After saying that, he took another bite of the cake with regret. This time, he wouldn't say anything, determined to let the cake stay in his mouth a little longer.
The chief of the Rock Tribe tapped the leg of the chief sitting next to him with a stick, his tone somewhat stern, "They are a subordinate tribe, not us. We're lucky to have anything to eat. Are you implying that the Strange Wood Tribe doesn't give you enough?"
After finishing knocking, he looked around and, seeing that no orcs from the Wood Tribe were paying attention to them, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I didn't." The chieftain of the Rock Tribe had no choice but to swallow the cake, blinked, and pointed to three tribal orcs sitting together not far away. "Priest, why don't we become an affiliated tribe of the Wood Tribe? Look how good the Wood Tribe orcs are to the Mountain Tribe and the Wind Tribe, giving them so much roasted meat."
"What nonsense are you spouting? What right do we have to be a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe?" the Rock Tribe priest retorted sternly.
However, his words caused the priests of the other four tribes to exchange glances. The Rock Tribe priest meant they weren't qualified, not that they didn't want to. In other words, their Rock Tribe also harbored the desire to become a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe?
The chieftain of the Rock Tribe muttered, "How much stronger are the Mountain Tribe and the Wind Tribe than ours? How could they possibly..."
"Shut up and eat your food," the Rock Tribe priest snapped, his face showing displeasure. This silenced the chieftain, who was all brawn and no brains, and stopped him from speaking further.
Yanhe knew, of course, that the Mountain Tribe and the Wind Tribe weren't much stronger than their own. He saw the special treatment the Wood Tribe gave to the Mountain Tribe and the Wind Tribe, and it was impossible for him not to want it. But he also realized that the Wood Tribe priests acted in a specific order without any preconditions.
For example, in this cake-sharing incident, the Wood Tribe went first, needless to say, followed by the Mountain Tribe in second place, and the Wind Tribe in third.
Isn't it arranged according to the order of precedence? He's already a step behind the Wind Tribe, and he's determined to snatch the fourth position. He doesn't believe the other tribes aren't eyeing the Wood Tribe's subordinate position; the first tribe to go gets the prize.
This matter must be handled quietly and discreetly, just like the Wind Tribe.
Apart from the Rock Tribe Chief who was truly focused on eating cake, the priests and chiefs of the other five tribes ate their cakes in silence. When their eyes occasionally met, they would look away guiltily.
...
Shen Nong even bought cumin powder specifically for the barbecue at the bonfire party. Adding cumin seeds would make it even more fragrant, but the system wouldn't sell it to him, probably because they were afraid he would plant the cumin seeds in the ground to force them to grow, thus obtaining more expensive seeds at a low price for the seasoning.
The barbecue at the bonfire party featured three types of meat: sliced meat on a hot plate, including slices of pork, fish, and various rehydrated dried seafood; roasted leg meat and ribs; and roasted suckling pig, whole lamb, and fish. The meat, marinated beforehand, was brushed evenly with oil and slowly roasted over the fire until it sizzled and dripped with oil, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Finally, it was sprinkled with cumin powder and chili powder, creating an aroma that wafted for miles and made one's mouth water.
The roasted meat in the Wood Tribe is something every orc in the tribe can enjoy, and they can even eat their fill. Shen Nong did this to celebrate, as long as everyone is happy. The Wood Tribe can replenish all the ingredients and seasonings used in just one day.
Tiger Roar, the protagonist, was ecstatic. He had not only become the chieftain but also been promoted. Moreover, the priests had put on such a grand celebration for him, with priests and chieftains from many tribes coming to congratulate him.
Tiger Roar couldn't quite describe his feelings. He only knew that he longed to stand at the highest point, transform into his beast form, and let everyone see his majestic and imposing figure.
Shen Nong smiled and sighed as she saw Hu Xiao looking particularly proud.
In the Beast World, chieftains are chosen based on ability. Tiger Roar is the strongest, so it's perfectly reasonable for him to be chieftain according to the Beast World's rules. However, by Shen Nong's standards, Tiger Roar also has fatal flaws: he's not steady and calm enough in his actions, and he's impulsive. He still needs a lot of training to shoulder the responsibility of the entire tribe.
Other tribes elect their chieftains based solely on the orc's rank and strength. This is also because, in reality, all matters within the tribe are managed by the priests.
