“Lan Xue, come over here and give me a hand.”
Training had just ended. Lan Xue was about to leave when someone called out to him.
He hurried over. Ever since he had sought out the Divine Envoy, his name had spread even further.
After all, he was the first survivor who had dared to take the initiative to approach the Divine Envoy. At a time when most survivors were still full of fear and trepidation, making such a bold move made him shine dazzlingly bright.
When Lan Xue returned, everyone gathered around, asking about what had happened.
Lan Xue generously praised the Divine Envoy’s broad-mindedness and gentleness, even saying that the Divine Envoy had given him some deliciously sweet water to drink. His words made everyone involuntarily swallow their saliva. It also stirred a faint restlessness in some of them.
As for the reason he had sought out the Divine Envoy, Lan Xue openly told them.
He knew very well that from the moment he decided to look for the Divine Envoy, this secret would no longer be something he could hide, so there was no need to conceal it.
The Divine Envoy told him to continue participating in the military training first, without urgently pressing him to search for metal. This left him feeling a little disappointed, yet at the same time relieved of much pressure.
His ability was indeed special, but not to the point of driving others mad with greed—meaning it was relatively safe.
And when he noticed that everyone, especially the original members of the Spark Tribe, began treating him differently, that slight disappointment from not being given special attention disappeared completely.
The people in the tribe were truly happy about his talent, especially those who had already experienced the convenience that metal could bring. They were well aware of how important metal was to the entire tribe.
However, during training, they still did not make him an exception. The standards remained the same as for everyone else.
It was just that whenever there was something to be done, they were more likely to call on him, as a way of showing their acceptance and welcome.
Lan Xue and Han Bing, who had called him over, together drove long poles into the ground and hung up a large white sheet, with two big black boxes placed nearby.
After that was done, Han Bing also took out a strange metal box.
“What’s this for?” Lan Xue asked curiously.
Han Bing’s expression turned mysteriously secretive. “This is a good thing the Divine Envoy just got from the gods! Later, you’d better hurry and eat, then come here early to claim a spot. If you come late, there won’t be any place left!”
Han Bing was one of the first students in the learning class, and now mainly worked by Yang Yi’s side as an assistant, a position that everyone envied the most.
He was the one closest to the Divine Envoy, so he often came into contact with the newest and most interesting things.
After saying this, Han Bing suddenly thought of something and said regretfully, “Too bad you still can’t read yet, or you’d find it even more interesting. You must remember that the Divine Envoy likes people who are hardworking and eager to learn.”
At this moment, Lan Xue still didn’t understand what was going on—until nighttime, when he was very glad he had listened to Han Bing’s words and claimed his spot early!
Because those who arrived late were squeezed in at the back, unable to see up close the spectacular and magical scene!
A white screen, large speakers. This time, what Yang Yi brought out was a projector.
He took out a solar generator, charged it during the day, and used it at night to play TV shows and movies.
Ever since bringing out the drone, Yang Yi had been gradually loosening up, though he still wouldn’t let everyone see real people from Earth.
Although what he played was an animated film, everyone was utterly shocked by this projection technology.
It could move, it could talk. For these primitive people, this was nothing short of a miracle.
Once the feeling of shock faded and they began paying attention to the content of the film, this group of people, who were starved for entertainment, quickly became absorbed in it.
Amazing! Fascinating! Absolutely wonderful!
That was what everyone felt in their hearts.
The films Yang Yi chose were all lively and interesting. Even though no one could understand a single word of the language in them, it didn’t stop everyone from liking them.
The training grounds were packed to the brim. Aside from those who had to stay at their posts, everyone had rushed over to watch.
Whether they understood it or not, no one was willing to even blink.
“If only we could understand the words on the screen.”
That was the sentiment most people had after watching.
Although just by looking at the visuals and listening to the sound effects, they could more or less guess what was going on, not being able to read or understand still made them itch with frustration.
Those who could read were surrounded by small crowds, listening to their translations and explanations, which was far more entertaining than watching without understanding a thing!
If it was already this much fun hearing someone else’s translation, wouldn’t it be even better if they could understand it themselves?
To understand it, they had to learn to read.
Every evening after dinner, as long as it didn’t rain, an animated film would be shown for about two hours.
