TPWBI Chapter 81

“Chief, the food from the Spark Tribe’s dining hall smells so good. I never knew food could give off such a fragrance.”

Kun swallowed his saliva. Just thinking about the aroma he had smelled earlier made even the thorn dragon meat—what he had always thought was the most delicious—suddenly seem bland.

“Kun, is it really that fragrant?” someone asked.

“Really! You don’t know, when I passed by there, I almost couldn’t keep walking. This tribe is even more amazing than the rumors say! There are so, so many strange-looking things here. I can hardly believe this is a tribe of the Eastern Continent.”

“Yes, and their temple, it’s simply magnificent! I never knew people could actually build something like that!”

“We’re stuck living in these shabby tents, it’s just too miserable. The people of the Spark Tribe live in houses where even the wind can’t get in.”

“Heh, what’s that compared to this! I heard that at night, if it’s not warm enough, they can even make a fire for heating. And it’s not even burning wood inside the house, yet it still makes the whole place warm.”

“Really?! That’s way too amazing!”

“……”

The Freat Wind chief, who had been silent all this time, finally couldn’t hold back and roared: “Do you all want to join the Spark Tribe?!”

“Chief! Could we really?” someone blurted out in wild excitement.

The others all looked the same way. Their faces were full of longing, eyes shining brightly.

The Great Wind Tribe chief’s chest tightened, a metallic taste rising in his throat. He swept his fierce gaze over those around him.

Everyone instantly realized their mistake and rushed to make amends:

“Chief, we were only joking. Of course, what we love most is our own tribe.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just a new tribe. Who knows what it’ll be like in the future.”

“Ah, this tribe has only just been established, yet it’s already developed to this point. Who knows what will happen later? The weapons in their hands are far too enviable. They can easily split apart solid stone!”

When the Spark Tribe’s weapons were mentioned, the eyes of the covetous crowd shone with even greater fervor.

This frightening yet wondrous tribe, at first, they had worried that the rumors were exaggerated. If not for coming here for the Green Python Tribe’s salt, they truly would not have trusted this place.

What could a newly founded tribe possibly have to trade?

Although their chief was the mighty warrior Hei Lie, when he left the Blackstone Tribe, he hadn’t taken many supplies with him.

After such a long and arduous journey, those would have long been depleted.

Arriving at a new place required time to adapt and become familiar with the surrounding environment.

Every region’s prey and plants were quite different. Without understanding their habits and properties, catching prey was difficult, and plants couldn’t be eaten at random. Doing so could easily lead to poisoning.

Not to mention finding a new place to live, building defenses, and so on—all of which could not be accomplished in a short time.

The Great Wind chief was quite familiar with the conditions around the Black Forest. Near the Black Forest, no one dared to establish a tribe. Terrifying legends had long lingered in the hearts of every person of the Eastern Continent.

The wastelands were also unfit for human life. Many places had no water sources. Where there was water, there were countless fierce beasts, making hunting extremely dangerous.

Even if those who had been there swore oaths in the name of the Heavenly God, it was still hard to believe.

Especially since their words sounded so mystical, it seemed even less credible.

The Great Wind chief was a cautious man. That was how he had brought the tribe to its present state.

They never expected that arriving here would overturn all their imagination.

At first, they almost thought they had come to the dwelling place of the Heavenly God: those rows of houses stood neatly on the land, and especially that towering temple, which looked so majestic and mysterious.

The lives of the people here were even more astonishing than the rumors.

Their numbers were far beyond what anyone had anticipated. There were actually a large number of barbarians among them!

Those barbarians, whom they had regarded as savage, were surprisingly more “civilized” than they were!

Yes—“civilized.” That word had a new definition in the Spark Tribe.

One of the behavioral norms was simply to be a “civilized person”: do not do uncivilized things.

For example, you cannot force others into unions, you cannot relieve yourself anywhere you like, and so on—rules of all kinds.

The Great Wind chief thought this tribe was truly troublesome, but he had to admit that the result of these rules was that the whole tribe looked so neat and beautiful.

Everyone appeared so clean, bearing a quality that before could only be seen on the Western Continent—something that made one feel ashamed.

The environment moved you. You would unconsciously follow its rules and not want to damage anything there.

Of course, there were those who liked to cause trouble. But before they could act, they were driven out by the Spark Tribe’s people.

The Spark Tribe’s guard looked terrifyingly imposing. Their patrols were something the Great Wind chief had never seen before.

They seemed extremely fearsome. With their gear, it was obvious at a glance that this group was not to be trifled with.

Now, some women in the tribe, as well as men who like men, were starting to feel restless, wanting to join with them.

This shock was not only felt by the Great Wind Tribe. All the tribes that had come here were stunned by everything they saw before their eyes.

They had never imagined that a tribe could be built like this.

Some tribes also planted crops. But compared to the scale here, they were far behind.

And they had no idea that planting those things actually required so much knowledge!

Such an impact left them both relieved and uneasy.

Relieved because, fortunately, they had come. There were too many things here to make one’s mouth water.

