Free Web NovelChapter 159: Chapter 159: Glutinous Rattan
"In the letter Anthony sent back, this tribe has a total of three hundred and twenty-seven people, surrounded mostly by thorny vines. Although these thorny vines are durable and sturdy for weaving containers, their vitality is too intense; even uprooted, they keep growing back, stunting the surrounding plants. Their current food source relies entirely on hunting and gathering far from the tribe."
Sane slowly analyzed the map Anthony sent back, pointed to a spot, and said, "Distance-wise, this forest is even further than the demonic beast forest, but since it’s safer, it’s their preferred choice. This tribe dispatched forty strong beastmen to work as hired road builders for us. Currently, we still owe them three bolts of fabric, two kilos of dried fish, and one kilo of dried meat."
Kaelen rubbed his chin: "Traveling more than ten miles just to find food, why haven’t they considered migrating?"
Sane moved his finger, pointing in a direction stretching southwest and southeast of the Bramble tribe: "Over here is a mid-level tribe named Cinder, with a population of over four thousand people, extremely xenophobic toward outsiders. And over on this side is the Fang tribe, a tribe that takes in many wandering beastmen. Its population is only a little over a thousand, but they are incredibly belligerent."
He looked up: "If it were me, I would rather hole up in a thorny vine forest than clash with these two tough neighbors."
Kaelen nodded, beginning to sketch out a plan to help Bramble develop its economy. As he saw it, the land here was quite suitable for growing crops like wheat and grapes. Currently, the wheat hadn’t arrived yet, while Crimson already had grape saplings.
The grapes at Crimson were both sour and scarce, frequently cracking their skins before ripening. All of this was because the climate was unsuitable. As for the wheat, Kaelen had previously planned to reclaim land in the demonic beast forest to plant it, because wheat was not suited to grow in a subtropical region like Crimson.
Sending people to the demonic beast forest to reclaim land was both labor-intensive and dangerous. But if there was available manpower right here, where they could grow grapes and wheat, and Crimson could use staple foods and other supplies to trade, it would be mutually beneficial, so why not do it?
He tapped the table and said: "I plan to see if there is no suitable food for them over here, I will teach them how to grow grapes and oats. As for the wheat, we have to wait for Ian’s group to return. Furthermore, their population is only a little over three hundred people; it’s not enough to divide into doing so many tasks."
"I intend to assign the task of growing wheat to this tribe." Kaelen pointed at the Fang tribe, which Anthony had remarked was belligerent: "A tribe willing to take in wandering beastmen is definitely not that bad. Being belligerent is probably their way of protecting themselves."
Sane nodded: "Your analysis is quite reasonable; however, we still need to observe further."
The convoy walked at a leisurely pace. Because they were carrying heavy goods, it took three hours before they entered the territory of the Bramble tribe.
"They’re here! They’re here!" The beastmen of the Bramble tribe standing guard on the newly paved stone road immediately cheered upon catching a glimpse of the familiar flag fluttering in the wind. One of them took out the horn hanging at his waist and blew a long blast.
The people of the Bramble tribe immediately tossed aside the work in their hands. Young and old, large and small, they swarmed out to the tribe’s gate, waiting anxiously. The old Chief, leaning on a cane, slowly parted the crowd and walked out. Beside him was a young Sub-Beast supporting one of his arms, helping the Chief walk.
"Oh my, these people are truly enthusiastic, even coming all the way out here to welcome us."
Aaron had reverted to the demeanor of a serious captain, crossing his arms and remarking. Quinlan tugged at the strings of his wooden mask and grumbled:
"Why don’t you put your mask on instead of standing there judging people."
Aaron flipped his silver hair to the side and sneered: "Only ugly people like you guys need to cover your faces. As for me, everyone loves me and flowers bloom when they see me, so why should I hide?"
"Hmph, do you dare run up to the Chief and the High Priest and say these words?"
Aaron turned his head to look at the third ox cart. Seeing that both the Chief and the High Priest were wearing their wooden masks very properly, he immediately deflated. Evan smiled and held up the wooden mask. Aaron pouted, showing his displeasure, but still turned his back to let Evan help him tie it.
Previously, in the lower half of the Southern Continent, it was all small tribes, so it didn’t matter. But coming up to this upper half, it was primarily Mid-level to High-level tribes. If one revealed their face, they could very likely be kidnapped for their looks. After all, the stronger the people were, the more unreasonable they could be.
Seeing Aaron’s beautiful face hidden, Evan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This brat had been the exact same way when he first entered the slave camp; not knowing how to restrain himself, he was almost turned into a slave prostitute. Now, having only lived a few happy days, he had already forgotten the old scars. It seemed Evan had to keep a closer eye on Aaron from now on.
Upon coming face-to-face with the people of the Bramble tribe, the convoy stopped. The people sitting on the carts stepped down one after another. Aaron took the lead, stepping forward to greet them:
"Hello everyone, we are the merchant caravan of the Crimson tribe. I am the vice-captain, Aaron, and the person beside me here is our captain, Christian. May I ask who among you is in charge?"
