Ways to Solve It

"That was about all of it. Now let's talk about the warriors' time. We've lived in the tribe for countless years, and many things have become habits. So even when problems truly exist, we may often be blinded by 'habit.' Blade Tusk, you should speak on this first."

"Very well. Then I'll share my thoughts."

"First, setting aside nursing infants and their mothers, young and adolescent Trolls assist with production; youths follow the teams to learn; adult and prime-of-life warriors take turns standing guard and hunting; elderly Trolls handle gathering. The children's range of activity is limited. Even the older children assigned some gathering tasks only operate around the tribe."

"But the hunting party members are different. Aside from those left behind to stand guard, the other warriors spend nearly more than half the day traveling, tracking, and returning. When luck is bad, it is not uncommon for this time to be counted in days."

"The elders in charge of gathering are much the same."

"Looking at it this way, the warriors' complaints about 'learning' are understandable."

"That's true, but if we don't hunt or gather, how can the tribe survive?"

"Yes, Chieftain, you have touched on the key point. The basic productive activities needed to meet our survival needs consume far too much of the tribe's energy—this is the problem. What we need to figure out is how to reduce this expenditure."

"That won't be easy. How near or far the hunting grounds and gathering grounds are isn't up to us. The Black Forest is the true master of the hunting grounds. And rashly changing our long-established hunting patterns could create unnecessary conflicts with other tribes."

"I agree with the Old Witch Doctor. If this had been when I'd just become Chieftain, I definitely would have said, 'We can drive out the other tribes and seize more hunting grounds.' But now... although we have several hundred warriors in their prime and count as a major tribe within the known region, we couldn't possibly withstand a joint assault by the other tribes."

"No, no, the Old Witch Doctor and the Chieftain have misunderstood. It is not yet time to start a war. My line of thought lies elsewhere."

"'Not yet time'? Heh, Blade Tusk, sounds like you have something in mind."

"Shaman Sharp Tusk, please don't get excited for no reason. That was merely a slip of the tongue."

The tap, tap of a cane interrupted the conversation that was about to unfold.

"Cough, cough. There are two parts to my idea. First, find ways to extend how long food can be preserved. Second, change how we obtain food."

"Let me first explain my thoughts on extending food preservation. I have noticed that the more humid the environment, the faster meat seems to spoil. Likewise, meat seems to spoil faster in warmer places."

Though he spoke with complete certainty, Blade Tusk had never observed such things. He was merely making blind guesses based on scraps of knowledge from his past life.

So, to be safe, he asked again, "Chieftain, you have dealt with prey for longer than I have. Is that true?"

"Shaman Blade Tusk truly is a Troll of great wisdom. I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it, but there does seem to be such a tendency."

"Thank you. With the Chieftain's confirmation, I'll continue. From this, we can derive two directions for exploration."

"First, improve the storage environment. In other words, use comparisons to find the best storage conditions. For example, the difference between underground and aboveground; between ventilation and sealing things up, and so on."

"Second, start with food processing. Since moisture can affect spoilage, try drawing the water out of the meat—roasting it over fire, smoking it, drying it in the wind. Any method can be tried."

Blade Tusk vaguely remembered that his past life had things called smoked meat and air-dried meat, which seemed capable of lasting for a long time.

But the problem was, he only knew the terms 'smoked meat' and 'air-dried meat.'

As for how to smoke it or dry it in the wind? He had no idea. He could only rely on the literal meanings and give them a vague direction to experiment with.

"I understand. I'll begin testing it. If it works, we can hunt more prey at once and store it."

"Mm, I'll leave that matter to you." The Old Witch Doctor nodded in agreement.

"Besides storage, we must also explore changing the way we obtain food."

"Since hunting is difficult because of searching, traveling, transporting, and the like, could we find a way to raise prey within our tribe?"

The words struck the shamans and the Chieftain like a bolt from the blue, leaving them frozen.

The idea could not have been simpler, yet no Troll had ever thought of it.

But once the door had been pushed open, everything immediately became different.

"It can be done. It absolutely can be done. There will be many difficulties, but they can absolutely all be overcome."

The Chieftain's eyes shone as he spoke excitedly. He looked as though he could hardly wait to catch some prey and raise it.

"Mm. Finding suitable targets will surely be the most crucial question."

Shaman Sharp Tusk, who had researched beasts most deeply, fell into thought as he spoke. Only after a long while did he speak again.

"First, they must be plant-eating animals. We cannot use meat to raise meat. Second, since we intend to raise them as a food source, their numbers must reach a certain scale, so they must be herd animals. Third, their growth cycle must be suitable. If they grow too slowly, the burden will be too great. Finally, since we intend to eat them, their size must also be considered. Those are the points I can think of for now."

Blade Tusk silently thought, Amazing. Every one of those points seemed to hit the mark.

"There may be another issue to consider. While hunting, we've found that some animals, though they live in herds, have the habit of leaving the herd to mate and give birth. If we are to raise them in large numbers within the tribe, such a habit would be too troublesome."

Sharp Tusk nodded at this.

"Indeed, breeding habits must also be taken into account. Are there animals that meet all these conditions at once? My research does not extend in this direction. You Trolls in charge of hunting would know better."

"Um... I'm not sure. After all, we never considered this before. But there are indeed several kinds of animals that might meet the requirements. They don't have clear names, though. How about I have the warriors capture them alive over the next few days and bring them back for you to see?"

"Old Witch Doctor, what do you think?"

"Mm, then it's settled. I truly look forward to it."

As the Old Witch Doctor answered, he gave Blade Tusk a thumbs-up, then said to the Chieftain, "Chieftain, go make the arrangements first. The warriors' tasks won't be light over the next few days."

"Understood. Then I'll be going."

Knowing that the shamans might next discuss matters related to the study of magic arts—and understanding that he could neither follow nor help—the Chieftain took his leave without hesitation.

After stepping outside, the light illuminated one corner of the courtyard. The Chieftain shut the door behind him and walked toward the courtyard gate.

Behind him, as the door slowly closed, darkness like that of bygone years once more shrouded the little courtyard.

"Knowledge truly is a wondrous thing."

So mused the Chieftain as he slowly walked into the tribe steeped in night.

"Chieftain, off to listen to the Witch Doctors' nagging again?"

"Chieftain! I'm hungry!"

The warriors standing night watch in the 'nursery district' called out in all manner of voices, greeting him.

"Frost Tusk, whether they're asleep or awake, have every hunting party captain gather in the clearing. Tell them I have a task for them."

"Understood."

In the darkness, a night-watch warrior replied, then hurried away.