Critical Moment

"Hehe, you don't need to worry about that, because I'm the chieftain. As long as I agree, my tribesmen won't object. And my tribesmen are also very kind. As long as you're willing to join, you'll definitely receive the same treatment as them."

"What? You're the chieftain?"

Dashu asked in disbelief, but after a moment's thought, he relaxed. Yeah, although Luo Chong is young, his abilities aren't weak. Take those Blue Antelope, even an adult might not be able to catch one, and he actually managed to live in the wild for so long by himself, and even more comfortably than them. That's not something just anyone can do.

Thinking for a moment, Dashu said again, "Then, will you give us the same weapons?"

Dashu had long envied Luo Chong's weapons. Both the White-shafted Long Spear and the Longbow with feathered arrows were things he dreamed of. And as long as Luo Chong was willing to give them weapons, he definitely didn't mean to harm them. Think about it, who would give such good weapons to a potential enemy?

Luo Chong smiled slightly, directly took his Long Spear and handed it to Dashu. He gave the Stone Axe to Mutong, and also gave the one-and-a-half-meter Woven Basket to Tree Stump. Tree Stump wasn't tall but was very sturdy, so having him hold the shield was perfect.

"Alright, I've given you my weapons now. There's only one Bow and Arrow at the moment, and you're not good at using it anyway. When we get back to my tribe, I'll give each of you a weapon."

"Okay, I agree to join your tribe." With the Long Spear in his hand, Dashu no longer hesitated. He really wanted the Bow and Arrow, but he had tried it himself last time and it was indeed difficult to use. Luo Chong hadn't lied to him.

After finishing breakfast, the Tree Tribe was directly annexed. Dashu and the others were at their wits' end anyway, so they didn't have much resistance to this. Moreover, looking at Luo Chong, joining his tribe would definitely lead to a better life.

Dashu also showed Luo Chong the Snow Rabbits he had caught. There were over 30 of them, large and small, but mostly small ones, with fewer than 10 large ones.

Luo Chong was very happy. Remembering how quickly rabbits reproduce, he couldn't help but feel excited. His requirements weren't high; he could accept it as long as there were no fewer than 4 litters per year. After all, while a production speed of one litter every two months was theoretically possible, it wasn't necessarily good for the rabbits. If they gave birth too much, they needed time to recover.

"I even left time for the rabbits to 'sit the month' [postpartum recovery]. Ah, I really am a good person," Luo Chong thought shamelessly to himself.

After breakfast, Dashu thought Luo Chong would go back right away, but he didn't expect him to start digging for rocks on the mountain again. Dashu asked him what these were for, saying these stones were just pretty and taking one or two for decoration would be enough, but he actually saw Luo Chong loading them into baskets.

How much is he planning to take?!

"With these stones, I can make better weapons, and food that we can eat three times a day until we're stuffed and still not finish." Luo Chong said with a firm tone.

Holy crap, is that real or fake? Dashu and the others were completely stunned.

Eating three meals a day until you're stuffed and still not finishing... What kind of concept was eating three meals a day? Dashu and the others had never tried it. Not to mention them, even the people of the Han Tribe now didn't eat three meals a day. During the worst of winter, they even ate only once every two days.

And then there were the weapons. These stones could actually be made into weapons? And they were actually better than the Bow and Arrow and the Long Spear? What the heck are we waiting for? Let's dig!

Based on their trust in Luo Chong, or rather, their blind faith in the magic Luo Chong had shown... Yes, it could be called faith now. Being able to do so many things with stones was something only a god could do.

With the addition of other people, the digging speed was much faster. By noon, all the large baskets were full.

This time, they didn't take a sample of every type of ore, but mainly focused on a few. Among them, copper-rich chalcopyrite and tin ore were the most abundant. A considerable amount of red termite nests and kaolin clay were also loaded; these were used for making crucibles and casting molds.

Since they were doing physical labor today, they ate another meal at noon, which also allowed them to experience the feeling of three meals a day in advance.

In the afternoon, the team started to move out. The Blue Antelope formation also changed to a line of 18, each carrying two large or small Woven Baskets on their backs, loaded with ore, fodder, rabbits, and seeds.

This time, everyone openly lit Torches and traveled westward. The pace wasn't fast. Luo Chong also walked and taught Dashu and the others how to use the Long Spear, Spear Throwing, throwing the Stone Axe, and shield defense, while also shooting some rabbits to supplement food and hides.

Speaking of this, Luo Chong got annoyed. Last time he left the Tree Tribe, he gave the rabbit hides he had hunted to Dashu to dry, saying he would come back for them. As a result, they were either stolen by those Cannibal Tribe or burned. He had to hunt more rabbits to bring back, otherwise this trip would have been in vain. His original goal was to find hides, and he couldn't forget his original intention.

They walked until evening, when everyone started to make dinner and rest. They arranged for rotating sentries, fed fodder to the Blue Antelope and rabbits, and everyone rested early.

The first half of the night was relatively quiet, with only the crackling of the campfire. However, the wind was a bit strong tonight, and the weather was getting colder and colder. Fortunately, everyone had clothes, and there was the campfire and hot soup to keep warm, otherwise a few would definitely get sick.

It wasn't until the latter half of the night that Luo Chong, lying on the ground, suddenly felt the ground vibrating. A dull thudding sound, as if some colossal creature was moving. Luo Chong instantly remembered the Long-nosed Monster that Dashu had mentioned the Cannibal Tribe rode on.

"Get up, everyone get up! Be alert, there are enemies! Put out all the fires, quickly!" Luo Chong kicked and pulled everyone awake, immediately extinguished the fire. Whether it was a night battle or an ambush, the most taboo thing was for the enemy to be hidden and you to be exposed. With Torches around you, others could see you clearly, but you couldn't see others. Wasn't that asking for death?

Luo Chong pulled out burning wood from the campfire and threw it far in the direction of the sound. Dashu and the others also held their weapons ready, shielding the children behind them.

"Ooh!"

Accompanied by two sharp, slightly childish elephant roars, two massive figures suddenly appeared in the distant firelight. Dozens of people held Torches, carrying Stone Spears, Bone Spears, and Stone Axes in their hands. Their faces were painted with ferocious patterns using red and white pigment, and they wore bone ornaments made of human bones around their necks, charging towards them with fierce expressions.

A man riding an elephant at the front held a Bone Spear and wore a necklace of finger bones around his neck, with a palm-sized skull pendant hanging below. With a wave of his large hand, a group of his followers charged forward with howls.

"Quick, take the people and run! Go around them to the north!"

Looking at this formation, Luo Chong pointed north with one hand and immediately gave the order for Dashu to lead the tribesmen and the Blue Antelope team to go around the enemy's north side.

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Silently shedding tears and begging for some recommendation votes, friends, why aren't you being supportive this week? Qing Shu's ranking has dropped by one, my heart aches so much I can't breathe. Everyone with votes, please support quickly! Any support is fine, recommendation votes, comments, collections, character hearts, really, I'm not picky