The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (9): Crazy market

The tribe where the Child of the World resided was about to go to war.

This might be something new for the Child of the World, but for the others in the tribe—and especially for the rabbit man—it was nothing unusual.

In fact, the rabbit man knew about this long before any of the beastmen in the tribe did, because his original tribe had been defeated in this very war, which could only be described as an invasion. Many of his people were either killed or wounded. The sub-beastmen fared slightly better, but the beastmen were all reduced to slaves, forced to sell their labor, stripped of freedom and dignity. Fewer than one in ten survived.

He knew very well what kind of disaster this war would bring to his former tribe, but he had no intention of warning his old tribesmen in advance—nor would he tell Elvin.

Deep down, he remained wary of what had happened in his previous life, constantly fearing that Si Qi might somehow become entangled with Elvin.

It would be best if Si Qi died in that battle and never appeared again.

Only then would he be able to feel at ease.

As for the other beastmen and sub-beastmen…

To be honest, before his rebirth, the rabbit man had long stopped interacting with those people, most of whom had died early on. He didn’t even remember their names or what sort of relationship he had with them.

It had all happened over ten years ago.

On the other hand, he was now much more familiar with the people living in the big tribe. He knew them well.

He considered these people his true kin, the home where he had lived for many years.

Whether that small tribe survived or perished no longer mattered to him. It was of no importance.

And so, he watched silently as Elvin’s hunting party launched an invasion during the depths of autumn—striking while the other tribes were busy stockpiling food for the winter, completely unaware that disaster was on the way. They stormed into the tribe, killed any beastmen who resisted, captured the sub-beastmen, slaughtered the elderly and children, and especially targeted the beloved shaman of the tribe. They looted cartloads of food and returned home with the spoils of war.

When Elvin returned, his face was deathly pale.

He collapsed to the ground as soon as he stepped inside, his legs giving out. Bracing himself against the floor, he vomited uncontrollably.

It was as if the screams and cries of the beastmen still echoed in his ears. Many of the beastmen’s children had cried and begged him for mercy. He hadn’t dared to bring down his blade, but in the next moment, another beastman from his tribe rushed forward and decapitated the child.

Elvin trembled all over, feeling as though he were in hell. It wasn’t until a sub-beastman from the small tribe went mad with grief and charged at him in beast form—fighting to the death for the sake of his child—that Elvin regained a sliver of clarity. And then…

That was the first time he had personally killed a living sub-beastman.

That feeling—he knew he would never forget it for the rest of his life.

It was terrifying.

No matter how many wild beasts he had killed before, nothing compared to the feeling of that single axe blow…

Elvin’s stomach kept churning, and he couldn’t help but dry heave again.

The rabbit man looked at the filthy mess on the floor with a hint of breakdown, yelling at Elvin, “It was just a war! Is this really necessary?!”

“You’ll get used to it. Don’t take it so personally.”

“You’re the Beast God’s chosen one—how could something this small defeat you?!”

As Elvin vomited until his vision blurred, he stared dazedly at the rabbit man’s calm face. He only felt an overwhelming coldness and cruelty from him.

If it were Si Qi—the Si Qi he had first known—Si Qi would definitely have understood him, cared for him, comforted him. He would have gently bandaged his wounds, even cut his own wrist to bleed and heal him, been mindful of his emotions, never forced him to hunt, and would have thought and felt the same way about the things happening around them. Unlike this cold-hearted sub-beastman in front of him, who always forced him, always demanded he get used to things, made him do what he didn’t want to do.

Elvin wiped the sour vomit from the corner of his mouth and looked at the rabbit man with undisguised disgust. “Is that all you know how to say?!”

The rabbit man was clearly hurt by the look in Elvin’s eyes—how could Elvin look at him like that?

He replied with a face full of grievance, “But that’s just how it is…”

“Si Qi would never say something like that!” Elvin couldn’t help comparing his past and present partners.

The rabbit man hated—more than anything—hearing that line. His face twisted in anger as he shouted, jumping up in a frenzy, “All you ever do is talk about Si Qi! You never stop mentioning him! You still can’t let him go! What’s so great about that guy anyway? He never even liked you!!”

Elvin said coldly, “And do you like me? What do you like about me?”

The rabbit man blurted out, “Of course I like how outstanding you are!”

“Heh.” Elvin let out a mocking laugh. “Outstanding? In what way? Like the Grand Shaman, who’s so knowledgeable? Or like the team leader, who’s so strong? Or maybe like those sub-beastmen who earn plenty of food with little effort through their skills?”

