TPWBI Chapter 64

Night had fallen, yet the temple remained brightly lit. Even after the celebration, many people were still busy attending to their duties.

In one room came the crackling sound of abacuses clicking. Yang Yi was there, leading a group of people in calculations and record-keeping, each with a booklet and an abacus in front of them.

One hand would move the beads on the abacus, while the other constantly recorded and wrote.

Some worked in pairs: one person focused solely on recording, while the other handled the calculations on the abacus.

Hei Lie walked in, but no one noticed. Everyone was buried in their work.

“Take a break.”

Hei Lie approached from behind Yang Yi and began massaging his shoulders and neck, clearly feeling the stiffness and fatigue.

Yang Yi and Hei Lie had a mutual sense between them, so even though Hei Lie had entered quietly, Yang Yi sensed him immediately.

“What time is it now?”

Yang Yi closed his eyes, enjoying Hei Lie’s massage. Previously, he had given Hei Lie some books on human acupoints, hoping he could study whether they matched the constitutions of the people here.

There were still significant differences between Earth and this place, and people varied in many ways.

If it could be confirmed that they were roughly similar, then these books would also help with understanding oneself and could be applied to medicine, combat, and so on.

Hei Lie was still in the exploratory stage. Before making any confirmations, he had learned how to give Yang Yi acupoint massages, which Yang Yi greatly enjoyed.

This also helped Hei Lie control the strength of his touch, making it a win-win situation.

“It’s almost twelve. If there’s nothing urgent to handle, let everyone go rest.”

Yang Yi widened his eyes as he looked at the watch on his wrist. Sure enough, it was almost pointing to twelve.

“So late? I thought it was only past ten.”

Since coming to this world, Yang Yi had rarely rested this late. He hadn’t felt tired, so he hadn’t realized it was already midnight.

“Everyone, stop for now. The remaining work can wait until tomorrow.”

“Divine Envoy, we’re not tired yet.”

“We just need a little more time. We can finish organizing all the data.”

Their hands hadn’t stopped. They just lifted their heads briefly, then continued working.

“If the Divine Envoy tells you to stop, then stop. Finish organizing within ten minutes, then everyone go back.”

Hei Lie issued a deep, commanding order. Everyone in the room immediately stopped what they were doing. After a brief moment of tidying up, they quickly dispersed.

“Look at how scared you made them,” Yang Yi laughed.

“This is to make everyone understand better that your orders are not to be disobeyed.”

The Spark Tribe held great respect for Yang Yi, but he looked gentle and behaved softly in daily life. So, although the people around him felt reverence, sometimes, as just now, they couldn’t help but be a little bold.

Yang Yi didn’t mind at all. Situations like this were usually trivial. If he really issued an order, no one would dare to disobey.

But Hei Lie wouldn’t allow such things to happen. When he said something, it was final—a particularly soldierly approach.

“There’s no need to be this strict,” Yang Yi said.

Hei Lie insisted firmly, “You’re different.”

Yang Yi knew it was for his own good and didn’t argue further.

“Based on the calculations just now, this transaction will go very smoothly. We will exchange even more than before—at least one-third more.”

Yang Yi had already guessed that this method would yield more than the previous way. After all, they were the ones setting the prices, holding absolute control. They would only gain, never lose.

However, because this was the first time conducting a transaction like this, they still aimed to be fair in order to build a good reputation.

But in the end, the results still exceeded what the previous methods had yielded, which made Yang Yi a little worried that other tribes might feel disadvantaged.

“The other tribes are the same. Just now, they all told me that they got more than before. They hope that in the future, transactions can continue in this way.”

“It seems this transaction has indeed been successful.”

Yang Yi finally felt completely at ease. It seemed that regulating the market was very effective.

Sometimes, it wasn’t that some tribes were particularly greedy. Rather, it was the lack of a unified standard that caused the market to be chaotic.

The people here were generally easygoing. During exchanges, it was easy to lose rationality. They weren’t particularly sensitive to numbers, and the results were obvious.

Even today, if it weren’t for the corrections by the Spark people, many would have made mistakes during purchases.

Many people’s arithmetic was truly a mess. In transactions, even a slight twist could throw everything into chaos, making mistakes very easy.

If they encountered unscrupulous people, being deceived would be far too common.

“After the harvest festival’s transaction, future exchanges will take place in our tribe. I believe more and more tribes will join. Just as you envisioned, our tribe will become the center of trade.”

