Polytheistic Belief

Lu Yao immediately formulated a counterattack plan.

First, he sent the Pig-Fish Brothers into the Western Mountains to continue scouting. With Tracking and Water Finding, these two heroes were the most suitable as scouts.

Next, he opened the Temple interface.

The [Bounty] slot was now empty.

Lu Yao pulled a red-and-yellow children's toy bow and arrow from his backpack—pure plastic, with soft rubber arrowheads. He had bought it at a toy store after work.

Bows and arrows were a sharp tool for early tribal civilization, freeing people from the high-risk combat of melee fighting, allowing them to use range to wear down and exhaust enemies.

Even though it was a children's toy bow, the mechanism and structure were the same.

Lu Yao placed the toy bow and arrow on the mouse.

A small red-and-yellow bow icon appeared in the Bounty slot.

[Bow and Arrow]: A divine blessing, a long-range weapon with great power and reach, one of the most important tools for armies and hunters.

--Would you like to bestow [Bow and Arrow] upon your followers?

Lu Yao clicked [Yes].

Exclamation marks popped up over the heads of all the Pixelated Villagers in the Garlic Tribe.

"God Yao has bestowed a new blessing!"

"A bow and arrow! A miraculous bow and arrow has been born!"

"It's a weapon, an incredible weapon!"

"We're not afraid of the enemy anymore!"

"Hunting! Hunting! I want to go hunting!"

"Praise the gods! Praise the sun!"

Among the villagers, the hunters reacted the strongest—not only did smiley faces appear above their heads, but they also danced and waved their arms.

They seemed to understand the significance of the bow and arrow best. The hunters quickly crafted their own bows and arrows, then eagerly dashed toward the forest.

A question mark, however, appeared over the Prophet's head.

Lu Yao clicked on his thoughts.

"A bow and arrow, a tool of ranged combat. The god intends to arm us so we are no longer threatened or attacked. From now on, we will no longer fear raids from foreign enemies."

"The god's will... is for us to stand against the Demon Cultists, to defeat these evil and savage brutes, to uphold our faith and protect our lives."

"It must be so!"

A question mark also hovered over the Shaman's head, but his train of thought differed from the Prophet's.

"A bow and arrow is like a frog's tongue—the one holding it can hunt from a very safe distance. Once we equip bows and arrows, we can not only hunt rabbits and monkeys but also shoot down flying birds in the sky. Facing dangerous snakes, bears, and wolves, we no longer have to fear getting hurt."

"An unbelievable masterpiece. The power of the gods is truly beyond mortal imagination."

"We need more bows and arrows. Every one of us can be a warrior and a soldier. We will no longer fear the Barbarian Tribe!"

As Lu Yao watched each Pixelated Villager's reaction to the bow and arrow, a prompt popped up on the screen.

[Your blessing has enabled your followers to learn how to craft and use bows and arrows, increasing their faith.]

Faith in the top-right corner jumped by 30 points at once, reaching 267.

After mastering the bow and arrow, the Garlic Tribe visibly grew more martially robust.

Every Pixelated Villager who went out now carried a bow and arrow on their back. The hunters began bringing back large game like bears and deer. More leather was stretched over the roofs and walls of the Thatch Huts, and more dried meat hung on the wooden racks beside the wheat fields.

Just then, news came from the Pig-Fish Brothers.

"Discovered a new tribe—the Salt Pool Tribe."

"The Salt Pool Tribe heard we have grain and wants to trade with us."

They hadn't found the Barbarian Tribe, but they had stumbled upon an unexpected discovery.

Lu Yao clicked on the two brothers and pulled them back to the tribe.

So the two heroes led the people from the Salt Pool Tribe back along the way.

Two villagers came from the Salt Pool Tribe, dressed in linen clothes and carrying cloth bags on their backs, looking quite well-off. As soon as they arrived, they began discussing trade with the Prophet and the Shaman.

"The Salt Pool Tribe has always traded with other tribes, exchanging salt for grain, clothes, medicine, and other goods."

"We hope to trade salt for your wheat."

A question mark appeared over the Prophet's head.

He thought: "This seems like an opportunity. I must try it—to spread the faith for the Great God."

