TPWBI Chapter 7

Before dawn, people in the Spark Tribe were already getting up one after another to prepare for the day’s labor.

Yesterday had been the most comfortable night they’d had since arriving here.

They lay on racks made of wooden sticks. Under the beds, spiral-shaped mosquito coils were burning, releasing a strong, distinctive smell. Nearby, a fire was also kept going.

There was no more worry about insect bites or the chill from the damp ground seeping into their bones.

Above them was a roof made of waterproof tarp. Even though it had rained the day before, they didn’t get wet, and the tarp also blocked the wind.

They were covered in thick, warm bedding. Never before had they known that there were plant-based materials in the world as warm as fur, even softer than fur.

They slept soundly until dawn, no longer afraid of waking up in the middle of the night from the cold.

Additionally, they had eaten a full meal the previous day. So this morning, as soon as they got up, their bodies were filled with strength.

Most importantly, they were no longer a group of abandoned people with no sense of belonging. They were now members of the Spark Tribe!

“Jiao, I’m going to fetch water. Where’s the aluminum bucket?” Guang hurried over to look for Jiao, glancing around for the aluminum buckets.

The tribe had specifically assigned people to be in charge of supplying water. Guang was one of them.

After witnessing the wonders of the aluminum bucket yesterday, Guang had been thinking about it ever since. He was determined to get up early today to fetch water.

The method for carrying water had been given to them by the Divine Envoy, Professor Yang Yi. All it took was a single stick, and you could carry two full buckets!

Yesterday, Guang had tried using a slightly flatter stick for carrying water. That way, he could carry two large buckets with ease. It didn’t take much effort at all. It was far easier than hugging or balancing heavy stone urns on their heads to transport water.

They were used to carrying heavy things on their shoulders anyway, so they didn’t feel pain or strain.

Jiao waved his hand. “You’re too late. Someone beat you to it.”

“What?! Someone got up even earlier than me?” Guang was extremely frustrated and made a mental note to get up even earlier tomorrow.

The people of the Spark Tribe valued the aluminum buckets highly and all hoped for a chance to get close to them.

Aluminum buckets weren’t just useful for fetching water. They also made excellent cooking pots.

Yesterday, they had tried using them to cook rice. It was much faster than using stone pots, saving both time and firewood.

Firewood that would normally last for one day could now be stretched across several days. This also freed up some manpower.

“We’re going out to gather wild fruits and vegetables later. If we could use aluminum buckets, we’d be able to carry much more,” said Yue, who was in charge of collecting, eyeing the aluminum buckets with envy.

Their animal hides were too few, and the large leaves they used for wrapping could only hold so much. If they had aluminum buckets, it would make a huge difference.

Wild fruits and vegetables could only be found far away. They could only make a round trip once a day, so transportation had become a problem.

But Jiao didn’t agree. “Aluminum buckets are too valuable. They’re needed for cooking and holding water. They can’t leave the tribe.”

Yue looked a little disappointed, though she had expected this outcome.

Such precious items, of course, couldn’t be taken out lightly. Even at night, they had to be guarded by designated people.

“Don’t you know how to make baskets?” Yang Yi walked over, having overheard their conversation.

“Divine Envoy.” Yue looked at Yang Yi, her eyes filled with admiration.

He wasn’t a god, yet he carried things and wisdom that only a divine world would possess. He was a messenger of the gods.

Yang Yi didn’t reject the title. After all, he was fundamentally different from these people. A special title didn’t seem out of place.

“What’s a basket?”

Yang Yi told her to go find some vines about as thick as a pinky finger, then used those vines to weave a rattan basket.

He had grown up in an urban village. His family owned a building that was later expanded to eight stories, all for rental use.

When he was little, one of the tenants was a craftsman who specialized in weaving bamboo goods, and his skills were excellent. At first, he made everyday bamboo items, but later switched to creating and selling bamboo art pieces.

Yang Yi had watched him weave all sorts of tools and containers since he was a child, and would occasionally try his hand at it too. So weaving a rough rattan basket wasn’t too difficult for him.

“This can hold a lot of things! You can carry it on your back, so you can pick while walking! And if you have two baskets, you could carry them like the water buckets. One person could carry even more!”

Yue slung the rattan basket over her back, mimicking the motion of picking and placing items inside. The people nearby who saw this scene all had bright, sparkling eyes.

