The power of the beast tide was terrifying. Yang Yi had never witnessed it himself, but from the descriptions provided by the locals, he could still imagine just how frightening it must be.
The humans here were far stronger than humans on Earth. But when facing the beasts in this land, they were like Earth humans, significantly weaker in strength.
To defeat them, one had to rely on tools. This was also why, after they learned to make iron, aside from the symbolic large cauldrons and the small iron pot made for Yang Yi, everything else was used for crafting weapons.
Human settlements were easily targeted by the beast tide, especially since the Spark Tribe was situated on a plain. Without forests to block the way, without mountains to serve as protection, the level of danger increased.
Plains were easy to cultivate, but at the same time, they hid many dangers.
It wasn’t just the plains. This world was full of dangers everywhere, only each had its own form.
The Green Python Tribe had chosen its location with great ingenuity, yet it still faced many hazards.
“There’s still so much to do,” Yang Yi sighed, while suddenly growing curious about Hei Lei’s daily training routines.
These days, aside from making final decisions on tribal matters both big and small, Hei Lie focused most of his energy on training, improving the combat strength of the entire tribe.
Yang Yi had gone to watch before, but later, he hadn’t paid much attention because of so many other matters.
“Little White, shall we go check out the training ground?”
“Gwa-gaa—gwa-gaa—”
Little White, who was sparring with the ostrich specially assigned to Yang Yi, flapped its wings and half-jumped, half-flew into Yang Yi’s arms.
Just as it settled, it called out to the ostrich named Little Gray.
Little Gray also came over and, very obediently, crouched in front of Yang Yi with its legs bent.
In the entire tribe, Yang Yi was the first person to have a dedicated mount. Even Hei Lie was still raising the newly hatched ostriches.
Yang Yi’s ability to tame Little Gray so easily was largely thanks to Little White. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so obedient and become Yang Yi’s mount so quickly.
Moreover, the benefits Yang Yi gave Little Gray were excellent. Little Gray had a naturally gentle temperament and now fully regarded Yang Yi as its master.
With Little Gray, wherever Yang Yi wanted to go became much more convenient.
Sitting atop Little Gray was like driving a convertible. It is fast and steady.
At first, Yang Yi was quite nervous, worried that without a seatbelt he might fall off if he wasn’t careful, and the wind on his face was a little uncomfortable.
It didn’t take long before he grew accustomed to and even came to love this feeling.
The Spark Tribe’s territory was vast. The workshops, in particular, were all set far from the residential center. Yang Yi had rarely visited them in person before, preferring to give instructions remotely. A big reason for that was simply how long the journeys took.
Now, with Little Gray, going anywhere was incredibly convenient.
Before long, he found himself at the training ground.
The training ground stretched across a large area, its soil compacted and firm. At the moment, it was the only place not taken over by crops.
All sorts of equipment were set up there. Any Earthling would recognize many of them. They were common tools for tribal training, but there were also several devices Yang Yi didn’t understand, probably designed specifically for the people here.
“Why are you here?”
From a distance, Hei Lie spotted Yang Yi riding an ostrich toward him. After giving a few quick instructions to his subordinates, he strode forward to meet him.
The sun blazed overhead. Hei Lie was bare-chested, wearing only a belt of leaves around his waist. Sweat traced the lines of his muscles, making his already strong physique look even more explosive, radiating raw power.
His aura was overwhelming. Even when restrained, it carried a weight that made anyone nearby instinctively tense.
Even Yang Yi, who had grown accustomed to such impacts and whose force had been weakened by the symbiotic contract, found it difficult to ignore the sheer power of the man before him.
Yang Yi steadied his mind. “Just came by to take a look. Not welcome?”
Hei Lie chuckled, visibly relaxing. “It is an honor beyond measure to have the Divine Envoy personally come to guide us.”
“You’d better stop teasing me.”
Yang Yi rolled his eyes at him, then shifted his gaze toward the training ground.
Those who were training didn’t pay any attention to the newcomers, fully immersed in their grueling exercises.
Under the scorching sun, everyone was drenched in sweat, their muscles radiating raw strength.
Some were honing their physical abilities, while others practiced controlling their innate talents. Fire, water, ice, and lightning all flared spectacularly across the ground.
The sense of power permeated the entire training field, giving Yang Yi a surprising sense of security.
The group included both men and women, warriors and ordinary people, and even a cluster of little ones.
These children had been carefully selected by Hei Lie. They were a particularly gifted bunch, among whom was Mao.
When Little White spotted Mao, he abandoned Yang Yi and dashed over, interrupting Mao’s training.
One goose and one person were at it again, locked in another fierce battle.
The open space meant there was no risk of accidental injury. For a moment, chaos reigned as they flapped and dashed about.
“These kids change every single day,”
Yang Yi said, watching the lively little ones with a deep sense of admiration.
Hei Lie truly knew how to train people. Compared to before, these children had undergone a remarkable transformation.
“They will all become brave warriors,” he said.
Yang Yi was surprised. “All of them?”
“Awakening isn’t solely dependent on talent,” Hei Lie explained. “It also requires proper nutrition and structured training stimuli. Even if some don’t awaken into warriors, they will still possess tremendous combat capability.”
In most tribes, food was distributed mainly to the young adults who contributed the most, with children and the elderly receiving the leftovers.