After living in the big tribe for months, he had finally learned the things the rabbit man used to say he would be able to do someday. He had become, as the rabbit man once put it, “smart.”

He continued, “What you value is just the title of Beast God’s emissary. If it hadn’t been me in the last life, but someone else who received that title, you would’ve followed them and ignored me completely.”

The rabbit man’s face went blank for a moment, then twisted into a hysterical rage as he screamed, “How can you say that about me?! I like the Beast God’s emissary., so of course I like you—it’s always been you! I’ve done so much for you, cleaned up so many messes for you, thought only about you in everything I did, it was all for your sake—and you say this to me?!”

Elvin wore a sullen expression and said nothing. The rabbit man’s tears fell one after another as he cupped his face and sobbed, “You’re being too cruel…”

Elvin, irritated by the crying, tried to stay patient and said, “Alright, stop crying…”

He was the one who had felt sick and disgusted by the bloodshed and needed comfort. Yet after returning, it turned into arguments and crying, and now he had to be the one offering comfort instead—what kind of mess was this…

Xiu Xiu took everything in and concisely reported the situation to Si Qi. Si Qi frowned: [You’re saying they’re systematically slaughtering people from the surrounding small tribes?]

Xiu Xiu: [Yeah. It looks like they think their tribe is doing well and can keep expanding, so they’ve set their sights on sub-beastmen from other tribes…]

Sub-beastmen were kept to bear children, beastmen were turned into laborers, and on top of that, they plundered enough food reserves from the tribes to last an entire winter. It was an incredibly profitable “deal.”

Based on Xiu Xiu’s description, Si Qi sketched a rough map and quickly noticed something off: [At this rate, they’ll bring the war to our area by winter…]

So then…

Si Qi raised an eyebrow: [That sub-beastman was reborn, so he probably knows a lot about the big tribe. That must be why he deliberately took the Child of the World there.]

But how exactly was he connected to the big tribe? And why did he have to rush over there at this particular moment?

Wasn’t it most likely because of this upcoming invasion…

Si Qi found it all absurd: [He just ran off with the Child of the World and didn’t even warn the tribe ahead of time, didn’t tell them to prepare?]

A beastman tribe of thousands, with members from various races, versus a small self-sufficient tribe of just over two hundred people—it was obvious who would win and who would be crushed.

And yet, that place was where the rabbit man had been raised. All he could see now was the Child of the World, the one who would become the next Beast God’s messenger. He didn’t even care if his old tribe died?

Si Qi let out a cold laugh, roughly calculated the invasion route of the big tribe, and told Xiu Xiu: [Keep an eye on where they’re heading next. Try to warn the grand shamans of the smaller tribes in advance so they can prepare.]

Xiu Xiu hesitated: [But how should I warn them?]

Si Qi responded as if it were obvious: [Use the name of the Beast God. The people around here trust that the most.]

With that, he pulled out a miniature 3D projector from a World Tree leaf. It could project Xiu Xiu’s appearance and voice into the air. He handed it to Xiu Xiu: [Since your form is a golden dragon, just speak to them directly.]

Xiu Xiu suddenly understood and showered Si Qi with exaggerated praise: [Master, you’re amazing! Truly worthy of being my master—you even thought of this!]

Si Qi chuckled: [Alright, go.]

“Alright!” After saying that, Xiu Xiu immediately controlled the second external scout drone, carrying the projector as it flew into the air, heading straight toward the next small tribe.

After Xiu Xiu left, Si Qi tapped his thigh near his palm with his fingers, pondered for a moment, and then walked over to find the Grand Shaman.

The Grand Shaman was grinding herbs inside his hut. As soon as Si Qi entered, the shaman seemed to sense something and turned his head, glancing at Si Qi—or rather, at something behind Si Qi.

He always habitually focused on a spot Si Qi couldn’t see, as if he had a spiritual eye capable of perceiving things invisible to ordinary people.

This time, what the Grand Shaman saw was slightly different from usual. He looked at it for a long time before speaking to Si Qi: “What happened?”

Si Qi wasn’t surprised at all and countered, “What did you see?”

The Grand Shaman’s face, full of wrinkles like tree bark, twitched as he stared with difficulty into the void, then said to the young man before him, “I saw life… and also death.”

Si Qi nodded slightly and shamelessly borrowed the same line: “So did I.”

The Grand Shaman nodded with great acceptance—he always felt that this man before him was deeply favored by the Beast God, so it was perfectly normal that he could see what the shaman saw.

Si Qi followed up smoothly, “We should start preparing in advance.”

The Grand Shaman agreed, “Go tell the chief what you saw and let him figure out a plan.”

