Moreover, Shen Nong said she would "pay in installments." Ze was feeling unwell, and Shen Nong couldn't let Ze act as her power bank, nor did she want Ze to see any worry. So she told the system that she would pay two androids' superpower energy every ten days.
The system not only agreed, but it agreed very quickly, as if it was afraid that if it hesitated, Shen Nong would end up taking a prescription every twenty days.
Neither Shen Er nor Ze were surprised by the sudden appearance of eight androids in the room. Shen Er knew their identities, while Ze had seen this scene before.
The eight people included men, women, young and old, and none of them were the same. Shen Nong continued to marry them according to the order of the exchange, starting with Shen Si and ending with Shen Shiyi.
After naming them, Shen Nong asked Shen Er to take the other seven people to the dormitory to settle down, leaving behind the bionic expert who was engaged in geological research.
"Let's see if there's anything useful around here." Shen Nong was about to leave with her people when Ze quickly stood up and grabbed Shen Nong's hand.
Shen Nong wanted to tell Ze to rest well, but she swallowed the words. In the morning, after being questioned, Ze told Shen Nong about the scene in his dream.
Shen Nong could also sense that ever since that nightmare, Ze had been afraid of him leaving his sight. Shen Nong explained many times that a dream is a dream, and reality is reality.
However, Ze was clearly not listening. A seed of fear had been planted in his heart and was beginning to take root and sprout. Ze's mother had died before his eyes, and now he dreamt of himself disappearing before his eyes, which undoubtedly increased Ze's unease.
In addition, the orcs' view of dreams is different from that of the interstellar community. At this moment, Ze completely believes that what happens in his dream will happen in the future.
Shen Nong couldn't persuade Ze, but he knew that Ze's lack of security and misunderstanding of dreams led to the current situation.
He simply let Ze do as he pleased, since Ze had been following him around all day long even before he was assigned to manage the military guard.
However, Shen Nong was still worried about Ze's health, thinking that it would be better to wait until Ze had rested before going. Ze took Shen Nong's hand and said, "I'm all better now. The priest can use your light to check."
Shen Nong paused for a moment before realizing that the "light" Ze mentioned referred to his special ability. Just in case, Shen Nong immediately used her infrastructure points to have the system scan Ze's body. After hearing the system say that he was alright, Shen Nong felt relieved, and the three of them left the dormitory and headed up the mountain.
In summer, the mountains are teeming with mosquitoes, snakes, and ants. Before setting off, Shen Nong brought plenty of juice extracted from a mixture of round-leaf grass and mugwort. After applying it to her body, she felt refreshed, and the mosquitoes, snakes, and ants avoided her because of the smell.
Along the way, they encountered a sea tribe orc covered in stings, still searching the mountains and fields for the priest and chieftain. However, the orc didn't see them behind the tree and hurriedly ran away.
Shen Nong knew that the Sea Tribe was too hostile towards them, so he needed to detain the Sea Tribe chief and priest for a few more days. During these days, he would try to bring the other tribes, large and small, of the Sea Tribe into a unified camp, so that none of the tribes in the Sea Tribe could cause any trouble.
"Priest, we've found something ahead!" Shen Wu, who was squatting on the ground, jumped up excitedly, holding the surveying tools that came with the factory equipment.
He rushed to Shen Nong, wanting to hug her, but Ze blocked him. Shen Wu wasn't annoyed, and actually hugged Ze directly. If Ze hadn't pushed him away quickly enough, given Shen Wu's posture, he would have spun around in circles with Ze in his arms.
Shen Nong chuckled softly, rubbing her forehead. Since androids can have their personalities programmed, Shen Nong felt that one cold-hearted person like Shen Er was enough.
So, this time, the personalities of all eight people were adjusted to be more cheerful and outgoing. It's just that we might not have been able to control it a bit at the beginning. The first two were adjusted a little too much, and Shen Wu's eccentric personality seems a bit unsuitable for geological research.