Everyone had agreed that when going out, Sane would be the captain of the merchant caravan, going by the name Christian. Kaelen would act as the Priest disciple, while Aaron would be the vice-captain. Hearing him introduce them like that, the old Chief took a step forward, trembling as he placed a hand over his chest and bowed in greeting:
"Greetings to you all. I am the Chief of the Bramble tribe, you can just call me Carat. Please come inside."
The old Chief stepped aside, inviting Sane’s group inside. Sane held the two boys, Ryder and Finnick, while Kaelen carried Oliver, leading the top brass and their close guards inside. The oppressive aura radiating from them made the clan members of this small tribe tremble in fear.
A beastman whispered to his companion: "You guys were still worried they would trick us. Did you see that? They only need one finger to smash us into meat paste, what need do they have for deception."
His companion gulped and nodded in agreement. They looked at the long line of carts and the masked people standing guard on both sides, feeling immense pressure. A beastman in the merchant caravan, noticing them staring intently at the cargo carts, immediately took a step forward. His ferocious wooden mask was practically shoved right into the faces of those Bramble beastmen.
Those beastmen instantly let out a terrified scream and scrambled away.
Crimson warriors: "..."
How on earth had this tribe managed to survive up until now???
The commotion outside on the stone road did not reach the leaders’ group. They were currently sitting comfortably on a row of chairs woven from vines inside the wooden house of the Bramble tribe’s Chief.
While Sane and the old Chief were still exchanging a few pleasantries, Kaelen stared attentively at the vine-woven items around them. If he guessed correctly, this was precisely... rattan?
Smelling this faint fragrance, it seemed to be the glutinous rattan with high economic value.
He blurted out: "Sitting in the cart for too long has made the kids a bit bored. May I take them out to look around?"
The old Chief naturally agreed. He even told the Sub-Beast constantly standing beside him to guide Kaelen. Afraid that the guest might misunderstand, he further explained:
"This is my grandson. Our tribe has many thorny vines; if you’re not careful, you’ll get scratched immediately. It’s better to let him guide you."
Kaelen nodded in agreement. The young Sub-Beast stepped forward with some nervousness, bowing as he said: "Hello, my name is Rowan. It is my great honor to show you the way."
Rowan’s heart pounded wildly. Their tribe was too small; historically, they never had the qualifications to serve a Priest. This was his first time being in such close contact with a Priest disciple. He only saw that Priest disciple speak softly, his voice carrying a hint of a smile:
"Don’t be so tense, my name is Cael, just calling me by my name is fine." The High Priest expressionlessly stole his best friend’s name, completely without a shred of guilt.
This was also because in the tribe, no one dared to have the same name as the Chief or the High Priest. If they coincidentally shared the same name, they would voluntarily change it to a new one themselves. Therefore, if he used his real name, others would undoubtedly figure out their identities. Since they were hiding it, they had to hide it thoroughly, just picking a random name of someone in the tribe would do.
"My name is Harrison, and these are Bryson and Sawyer." Ryder, sitting in Sane’s lap, also quickly spoke up to introduce himself, conveniently introducing his two younger brothers as well, acting as if he was showing off the fake names the kids had come up with themselves. Upon being mentioned by their older brother, Finnick and Oliver both puffed out their chests proudly.
The Crimson adults all tilted their heads up to look at the wooden roof, afraid they wouldn’t be able to hold back from bursting into laughter out loud.
Kaelen took out the fabric carrier, placed the little ones inside, and said to Rowan: "Please lead the way."
Rowan hurriedly stepped aside to let Kaelen go first, then trotted after him.
Kaelen glanced around the scenery outside, feeling that the Bramble tribe’s layout was quite similar to an ancient rural village. They didn’t live in animal skin tents or caves but already knew how to build houses. Even though they were merely thatched wooden houses with ordinary woven rattan walls, they were indeed much more advanced than other tribes.
It seemed that living in an area with rattan vines also taught them how to fully utilize this resource.
Under Rowan’s introduction, Kaelen also gradually gained a partial understanding of the Bramble tribe.
Picking up a rattan back basket and a few rattan baskets with handles to examine, Kaelen genuinely admired this skillful craftsmanship. The rattan woven items here weren’t overly exquisite, but they possessed great flexibility and durability. If this rattan was combined with bamboo, Kaelen firmly believed they could absolutely create items far more exquisite than just these baskets, back baskets, or tables and chairs.
However, the temperate climate was not suitable for bamboo to grow. If he wanted perfect handicrafts, he could only cut the bamboo and split the strips beforehand, then bring them over to this side.
"Could you take me to see where these vines grow?"
Rowan nodded: "Of course. However, please don’t get too close; their thorns are very dense."
Kaelen quickly got to behold a giant rattan forest that exceeded his comprehension.
"...Calling these things vines is a bit inappropriate, isn’t it?"
Where on earth could you find a rattan vine as thick as a thigh? Where could you find rattan leaves bigger than palm leaves?! Could it be any more unscientific?!
Kaelen’s intention of bringing a segment of the rattan vine back to plant near the tribe was instantly snuffed out. Bringing this thing back, he guaranteed that in less than a year, the land around the tribe would have all its nutrients sucked dry by it!
