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

Chapter 133 The "Treasure" in the Woods

Foxtail grass is one of the most common roadside plants; it's practically everywhere.

Like when Xia Minghao was a child, after school, when he had nothing to do on the way home, he liked to grab a root and play with it.

Although it is common, most people do not know that this thing is actually the ancestor of millet!

Millet was domesticated from foxtail grass.

Although foxtail grass has not been domesticated, it is still edible; it's just that it hasn't been properly cultivated.

During his childhood, when he lived in the village, Xia Minghao had eaten porridge made from foxtail grass, which was made for him by the village's former barefoot doctor.

Xia Minghao witnessed the entire process.

First, cut down the foxtail grass, then leave it to dry in the sun for a week or two.

After drying, the barefoot doctor would spread a white cloth on a winnowing basket and shake it. The inferior seeds and impurities would be easily carried away by the wind, while the good ones would remain.

After that, use a millstone to remove the shells, and then you can cook and eat it.

Xia Minghao also took a sip of the porridge made from foxtail millet, and he still vividly remembered the taste.

It's not exactly delicious; the main problem is its astringent taste.

But if you ignore that, it actually tastes quite thick and fragrant, and can be considered a pretty good grain.

If there are no better options, then planting foxtail grass as a main crop to usher in the agricultural era is perfectly fine.

Of course, there are requirements for crops that can be used to usher in the agricultural era.

Easy to plant, easy to grow, and easy to domesticate.

Foxtail grass has managed to find a place in the concrete jungle of modern society, which speaks volumes about its cultivation and growth.

The ease of domestication is backed by thousands of years of experience in Chinese civilization, making it a perfect fit for Xia Minghao's needs.

I quickly picked a large pile of foxtail grass.

Since this thing has such strong vitality, Xia Minghao decided to take some back with him and see if it could grow in the current territory of the Xia tribe.

This stuff isn't picky about location; if it could be grown on a large scale near Yanquan Mountain, it would be like having an extra food source.

After picking all the foxtail grass he could find on the mountaintop and filling a small bag, Xia Minghao zipped up his jacket and picked up his binoculars.

Standing atop the mountain, looking out over the surrounding forests, one can finally get a general view of the plains.

While the forest appears dense from the boat, the trees on the plains actually have distinct striped distributions.

Why does this pattern occur?

The primitive man simply observed it, but Xia Minghao sensed that there must be some reason behind this pattern.

Putting down his binoculars, Xia Minghao surveyed the forest, lost in thought.

Could it be... because of the river overflowing?

The flood created a regular environmental conveyor belt, and these plants found their own exclusive areas on the conveyor belt according to their own survival needs, eventually forming a strip-like distribution pattern.

Xia Minghao made a rough deduction in his mind, and his brows furrowed.

Such a regular striped distribution clearly indicates that the flooding situation in this area is quite serious.

But it's probably impossible to avoid it anywhere, since this place, suitable for farming, is called a floodplain...

There's no way to avoid it; we'll definitely have to settle here and start an agricultural era.

There is only one way: to build water conservancy projects.

This also served as a reminder to Xia Minghao, otherwise all his hard work would be wasted later.

Xia Minghao added another item to his list of things to do after settling down, and he also raised it to the highest priority.

He then continued to observe the situation in the woods at the foot of the nearby hill, and accidentally discovered a rather strange spot.

The original strip-like distribution of the distant forest has been broken off?
Moreover, it broke off far from the main river, but what exactly was in that large area that broke off was completely obscured by the fact that the hill wasn't high enough to see clearly...

After looking at other places again, Xia Minghao selected a few barely suitable places to settle down and then returned to the ship.

By the time they reached the ship, it was completely dark. Xia Minghao first asked everyone if they had noticed anything unusual.

Still, no trace of human activity was found.

I didn't have high expectations to begin with, so naturally I wasn't too disappointed. Instead, I headed straight for the lookout tower to look at the somewhat unusual spot from before.

The originally well-defined banded distribution abruptly ended there...

Could it be some kind of tribe? Or perhaps it was hit by a meteorite? If so, then there might be meteorite iron.

Or……

His curiosity made Xia Minghao unconsciously touch the oval wooden box containing the wolf totem stone hanging on his chest.

"Chief, shall we stay here tomorrow? Or shall we go back?"

"Go back tomorrow."

Upon hearing Datun's question, Xia Minghao noticed a hint of panic in his eyes.

It seems that food is being consumed faster than expected, and signs of panic are emerging.

After all, these people have to stand for more than ten hours a day and are constantly under pressure, so it's understandable that they need to eat more. It's also a valuable experience that will help them avoid carrying too much or too little supplies in the future.

