Hei Lie.

Jiao, on the other hand, was approachable and easily blended into the crowd, making people feel she was very sincere, willing to regard her as their own friend, believing she truly thought for their sake. For certain matters, having her handle them was the most suitable.

Yang Yi was already overwhelmed with responsibility for infrastructure. He had no extra time to take care of such things. Besides, the work of indoctrination was not something just anyone could do.

“This batch of people is considered stabilized. But there are still many more coming afterward.”

Yang Yi frowned slightly, unconsciously spinning his pen.

“The second batch is estimated to be six or seven thousand people, much fewer in number.”

“But that’s still a lot! If we start planting vegetables now, it’s still too late. From the looks of it, in winter, the growth is even slower than usual.” Yang Yi slumped back into his chair. “And besides, there are still more people to come!”

Snow was falling thick and fast. Although most of the vegetables in the fields had survived, their yield had clearly dropped a great deal.

The later the planting was done, the weaker the seedlings were, making them very easily frostbitten or frozen to death, or resulting in extremely low harvests, unable to meet demand.

If there had been any other choice, Yang Yi would never have arranged so much planting work. Although it wasn’t to the point of losing more than they gained, compared to the effort put in, it was still not cost-effective.

With the same energy, producing more porcelain and other goods could be exchanged for much more food.

For now, though, this was the only possible option.

The resettlement area had also begun planting. They selected the most frost-resistant vegetables, having people raise seedlings inside their own houses. Only when they grew large enough, able to withstand the wind and snow, could they be moved outside.

Although these vegetables were frost-resistant, their growth rate was slowed by a full third compared to normal.

“Once we conquer the Blackstone Tribe, there will be no need to worry anymore.” Hei Lie very naturally walked over to Yang Yi and began massaging his shoulders to help him relax.

Yang Yi’s brows furrowed even tighter: “Has it already been decided to go on the expedition?”

“We have no choice but to.”

“But Tu is only bringing two thousand people. The risk is far too great. The Blackstone Tribe has more than just that many.”

The tribe was about to receive a large influx of outsiders. Although the first batch had settled down, they had not yet truly become a part of the Spark Tribe.

At present, things were calm and peaceful, but no one could guarantee they wouldn’t defect. After all, they hadn’t been together long enough.

Therefore, not many people could be assigned to Tu. Troops had to be kept behind to guard the tribe.

All they could do was select as many elite soldiers as possible for Tu, and equip them with the most advanced weapons and gear.

“The Blackstone Tribe also has weaknesses. A tribe completely centered around profit cannot truly unite. Don’t underestimate our soldiers. They are not merely a matter of numbers added together.”

Hei Lie was full of confidence. After such a long period of training, he could proudly say that the soldiers of the Spark Tribe were unlike those of any other tribe.

He had studied the methods of military training from Earth. Although, because the time had been short, many aspects were still imperfect, it had nevertheless yielded great results.

Now, while he did not dare claim they could compare to the most elite forces on Earth, he could still call them an excellent unit.

Their collective combat power had increased greatly. They were not only impressive to look at, but their strength was also extraordinary.

Yang Yi was well aware of this. He had watched bit by bit how Hei Lie had drilled these people into what they were.

Even so, worries were unavoidable. After all, in sheer numbers, they were not on equal footing.

“Numbers aren’t the most important thing. Looking through history, there were even Earthly troops of just a few hundred who marched thousands of li and annihilated enemy forces numbering over ten thousand. Besides, although they only have two thousand people, they also bring with them two thousand well-trained ostriches.”

Yang Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Those ostriches were incredibly fierce. Not only could they run fast, but their combat ability was also extremely strong.

At first, they thought the ostriches would not be able to adapt to the cold here, but unexpectedly, they evolved on their own, growing very thick plumage.

Not only did it keep them warm, but it also made their wings even stronger. Some of the more formidable ostriches could flap their wings and produce a gust of wind strong enough to blow a person over.

Now, Yang Yi had two animal bodyguards by his side: one was Little White, and the other was Little Gray.

