BXBX NOVEL Chapter 40: Gold Leaves
The group exchanged glances but remained silent, unwilling to speak.
Enzo, impatient, spoke again, "If you\'re not willing to explain, for the safety of the tribe, I may have to resort to special measures."
Hearing this threat, the group immediately dropped to their knees.
They were fearful and uneasy. Finally they confessed, "Lord Priest, in our previous tribe camp, we stored some gold leaves that we wish to retrieve."
"Gold leaves?" Enzo was surprised.
In this jungle and its surrounding areas, there were traveling merchants from the Gold Oak Tribe who carried goods for trade between different tribes. Due to the Gold Oak Tribe\'s strength, other tribes dared not attack these traveling merchants, as they provided essential supplies such as salt.
The currencies used by these traveling merchants were gold leaves.
The gold leaves were crafted from gold and imprinted with the energy of the tribal fire from the Gold Oak Tribe, featuring the pattern of an acorn, which other tribes could not replicate.
The group continued, "Two months ago, our tribe\'s Lord Priest entertained a traveling merchant from the Gold Oak Tribe, exchanging for some gold leaves and agreeing on future trade items. Based on the current timing, that traveling merchant should be nearing this area."
Enzo immediately became interested.
Trading with the traveling merchant could potentially acquire valuable resources.
Hence, retrieving those gold leaves seemed necessary.
However, despite joining the Crimson Star Tribe, these individuals harbored such intentions, likely thinking Enzo was too lenient. In the jungle, kindness was not a virtue. Enzo waved his hand, signaling Ward to take the group away for further observation. It was essential for other members of the tribe to understand one thing—the Crimson Star Tribe could provide the life they desired, but loyalty was paramount.
Ward had them escorted away.
Brian followed, burdened with his own tasks of teaching new members pottery making, brick firing, and weapon crafting.
At this moment, Enzo was left with only Amy by his side.
Amy, perceptive as ever, guessed Enzo\'s thoughts and asked, "Lord Enzo, should we send someone to retrieve those gold leaves?"
Enzo nodded and replied, "Amy, you handle that matter."
After giving his instructions, Enzo added, "Also, inquire with the other new members if their former tribes stored any other food or special items. If they did, have them bring those back as well."
Amy noted down the tasks and then accompanied Enzo toward the central area of the camp.
The new members were all awake, working under the guidance of senior members. Some of them were cultivating fields, others were transporting water. The entire camp was bustling with activity. Upon seeing Enzo approaching, everyone halted their tasks and respectfully greeted him, "Lord Priest!"
After observing the camp, Enzo\'s face showed satisfaction.
He remarked, "It seems they are adapting well."
Considering this, Amy replied, "That\'s because they didn\'t join as slaves but as full-fledged members of the tribe. To prevent resentment, Uncle Brian promised that once there are enough pottery items, each person will have their own set."
This was the real reason behind their acceptance.
Although the new members professed loyalty to the tribe, it wasn\'t necessarily heartfelt, as evidenced by the incident with the individuals hiding the gold leaves.
After completing his inspection, Enzo instructed Amy to stay and manage .
Then he left the camp, heading towards the edge of the lake where many older tribe members were stationed.
Before long, Enzo arrived at the lake.
At the edge of the lake, it was bustling with activity..
The old members of the Crimson Star Tribe were drying meat from the Giant Mountain Turtle on skewers over the fire, while others were using vine ropes to string up fish. Nearby, the Huge Silver Backed Bear Betta lay on all fours, eyes vacant, serving as a guard for the tribe.
Suddenly, Betta bolted toward Enzo.
The others looked up, cheering, "Lord Priest!"
Enzo nodded at them, effortlessly sending Betta away with a totemic power. He then asked, "Where is Monta?"
Someone immediately responded, "Lord Priest, Monta is with a group at the lake, observing and searching for a way to transport numerous supplies across to the other side."
Since Sovita\'s death, there had been no overseer for the agricultural zone.
Monta, previously Sovita\'s assistant and skilled in crop cultivation, had been appointed by Enzo as the new overseer before the campaign against the Chew Bone Tribe.
Shortly after, Monta was called back.
