TPWBI Chapter 17

A tall figure appeared in front of Yang Yi. The children who had just gotten their candies scattered like a flock of birds.

Yang Yi wasn’t surprised by Hei Lie’s arrival. He glanced at him, then got up and walked to his own tent.

There were never enough thatched huts in the tribe. Yang Yi didn’t like squeezing in with others, so he had always stayed in this tent.

The tent was dual-purpose, though Yang Yi wasn’t sure what the two purposes were. He just thought staking it directly into the ground would be fine. But the others insisted on hanging it up, even going so far as to specially set aside two thick, sturdy logs for it.

Perhaps they thought sleeping suspended in the air set one apart from ordinary people. It is more fitting for someone with the air of a divine envoy.

“What do you want?” Yang Yi asked.

Hei Lie didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point: “Our tribe needs a chieftain.”

Originally, the tribe only had the shaman, Jiao. A chieftain had never been officially appointed, and things were temporarily managed by Jing.

In every tribe, the chieftain was always the most powerful warrior among them. In their tribe, that warrior was Jing. Even with one arm missing, he still possessed formidable combat strength.

But Jing was disabled. Yang Yi didn’t think it mattered, but both Jing himself and the others believed it wouldn’t do.

A chieftain’s role wasn’t just leading hunting parties and defending their home. It also symbolized the tribe’s strength.

If they had a disabled chieftain, the entire tribe would be looked down on by the others, which could trigger a chain of events.

The people here also had their own stubbornness. They wouldn’t break certain unspoken rules, and Yang Yi didn’t push them to.

Yan Shi’s combat strength was about the same as Rong’s. Previously, Rong hadn’t become the hunting team leader only because she was taking care of Jing.

If one were to judge purely by strength, who deserved to be the hunting team leader, Rong might not necessarily lose.

Especially after Rong got the metal axe, her combat power had increased significantly, much more noticeably than Yan Shi’s.

Plus, with everyone in a hurry to relocate and settle down, there hadn’t been time for a proper selection. That was why no official chieftain had been appointed.

Yang Yi knew very well that by now, most people had silently acknowledged Hei Lie as the tribe’s chieftain. So Hei Lie bringing it up didn’t surprise him.

“You want to become the chieftain?”

“Yes.” Hei Lie didn’t hide his intentions and spoke with great confidence. “I have the capability.”

Yang Yi nodded. This man truly was the most suitable.

The fact that the other party came to speak with him in person also made that faint, subtle feeling in his heart quietly disappear.

“According to our custom, who becomes the chieftain is decided through a duel.”

Yang Yi looked up and noticed the word “our” was clearly said on purpose to draw a line between them.

Sure enough.

“How do people choose in the place you came from?”

Yang Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling how this man had never once called him a divine envoy.

“You’re testing me?”

“I’m curious about how things are different where you came from,” Hei Lie voiced the question in his heart and went on to explain why he had left the Blackstone Tribe.

“The people from the Western Continent’s caravan once said that over there, it’s not the strongest warrior who becomes the leader, but someone with noble blood.”

Yang Yi had often heard people mention the Western Continent’s caravan before. He knew that place had a higher level of productivity than the Eastern Continent, but hadn’t realized that its social system was also very different.

This side leaned more toward Earth’s primitive society, whereas the Western Continent seemed to be in a slave society stage.

“The Western Continent is wealthier than us and possesses things we’ve never even seen before. But the things you have are even more miraculous than theirs, so I want to know how leaders are chosen in your place, and what kind of rules you follow.”

“You’re very good at thinking,” Yang Yi praised.

He had known this man was exceptional, but hadn’t expected him to be this exceptional.

A person’s thinking is closely tied to their society. The people here had simple thoughts and no concept of politics or governance.

All they cared about was how to get more food and how to survive well in a dangerous environment.

They never questioned whether certain systems or rules were reasonable. Only when their own interests were violated would they instinctively want to avoid it.

But this man in front of him was completely different. He possessed a level of introspection far beyond what existed here.

“I want our tribe to become stronger,” Hei Lie said, his eyes deep and steady.

He didn’t blindly accept, nor blindly reject. Instead, he sought to understand the root of things and then make adjustments to himself accordingly.

Yang Yi no longer dared to underestimate this man. At the same time, he felt truly fortunate to have someone like him by his side.

The topic of political systems wasn’t something that could be clearly explained in a short time. As a science major, Yang Yi’s understanding of it was quite shallow.

He couldn’t make a proper judgment, and even more so, he wasn’t able to explain the relationship between productivity and political systems using systematic or professional language.

“What matters most is what suits you. No system can be applied rigidly. If it is, it might instead lead to destruction.”

Hei Lie nodded, his expression very serious.

“Then what kind of system suits our tribe?”

“I don’t know either,” Yang Yi admitted honestly.

He was a “single-track” science and engineering guy. He understood technology, but not management.

The highest leadership role he had ever held was dorm monitor. Even then, he couldn’t solve the bathroom cleaning issue.

That was why he had made it clear from the start: he was only responsible for the development of the tribe’s productivity. Managing the entire tribe, he didn’t have the ability, energy, or interest for it.

Whether it was chieftain or shaman, he had no desire to take on those roles.

Of course, if certain rules or behaviors started to hinder development, he would definitely step in and intervene.

And to push development forward, he needed supreme authority. So the special role of a “divine envoy” was perfect for him. It couldn’t be replicated.

