TPWBI Chapter 113

Yang Yi learned from Hong Guang that quite a few people’s clans were already preparing to come over and join them. In order to roughly estimate the numbers, they had these people report their situations to him.

Most of those digging the water channels had not yet formally joined the Spark Tribe, so their clans had been observing from the sidelines.

After the last small trade fair, once they confirmed that the situation here matched what they had seen and heard, they no longer had any worries and wanted to come and join.

They simply hadn’t expected that the Spark Tribe would plan to close its gates, no longer accepting immigrants, which caused many other tribes to lament. “If only we hadn’t been so cautious back then.”

So, once Hong Guang issued the order, those whose clans wanted to join were all told to come over and report for statistical purposes. Everyone eagerly came.

Later, Yang Yi realized he could no longer summon everyone individually, so he had Hong Guang assign people to collect and organize the data, allowing the tribe to prepare better.

Apart from prospective members, those who had already formally become tribe members and had clans or old acquaintances from other tribes, seeing the prosperity of the Spark Tribe, also had their numbers recorded.

“The numbers aren’t small.” Yang Yi sighed as he looked at the preliminary statistics. Just from the current count, there were already forty to fifty thousand people.

He had still underestimated the people here, influenced by his previously shallow understanding of primitive societies, always thinking that a tribe of a few thousand was already impressive.

Every time he thought that was the limit, many surprises awaited him.

In recent years, the Spark Tribe has not only become wealthy and prosperous. More importantly, its harmonious atmosphere made many other tribes greatly admire it.

Yang Yi understood the importance of reputation. Although here power spoke louder than words, it didn’t mean reputation was unimportant.

A good reputation easily earns trust, making people feel that it is safe here, encouraging interaction and exchange, which greatly benefits their external trade.

It was precisely because of the Spark Tribe’s good reputation that the voucher system they were currently promoting—similar in function to paper money—was able to circulate at the trade fairs.

Although most tribes currently exchanged these vouchers for the goods they wanted during the fairs, some tribes, out of trust, did not exchange all of their vouchers this time. Instead, they held onto them, planning to use them at the next fair.

This gave the vouchers more of the functionality of paper money. Situations like this could only happen because the Spark Tribe had an excellent reputation and was strong enough to back it.

The introduction of the vouchers made trading easier and more convenient, bringing significant benefits.

At present, the vouchers of the Spark Tribe were made very exquisitely, roughly the size of a hundred-unit note, with highly intricate designs painted using expensive gemstones as pigments.

These gemstones were very rare, discovered by Han Bing in a very remote location.

He applied his talent for colors and his knowledge of mineral pigments from books, not only discovering them but also mastering the method to extract them into usable pigments.

The resulting colors were incomparable to the pigments Yang Yi had brought from the marketplace. Their hues were extraordinarily vibrant, so beautiful that one could not look away, and they would not fade even over a thousand years.

Putting aside the vouchers’ use as currency, simply taking such paper notes to the market could still be exchanged for a considerable number of goods.

They were not mere sheets of paper, especially since, here, paper itself was not cheap. Some tribes and merchant caravans even collected these notes as works of art.

However, to save costs, most of the paper notes were painted with ordinary pigments, while the expensive pigments were used solely as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

Therefore, these vouchers did have intrinsic value. Though compared to the goods they could be exchanged for, it was still not enough.

The reason everyone wasn’t in a rush to exchange their vouchers was entirely due to the good reputation of the Spark Tribe.

This also allowed the tribe to acquire some resources in advance, serving as a way to alleviate economic pressure.

Hei Lie glanced over and said, “It looks like the second city will be built very soon.”

“But it will also bring considerable pressure.”

If a large number of people really came here, failing to solve their livelihood problems would itself become a source of pressure for the Spark Tribe.

Moreover, they were not completely ignored. It was just that they could not enjoy the rights of the Spark people and could not formally join the tribe.

However, at that time, the Spark Tribe would assign personnel to guide their production and dispatch soldiers to guard and ensure their safety.

This would ensure that the establishment of the city belonged to the Spark Tribe and could assist in its development.

During this period, though, the tribe would not provide much food aid, so they would need to be more self-reliant than those who had not yet joined.