But the Wood Tribe is different from other tribes. Priests from other tribes would never leave their tribe no matter what happens. Shen Nong knew he couldn't stay in the Wood Tribe forever; he had left before because of the Wushan Tribe. In a couple of days, he would be setting off for the outlying tribes, and there would definitely be many more times in the future when he was not in the tribe.
If only Hu Xiao could handle things on his own right now, Shen Nong thought to herself, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Haste makes waste; if one person can't do it, he'll find two more to complement each other's strengths.
The beastmen had eaten roughly the same amount, and since it was so late, they didn't want to stumble through the forest back to their tribe in the dark. The concrete ground of the Wood Tribe's square was flat and slippery, so they simply collapsed onto the ground, intending to sleep there for the night. When dawn broke, those who needed to stay and work in the Wood Tribe would go to work, and those who needed to return to their tribe would go back.
Shen Nong looked at the flames burning under the night sky. The fire was already small and would soon go out. He thought that if they had musical instruments, they could play music and dance around the campfire, which would be quite interesting.
The next morning, the ashes and broken bones on the square were cleared away. Shen Nong entered the council building, climbed the wooden stairs, and went up to the second-floor wooden house. He opened the four wooden windows, letting the sunlight into the room.
The wooden table in Shen Nong's office was placed after careful calculation. There was a large tree on one side of the wooden house. He used his supernatural ability to make its branches, leaves and trunk grow. As the sun slowly rises, Shen Nong's wooden table can always be in the shade of the tree.
Lu Shuang knocked on the wooden door on the second floor of the council building. Hearing a sound from inside, he pushed the door open and went in. Lu Shuang's round, bright eyes stared at Shen Nong. "Priest, you wanted to see me?"
"After observing you for the past few days, your injuries have completely healed, and your physique is much stronger than before." Shen Nong asked Lu Shuang earnestly, "Do you still want to try to awaken that power and use it for yourself?"
After listening, Lu Shuang's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Priest, I think so."
He had thought about this for a long time. The priest had told him it would be extremely painful, and there was a 50% chance it wouldn't work. In the days since, he had repeatedly considered whether or not to try. And each time, his final decision was to give it a shot. Regardless of the outcome, at least he wouldn't regret choosing not to try now.
Shen Nong knew Lu Shuang's determination, so she told him to go to the inner room where she usually took a nap, "Go lie down on the bed inside, you'll sleep here tonight, I'll watch over you."
Lu Shuang was a little confused, "But it's daytime for the priest now, doesn't he sleep at night?"
"You really think this is a place for you to sleep comfortably? Hurry up and go inside, or you'll be in pain later," Shen Nong said helplessly.
Lu Shuang thought so too, and obediently went into the inner room and lay down on the bed.
Shen Nong didn't follow Lu Shuang inside; he still had people to see. A moment later, there was another knock on the wooden door, and this time it was Mao Yun and Hu Xiao who entered.
Mao Yun's injuries hadn't fully healed, and she could clearly see a limp when she walked. After the two entered, Shen Nong didn't waste any time and went straight to the point: "Mao Yun will be the deputy chief of the Mu tribe from now on, and Lu Shuang is a candidate for priest. When I leave the tribe, Hu Xiao, you should discuss matters in the tribe with Mao Yun and Lu Shuang, and listen to their opinions."
Both of them looked at Shen Nong in surprise after hearing this.
Cat Cloud was so surprised to be appointed as the deputy clan leader that he was momentarily speechless. Tiger Roar, with his piercing tiger eyes, shouted in his booming voice, "Priest, where are you going? Aren't you taking me with you? I'm an eighth-level orc warrior now, I can protect you!"
“You are the chieftain. If I leave, you will leave too. Then who will protect the tribe?” Shen Nong propped her head up with one hand and lightly rubbed her earlobe with the tip of her index finger. “That’s not the point. The point is that if I’m not in the tribe, you have to discuss things with Mao Yun and Lu Shuang.”
Tiger Roar was still immersed in the grief of the priest leaving without taking him with him, and responded listlessly.
As they went downstairs, Hu Xiao said to Mao Yun, "Hurry up and advance in rank, then I'll fight you again. If you beat me, you'll become the clan leader, and I want to go out with the priest."
Cat Cloud was delighted that the priest had appointed her as deputy clan leader; it was a sign of the priest's approval. But this didn't stop her from attacking Tiger Roar, "Do you think you can get involved in protecting the priest if Youze is here?"
Hu Xiao immediately shook his head when he thought of the priest's stickiness, "That's definitely impossible, I can't stick to him as well."
