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

Chapter 150 The Great Philanthropist of Primitive Times
"I also need to go."

"Don't go."

Hearing Huo Li's pleading tone, Xia Minghao still refused outright.

If I go by myself, I can run away immediately if I encounter danger and escape unharmed.

But Huo Li is different; taking her along is no different than taking a burden.

Actually, it doesn't matter who you bring with you. In situations where you don't know exactly what you'll encounter, it's best to act alone.

Otherwise, the more people you bring, the more burdens you'll have if you encounter situations you can't handle.

Mu Ling rode on the giant stag, and Xia Minghao followed suit, one in front of the other. However, although the stag was even taller, it wasn't that big, making it quite inconvenient to ride.

At this moment, Xia Minghao and Mu Ling were truly "chest to back".

Watching her man's departing figure, Huo Li suddenly regained her pride, but a hint of weakness still lingered in her eyes.

Possessiveness was almost innate to her, the daughter of the former leader of the Fire Tribe.

Now that she has left the Fire Tribe, Huo Li has to rely on herself to make her own way.

She suddenly remembered that Xia Minghao would always put a fire by his bedside whenever they played games.

After careful recollection, Huo Li remembered something, turned around, and went to the cabin to prepare...

……

……

……

hiss……

The two rode deer, and the great elk was still quite fast, which naturally surprised Xia Minghao.

As expected, the giant deer is indeed superior to the donkey, greatly increasing its domestication value.

But sitting on a deer is really uncomfortable.

It's so hard, it's really hard!
Especially when that great antlered deer leaps, the sensation is exhilarating...

If there were more space, it would be fine, but with this cramped space, you can't even adjust the trajectory.

Mu Ling, who was sitting in front, was also feeling unwell.

To avoid falling off the elk, you have to hold onto its antlers.

But her little hands couldn't hold it, which made it very difficult for her.

People often unconsciously gravitate towards what is comfortable, and Mu Ling was no exception during the journey. With each bumpy ride, her little bottom eventually ended up sitting on Xia Minghao's lap.

Feeling the weight on his body, Xia Minghao didn't stop him.

Actually, this is better, as it gives you more room to adjust your position.

In this way, Xia Minghao also had a more comfortable space.

Just when I thought everything was going smoothly, things started to go wrong.

Running around in the woods, riding on the back of a giant deer was bound to be bumpy.

However, Xia Minghao and Mu Ling were not connected by mortise and tenon joints, so when they bounced around, relative friction occurred.

Sitting on someone's lap and moving around creates more than just heat through friction...

"Eh?"

Mu Ling felt as if she was being supported by something, and as she gradually became suspended in mid-air, her body became increasingly unstable.

I almost fell.

"Be careful."

Xia Minghao quickly grabbed Mu Ling's chest to steady her.

Knowing it was his own fault, he remembered that he hadn't had a chance to ask about the reindeer yet, so he decided to talk to Mu Ling about it now to distract himself.

"Mu Ling, your name is Mu Ling, right? How did you manage to make the Great Horned Deer so obedient?"

Mu Ling, who had been looking down at what was supporting her, stopped investigating after hearing Xia Minghao's words and immediately spoke up.

“I told the big deer to let her know how I felt.”

Tell the great antler deer?
Xia Minghao was puzzled by Mu Ling's words.

"how did you do that?"

"That's it."

After asking the question, Mu Ling suddenly turned around with difficulty and pressed her forehead against Xia Minghao's forehead.

Mu Ling's eyes sparkled instantly, and at the same time, an external emotion surged into Xia Minghao's mind.

Exhausted...grateful...doubtful...and a hint of worry...

This strange feeling caused Xia Minghao's pupils to dilate sharply.

This is the power of totems!
I never expected to encounter a totem tribe!
"You possess totem power?"

Xia Minghao asked, but to his surprise, Mu Ling's face showed confusion upon hearing this.

They seemed to know nothing about it, unaware of the wonders of totem power.

