Chapter 72

In a forest, over two hundred people were gathered. There were old and young, women and men, all thin-faced and sickly-looking. Each appeared listless.

This was a gathering place for Wanderers, people who had fled from their destroyed Tribes.

In the centre of the gathering, a bonfire was lit. A wild boar was being roasted. Fat dripped onto the flames, causing them to flicker and dance.

Around the bonfire sat seven people. They were the remaining Totem Warriors of this gathering, coming from several Tribes, and were the leaders of this place.

“Recently, there’s been less and less game in the surroundings. Today we only hunted one wild boar. It’s far from enough for everyone to have a bite,” a burly man spoke, sitting noticeably taller than those around him.

“Shan Xiong, you’re just too slow. Otherwise, that rabbit wouldn’t have escaped,” complained a thin man with prominent front teeth.

“Shou Ya, what do you know? A rabbit is just a few bites of meat. It’s better to find more wild boars,” Shan Xiong glared, his voice rumbling like thunder.

“A rabbit may be small, but it could still fill a bit of our stomachs,” Shou Ya shrank his neck, still a bit afraid of the big Shan Xiong.

“Enough! Stop arguing.” a cool female voice rang out.

Shan Xiong and Shou Ya closed their mouths, turning to look at the figure directly in front of the bonfire, who lowered her head in thought.

She slowly raised her head, revealing grey eyes, grey long hair, and a pair of grey triangular ears on her head. Her face was cold yet pretty.

“Boss Ye, what should we do now?” someone asked in a deep voice.

“Currently, we have three options we can take,” Ye Jiu’s grey eyes coldly scanned the surroundings.

“Boss Ye, what are the three options?” Shou Ya quickly asked. He had had enough of days where they ate one meal and starved for several.

“The first thing we need to do is to find a new Hunting Ground, and move everyone there to build a new gathering place,” Ye Jiu said coolly.

“Move again? Didn’t we just move less than twenty days ago? Many of us will die again,” a Totem Warrior bitterly said.

During the last move, many of their weaker members had died while they migrated. After all, they were climbing through forests, and for those who could not eat enough, it was too exhausting to keep up with the moving group. They would and had to be abandoned.

“This is a good option. If we don’t move, we’ll all starve to death eventually.” Another Totem Warrior agreed.

“Boss Ye, please tell us about the second option,” Shou Ya quickly spoke up.

Moving was not a long-term solution. Who knew if the resources at the next Hunting Ground would be abundant? If it was like their current forest, with only a few wild beasts, they would not be able to last more than a few days.

The abundance of beasts in a Hunting Ground depended on what kind of Ferocious Beasts were present. If there were domineering ones with big appetites, there would not be many wild beasts left.

Ordinary people mostly ate wild beasts, and it was in the highest demand. The current gathering of over two hundred people consumed several wild boars every day.

“The second option is to go and raid for food,” Ye Jiu said coolly.

“…” Everyone fell silent. Some of their Tribes had been destroyed by other Tribes for this very reason – food, or rather, conflicts over the division of Hunting Grounds.

“With just us, there aren’t many Tribes we can raid,” Shan Xiong said in a muffled voice. He was not underestimating himself. A normal small Tribe would have no fewer than twenty Totem Warriors. With their current seven Totem Warriors, could they really raid a Tribe?

Even with his and Boss Ye’s strength, even if they were able to fight three or four Totem Warriors each, there was still the ever mysterious and formidable Shaman in each Tribe.

“I didn’t say we would raid a Tribe.” Ye Jiu’s grey eyes glanced at Shan Xiong, coldly stating, “The Spotted Deer Tribe is holding a market soon. You should know about this, right?”

“Of course,” Shou Ya and others nodded.

“What we’ll raid are the goods these people are transporting,” Ye Jiu’s grey eyes narrowed. Looking at the people in the gathering. Their eyes were dull, occasionally stealing glances at the roasting wild boar in the centre of the bonfire.

She knew that even if they raided, it would only solve their immediate crisis. The fundamental problem remained unsolved.

“Won’t they retaliate against us?” Shou Ya voiced his concern.

“It depends on how big the Tribe out target is. If it’s a small Tribe, they might let it go,” Ye Jiu calmly stated.

“Boss Ye, what about the last option?” Shan Xiong asked with a hint of hope.

“The last, remaining option is the one we’ve discussed before,”

Ye Jiu picked up a piece of firewood and threw it into the bonfire, saying coolly, “That is to find a Tribe and join them.”

“Let’s forget about that one. The last time we tried, we were driven away…” Shan Xiong said with a gloomy expression.

They had thought of this solution before, but several Tribes had chased them away as soon as they saw them. They were afraid they would eat everything up and force the Tribe into poverty.

“That’s right, no Tribe can take in over two hundred people. It would impoverish them,” Shou Ya shook his head.

“I think we should move. Maybe we’ll find a bountiful Hunting Ground, capture a Shaman or two, and we could form a Tribe again,” Shan Xiong suggested.

They had become Wanderers because they lost their Shaman. It had forced them to migrate aimlessly without guidance. They had lost their life goals and future. They were merely surviving, day by day.

“No. I think it’s better to go raid for goods. Currently, everyone is too hungry to have the strength to move.” Someone objected.

“Alright, let’s pursue all three options in tandem,” Ye Jiu raised her hand to stop the discussion.

“Boss Ye, please give us your orders,” Shou Ya quickly said.

“En, Shou Ya, take some people to watch the entrances and exits of the Spotted Deer Tribe. Find out about the Tribes coming to attend the market,” Ye Jiu was also more inclined towards raiding. They needed to feed everyone before they had the strength to move.

As for joining another Tribe, she did not hold much hope for that.

“Understood,” Shou Ya respectfully agreed.