Chapter 1053, Let Them Come

Translator: Silavin

 

Bright sunshine filled the air, and Su Bai stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, basking in the light that poured through.

 

After such a prolonged stretch of rain, looking out from the window now, one could see nearly every household bringing their belongings outside to air them in the Sun.

 

It was not that these things had been soaked through during the rainy season. By now most people were living in cement houses, which offered excellent waterproofing; nothing stored indoors would be made wet by the rain.

 

Even so, there was always that lingering sense of dampness, the feeling that everything you touched was never quite dry, along with the faint smell of mildew that clung to the air. Setting everything out under the Sun was simply the best remedy.

 

“Shaman, what are you looking at?” Yu Ying came over, her pink fox tail swishing behind her.

 

Everything in the Yong’an Building had long since been aired out and dealt with. That sort of task no longer fell to Yu Ying; the attending maids under her care handled it diligently without needing to be told.

 

Yu Ying now oversaw a considerable number of young maids, all of them learning within the Yong’an Building.

 

“Nothing in particular. I only wanted to let my mind go quiet for a moment.” Su Bai said, then stretched his arms out in a long, easy yawn.

 

Looking out at the Flame Dragon Tribe now filled him with a quiet satisfaction. Compared to when he had first arrived at this Tribe, the difference was like night and day.

 

“Shaman, I wonder whether Ah’Hua and the others will be able to complete their mission.” Yu Ying could not entirely suppress her worry.

 

“Do not worry about them. I’ve given them more than enough Shaman Bone Tablets, and I have reminded them repeatedly that personal safety comes first, the mission second.” Su Bai took Yu Ying’s hand gently and said with warmth, “So there is no need to worry. How have things been in the Tribe lately?”

 

“All going well. Uncle Hu Shi has already set off with the trading team. Uncle Cang Shi is overseeing the soldiers’ training, and with Ah’Hua’s departure, the soldier selection has also been handed over to him.” Yu Ying counted on her fingers and continued, “Auntie Sha Hong has also been assigning tasks to the Totem Warriors recently. The young ones are putting real effort into their studies. The farmlands are in the middle of large-scale planting…”

 

Yu Ying’s memory was not quite as sharp as Sha Lan’s, and so her report took a long while.

 

In truth, she need not have kept track of any of this at all, as none of it fell within her direct responsibilities. Yu Ying’s daily duties were the affairs of the Yong’an Building, and the rest was simply incidental oversight.

 

“Let it continue developing steadily at this pace. In another two years our Tribe will have grown into something truly formidable.” Su Bai said with quiet composure.

 

He remained genuinely content with the current pace of growth. It could have been pushed faster, but he had always preferred to build things soundly.

 

Su Bai had no interest in rushing for the sake of rushing. Move too quickly and problems would pile up further down the road. If the foundation was not solid enough at the start, even a minor disturbance could bring the whole structure down. It was the same principle as building a house: the groundwork had to be laid properly, or nothing built upon it would hold.

 

“Shaman, there is something I have been worrying about. I am not sure whether I ought to say it.” Yu Ying’s brow was creased with concern.

 

“What is it?” Su Bai asked.

 

“I am rather worried about the Dark Scorpion Tribe.” Yu Ying said, and her pink fox ears drooped as she spoke.

 

Yu Ying had never stopped thinking about it. They had made an enemy of the most powerful and hostile Tribe on this continent.

 

“There is no need to worry about them. Our Tribe has been preparing all along, so we do not need to excessively worry over them.” Su Bai reached over and ruffled Yu Ying’s hair, then continued, “Whatever comes, we will meet it. Our Tribe will see it through and survive.”

 

“Really? Has our Tribe prepared any specific countermeasures against them?” Yu Ying asked with curiosity.

 

“Do you remember our Tribe’s flintlock rifles? They are being manufactured in large quantities as we speak. Now that we have iron ore, mass production is no longer a problem.” Su Bai folded his arms across his chest and continued, “And you already know about gunpowder. We have produced no small number of explosive packages by now. That is one of our Tribe’s trump cards.”

 

“Really? If we truly have a large quantity of those weapons, then we really do have more legs to stand on.” Yu Ying nodded with a thoughtful expression.

 

Yu Ying remembered vividly the demonstrations of both weapons. The destructive power had been genuinely extraordinary; even a Totem Warrior could not withstand them.

 

And so, the gap in Totem Warrior numbers between the Flame Dragon Tribe and the Dark Scorpion Tribe would no longer be the deciding factor.

 

“And we have the recurve bows as well, no? Even if their Totem Warriors are formidable in their own right, the recurve bow amplifies that manifold, and it will serve us well in wearing our enemies down.”

 

A sharp edge flashed briefly in Su Bai’s dark eyes. “And under a combined assault from the explosive packages and the flintlock rifles, I do not believe many of their Totem Warriors will be left standing.”

 

“Even those who survive will pose little real threat to us, since they will certainly be wounded by then. At that point, our recurve bows will be able to finish the job.” Yu Ying added quickly.

 

Yu Ying’s tone had grown noticeably calmer, the heavy anxiety lifting from her expression.

 

“Precisely. So, are you still worried? The Flame Dragon Tribe is ready and waiting. Let them come.” Su Bai said with measured composure.

 

He was, in truth, not anxious in the slightest. If anything, there was the faintest trace of anticipation in him.

 

The reason was simple enough: only by crushing that hostile Tribe could the Flame Dragon Tribe develop in genuine peace and security.

 

At the same time, the Flame Dragon Tribe’s reputation would spread far and wide, drawing other Tribes to seek them out in ever greater numbers, which in turn would only accelerate their growth.

 

And the question of manpower that concerned Su Bai most deeply would also be resolved. The transition from a mid-sized Tribe to a large one would require no effort at all.

 

“I am not worried now. The Shaman has indeed planned for them.” Yu Ying clasped her hands behind her back, her small feet tapping lightly in place with an endearing restlessness. “I only wonder when their people will actually arrive.”

 

“Quite soon. They may actually already be on their way.” Su Bai’s brow creased slightly.

 

He knew that a Large Tribe’s intelligence-gathering capabilities would always outpace those of smaller ones, and a Tribe of that size would certainly keep sending people to probe and test them without pause.

 

Though Ga’s performance had deceived those two individuals the last time around, that could only buy so much time.

 

If the next ones to come were different people, anyone with a modicum of sharpness would notice that something was off.

 

Getting exposed was only a matter of time. And war between the two Tribes was equally only a matter of time.

 

But Su Bai had long since made his preparations. Every Tribe in the vicinity that had ties to the Dark Scorpion Tribe had already been cleared away.

 

That way the Flame Dragon Tribe would not be drawn into a war of attrition when the moment came, and every last bit of their fighting strength could be directed squarely at the Dark Scorpion Tribe.

 

“We should strengthen the Patrol Department.” Yu Ying bit lightly at her lower lip.

 

“True. We are now just waiting for them to arrive.” The corner of Su Bai’s mouth curved upward quietly.