TPWBI Chapter 89

Yang Yi decided that during the trade fair, he would arrange open classes. Each tribe or team would be allotted five spots to enter the school classroom and attend together.

However, no paper or pens would be provided, and textbooks could only be borrowed for reading.

It wasn’t that Yang Yi was being stingy. Rather, there simply weren’t enough textbooks. Every textbook was reused. Once a student graduated, it had to be left behind for the next class.

The tribe’s papermaking and printing techniques had only just begun. Efficiency was very low, so the amount that could be produced was extremely limited.

Paper itself was also a form of hard currency, mostly used to exchange for grain and other necessities, so the tribe didn’t keep much for itself.

When this news spread, many tribes that had originally planned to leave stayed behind.

Even the merchant caravans that had been in a hurry to bring news of Maple Leaf City back home decided to stay, setting the matter aside for now.

“Everyone is very enthusiastic. They all want to know what the Divine Envoy will be teaching, and what it is that has allowed the Spark Tribe to develop so quickly,” Han Bing said.

Yang Yi nodded. Although the natives’ productivity was low, their minds were very clear.

Even among the beastfolk, who had a relatively high proportion of those averse to studying, they still understood this point very well. It was just that they themselves couldn’t manage it, so they hoped others could achieve it in their place.

Ever since the beastfolk had been given access to universal education, more and more of them actively sought out Eastern Continent people.

They pinned their hopes on their partners and children, while they themselves could slack off…

“Are there enough seats in the classroom?”

“Quite a few people are standing. Although only five are supposed to be admitted, most tribes have sneaked in more,” Han Bing said with a somewhat helpless smile.

Yang Yi noticed his strange expression and asked curiously, “What happened?”

“Some of the beastfolk sold their ‘spots’.”

“……”

Yang Yi raised his hand to his forehead. Who said beastfolk didn’t have brains? Look at that. After just a few days of trading, they were already figuring out how to make use of the resources at hand.

“Someone had already come to me before, saying they were willing to give up their spot voluntarily. I didn’t agree, but I didn’t expect them to actually go and do this,” Han Bing said helplessly. “Now Yun Qing is so angry he’s practically jumping up and down.”

Yun Qing was the headmaster of the school, in charge of the tribe’s educational activities.

In the past, he was the most scholarly figure in the tribe—elegant, gentle, truly studious and intelligent.

But ever since the beastfolk entered the school, his style had taken a drastic turn. It wasn’t uncommon to hear his lion’s roar echoing.

“We’ll think about how to resolve this issue later,” Yang Yi said, not quite sure how to comment.

On one hand, other tribes were desperate to sneak in and listen. On the other hand, some beastfolk just wanted to skip class. No wonder people were going to resent them.

“How’s the feedback from the open classes?”

Han Bing’s face lit up with excitement. “They’re all asking when we’ll open the school and give them a chance to come study. They’re falling over themselves to show goodwill, hoping to become part of the very first group.”

After all, the Spark Tribe was still a newly risen tribe. Its rapid development made people take it seriously, but also left them wary.

After the open classes, many tribes were more inclined to draw closer to the Spark Tribe, achieving exactly the effect Yang Yi had hoped for.

When the trade fair ended, many tribes left reluctantly. Almost every tribe took away a copy of the multiplication table before departing.

The pronunciation of numbers here was different from Chinese. To make it easier for everyone to memorize formulas, when Yang Yi taught mathematics, the numbers were all pronounced using Chinese readings.

At first, the other tribes weren’t used to it. But by the time they left, they had basically adapted to this change.

Since numbers were constantly used in trade, everyone had more or less learned how to write them. This writing method had already been accepted as the common standard.

“The food brought in through this trade fair will allow the tribe to make it to the next harvest without worrying about shortages,” Yang Yi said excitedly as he looked over the report that was handed to him.

The tribe’s population had suddenly surged. Before this, there simply hadn’t been enough people farming. The food they had obtained seemed far too little in the face of so many new mouths to feed.

Now the food problem was basically resolved. While he couldn’t guarantee everyone would always eat their fill, at the very least, no one would starve.

Seeing his joy, Hei Lie’s lips also curled into an involuntary smile:

“In winter, we can still go hunting. We’ve collected a lot of animal hides, and we also have cotton. The cold won’t stop us from going out.”

Yang Yi was still immersed in his delight. This result was far better than he had expected.

The paper, pottery, and wine had all been extremely popular, with people willing to pay high prices in exchange.

When Yang Yi had considered how much wine to brew, he had been cautious, worried that using too much grain for brewing would lead to oversupply.

But a single jar of wine sold for an exorbitant price. It was truly a windfall.

As it turned out, Yang Yi had underestimated the people’s pursuit of wine, or rather, their pursuit of a better life.

Most of the tribes were very generous and didn’t mind trading a large number of goods for something that couldn’t even fill their stomachs.

“Qing said that some cold-resistant vegetables can still be planted in winter. With the addition of greenhouses, I think this year we can finally enjoy a peaceful New Year,” Yang Yi said, pacing excitedly back and forth inside the house.

Before, he had been very worried that with such a huge population, the tribe wouldn’t be able to sustain itself.

Once hunger began, it would be all too easy for this newly established, mixed-population tribe to collapse and fall apart.

Now that this crisis had passed, Yang Yi could finally relax a great deal.

In hindsight, he reflected that he had been a bit too eager, which could easily plant hidden dangers.

For example, the previous attack had happened precisely because he had taken in so many people all at once, without being able to effectively screen them.

