Resin

Shu Tao said earnestly, "It's the same for us. We've been selecting chili seeds for a long time, and it took us hundreds of years to grow delicious chilies. Otherwise, the chilies you eat would be the kind from the Salt-Drying Tribe."

Jian Mo wanted to argue, Wu Jiong gently grasped his wrist, signaling him not to debate.

If they start arguing, it will be difficult to negotiate afterwards.

Jian Mo took a deep breath. "Everyone, just say it straight, Chief Shu Tao, what do you want in exchange for chili seeds?"

Shu Tao: "I've heard that Doctor Jian Mo is an exceptionally skilled shaman. Many people in our tribe have dental problems. Can you help us think of a way to treat our teeth?"

As he spoke, Shu Tao beckoned a nearby orc over.

The orc was listening nearby. Upon seeing this, he quickly ran over, half-squatting and opening his mouth towards Jian Mo, revealing a mouthful of black, rotten teeth.

Jian Mo had never seen such rotten teeth before; they were even worse than the teeth of the people from the Jintuo Tribe.

He couldn't help but hold his breath and pulled Wu Jiong back a big step.

Shu Tao said worriedly, "With teeth like these, not only will we be unable to hunt, but we'll even have trouble getting food."

Jian Mo: "For teeth like this, we usually treat them by extraction."

Shu Tao: "That won't do. If we wanted to pull the tooth, we would have done it already. We want to keep the tooth, but we need to get it fixed."

What is this age-old problem?

Jian Mo looked at Wu Jiong and communicated with her eyes.

Or perhaps they should go back and see if the chili seeds the birds brought could survive and produce the desired chili peppers?

Chapter 153 Resin

Jian Mo and her group haven't reached an agreement with the Dense Forest Tribe yet.

It's too late, and it's not a good time to walk at night.

They planned to stay overnight in the Dense Forest Tribe and leave the next morning.

The main problem is that forcibly leaving now would be disrespectful to the people of the Dense Forest Tribe and could easily lead to conflict.

With Wu Jiong around, they should be safe staying another night.

The people of the Dense Forest Tribe provided them with a small shed.

The shed looked rather shabby from the outside, but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined once I went inside.

The hay on the ground was very soft, and the animal hides on top felt nice to the touch. Sleeping on the animal hides, you could even smell a pleasant fragrance.

Jian Mo, sitting next to Wu Jiong, tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her eyes fixed on the ceiling, she whispered, "Won't the people outside hear us talking like this?"

Wu Jiong: "They shouldn't be able to hear us. I can't hear the voices outside, and likewise, they can't hear us."

Jian Mo: "That's alright. I didn't expect the Dense Forest Tribe to be like this. What a wasted trip."

Wu Jiong: "It wasn't a wasted trip; at least we got some chili peppers from the Salt-Drying Tribe. When we get back, we'll see if we can find any similar peppers in the wild."

Jian Mo sighed softly, "I don't think so. Didn't we check carefully on the way here?"

Wu Jiong comforted him in a low voice, "We'll think of something later. Go to sleep first."

They slept in the Dense Forest Tribe, and when they woke up, the Dense Forest Tribe had already prepared breakfast for them and invited them to eat.

Seeing that the business deal was about to fall through, Jian Mo felt a little embarrassed that the people of the Dense Forest Tribe were still willing to give him food.

Shu Tao asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Jian Mo replied politely, "It's alright, thank you for your hospitality."

Shu Tao smiled, revealing a set of not-so-good teeth. "You're welcome. Few people from our tribe come here."

Jian Mo noticed he was eating a kind of leaf and asked, "What kind of leaf is this?"

Shu Tao looked down and said, "The leaves of the long-needle tree can relieve pain when eaten. Aren't our teeth bad? They often hurt, and if we accidentally get food stuck in our mouths, it hurts even more. We can only eat some pain-relieving leaves."

Jian Mo thought about the rotten teeth she saw yesterday, "Actually, you could have them pulled."

Shu Tao shook his head. "If we pull them out, we won't be able to hunt. We can't live by gathering."

Jian Mo didn't have any better ideas either.

Shu Tao: "Actually, we've consulted many shamans and spent a lot of resources, but none of them could help. We don't know what's wrong; it's just that the teeth in our tribe are particularly bad."

Jian Mo: "Do you have the habit of cleaning your teeth?"

Shu Tao: "We didn't have that before, but later we did, so we learned from other tribes and used tree branches as dental cleaning sticks. After the kids cleaned their teeth, their teeth were a little better, but not by much."

As he spoke, Shu Tao let out a long sigh, "We really have no choice. Everyone's teeth hurt every day. With toothache, our fighting strength is also low. If we don't act fiercely, we probably won't be able to hold onto our current territory."

That's true. Tribes are generally friendly with each other, but they do fight for territory.

Otherwise, there would be no need for Summer Harvest Festival or Hunting Gathering —those are all for showcasing the strength of one's tribe and intimidating other tribes.

Shu Tao sounded pitiful, Jian Mo glanced at him again. "I really have no other choice. There's no other treatment option besides extraction."

Shu Tao said bitterly, "Almost everyone in our tribe has dental problems; we can't just pull all their teeth out."

Jian Mo: "The main problem is that everyone has to switch between human and animal forms. If you need to repair teeth, the repair material will fall out every time you switch forms, making the filling useless."

Jian Mo still doesn't quite understand the principle behind the transformation between beast form and human form. He is currently evolving into a sub-beastman and observing his own body. He can see that the parts in beast form are larger, while when he transforms into human form, they fold over.

For example, his claws; the exposed animal claws are actually extensions of the nails. When it's a human hand, the nails are compressed, and part of them are retracted under the skin.

The orcs' original body parts are incredibly precise, allowing them to transform perfectly.

If it were a dental filling, given the current materials and his technology, the filling would probably fall out as soon as he switched between human and animal forms.

Unless the world's technology advances to a certain level and produces materials with excellent ductility, it's unlikely that anyone can make this happen.