Chapter 805, Rubber

Translator: Silavin

 

Yan Jiao strode towards the Yong’an Building with his wide gait, carrying an Animal Hide Bag in one hand.

 

After receiving permission, he entered the living room and reported, “Shaman, there’s something unusual.”

 

“Something unusual?” Su Bai’s thick black eyebrows rose.

 

“It’s this. None of us can figure out what it is. Shaman, do you know what this might be?” Yan Jiao handed over the Animal Hide Bag.

 

When he had first seen what was inside the Animal Hide Bag, he had been somewhat perplexed. After studying it for quite some time without reaching any conclusion, the thought of showing it to the Shaman came to mind.

 

He reckoned that the Shaman had seen more things and had many thoughts in his mind, so he would surely know what these things were.

 

“Where did this come from?” Su Bai slowly opened the Animal Hide Bag and peered inside at its contents.

 

“Xi Guo had the Warriors bring it back. They said they discovered it while constructing the road. I heard it came from a tree,” Yan Jiao explained.

 

“If it came from a tree, then apart from tree resin there wouldn’t be anything else,” Su Bai speculated.

 

Looking at the mass of dark black liquid, he found it somewhat difficult to identify. Back on Earth, these things were generally asphalt or some kind of black resin.

 

Naturally, this was because he had initially heard that these things flowed from trees, which created this preconceived notion. However, after studying it carefully for quite a while, he discovered that this didn’t seem to be simply tree resin.

 

The smell was particularly familiar to him. I gave him an indescribable sense of deja vu, yet he could not identify what it was.

 

“Shaman, you’d better not get too close. This thing might be poisonous,” Yan Jiao said with concern.

 

When he had received this item for examination, he did not dare get too close either, fearing the gases it emitted might be poisonous.

 

Moreover, he hadn’t dared touch the liquid directly with his hands, instead using several small wooden sticks to prod it.

 

“This thing isn’t poisonous, it’s just… It somewhat seems familiar.” Su Bai said with a frown.

 

“How does the Shaman know this thing isn’t poisonous? Could it be that the Shaman recognises it?” Yan Jiao asked curiously.

 

“If this thing were poisonous, I’m afraid this Animal Hide Bag would have been poisoned long ago.”

 

Su Bai weighed the bag and continued, “Furthermore, quite a few people have handled this mass of liquid. If there were really a problem, those people would have already suffered ill effects.”

 

Furthermore, he found the smell of this thing too familiar, as though he had encountered it somewhere on Earth.

 

“Shaman, what is this thing? If it’s useless, I’ll have them clear all of it away,” Yan Jiao said with confusion.

 

Looking at these things made him feel extremely uneasy, as though they brought no benefit whatsoever. He wanted the Warrior Trainees to quickly dispose of these things, lest the dark black liquid that flowed out contaminate the road they had just laid.

 

“No, these things might actually be useful.” Su Bai raised his hand.

 

He truly found these things familiar, but didn’t dare draw hasty conclusions and wanted to study them further.

 

“Shaman, could this thing actually be useful?” Yan Jiao looked at the mass of dark black substance with some distaste.

 

Su Bai observed the viscous liquid for quite a while. The longer he looked, the more his brow relaxed, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

 

He looked up cheerfully and exclaimed with delight, “Isn’t this rubber? This is a true treasure!”

 

[No wonder I felt this thing is so familiar. No wonder I have that indescribable feeling. So this is rubber! Then, this is a bigger find that I could have ever imagined!]

 

“Rubber? Shaman, what is rubber?” Yan Jiao asked curiously.

 

This was the first time he had heard this unfamiliar word. Seeing the Shaman’s excited expression left him quite puzzled.

 

It seemed as though this mass of black substance was truly useful, yet he couldn’t see where its utility lay.

 

Was this mass of black edible? Or perhaps it could heal injuries? In any case, Yan Jiao didn’t understand.

 

“This thing is called rubber, and it can be extremely useful, especially for the Tribe’s development. This thing can truly help us.” Su Bai’s lips curved into an attractive arc.

 

The things that could be made from rubber were numerous: rubber shoes, rubber tyres, rubber shock absorbers, and so on.

 

This could contribute enormously to the Tribe’s development. Su Bai had long wanted to obtain this material. He had considered having people search the forest for rubber trees or rubber grass after some time, but unexpectedly it had now delivered itself to his doorstep.

 

“Shaman, can this thing really help with the Tribe’s development?” Yan Jiao found it somewhat difficult to believe.

 

This substance looked pitch black. Connecting it with the Tribe’s development was truly hard to imagine.

 

“Of course. You’ll understand in time. Is this thing common in the forest?” Su Bai asked.

 

He had just carefully examined the black rubber in the Animal Hide Bag and discovered that the concentration of this rubber was exceptionally pure.

 

Rubber on Earth came in two varieties: one was natural rubber, the other synthetic rubber.

 

Synthetic rubber was naturally rubber manufactured artificially, while natural rubber was extracted from rubber trees and then processed.

 

“I don’t know about that. They haven’t mentioned it,” Yan Jiao shook his head.

 

“Have them check whether this thing is common in the forest. If it is, have them bring back more,” Su Bai instructed.

 

His mind was already beginning to consider how to prepare rubber boots. As long as there were sufficient raw materials…

 

This thing had arrived at just the right time. If it could be made quickly enough, it would prove tremendously useful during the rainy season.

 

“Yes.” Yan Jiao turned and departed.

 

*Step step step…*

 

An hour later, Xi Guo received the order and hurried back to the Flame Dragon Tribe, making his way to the Yong’an Building to report.

 

He stood very straight, his expression quite excited. He hadn’t expected this thing to actually be useful.

 

He thought to himself that reporting to the Shaman had indeed been correct. Truly, the Shaman’s knowledge surpassed others by an immeasurable degree.

 

“Shaman, the… rubber… trees you mentioned are everywhere near the forest,” Xi Guo reported promptly.

 

“We have a lot? That’s great news.” Su Bai suppressed his excitement.

 

Knowing the quantity was abundant was good. This way, he need not worry about insufficient raw materials.

 

“Shaman, the Warriors have already begun collecting this… rubber that flows from the trees.” Xi Guo remained unfamiliar with this term.

 

“En, bring back a batch for now. Don’t bring too much at once,” Su Bai instructed.

 

He wanted to first bring back a batch for experimentation, to see whether the experiment would succeed. If it succeeds, bringing back more later wouldn’t be urgent.

 

In any case, currently only he knows the purpose of this thing. Others had no idea what it could be used for.

 

“Understood,” Xi Guo acknowledged.