I Just Want to Implement a Closed Country Policy

The East River Tribe's leader, [Grandmother], arrived outside the Temple to give thanks.

She also tactfully expressed the tribe's stance: they were a branch of the Donghai Clan, and though their situation was dire, they could not, under any circumstances, betray the Qi God Totem that was the foundation of their clan's faith.

Winter had arrived exceptionally early, and it was colder than ever before. The vast East River had actually frozen over completely.

This had no impact on the Garlic Tribe.

The tribe now had ample and balanced food supplies, including this year's bountiful harvest of wheat, potatoes, garlic, and fish and meat preserved with salt.

Moreover, as the houses had been gradually renovated into wooden structures, their ability to block wind and rain had greatly improved, and they were also warmer than before.

The Garlic Tribe's most important task during winter was logging—going into the forest to find wood for heating and reserves.

Days of continuous heavy snow had blanketed the entire tribe in a thick layer of white, and the ditches had frozen solid. Because of the extreme cold, even some birds and rabbits had run into the tribe, trying to scrounge for food.

On this day, people from the East River Tribe walked across the ice with packs on their backs.

The bitter winter had forced them to dismantle their boats for firewood to keep warm, and fishing had become dangerous and difficult. The ice prevented them from breaking through to reach warmer waters.

The last Sea Monster had also died beneath the water, yet they had failed to nurture a new one.

Starving and freezing, the East River Tribe had already lost over a dozen people to cold and disease. They had no choice but to abandon their traditions and come to land in search of a way to survive.

[Grandmother], along with several Female Captains, knelt outside the Temple, begging the God to forgive their previous rudeness.

Lu Yao didn't make things difficult for them this time. He let Isabelle fulfill the promise he had made earlier to help them.

Circumstances dictated actions—people had to eat, after all.

Besides, an enemy's enemy is a friend.

Lu Yao needed the East River Tribe. They could provide water routes and serve as a check on the Salt Pool Tribe.

As the de facto leader of the Garlic Tribe, the Prophet received the East River Tribe very cordially. Since the winter days were too short and it was already too late to build new houses, the Garlic Tribe set aside some of their own dwellings for them to live in.

After providing relief to the East River Tribe, something happened in the Garlic Tribe that Lu Yao had never anticipated.

That winter, the East River Tribe suddenly gave birth to many infants.

Lu Yao slapped his forehead as he realized.

He had been careless!

The East River Tribe had set their sights on the Garlic Tribe's strong, able-bodied men!

In tribal times, there was no concept of marriage, let alone monogamy. Everyone was open and free-spirited. Today you come to my place, tomorrow she goes to yours—the children born were raised collectively.

That was roughly the situation.

The new infants born to the East River Tribe included both boys and girls, but not a single one of them turned into a Sea Monster. They were all perfectly normal babies.

[Grandmother] appeared extremely panicked.

"Qi God, great Qi God, do you still refuse to forgive the tribe? We have never forgotten your Blessing. We have always striven to nurture Sea Monsters and offer you Leather."

"Why have you abandoned us... Qi God, we beg you, bless your people who are far from home one more time!"

Of course, these prayers were useless.

The women of the East River Tribe still did not give birth to a single Sea Monster.

After conducting a detailed investigation, Isabelle reached a conclusion: the so-called phenomenon of East River Tribe women giving birth to Sea Monsters was not due to any abnormality in their bodies, but because of the Qi God Totem.

The Qi God Totem possessed a special Faith Spark that would transform newborn male infants. This Faith Spark would enter the bodies of these Sea Monster boys, using their lives and sanity as fuel. After burning, it would condense into the thick layer of Leather covering the Sea Monster's body. Through a special sacrificial ritual, this Leather could then be converted back into Power of Faith.

Simply put, Sea Monsters were a living form of faith crop.

The Totem would plant a Faith Spark in the infant's body, turning it into a Sea Monster. The East River Tribe would raise it, and finally, the Sea Monster's hide would be sent back to the Donghai Clan in exchange for the Qi God Totem's protection.

