Antiaris Toxicaria! (First Update)

Upon entering the tribe.

Soren immediately smelled a strange odor, indescribable yet unmistakably pungent. The entire tribe was incredibly dirty and chaotic, with children's excrement scattered on the ground, and even the roads were uneven, covered in black mud. The tribe was surrounded by low shacks; the rudimentary fences were useless to Soren. He could see the haphazardly gathered lower-class natives, with each family typically consisting of five or six members or more.

This place gave him the feeling of an African tribe; even though it has a history of thousands of years, it has not given rise to any civilization!

War, chaos, Slaughter.

The environment Destruction the hope of civilization, leaving only the oldest traditions and Order to be maintained, with numb rulers who are these inferior natives. Low huts are arranged in circles, with only a few resin torches lit in the very center of the tribe. Everything here is so primitive and desolate Soren; you can even see rudimentary stone tools. Iron is a very rare resource here, mainly used for weapons and knives, although some bronze artifacts can be found.

Small-scale indigenous tribes are generally quite primitive; only tribes that have established towns possess a considerable number of skills.

Life is actually far more difficult than you think.

The most basic necessities are 'clothing, food, shelter, and transportation,' with clothing even preceding food. Perhaps in more civilized continental regions, clothing is something that can be bought with money, but here there is virtually no trade. Soren saw many poorly clothed, lowly natives, and many native children basically slept naked. Clothing in the Overseas Islands mainly consisted of Animal Hide, linen, and other plant fibers. Animal Hide were valuable, and linen required special cultivation and exchange. If a tribe was located far from the native towns, many of its most basic needs could not be met.

Here, finished fabric is considered a commodity that can be used as currency for transactions and consumption! (Note: Similar to the use of cloth as a substitute currency in ancient China.)

Soren soon spotted their food.

Basically, there were no surprises. It was a dark, greasy porridge mixed with vegetable leaves and various other miscellaneous things, with some rather unappetizing black Bread on the side, the kind that looks like hard wooden sticks. It was clear their food was plentiful, but it lacked oil and the food was rather haphazard, as Soren even spotted a spider the size of his palm. Most of the shacks were like this. The lower-class natives lived in groups, and even when engaging in mating activities, they didn't seem to mind their children; here, children were considered adults around thirteen years old.

Soren did not linger on the outskirts for long.

He approached the center of the tribe along the somewhat muddy road. To be honest, Soren couldn't quite understand the natives' way of thinking. With so much manpower, why didn't they simply clean up the ground and roads? Perhaps they were already used to this kind of living environment.

Patrolling Guard appeared ahead.

Near the center, the ground was covered with rubble. Soren had just crept nearby when he heard a series of rapid breathing, thuds, and groans, and these weren't coming from just one place. Perhaps due to their 'sunrise-and-sunset' lifestyle, the natives had virtually no other entertainment at night, so their only pleasure was mating. As high-ranking Warrior in the tribe, they enjoyed more food, more resources, and more mates.

Everything in this area is much better than outside, even the decorative sculptures and the Smoked Meat, salted fish, and deer legs hanging from the rafters. The area is inhabited by Warrior from an indigenous tribe, mostly professionals with formidable fighting skills. They are supported by lower-class indigenous people and hold significant power within the tribe.

The number of Warrior is uncertain.

However, according to Soren's estimate, it would take at least five people to support one Warrior, and if this tribe did not annex other tribes, it would have at most around three hundred Native Warrior.

They don't pose much of a threat to Soren in terms of numbers!

Because he brought quite a few pirates with him, most of whom could participate in the battle, but this indigenous tribe had many elderly, weak, women and children.

As we get closer and closer to the center.

A sense of unease crept into Soren's heart. He cautiously crept closer and could see several rather tall and imposing buildings. One of them was particularly luxurious, with even the ground covered in fur. Two tall native Guard stood at the entrance. This was probably the residence of a tribal Chieftain, and it seemed to be living in a manner no less luxurious than that of many generations of nobles. He could hear the sounds of maids moving around inside. Soren heard a jumble of voices and footsteps, but he couldn't determine what was happening inside.

Besides this luxurious mansion, there is only one large courtyard nearby.