Although he said that, Xia Minghao still planned to send the ship closer to that location before officially returning tomorrow to see what the situation was.

Even if it's just a large area of ​​forest gap, it won't cause any delays. At most, you'll just have to walk a little more and get a little more tired.

Of course, everyone on the ship was much happier now. The previous suspicion and gloom were gone, and everyone started chatting and laughing, as if they had already come home.

None of them had ever spent such a long time on a ship. The feeling of being unable to stand on solid ground and swaying on the ship made them very uncomfortable, which inevitably gave rise to the same sense of depression that sailors in later generations also experienced.

Now that the chief has finally ordered them to return, how could they not be happy?

Taking advantage of the occasion, Xia Minghao announced to everyone that Xia Ya had become his wife.

They were also told that they could now marry a second wife.

Upon hearing this news, everyone became even more excited.

Especially as an archer team, they were considered upper-middle class in the Xia tribe, with plenty of money, and were capable of marrying another woman.

But the purpose was simply to speed up the process of childbirth.

As for the "one king and two queens" strategy, that was certainly not what they were thinking.

Under Xia Minghao's leadership, although rapid social changes and rapid increases in productivity were achieved, people's mindsets still did not adapt quickly enough.

It remains as simple as ever, or more accurately, primitive.

At least for now, sex is still only associated with procreation for most people, with the addition of inheritance issues arising from the value of procreation.

They haven't reached the point where they can actively seek pleasure from sex.

If that day ever comes, Xia Minghao estimates that his Xia tribe will already be considered civilized...

……

……

……

Leaf controlled the large ship to move backward, and the original stern turned into the bow.

This was also specially designed by Xia Minghao, because building a boat that can turn around is already quite difficult, and it is also unknown whether the width of the river will allow it to do so flexibly when needed.

Xia Minghao simply took a shortcut and made both sides into bow decks.

With the help of the wind generated by the leaves, the boat moved much more slowly, as most of the wind was used to resist the river's current, making it move as slowly as a snail.

It's estimated that things will be much better once we reach the smaller river, but right now, even in the middle and lower reaches of the larger river, the current is much faster than in the smaller river, making it extremely difficult to move.

Xia Minghao immediately took action, and all three sails billowed up simultaneously, finally setting the ship in motion.

But after making a move, Xia Minghao planned to wait for the ship to come to a slow stop before disembarking and heading to the strange location he had previously identified.

The leaves, swimming upstream in the great river, have lost their function as an "engine" and have instead become "brakes".

After explaining some precautions to Ye Zi, Xia Minghao had Da Tun and his men drop the stone anchor. He then walked ashore, calculated the approximate direction using a compass, and quickly headed towards the shore.

The types of trees remained the same, and as Xia Minghao got closer, he suddenly smelled a sweet fragrance.

This refreshing scent is somewhat familiar, but I've definitely never smelled it in this other world before.

As they quickened their pace and passed through the woods, feeling themselves getting closer and closer, a deer suddenly appeared right in front of them.

The somewhat clumsy-looking deer was startled when it saw Xia Minghao, this two-legged creature, and quickly turned around again.

Then Xia Minghao heard a splash, like someone falling into water.

They quickened their pace and finally saw a brighter area, clearly the unobstructed clearing in the woods.

My gaze passed over a large tree, only to see a large herd of deer leaping out of the water and scattering in all directions.

This is... a lake?

The dozen or so deer that had been playing in the lake all dispersed, and a lake of moderate size, about the size of an ordinary swimming pool, was fully revealed before Xia Minghao's eyes.

Behind the lake are undulating mountains, clearly forming the second step of the floodplain behind them.

Upon discovering that it was actually a lake, Xia Minghao couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. As he took a few steps closer and was observing whether there was any danger, a gentle breeze blew through the forest, and a wave of warm steam rushed towards him.

The look that had been sweeping around instantly turned to surprise, and the gaze immediately fell upon the small lake.

No, this isn't a lake!

After putting his hand into the lake and feeling the temperature, Xia Minghao was overjoyed.

This is a hot spring!

And it seems this isn't just a simple hot spring!

Looking at the slightly yellowish spring water, Xia Minghao bent down and took a sniff. A faint smell of rotten eggs entered Xia Minghao's nostrils!
Sulfur-containing hot springs!

I go!

Hit the jackpot!
Now we don't have to go to such a faraway volcano to get sulfur, and with sulfur we can make gunpowder!

P.S.: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I got off work too late today. I'll stockpile some chapters this weekend and try to update on time every day from now on, guaranteeing 10,000 words per day. There's one more chapter left; I'll finish writing it and post it as soon as possible. Thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)