The content was updated frequently and was becoming increasingly story-driven—an open, blatant temptation.
These primitive people were wildly enthusiastic about animated films, sparking a frenzy for learning. Even the survivors became more active, seeking out literate veteran members to learn from.
Although the reading room had already brought a wave of amazement before, attracting some to study diligently, it was nothing compared to the irresistible pull of this vivid, lively format.
The enthusiasm for learning was once again ignited. The tribe’s daily task of learning at least ten characters no longer felt so dull and tedious.
These ten characters were selected from a certain line of dialogue in the animated film, making it easier for everyone to remember them in a practical context.
In the most prominent spot in the center of the tribe, a screenshot of that scene from the film was displayed. Combined with the film’s content, it became even easier to memorize.
This work was all done by Han Bing. Back in class, Yang Yi had already discovered Han Bing’s talent for drawing.
Even though he had never undergone any drawing training, Han Bing could use the simplest pencil and plain white paper to sketch a portrait of him.
The style was realistic, identical to Yang Yi himself. The expression and essence were captured with remarkable precision.
Han Bing had originally done it in secret, since paper and ink were in limited supply and everyone cherished them dearly.
It was only by accident that someone discovered it, revealing his skill.
A talent like this was, of course, something Yang Yi would not let go to waste. Even if there wasn’t much use for it elsewhere at the moment, he kept Han Bing by his side.
In addition to having him design black pottery, Yang Yi also had him help with architectural component diagrams and the mapping of the city, and even gave him pens, ink, and paints so he could freely express his artistic abilities.
Illustrating scenes from animated films was no challenge for Han Bing.
The film screenings gave the entire tribe a new and special form of entertainment. Every night, the area would be packed with people, and conversations between them grew livelier. Literacy learning became increasingly efficient as well.
“The reading room really isn’t enough anymore.”
Several times, as Yang Yi passed by, he worried it might collapse from being overcrowded.
Thankfully, everyone was disciplined—no pushing in line or squeezing. The moment they entered, they kept completely quiet. Otherwise, who knew what chaos it would turn into.
The animated films sparked everyone’s curiosity about storybooks, making more people willing to go to the reading room to read.
Although they still couldn’t understand very much, books with illustrations and simpler content could be guessed at through a mix of fumbling and inference.
Every time they came across a character they recognized, there was a special sense of satisfaction, which made them eager to learn the characters they didn’t know. Their learning efficiency was extremely high.
On top of that, with tests in place, everyone was diligent in their studies. Literacy was just around the corner.
Yang Yi was delighted to see this and planned to put out more books, but space in the building was running short.
Hei Lie and Jiao both opposed the idea of moving books out of the temple, believing it would diminish the mystery and preciousness of the books.
Respecting the local customs and traditions, Yang Yi accepted their opinion.
“Tomorrow, after military training ends, we’ll be sending a large group to quarry stone and dig clay. The second batch of lumber is almost fully dried, too. This time we’ll have plenty of wood, enough to build quite a few houses.”
In the plans, the first building to be constructed would be the temple.
If it were according to Yang Yi’s old thinking, he would have prioritized solving people’s housing needs first.
But considering the need to maintain his “divine authority” and the customs of this place, he placed the temple’s construction at the very top.
Not only at the top, it also had to be the most magnificent and beautiful building in the entire tribe.
However, Yang Yi intended to design the temple with multiple functions, rather than making it simply a place for worshiping the gods. That would be far too extravagant and wasteful.
The temple would serve not only as a place for rituals and offerings, but also as a library, hospital, school, meeting hall, and reception room—making full use of every space.
Rather than calling it a temple, it would be more accurate to call it a multi-functional administrative building.
“The first time we officially built a house, it was such a high-difficulty project. This is really quite the challenge.”
Yang Yi still felt a bit uneasy. He wasn’t from a civil engineering background. Although he had read quite a few books recently, he was still an outsider to the field, with little confidence.
Fortunately, the construction team had already gained some experience by now. It wasn’t just him giving random, clueless directions.
The construction team had already prepared high-quality clay well-suited for building houses. The rammed-earth walls were even sturdier than ordinary bricks, and they weren’t afraid of soaking in water. Under normal circumstances, they could last for a very long time.
