Chapter 1193, Training Shamans

Translator: Silavin

 

Su Bai was at his desk working through documents when he noticed Yu Ying and Sha Lan playing.

 

Sha Lan’s tail had grown considerably stronger after taking the pill, and Yu Ying had taken it upon herself to test the limits of her newfound strength. She was holding up various objects for Sha Lan to chop through.

 

Sometimes it was berries. Other times it was a piece of fairly solid wood, with the stated purpose of splitting it into pieces suitable for burning.

 

He had to hand it to them. They had thoroughly turned Sha Lan into a workhorse. Or perhaps a working cat was the better word for it.

 

Su Bai allowed himself a quiet smile. It was quite amusing to watch the girls play around like this.

 

“Shaman, what did you send Shu Feng off to do?” Yan Hua asked, curiosity bright in her eyes.

 

Yan Hua had been in low spirits for several days now, ever since she had lost an arm-wrestling match against Sha Lan’s tail.

 

Yan Hua was the competitive type. Losing to a tail, of all things, had hit her harder than most setbacks would. Low spirits were to be expected.

 

Sha Lan, meanwhile, had been cheerful for days. It was almost certainly because of her tail’s new strength.

 

“I want him to produce some maps for me,” Su Bai said evenly. “They can be sold later.”

 

He had been giving Shu Feng his instructions while the girls were still outside training. By the time he had finished, Shu Feng was gone and the girls had returned.

 

“Maps?” Yan Hua said, brow furrowing. “Shaman, it’s snowing out there. Surely it’s impossible to see anything clearly. Would maps drawn in these conditions even be accurate?”

 

Maps were no small thing in the Primitive Era. Some Tribes would trade extraordinary quantities of goods for a single one.

 

In the depths of a dense primitive forest, it was all too easy to become lost. A map in that situation might well mean the difference between walking out alive and never walking out at all.

 

Without one, only exceptional luck or exceptional strength could save them. Most were not so fortunate.

 

“I have learned a new Shaman Technique,” Su Bai said, confidence easy in his voice. “Place mediums imbued with the Skill along the necessary routes, and a map of whatever area I want will automatically generate itself. There is absolutely no possibility of error.”

 

He was smiling as he said it. Even speaking about the Skill a second time, he felt the corners of his mouth lift. It really was an amazing thing.

 

He had been intending to spend time developing talented cartographers for the future. Now, that was no longer necessary.

 

“The Shaman is learning new Shaman Techniques faster and faster,” Sha Lan said, genuinely astonished. “And every single one is so useful.”

 

It completely overturned everything she had previously understood about the subject. Learning a new Shaman Technique was supposed to take years. And that was for those with exceptional talent. For those without it, two or three techniques over an entire lifetime might be all they ever managed.

 

“Perhaps you could all try to learn a technique or two yourselves,” Su Bai said encouragingly. “Who knows, there might be something useful you could pick up.”

 

He had been thinking about this for a while now. Specifically, whether it was possible to teach the girls to use Shaman Techniques.

 

If Sha Lan could learn even one, it would relieve a great deal of pressure from him and greatly benefit the Tribe.

 

“We could never learn,” Sha Lan said, shaking her head immediately. “We don’t have even half the talent the Shaman does. It would be very difficult for us.”

 

Sha Lan had no illusions about her own abilities. Even those who had been selected as successors to a Shaman’s Inheritance sometimes failed to master Shaman Techniques. She did not even have the qualifications of a successor. Talking about learning or not learning seemed almost beside the point.

 

“Maybe you actually can.” Su Bai said. “Let me think about it a little longer. There is a chance you will all be able to manage it one day.”

 

He would keep an eye on what the System produced. That possibility had never left the back of his mind, and every day when he Checked In, he was quietly hoping something useful might appear.

 

He was not set on teaching them the most powerful techniques. Even something like Curing would already be something.

 

“Shaman,” Yan Hua said, “is there a very powerful Shaman Technique that I could learn?”

 

Yan Hua’s first thought, naturally, was of something that would make her stronger. Strength had always been what she pursued.

 

“There is.” Su Bai said. “Iron Arm, for example. My arm becomes as strong as iron.” He retracted the Iron Arm Skill he had briefly demonstrated and continued. “I just need to find the right way to help you all learn it. Think of it as a form of insurance.”

 

In the Primitive Era, command of Shaman Techniques was the greatest power one could hold. It also earned deep respect from others.

 

Su Bai’s longer-term plans involved managing other Tribes as the Flame Dragon Tribe expanded. But not every Tribe had a ready supply of successors to a Shaman’s Inheritance. Even those with talent were not all equally loyal.

 

What he wanted was to personally select a group of people, train them himself, and teach them Shaman Techniques with his own hands.

 

When the Tribes eventually became cities, those people could take up government positions.

 

The residents of each city would be more inclined to accept their authority. In this world, Shaman Techniques commanded the highest regard. Even a manager personally appointed by a Shaman would struggle to hold a community together without them and would struggle even more to earn the trust of others.

 

“If there is a way, I want to learn.” Yan Hua said, her voice earnest. “I want to become stronger. That is the only way I can protect the Shaman and protect the Tribe.”

 

“If there are interesting techniques, I would like to learn too,” Sha Lan said, swishing her cat tail. “Something like controlling water or breathing fire… that sort of technique sounds wonderful.”

 

She did not crave power the way Yan Hua did. But she was deeply curious about techniques that did unusual and entertaining things.

 

The Flame Manipulation Skill Su Bai had learned recently had made a particular impression on Sha Lan. Watching him coax a tiny spark into a roaring bonfire, then shape the flames into a dragon, then a fire bird, then whatever else he chose… that memory had stayed with her.

 

“As for me,” Yu Ying said, “being able to use a Shaman Technique that heals others would be more than enough. I do not ask for much beyond that.”

 

She simply wanted to minimise her own injuries. If she could do that, she could keep looking after the Shaman without interruption.

 

That was why a Curing Skill was what Yu Ying wanted.

 

“You will all have what you are after,” Su Bai said, laughing easily. “The moment I work out a method, you will be the first to learn.”

 

Every Skill the girls had mentioned, he already possessed: Curing, Flame Manipulation, Iron Arm. Not one was missing from his collection.

 

The only problem was that he had not yet found a way to pass them on. A long road still lay ahead.

 

“We believe in the Shaman,” the girls said together, without any need to coordinate.

 

“Wait for it,” Su Bai said, and felt his resolve sharpen.