Chapter 99: experiencing both pain and joy

Chapter 99: experiencing both pain and joyThe former members of the Pig Tribe, now experiencing a mix of pain and joy, had their fill and received gloves, socks, and other items. Led by the shaman, they, along with the Green Sparrow Tribe, conducted a ceremony to worship the tribal deity of the Green Sparrow Tribe.

Before the totem pole, flames roared as the shaman, adorned with a feathered headdress and holding a bone staff, solemnly performed a ritual with movements known only to him, reciting words incomprehensible to others.

Sacrifices were significant, especially for the Pig Tribe, which had never conducted such rituals before, making everything more mysterious and awe-inspiring. Like the Green Sparrow Tribe members, they stood there, full of reverence, participating in the solemn ceremony.

After an extended communication with the tribal god in his way, the Shaman stopped and, turning around, pointed his bone staff toward the Pig Tribe members. The Pig Tribe leader, who had received instructions earlier, approached with visible excitement, standing before the blazing bonfire. He gazed with awe at the totem pole, whose reflections seemed uncertain in the firelight, and at the shaman standing not far from the totem pole alongside the tribal God.

The other nine Pig Tribe members followed their leader, maintaining the same posture.

After their approach, the shaman began to dance, swirling around them three times. He gently tapped each of them with his bone staff on the head.

Then, he walked to the front of the group, placed the right hand holding the bone staff over his left chest, and called "Divine God" while respectfully bowing to the totem pole.

The rest of the people followed suit, mimicking his gestures and chanting "Divine God" with reverence.

If, in the past, the ritual would have concluded at this point, now there was an additional step.

The shaman straightened up, turned to face another direction, and respectfully bowed to Han Cheng, saying, "Divine Child."

Even Shaman didn't notice that when he called the Divine Child, his voice carried more respect than when he called the Divine God. This might be related to the fact that he had never successfully communicated with the tribal god. At the same time, Divine Child was a genuine and impactful presence, bringing positive changes to their tribe.

"Divine Child."

Following Shaman, the others also bowed respectfully to Han Cheng, their voices praising " Divine Child " louder than when they called Divine God.

Han Cheng could now accept everything calmly, maintaining a composed and sacred expression. However, he still found it somewhat peculiar, as these moments reminded him of the temple statues.

After the conclusion of the ritual, the Pig Tribe officially became members of the Green Sparrow Tribe, marking the extinction of the Pig Tribe.

Following the ceremony, arrangements were made for sleeping arrangements. To help the former Pig Tribe members integrate better into the Green Sparrow Tribe, breaking their inherent relationships, under Han Cheng's guidance, the Eldest Senior Brother did not directly allocate a large area for them to live together. Instead, he dispersed them among the original Green Sparrow Tribe members.

The leader of the former Pig Tribe needed a name. Considering the tragic history of the Pig Tribe, Han Cheng chose "Shang" as the leader's name.

With this, the adult population of the Green Sparrow Tribe made a significant leap. For instance, the number of adult males, including the Lame, increased from twelve to eighteen with the addition of the six Pig Tribe members, a one-third increase.

Adding the three women captured from the Flying Snake Tribe, the Green Sparrow Tribe now has seven more females.

With seven newborns included, the Green Sparrow Tribe's population increased by a remarkable twenty in just one year. This was a population growth that the Green Sparrow Tribe wouldn't achieve in a decade under normal circumstances because, along with births, deaths would also occur simultaneously.

However, in the past year, there were no casualties within the tribe. The primary reason for this was the abundance of food in the tribe, coupled with the introduction of salt and the consumption of nutritious and easily digestible meat soup instead of roasted meat.

The most significant beneficiaries of the meat soup were the elderly and numerous children. Compared to adults, their digestive systems were not as robust, and drinking meat soup benefited their gastrointestinal health.

Another reason was the reduction in hunting activities within the tribe. Hunting has always been dangerous, with the relationship between the hunter and the prey changing instantly. With less hunting, the likelihood of encountering danger naturally decreased.

Of course, other factors such as drinking hot water, regular bathing, flea prevention, proper waste disposal, gloves, and hats also played a role in reducing casualties within the tribe.

For the Green Sparrow Tribe, this was indeed a welcome change, especially for Han Cheng, who had long wanted to increase the tribe's population. He couldn't help but lie on his bed, grinning widely.

Fu Jiang couldn't understand what his master was doing. After tilting his head for a while, he imitated his master's expression and began grinning, comparing whose teeth were whiter.

The members of the former Pig Tribe were particularly curious about everything in their new tribe.

For example, in the morning, everyone would use cups with frog or tadpole illustrations to fetch water from the ditches on both sides, using tree sticks bitten open to dip into white salt for brushing.

There were designated locations when they needed to relieve themselves, and men and women had separate facilities. In their original tribe, they never had to go through such trouble.

However, what made them most uncomfortable was the two small wooden sticks called "chopsticks" used for eating while drinking delicious meat soup. The members of the former Pig Tribe had a hard time with them.

When they visited as guests, they could grab the food without anyone minding. But now, as members of the Green Sparrow Tribe, whoever grabbed the food would receive a tap on the head from the revered Divine Child, using a wooden strip called a "ruler."

Although it didn't hurt, being watched by so many people made it somewhat embarrassing. Moreover, Divine Child had issued an order: until they learned to use chopsticks, their daily meals would consist only of meat soup. Only after learning could they enjoy roasted meat without using chopsticks.

Under strict management, the former Pig Tribe members gradually learned to use chopsticks. They initially thought using chopsticks was challenging enough. Still, when Divine Child began instructing them to learn the language of the gods every day, they realized that using chopsticks was much easier in comparison.