"Do you have any totem stones? Big ones, stones that glow."

According to the information Xia Minghao obtained from Huo Li and Ye Zi.

Each totem tribe should have a large totem stone, like the large stone sculpture by the river in the Wa clan, and it should glow.

Xia Minghao had always wanted to find one and study it carefully.

But the Wind Clan lives on the grasslands, so the Fire Tribe certainly can't see them.

Now that he had stumbled upon this herding tribe, Xia Minghao was filled with anticipation.

Unexpectedly, Mu Ling, sitting on his third leg, still shook his head.

There are no totem stones?
Could it be that this pastoral tribe, like the wind clan, was attacked by some terrifying force?
The hairy man that Mu Ling mentioned?
With a suspicion forming in his mind, Xia Minghao immediately asked.

Have you ever seen a hairy person?

Upon hearing the sudden question, fear immediately flashed in Mu Ling's eyes. She looked at Xia Minghao and nodded.

I've seen hairy people, but I've never seen a totem stone...

This means that the totem stone is not from the place they migrated to this time, but from a much earlier, more distant place, which makes things difficult.

Perhaps the herding tribe has even forgotten where the totem stone is.

The last glimmer of hope in my heart was completely extinguished.

After climbing several more high platforms, the giant deer beneath them finally slowed down.

I initially thought the giant deer was finally tired, carrying two people for so long and so fast.

This giant deer has really good stamina.

Seeing the flickering firelight in the distance, Xia Minghao realized that he had underestimated the giant antler deer.

It's not that I'm tired, it's that we've arrived at our destination.

As the speed decreased, the noisy wind and hoofbeats disappeared from my ears.

It was already getting dark. I estimate that the distance is at least thirty or forty kilometers. If it weren't for this giant deer and we were on two legs, I don't know how long it would have taken.

The sound of a babbling brook reached his ears, but Xia Minghao remained vigilant as he surveyed the herdsman tribe.

By the firelight, all the people in this pastoral tribe, both men and women, were frighteningly thin.

What kind of illness does this person have?

As he observed further, Xia Minghao discovered a clue.

After observing for a while, I finally understood everything, and a sense of surprise arose in my heart.

This is actually a vegetarian tribe?
Logically speaking, this was a tribe that could not possibly have existed in primitive times.

The absence of something does not mean that it is impossible for it to be born.

Perhaps such tribes arose in the primitive era of the Earth for various reasons.

But in the end, it quickly disappeared into the long river of history, vanishing on the eve of civilization.

Because civilization is born from bloodshed and slaughter, and it is through compromise in struggle that we learn to create and cooperate.

If you turn yourself into a vegetarian, how can you survive in the competition with carnivores?
Essentially, it was a disconnect from the environment and an inability to adapt that led to their inevitable demise.

The vegetarian culture that arose in pastoral tribes was naturally due to the power of totems.

Recalling the totem power that Mu Ling had just displayed, Xia Minghao guessed that this power had probably greatly enhanced the Mu tribe's ability to empathize.

They also possess the animal husbandry talent bestowed by the power of totems as a basic foundation for survival.

To be fair, a tribe with such empathy could be considered the greatest benefactors of the primitive era.

No, it should be called second!
Xia Minghao believed himself to be the true "great philanthropist".

Seeing the unhealthy way of life of the herding tribe, Xia Minghao is now preparing to do a good deed.

That is to teach them all to eat meat.

How can we survive without meat? They'd be blown away by the wind. We still need their help to quickly domesticate the animals.

"Mu Ling! I didn't tell you not to go..."

"Mu Ling! Who is this?"

"You brought back a strange man!"

At first, all that could be seen was Mu Ling's petite figure, but as they got closer, illuminated by the firelight, how could that petite figure possibly conceal Xia Minghao's imposing stature?

“Father, he is good, just like the great deer.”

Upon seeing the nervous clansmen and Mu Tuo, whose rebuke was tinged with fear, Mu Ling quickly explained.

