I'm involved in poverty alleviation in a primitive tribe.

Cang Er shook his head: "I've heard from the elders in the tribe that the north is covered with thick ice and snow all year round, making it impossible to even keep warm or hunt. How can people survive there? Not many tribes are willing to stay there."

"I see. So, is this area considered central?"

Cang Er shook his head again: "No, if I had to say, then it would be the East. Even if I were to ride my True Bone Blackscale Sparrow, I wouldn't be able to reach the Fish Tribe's territory in a whole season. The Tao Tribe is even further away. I once went to the Tao Tribe's trading area with the Ma Tribe and saw that it takes more than a year to make a round trip."

The Bamboo Witch was shocked; she had no idea how big the world was.

Jiang Ning continued, "What about the smaller tribes around us? Do you know how many of them there are?"

“I don’t know. There are too many small tribes around here. Some are hidden underground, and others are hidden deep in caves. They are very difficult to find. Moreover, the small tribes we see today may be wiped out by ferocious beasts tomorrow, or they may lose a battle with other tribes and be captured and enslaved.”

Jiang Ning: "Slaves? Does your Black Scale Tribe have slaves?"

Cang Er was even more puzzled, his expression showing a hint of confusion: "Of course there are, which tribe doesn't have slaves?"

The bamboo witch silently answered in her heart, "None of us have any!"

Lianwu smiled and brushed it off vaguely: "We are weak and don't know many things. Could you please explain them to me in more detail?"

Seeing that the people of the Jiang tribe were all looking at him, Cang Er had no choice but to continue, "There are countless small tribes here, like stars in the sky. They often fight among themselves. If their shaman dies in battle, even the strongest warrior will gradually become an ordinary person without power."

“These people who have lost their tribes are called the Nomads. If other tribes are willing, they can capture them and take them back as slaves, or they can be incorporated into their own tribes and plant new totems for them.”

"That's true, but very few tribes choose the second option because these tribes are usually the enemies of these nomads. It is because these tribes destroyed the tribes of these nomads that they became nomads."

“They harbored deep hatred for each other, making it difficult for them to be of the same tribe as their enemies. Therefore, most of these defeated people were taken back by the victors, and the victors’ shamans would mark them with the mark of slavery, making them do odd jobs for the tribe.”

"Some of the unclaimed people were lucky enough to escape when their tribe was destroyed. If they were lucky, they could join a new tribe as members and survive as warriors again. If they were unlucky, they were eaten by ferocious beasts or captured by other tribes and remained slaves."

Jiang Ning remained silent. The competition here was so fierce. It turned out that although that place was a bit barren, it was still a place where one could live a peaceful life.

She looked at Cang Er and continued, "Where is that Ma tribe?"

Cang Er: "The Ma tribe is also very far away. It takes several dozen days to get there from here. There are no other tribes around here. If we hadn't taken the wrong path while trying to avoid a powerful and ferocious bird, we would never have met you."

Jiang Ning was temporarily relieved. The Jiang Department was still very weak. If she encountered a neighbor with malicious intentions, she would never be able to sleep at night again.

She smiled and said, "Thank you for telling us so much. What are you going to trade? I wonder if we can offer something that will satisfy you."

Just then, Pheasant arrived with a group of people carrying food, the steaming dishes emitting an enticing aroma. Suddenly, Cang Er and the others began to sneeze one after another.

"Achoo! Achoo! Anything! We can trade anything! Achoo!" The sneezing sounds came one after another, and an embarrassed smile appeared on Cang Er's face. He quickly covered his mouth and nose with his hands, trying to suppress the sudden impulse.

After finally recovering, Cang Er was able to continue speaking: "Jiang Wu, what's wrong?"

Could they have poisoned me?

Oh, witch!

I might not be able to go back!

The pheasant was served large bowls of boiled pork slices. It's harvest time now, and everyone is tired, so they like to eat strong-flavored food to perk them up.

When the Blackscale tribe arrived today, Zhi didn't think much of it and simply used the side dishes she had prepared to make these dishes.

But they forgot that they had never eaten this before and couldn't stand the taste.

Jiang Ning noticed Cang Er's concerns and took the lead in picking up a pair of chopsticks, picking up a piece of meat and putting it in her mouth: "Don't worry, this is a specialty of our tribe called boiled meat slices. You can try it, and if you don't like it, I'll have them serve roasted meat."

It's called sliced ​​meat, but it's more like chunks of meat. The tribesmen like to eat meat in big bites, so they're not that particular about it.

Seeing Jiang Ning swallow the piece of meat, and the two shamans beside him starting to eat as well, Cang Er could only gamble. He picked up the two wooden sticks placed in front of him and, imitating Jiang Ning, used them to pick up meat from the bowl. There was meat and vegetables inside, a bright red mess, which looked quite novel.

It's strange. He clearly saw that these two wooden sticks were very useful in the hands of the Jiang people, so why is it so difficult for him to get a piece of meat in his own hands?

Finally, he struggled to pick up a piece of meat with a stick and put it in his mouth. First, he felt numb, then a burning sensation. He immediately realized that he had been deceived by Jiang Ning and should not have trusted her so easily. She was a Xuanwu, and even if he was poisoned, she would definitely have a way to cure him.

Before I could even speak, I felt a numbing and hot sensation explode in my mouth, as if countless sparks were dancing on my tongue.

Cang Er's eyes widened in surprise; he had never tasted such a stimulating flavor before. His face showed astonishment mixed with a hint of delight. He couldn't resist taking another bite; the meat was cooked very tenderly, unlike the meat used for soup in his tribe, which was always too tough to chew.

The other members of the Black Scale Tribe also noticed the cocklebur's reaction and began to sample the ginger tribe's delicacy. Soon, they too were overwhelmed by the spicy and numbing flavor.

No one spoke anymore; everyone focused on eating. The wooden bowl on the table was changed twice more before Cang Er finally slumped into a chair, clutching his round belly.

Pheasant then led a group to serve water made from a mixture of sour fruit juice and honey, one cup for each person. It was sweet and sour, and very refreshing.

Even Jiang Ning rarely gets to drink such sour fruit juice. There's no shortage of sour fruit, though; one sour fruit can make a large basin of water. The key issue is that honey is hard to find.

Not only do humans enjoy eating honey, but wild animals do too. Much of the honey has already been eaten by ferocious beasts. If we want to supply our people with a large quantity of honey, we still need to raise our own bees.

Cang Er drank the glass of sour juice like a cow, and then eagerly waited for a refill, just like he had just had boiled pork slices.