“We’ve already announced that we are no longer accepting newcomers. Those tribes will be cautious and won’t rush in, giving us time to prepare.”

Yang Yi nodded. “As long as they start planting and raising livestock, it won’t be hard to avoid going hungry. We have enough food for now.”

The land here was extremely fertile and easy to cultivate. Yang Yi felt that the Transmigration God had been very favorable to him, not putting him through unnecessary difficulties and placing him in such a promising location.

Otherwise, if the land were barren or very difficult to reclaim, efficiency would be much lower, and planting would not be so easy.

Here, the soil was so fertile that scattering a handful of seeds anywhere would yield a harvest.

The result just wouldn’t be as good as if it were artificially managed, but it would still be enough to prevent anyone from starving to death.

“At that time, we’ll bring all children under six back to the tribe for education, so their parents will have more energy for production without having to worry about feeding the kids.”

Yang Yi laughed. “So you’re planning to start shaping them from when they’re little, huh?”

“I trust Jing’s abilities to build and manage the new city. But after all, we’re still a new tribe and have many shortcomings.

So we must maintain consistency with Yi City. Education is the most critical part.”

Jing had already been appointed as the highest leader responsible for the construction of the new city. Over the years, he had grown increasingly mature. With his previous experiences, he was fully capable of handling everything independently.

Although he was disabled, his combat ability remained extremely strong.

Moreover, he had a formidable wife. Together, the couple worked seamlessly and could silence those who might doubt them.

After all, in this environment, strength commanded respect, and disabilities inevitably drew biased views.

With the couple united, their combined combat power was even greater, making it even harder for others to criticize them.

Here, no one cared about arguments like “relying on a woman”. As long as you were strong enough, it didn’t matter whether you were male or female.

In the future, the couple could divide responsibilities: one managing city construction and administration, the other overseeing security. This division of labor would prevent conflicts of interest.

Yang Yi fully agreed. Even when he had left Earth, he had already realized how important education was.

“This is a great idea. It really should be done this way. If there are more cities in the future, the same approach must be maintained, making Yi City the center of education.”

“If there are too many people, we can have primary education take place locally, but it must be taught by the teachers we train ourselves. As for higher levels, they must be held in Yi City!”

The more Yang Yi thought about it, the more excited he became, already unable to wait to see the grand scene at that time.

“At that time, we’ll build ten more cities, surrounding Yi City in the middle, making it the central city.”

The image immediately appeared in Yang Yi’s mind. Although he hadn’t traveled every corner of the wasteland, he had been to quite a few places. Here was more than enough space to build this many cities on the same scale as Yi City.

“But Yi City isn’t in the center. It’s at the entrance to the wasteland.”

“Fool, we can relocate the city later,” Hei Lie laughed.

“Yi City is already quite good now, unimaginably beautiful to many people. But we also have to admit that in many areas, due to a lack of experience, the design and planning aren’t entirely reasonable.”

Yang Yi was just an ordinary person. His major was computer science. He hadn’t even gone on to work as a programmer. He went into gaming instead.

He had never studied urban planning. Although the infrastructure in games offered him a little bit of help, its effect was still very limited.

Even those who majored in urban construction at university, without practical experience, wouldn’t have the ability to design a city properly and would still leave many flaws.

Moreover, because of the time constraints, they simply didn’t have enough time to carefully refine the designs and plans.

“That’s true,” Yang Yi also admitted. Even though he currently felt very fulfilled, every morning when he looked out the window, he felt immense pride and satisfaction.

At the same time, he was also very aware that this city had many flaws. The tribe had already set up a municipal office to deal with the various negative effects caused by the shortcomings in the original design due to inexperience.

“Next, with the experience this city now has, we should be able to build it better. The first thing is that the sewer system must be properly constructed.”

Yi City also had a sewer system. But because the design wasn’t detailed enough, it was prone to flooding during heavy rain.

Although most areas were fine and only a few spots were seriously affected, it was still frustrating to look at.

There were quite a few other minor issues. Though for the people here, they were hardly worth mentioning.

After all, for them, life had already taken a huge leap forward. It was just that Yang Yi had lived so comfortably before, so his standards were naturally higher.