But if Shen Wu is like this, how terrifying must Shen Si be? Thinking of this, Shen Nong subconsciously shuddered.
A note from the author:
Chapter 99
Quartz sandstone deposits
Shen Wu discovered a quartz sandstone deposit, containing various types of quartz sandstone and covering a wide area. Based on Shen Wu's deduction, there is also crystal underground.
Quartz sandstone is crushed, washed with water, acid-washed, and then washed again to obtain quartz sand with a relatively low iron content. This type of quartz sand is the best raw material for making glass. Shen Nong looked at the exposed rocks; the quartz sand content in river sand was much lower than this. With the best raw material right in front of her, Shen Nong didn't want to refuse any further.
He looked down at the sea below the mountain. If the other tribes by the sea also agreed to come and work, then there would be no shortage of manpower to extract the raw material for glass, quartz sand.
Now we need to figure out how to get other tribes along the coast to come and help with the work.
As Shen Wu continued walking into the mountains, Shen Nong was not idle either.
The orcs of the Fish Tribe still needed to take medicine, so Shen Nong started searching for herbs according to the prescription provided by the system. At noon, Shen Nong bought meat and steamed buns directly from the shop, and after the three of them ate their fill, they continued climbing the mountain. After Shen Wu finished surveying and marked some useful points on the wooden board, Shen Nong had also collected all the herbs.
It was getting late, and it would be dark soon if they didn't descend the mountain. The three of them decided to linger and retraced their steps. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was completely dark. However, more bonfires were burning than usual in each tribe; they were still helping the Sea Tribe search for people.
Shen Wu went straight back to the dormitory that Shen Er had arranged for him; Shen Er had sent him the location on the chat platform.
Ze took Shen Nong's hand and led him toward their dwelling in the darkness. "Priest, move to the side." Ze pulled Shen Nong to the right, and Shen Nong looked down and noticed a small stone where they had just been.
"Ze, are you still afraid of the dark?" Shen Nong asked casually.
Ze paused slightly, tightened his grip on his hands, and shook his head after a moment of silence. "I'm not afraid anymore. After awakening, my eyesight will be better at night than during the day."
Seeing Ze's nervous look, Shen Nong chuckled. He looked Ze in the eye and teased, "Then you can hold my hand at night from now on. My eyesight isn't as good at night as it is during the day."
Ze smiled and leaned down to kiss Shen Nong's eyes gently. "Okay."
When the two returned to their lodgings, they found an old man with disheveled hair and a wooden cane standing at the door.
The orcs of the Wood Tribe and the Feather Tribe have very high hygiene requirements; their hair is always tied up except when they are sleeping.
He was clean and dressed in fish skin clothing, so this person was definitely not an orc from their Wood Tribe or Feather Tribe. Shen Nong glanced at the wooden stick in the old man's hand and remembered the priests from various tribes she had met before; regardless of age, they all carried this thing.
He stepped forward and asked, "Priest of the Fish Tribe?"
Upon seeing Shen Nong, Yu Shui felt immense gratitude. He put down the wooden stick and was about to kneel down on one knee to perform the highest ritual only performed when worshipping the Beast God.
Shen Nong knew that this was a ritual performed when the beastmen worshipped the beast god. He did not believe that he could be like the omnipotent god in the hearts of the beastmen, and he could not bear this ritual.
Shen Nong reached out and helped him into the house. "The beastmen of the Fish Tribe will need to drink medicinal soup for treatment. I have already collected all the herbs. You and I will go in together. I will divide them into portions, and you can take them back and brew them for them."
Yu Shui didn't know what to say to express her gratitude to the priest of the Wood Tribe, so she followed Shen Nong into the house.
"Drink some water." The light from the fire pit in the room was limited, but Shen Nong still noticed Yu Shui's chapped lips. He poured a bowl of water and placed it on the table for Yu Shui to drink.
Water is the most precious thing to fish and water. He fed the bowl of meat soup to the injured beastmen. There was one bowl of meat soup for nine people, and each person only got a sip or two.