“Divine Envoy, can I try weaving one myself?”

Weaving a rattan basket wasn’t hard. Yue figured it out just by watching. It was just that they’d never seen one before, so it hadn’t occurred to them that it could be done.

“That would be perfect. You can all try weaving them yourselves. If you run into any problems, come ask me. Let’s aim for everyone to have their own basket before you head out.”

Yang Yi had never planned to do everything for them, so he was quite pleased to hear that.

“If there’s not enough time today, have the elderly or those whose hands aren’t injured work on it. By tomorrow, you’ll have enough baskets.”

The tribe had too few containers. Making more would always come in handy. It would also give those who couldn’t go out something to do.

Everyone cheered happily and rushed off to gather vines.

Before setting out, everyone had a delicious meal. All were eagerly looking forward to today’s harvest.

Now that the collecting team had new containers, each member of the hunting team was also equipped with new weapons—steel spears.

Normally, the collecting team would have two warriors assigned to protect them, another two would remain at camp, and the hunting team would have three warriors.

The hunting team usually only brought four regular members with them, as without proper weapons, having too many people could become a burden.

Today, however, the number of regular members has increased to ten, because all their stone spears have been replaced with steel ones.

Once sharpened, they were in no way inferior to blackstone weapons!

With powerful weapons, the combat strength of ordinary people had risen significantly, making them capable of joining the hunting team as well.

Kun and another regular member named Teng each carried a military shovel. While also serving as weapons, they were useful for clearing paths through the forest.

Their team now had great combat power and could venture to places they had never dared to hunt in before.

The two teams set off in high spirits, each person’s eyes glowing with excitement.

Yang Yi also had something very important to do today. He was going with Jiao, Jing, and the others to explore the wasteland in hopes of finding a suitable place to settle and digging a water well.

Jing was in much better shape than the day before. After eating and drinking his fill, he seemed much more energetic. While he wasn’t yet fit for hunting, light labor and walking were no problem.

The other injured members were gradually improving as well, being cared for by Ting. If they could fully recover, they would become manpower for the tribe again.

They set out just as the sky began to lighten.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Jing stopped. “Once we pass those rows of trees ahead, we’ll be officially entering the wasteland. The further we go, the more dangerous it becomes.”

“There are a lot more animals here than where we live, which means this area is free from the threat of the Black Forest,” Jiao also spoke up. “But who knows if we can dig up water here?”

“Let me take a look first.”

Yang Yi surveyed the area. There weren’t many trees here. It was very open and spacious.

The wild grass grew tall, tall enough to bury a person.

If someone hadn’t cleared a path, even fully armed, Yang Yi might’ve been sliced up by the sharp grass.

There were no rivers or streams nearby, but judging by the terrain, there was likely a rich underground water source.

Yang Yi found a low-lying spot. It had rained yesterday, and there was still a bit of water pooled around the grass roots.

“Dig up the grass here, clear it out completely, then build a campfire in this spot.”

Everyone was puzzled about why he asked them to do this, but they followed his instructions without complaint.

Yang Yi planned to use the “fire test” method recorded in the “Agricultural Government Book”, judging whether there was water below based on the movement of smoke from a fire.

If the smoke curled and twisted, it meant the moisture in the air was holding it back, indicating underground spring water. If it rose straight up, it meant there was none.

“Dig here,” Yang Yi said, once the smoke took on the former, curling shape.

Two people picked up the military shovels and began digging. At first, they were clumsy with the unfamiliar tools, but they quickly got the hang of it and picked up speed.

They seemed tireless. Even when Yang Yi suggested they switch out, they were unwilling to stop.

Basket after basket of soil was dug out, and the well grew deeper and deeper. Soon, it was taller than the diggers themselves. Yet there was still no sign of water.

Yang Yi, in truth, was feeling far from confident. Although he had consulted a book he’d managed to dig up with great effort, it was still just theory on paper.

He worried that the water table here might be too deep or that he had picked the wrong spot. Both were entirely possible.

“Water! There’s water underground!” A shout of surprise came from the bottom of the well.

After digging down nearly two stories deep, water suddenly began to gush up from below.

Those standing above quickly threw down a rope and pulled the two men out. Just as they were hauled to the top, they saw the well bottom had already filled with water, and it was still surging upward.

“Divine Envoy, we can move the tribe here!” Jiao said, overwhelmed with excitement.