Shen Nong instructed the orcs guarding outside not to let anyone into the council building, no matter what noise they heard.
Pushing open the door to the inner room, Lu Shuang's back stiffened upon seeing Shen Nong. He described the pain, and while he was actually afraid, he was even more afraid of regret.
Shen Nong took out a Marrow Cleansing Pill and handed it to Lu Shuang, saying, "This is a Marrow Cleansing Pill, take it."
Lu Shuang calmly accepted it, but her hands trembled slightly uncontrollably. The unknown pain filled her with fear, and Lu Shuang couldn't stop her body's reaction.
Since he couldn't stop it, he simply and cleanly put the brownish Marrow Cleansing Pill into his mouth.
Shen Nong pulled over a wooden chair and sat down. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you earlier that I chose you as the candidate for priest of the Wood Tribe. When I'm not in the tribe, you, Mao Yun, and Hu Xiao will be in charge of some tribe affairs. You can serve as the priest candidate for now, and you can resign if you really don't want to do it later."
There's really no one more suitable than Lu Shuang in the Wood Tribe right now, so Shen Nong has no choice but to force him to take the job for a while. If he really doesn't want to, they'll have to wait until he returns from the outlying tribes.
The Marrow Cleansing Pill melted as soon as it entered her mouth. Lu Shuang was so shocked by Shen Nong's words that she choked, realizing that she had coughed up the Marrow Cleansing Pill that had turned into water.
Shen Nong quickly patted Lu Shuang on the back to help, "Did I scare you?"
Lu Shuang unconsciously grabbed Shen Nong's hand and shook his head. After finally calming down a bit and not coughing so much, he asked, "If I don't become the priest, can I still be a candidate for priest of the tribe?"
Shen Nong replied, "What does this have to do with whether you succeed or not? As long as you're smart enough and learn quickly, that's all that matters."
Lu Shuang was somewhat excited. He had never even dreamed of becoming a candidate for the tribal priest. "It's alright! It doesn't matter at all!"
The effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill began to appear, and Lu Shuang's expression grew increasingly ferocious. At first, he could endure it, but eventually he couldn't bear it any longer and rolled around on the bed. His muffled groans of suppressed pain gradually rose in intensity.
Fearing that Lu Shuang might hurt herself, Shen Nong used her special ability to bind Lu Shuang with vines and stayed by her side without leaving for a moment, waiting for the effects of the medicine to wear off.
Screams echoed from the council building, attracting many orcs, but they were all kept outside by the orcs guarding the building. The painful cries gradually subsided; it was already afternoon. After examining the unconscious Lu Shuang and confirming that she was alright, Shen Nong opened the door and went out into the inner room.
As he passed by the window, he glanced down and expected to find a large number of orcs gathered there, but to his surprise, there was no one there.
When Shen Nong asked the orc guards below to get some milk from the food preparation team, she casually asked if any orcs had forcibly broken in that morning.
The orc replied, "Only when the screams first came in the morning did orcs approach the council chamber. After the priest ordered them not to come up, the orcs automatically stayed away from the council chamber and dared not approach."
Shen Nong was somewhat relieved that the tribe's beastmen were so obedient. He wasn't worried about the original Wood Tribe members, but rather the Water Tribe members who had joined later. He feared that their concern for Lu Shuang might lead them to rush in to investigate, potentially causing a conflict.
Chapter 93
Proto-celadon
Lu Shuang felt as if she were in a river, her whole body enveloped in water, feeling a cool sensation in the sweltering summer heat.
He felt stronger in his limbs and bones than before, and his whole body felt much lighter. If he calmed down, he could almost hear the sound of water flowing in the air.
The food box brought by the food preparation team contained a large bowl of noodles, some sliced braised beef, and a poached egg. Shen Nong placed the food box on the small table outside, peeked into the bed inside, and saw that the person was awake and looked dazed. She smiled and said, "Come out and eat your noodles."
Lu Shuang quickly climbed out of bed and ran towards the door, excitedly exclaiming, "It worked! It worked, teacher!"
Shen Nong raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing Lu Shuang's address to him, recalling that Lu Shuang had told him this when she was injured by the giant tree: if successful, he could teach Lu Shuang to use this power. Not as a priest, but as a teacher.
"You still remember." Shen Nong took the noodles out of the food box, set out the chopsticks, and gently raised her chin to signal Lu Shuang to eat the noodles quickly.
