In their eyes, the high priest was a god, and no one would want to kill a god. Because they knew that, no matter what, a god could not die.
Even if he could incite the orcs to rebel, it would take a lot of time. Not only would the Beast City not give him that time, but the guards in the Beast City were not just for show. They checked people coming and going even more strictly than the Wood Tribe.
Now we can only start with the tribes surrounding Beast City. Beast City doesn't give them salt, but Wood Tribe does. Wood Tribe has everything Beast City has, and Wood Tribe also has things Beast City doesn't have.
However, these tribes are all subordinate tribes of Beast City. Under the crystal pact, to make them rebel against Beast City, either the Beast City High Priest must die, or the priest of the tribe to whom the pact was formed must die, or the crystal used to form the pact must be destroyed. Otherwise, due to the influence of the pact, they will only be loyal to the other party.
The High Priest of the Beast City will not die, nor will the tribal priests choose to die easily. The crystal is the foundation of the tribe, and the orcs' awakening depends entirely on it. It is impossible for it to be destroyed so easily.
This is a tricky matter.
Shen Nong looked at the branches extending out the window, his fingertips lightly tapping the table. He suddenly asked the system, "System, do you remember when you first transmigrated here, you told me that my special ability core could replace the awakening crystal in the beast world, right?"
[Yeah, why did you suddenly think of asking this?]
"The Awakening Crystals of the Beast World are energy stones, sharing the same energy as the Spirit Cores. Could other priests who have awakened their Spirit Cores also use their own Spirit Cores instead of Awakening Crystals to awaken the beastmen?"
The system was silent for a moment, then said, "Logically speaking, you're right. But... nobody's tried it, so we don't know..."
Shen Nong smiled and said, "Sure, let's give it a try."
If the priest himself can awaken the orcs, then for the better development of the tribe, the probability of him choosing to destroy the crystal and escape the orc city would be higher.
Shen Nong's suggestion to "try" doesn't mean waiting until the awakening day in autumn to find out the results.
There's a reason why the Beast World was set to awaken at that time: Beastmen go into heat in the spring, and that's not the right time for them to awaken.
The summer heat is intense, and the beast blood within an awakened beastman is in an activated state. The newly awakened beast blood will cause the beastman's body temperature to rise slowly, and it will take a period of adaptation before the beast blood can be fully utilized by the beastman.
Without ice to cool them down, the temperature of their beast blood will continue to rise. The orcs will likely eventually succumb to the heat and die from the heat.
Autumn is short and the weather is pleasant, which is the perfect time for orcs to awaken. Before their body temperature rises to an unbearable level, winter arrives.
Although ice can cool people down in winter, they can still freeze to death in the cold. However, fewer orcs freeze to death after awakening than those who are not awakened.
The Wood Tribe filled their ice cellar last winter. Ice made with saltpeter couldn't be eaten directly, and adding ice directly was faster than chilling anything in the summer. So, Shen Nong simply filled the ice cellar during the winter so that the food could be eaten directly in the summer.
So, although it is now early summer and the weather is getting hot, the ice helps to cool things down. When Shen Nong found the tribal priests who had awakened their spirit cores and asked them to use their special abilities to awaken an orc, they all agreed without hesitation.
The awakened orcs were placed in a room with ice basins, and Shen Nong and several priests kept a close eye on their condition.
Seeing that Shen Nong had stayed up for several nights and was so concerned about this matter, the system couldn't help but ask him, "Aren't you afraid that if these priests find out that the supernatural energy can awaken the orcs, they will destroy the crystal and betray the Wood Tribe?"
Shen Nong, who hadn't slept much for days and was dozing off, couldn't help but chuckle when she heard the system's question. She asked in return, "Do you still remember what the initial task was for me?"
The system paused for a moment, and Shen Nong continued, "You mean you want my primitive era to enter a higher level of social civilization, not the Wood Tribe to enter a higher level of social civilization."
As he spoke, Shen Nong's drowsiness vanished, and he said seriously, "The Wood Tribe is already at the forefront, and its development is even far ahead of Beast City. These tribes will not easily betray us as long as they want to move forward. Moreover, if they really want to break away, you can't stop them. Holding onto disloyal tribes will only hurt you in the end. Instead of being suspicious and guarding against this and that all day long, you should teach the beastmen to read a few more words."
...
As the beast's body temperature stabilized, Shen Nong knew it was a success.
When Hu Xiao came to report on the orc situation of the military guard that day, he had a smile on his face. He himself had recently been promoted to a level nine orc warrior, and Tu Feng and Mao Yun were now level eight orc warriors.
The three of them are still leveling up, and Tiger Roar is likely to advance to level 10 orc warrior this year.
The military guard currently has nearly thirty level seven orc warriors, over forty level six orc warriors, and over sixty level five orc warriors. Among these orcs, some are on the verge of advancing to the next level.