Lu Yao watched with satisfaction.

As expected, the Prophet understood my intent.

The Prophet said: "Friends of the Salt Pool Tribe, have you ever considered a place more suitable for survival?"

The two Salt Pool Tribe villagers exchanged glances.

"We have the salt pond. The salt pond is everything. With the salt pond, we can trade for anything. We don't need anything else."

"The salt pond is enough."

They had no intention of migrating at all.

The Shaman also spoke up to persuade them: "The Barbarian Tribe is right among the mountains. They worship a demon that turns people into beasts. The Barbarian Tribe attacks all other tribes that don't believe in their demon. The Salt Pool Tribe won't be spared either."

Two little figures from the Salt Pool Tribe had smiley faces pop up above their heads.

"That's not a problem."

"We also believe in that demon lord."

Exclamation marks popped up above the heads of the Garlic Tribe people.

The Salt Pool Tribe people explained: "In the Temple of the Salt Pool Tribe, three gods are enshrined, including the one you call a demon."

"Our tribe lives off the salt pond and salt-making. Every single person has to go sell salt. As long as we can live better, we can accept any faith."

"If there's a need, we're even willing to believe in the gods here. As long as you're willing to trade with us, the gods can grant us protection."

The Prophet and the Shaman were stunned for a moment, question marks popping up above their heads.

Lu Yao watched and couldn't help but exclaim, "Well, well."

This Salt Pool Tribe was the first polytheistic tribe he had ever seen.

They seemed quite pragmatic, with a bit of an early merchant vibe.

"Friends of the Garlic Tribe, we are willing to trade wheat with you long-term, and we'd also like to buy other suitable trade goods."

The Prophet and the Shaman stepped aside to discuss.

"The tribe has plenty of food now. We can spread the faith of the God through the Salt Pool Tribe. This benefits both the God and the tribe." The Prophet valued the tribe's religious influence.

"Salt is very important to the tribe. With salt, we can make more Cured Meat, which can be stored for a long time. With the Salt Pool Tribe's salt, we won't have to search everywhere for it. The hunters will grow stronger." The Shaman cared more about practical benefits.

The two wise men reached a consensus.

"We are willing to trade with the Salt Pool Tribe."

[The Garlic Tribe has initiated trade with the Salt Pool Tribe. The Salt Pool Tribe's attitude has changed to Neutral.]

Smiley faces appeared above the heads of the two Salt Pool Tribe little figures.

"There are quite a few goods here."

"Wheat, an important food."

"Bow and Arrow, excellent weapons."

"Leather, can be made into clothes, armor, and bags."

"!"

Suddenly, exclamation marks popped up above the two little figures' heads.

"Garlic! It's a spice!"

"We've discovered a unique commodity! Spice Garlic!"

The Salt Pool Tribe little figures raised their arms in excitement and cheered.

"Please give us as much garlic as possible! We want all the garlic! Priceless garlic, wonderful, spicy garlic!"

Lu Yao watched with amusement.

He never expected that his initial casual move would come in handy now.

In the early days of human civilization, spices were extremely expensive luxuries. Wheat, Bow and Arrow, and Leather could still be considered ordinary goods, but garlic was the only spice around here.

The two little figures from the Salt Pool Tribe left behind two bags of salt, took away a large amount of garlic, and hurried back into the mountains to the west.

A few minutes later, a prompt appeared on the computer screen.

[The Salt Pool Tribe has decided to make garlic a key commodity. The Salt Pool Tribe's attitude has changed to Friendly. Your faith will spread within the Salt Pool Tribe.]

[Your Blessing has sent the Salt Pool Tribe into ecstasy. Faith has increased slightly.]

The faith in the upper right corner increased by 120 points this time, directly reaching 387 points.

Lu Yao was stunned for a moment.

This Salt Pool Tribe seemed extraordinary. Just by giving them the distribution rights for garlic, they offered up this much faith. It seemed that in terms of both population and scale, they far surpassed the previous Forest Tribe.

Lu Yao thought about it.

Being able to flip-flop between three gods took some real strength. If they weren't tough enough themselves, the Barbarian Tribe, which was keen on raiding heretics, would have long since overrun the Salt Pool Tribe.