“It seems this deal still has a good chance of going through.” Yang Yi could tell that En was very moved.
At present, the tribe couldn’t rely on poultry alone to meet everyone’s demand for meat. The people here required more meat than those on Earth, especially the warriors.
Staple foods and vegetables could only fill their stomachs. They couldn’t provide enough energy.
Therefore, it was necessary to raise some other meat-producing livestock, like pigs, sheep, and so on.
Cattle, donkeys, horses, and other animals that could share farm labor were also extremely important, as they could greatly improve work efficiency.
And there were other needs that, for the time being, could only be met through trade.
“As long as they bring their brains to the table, they can’t refuse this kind of temptation. Even if they’re unwilling, there will always be caravans willing to trade.”
Hei Lie’s attitude was firm. He never once worried about the possibility of being refused.
These Western Continent merchants were primarily motivated by profit. Seeing such a huge temptation right before their eyes, there was no way they wouldn’t be attracted or enticed.
Yang Yi smiled, deeply feeling the confidence that advancement brought.
“I hope they can bring even more surprises. But giving up on buying slaves makes it not so easy for us to expand the tribe.”
Yang Yi let out a deep sigh, feeling extremely conflicted inside.
On one hand, he held firmly to his principles. On the other hand, he couldn’t help but have other thoughts. After all, he was not a saint, and his moral awareness wasn’t that high.
As the tribe developed rapidly, crises would inevitably follow. The tribe’s population was still too small to fend off a large number of external enemies. There were many things they simply couldn’t put into action.
His demands weren’t high. A goal of a million people seemed utterly impossible to him, but having twenty or thirty thousand people was still a hope worth striving for.
“That’s not necessarily so,” Hei Lie, however, disagreed.
“The growth of a tribe doesn’t rely solely on plundering and conquest. It also depends on affiliation and cooperation. Our tribe has enough appeal.”
Many tribes had merged in this way. Some smaller tribes, simply to survive, had adopted a form of affiliation.
As long as a tribe was strong enough and had an excellent reputation, such things weren’t difficult.
Although Hei Lie had once come from the feared and dreaded Blackstone Tribe, he had not only been powerful but also known for his mercy.
Although he later left the tribe, some people who didn’t know the full story thought this behavior was improper, yet many others understood the truth and admired his actions.
This was also one of the reasons that drew people from these tribes to attend the celebration. Strangers wouldn’t travel thousands of miles just for this, even if their real goal was to trade salt with the Green Python Tribe.
Their tribe’s welfare was so good that Hei Lie had never heard of such a tribe before. As long as everything could be confirmed as genuine, he firmly believed they had enough appeal.
Especially since their tribe didn’t consist solely of people from the Blackstone Tribe, but also included members from other tribes. The mixed composition of the personnel made it easier to gain trust.
Hei Lie was full of confidence. Even if things didn’t go smoothly at first, after a few years of development, tribes would naturally realize the value.
Moreover, some tribes couldn’t survive on their own. Joining a stronger tribe was their only hope for survival.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
At that moment, the door was knocked on.
Yang Yi not only agreed to receive the Western Continent caravans, but members of other tribes were given the same treatment.
“Divine Envoy, Chief.”
At the doorway appeared a beautiful face. Qing Tian walked in with a shy smile, her eyes briefly glancing at Yang Yi before quickly looking away. Her head was lowered, and her ears were flushed red.
“Qing Tian?” Yang Yi noticed the figure behind her and immediately understood. “I heard your people came looking for me. Are they behind you?”
Qing Tian nodded. “Yes. My brother is also here. He wants to meet you. I wonder if it’s convenient for you?”
“Please, let him in.”
Ye Huo was led into the reception room. Even though he had undergone countless trials today, stepping into this place that was as bright as daylight still left him stunned for a long moment.
It wasn’t until Qing Tian tugged at his sleeve that he came back to himself. Though he had initially felt very embarrassed, seeing Yang Yi’s gentle smile relaxed him both physically and mentally.
Just as Qing Tian had said, the Divine Envoy was extremely kind, giving the impression of being both distant yet approachable.
His presence even tempered the oppressive aura of Hei Lie, who usually radiated a force so strong that simply approaching him could make one feel breathless.
“Respected Divine Envoy, Chief, I am Ye Huo, the chief of the Banshan Tribe. I am very pleased to meet you.”
“Welcome to our tribe. No need to be so nervous. Please, have a seat,” Yang Yi said with a smile.
Ye Huo obediently sat on the long bench. The comfort of the seat struck him deeply. With the faint fragrance in the room, his entire body relaxed.
As Ye Huo was thinking about how to begin speaking, Qing Tian, putting aside her shyness, asked:
“Divine Envoy, Chief, does our tribe still accept outsiders?”
Hei Lie glanced at Ye Huo. “We welcome those with good intentions to join us. Regardless of age or gender, as long as they are willing to abide by our tribe’s rules, we will welcome them with open arms.”
“If we join, will we receive the same treatment as the others?” Ye Huo asked.