"I remember everything you said, teacher." Lu Shuang called him "teacher" enthusiastically, and Shen Nong felt a slight stirring in his heart upon hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar way of addressing him. Sigh, teacher... I wonder how his teacher is doing in interstellar space.
Lu Shuang was starving. The intense pain of the marrow cleansing process had taken a heavy toll on his strength, and he hadn't eaten a single bite all morning. He wolfed down his noodles, swallowing them down in a hurry without even chewing them properly.
Shen Nong didn't offer any useless advice like urging someone to eat slowly. Saying such things to someone who is starving is pointless and a waste of breath.
Before long, Lu Shuang had finished a large bowl of noodles, even drinking up all the broth. He put down the bowl and met Shen Nong's ambiguous smile, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.
"Do you want me to get you some more?" Shen Nong asked.
Lu Shuang waved his hand, these noodles were a rare treat, he dared not eat any more, "No need, priest, I'm full."
"Let's get down to business." Shen Nong walked to the wooden desk in his office and sat down. The sun was high in the sky, but sitting in the shade of the tree provided some coolness. "Tomorrow I'm setting off for a border tribe. I've appointed Mao Yun as the deputy chief. You, Hu Xiao, and Mao Yun can discuss any matters concerning the tribe. If you encounter any major issues that you're unsure about, go find Shen San."
Shen Nong wanted the three of them to grow up gradually and become independent as soon as possible, but she was also worried that they lacked experience. By keeping Shen San behind, she could communicate with him in a timely manner on the system platform if anything happened.
Lu Shuang nodded happily, "Yes, Priest!"
Seeing his straightforward manner, Shen Nong had no reluctance whatsoever. He remembered the last time this guy was injured, he thought he was going to be chosen as a candidate, and he even cried and said that he couldn't compete with Tu Dong.
"Why didn't you say this time that we can't compete with Tu Dong?"
“Priestess, you still remember me?” Lu Shuang chuckled, a little embarrassed. “Before, I was injured and Tu Dong was the one who took care of me. Back then, I always felt uncomfortable competing with Tu Dong.”
Shen Nong beckoned, "Alright, come over here and I'll teach you some methods on how to control and guide the power within your body."
After the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill wore off, Shen Nong examined Lu Shuang's body. He confirmed that Lu Shuang's spiritual core had awakened, making her a water-based ability user.
The way that people with superpowers cultivate and use their superpowers is the same. The only difference is that they develop their own attack or defense methods based on the characteristics of each superpower.
Shen Nong taught Lu Shuang some basic training and application methods for supernatural abilities, so that Lu Shuang could practice them well while in the tribe.
Lu Shuang's superpower has just awakened, and the most she can do is to draw a thin stream of water upwards from the bucket, and even that can't be sustained for long.
Therefore, Shen Nong was not worried that Lu Shuang would lose control of her abilities and hurt herself or others.
"Priest! Priest!" Urgent shouts came from the stairs, mixed with the thumping sound of footsteps on the stairs, and soon the door was reached.
Shen Nong let Lu Shuang experience it herself first, and then let the beastmen outside come in.
Lion Grove burst through the door, drenched in sweat, his face and neck flushed red, panting heavily. He excitedly thrust out what he was carrying, "Priest, I've burned it!"
Shen Nong took the item from Shi Xia's hand, and gently stroked it with his slender fingertips; the smooth texture was unmistakable. It was celadon, the most primitive form of celadon. Unlike the exquisite white porcelain, its color was yellowish, ancient, and profound.
Shilin was extremely passionate about pottery making and had a knack for applying his knowledge to new situations. The tribe had already collected black pottery, gray pottery, and red pottery. Different firing techniques and different clays produced pottery of different colors. He was always searching for clay, and whenever he found suitable clay, he would dig it up and use it to make pottery. During the period of the tribe's reconstruction, Shixia used newly dug clay to make grayish-white pottery.
He showed it to Shen Nong at that time, and Shen Nong guessed that perhaps Shi Xia had found porcelain clay suitable for firing porcelain. This is the color of porcelain clay after firing.
After analyzing the components, the system confirmed Shen Nong's hypothesis. With porcelain clay, pottery could be upgraded to porcelain. Shen Nong shared the lime glaze formula with Shi Lin and instructed Shi Xia of the production team to upgrade the slow-wheel potter's wheel to a fast-wheel potter's wheel. The increased speed and higher rotation speed would also allow for a more aesthetically pleasing final shape of the artifact.
However, after all preparations were completed, the porcelain was not successfully fired for a long time.