Chapter 12

“What is a ‘Sarira’?” Cang Shi asked hurriedly.

“It’s what forms after cremation for people who have accumulated Merit.” Su Bai recalled the legends about Buddha from Earth and softly explained, “This is also my first time seeing one. Before, I had only heard about it.”

“What are Merits?” Cang Shi frowned.

“Good deeds.” Su Bai said simply.

“He was a great person, the best person in the world.” Yan Jiao and Cang Shi both nodded in agreement.

“Preserve it well for now. In the future, after we reclaim the Tribe Ancestral Land, we can build a temple to enshrine it.” Su Bai handed the Sarira back. It could be considered a type of memorial for the belated Shaman.

“En.” Yan Jiao nodded. He received the Sarira with both hands and carefully placed it in a leather pouch.

“Shaman, what should we do next?” Cang Shi asked with concern, “The dried meat stored in the Tribe is too little. It will be difficult to supply the consumption of the Warrior Trainees.”

Su Bai sat on the ground and asked, “How many Warrior Trainees do we have in total?”

“A total of six Warrior Trainees.” Yan Jiao replied.

“So few?” Su Bai was surprised.

“There were originally twenty-six. During the migration, they were captured by the Totem Warriors of the Black Snake Tribe.” Yan Jiao quickly explained.

“Are they dead or alive?” Su Bai asked, narrowing his eyes.

“It’s possible they’re dead, but also possible they become slaves.” Yan Jiao said through gritted teeth.

“Is the Black Snake Tribe far from us?” Su Bai asked with a light sigh. As long as they weren’t dead, they could still be rescued even if they became slaves.

“About a five days’ journey. If the Totem Warriors hurry at full speed, about a three days’ journey.” Yan Jiao thought Su Bai was afraid, but felt that it wasn’t good to say anything. He could only stiffly comfort, “Shaman, rest assured, the Black Snake Tribe won’t come here.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Su Bai asked in surprise.

“The prey here is too scarce.” Yan Jiao coldly explained. It was precisely because of this that their Flame Dragon Tribe managed to escape disaster.

“In other words, we cannot develop steadily here?” Su Bai stared intently at Yan Jiao with his black pupils.

“Yes, I suppose so.” Yan Jiao hesitated before nodding.

“Very well.” The corners of Su Bai’s mouth lifted. What they lacked now was the time to develop. Matters could be settled step by step.

“Shaman, the situation is far from good. We can hardly catch any prey.” Cang Shi said.

“Tell me about the hunting situation.” Su Bai planned to first fully understand the situation before making any decision.

“The beasts here are too few, and there are hardly any Ferocious Beasts. Searching for prey and travelling takes a whole day, and it takes about three days to hunt enough prey.” Cang Shi shook his head and sighed.

Yesterday, the Old Shaman had also told Su Bai about Ferocious Beasts. They were also divided into ranks: Mix Blood Ferocious Beasts, Pure Blood Ferocious Beasts, Ancient Blood Ferocious Beasts, and King Blood Ferocious Beasts.

Things like wild chicken, wild rabbits, and wild boars all counted as normal beasts.

To maintain their strong Qi and vitality, Totem Warriors needed to nourish themselves with large amounts of Ferocious Beast Meat, in addition to physical training.

After thinking for a bit, Su Bai asked, “The dried meat we have stored now, how long can it last our Tribe?”

“For everyone in the Tribe?” Yan Jiao asked.

“Of course. In the future, I want everyone to be able to eat meat until they’re full.” Su Bai said very earnestly.

“…” Yan Jiao and Cang Shi both fell silent. They looked at their Tribe’s newly appointed Shaman like he was a madman. How could he say such foolish words? Even when they were in their Ancestral Land, they couldn’t let everyone in the Tribe eat their fill of meat.

“Shaman, that’s impossible.” Yan Jiao touched the curved horns on his head and advised, “The dried meat our Tribe has stored now wouldn’t even last a day if everyone ate their fill.”

“Yeah, those kids are like Wolf Cubs. They can eat a ton of meat.” Cang Shi said with a bitter expression.

He also wanted to let everyone in the Tribe eat meat until they were full, but how was that possible? Just relying on their Hunting Team, consisting of only six Totem Warriors, they would die of exhaustion before accomplishing that.

“Relying on pure hunting alone definitely won’t work.” Su Bai shook his head. With the Tribe’s current number of Totem Warriors, even doubling that number might not make it possible to avoid the worries of food and clothing.

Furthermore, it took too long to train a Totem Warrior, and required nourishing them with large amounts of Ferocious Beast Meat and Blood. Rapidly increasing their forces was impossible at this stage.

“Uh…” Yan Jiao and Cang Shi were at a loss for words.

“Shaman, if we don’t rely on hunting, then it’s even more impossible to have meat to eat.” Yan Jiao said with a stiff expression. He felt the new Shaman was still too young and inexperienced. He was oversimplifying such complex matters.

Su Bai didn’t explain. He continued asking, “Do you know about linen?”

“Of course we know. Linen is very rare. Only the greatest large Tribes have linen.” Cang Shi jumped in to speak first, his purple pupils flashing with a bright light. He hoped he could also wear linen clothes.

The corners of Su Bai’s mouth lifted. He guessed that linen had just started becoming popular and could be considered a specialty product of the large Tribes, or perhaps an exclusive product of their Tribe.

He continued asking, “Who among you is familiar with the Spotted Deer Tribe’s market?”

“We’ve each been there once or twice.” Yan Jiao spoke up.

“Is anyone trading linen there?” Su Bai asked, staring intently at the two of them.

“Yes, but the quantity is rather small. As soon as it appears, it’s always bought up.” Cang Shi nodded and recounted a bitter past experience, “Before, when Team Leader Song Zhen brought us, we wanted to buy a roll of linen to make clothes for the Shaman. But we brought too little dried meat and couldn’t compete with the other Tribes.”

“How much meat can one roll of linen be exchanged for?” Su Bai asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Three stones’ weight of dried meat can be exchanged for one roll of linen.” Yan Jiao replied.

“Three stones? How heavy is that?” Su Bai was a bit dazed. He had no idea about the units of weight and length in primitive society.