He wouldn't dare feed it too much, as it's seawater and people shouldn't drink too much of it.
Yu Shui licked his lips, staring at the water on the table, feeling even more parched. Finally, he couldn't resist any longer; he hadn't drunk so much water in a long time.
He gulped down the water in one go, emptying the bowl quickly. After finishing, he smacked his lips. "Hmm, this seawater doesn't taste right." he thought. "Why does it taste a little sweet? Shouldn't it be salty? Why does my mouth feel uncomfortable after drinking it?"
Shen Nong sat not far from the fire pit, sorting herbs by the firelight, her forehead covered in sweat. She thought to herself that she had traded quite a bit of honey and beehives during her trip to the border tribes. Once she finished arranging things here and returned to the Mu tribe, she would boil the beehives to make beeswax for candles.
He heard the sound of Yu Shui drinking water and knew that the other person was very thirsty. "There's still some in the earthenware pot on the table. Pour yourself if you want some."
After bowing several times to Shen Nong's retreating figure, Yu Shui carefully lifted the earthenware pot with both hands and poured water into the bowl. After drinking another bowl of water, Yu Shui felt like a fish that had been parched for a long time, about to die of thirst, but was thrown back into the water and brought back to life.
After putting down the bowl, Yu Shui wiped his mouth and exclaimed, "I never thought that seawater would taste better than stream water."
He wondered what method the Wood Tribe used to make the seawater taste so good. However, he didn't bother to ask. Drinkable water was scarce by the sea, and the Sea Tribe controlled the mountain streams, thus making all the coastal tribes obey them.
He understood better than anyone how important the Wood Tribe's method of making seawater taste good. He knew that even if he asked, they wouldn't tell him, and he shouldn't ask any more questions.
Hearing Yu Shui's exclamation, Shen Nong continued dividing the herbs in her hands and replied, "It's not seawater, it's groundwater."
Yu Shui was taken aback and blurted out, "Groundwater? What kind of water is this?" He had never heard of such water being found near their seaside.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Shui regretted it and quickly explained, "I didn't mean to ask about the water source..."
“It’s no big deal to tell you. Finding a place to dig a well and successfully draw groundwater is a technical job. Only experienced orcs from my Wood Tribe can do it.” Shen Nong wrapped the divided herbs in large leaves, distributing only nine packets, one for each of the nine orcs. “These herbs should be decocted twice, one dose per day, one in the morning and one in the evening, for two days. If you don’t know how to decoct them, ask an orc from the Wood Tribe for help; they know how. I’ll distribute the rest tomorrow and have someone deliver them to you.”
Yu Shui took the herb packet. He could sense that the priest of the Wood Tribe was somewhat uncomfortable with his kneeling, so he changed it to a bow. However, Shen Nong still felt awkward about the old man bowing to him.
As Yu Shui got up to leave, Shen Nong suddenly remembered what Yu Shui had said after finishing his water. He called out to him, "Wait a minute, I want to confirm something. Did you always think that the water we drink here is seawater?"
“Yes.” Yu Shui nodded, and added, “Not only our tribe, but all the other small tribes think so.”
"You think we have no water to drink, and would rather starve than listen to the Sea Tribe and not come to work?" Shen Nong sensed the implication. "So, the Sea Tribe supplies the various tribes with drinking water, is that right?"
Yu Shui nodded in agreement. His gaze shifted to the earthenware jar filled with water on the wooden table, and he told Shen Nong everything he knew. "The Wood Tribe priest, you are right. Every tribe along the coast listens to the Sea Tribe and dares not resist in the slightest. The root cause is water."
The Sea Tribe controls the mountain streams, and all tribes that want water must obey the Sea Tribe.
All the beastmen from our seaside tribe believe that you drink seawater, so even if you say you'll provide food and lodging, they don't dare to easily disobey the sea tribe priest.
Therefore, if they want other tribes to betray the Sea Tribe and work for the Wood Tribe, all they need is access to water.
Shen Nong understood. No wonder these orcs would rather starve to death than work for them in exchange for meat.