If you add the hunting teams of the affiliated tribes, the number of level 7 and level 6 orc warriors will be very small, but the number of level 5 orc warriors will double.
Shen Nong later gave Bao Qiu, Lang Yu, and Lu Chun the Marrow Cleansing Pill, and their levels, which had stagnated for a long time, advanced by one level. Now they are all level eight orc warriors.
The orcs in the guard are now highly skilled archers. They have also learned to shapeshift to enhance their eyesight, hearing, and leg strength, making them incredibly accurate when moving and shooting.
The orcs' visibly growing stronger reassured Shen Nong somewhat.
Taking advantage of the temporary calm in Beast City, Shen Nong prepared the goods and had them airlifted by the Feather Tribe beastmen, thus avoiding the need to cross rivers, traverse dense forests, and climb mountains on land.
Besides the Feather Tribe orcs, Shen Nong brought Ze, Lu Shuang, Mao Yun, Bao Qiu, Lang Yu, Lu Chun, and Fox Mountain, who was familiar with the Beast City.
Lu Shuang's water-based ability is now at level six, having passed the level five hurdle. It's time for her to go out and gain more experience. More importantly, Lu Shuang's ability allows Shen Nong's wood-based ability to unleash even greater power than its current level.
——
"Priest, is the High Priest still not trading salt?" The chieftain of the Guo tribe greeted the young priest who had returned from the Beast City. The priest's brow furrowed deeply, and he gritted his teeth as he grunted an "Mmm."
Xiangguo was clearly getting anxious. "The tribe's salt reserves are depleted. Without salt to eat, how can the beastmen have the strength to hunt!"
"The high priest says there's no salt, what can we do?" Guo Ye rubbed his temples and said, "We went to several tribal priests today, and none of them managed to get any salt. That's not all, the high priest also wants each tribe to send ten priest candidates to the Beast City to study."
"I can't go!" Xiangguo refused without even thinking.
Guo Ye rubbed his temples harder; how could he not know he shouldn't send them? None of the clansmen he'd sent before had ever returned. Every time he went to Beast City, he'd never see a trace of them.
As time went on, Guoye simply assumed they were dead. What else could they do? Could they demand them back from the high priest?
After thinking for a moment, Xiangguo suggested, "How about we say that there are no priest candidates in the tribe? There aren't many people who can make the crystals react to anything, and we have to send ten to the Beast City every season. It's possible that the tribe can't find any priest candidates."
Guo Ye directly rejected the idea, saying, "That's what the priest of the Lei tribe said: the high priest sent people to the Lei tribe and told them to take the crystals and test them one by one, and bring them along as soon as they were found to be positive."
"Is the high priest doing this to prevent the various tribes from having successors?" Xiangguo asked, puzzled.
Guoye shook his head; he didn't know either. He didn't dare to think too much about what the High Priest wanted these people for.
"Priest Candidates" are people who can make crystals react. Such people cannot awaken into orc warriors, but can become priests of their race.
In theory, a tribe can produce one priest candidate before the death of the previous priest. Even if there are more, it will not exceed three, making the number extremely rare.
In some tribes, a new priest was never born until the priest died.
Those tribes with multiple priest candidates, since only one can become a priest, and the rest cannot awaken into orcs and cannot become priests, can leave the tribe to seek opportunities in other tribes if they have not learned anything from the tribe's priest.
If someone has studied under a priest, they can no longer leave the tribe and must remain there, joining a gathering team until old age. If anyone is found to have escaped, they will be burned alive to prevent the tribe's "knowledge" from flowing to other tribes.
But for some reason, there are countless people in these tribes surrounding the Beast City who can make the crystals react. At least half of the unawakened beastmen are like that.
This news didn't make them happy; instead, it filled them with worry. This was because every season, each tribe had to send ten people who could trigger a reaction in the crystals to the Beast City.
Once it's sent, it's gone forever.
Guo Ye was extremely helpless, but he dared not say anything more. Not only did the Beast City have divine beast warriors, but the high priests and young masters could also control water, fire, trees, and earth. With just a flick of their fingers, the Guo tribe could be wiped out.
No, they don't even need to lift a finger; they can't survive if they're not allowed to trade salt.
Chapter 117
Lei Tribe
As temperatures rise, mosquitoes become more prevalent. Regardless of the tribe, the beastmen are covered in incredibly itchy red spots.
Xiang Guo scratched the mosquito bites on his face, walked into the priest's cave, and sat down on the ground listlessly. "The Sand Dune tribe sent people over, and the high priest gave them salt."
Guo Ye frowned, pursing her lips in silence. After a long while, she sighed, as if giving in, "I'll send the chosen people to Beast City later."
"Baby! Baby!" The female orc chased after her, but was stopped by an orc warrior. She tried desperately to rush forward, but four or five orcs blocked her way.
The female orc watched the departing caravan in despair. Why was her child, barely born, being sent to the Beast City?! Everyone knew that no one sent to the Beast City ever came out alive!