“Our tribe never lacks talent like this. I remember there’s a kid around Lan Xue who’s especially good at digging tunnels.”

“You mean Hong Shu, right? A lot of the sewers were now dug under his lead. He’s like a little Tuxingsun. Truly amazing.”

Hei Lie couldn’t help but laugh. Hong Shu was tiny, not even as tall as Yang Yi.

On the surface, his combat abilities were completely overshadowed, but once he went underground, it was a whole different story. Especially in this land, it allowed him to fully demonstrate this skill.

Back in his previous tribe, everything was full of stone hills. There was no chance to use his talents. He seemed completely useless.

Here, he had finally found his value. With him on the sewers, there was no worry at all.

“It’s him. I plan to recruit this kid into my team and have him dig tunnels for us in the future.”

“Tunnels?” Yang Yi’s mind started racing. “You didn’t get inspired by tunnel warfare, did you?”

Hei Lie not only had far greater access to books than others, but the same went for movies.

Although he was extremely busy every day, he would still carve out an hour or two specifically to watch films.

To save time, he often watched at double speed, yet even then, he could clearly recount the plot and even the lines.

The types of films Hei Lie enjoyed were mostly about war, history, or documentaries. Many of which would make Yang Yi nod off, but Hei Lie watched with keen interest.

Even though the two of them had signed a contract and their minds and bodies were already connected, there were still many points where they didn’t see eye to eye.

For example, when Yang Yi mocked a scene of tearing up enemies by hand, Hei Lie thought that aside from the slightly poor special effects, it was perfectly normal—just tearing a person in half, SO EASY.

Yang Yi was instantly left speechless. Truly, they were from different worlds.

“This is an incredibly brilliant approach!” Hei Lie exclaimed, full of admiration, and began explaining enthusiastically.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I’ve done quite a bit of research. The soil here is soft, so it will take some effort, but it’s definitely doable.”

“Is it really necessary?” Yang Yi was actually interested in tunnels, but he wondered if mobilizing people to dig them wasn’t a bit overcautious.

At present, they had so many people, and each one was a fighter—ferocious in every way. With wide and deep moats and tall walls surrounding them, would tunnels even be needed?

The Spark Tribe currently operates on a system of division of labor, with everyone focusing on what they do best.

Yet each person still had to train at designated times and continue their previous work in the wild—hunting or gathering—to avoid losing their combat abilities and survival skills.

This was Hei Lie’s principle. He would never allow any able-bodied person to grow weak or degenerate.

No one knew what the future might bring. Many of the people who had come seeking refuge had done so because their own homelands had been destroyed by catastrophic natural disasters, forcing them to leave everything behind and travel for dozens of days, even months, to reach this place.

No matter how powerful the Spark Tribe became, they were still helpless in the face of natural disasters.

When it came to survival, having intelligence alone wasn’t enough. One also needed the physical strength and reflexes to escape danger quickly. Those things could only be built up through regular practice and training.

“Better to be prepared than sorry.”

Yang Yi trusted Hei Lie’s judgment. If it weren’t for the issue of cost, he wouldn’t mind turning the Spark Tribe into an impenetrable fortress.

“Tomorrow I’ll have Qing and the incubation facility set aside some seeds and eggs. The day after tomorrow, if you’re free, let’s head to the wasteland together to pick a suitable location.”

They had already chosen a spot earlier on the sand table that Ying Yi had made. Hong Guang had gone there to survey the area and found several sites suitable for digging wells. However, neither Yang Yi nor Hei Lie had personally gone to inspect them yet.

“Alright, I’ll definitely make time the day after tomorrow.”

“If the day after tomorrow doesn’t work, we can go another day.”

Hei Lie chuckled. “With your temperament, it’s already impressive if you can wait that long. I’ll make the arrangements.”

Yang Yi laughed too. It was true. He tended to act on impulse. Whenever he decided to do something, he wanted to get it done right away. Otherwise, if the moment passed, his enthusiasm would fade.

That was why he often went on spontaneous trips. Anything that required detailed planning almost always ended up falling through.

But after coming here, that tendency had improved a lot. After all, acting rashly here could easily mean taking one wrong step and ending up dead.