That would make things much easier.
Yu Shui had something on his mind. If he had just left earlier, he wouldn't have said anything. But his analysis to the Wood Tribe priest just now made him realize that if the Fish Tribe joined the Wood Tribe, no one from the coastal tribes would dare to harm them in the future.
"Priest of the Wood Tribe, I want the Fish Tribe to join the Wood Tribe." Fish Water finally spoke up.
Although Shen Nong was somewhat surprised by Yu Shui's choice, she didn't find it strange.
They have plenty of water and food. The fish tribe was almost starved to death by the orcs, and then the sea tribe burned the entire tribe to the ground. The chieftain and the stronger orc warriors almost all died in the fire.
"Okay, sure." Shen Nong nodded in agreement.
Yu Shui grinned, revealing deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He rubbed his eyes with his arm, and in the firelight, his cloudy eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
Shen Nong looked at Yu Shui's eyes and his heart skipped a beat. That look... He suddenly remembered what Yu Ji had told him before: a tribe with a priest cannot voluntarily merge into another tribe.
Unless the priest dies, the tribe will not have a new priest.
Shen Nong wanted to say something, but he hesitated. The old man's expression and eyes were exactly the same as his teacher's when he told him to escape in a dangerous situation, and then went to his own death.
“Wait, the Fish Tribe still has priests and cannot join other tribes.” Shen Nong noticed that Yu Shui’s expression had become more determined, and quickly said, “You can form a pact with me and make the Fish Tribe a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe.”
Yu Shui froze on the spot. Becoming a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe? How could that be? Had he misheard?
“Our Fish Tribe is very weak. We are not qualified to become a subordinate tribe…” Although Fish Water really wanted to do so, how could their tribe be qualified to become a subordinate tribe of a large tribe?
Shen Nong laughed and said, "What's the big deal? I don't care about being strong or not. As long as you work hard and have no bad intentions, that's enough."
Upon hearing this, Yu Shui nodded and waved his hand, "Alright! After the pact is formed, the Fish Tribe will be a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe. All the beastmen in our tribe will work hard and have no ill intentions!"
The crystal containing the fish and water was carried with her at all times, with nowhere else to hide it. Shen Nong was already very familiar with the bond-forming process, and after it was completed, Ze Zheng brought in the water.
While Shen Nong was distributing the medicine, Ze went out to boil water, thinking that he could take a good bath and go to sleep after Shen Nong finished her work.
Yu Shui packed the crystals, took the herb packet, and left happily. With his major concern resolved, he felt completely relaxed and refreshed, and needed to hurry back to tell Yu Ye the good news.
——
The next morning, Shen Nong summoned Yu Shui and asked him to take some of the Fish Tribe beastmen back. The plan was to pretend to rebuild the tribe, but in reality, they were waiting for other tribe beastmen to inquire and spread the word that the Wood Tribe had drinkable water.
Yu Shui walked steadily with the help of a wooden stick, and most of his previous dejected old appearance had disappeared. He patted his chest and promised to get things done.
"Priest, Priest, there's movement from the Fish Tribe!" The Sand Tribe orcs ran all the way back to their tribe to deliver the message to their priest.
The sand tribe priest quickly asked, "How do they look? Are they in bad shape?"
After thinking for a moment, the orc shook his head firmly. "They look great, all of them are smiling. And they're all clean, their hair isn't like a clump of grass anymore, it's all short, and they look quite nice."
The sand tribe priest was skeptical. "You must be mistaken."
“I wasn’t mistaken, priest.” The orc then remembered something and said to the sand tribe priest, “I also saw them drinking water from bamboo stalks. Priest, is there really water in bamboo? Why don’t we go up the mountain and get some bamboo water to drink? We haven’t had a proper drink of water in a long time.”
The sand tribe priest fell into deep thought. He heard the orc's next words but did not agree with them.
They know what the inside of a bamboo stalk is like; it's hollow inside, so how could there be water? Even if there was water, it was added later.