After walking all this way, they could feel that this area was relatively safer. It was a good distance from the Black Forest, far enough not to be threatened, yet close enough to keep outsiders wary of it.

They could use the forest’s fearsome reputation to deter outsiders, while not being in danger themselves.

If there were water here, then they could definitely relocate the tribe.

“Let’s draw a pot of water first and see if it’s drinkable,” Yang Yi said calmly, not celebrating just yet. The water quality still needed to be tested.

If it turned out to be bitter or salty and unfit for consumption, all of this would be for nothing. A more detailed test for mineral content would have to wait until they returned.

After letting the water settle for a while, Yang Yi tied a rope to the rock candy jar from yesterday, lowered it into the well, filled it, and pulled it back up.

The water hadn’t settled completely and was still a bit murky, but there was no strange coloration and no unpleasant smell upon sniffing.

“Divine Envoy, let me try it,” Jiao offered.

Yang Yi shook his head. “It needs to be boiled first. Drinking raw water easily leads to illness.”

Jiao laughed. “We can’t wait any longer. I’ll just take a small sip, it’ll be fine.”

The others all chimed in, saying they wanted to know for sure as well. They were used to drinking water directly like this.

Yang Yi thought about it. There wasn’t likely to be any pollution here, and groundwater was generally clean, so he handed the water to Jiao.

Jiao took just a small sip, and her eyes lit up immediately. She said with certainty, “This water is drinkable.”

The others each took a small sip as well, and all agreed with that judgment.

As people who had lived in the wild since childhood, some of their habits might not have been very hygienic or scientific, but they had their own way of doing things.

Still, to be safe, proper testing was necessary. This water would become their main source of drinking water, after all.

Yang Yi was very satisfied with this location. It was spacious and wide, with a large area suitable for future development.

The soil was fertile, there weren’t many trees, and they wouldn’t have to deal with cutting or uprooting them. The underground water supply was abundant and could be used to irrigate the land, perfect for farming.

If the tribe grew larger in the future, they could even dig irrigation channels, making watering the fields even more convenient.

The group returned to the temporary campsite in high spirits. From a distance, they could already hear joyful laughter coming from the tribe, completely different from the lifeless atmosphere of before. Everyone couldn’t help but smile.

“Divine Envoy! Today, the hunting team brought back a giant sheep and a giant deer!” Mao came bouncing over, excitedly reporting the great news.

The survey team was overjoyed when they heard this. Yesterday’s hunt had only yielded a small, ordinary deer, which already felt like good luck. No one expected today’s success to be even more impressive!

Mao was delighted to see everyone’s shocked reactions and said, “Kun said that if they hadn’t been worried that the smell of blood would attract predators and didn’t dare stay out too long, they could’ve brought back even more.”

It wasn’t just the hunting team, the collecting team, now equipped with rattan baskets and weapons, had also been able to travel farther and had gained an unprecedented harvest.

When Yang Yi arrived at the campsite and saw the giant deer and sheep they were talking about, he was completely stunned!

They were absolutely massive!

The sheep he’d seen before were already enormous, about the size of the largest sable antelopes on Earth. But he hadn’t expected the giant sheep to be nearly twice that size. It probably weighed two to three thousand kilograms.

The giant deer was the same. Compared to it, the deer they ate yesterday looked like a fawn. Yang Yi couldn’t imagine how they’d managed to carry them back.

The air was thick with the scent of blood. A group of people were using the sharp knives Yang Yi had given them to skin the animals. Unlike Yang Yi, who had to use all his strength just to peel off a bit of hide, they handled it with ease.

On the collecting side, the pile of collected food was stacked as high as a mountain. Inspired by yesterday’s discovery of taro, potatoes, and sweet potatoes—and now with proper tools—they had dug up a lot of plants today and found some edible ones.

They had seen this type of food during past exchanges with other tribes, but had never known what kind of plant it came from, and the other side had refused to share the information. It hadn’t been found near the Blackstone Tribe either. Yet now, here it was.

They called the food ground fruit. Its size and taste were similar to betel taro, and it was very filling.

The whole tribe was immersed in joy. With so much food, they wouldn’t go hungry anymore!

And when Jiao announced that they had found a safer place to live, the entire tribe erupted with excitement.

They danced and sang around the bonfire, full of hope for the future, with no trace of the despair from before.

Meanwhile, a team was gradually approaching in their direction.

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