He had great trust in the strength of the new chief and was confident that Si Qi could handle it well.

With the token given by the Grand Shaman in hand, Si Qi went directly to Chu Feng and said openly, “The Grand Shaman has foreseen the future. A large tribe is about to invade us. We need to prepare in advance.”

Chu Feng’s expression turned serious as he asked, “What kind of large tribe? Where are they?”

Si Qi replied, “It’s a large tribe of two to three thousand people, in the north. They’ve already slaughtered and looted a small tribe, and they’ll gradually make their way toward us next.”

Without hesitation, Chu Feng stood up and summoned the tribe, announcing the news.

The tribesmen were shocked, but not panicked. For them, battle was part of everyday life—there was no such thing as fleeing without a fight.

Beastmen had always respected the strong, not cowards.

Si Qi said, “We still have nearly a hundred sunsets before the large tribe arrives. Until then, everyone can continue living as usual, just with more time dedicated to training.”

Chu Feng agreed without hesitation. “Leave the training to me. I’ll turn them into brave and powerful warriors.”

“That would be perfect,” Si Qi said with a smile. “I believe in your strength.”

Seeing Si Qi’s confident smile, Chu Feng couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.

Perhaps because so many of Si Qi’s predictions had come true in the past, everyone had developed this subconscious belief: if Si Qi looked confident and said everything would be fine, then things really would go smoothly—just as he said.

Many of the beastmen saw Si Qi’s reaction and, one after another, broke into excited smiles, rubbing their fists and saying, “We’ll make sure that tribe never comes back alive!”

“Our tribe isn’t to be messed with!”

“Let them see just how powerful our warriors are!”

The sub-beastmen stood nearby, watching the hot-blooded, courageous beastmen; their cheeks were slightly flushed, their faces full of admiration.

The young beastmen hopped and skipped around, declaring that they, too, would join the fight—that they were powerful warriors as well.

The elder beastmen calmly inspected the weapons set to one side, thinking that even if their bodies were no longer what they once were, they could still use the fine bows, arrows, and axes Si Qi had made to take down a few fools who dared intrude on their tribe.

Everyone’s spirits ran high—so high that even Si Qi felt a little surprised.

It seemed this time they would not repeat the tragedy from the rabbit man’s memories.

After a long discussion about the coming battle, Si Qi suddenly remembered something and quietly sought out Chu Feng. “Would you be willing to sell some of our tribe’s weapons to other tribes?”

Chu Feng’s mind worked quickly. “You mean those smaller tribes, like ours, that might be invaded by the large tribe?”

“Right,” Si Qi nodded. “And it’s not just about the weapons themselves—there are many benefits to selling them.”

Chu Feng, who had grown up in a primitive society and lacked formal knowledge yet always thought clearly, grasped the idea at once. “You mean influence?”

Si Qi nodded again, smiling. “Our tribe can’t stay this small forever. If we want to grow stronger, we need to spread the word and attract more tribes to join us.”

Chu Feng weighed the pros and cons, then agreed. “We can give it a try.”

Si Qi said, “Every year in late autumn there’s a market where all the major tribes trade supplies for the winter. We can showcase our tribe’s special products there, demonstrate our strength, and make it known that we’re looking to expand and welcome more beastmen and sub-beastmen. Those who want to join will notice us.”

Chu Feng thought the idea was excellent and nodded. “I’ll get people ready right away.”

Usually, those who go to the market are experienced elder beastmen and sub-beastmen familiar with daily necessities. Since the tribe planned to transport many valuable goods and weapons this time, they would need plenty of warriors along to guard those elders and sub-beastmen.

Having settled the plan, Chu Feng hurried off to rally the clanspeople. Meanwhile, Si Qi messaged Xiu Xiu: “When you talk with the Grand Shamans, mention our tribe’s name outright—hint that they’re welcome to join us.”

Xiu Xiu grinned mischievously and said, “Master… you’re really good at waving that tiger’s banner~”

Using the beastmen’s absolute reverence for the Beast God to push forward his own goals—wasn’t that just a recipe for unstoppable success?

As soon as those Grand Shamans heard that the Beast God wanted them to join a certain tribe to prepare in advance for an incoming war, wouldn’t they drop everything and rush over without a moment’s hesitation?

Si Qi smiled slightly. “It’d be a waste not to use a ready-made tiger skin.”

…

Time flew by, and soon it was time for the market. The tribe had to arrive before the first snowfall, exchange their goods, and bring everything back.