Xia Minghao was already tall, and with his constant consumption of meat and regular physical labor, his current physique can definitely be described as robust.

Stepping off the deer immediately instilled a strong sense of crisis in the skinny herders.

There was even a hint of panic in the air.

Xia Minghao frowned as he looked at the group of people.

These guys are such cowards! There are so many of them, yet they're afraid of just one person.

“I am the chief of the Xia tribe, you can consider me the leader.”

"Who is your leader? I want to speak to him."

The group, who were originally gripped by fear, began to look at each other in bewilderment upon hearing Xia Minghao's words.

leader……

It was both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar, and some of the younger people had never even heard of the word before.

Only Mu Tuo remembered one thing and understood Xia Minghao's meaning.

He heard it from his father: the former chief of the herding tribe had died, made wrong decisions, and caused the deaths of many people. As a result, the surviving members of the herding tribe no longer had a leader.

“Our pastoral tribe has no leader.”

"No leader? Very well, my purpose in coming here is simply to borrow your deer."

"And you can also get good things."

After putting down his backpack, Xia Minghao placed his hand directly on the small ceramic jar.

This thing is a specially customized sample, designed so that it can be displayed to other tribes in a timely manner. Therefore, it is small and portable, but can demonstrate all the main uses.

But then I thought about it again, and it seems that this group of people never settled down at all; they were more like nomadic peoples on the plains.

Nomadic peoples actually had very little need for pottery, firstly because it was inconvenient to carry, and secondly because it was easily broken.

Xia Minghao simply took out a small ceramic bottle containing red salt.

It's okay if we don't need pottery, but we still need salt, right?
Unless these pastoral tribes know where the salt deposits are located and are able to collect them sufficiently.

If that's not a problem, we can just seize it directly. We'll still have to get salt from our Xia tribe.

It also saved them a lot of trouble, so they wouldn't have to run around and get all tired.

The only person she could talk to was Mu Tuo, who seemed to be Mu Ling's father.

Xia Minghao took out a small ceramic bottle filled with salt, and while observing the reactions of the crowd, he carefully moved forward to prevent the cowardly herders from reacting to the shock.

"This is edible. Have you ever tried it?"

He sprinkled some salt on his hands first, then ate it himself.

So salty!

But Xia Minghao still made a delicious expression and gave everyone a thumbs up.

Seeing Xia Minghao eat it, everyone felt a strong urge to try it themselves, wondering just how delicious it was.

But I was still a little hesitant, and just watched from afar.

Xia Minghao then poured a few grains of salt into Mu Tuo's hand.

Under the firelight, Mu Tuo looked at the few grains of red salt in his hand, still hesitant to take a bite.

Suddenly, Mu Ling stretched out her finger, dipped it in the water, and put it in her mouth.

An expression of enjoyment immediately appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Mu Tuo took a lick and was instantly stunned.

The body immediately reacted with a craving for salt that had been missing for who knows how many years.

Now, only the bolder among the others dared to give it a try. Xia Minghao quickly finished the small bottle of red salt, and seeing everyone's expressions, he knew that the matter was bound to succeed.

"How about this? Give me a deer, give me a day, and you can eat salt for a day."

"Salt……"

As everyone savored the salty taste in their mouths, they looked at the bottle in Xia Minghao's hand and remembered the word "salt."

"How many deer can you exchange for these in a day?"

Before Mu Tuo could respond, voices of inquiry came from areas of the Mu tribe that were not illuminated by the firelight.

Xia Minghao did not reply, but instead looked at the crowd.

Having dealt with them for so long, Xia Minghao has figured out the primitive trading mindset of these people.

You absolutely cannot use modern trading logic, or you'll "suffer losses".

Of course, this "loss" refers to not making a big profit.

Don't think about what you need, think about what they have.

Because they cannot estimate the value of what they own.

There are so many people, at least seventy or eighty, and I wonder how many are hiding in the shadows right now.

Since Muling has a large antlered deer, perhaps everyone here has one.

We might as well set an exorbitant price.