At that time, there had been nearly two thousand spies lurking in the tribe. If not for the fact that the beastfolk and the people of the Eastern and Western Continents had no entanglements and could be trusted, the losses would have been much greater than they were.

As for the management of the tribe, it was thanks to Hei Lie and the capable people he had chosen that everything ran so smoothly.

“In winter, we can shift our focus to manufacturing. When the snow melts next year, more tribes and caravans will bring us goods,” Hei Lie said.

Yang Yi nodded. “Next year, we must plant more grain. Otherwise, it will still be too risky.”

“In winter, we can also store more snow to prepare for irrigation in the coming year.”

Hearing the issue of water brought up dispersed much of Yang Yi’s excitement.

For now, the tribe relied on groundwater. Water resources were still fairly abundant, but Yang Yi felt they couldn’t depend on groundwater forever.

With so many people, relying on groundwater alone in the long term was not a solution.

Especially since this wasn’t an arid place. With their need to vigorously develop agriculture, small-scale industries, and more, relying solely on groundwater would clearly be insufficient.

At present, the tribe was still in its developmental stage. This trade fair had even attracted some tribes with intentions of seeking refuge.

Back then, Jing and the others had only brought back a small portion of people. If the land where the Banshan Tribe resided truly became uninhabitable, there was a high chance that a large wave of people would come flooding here.

In the long run, if they relied only on groundwater, their development would remain very limited.

“Why are you frowning again? What are you thinking about now?” Hei Lie gently rubbed between Yang Yi’s brows with his hand, trying to smooth out the crease.

Yang Yi voiced his concern: “Although things aren’t a big problem right now, I still feel it’s not stable.”

“If a man has no long-term worries, he will surely face near-term troubles. What you’re worried about makes a lot of sense.”

Hei Lie spread out a map. It had been measured and drawn by Han Bing and his men.

Although the cartography was still at a low level, with overall rough and lacking detail, the approximate proportions, directions, and distances were fairly accurate.

“This here is a tributary of the Great Wasteland River. It’s at the junction of two major rivers. The river isn’t particularly wide, but the current is very swift. It has an abundant water source.”

Yang Yi looked at it. Based on the map’s scale, from the tribe to that spot, an ordinary person traveling at a faster pace would need about two to three days.

“You mean…dig a canal?”

“Yes. From my observation, the riverbed is slightly higher in elevation than our tribe. Because the current here is so fast, animals don’t often drink from it, so the river water is relatively clean.”

“Higher elevation?” Yang Yi stroked his chin. “If we divert the water into the tribe, we can use it for hydraulic power in manufacturing. It would save a lot of manpower.”

“From this river all the way to the tribe, it’s loose-soiled plains with no trees in the way. It’ll be easy to dig.”

Yang Yi’s eyes lit up as he thought of something. “If we open up this canal, it’ll also make it easier to introduce fish fry, won’t it?”

Hei Lie couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course. The Great Wasteland River is full of fish. You can tell just from how we always come back with a full load. You haven’t tasted fresh fish yet. The flavor right after slaughter is incredibly delicious.”

The fish in the Great Wasteland River were fierce. Even the nets Yang Yi had brought couldn’t hold them. They’d bite right through.

The hunting parties now used bows and arrows to kill them. Arrows were tied with ropes and shot directly into the water. Their arrowheads were barbed, so it was easier to haul the catch ashore.

Although this method wasn’t like net fishing, where you could haul in a whole batch at once, the efficiency was still very high.

There were simply too many fish in those rivers—far more than animals on the wasteland, with some of them growing to enormous sizes. They were indeed ferocious. But as long as one didn’t enter the water, the fish couldn’t do anything, making it relatively safe.

“This would be a huge project,” Yang Yi sighed. Just thinking of such a long distance being dug out shovel by shovel felt endless.

Hei Lie was unconcerned. “It’s nothing. This cold season, many people don’t have much to do. This will give them a chance to stretch their muscles.”

During the cold season, much work inevitably slowed or came to a halt. Manufacturing and processing require many people. But with skilled workers in short supply, the scale was limited.

So, just like in many places on Earth, whether in the Eastern Continent or the Western, the cold season was a time for everyone to rest.

In more affluent areas, winter was spent consuming the food stockpiled during the harvest, going out to forage only when the weather was favorable.

In poorer places, people went out far less during the cold season. Otherwise, it was all too easy to freeze to death or fall ill from the cold.

“The ground will probably freeze during the cold season, won’t it?”

Right now, nighttime temperatures are already at zero. Once the cold season arrived, it would only get colder. The chance of the soil freezing solid was very high.

“No matter how hard it gets, it won’t be harder than iron tools.”

Yang Yi was very tempted. This way, even winter could be put to use.

In winter, there would be far more idle hands than usual. The tribe already had over twenty thousand people, so forming a workforce of ten thousand wasn’t difficult.

Though iron tools were limited, stone tools and bronze tools could still be used to dig a canal.

In this way, the canal could be completed very quickly. With how tireless these people were, it was certain they could finish it by next year.

“Won’t we be accused of being slave-drivers?”

While other tribes rested in winter, their tribe would still be extremely busy, not even granting a bit of holiday.

Hei Lie laughed. “It’s only if we don’t arrange things this way that problems will arise.”

“Why?”

“When everyone’s well-fed and idle, with no outlet for their excess energy, then aside from when they’re asleep, the dueling arena will definitely be packed to the brim all the time.”

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