We made you the chief, and now you've become the world's chief?

Chapter 44 A Different Kind of Dinner
Normally, by the time night falls, the Wu tribe has already finished their only meal of the day.

But today, we've only just sat down together.

The earthenware pot was filled with water in the campfire. It was water that Usa and his men had fetched from the river, which was why they had been delayed in eating.

All sorts of wild vegetables, mushrooms, and tubers were thrown into the pot.

Of course, there are also dried fish and dried meat, which are the "main event" that all the people of the Wu tribe look forward to the most.

The women took the burnt bones from the campfire, cracked them open as they used to, and shared the marrow inside.

But instead of enjoying the somewhat smelly bone marrow as before, everyone was focused on the boiling earthenware pot.

The aroma of meat had already wafted out with the steam, reaching the noses of every woman in the Wu tribe.

Whether or not they were covered in tree sap, they were all enjoying it equally at this moment.

The three or four babies no longer cried from hunger, but were in their mother's arms.

When everyone could no longer resist the allure of the aroma emanating from the earthenware pot, Usa pulled it out.

This is the first time the Wu tribe has eaten around a clay pot instead of a campfire.

After waiting for the earthenware pot to cool down to a temperature that was no longer too hot to handle, some women couldn't wait to put their hands inside.

But Usa immediately stopped him, and then broke off two pieces from the dry tree branch.

Based on their memories of eating meat in the Xi tribe, they began to use both hands to "pick up" the ingredients from the earthenware pot.

Seeing this, the other women began to imitate them, and some managed to learn how to pick things up with a pinch.

Some, in a moment of quick thinking, used twigs to pierce the tubers in the pot and stuffed them into their mouths.

All the women ate to their hearts' content. Although there wasn't much dried meat and fish, the tubers and other wild vegetables also had a meaty flavor.

For them, who haven't eaten meat in a long time, anything that can taste like meat is actually no different from meat itself.

After the food was divided, everyone started to share the soup.

Because everyone was in a hurry to eat, a lot of soup was left over.

With so many women combined, if each took a bite, there would still be some left over.

In the end, everyone decided to give all the rest to the baby who was still breastfeeding.

Watching their mothers feed the children the broth, everyone smacked their lips, savoring the delicious taste.

Everyone recalled that what Usa had said earlier was true.

Using this strange thing from the Xi tribe to make soup is better than roasting it, and it also turns the astringent tubers into a meaty flavor.

Meanwhile, several women began to have their own speculations.

Could it be that what Usa said before was also true?

By finding all sorts of edible and inedible things for the Xi tribe, they could exchange them for meat and pottery.

Now it's been changed, isn't it?!
“Mother, tomorrow we will listen to the Xi tribe.”

“We can have meat, and pottery.”

Seeing the satisfied looks on everyone's faces, Usa made a request to the new Great Mother.

The new Great Mother of the Wu tribe shook her head.

They didn't say anything, but that was enough to show their attitude.

She could eat the things Usa brought back from the Xi tribe without feeling guilty, because it was good for her survival.

But she cannot accept any change to her current way of life.

Change means the unknown, and the existence of the unknown terrifies them.

Upon hearing this, Usa's eyes showed a hint of dejection, and he did not continue to plead.

After finishing this unforgettable meal, the women dispersed to do their own things.

Everything seems to be the same as before, and the future will continue unchanged.

The less than ten women who followed Usa naturally gathered together.

They started discussing where to find something different from today's items to bring to the Xi tribe tomorrow.

As the former matriarch, she was clearly more familiar with the vicinity of the Wu tribe, and many places immediately came to mind.

This wasn't difficult for her. The discussion ended quickly, and Usa lay down on her haystack, quietly watching the campfire.

Recalling the surprise I felt when I received the earthenware pot and meat today, that feeling of "not deserving it" resurfaced.

This unique and complex feeling, which would not normally appear in the hearts of primitive people who gather, hunt, and struggle for survival, became even stronger at this moment.

A simpler feeling also emerges: insecurity.

It is the worry about "loss" that comes after "gaining".

In response to these complex emotions, Usa decided to "return" something to the Xi tribe.

However, it seemed that the Xi tribe also had everything that the Wu tribe had, and for a moment, Wusa didn't know what to "return".

Just then, another baby's cry rang out. Usa turned around, staring blankly at the crying infant in the firelight...

……

……

……

The trunks of the two large trees are now placed inside the cave, taking up a lot of space.

Three trees remain outside the cave, exposed to the scorching sun.

Five!

This number exceeded Xia Minghao's expectations. He originally thought that it would be good if he could get three in three days.

Unexpectedly, under the leadership of the bald chief of the Li tribe, the group of primitive people became more and more skilled at it.

Two more trees were produced than expected.

Xia Minghao naturally praised this highly.

When we saw off the men from the Li tribe today, in addition to the original earthenware pot and meat, we also gave them some dried fish and even a few eggs.

Xia Minghao is now considering whether to redesign the size of the boat.

I reckon that when the men from the Li tribe return in a couple of days, and we work around the Xi tribe's territory for another three days, we can take down at least six big trees.

"Chief, my mother has arrived!"

As he was pondering, Xia Minghao heard Una's voice, which was clearly filled with joy.

Usa arrived so late today that Una was nervous for quite a while.

Seeing it now put her mind at ease.

Xia Minghao walked out of the cave and saw that there were more people from the Wu tribe who had come to deliver the goods this time.

The number is increasing every day, and today there are about fifteen people.

The number of baskets has increased to five, and each one is full of things.

They even brought the earthenware pot that was given to them at the beginning, but no one knew what it contained.

Over the past three days, there has been less and less new information.

It seems that Xia Minghao has explored everything in the forest that is meaningful to him.

But there have been almost no groundbreaking discoveries.

Only the mushrooms found on the first day and the quartz found on the second day were somewhat useful.

The crop seeds that Xia Minghao had hoped for, which could usher in the agricultural era, and the malachite that could usher in the Bronze Age, were all not discovered.

Xia Minghao was even a little worried that this place might not have these things at all, just like Australia and the Americas.

Australia's lack of domesticable, high-yield grains or root crops prevented the indigenous people from developing an agricultural civilization.

The Americas, on the other hand, were slow to fully enter the Bronze Age due to their scarcity of mineral resources.

If this godforsaken place is like this, the technology tree is completely locked, and even if Xia Minghao has great abilities, it will be of no use.

Compared to Xia Minghao, who looked worried and troubled, Usa and his group were all very happy, with smiles on their faces.

Because today they finally have a gift to give to the chief of the Xi tribe as a gesture of goodwill.

It's currently inside the earthenware pot!
(End of this chapter)