A trade center could greatly drive a tribe’s development. Setting aside other benefits, just the cost saved from not having to send people thousands of miles to transport goods would already be significant.

Moreover, if transactions were always conducted this way, based on their pricing, it would mean they could directly control the entire market, allowing them to conduct macro-level adjustments according to their own needs.

Not to mention, if people came here, it would also stimulate consumption.

This time, because of the festival, the visitors’ food and drink were covered by their tribe.

But for ordinary transactions, the tribe naturally wouldn’t be so generous as to cover lodging and meals.

To enjoy such treatment, one would have to pay the corresponding price.

For the Spark Tribe, this was also one of the ways to gain profit.

Beyond this, they would gain many other benefits, increasing the tribe’s influence and voice.

However, at the same time, it would bring many risks.

Opportunities and risks always exist together.

“We are a new tribe. Will the other tribes really feel safe coming here?”

Previously, one reason they chose that trading location was to avoid being close to any single tribe, so as not to be bullied.

Their tribe was too new to inspire enough trust.

Now, those participating in the trade were all strong and, to some extent, had dealt with Hei Lie before.

This was also the result of the Green Python Tribe’s push. Otherwise, no one would dare take the risk.

For a tribe, allowing a large number of outsiders in was dangerous. Likewise, for the entering tribes, there was the worry of ambush once inside.

“When a large volume of goods floods into our tribe, they will have no choice. Moreover, as long as we show enough sincerity, it’s just a matter of time.”

Hei Lie was very confident about this. It wasn’t the first time a tribe had become a trading hub.

If the Green Python Tribe hadn’t rejected outsiders, the trading site would likely have been established there.

Since they didn’t value the opportunity, Hei Lie’s tribe took it without hesitation.

Additionally, to prevent the Green Python Tribe from intervening in the future and taking away initiative, using salt as the baseline for pricing was more suitable for the current situation.

They directly used vouchers as a replacement, which was more convenient and at the same time laid a solid foundation for their trading area, preventing other tribes from taking advantage once such a system was established in the future.

“Having few tribes to trust at the beginning also has its benefits,” Hei Lie analyzed. “Our tribe isn’t strong enough yet, and the numbers are too few. It’s very risky.”

Yang Yi nodded. Although they were currently cultivating elite members, having too few people would still be a serious disadvantage.

Here, the gap in strength between warriors of different levels was enormous.

While technology and weapons could make up for some of it, if the opposing side had a large number of strong warriors, the defense would become extremely brutal.

Moreover, weapon manufacturing required a large workforce.

They needed to gather coal and iron ore, smelt metals, and do many other tasks besides making weapons. There simply weren’t enough people.

For this festival, a large number of hands had been assigned here, leaving other areas severely understaffed. Many people were working overtime, with their daily sleep drastically reduced.

Although no one complained because they had grown accustomed to this kind of pressure, Yang Yi did not want to achieve his vision at the expense of everyone’s health. That would go against his original intention.

“I’ve already arranged everything. Ye Huo’s training time will be compressed, and the remaining tasks can wait until he returns to continue.

He will first take a small team to look for coal, then go directly with another team to lead those willing to join over here.”

Hei Lie hesitated for a long time, but he still felt that, although things were urgent, Ye Huo needed to understand the tribes before being entrusted with this important task.

He was going to bring people from other tribes back. His words would shape those tribes’ impressions of their own. If he didn’t understand the tribes and conveyed the wrong confidence, it could bring a lot of trouble.

They were short on people, but they also had to have their own principles.

Yang Yi nodded. “This is extremely important. Who will you have lead the team?”

“I plan to send Jing.”

Yang Yi was surprised. “Jing?”

Jing had now replaced his limbs with prosthetics made from meteorite. He was the oldest member of the tribe and an exceptionally fierce warrior.

In the past, he had been one of Hei Lie’s most capable, trusted men. Otherwise, Hei Lie wouldn’t have entrusted him with such heavy responsibility on outings.

Although he had failed back then, now, after much forging and honing, he had been completely transformed.

His combat ability hadn’t been greatly affected by his disability. Now, the prosthetics fit him better and better, as if they were naturally part of him, becoming his ultimate weapon.

Especially now, with all conditions improved compared to before, his combat ability was even higher than at his previous peak. Hei Lie estimated that he might even break through to become a Level four warrior.