The temple would stand at the very center of the tribe—about three stories high—and would be composed of three connected buildings.
The two buildings on the sides would be relatively lower, while the central one would be the tallest and grandest.
The foundation would be built up high with stone, so that to enter the temple, one would first have to climb a tall flight of stairs before reaching the building above, adding to its sense of majesty.
Hei Lie, however, was unfazed. “If we can manage something this difficult, then building ordinary houses later will be a piece of cake.”
Yang Yi smiled. Ever since he had formed a contract with Hei Lie, their mutual understanding was indeed stronger than with anyone else. Many times, just starting a sentence was enough for them to grasp each other’s meaning.
However, they were still two entirely independent individuals, with vastly different personalities and completely different perspectives on things.
He tended to be cautious, even somewhat pessimistic, always preferring to prepare for the worst. Hei Lie, on the other hand, was bold and flamboyant, always looking at the positive side first—a true optimist.
The two happened to complement each other perfectly. Back when they had formed their symbiotic contract, neither had thought about it that much.
As soon as the survivors’ military training ended, they were assigned to various posts according to their individual situations.
Through this period of training, the former members of the Spark Tribe had also gotten to know this group of people better and roughly understood what kinds of work they were suited for.
Those with outstanding combat ability were the first to be taken by the hunting teams and guard teams.
Other strong individuals were assigned to the quarries to mine or transport stone, while those with slightly less physical strength were placed in the earth-digging teams. The rest were spread out among the planting teams, livestock teams, and the logistics cooking teams, among others.
Lan Xue was assigned to the newly formed metal prospecting team, led by the warrior core member Chi, to ensure his absolute safety.
Metal was of great importance to the entire tribe, so every member of the metal prospecting team was an elite, equipped with the best weapons and supplied with field survival gear such as tents.
Han Bing was also assigned to the team, specifically to draw maps of the surrounding areas and record the local geography and terrain.
On the day the metal prospecting team set out, Yang Yi personally came to see them off and give them his blessing.
“Divine Envoy, I definitely won’t let you down!”
Lan Xue’s eyes were blazing. The experiences of the past few days had made him vastly different from when he had first sought out Yang Yi.
He was now filled with far more confidence. Everything he had witnessed in the tribe during these days had stripped away much of his former fear and shown him hope and a future.
Now, he only wanted to do something for the tribe, to ensure this brilliance could continue, and to see the “future city” the Divine Envoy had spoken of.
Even if, for now, that blueprint was only a rough sketch the Divine Envoy had described, Lan Xue still felt an immense shock.
He wanted to see such a tribe. He wanted to be part of such a tribe!
To achieve that goal, he had to contribute his own strength to the “future city”.
The talent that had once troubled him now made him feel incredibly fortunate.
Yang Yi smiled and touched his forehead with his hand. “I believe you have this ability. Go now, warriors of the gods. May you return in glory.”
Just as Lan Xue and his group had left, Qing came up to Yang Yi.
“Divine Envoy! The first batch of chili peppers has ripened. There are leafy greens ready to eat, too. If we eat them now, they’ll grow back. Otherwise, they’ll get too old!”
Yang Yi was surprised. “So fast?”
Counting the time, it had been about a month since planting. Leafy vegetables did grow quickly, so they could indeed be eaten by now.
Yang Yi had already tasted them once before. When the baby greens had just sprouted, the entire vegetable patch had been lush and vibrant. They even had to thin them out and replant some.
At that time, Yang Yi had tried a bit of the tender young greens. Simply boiled in water without any seasoning, they were already incredibly delicious.
They had a faint sweetness. Eating them made his whole body feel fresh and light.
Yang Yi could swear that these greens were the best he had ever eaten, and it wasn’t just his imagination.
Although the seeds were ordinary ones he had brought from the mall, and for efficiency’s sake, he had sacrificed quality, choosing the varieties with the shortest growth cycle and the least susceptibility to pests or disease, which normally meant the taste would be worse, these still tasted better than any greens he’d ever had. Even his family’s own vegetable garden, which used only natural compost, had never produced anything with such flavor.
Time had slipped by without him noticing. With all the recent events, Yang Yi hadn’t been to inspect the vegetable patch for a while. He hadn’t expected that they were already ready for harvest.