What made Soren uneasy was this courtyard. Judging from the strange statues and various mysterious patterns placed in front of the gate, this was undoubtedly the residence of the Shaman Priest. Soren sensed a faint Spell fluctuation, but he dared not approach easily, because the Spellcaster could set a warning trap, which was very difficult to disarm. It was possible that if he got even slightly closer, the other party would discover him with Spell Trap.

There was a strong smell of medicine near the Shaman Priest's courtyard!

It has an extremely strong medicinal smell.

The medicinal smell was rather pungent, making one feel uneasy, as if prolonged exposure would lead to poisoning. The nearby houses were all quite far away, suggesting that the other members of the indigenous tribe held the Shaman Priest in more fear than respect. Strange plant roots and fragments of corpses were drying near the courtyard; most of them were unidentifiable to Soren, but this didn't prevent him from being certain that the Shaman Priest inside was a highly skilled potion master!

At the very least, in the field of Toxicology within pharmacy, he is a top-notch expert.

The indigenous people were skilled in using poisons.

This knowledge is mainly held by Shaman Priest. They will pass on some of it, but the most essential parts are passed down orally among Shaman Priest. Due to long-term contact with potions, many of these Shaman Priest have Poison Resistance, and some even have Constitution that is directly immune to toxins. They also possess some Spell abilities similar to Black Witchcraft, including some strange curse Spell.

There is a row of trees near the yard.

This was a rather strange-looking tree, about 25 meters tall, with not very wide leaves, resembling a type of arborescent tree, and its bark was whitish-gray. Soren glanced at it, his expression gradually becoming serious. He quietly approached, and then a Throwing Dagger appeared out of thin air in his palm.

"This is?!..."

Soren carefully made a small incision in the tree trunk and then examined it closely. He saw only a Sisi drops of milky white liquid seeping out, and there seemed to be a faint fishy smell in the air.

His expression was serious as he muttered, "Antiaris Toxicaria?! Upas Tree?"

Antiaris Toxicaria.

A naturally occurring, highly poisonous tree, known as the Upas Tree, is a common tree found in Tropical Rainforest. Its milky-white venom, upon contact with a wound, can quickly cause cardiac Paralysis, blood vessel blockage, and blood clotting, ultimately leading to suffocation and death. This toxin is extremely dangerous; even those with Superhuman Constitution may not be able to withstand high doses. As for the ordinary pirates under Soren's command, if poisoned, they would almost certainly require an antidote; their chances of surviving by simply enduring the poison were extremely low.

"It seems my decision was indeed the right one!"

A cold sweat broke out on Soren's body. He secretly rejoiced that he had decided to come personally today instead of recklessly sending his men into battle against the native tribe. Otherwise, the casualties among his men would have been extremely heavy. Not to mention the natives' other methods, their Antiaris Toxicaria poison alone would have caused many to suffer greatly. Before they even summoned their elemental Spirits, Soren's pirates might have been almost entirely wiped out.

"It seems we need to plan this carefully! If we do make a move, we must catch them completely off guard!"

Soren's figure lurked in the darkness, taking a deep look at the courtyard before turning and walking out of the tribe.

The Shaman Priest here is a huge problem!

To deal with the indigenous tribe, a decapitation strike was necessary, and he and Vivian had to eliminate this Shaman Priest first. Although his professional level was uncertain, it was unlikely to exceed rank four. Legendary Tier Shaman Priest were extremely rare in the Overseas Islands; those who existed were usually found in large indigenous tribes of tens of thousands. This tribe appeared to possess considerable resources, whether it was population, land, or other supplies.

Even those Upas Tree that Antiaris Toxicaria are of great use to Soren!

Soren came this time.

This confirmed the threat posed by this indigenous tribe and solidified the determination to eliminate them.

How can I tolerate someone else snoring next to my bed!

These natives are so dangerous that Soren would absolutely not allow them to live on this island. The natives probably treat these outsiders in the same way, but they haven't rushed to attack because they don't know Soren's strength yet.

Only one of them is destined to continue to exist!

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(P. S.: I got up at 6:30 this morning to start writing. I guess I felt like I hadn't been updating as much lately, so I wanted to make it up to you guys. -- Futuzi, working hard to write. Three chapters today.) (To be continued~^~)