“He’s brave and has charisma. At a time like this, his disability might actually be the best point to persuade others.”

Even someone missing a leg could become the leader of a team—and grow stronger all the time. What couldn’t this tribe accept?

“He really is suitable… but Rong is already pregnant. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be away, so it might not be very appropriate, right?”

Rong and Jing had been together for some time, but there had been no progress, which made both of them anxious.

Although people here didn’t have the idea of continuing the family line in a formal sense, they naturally longed for children.

Especially for couples in a bond like this, the desire for a child of their own was even stronger. The sense of family was more intense than for those who weren’t bonded.

It was just that, although warriors could bear strong children, perhaps heaven deliberately limited the number of warriors. For a warrior, becoming pregnant was more difficult than for an ordinary person.

Some warriors might never be able to have children in their lifetime, which had a lot to do with the fact that they constantly faced more dangers and had shorter lifespans.

Generally speaking, the probability of a warrior having children was always about half that of an ordinary person.

No matter the gender, a warrior would at most have three children in their lifetime. If both partners were warriors, the number would be even smaller.

Moreover, they tended to be older when they had their first child.

A normal woman paired with a normal man could easily have two children in three years, though the survival rate would be relatively low.

When ordinary people paired up with each other, the birth rate was high, but the survival rate was low. When warriors paired with each other, the birth rate was low, but the survival rate was very high.

Overall, the total number of children born to ordinary couples was still higher than that of warriors.

And ordinary couples could also give birth to strong warriors.

Hei Lie didn’t understand. “So what’s the problem with that?”

Yang Yi looked at him with disdain. “They’re so eagerly expecting this child. If they can’t see the child born, how much of a regret would that be for Jing? Besides, when a woman is pregnant, she naturally wants her partner by her side.”

“Moreover, the journey is so far, and no one knows what the situation will be. What if something happens to Jing? What would Rong and the child do?”

“You’re thinking too much!” Hei Lie’s eyes widened. “I see Rong is happy that Jing got this mission. Besides, life and death are hard to avoid. Anyone who goes faces the same risk.”

Yang Yi fell silent. He had forgotten again that the situation here was different.

Rong was a formidable warrior. Even after becoming pregnant, she continued her duties as usual, not thinking herself any different.

Children born to warriors were especially robust, and generally, nothing would go wrong.

Yang Yi had also suggested that Rong join the guard unit, which was generally safer in the tribe. Moreover, if anything happened, medical personnel in the tribe would be able to handle it promptly.

Rong hadn’t agreed, feeling that her current condition still allowed her to be an excellent hunter.

However, having children was a major matter, important both for themselves and for the future of the tribe.

So in the end, Rong agreed to join the tribe’s frontier defense unit. Compared to the guard unit, the frontier unit still had some work to do, making this her final compromise.

Although all three were armed forces, there were still significant differences between them.

At present, the weakest force was the guard unit, which still included many strong ordinary people. Their equipment was also somewhat inferior compared to the frontier and hunting units.

The frontier unit and hunting unit were roughly equal in combat ability, and personnel were often rotated between them.

However, this didn’t mean the guard unit was a place for those rejected by the other two. To maintain security, the guard unit had to have a very clear understanding of all the tribe’s rules.

Only then could they handle disputes quickly and accurately at a basic level.

Those with poor intelligence couldn’t even qualify for the guard unit.

As a result, the three armed units didn’t create a hierarchy of discrimination. Everyone respected each other.

If someone wanted a transfer, they could go to their desired unit after passing the assessment, without anyone making things difficult for them.

Gaining experience was a good way for everyone to improve. Those who didn’t want to move and simply wanted to do their job well were equally worthy of praise.

This was also why Rong compromised, wanting to see what joining the frontier unit would feel like.

Physically, she had no issues, and mentally, she never relied on others.

Rong was a warrior, always existing in the role of protector. She enjoyed that feeling.

She didn’t feel that she would be taken care of, and even after becoming pregnant, it was the same. She didn’t want to become special because of it.

Even if she weren’t a warrior, some women here would think the same way, believing they could handle things entirely on their own.

It should be noted that women like Rong, who had a partner, were still in the minority. Most didn’t have a fixed partner.

Some women didn’t even know who the father of their child was. They bore the responsibility of raising the child alone.

However, most of the men who had been involved with her would send gifts while she was pregnant, even if the child was very likely not theirs.

And if it was confirmed to be theirs, they would contribute even more effort.

