The Other Side of the Water Has the Wrong Art Style

Lu Yao rolled out of bed at the first crack of dawn.

Ever since he started using the simulator, he had almost never slept in. He always carried a nagging worry—if he let his guard down for even a moment, the Garlic Tribe might be destroyed by some sudden disaster.

The Pixelated Villagers were still far too fragile.

A winter too long, a summer too hot, not enough food, foreign invasion, disease... any one of these could spell total annihilation for the Garlic Tribe.

Lu Yao poured himself a cup of instant coffee and, sipping it, began to look down upon the Pixelated Villagers.

The tribe's population had now reached 311, with 270 Faith Points in reserve.

After surviving the winter, the Garlic Tribe's food supply was once again abundant, the grain stockpile recovering from a warning yellow back to a healthy green.

In addition, although wood was still in the yellow zone of insufficient reserves, its use was slowly becoming more widespread thanks to the efforts of two carpenters. The tribe's thatched huts were gradually transitioning into plank houses.

Spring brought life back to everything—but also a group of uninvited guests.

Five Dugout Canoes appeared on the river to the east, moving at great speed as they pulled up to the shore.

The ones paddling the canoes were all female Pixelated Villagers. Their skin was dark, their hair loose, and they wore soft leather armor covering their entire bodies, with bows and arrows slung across their backs.

The leading female Pixelated Villager had a title above her head: [Female Captain]. Unlike the others, she wore a helmet made of white bone, studded with many sharp teeth, as if it came from some large beast.

Since the Pixel Game itself was low-resolution, Lu Yao couldn't make out much more.

The [Female Captain] spoke from the shore: "You! Hand over your strong men! Or you'll be enemies of the East River Tribe!"

The other villagers followed their leader's shout.

"Hand over the men!"

"Men! Men!"

"Bring the strong men to the boat now!"

"Or we'll turn you all into slaves!"

Lu Yao watched, utterly baffled.

What was the deal with these meat-eating big sisters from the tribal era?

The Prophet and the Shaman hurried over. With them came more than thirty Hunters armed with bows and arrows. The two sides faced off by the river.

Just then, two monsters suddenly emerged from the river behind the Dugout Canoes, each bearing the label [Sea Monster LV8] above its head.

Each Sea Monster was as big as five people combined, covered in scales. It had a lizard-like head and body, its mouth full of sharp teeth, resembling a giant crocodile that could stand upright.

The two Sea Monsters lumbered ashore.

The Garlic Tribe's Hunters fired arrows, but the arrows seemed useless against the Sea Monsters' scales, unable to harm them at all.

The East River Tribe villagers had smiley-face symbols pop up above their heads.

"The Sea Monsters are invincible!"

"You're too weak!"

The Female Captain said, "We keep many Sea Monsters. We can destroy your tribe anytime. But you have plenty of strong men—the East River Tribe likes that. Hand over the men, and we'll protect you."

The other East River Tribe villagers chimed in.

"Weak tribe, offer up your men! Strong men!"

"Don't be ungrateful!"

"Hurry, hurry and hand over the men. Or we'll sell you all as slaves!"

Lu Yao took a sip of his coffee.

This was a tricky situation.

He could, of course, strike down the two Sea Monsters with Lightning. But that wouldn't solve the immediate crisis—it would only make the East River Tribe an enemy.

The Garlic Tribe had no ability or technology to build boats, let alone venture into the deep river. The East River Tribe could come and go as they pleased.

From a technological standpoint, the East River Tribe could build Dugout Canoes, had Bow and Arrow, tribal-specific clothing, and even the beginnings of a Slavery System. They also raised Sea Monsters—their civilization was not low.

As for the Female Captain's threats, Lu Yao felt they were more about intimidation.

If the East River Tribe could truly swallow the entire Garlic Tribe whole, they wouldn't bother bluffing—they'd just attack directly, turn everyone into slaves, and haul them away.

The Pixel World in the God Simulator was different from the real world. Here, there were gods, Apostles, the Flame of Faith, monsters... The Pixelated Villagers had their own unique path of evolution, not to be judged by human history alone.

Lu Yao decided to wait.

He wanted to see how the Garlic Tribe would handle this crisis.

They had to learn to deal with trouble on their own eventually; they couldn't rely on him, their god, for everything. If it really came down to it, he could call Isabelle over.

The Prophet and the Shaman discussed for a while.

"We are willing to give you five men. That's the maximum we can offer without harming the tribe."

"But the East River Tribe must not attack the Garlic Tribe, and you must ensure the safety of the rivers around us."

The Female Captain agreed readily.

"The East River Tribe will protect you, weak little men."

"Send the men over quickly! Strong and handsome ones!"

After some discussion within the Garlic Tribe, the Prophet proposed selecting candidates by drawing lots. In the end, five tribal men were chosen and sent onto the dugout canoe.

And so, the first contact and conflict between the Garlic Tribe and the East River Tribe concluded with the Garlic Tribe sending five men as peace brides.

With the departure of the East River Tribe, the river boundary expanded further eastward. A floating island of wooden boats appeared on the water's surface—one of the East River Tribe's settlements.

Lu Yao locked his view above the East River Tribe and observed closely.

The East River Tribe was a typical matrilineal clan, overwhelmingly female, with an estimated population of over a hundred. Their highest leader was called "Grandmother," an elderly woman.

From their conversations, it was revealed that the East River Tribe originated from the large clan "Donghai Clan."

The Donghai Clan lived on the vast Eastern Sea further east, controlling a large expanse of ocean.

Years ago, a branch of the Donghai Clan split off and traveled westward until they reached the East River, forming the East River Tribe. The tribe claimed this wide, rushing river as their territory, and their food mostly came from fish, shrimp, and aquatic plants. Occasionally, they would sail ashore to hunt beasts and birds with bows and arrows.

The East River Tribe possessed a strategic weapon: the Sea Monster. The Sea Monster usually moved underwater and only surfaced when called by the tribe.

What caught Lu Yao's attention was the presence of Salt Pool Tribe villagers within the East River Tribe.

These tribal merchants were also doing business with the East River Tribe.

They came by dugout canoe, bringing salt, bows, arrows, and timber, trading them for fish.

Lu Yao focused on the five male Pixelated Villagers ceded by the Garlic Tribe.

They had been assigned to several Female Captains as their spouses. These Garlic Tribe men did almost nothing all day, just wandering around the Ship Island.

That wasn't entirely accurate, either.

They had duties to fulfill.

The women of the East River Tribe would drag them into the Ship Cabin, and after they came out, a weak expression would appear above the men's heads.

The Female Captains seemed accustomed to this situation of tribe-shared men.

It was a custom of the East River Tribe.

Because there were so few men, they were turned into labor usable by the entire tribe. Yet the ownership of the men remained in the hands of the Female Captains.

The East River Tribe cherished foreign men but treated foreign women with great cruelty.

When they sailed out on dugout canoes, they would occasionally capture some women. Usually, the East River Tribe would make these female slaves do hard labor—cleaning the Ship Island, hauling timber, processing fish and food.

If a female slave fell ill or was injured, they would throw her into the water to feed the Sea Monster.