“We can observe and adjust gradually according to the tribe’s development. Cross the river by feeling the stones.”

A leader needed both good character and competence. As for character, it could be measured by everyday behavior. But how to evaluate someone’s competence, Yang Yi couldn’t provide a clear standard.

The situation here was different from the past, so the standards and methods of operation naturally had to be different too.

“Cross the river by feeling the stones?” Hei Lie savored the phrase, slowly grasping its meaning. “That’s a really good saying.”

“Our tribe will be a brand new tribe, which means there will be many changes. I hope everyone can adapt quickly to these changes.”

Hei Lie said firmly, “I will ensure everything goes smoothly.”

“Looks like you’re already prepared to become a chieftain.”

“Once the shaman picks a good date, I will definitely win the duel,” Hei Lie said with full confidence. “I’m the strongest warrior in the entire tribe. I will become the best chieftain.”

“I thought everyone already saw you as the chieftain.”

Yang Yi had assumed that Hei Lie, already silently acknowledged by everyone as the chieftain, no longer needed such a formal ritual.

Hei Lie laughed, taking that as a compliment.

“Only through a duel can a chieftain truly understand his warriors, let everyone feel what it means to be strong, and let the children know what their goal should be.”

Yang Yi nodded, feeling that this was indeed a good thing.

Once exceptions are made, they become hard to control later on.

The chieftain was the symbol of a tribe’s combat strength. Since they would eventually be interacting with other tribes, choosing a leader in this manner was currently the most suitable approach.

“Will you become a part of the tribe?” Hei Lie suddenly changed the topic. The light atmosphere instantly turned heavy again.

Yang Yi raised an eyebrow. “You seem to have forgotten that I was the one who named the tribe.”

Hei Lie shook his head. “I can’t be sure whether you’re joining us or just passing through.”

This man was too sharp.

Yang Yi himself truly wasn’t sure. On one hand, he felt he’d never be able to complete that million-point mission in this lifetime. On the other hand, he also felt he didn’t belong in this place and would eventually leave.

He bore the title of “divine envoy”, a unique existence. No matter how he acted, no one questioned it.

But this man in front of him had seen through everything from the very first meeting.

“My feelings toward the tribe are no less than anyone else’s.”

Upon hearing that, Hei Lie’s eyes held a trace of disappointment. “I really want to believe you, but I also worry.”

If he is not of our kind, his heart must be different. The people here held similar thoughts.

They lived in a perilous environment. Without enough vigilance, it would be easy to be devoured by people or by beasts.

Yang Yi didn’t sense any hostility or rejection from him. He could tell Hei Lie had already thought of a solution. “What do you want to do?”

“When I officially become chieftain, I ask you to enter into a symbiotic pact with me.”

“A symbiotic pact?”

“It’s the most sacred kind of contract. Only a level-four warrior like me can initiate it.”

As the name implies, a symbiotic pact meant to live and die together, bound by each other’s fates.

“I don’t understand what the point is. My combat ability is completely useless to you. Why go through such a roundabout way?”

“Because of everything you’ve done,” Hei Lie paused for a moment, then met his gaze.

“Whether or not you’re a divine envoy doesn’t matter. Your abilities, the things you’ve brought, are no less than those of a true envoy. We cannot kill someone the gods have sent to us with our own hands.”

Yang Yi hadn’t expected the people here to have such a strong sense of moral principle. “Aren’t you afraid you might lose your life because of it?”

“As a chieftain, if I can’t guarantee the safety of the people in my tribe, then losing my life would be just a small punishment.”

Hei Lie looked at him deeply. “I also hope you can truly feel at ease.”

A string inside Yang Yi’s heart was plucked. He felt as though he were completely transparent before this man.

Even now, Yang Yi hadn’t been able to fully trust these people. He still kept his true abilities partially hidden.

Part of it was indeed because he didn’t want them to rely too heavily on the materials he brought. But more than that, it was because he didn’t fully trust them.

His combat power was zero. Anyone could snap his neck without effort. That left him with a deep sense of insecurity.

And he didn’t dare test human nature. No one could say what would happen when he had nothing left to give, when all the things he once brought were broken or used up. How would they treat him then?

Especially as the scale grew larger and the people around him became more complex, people’s hearts would inevitably change too.

Give someone a bucket of rice and they’ll be grateful; give them a sack, and they’ll resent you. That was true anywhere.

Hei Lie could tell he was holding back, understood his worries, and even knew he wasn’t really sent by the gods, so he expressed his sincerity in his own way.

“You’re often in dangerous situations. There’s just too little security for me,” Yang Yi said.

“I have strong combat ability. I wouldn’t easily let myself lose my life,” Hei Lie promised.

Yang Yi smiled. “If you walk by the river often, how can you expect to never get your shoes wet?”

He had already made up his mind, but still brought it up to remind the other party not to forget that his life came with a one-for-one death penalty. No room for recklessness.

The risk was high, but Yang Yi felt it was worth taking.

In this brutal world, having someone he could fully trust was what Yang Yi wanted most right now.

“Shoes?” Hei Lie, who was barefoot, looked puzzled.

Yang Yi pointed to his own feet. “These things I’m wearing.”

Realization dawned on Hei Lie’s face, and with a hint of pride and confidence, he said, “My awakened talent makes it easier for me to escape than others.”

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