Uneasy because this tribe had developed too well, to the point that even their own tribespeople’s hearts were wavering.

What they once thought of as extremely comfortable tents—made from the lightest yet sturdiest, warmest, windproof animal hides—turned out to be not worth mentioning when compared to the houses here!

Those houses were so tall. Just by looking at them, one could tell they were very sturdy, capable of withstanding wind and rain.

And unlike caves, they weren’t damp and cold. They could even open windows for ventilation. It was truly a great design.

Many people from other tribes were unwilling to pay the price to live in them. They had always been living in the tents they built themselves, long since used to it, and saw no reason why they shouldn’t be able to live in them here.

Especially since the places for setting up camp here had already been cleaned up by the Spark Tribe. On top, there was even a thin layer of plant ash, effectively preventing insects.

The water-drawing places were also very close by, though one had to line up.

But the well water drawn here wasn’t so freezing. Since the people who had come here were basically all strong and not afraid of the cold, the current weather didn’t feel cold to them at all.

But who would want to touch such bone-chilling water in this weather?

“Excuse me, is anyone inside? I’m a staff member from the Spark Tribe. By order of the Divine Envoy, I’ve come to deliver some welcome gifts.”

A voice rang outside the tent, interrupting everyone’s chatter.

The speaker’s voice was clear and pleasant, with a tone that felt very comfortable, giving a sense of respect.

Everyone instinctively lowered their voices, no longer speaking loudly.

The Great Wind chief glanced at Kun. Kun lifted the tent flap, and the person who claimed to be a Spark Tribe staff member stepped in carrying a large plate.

Spark Tribe staff were very easy to recognize. They all wore a uniform outfit—a cross-collared short robe made from sturdy red cloth, with loose long pants or shorts underneath.

For people from the Eastern Continent, this was their first time seeing pants. It was quite novel.

There was no denying that such clothing was indeed more convenient for movement while also providing good warmth.

The uniforms were all the same, standing neatly together, looking spirited and handsome, which made the others feel like their own group was a messy, disorganized bunch.

“What has the Divine Envoy sent you to bring?”

Everyone was extremely curious, especially as a faint fragrance could be clearly smelled.

The Spark Tribe staff lifted the cloth covering the plate: “You are honored guests from afar. By order of the Divine Envoy, we present to you our tribe’s specially made egg-and-meat patties.”

A strong, appetizing aroma wafted into their noses. They couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Immediately, their mouths began to water.

The plate was filled with golden, round foods, made from things they had never seen before. It carried a rich, meaty aroma.

This group, whose diet was usually meager, had never encountered food so strange and yet so tempting.

“What is this?!”

“This isn’t meat, is it? Why does it smell like meat?”

The staff member smiled and said, “These are fried sauerkraut and meat patties made by our tribe’s dining hall chefs, using grains grown by the tribe, eggs from domesticated poultry, and meat from hunted game. We hope you enjoy them.”

No one present knew what restraint was. Hearing this, they could no longer hold back and each eagerly grabbed a patty, biting into it immediately.

At once, everyone’s eyes lit up even more!

With a bite, their mouths were filled with an extraordinary flavor. There was the meaty aroma they loved, a touch of salt, a strange vegetal taste, and the crust was crisp and fragrant, while the interior was wonderfully chewy.

With the flavor of animal fat combined with the meat and vegetables, the taste was simply exquisite!

“So delicious! So fragrant! So good!”

Their limited vocabulary left them unable to describe it. In less than three seconds, they had already finished a patty larger than a palm, perfectly expressing their love for it.

There were still some on the plate. Without hesitation, everyone grabbed a second.

Everyone was completely absorbed in this delicious food, entirely forgetting the presence of the Spark Tribe staff.

The Spark Tribe staff just smiled, their expression free of even the slightest trace of disdain.

You have to know, not long ago, when they first ate these delicacies, it was exactly like this!

Even now, the moment they looked forward to most each day was mealtime.

They had never realized that food could actually be prepared in this way!

It wasn’t just to fill the stomach simply, but to savor the taste of the food, making all the hardships feel worthwhile.

When the Great Wind chief finished his second patty, although he was still very greedy, his responsibilities as chief forced him to painfully withdraw from the food competition.

“Thank you for the gift from the Divine Envoy. We like it very much.”

The Great Wind chief wanted to make himself look less inexperienced, but his earlier eating display had made him give up the struggle.

A Spark Tribe staff member smiled and said, “Since you like it, the Divine Envoy will surely feel very proud.”

“Are these patties the source of that fragrance coming from the cafeteria?”

The Spark Tribe staff shook their head. “No, that’s only one of them. Our Spark Tribe cafeteria has hundreds of kinds of delicacies. These are just the staples. I think the more delicious ones are the various dishes.”

“What?! Hundreds?”

Those who understood the numbers were dumbfounded upon hearing this.

The Spark Tribe members smiled brilliantly. “Yes. If you’re interested, you can come and try them. You won’t need much in the way of goods to taste delicacies you’ve never encountered before.”

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