“Right, could you cook the bamboo shoots I brought back later? The bamboo by the water channel has already grown tall and lush. It’s thriving beautifully.”

When they first moved here, they discovered many varieties of bamboo. Some were enormous and sturdy, becoming important materials for making containers.

Quite a few were also turned into handicrafts such as bamboo mats, hats, and winnowing baskets, which not only enriched their daily lives but could also be used as goods for trade.

To ensure a steady supply of bamboo, the tribe had seldom thought about harvesting bamboo shoots over the past few years, letting them grow fully before replanting them instead.

Now, not only had the original bamboo grove grown into a vast stretch, but both sides of the water channel were also lined with newly planted bamboo, extending continuously along its banks.

Yang Yi loved eating bamboo shoots. But to stay in line with everyone else, so as not to appear as though he was eating happily while others refrained, he rarely picked any himself.

Today, however, he happened to come across some and brought a few back.

“What a coincidence, I also brought back something small today.”

“What is it?”

“A bamboo rat.”

Yang Yi was utterly astonished. “A bamboo rat? There are bamboo rats in our bamboo grove now?”

As someone who often watched videos made by that certain “village tyrant”, he naturally knew what bamboo rats were. He had also heard from the elders in the past that they had once caught these creatures in bamboo forests.

Ever since bamboo had been transplanted into the Spark Tribe, Yang Yi had been curious whether it would eventually attract bamboo rats.

If bamboo rats could really be attracted here, that would mean one more type of small animal they could raise. They could even eat it, whether it suffered from heatstroke or not.

“How big is it? Can it be raised?” Yang Yi quickly grasped the key point of the matter.

Taming wild animals was no easy task. Up to now, the Spark Tribe still hadn’t managed to domesticate a single wild creature. They were all extremely fierce and aggressive.

They had once caught a wild rabbit, but that rabbit, rather than submitting, smashed itself against the wall and died, leaving everyone both helpless and amused.

The other animals weren’t any better. For now, they were still in the stage of trial and exploration. From Yang Yi’s estimation, this would likely be a long-term process.

No wonder farming was the main focus among the people here and the tribes around. As for animal husbandry, that mostly depended on luck.

“You’ll know when you see it yourself.”

Hei Lie took Yang Yi to the kitchen next door. There, they saw the bamboo rat, its limbs tied up and fastened to a bamboo stalk nearby.

Even so, it was still struggling nonstop, trying to break free of its restraints.

The bamboo rat was about the same size as a small fragrant pig, weighing roughly twenty jin or so. Its teeth were razor-sharp, and its small, bean-like eyes were wide open, glaring ferociously as someone approached.

Aside from being a little larger, it looked almost exactly like the ones Yang Yi had seen in videos.

“It seems like it could be raised? We’d just need to build a higher and sturdier cage. I just wonder how many of them there are in the bamboo grove.”

“From what I can tell, probably not too many. They’re quite cunning. But if we really want to catch them, they won’t be able to escape.”

Yang Yi was quite pleased but couldn’t help asking in confusion, “Where did you come across this little fellow?”

“In the largest bamboo grove,” Hei Lie replied, without giving much detail about the encounter.

“What amazing luck! People are always going in and out of that area, yet you were the first to run into one, and such a fat one at that.”

Hei Lie smiled but didn’t tell Yang Yi that ever since Yang Yi had casually mentioned how great it would be if bamboo rats appeared in the grove, he had been spending a bit of time every day searching for them.

This time, it was simply a case of heaven rewarding persistence.

“How do you want to eat it?”

Yang Yi thought for a moment. “Why don’t we roast it? I remember there’s still some charcoal left from winter.”

Back in winter, when it was still quite cold for Yang Yi to go outside, Hei Lie had learned from the books how to make charcoal. He had sent people to specifically produce a batch of it. The best charcoal was delivered to Yang Yi.

Hei Lie even had the blacksmiths forge a hand warmer for Yang Yi. Whenever Yang Yi went out, he carried a small brazier filled with charcoal, using it to keep himself warm.