Upon seeing Enzo, he immediately voiced his concerns, "Lord Priest, the lake is wide, spanning over a hundred meters. It would be challenging for ordinary tribe members to swim across, especially with a large amount of supplies."
Enzo replied calmly, "No rush."
With that, Enzo climbed a large tree growing on the lakeside.
This particular tree had survived the battle with the Giant Mountain Turtle, being both sufficiently thick and luckily undamaged. Across the lake, there were similarly robust trees.
After observing, Enzo jumped down from the tree.
He planned to construct a bridge over the lake to facilitate the tribe\'s movement and transport of goods.
Bamboo would serve as the primary material for the bridge.
In exchange for the barren mountain\'s scepter, Priest Lucy needed to provide large quantities of bamboo. Vines could then be used to bind those bamboo together and could be easily secured using large trees on either side.
This made it much easier.
This plan was made easier with Enzo\'s current abilities enhanced by the life sapling totemic power.
With the plan set, Enzo instructed Monta to continue managing the disposal of the Giant Mountain Turtle\'s remains. He then headed towards a specific path through the jungle, navigating through marshy mists, and successfully arrived at the Venom Tribe.
Rita greeted him once again upon arrival.
Her face lit up with a smile, devoid of the coldness from their first encounter. She brought Enzo some fresh wild fruits and said, "Lord Enzo, I will inform Priest Lucy."
A moment later, Priest Lucy arrived.
She asked first, "Enzo, are you here for those bamboo pieces?"
Clearly, Priest Lucy hadn\'t forgotten their agreement. She pointed to a chest and continued, "Inside this bamboo chest are pieces recorded in the language of the barren mountain and other tribe records. They are all yours."
Enzo nodded in acceptance, as this was the agreed-upon condition from the start.
Enzo continued, "I also need some assistance from the Venom Tribe. I plan to construct a floating bridge on the Crocodile Lake and relocate the tribe\'s camp to the opposite shore."
Lucy was slightly surprised.
Moving the tribe was no small matter.
However, considering the current location of the Crimson Star Tribe and the addition of three hundred new members, establishing a new camp could significantly enhance the newcomers\' sense of belonging.
Moreover, the opposite shore of the lake was indeed a promising location.
Especially since the threats in the lake had been eliminated, the abundant fish in the lake could become a new food source, which was crucial for the current Crimson Star Tribe.
What a wise decision!
Impressed by the plan, Lucy instructed Rita, "Rita, later you and Jessica will accompany Enzo back and bring along some tribe members to assist."
She then looked at Enzo and added, "You can freely use the bamboo from the bamboo forest of the Venom Tribe."
This was also part of the agreement.
After a few more words, Enzo picked up the bamboo chest and left.
Rita called Jessica and a few tribe members to follow Enzo.
As they passed through the bamboo forest, Enzo dug out a bundle of bamboo poles, which Venom Tribe members carried. Jessica walked beside Enzo with her head down, then suddenly looked up and couldn\'t help asking, "Enzo, my grandmother said you single-handedly wiped out the Chew Bone Tribe, like the deities in the legends. Is that true?"
Jessica\'s question made everyone look at Enzo at once.
The Venom Tribe is a highly closed-off community. If it weren\'t for Enzo\'s sudden intrusion, the Venom Tribe might have remained secluded, which also fueled their curiosity about the events unfolding in the jungle.
Especially Enzo himself.
After all, they had never heard Priest Lucy praise someone so highly before.
Enzo didn\'t know how to respond.
The fact was indeed true, but saying it might not make others believe it.
Enzo had no intention of hiding his strength. Concealing one\'s power was foolish in the jungle.
Great strength could bring a sense of security to the tribe.
Thinking about this, Enzo didn\'t directly admit it. Instead, he said to Jessica, "You can guess. Of course, you can ask others. Or, you can see for yourself."
Curiously, Jessica asked, "See for myself? How can I see?"
Enzo replied, "Soon."
Back at the lake shore, Enzo called Monta again. He instructed him to lead the tribe members in planting the bamboo poles dug from the bamboo forest along the lake shore, with each pole spaced at regular intervals.
Next, he ordered the gathering of all the tribe members from the camp.