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

Chapter 89 News about Malachite
"Why are you all lying down again? Get up quickly."

"Yes, Sun God!"

When I got to the strange tree, I was going to explain it to the group of people.

But considering that these primitive people didn't even know what a trap was, they decided to give up.

Moreover, they have been deeply poisoned by the ideology instilled in them by the Divine Tree Tribe, and it would be extremely difficult to forcibly correct it.

It's better to let things take their course and wait for the right opportunity later.

Looking at this group of pitiful primitive people, Xia Minghao sighed.

It seems I'll have to make do with being the sun god for a while...

"All of you, go and put the corpses of these people from the Divine Tree Tribe into the tree's flower buds."

Xia Minghao gave an instruction to everyone, while inwardly making a joke.

It's like a tree that has gone through so much trouble to evolve into such a high-level form, hoping to attract prey to grow stronger.

As a result, you tribes of the Divine Tree intercepted so much of their prey, and now that you've been sent into the digestive cavity of this strange tree, it's a fitting end for you.

The Xia tribe and these primitive people all obeyed the order, though the primitive people were initially somewhat afraid.

Later, after seeing the Xia tribe open the flower buds and put the corpses inside without any danger, they dared to imitate them and did so with increasing enthusiasm.

At first, the flower bud was very difficult to open; it took two or three members of the Li clan to work together to pry it open.

It would take seven or eight people to stuff the corpse of the Shenshu tribesman, which looked to weigh three or four hundred pounds, inside.

But later, it seemed that the strange tree had developed a taste for the fruit and was becoming more aware of itself, and it actually began to open its flower buds on its own.

The efficiency of the group in handling corpses also increased significantly.

Looking at the busy crowd, Xia Minghao began to ponder the question he hadn't been able to figure out earlier.

The "myth" that the people of the Divine Tree Tribe painstakingly crafted with countless words and racking their brains was easily obtained by them with just a flashlight.

The fact that the flashlight made the effect more shocking and direct caused them to throw their loyalty to the sacred tree to the back of their minds.

He turned into his own loyal "believer".

What if we encounter a totem tribe in the future?

My own flashlight is not lethal and will run out of power, so it's unsustainable.

Who knows when we'll ever come up with something that can generate electricity and recharge flashlights?

The totem tribes were far more capable than I was.

Not only are the "miracles" they can perform even more awe-inspiring, but they are also sustainable and lethal.

If you also engage in supernatural tricks, you may be able to rule more effectively in the early stages, but once you reach the Floodplains and encounter totem tribes, the situation will be reversed instantly.

When the Xia tribe, which established theocracy, encounters the totem tribe, it will be like the current situation where the sacred tree tribe encounters the Xia tribe.

Therefore, from a long-term perspective, engaging in this kind of theocracy in this other world full of mysterious power is clearly digging one's own grave.

So how can we prevent ourselves from being undermined by the theocratic beliefs of totem tribes when we come into contact with them?
After pondering for a moment, Xia Minghao managed to come up with a preliminary plan.

That is, only a small number of Xia tribesmen who are determined, absolutely loyal to themselves, and possess a certain level of knowledge are allowed to contact and communicate with the totem tribe.

This way, the influence from totem tribes can be kept within a controllable range.

The remaining people were completely cut off from communication with the totem tribe.

It's equivalent to... building a wall.

As long as most people at risk of being influenced by the theocratic ideology of totem tribes cannot overcome this barrier, there is naturally nothing to worry about.

Once we develop technology that completely surpasses that of the totem tribes and can easily defeat the so-called "gods," this "wall" can be torn down.

"Chief, what do we do next?"

"The Sun God."

After everyone finished dealing with the body, they gathered back together and spoke to Xia Minghao.

Two voices came, making Xia Minghao feel a bit of a headache.

For the time being, Xia Minghao only wants to establish a trade network.

When the time is right, we plan to incorporate these people into the Xia tribe.

If this theocratic ideology cannot be reversed by then, the only option may be to implement "one tribe, two systems".

"Lipa, Shifa, take some men and look for those green stones. See if there are any near this strange tree."

"You, uh, what's your name?" Xia Minghao asked the girl draped in a banana leaf, who had been the most active person throughout.

Even before she turned on her flashlight, she was the most vehemently resisting the Xia tribe, and almost scratched herself.

She was also the first to call out the name of the sun god.

"Sun God, my name is Aisha."

"Aisha, how far is your tribe from here?"

The Xia tribe went to search for traces of malachite, while Aisha and the others stayed behind to provide Xia Minghao with information about their respective tribes.

After learning about each of them one by one, Xia Minghao had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

These tribes are not far from here, and like the ancient Xi tribe, they make a living by hunting and gathering.

The tribes are all small, mostly with more than twenty people, but none exceeding forty.

These were all similar to Xia Minghao's guesses, the only unexpected thing was the number of tribes.

This group now represents as many as seven tribes.

According to Aisha, three more have not yet arrived.

These tribes only come together at the end of the rainy season and the end of winter each year to thank the sacred tree for saving them from death.

Incidentally, they would lie in the pit, eat mushrooms, and communicate with the sacred tree for two or three days.

Those who starved to death or were poisoned were said by the Sacred Tree tribe to have "become part of the Sacred Tree," while the rest returned to their tribes to gather and hunt "tribute."

Listening to everyone's stories, Xia Minghao first estimated the total number of people in these scattered tribes, which was probably three or four hundred.

They are scattered throughout every corner of this forest and swamp area.

It's estimated that the directional attraction of the strange tree's scent, combined with the existence of the Divine Tree Tribe, drew them together.

This is a terrifying number, more than the combined population of the Xia and Da tribes.

If this continues to develop over time, a different kind of person might emerge from the Sacred Tree tribe, or a clever person from another tribe might see through this faith fraud and usurp the Sacred Tree tribe's divine authority.

This could very well lead to the formation of a massive tribal alliance centered around the belief in the sacred tree, creating a formidable force.

As time progressed, bronze artifacts were developed, and perhaps a theocratic civilization even emerged...

Of course, such a thing is definitely impossible now, and all the people of the Divine Tree Tribe have been fed to the strange tree.

After listening to the story, just as they were about to consider how to use the strange tree as a base to establish a trade network and unite this temporarily scattered small tribe, Shifa and Lipa returned.

But they all looked gloomy and distressed.

"Chief, we haven't found any green stones."

There's none?
Xia Minghao frowned slightly as he looked around at his surroundings.

In Xia Minghao's opinion, it was highly unlikely that there would be any malachite mines in this place.

No one knows where these people from the Divine Tree Tribe came from.

After observing for a while, Xia Minghao suddenly noticed something strange.

The only problem is that the plant diversity in the area where the sacred tree is located is a bit too rich.

Not only are there many types of mushrooms, but also a surprisingly large variety of flowers, plants, and even trees.

Having the time to look at it himself, Xia Minghao felt dazzled.

Before I could even think about it, I suddenly heard Aisha muttering to herself.

"Green...stone."

Xia Minghao immediately cleared his mind and looked at Aisha.

Have you ever seen a green stone?

Seeing Aisha's somewhat dazed look, Xia Minghao took out the malachite from his bag.

When the malachite appeared before Aisha's eyes, her dazed gaze instantly brightened.

“This is it, the Sun God! This was offered to the sacred tree by the Great Mother of my tribe.”

It turns out that it wasn't the people from the Divine Tree tribe who found it, but rather the tribe where Aisha lived.

Xia Minghao immediately pressed for an answer.

"Where did your tribe find these stones?"

(End of this chapter)