“There will be differences,” Hei Lie paused.
Ye Huo felt a pang in his heart, but he did not doubt what his sister had said earlier.
“Our tribe advocates fairness, but it is relative fairness, not absolute fairness.” Hei Lie’s words struck Ye Huo one by one.
“Our tribe primarily distributes according to labor. Those who have been here contributing to the tribe’s development have put in a lot of effort and naturally deserve treatment corresponding to their labor. Newcomers, who have not contributed much yet, will naturally receive different treatment. Once they gradually integrate, they will eventually enjoy the same benefits as other members.”
“What will it be like at the beginning?” Ye Huo asked. Realizing his tone might have come across poorly, he quickly added, “Sorry, I just… I’m a little worried. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just…”
Ye Huo hesitated, unsure how to finish. Qing Tian also wanted to speak up to explain, but Yang Yi intervened.
“Your concern is normal. A competent leader should always consider things rationally.”
Yang Yi did not feel offended by this. If the roles were reversed, he would have had the same attitude. Perhaps, expressed more politely, but the essence would be the same.
He was not only representing himself. He had many tribe members behind him.
“However, I don’t think it’s necessary to worry. What your sister experienced in the tribe already proves everything.”
Hei Lie also spoke up: “Trust is the true foundation for integration.”
“Brother, the Divine Envoy and Chief Hei Lie are truly trustworthy.”
“Can we really join? We’ve lost everything.”
Yang Yi smiled. “No matter how destitute you are now, it won’t be worse than how miserable your sister and the others were when they first came to the tribe.”
“That’s right, brother. Most of us back then were ordinary people. Only a few of us had any talent. Yet the tribe still accepted us. They accepted us not as slaves, but accepted us as we were.”
Ye Huo stood up from the chair and knelt before Yang Yi:
“Divine Envoy, Chief, I, Ye Huo, leading the Banshan people, request that you accept us!”
Yang Yi and Hei Lie exchanged a glance. They had just been talking about whether anyone would come to join them, and here they were.
Although this tribe wasn’t very large, it was still a positive sign.
“Stand up. If your hearts are sincere, this place will be your home, and you will become one of us,” Yang Yi said.
“We are truly sincere. From now on, we are people of Spark. Everything will be for the benefit of the Spark Tribe, and we will always remain loyal to you and the Chief.”
“Remember what I’m saying today,” Hei Lie said slowly, his expression very serious. “We welcome you, but whether you can join must still go through an assessment.”
“Assessment?” Ye Huo asked, confused.
“You must first pass training and observation. Only those who meet the standards can stay. Our tribe needs people, but we don’t accept just anyone.”
Hei Lie’s eyes sharpened, a threatening aura in his gaze.
Hearing this, Ye Huo immediately grew nervous.
Qing Tian chuckled, not finding the assessment as terrifying as Hei Lie made it seem. She thought he was just trying to scare them.
“Brother, the training is very interesting. As long as you take it seriously, there won’t be any problems. After training, a person feels completely different.”
The current training system is more complete than before. It lasted for a month and was divided according to different physical conditions, making it more reasonable and scientific.
Training and assessment were not only meant to see whether someone could join the tribe but also to assign newcomers to positions suited to their abilities based on their performance.
For Qing Tian and most others, the intensity of the training wasn’t high. Although at first some things seemed confusing, looking back, it was a very enjoyable and interesting experience.
After her training back then, although she was still timid, she no longer felt as lost as before, unsure why she was even trying to survive. At least she had regained the will to live.
Ye Huo, having never experienced it, did not find it so easy. But that didn’t mean he would give up.
After all, this was reasonable. They were dependents. Being treated this way was already very courteous.
The weak were always looked down upon. Ye Huo knew this truth very clearly.
Unable to find a suitable place to survive, they had nowhere to go. Everything had to follow the orders of the strong.
To live, they had to make compromises.
In fact, this made him feel even more at ease.
Although Ye Huo had seen the friendliness of the Spark Tribe through his sister’s experiences, his past experiences still made it hard for him to believe that such a kind tribe could truly exist in the world.
Unconditional acceptance without any barriers sounded almost too miraculous to be believable.
The assessment reassured him that this tribe wasn’t blindly kind. They were cautious and selective. Only in this way could they truly form a strong tribe.
Excessive kindness wasn’t always a good thing. It could even drag down the entire tribe.
“Divine Envoy, Chief, I’ve made an important discovery that might help the tribe’s development.”
Ye Huo sat back down in the chair and revealed the second reason for his visit today.
Originally, he had intended to use this discovery to exchange for his sister, Qing Tian. But now that he had decided to stay in this tribe, though he had not yet passed the assessment, he wanted to express his sincerity and offered this as a gift for their first meeting.
Yang Yi and Hei Lie looked at him. Ye Huo didn’t keep them waiting. He took out a black stone.
“This is a black stone I found along the way. This amazing black stone can burn just like firewood!”
Yang Yi took a look and thought, Isn’t this just coal?!