But overall, women here rarely felt the need to share responsibility for their children with others. They were quite independent.

“I think the tribe should still let men share the responsibility of raising children, and women should pay more attention to themselves during pregnancy. This has a significant impact on both the woman herself and the survival rate of the tribe.”

Yang Yi didn’t think that the customs here were necessarily correct, even though the people’s physiology was very different from that on Earth.

He still firmly believed that having a child brought major changes to a woman’s body. If she didn’t take proper care, it could have adverse consequences for both herself and the child.

The subsequent work of raising children couldn’t be left entirely to women. The tribe needed to provide greater support.

Whether they wanted to raise the children themselves or not, the tribe would help them deal with the resulting issues, so that giving birth wouldn’t force them to completely change their lives.

This was also a way to encourage childbirth. Although Yang Yi was a man, having previously experienced the shock of information, he clearly understood why many outstanding women were unwilling to marry and have children.

No one wanted to be forced to change their lifestyle, making their life harder than before, even if it was for their own child.

Yet they were expected to take responsibility for the children they bore. So, many simply chose to remain single or childfree, which was one of the important reasons for population decline.

What Yang Yi needed to do was improve welfare. He couldn’t force anyone to have children or not. That was a personal choice.

But he could approach it from other angles, providing security for women who wanted to have children, so they could welcome the arrival of a child with anticipation, free from worry.

Yet this was only one aspect. As the father of the child, once he had sown the seed, he couldn’t simply walk away.

This was a responsibility.

“I’m not targeting this matter. I just thought of these things because of it.”

Yang Yi explained that he wasn’t insisting on what Jing and Rong should do. After all, it was their own freedom.

If the couple didn’t have any objections, then deliberately imposing requirements would go against the original intention.

Hei Lie smiled. “I understand your thoughts. The tribe has grown in population, and indeed, some people aren’t handling these things very well. We do have shortcomings in this regard.”

“This is a big problem. As the population grows, some habits will probably need to be changed.”

Yang Yi pinched the bridge of his nose. Besides infrastructure construction, personnel management was also extremely important, and also the part that troubled him the most.

This problem was only a surface issue. Underneath, it involved marriage systems, welfare systems, and so on.

They were currently following the common practices here to formulate their systems. But once development progressed, those systems and habits would no longer fit.

“This matter still needs long-term planning,” Hei Lie reassured him. “I will choose Jing. There are other reasons as well.”

Yang Yi turned to look at him.

“Jing is an exceptionally capable leader. Although he didn’t handle things well in the Blackstone Tribe before, which led to that outcome, it doesn’t mean we should deny his abilities.”

Yang Yi nodded. “He’s very steady, not impatient like others, learns things quickly, and is extremely fair and diligent.”

“That previous incident dealt him a heavy blow. Although he now seems to be improving and can manage a team well, in reality, he is still affected and hasn’t yet shown his true potential. He needs to rebuild his confidence.”

Yang Yi hadn’t observed Jing as closely as Hei Lie and hadn’t realized this. After all, Jing now held a very important position.

But he trusted that Hei Lie wouldn’t say this unless he was certain. This was also why Yang Yi felt he wasn’t suited for directly managing people. He was always a bit slow to notice these things.

“Rong has noticed as well, right?”

“Although Rong usually seems a bit careless, she is very attentive when it comes to her partner.”

From the start, Hei Lie thought Jing was the best choice, but he didn’t announce it directly. Instead, he let everyone recommend themselves first.

At that time, Rong approached Hei Lie, hoping Jing could be assigned this responsibility.

Going out was always the most dangerous. No one could be sure they would return.

Rong was fully aware of this, but she was even more aware of Jing’s current state.

As his partner, Rong hoped even more that Jing could return to being his true self and rebuild his confidence.

Jing was exceptionally capable. He could do more and better than he was doing now, and he could shoulder greater responsibilities.

Rong felt that Jing needed such an opportunity.

“Rong is a remarkable woman.”

Yang Yi listened to Hei Lie’s explanation and was greatly impressed.

“What about Jing’s attitude?”

“He’s a great warrior. Although he became a bit timid after being affected, he is still willing to accept the challenge.”

The day after the celebration and trade ended, the tribes and the Western Continent caravans all left, carrying the goods they had exchanged.

After seven days of training, Ye Huo led the two teams and left the tribe in a grand procession.

Ten days later, the team that had been surveying and transporting coal returned.

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