“Come on, let’s go take a look.”
Yang Yi followed Qing to the vegetable field—and his eyes went wide. “Th-this is bok choy? Or mustard greens?”
“This is bok choy. The mustard greens are over there.”
“…”
The animals here were huge. Did the vegetables have to mutate and grow this big, too!?
The bok choy he knew back on Earth was barely bigger than a palm, but here it was about as tall as large mustard greens. And looking at the mustard greens in the distance, they were directly half a person tall.
The other types of vegetables were in about the same situation, generally growing tall and robust. All of them were a vivid, gleaming green, looking especially mouthwatering.
Honestly, they were so beautiful that Yang Yi almost didn’t dare to eat them. They looked like they’d been carved from jade—too perfect.
Thankfully, there were still a few insect holes here and there, which reduced the eerie feeling quite a bit.
“How did they get this big? The wild vegetables I’ve seen here aren’t this exaggerated.”
Yang Yi couldn’t figure it out. The purslane he’d eaten before was still about the same as on Earth—just a bit denser in growth.
So why did the seeds he brought end up mutating?
“Can these be eaten?” Yang Yi asked, a little worried.
Qing laughed. “Of course! These are a gift from the gods! Divine Envoy, didn’t you already eat them before?”
“When I ate them, they weren’t like this. And the last time I checked, they were still normal. How did they grow so fast recently?”
“The last time you came was more than ten days ago. Back then, they’d just started growing. After that, they shot up quickly.”
Yang Yi didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling, but this was fine too. With the appetites people here had, bigger vegetables meant there’d be enough for them to eat.
Hopefully, the staple crops would have the same effect. Then the yield per acre could be greatly increased, meeting everyone’s needs.
“Let’s go check the chili peppers. Don’t tell me they’ve grown huge too?”
This batch of chili peppers had been unintentionally ripened early by Qing, so they could be harvested in just one month, while the other peppers had only just begun to flower.
When they reached the chili field, Yang Yi found that the peppers themselves were the same size as the chili peppers he knew, with no major difference. However, the pepper plants themselves had grown extremely tall—up to the height of a person.
And the peppers were packed densely together. On the best plant, there was a whole stretch of bright red peppers. At a glance, it looked like a giant red ball.
At first sight, Yang Yi couldn’t help letting out a “Wah—!”
With so many peppers, harvesting them would be pure bliss. Just one sweep of the hand and you’d have a whole bunch!
“This is way too unscientific!”
There were so many peppers that the leaves were almost invisible, and many of the green ones hadn’t even ripened yet. Just this one plant alone, how many jin would it yield?
The production was simply astounding!
For one plant to bear so much fruit while still maintaining enough nutrients for all of them to grow—without competing for resources and ending up stunted—was truly incredible.
At first, Yang Yi had been very attentive to the planting, but after learning that Qing had abilities in this area, he stopped paying much attention and even forgot to tell her that some plants needed topping; otherwise, the nutrients wouldn’t be enough for the fruit to grow.
Good thing he hadn’t said anything!
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to witness such an abundant harvest.
It seemed that while drawing on Earth’s experience, he also had to account for the differences here. He couldn’t rely too much on book knowledge. More often than not, he would need to conduct more experiments.
There were still significant differences between this place and Earth.
The land they had chosen was extremely fertile—richer even than Earth’s black soil. Plants could grow very well with little to no fertilization.
Now, the use of fertilizer was mainly to maintain that fertility, not because the crops required frequent re-fertilizing.
This also meant their limited supply of fertilizer could last longer. Otherwise, with the recent increase in manpower and the upcoming expansion of farmland, they would quickly find themselves short of fertilizer.
In comparison, the farming conditions here were clearly better than on Earth—a fact worth celebrating.
“Divine Envoy, this spiciness is especially delightful. It’s even tastier than the ones you brought…”
Qing stopped short as soon as the words left her mouth, quickly waving her hands. “I didn’t mean it like that! I meant—”
Yang Yi smiled and interrupted, “God is pleased to see the things He brought become even better because of your hard work.”
Only then did Qing breathe a sigh of relief, her eyes shining. “Divine Envoy, would you like to try it? If you think it’s good, we can use it for tonight’s meal!”