At present, Little White had suffered from the disadvantage of size and was being pressed to the ground and thrashed by Little Gray. And yet, Little White was a fierce goose capable of battling even a level two warrior.

“It’s a pity that our bombs still haven’t been successfully developed.” Yang Yi sighed in regret.

If they had hot weapons, the losses would be far fewer.

The massive pit that had been blasted out before was actually caused by an accident, not something deliberately staged to show those who had sought refuge. It was just a matter of going along with the situation.

Fortunately, that accident hadn’t resulted in any deaths, though it had consumed quite a lot of materials. They were still searching for substitutes locally.

“To be able to reach this point is already the blessing of the gods,” Hei Lie felt no regret and deeply cherished what they currently possessed.

Yang Yi also understood this in his heart. It was just that his emotions were stirred, and he couldn’t help but vent to Hei Lie.

In front of Hei Lie, he could say whatever he wanted, without much concern.

Other than Hei Lie, no one knew that the so-called divine envoy was actually a rather long-winded person who often fell into bouts of discouragement. In the eyes of others, Yang Yi was a pillar. So long as he was there, even if the sky collapsed, there was nothing to fear.

No one ever imagined that Yang Yi was just an ordinary person, someone who, back on Earth, was even despised by some as a game-addicted otaku.

“Many of the original people of the Blackstone Tribe have already left. To meet old acquaintances again, only to fight to the death. Ah…”

But Hei Lie didn’t care: “We are now people of the Spark Tribe. When we left, we already severed ties with the past. Besides, as for how many of those we were close with are even still alive, that’s hard to say.”

Birds of a feather flock together. People form groups by affinity.

Even when they were in the same tribe before, everyone would still grow closer to those whose values matched their own. Most of those people had already left with Hei Lie.

Those who hadn’t left still harbored attachments. But as their values clashed more and more, they became increasingly intolerant. Such people would easily be eliminated by the Blackstone chieftain.

And as for those assimilated by the Blackstone chieftain, Hei Lie and the others would not hesitate to strike them down.

“The Blackstone Tribe is no longer what it used to be. They’ve even started eating people,” Hei Lie’s eyes darkened.

Yang Yi felt waves of nausea: “There are tribes whose civilization has actually regressed.”

“They mixed with the Fang Tribe, and that doomed them to this end. The Fang Tribe believes that eating a warrior’s heart will grant you their strength. Such ideas can easily corrupt some people. Besides, the Blackstone chieftain is old.”

Yang Yi frowned in confusion: “Old? You mean he’s senile?”

“No. He’s old and now wants to obtain rebirth. I heard he’s already begun consuming infants, hoping to buy back youth that way.”

Yang Yi felt even sicker: “Just kill them all. Leave none of those cannibals alive.”

When the second batch of people arrived at the Spark Tribe, Tu led two thousand people and two thousand ostriches to march out and punish the Blackstone Tribe.

Everyone was high-spirited, their shouts tearing through the sky and leaving a tremendous impression on the newcomers.

This group wore uniform clothing, carried the best weapons and gear, and rode the towering, strange birds. Their momentum struck fear in all directions.

“Whoever disturbs our Spark Tribe dies!”

“Divine Envoy, chieftain, await our good news. We will surely return victorious!”

Tu downed a bowl of wine and slammed the pottery cup onto the ground.

Yang Yi nodded at them. The riders and ostriches thundered away, followed by a flock of geese led by the Goose King.

The Goose King himself had requested to join the expedition on the condition that any goose who went would not be eaten, except those who died in battle.

Yang Yi had tried to dissuade them, but those geese wouldn’t have been eaten anyway, because they had been enlightened.

Yang Yi couldn’t become a vegetarian, but he would never touch animals that were sentient and able to communicate with him.

“The world is so big. We want to go see it, too.”

Goose King left behind such a dashing remark.

Of course, that wasn’t his exact wording. Yang Yi had translated and refined it a bit, but the meaning was more or less the same.