"Sixty is the number of three fingers and toes."

This is the limit of exorbitant prices, because this is the only amount these people can understand.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, everyone started counting their own fingers and toes, as well as those of the people around them.

After a long while, someone finally managed to count them all, and a smile appeared on their face.

Because they do have that many large antlered deer.

A smile appeared on Xia Minghao's face.

Can we manage to get sixty deer?

Only seven or eight cars have been built so far.

But how many deer is considered a lot?

The answer is, of course, that no matter how many deer there are, it's never too many.

I had nothing better to do, and it was just a tiny little bottle of salt that I traded for it.

When the herding tribe realizes something is wrong, there will be ample room to lower the price, allowing them to consistently make a huge profit.

"Our family is willing."

"Our family is too!"

Many people eagerly signed up, but Xia Minghao ultimately only selected sixty people.

The continued existence of a shortage ensures a sufficient market demand, allowing herders to maintain their initiative in "exchanging deer for salt."

"But we need to send people along too."

Hey!

They're even answering first!

Xia Minghao was just about to pretend to show his sincerity and ask them to send a few people over as well.

I never expected that they would bring it up on their own initiative.

The purpose of bringing people over was not only to ensure their survival and health, but also to assimilate them, so that the Xia tribe could go from borrowing deer to owning them.

Only then can one command these personnel and tame more animals according to one's own orders.

"Otherwise, what if the giant deer come by and you kill and eat them?"

"Correct."

Many people then realized what was happening.

Xia Minghao nodded in agreement without hesitation.

I never expected that the livestock labor I borrowed would come so easily!
After settling things off, Xia Minghao still had one thing he was most concerned about: Palm Tree and the Hairy People.

The matter was settled, and the brief contact and Mu Ling's words helped to somewhat eliminate the estrangement between everyone and Xia Minghao.

Now we can finally sit down and properly ask these people what's going on.

"There's water in the pit. We were there before, and there were many other people. But they ate meat, just like you."

Xia Minghao completely ignored the last sentence.

That's obvious, everyone eats meat except you guys.

Xia Minghao had heard Mu Ling mention the sentence before, and he guessed that they were talking about a large lake.

Many tribes live around the lake.

These are all laborers capable of filling the Great Xia tribe!
"But they should all be dead, the hairy people are very powerful."

"Yes, they don't run, they're like Totes in a big puddle."

"Totes?"

It seems to be another unique species, but I don't know what it is.

When asked, the answers given by this group were incomprehensible, though some of the men gave inexplicable, silly laughs.

I initially thought there would be more labor available, but judging from what these people are saying, their situation is not good.

If they all die, that would be a disaster.

What is a "hairy person"?

Xia Minghao then asked.

"The hairy man is hairy, very tall, and very strong; he can smash a rock with one punch."

"Smash the rocks?"

Upon hearing what one person said, Xia Minghao frowned.

Could it be a special totem?

"That's how it is, and then this, it's terrifying."

Another person stepped forward, seemingly having witnessed the hairy man smashing stones before, and began to demonstrate.

"stop!"

Xia Minghao's eyes lit up at this demonstration.

"What other moves can the hairy man make? Demonstrate them again."

Soon, the "hairy actor" started making all sorts of movements again.

He patted his chest, walked in a strange posture, and then looked like he wanted to climb a tree.

After looking at it for a while, Xia Minghao finally understood.

Gorilla!
Unexpectedly, this group of people encountered a group of gorillas.

Good grief, are they trying to stage "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" before human civilization has even developed?

"how many?"

"a lot of."

"countless."

Upon hearing Xia Minghao's question, everyone responded in various ways, but they all conveyed the same meaning.

There are so many gorillas, an overwhelming number, practically everywhere!
Xia Minghao estimated that, based on the enhancement levels of other species in this other world, the gorillas were definitely stronger than those on Earth.

There are so many of them, they are indeed difficult to deal with.

With our current strength, we simply can't get through...

unless……

(End of this chapter)