Chapter 8

*Roar roar…*

Su Bai groggily heard strange beast roars. When his mind became a bit clearer, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked up at the unfamiliar Teepee roof made of beast hide.

He carefully listened and found the beast roars to be coming from far away. Feeling relieved, he quipped, “What kind of beast can make such loud calls without fear of losing its voice?”

Su Bai came back to his senses and thought of the System.

Su Bai continued commanding with his thought.

Su Bai was stunned. Suddenly, felt a Fruit Knife appear out of thin air in his hand.

He quickly sat up and examined the Fruit Knife in his hand. It was a nearly twenty centimeter long Fruit Knife, all black, with a plastic sheath.

Su Bai didn’t even know if he should laugh or cry. He asked,

“Alright then.” Su Bai shrugged and played with the Fruit Knife. At the very least, a Fruit Knife was something he urgently needed. He could use it to cut things, and it could also serve as a weapon if he was in danger.

He played with the Fruit Knife for a while before putting it in his pocket. He lifted the Teepee door flap and went outside, seeing the Tribe’s people all transporting wood.

“You’re awake?” Yan Hua appeared behind Su Bai at some unknown time and handed over a few unknown berries, advising, “Eat, fill your stomach a bit first. You can start eating meat later.”

“You picked these?” Su Bai took the berries. They looked a bit like wild peaches from Earth, about the size of a thumb, but they were eerie blue in colour.

*Crunch…* Yan Hua munched on a berry and said in a muffled voice, “Found them while patrolling last night. Their taste is alright.”

*Crunch…* Su Bai took a berry and wiped it on his body before stuffing it in his mouth. The sandy texture was very strange, a flavor he had no memory of.

He finished one in a few bites and spit out the pit before asking, “What’s this berry called?”

“Sand Blueberries, an extremely rare type of fruit.” Yan Hua’s cheeks were stuffed full, exactly like a greedy squirrel.

“What are they doing?” Su Bai turned his head to look at the people building something, seeming to be erecting a tall platform.

“Making preparations for the Inheritance Ceremony.” Yan Hua said with a yawn.

“You didn’t sleep all night, go rest a bit.” Su Bai said softly.

“No need, it’s just one night without sleep.” Yan Hua waved her hand dismissively.

She finished eating all the Sand Blueberries and revealed blue-stained teeth before speaking, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to see the Shaman.”

“Your teeth…” The corner of Su Bai’s eye twitched as he followed behind her.

“Ah, they’re blue, right? Eat a few more pieces of meat later and the teeth will turn white again.” Yan Hua said unconcernedly.

“…” Su Bai rubbed his forehead. He thought of the girls on Earth and looked at the straightforward bull-horned girl in front of him. .

The two arrived in front of the huge Teepee. Yan Jiao and Cang Shi stood at the entrance, each holding a long spear. The spearheads were made of polished stone and had dark red bloodstains.

“Go in, the Shaman is waiting for you.” Yan Jiao lifted the Teepee door flap.

“Alright.” Su Bai took a deep breath and stepped into the Teepee.

Entering the Teepee, Su Bai saw the Shaman sitting on an animal hide, gazing at him with profound eyes.

“Sit, child.” The Shaman pointed to a spot in front of him.

“Shaman!” Su Bai politely called out and sat cross-legged on the animal hide.

“I know you have many questions.” The Shaman nodded, his aged voice continuing, “I will tell you everything, then you can make your own decision.”

“Okay.” Su Bai quietly nodded.

“You probably don’t know what a Shaman is, right?” The Shaman’s slow pace made one involuntarily want to listen.

“Yeah, I don’t.” Su Bai honestly shook his head.

“Then let me first tell you what a Shaman is.” The Shaman straightened his back, stroked his beard, and said in a low voice, “A Shaman’s duty is to protect the Tribe, carry on the Tribe’s future, and point the way forward for the Tribe.”

“Shaman, how do you protect the Tribe?” Su Bai asked.

“The Power from the Totem, that is every Tribe’s foundation.” The Shaman said with a solemn expression, “The Shaman controls the Totem Inheritance. Only with a Shaman can the Totem Mark on the Totem Warriors be activated.”

“Shaman, what are Totem Warriors?” Su Bai directly asked what he had always wanted to know.

“Your Elders didn’t tell you what a Totem is, and what Totem Warriors are?” The Shaman was a bit surprised.

“No, they passed on when I was young.” Su Bai shook his head. From the time he could remember, he had grown up in an orphanage.

“Poor child, then let this old man bear the responsibility of your Elders then.” The Shaman raised his hand and patted the back of Su Bai’s hand, gently saying, “Totem Warriors are the strongest people besides the Shaman. The Totems we believe in are all the essence of enlightenment passed down from our Ancestors.”

“Everyone possesses great potential, their potential is tapped into with their Qi. Totems are the manifestation of mobilising their Qi. The Shaman slowly explained in an easy to understand way, “Without a Totem, people have no way to mobilise their Qi, no way to bring out their potential.”

“I understand.” Su Bai instantly got it.

To put it in a more understandable analogy: Totems are akin to Internal Energy Cultivation Techniques. No matter how powerful someone was, without an Internal Energy Cultivation Technique, they were still just ordinary people.

Shamans were the one who could pass down the Internal Energy Cultivation Technique. They were also the ones that guided the people on how to cultivate using said technique. That was why the Shamans were so important.

“It’s good that you understand.” The Shaman nodded in satisfaction, feeling reassured by Su Bai’s flexibility and intelligence.