Since Goose King had volunteered himself, Yang Yi naturally wouldn’t refuse. After all, this flock of geese had immense killing power.

In winter, hungry beasts launched more raids than usual. It was always Goose King leading his subordinates to drive them off or even kill them, making life in the livestock group extremely comfortable.

Although Goose King brought only one hundred geese this time, their combat strength was not to be underestimated.

Because they could fly! They could launch airstrikes!

Compared to ordinary geese, their flying ability was stronger and far more agile. Their larger bodies did not cause them to move awkwardly or slow down.

“I also want an ostrich! Better yet, I want to raise a goose, too!”

Kumu watched the troops depart, his eyes full of envy, wishing he could be one of them.

As a warrior, being well-fed was important. But what truly uplifted the spirit was raising one’s combat power.

Every time he saw Spark Tribe’s people ride ostriches and disappear in a flash, Kumu practically drooled with longing.

“You’ll get your chance. Perform well. As long as you join the Spark Tribe, you’ll have the opportunity to claim one,” An encouraged.

During this period, he had already entered the school to study. Only then did he realize how narrow his vision had been before. This world was actually so fascinating.

Though he was still in the literacy stage now, he was already itching to get his hands on those captivating books.

An had never felt so good before. Just as the teacher had said, he had found his true place.

Kumu nodded repeatedly. “I will definitely join the Spark Tribe! I want to follow the chieftain and become the bravest warrior.”

Everyone had already seen Hei Lie’s strength with their own eyes. This man not only possessed immense martial power. Even dozens of well-trained level three warriors besieging him together couldn’t bring him down.

More importantly, he was also highly skilled at teaching and training soldiers.

The ratio of warriors to gifted individuals in the Spark Tribe was far higher than in other tribes, which alone was enough proof.

In this world of the strong preying on the weak, the people of the Eastern Continent naturally revered those with great strength. Especially for warriors, the best way to make them follow you was to be stronger than they were.

An leaned close to Kumu’s ear and whispered a reminder: “With this new batch of people arriving, there are bound to be some with bad intentions. Use your gift to keep an eye out. As long as you can root them out, you’ll definitely be recognized and rewarded.”

Kumu’s gift was his hearing. As long as he willed it, he could hear sounds from very far away.

Hearing this, Kumu’s eyes lit up.

“You must remember,” An pressed on, “don’t be reckless. Write down exactly what they say, and find out clearly who said it. Tell me first, and we’ll make a plan together before reporting it.”

Worried that Kumu was too simple-minded and might end up getting falsely accused instead, An kept urging him over and over.

Kumu nodded earnestly. “I’ll remember!”

“Be sure to stay cautious. Don’t make mistakes out of impatience and ambition, or it’ll be even more troublesome. The Spark Tribe values character above all. If they think you deliberately framed someone, the outcome will be even worse.”

Kumu furrowed his brows, carefully engraving every single one of An’s words into his heart.

The second batch of people had only been in Spark’s territory for a few days when news reached Yang Yi that traitors had already been uncovered.

“So fast this time? We haven’t even started the census yet, and spies have already been found?” Yang Yi was astonished.

Hei Lie chuckled. “That’s not our doing. It was the first batch of people who caught them.”

The two resettlement points had been placed side by side, practically neighbors.

The Spark Tribe had even arranged for the first batch to help the second batch settle down. Besides giving them work to do, it was also a way to observe the relationships forming between the groups.

“It was them?”

Since they had all once been lured over in the same way, those who were a little sharper had a clearer idea of what was really going on and were better at spotting people with ulterior motives.

For those willing to put in the effort, uncovering traitors was only natural.

“Yes. The arrival of this new group has put pressure on them, but also brought them opportunities.”

Previously, someone who reported a spy had smoothly gained entry into the reserve force.

So the clever ones became very eager to cooperate, hoping to seize such a chance.

Otherwise, once the Spark Tribe itself stepped in, the matter would have nothing to do with them anymore.

Yang Yi smiled, pleased to hear it, but still reminded cautiously: “We must verify everything carefully and avoid false accusations.”

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