This time, they were taking more items than in any previous year—not just meat, but all sorts of things the tribesmen had never even dared to imagine: ceramic pots, wool blankets, metal weapons, and even sweet, sugary treats!

The first two items, the sub-beastmen in the tribe had at least seen before, even if they couldn’t afford them. But sugar, chili, and those terrifyingly sharp metal weapons—those were things they had never even dreamed of. It was certain these would draw the attention of countless beastmen and sub-beastmen at the market, making quite the impression.

With so many goods to transport, the number of people traveling was three to four times more than in previous years. The journey would take at least half again as long, so they departed earlier than usual.

Si Qi, Chu Feng, and the Grand Shaman, of course, wouldn’t leave the tribe for long at such a critical time. The task was entrusted to another strong beastman from Chu Feng’s trusted hunting team.

Si Qi had his reliable multitasker Xiu Xiu tail the group, scouting constantly to monitor the situation and ensure any problems could be addressed in time.

Half a month after the team set off, Xiu Xiu reported that the tribesmen had finally arrived at the market located near a large tribe in the west.

After a day of rest and purchasing, they found an empty spot and laid out piles of exquisite, beautiful, and clearly expensive specialty goods from their tribe. In just a few minutes, a crowd had gathered around their stall.

beastmen and sub-beastmen in simple animal-skin clothes stared wide-eyed at the tribesmen, who wore clean and neat outfits, were groomed from head to toe, had grass shoes on their feet, and metal daggers hanging from their waists. Their eyes sparkled with envy.

They didn’t know what many of these items were—spices, and oddly shaped weapons glinting in the sunlight—but they recognized the ceramics and wool blankets. Such rare and valuable things were casually placed off to the side, while the most prominent spots were reserved for spices and weapons. Clearly, these unfamiliar items were even more precious than the ceramics!

A timid, sweet-looking young deer sub-beastmen carefully asked one of the tribe members, “Excuse me… what is this snowflake-like thing?”

He instinctively felt that these refined and well-dressed beastmen and sub-beastmen must come from a remarkable, powerful tribe. Only in such a place could people look this good and bring out so many rare items.

He worried that the people from this great tribe would be just like the ones in his imagination—arrogant, hard to talk to, and might look down on him, sneer at him, and mock him for not even knowing what something like that was.

But the sub-beastmen in front of him showed a warm and gentle smile, and replied kindly, “This is called ‘sugar.’ It’s a type of seasoning made by our tribe. It’s great whether you eat it as a snack or add it to food. It’s even sweeter than honey and makes you feel incredibly, incredibly happy when you eat it.”

The little deer sub-beastmen looked at him with wide, round, shiny eyes full of curiosity and envy. With a pure smile, he said, “That sounds amazing… how much meat would it take to trade for some?”

The tribesman replied, “It’s not expensive. You can trade it for the same amount of salt.”

The little deer’s eyes filled with longing as he looked pleadingly at the tribesman beside him. That tribesman hesitated for a long moment before pulling out a fingernail-sized piece of salt from his animal hide and said, “Let’s buy one piece to try.”

The little deer’s eyes lit up instantly. He watched happily as the tribesman traded for a piece of sugar, then carefully cupped it in both hands. He took a tiny bit with his fingertip, stretched out his tongue, and gently licked it, cherishing every bit.

Then—

His eyes flew wide open!

The little guy jumped up in excitement, his face flushed red with joy as he shouted, “Yah! Yah! Yah!! So delicious! So delicious!! Brother Aman, I’ve never tasted anything this good before!!! It’s even better than the red fruits we had last year!!!”

The tribesman, hearing that, was tempted as well. He cautiously took a bit of sugar on his fingertip and tasted it. His eyes widened too, and he couldn’t stop nodding in agreement.

It was so delicious!

How could something be this sweet?!

It really did make you feel happy after eating it!!

The surrounding sub-beastmen, watching the scene, looked on with envy and asked, “Then what’s that red thing?”

A tribesman explained, “That’s called chili. It’s also a seasoning. It makes your whole body feel warm after eating it—perfect for the winter! The seeds inside can even be planted—do you know what planting is?”

A group of wide-eyed beastmen all shook their heads in unison. Seeing this, the tribesman smiled modestly, with a mischievous glint in their eye. “Planting means you can grow big patches of food from the earth, enough to eat forever. It’s a miracle granted to our tribe by the Beast God—it’s something truly amazing!”

A collective “Wow!” of amazement echoed from the beastmen, clearly enchanted by the dreamlike vision the tribesman painted.

Puffing up their chest proudly, the tribesman said, “We’re from a tribe in the eastern forest. If you want to learn how to plant, you can come to our tribe. We are all children of the Beast God, and we’re happy to share this miracle with you!”