During times of scarcity, children and the elderly were always the first to suffer from hunger.
It wasn’t that they neglected their offspring. It was the belief that only strong children could survive. It was a simple, harsh form of natural selection.
If they were too weak, then their survival held little significance for the tribe. They would only waste precious food.
It was harsh and realistic, a painful necessity for the survival of the entire group.
Much like many animals, after giving birth, a mother might drive away or even consume the weaker offspring to ensure that the remaining young receive enough nutrition.
This often caused some children, weakened by poor nutrition in their early years, to grow up frail, creating a vicious cycle.
Yang Yi fully understood the importance of childhood nutrition and, having inherited the human instinct to deeply care for and protect children, he always took it very seriously.
Whenever the tribe’s food supply was insufficient, he would readily take milk powder and other provisions from the storage and distribute them to the children without hesitation.
The results were obvious. Not only did it improve survival rates, but it also made the children stronger and allowed them to gradually manifest their unique abilities.
For instance, Mao had once been small and thin in the Blackstone Tribe. Though fast, he had clearly been unlikely to thrive.
No one would have guessed that he would now possess remarkable combat abilities, with extraordinary speed, on the verge of awakening as a warrior.
“It seems our earlier conclusion was correct,” Yang Yi remarked. “Some children aren’t weak because of poor health. It’s simply because they lack nutrition.”
Warriors always required more food, but the portions available to the children were limited. It was far from enough for those with warrior potential.
If their stomachs weren’t full, it was no wonder that children in their growth phase were frail and small.
As a result, children who weren’t taken care of within the tribe were often weak.
Of course, there were exceptions. Hei Lie, for example, had displayed extraordinary strength from a young age. He was impossible to ignore.
“If these children build a solid foundation now, they will find it easier to surpass adults later,”
Hei Lie said, his gaze lingering on those training, tinged with regret.
After observing for some time, he realized that opportunities missed in early childhood lasted a lifetime. No amount of later training could fully make up for it.
This also explained why some otherwise strong ordinary people hit a ceiling at a critical point. Their physical abilities could never match those who had been nurtured from a young age.
The same applied to warriors. While they could become stronger through talent and practice, the foundation laid in childhood ultimately determined the height of their ceiling.
“At least we’ve realized it now, haven’t we? It’s not too late.”
“This also gives us a strategy. In the future, we can take in weak children from other tribes. Those children would struggle to survive if left behind, so it’s better for them to join us.”
Yang Yi did not oppose the idea. He was against human trafficking and knew that once this door was opened, it could easily lead to a host of problems.
After all, when personal gain was involved, some might betray their conscience and steal children who weren’t actually weak to trade them.
Yet taking action could give those who might not survive a chance at life.
It was a paradox. Yang Yi could only view it from the perspective of the tribe’s development.
“These matters should be handled by our own people within the tribe.”
At least that way, they could maintain some control.
Hei Lie assured him, “Before bringing anyone in, we will investigate carefully. Those who are resentful or unwilling will only become a hidden danger if accepted.”
“After the harvest, the armory will need more manpower. We have to start building new weapons.”
Though the tribe was still small, they had begun refining divisions of labor to better cultivate specialists and maximize efficiency.
Currently, all the elite members of the tribe have been assigned to the armory, constructing more advanced and intricate weapons for the tribe.
Yang Yi had always been interested in cold weapons and had conducted specialized research on them in the past.
Although he was still far from being a professional, he had a fairly good understanding of which cold weapons had played decisive roles in ancient wars and could provide some useful ideas.
“New weapons?” Hei Lie’s eyes lit up.
“At the moment, all our weapons are issued only for personal use. Next, we should start constructing large-scale weapons designed specifically for dealing with mass attacks.”
Until now, Yang Yi had focused more on building the tribe’s infrastructure. Now that food was no longer as scarce, it was time to consider the most pressing security issues.
“You mean catapults, volley crossbows?”
Yang Yi was not surprised that Hei Lie mentioned these. As the person with the most books in the tribe and responsible for its armed forces, it was natural that he would care about such things.
“Not just those,” Yang Yi added, “also bombs.”
Hei Lie could hardly contain his excitement now. He practically wanted to jump on the spot.
The others didn’t understand what he meant, but Hei Lie knew all too well from the books that these weapons possessed tremendous destructive power.
He quickly forced himself to calm down. “But we still haven’t found saltpeter or sulfur.”
“I have some in my space,” Yang Yi said. “Although it can’t be kept outside for long, it can be used for research now to lay the groundwork for the future.”
If they could successfully develop it, it could become a devastating weapon, ensuring the tribe’s safety for the next year or two.
Although Yang Yi hadn’t bought many related materials and might have overlooked some due to the rush, they were enough for preliminary research.
The mall couldn’t sell things that were unavailable on real-world shopping sites, which meant they couldn’t buy bombs or firecrackers.
The books he brought also lacked detailed instructions for gunpowder. To make it, they would have to experiment and figure it out themselves.
Yang Yi had no guarantees in his mind, but nothing could be known without trying.
“Of course, gunpowder is extremely dangerous. Accidents are very likely during experimentation,” he warned.
Hei Lie laughed. “We fight ferocious beasts every day. We’re already prepared for all kinds of dangers.”