The seasonings Yang Yi had brought were limited. When he purchased supplies from the marketplace, most of what he chose were seeds and similar items. For one person, his ready-to-eat seasonings had been more than enough. But for such a large population, they were now in very short supply.
Because of that, aside from major celebrations, he rarely brought them out.
Usually, he only used them when cooking for himself, but since he was too busy—and sometimes just too lazy—he mostly ate from the communal pot with everyone else.
Even when the kitchen staff offered to make something separate for him, he rarely allowed himself special treatment.
Mainly, it was because the food here tasted delicious even without much seasoning.
Unlike the locals, who were used to the natural, unadulterated flavor and found food cooked with seasonings to be novel and rare, Yang Yi had been spoiled in the opposite way. Especially after entering university, free from family restrictions, he had indulged himself recklessly.
Now that he had grown tired of heavy, overpowering flavors, he longed to return to something natural, to savor the taste of the ingredients themselves.
Even the simplest preparations tasted good to him here, especially with such superior ingredients.
Since Yang Yi himself didn’t use seasonings much, the others rarely even caught a whiff of that intoxicating aroma, let alone got to eat it.
Those who had tasted the chili peppers never forgot them. The fact that these peppers were growing so well was no doubt due in part to everyone’s eagerness to eat them. They had been cared for with exceptional dedication.
Yang Yi plucked a bright red, beautiful pepper, inwardly marveling that it was no wonder people once grew chili peppers as ornamental flowers. They really were beautiful.
“So spicy!!”
He had only taken the tiniest bite, not even swallowed yet, when his whole body felt like it was about to explode.
The heat made his scalp tingle, shooting straight to the top of his head!
He quickly grabbed a bottle of water and didn’t recover until a while later.
“This chili is way too spicy! How is anyone supposed to eat this?!”
Yang Yi’s eyes were full of tears. He could normally handle spicy food fairly well, but this was far beyond what he could withstand.
Qing blinked, plucked a pepper of her own, and popped the whole thing into her mouth, chewing it in one go.
“It is pretty spicy, but it’s fine. It actually feels great.”
The corner of Yang Yi’s mouth twitched. He was pretty sure they weren’t eating the same chili.
These people had only eaten chili a few times before. How could they already be this tolerant? Back when they first tried it, everyone had been overwhelmed by the heat, and even then, he hadn’t given them anything this spicy.
“Here, you try.”
Yang Yi handed one to Yuan, the bodyguard assigned to protect him by Hei Lie.
Hei Lie couldn’t always stay at Yang Yi’s side, and after the incident with the Fang Tribe, he had become more cautious, assigning a dedicated guard to stay with Yang Yi at all times.
Even within the tribe, they couldn’t afford to drop their guard.
Yuan had already been itching to try one, so he picked a pepper, cheerfully stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, and bit down.
His expression changed instantly, but within moments, his eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
“It is very spicy, but it’s great. Once you get used to it, it’s delicious.”
Not wanting to admit defeat, Yang Yi tried again. He found that once the initial blast of heat passed, it really did get much more tolerable.
Still, it was spicier than any facing heaven pepper he had ever eaten, yet somehow, it was oddly easy to accept. It wasn’t the harsh, prickling kind of heat, and after eating it, his mouth didn’t feel unpleasant—no lingering burning sensation.
It was clearly fiery and stimulating, yet not aggressive—a contradictory mix.
After eating, he broke out in a sweat. His whole body felt comfortably warm.
Chili peppers also have medicinal properties. They are mainly used to treat coldness in the stomach, stagnation of qi, distention and pain in the epigastric and abdominal regions, vomiting, diarrhea, rheumatic pain, frostbite, and so on. After eating this chili, Yang Yi felt its medicinal effects would likely be even more pronounced and potent.
“I wonder if chili peppers grown without using abilities would taste the same?” Yang Yi asked.
Qing replied, “So far, there doesn’t seem to be much difference, except that the growth rate is slower. We’ll have to wait until harvest to know for sure.”
“Keep an eye on it and take notes,” Yang Yi instructed, then waved his hand grandly.
“Pick all these red chili peppers, and the vegetables too! Tonight, let’s have everyone eat dishes made with what we’ve grown ourselves!”