“You’re all so kind!” the simple beastmen couldn’t help but say. “I really like you all, and I really like the things from your tribe!”

The tribesman beamed. “Thank you for liking us. Do you want to see more things? I can tell you what each one does and how to use them!”

Seeing how friendly and approachable the tribesmen were, and how beautiful their smiles looked, more and more beastmen and sub-beastmen gathered around. One by one, they tiptoed closer, their hearts pounding rapidly with excitement.

A tribesman took out the weapon placed in the most eye-catching spot at the center—a dagger sheathed in beast hide.

The dark silver blade reflected a chilling gleam under the sunlight. Thin as a cicada’s wing, its surface was smooth and neat. It was a treasured weapon forged by the tribe’s strongest beastmen, tempered and refined countless times in the heat of the forge.

Casually, the tribesman reached into a box behind them and pulled out a piece of dried cured meat. This was a food every beastmen was familiar with—a staple for surviving winter.

Hard, dry, and tough as stone, it lacked any of the elasticity or texture of fresh meat. Cutting it was no easy task. If they didn’t want to cook it and chose to eat it raw, they would have to shift into their beast form and gnaw on it patiently.

Before everyone’s eyes, the sub-beastmen held up the meat to show it off, then took out the dagger. Everyone could see how thin and delicate the blade was—so thin it looked like it might snap with a flick. The tribesman brought the dagger straight down onto the meat with a soft motion, seemingly without applying any pressure, making only a light “chop.”

And just like that, the sharp dagger sliced through the cured meat as if it were water, splitting it cleanly in two. The cut was flat and polished like a mirror. The surrounding beastmen were stunned for a long moment before they snapped out of it and gasped in disbelief.

“Oh my god!”

“How did it cut through?!”

“I didn’t even see it clearly!!”

The tribesman smiled lightly without further explanation and made three quick slicing motions on the meat with the dagger. Even the slowest beastmen could now clearly see the process: that gray blade would split the rock-hard cured meat in half the moment it touched it—so easily that even a sub-beastmen with the smallest strength could do it!

This weapon was simply incredible! Far superior to even the sharpest stone blade ever crafted!

It felt like a miracle gifted by the Beast God!

The crowd collectively gulped, eyes reddening with excitement, and they rushed to pull every bit of salt from their pouches to trade.

“What do I need to trade for this treasure?! I have salt blocks the size of two fingers!”

“I have salt too! Lots of it! Don’t sell it to anyone else—I’ll bring mine right away to trade with you!!”

“Salt is nothing! I have ceramics, I have glowing gems—I’ll trade those with you!!”

To the beastmen, weapons were even more desirable than meat or blankets. Even if it meant dedicating their lives in service to others, if they could obtain such an indestructible weapon, they would consider it an honor—something to proudly boast of for life. To them, this was no different than a modern person seeing a magic wand or a railgun.

The tribesman was a little overwhelmed by the sudden fervor of the beastmen. A tall, strong lion-beastmen who had been standing behind him immediately stepped forward, straightening his muscular chest and casting a fierce glare at the frenzied crowd. He unsheathed the long, silver-gray sword at his waist.

The crowd jumped back in fright, afraid the weapon that could slice anything might come near them. Their expressions quickly changed from wild and aggressive to cautious and careful.

Some poor beastmen who had nearly revealed their claws—intending to fight for the weapon no matter what—had to swallow their impulse. They looked with deep envy at the wealthier beastmen who could bring out piles of salt blocks. Never before had they so bitterly regretted being so poor.

Once the scene finally quieted down, the well-guarded tribesman composed himself, flashed a bright and clean smile again, and said to the crowd, “Don’t worry. We brought a lot of weapons. Almost everyone who wants one will be able to buy one. And even if you miss out today, don’t worry—our tribe is in the east. You can come to our tribe any time to buy weapons. We’re always happy to sell!”

As soon as he said that, the nervous expressions on the beastmen’s faces relaxed a little. They had truly feared that this treasure would be something they could only encounter once in a lifetime—something they’d regret missing forever and tell their children and grandchildren about when old: how they once came across a miraculous treasure but never got to hold it…

But if there were many of these weapons, then it was okay! Even if they couldn’t afford one now, if they saved up salt over a few winters, they’d still have a chance to get one!

Then they saw the exceptionally beautiful sub-beastmen set down the delicate weapon in his hand and pick up another oddly shaped item, preparing to demonstrate it just like before.

With a particularly proud tone, he said, “The next weapon is called a bow.”