Some of the charcoal was also distributed to the elderly and weak. When people from other tribes or trade caravans came during the winter and saw it, they were fascinated and traded quite a bit of their goods for it.

“Alright, but it’ll take a while. If you get hungry, have some snacks first.”

Hei Lie set out some pastries and other refreshments on the table for Yang Yi, then got busy in the kitchen himself, not letting Yang Yi lift a finger.

Yang Yi sat in the study, door open, nibbling on pastries and sipping tea as he watched Hei Lie move deftly around the kitchen. Unconsciously, a faint smile curved his lips.

Although the new city had not yet been built, its name had already been decided. Rong City. A city meant to welcome and accommodate people from all lands.

Jing had been appointed as Rong City’s leader, in charge of its construction, while Rong oversaw the allocation of its armed forces. Those under Rong’s command were her most trusted subordinates, powerful in battle and perfectly coordinated.

“Divine Envoy, please rest assured,” Jing declared earnestly. “I will not fail your expectations. I will see Rong City built and thriving!”

Jing knelt on one knee, his gaze firm and steady. There was no trace of the sorrow or frustration one might expect from someone who had lost an arm.

Through trials and experience, he had become calm and composed. After having a child, he carried an even stronger sense of responsibility.

Yang Yi placed his hand on Jing’s head and bestowed his blessing. “May the gods grant you fortune and strength. I wish you success in all things.”

“Divine Envoy, we’ll definitely do it well! We’ll make sure everyone knows what it means to be a member of the Spark Tribe!”

Rong’s loud, booming voice echoed with passion. Though she was rough around the edges, she understood well the subtle complexities beneath the surface.

Not everyone agreed with the plan to establish a new city. The greatest concern among them was whether this might create a new power strong enough to threaten Yi City.

Although the new city would be a subsidiary of the Spark Tribe and, once completed, its people would still be part of the tribe. Whether Yi City or Rong City, both would technically be cities under the same banner, the distance between them made oversight difficult.

Moreover, founding a new city meant providing people, tools, seeds, and technology. With Yi City’s experience to draw from, Rong City would likely develop rapidly in the future. If anyone there were to harbor disloyal intentions, even if they couldn’t rival Yi City, their proximity could still cause countless troubles.

Some argued it would be better to expand Yi City instead, or simply refuse those seeking refuge, rather than build another city altogether.

If not for Hei Lie and Yang Yi’s firm insistence and their clear explanation of how control would be maintained and the advantages of such a move, the plan would never have been approved.

Even now, many still harbored doubts, fearing that the tribe might split because of it.

That was precisely why Rong, the one in charge of the tribe’s armed forces, had spoken those words. It was a declaration of loyalty and reassurance.

Furthermore, both Jing and Rong had voluntarily left their children behind in the tribe, entrusting them to the tribe’s nursery for upbringing.

Although this was what they usually did anyway, since they both had many responsibilities and couldn’t always be with their children.

In this world, children were generally raised more freely, so it wasn’t considered strange.

Still, when parents were capable and present, it was rare for their children to live apart from them.

Yang Yi didn’t think such an arrangement was necessary, but they insisted. It was partly to reassure everyone, and partly because they truly didn’t have the time to care for their children themselves.

The teachers at the nursery were highly skilled and responsible. Their children liked it there, so there really wasn’t anything bad about it.

Rong even brought her little one over. A tiny child who waddled when walking but could already speak fluently.

The little one declared clearly, “Divine Envoy, I want to stay in Yi City!”

Even now, as the time for parting came, the child remained calm and composed.

When Rong and Jing led their troops away, until they had turned into distant black specks on the horizon, the little one still stayed completely calm.

Yang Yi wasn’t sure whether the child was just pretending to be strong or genuinely didn’t feel sad. “If you want to cry, then cry,” he said gently. “There’s nothing shameful about it.”

The little one blinked up at him with wide eyes. “Why would I cry?”

Yang Yi was left speechless — saying more would only make it awkward.

But the clever little one understood right away and broke into a bright smile. “My papa and mama are just going out to hunt and take care of things, right? I just won’t see them for a few days. At least I have a papa and mama. What’s there to cry about?”

“Besides, if I miss them, I can just ride my big goose to go see them!”