The group walked further and further away, and the female orc struggled and cried out, "Why are you pulling me! Why are you pulling me! Aren't your children inside?!"
“The tribe has run out of salt… Just bear with it, consider it for the sake of the tribe…” an orc couldn’t bear to see this and gently advised.
The female orc cried out, "I want my child!"
"Stop yelling. Do you want the entire tribe to die from salt deficiency because of your newborn cub?"
"If you want a child, go ask the high priest. What's the use of shouting in the tribe?"
The female orc's eyes were filled with tears. She listened to her people's words and looked up to see them one by one, but her vision was blurred by tears, and she couldn't see anyone's face clearly.
Her two children, one of whom had safely survived more than a dozen springs, was sent to Beast City the autumn before last and never returned. Now, her newborn cub, just one spring old, is also to be sent to Beast City.
She couldn't keep one of her children...
Guoye led ten people to the Beast City. As soon as they entered, they were led away by the people of the Beast City. Guoye subconsciously called out to the beastmen of the Beast City and asked, "Does the High Priest really teach them things? Why haven't we seen the ones who were sent before?"
The orc snorted, his tone unfriendly, seemingly angry at Guoye's words, "Beast City built such a large stone house for your tribes to send people here to learn, and the high priest even personally teaches them every day. Those people aren't smart enough to learn, so of course they can't leave!"
Guoye wanted to ask a couple more questions, but the other party shook her off, not giving Guoye a chance to speak again.
The bamboo baskets were brimming with fine salt. Guoye should have been happy that her people wouldn't die from salt shortages, but she couldn't smile. The orcs who had followed carried the baskets of salt on their backs and headed towards the tribe.
——
"Priest, the area ahead is the territory of the Beast City's affiliated tribes. Which way should we go?" Fox Mountain pointed to the area below and asked Shen Nong.
Shen Nong glanced at it and said, "Go to the Lei tribe on the very edge."
Fox Mountain was slightly taken aback. He was somewhat surprised that the priest had never been to Beast City and he had not mentioned the distribution area of the affiliated tribes. How could the priest know that the Thunder Tribe was the most peripheral of the affiliated tribes of Beast City?
He only thought about it for a moment, without dwelling on it too much, and patted the left side of the Feather Tribe orc, "Fly this way."
Soon, a tribe shrouded in dense forest came into view. Shen Nong instructed the Yu tribe orcs to land and not fly over the tribe to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
There's been no movement from Beast City yet, so it seems the two who escaped from the coastal tribe haven't returned. Taking advantage of their absence, Shen Nong needs to quickly dismantle Beast City's power.
As soon as Shen Nong and his group landed to rest, they saw a group of orcs approaching. The orcs, with lightning totems on their foreheads, stared at Shen Nong and his group with tense vigilance and asked, "Who are you?"
"We are a tribe from the east, specializing in trading goods with various tribes," Shen Nong said with a smile, her voice clear and melodious. "We have many trade items; would you like to take a look?"
Perhaps because Shen Nong's attitude was gentle and she was not aggressive at all, the Thunder Tribe beastmen were not as wary as they had been at first, but they did not listen to Shen Nong's suggestion to go forward and look. "The Thunder Tribe does not need to trade, you should leave quickly."
"Alright." Shen Nong said with some regret. He rubbed his stomach and asked in a consultative manner, "Can we eat our fill before we leave? We're so hungry and have no strength left. If you're worried, you can stay there and watch over us."
Shen Nong sincerely assured him, "I'll definitely leave after I finish eating."
These orcs always speak in gruff voices; when have you ever heard anyone speak so gently and warmly? It's just the time it takes to eat meat, right? Let them eat.
"Hurry up." The orc leader of the Thunder Tribe led his orc warriors to a place to sit down, keeping a close watch on them.
Shen Nong's smile widened, and he turned to the beastmen, saying, "Did you hear that? Hurry up."
The Wood Tribe team didn't eat cured meat all the time; sometimes they hunted fresh meat. They still had a lot of beef from their last meal, so Shen Nong had the orcs chop it up to make meat patties.
Leopard Autumn and Wolf Rain disappeared into the forest and soon returned with several plump lambs and pheasants.
The Thunder Tribe orcs, who had been watching them closely, shook their heads at the sight of the lambs and pheasants. "Sigh, such small prey after a hunt? It's hardly enough to fill a tooth gap," they thought. "And they've been pounding the meat with those strange stones; it's all mushy. How are we going to roast it? Boil it."
On second thought, that didn't make sense either. These orcs probably didn't have pottery jars and didn't know how to cook meat. Apart from their affiliated tribes in the orc city, other tribes rarely seemed to roast meat before eating it, and these orcs didn't have a source of fire either.
They mashed the meat into a paste, probably because they have bad teeth and can't chew it.
As the Thunder Tribe orcs were pondering this, they saw an orc carrying a large earthenware jar.