Chapter 1163, The Spirit of a Stonemason

Translator: Silavin

 

*Step step step…*

 

The Giant Shell Land Tortoise carried Su Bai and the others back to the Tribe, a pack of Fury Wolves trailing along behind.

 

It was quite a procession. Ferocious Beasts along the way gave ground without hesitation.

 

It had taken Su Bai and the others five days to return to the Flame Dragon Tribe. The Giant Shell Land Tortoise settled into the forest outside the Tribe’s perimeter.

 

Its body was simply too large. The forest was the only place for it. Fortunately, whether standing or lying down, it did not clear the height of the trees, so the Tribe’s people could not see it.

 

The Rage Wolf pack was the same. They could only remain in the forest. After all, only the Rage Wolf King had been Tamed.

 

“Shaman, does that mean we should tell the Tribe’s people to stay out of the forest for now?” Sha Lan asked.

 

Sha Lan was worried about the Fury Wolves. Only the Wolf King had been Tamed. The rest were still a genuine threat.

 

“Keep everyone out for the next two days. The farmland can wait a day or two. There are still a few days before the snow season arrives. There will be time to harvest the crops then.”

 

Su Bai walked toward the Yong’an Building and called back over his shoulder. “Oh, and have the Chieftain ride the Wolf King and lead the more experienced Totem Warriors out to make their choices. Those with real Seniority can each claim one Rage Wolf.”

 

The reason he had Tamed this pack in the first place was for the Totem Warriors he had in mind. He had been thinking for some time that each Totem Warrior should be paired with a Ferocious Beast. It would double their effectiveness.

 

There had been no opportunity before. This time, one had presented itself. So he was putting it to use.

 

“Understood.” Sha Lan gave a small nod.

 

“The Shaman is back? Everything went well?” Yan Jiao came hurrying out of the Yong’an Building.

 

He had spotted the commotion in the forest from a distance, and someone had reported that the Shaman was back. He had been in the middle of handling a few things at the time, so he had been held up a moment.

 

“Good timing that you came out. Keep the Tribe’s people away from the forest for now, Totem Warriors should stay…” Su Bai gave a brief summary of the situation, then continued. “Lead the suitable Totem Warriors out to bond with the Fury Wolves. See who gets along with whom.”

 

He believed a Ferocious Beast should not simply be assigned. There had to be some natural affinity involved. It came down to whether the beast actually took a liking to that person.

 

Ferocious Beasts were not as intelligent as people, but they felt things well enough. If a beast liked them, it would protect them all the more. If it did not, it might even turn on them at a critical moment.

 

That said, all of that only applied before Taming. Su Bai’s Skill granted a hundred percent loyalty once Taming was complete.

 

“The Warriors have all been saying they want a Ferocious Beast lately. And now the Shaman has brought some back.” Yan Jiao laughed.

 

He knew better than most how important it was for a Totem Warrior to have their own Ferocious Beast companion. Whether hunting or fighting, the difference was enormous.

 

For hunting, a Ferocious Beast could track and flush out prey. It could assist in the attack without any trouble. As for fighting, there was even less need to say. Both in defence and in offence, having one was a tremendous advantage.

 

“Also, have the carpenter and the stonemason come and find me.” Su Bai said, and headed into the Yong’an Building.

 

“Yes.” Yan Jiao was not entirely sure why, but he sent for them all the same.

 

*Step step step…*

 

Half an hour later, Gu Mu and Shan Qiu had finished up what they were doing and made their way to the Yong’an Building.

 

“Shaman, what did you need from us?” Gu Mu was the first to speak.

 

He looked remarkably vigorous these days. Since there had been so many new inventions for him to work on, his body had visibly grown more robust and full of energy.

 

More than that, his whole bearing had grown younger. His body had followed. He no longer looked like a man of advanced years.

 

Gu Mu worked late every day. Mainly because he had come to love the work deeply. It felt like a gift from Heaven.

 

“I have Tamed a Giant Shell Land Tortoise. I do not know if you have heard of the creature, but it can serve the Tribe as a cargo beast. But, its back needs to be modified first.” Su Bai came straight to the point.

 

“A Giant Shell Land Tortoise? I have heard of it. My Father mentioned it to me once. But the back of that creature is said to be extremely hard and uneven. I believe it would be difficult.” Shan Qiu said, with a trace of regret.

 

His Father had also been a well-known stonemason. He had spoken of the Giant Shell Land Tortoise on more than one occasion.

 

“I already tried it. It did not take much force at all to break through the shell. It looks difficult from the outside, but in practice it is not so tough. ” Su Bai straightened in his seat and continued. “So your skill is more than enough to work with it. I want you to carve out all the segments of its back and turn them into storage compartments.”

 

The back of the Giant Shell Land Tortoise was arranged much like an ordinary tortoise, divided into sections. But each section had raised protrusions on top, rather like small mountain peaks.

 

That was why most people assumed the Giant Shell Land Tortoise’s back would be nearly impossible to carve into. It simply looked that hard.

 

Su Bai had thought the same at first. But a single attempt had proved otherwise. And more to the point, the interior was hollow.

 

“My father spoke of the Giant Shell Land Tortoise all his life. He always said its back must be made of something remarkable. But he never had the chance to try it himself…” Shan Qiu’s voice grew tight. His eyes reddened, and his expression turned serious. “Shaman, you can count on me. I will carve that back properly. I will make it the finest cargo beast there is.”

 

That was the nature of a stonemason sometimes. Something new and untouched lit a fire in them. The blood of a carver stirred.

 

Shan Qiu’s Father had been exactly the same. The back of a Giant Shell Land Tortoise, covered in those raised peaks and ridges, was precisely the sort of thing that made a stonemason itch to get to work.

 

His father had simply never been lucky enough to encounter one. It happened that Shan Qiu now had the chance to fulfill what his father had never managed.

 

“You can work through it gradually, adjusting your force as you go. Once you break through the outer peak, the inside is hollow. So be careful not to hurt it.” Su Bai reminded him.

 

He was worried someone might strike too hard and cause the Ferocious Beast pain. The consequences of that would be serious. A Ferocious Beast in frenzy was very difficult to control.

 

“Shaman, you can trust me completely. I will stake my name as a stonemason on this.” Shan Qiu said with great earnestness.

 

He was already desperate to begin. He was also desperate to see the legendary Giant Shell Land Tortoise with his own eyes.

 

There was a good reason for that. These creatures were few in number. One could not simply decide to encounter one, nor simply decide to catch one.

 

Beyond their formidable defences, their speed was also considerable. Most Tribes had no intention of hunting them.

 

“Shaman, what would my role be?” Gu Mu asked from the heart, genuinely glad for Shan Qiu.

 

The two of them were different craftsmen, one stone and one wood, but that deep feeling for the craft was the same between them.