Lu Yao wasn't particularly surprised by this outcome.

As he grew more familiar with the simulator, he had come to understand that every God in this Pixel World did everything they could to gain more faith.

The amount of faith directly determined the strength of a God's power.

Faith was a God's primary productive force.

Because they were Gods, there were no taboos.

Every action a God took would be beautified, blindly followed, and accepted by their believers. At least at this stage of tribal civilization, that was the case. No one would question a God's greatness or correctness.

What people called demons were merely the Gods' term for heretics.

After losing the Totem, Sea Monsters, and boats, the East River Tribe became a very weak group on land.

As their leaders, [Grandmother] and the Female Captains were filled with worry and fear.

However, the vast majority of the East River Tribe women were immersed in the simple joy of having enough to eat and warm clothes to wear. After becoming neighbors with the Garlic Tribe, they put on winter clothes woven from sheep's wool, ate wheat and potatoes, and no longer had to worry about lacking firewood for warmth at night.

Especially after giving birth, they spent most of their time caring for these new lives.

Because these children belonged to both tribes, the Garlic Tribe spared no effort in providing food and supplies, making the winter effortless for the East River Tribe women.

As winter drew to a close, [Grandmother] led the East River Tribe away, returning to Ship Island on the East River.

They left behind the vast majority of their infants. The Garlic Tribe was undoubtedly a more prosperous and stable tribe, far better suited for raising young children than the East River Tribe.

Thus the Garlic Tribe welcomed its first baby boom.

Lu Yao counted carefully.

This winter saw a total of 34 new infants, accounting for nearly one-tenth of the Garlic Tribe's total population.

He counted with a grin splitting his face.

Next winter, be sure to come again, he thought.

Just as everything was looking up, the Salt Pool Tribe struck a discordant note.

The Salt Pool Tribe sent a delegation to hold a stern negotiation with the Prophet.

"The Garlic Tribe has always been our partner. The salt we supply has always been offered at the most favorable trading price."

"But the Garlic Tribe has bypassed us to trade with the dangerous East River Tribe. This is unwise and severely disrupts the market, harming the interests of the entire Salt Pool Tribe. Therefore, you must cease this behavior and provide us with appropriate compensation."

"Another matter: the price of salt outside is rising continuously, and all tribes are facing shortages, so we need to raise our prices."

"Of course, if the Garlic Tribe is willing to trade with a large quantity of wool, we may consider making some concessions."

In the past, they would still put on a hypocritical show of pleasantries, but now the dagger was fully revealed.

The Salt Pool Tribe relied on their monopoly over salt and the passage to the outside world.

This time, the Prophet replied with equal firmness: "These are all unacceptable to the Garlic Tribe. There is no room for negotiation. We welcome any friend who comes to cooperate, but we will never accept threats."

"Foolish savages!"

"You will regret this!"

"The Salt Pool Tribe no longer considers you friends!"

The Salt Pool Tribe's people left in a huff, disappearing into the mountains to the west.

Lu Yao selected [Earthquake] from [Miracle] and targeted the mountain range bordering the Garlic Tribe to the west. As the miracle descended, the ground shook and mountains trembled, with boulders tumbling down endlessly.

[Earthquake]!

[Earthquake]!

[Earthquake]!

Under the impact of four consecutive earthquakes, a vast stretch of the mountains collapsed, leaving the edge of the range a mess of rubble. The passage between the Garlic Tribe and the Salt Pool Tribe was completely severed.

The Salt Pool Tribe's people still in the mountains fell into panic.

"We're doomed, the passage is cut off!"

"This trade route is broken; we can never transport goods from here again."

"The losses are too great!"

"My wool, my garlic!"

Lu Yao clenched his fists.

Thinking of economic sanctions?

Brother started it first.

Do you even know what a Closed Country Policy means?

Thanks to Qi Yao for the 1500 starting point coin support.