Chapter 1196, Totem Warriors Are Not the Only Fighting Force

Translator: Silavin

 

The three days of eternal night passed quickly. A fair number of Ferocious Beasts had come to attack during that time, but they were swiftly dealt with.

 

This year, the Flame Dragon Tribe was even better equipped than last year. Against these maddened Ferocious Beasts, there was naturally nothing to fear.

 

The larger Ferocious Beasts could be handled by Warriors working together. The smaller ones, some, one Warrior was enough.

 

In short, there were no deaths. Injuries were to be expected, but with the Curing Shaman Bone Tablets and the hospital, they were not that serious.

 

Su Bai was very pleased with the results. Most importantly, not a single person had been lost.

 

Beyond that, this incident had been an excellent experience for the soldiers. From the time of their selection and training until now, when they had become a proper army, they had never truly gone through a real battle.

 

In other words, none of them had yet seen blood. A soldier who had not seen blood had no fighting spirit.

 

But as it happened, the Ferocious Beast attack had given every one of those soldiers the experience of cutting down a Ferocious Beast with their own hands. It could be counted as a true transformation.

 

“Shaman, you look so pleased. Are you pleased about the soldiers?” Sha Lan asked. When she had come to report, the Shaman’s delight had been plain to see.

 

Totem Warriors naturally needed no comment. Their chances of injury or death were very low, and beyond their own considerable strength, they were all brave and would charge forward without hesitation.

 

But soldiers were different. From beginning to end, they had been training on paper. So this time, the figures for injury and death among them had been worth watching closely. As it turned out, the numbers were reassuring. No deaths, and relatively few injuries.

 

“Of course. They can now be counted as a true fighting force. Even if they were sent to carry out a mission, I need not worry.” Su Bai nodded, gratified.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe’s military numbers had always been limited. Relying on Totem Warriors alone was not enough. There were times when soldiers could play a very important role. But that was hard to say before they had seen blood.

 

Now that they had this practical experience, there were far more missions these soldiers could carry out going forward. That was why Su Bai was pleased.

 

“Shaman, next spring, will we be recruiting more soldiers again?” Yan Hua asked, eating a small piece of dried fish.

 

Yan Hua was among the more cheerful ones. After all, she was the one training them.

 

Both groups of soldiers, one after the other, had been hand-picked by her, and trained together with Sha Lan.

 

It was a transformation from nothing into something. All of a sudden, she felt like a ‘Mother’ watching her children grow up.

 

“Naturally. Relying solely on awakened Totem Warriors may not be the most sound policy. Not everyone can become a Totem Warrior, and the proportion will always be limited. But becoming a soldier is different.” Su Bai nodded and continued, “Anyone with decent Stamina and loyalty to the Tribe who trains hard enough can become a soldier. In the future, that will be our main fighting force.”

 

He understood this very clearly. Totem Warriors were without a doubt vital, but not everyone could become one. Even maintaining the previous policy of eating well, drinking well, and sleeping well, the number of Totem Warriors who could be awakened remained limited.

 

Because if one simply did not have the talent for it, no amount of good food and great living conditions would bring about an awakening.

 

Moreover, if too many Totem Warriors were awakened at once, managing them would become no easy task.

 

As the Tribe gradually urbanised in the future, the advantages of Totem Warriors would become even more pronounced.

 

There was no guarantee that some Totem Warriors, knowing their own strength surpassed that of ordinary people, would not begin to change inwardly. These things were difficult to predict.

 

If the number of Totem Warriors grew too large too quickly, there might well be trouble with rebellion further down the line.

 

There were many things Su Bai needed to consider. For now, borrowing the strength of Totem Warriors to win was possible. But in the future, they might equally become a threat.

 

To put it simply, Totem Warriors were a double-edged blade. Su Bai had to plan carefully.

 

“Shaman, everything for the Totem Awakening Ceremony has been prepared. It can begin tomorrow.” Sha Lan said at once.

 

Once the eternal night drew to a close, she had followed instructions and begun making ready for the Totem Awakening Ceremony.

 

The Totem Awakening Ceremony was one of the most important ceremonies a Tribe held, as it determined how many Totem Warriors could be awakened.

 

For any Tribe, this was the bedrock of its strength. If many Warriors awakened, the whole Tribe grew stronger, and other Tribes would not dare to covet what it had.

 

“Good. Tomorrow we’ll see how many Totem Warriors can be awakened. It will also let us test whether my earlier theory holds up.” Su Bai said, satisfied.

 

The reason he had been so generous in ensuring everyone had enough to eat, and even occasionally something a little more lavish, was precisely to see whether the rate of awakening could be improved.

 

“Everyone seems more confident this year. It feels very different from previous years.” Yan Hua finished the last of her dried fish.

 

In the days she had been out training, she had caught pieces of conversation here and there.

 

The talk was invariably about the upcoming Totem Awakening Ceremony, with people guessing who among them would awaken and become a Warrior Trainee.

 

Among the Warrior Trainees themselves, the talk was invariably about whether they might successfully become Totem Warriors. A successful awakening, after all, meant a very different life.

 

“Confidence is a good thing. Perhaps confidence is even one of the factors that leads to awakening as a Warrior.” Su Bai smiled quietly.

 

…

 

Perhaps this was the Mandela Effect at work? Sometimes, the very thing one fears most would be the thing that found them. The very thing one fears losing would be the thing they lose first.

 

“I wonder what the awakening rate is among the surrounding Tribes. If it suddenly spikes, that may not be good news for our Tribe.” Sha Lan said, worried.

 

This was, after all, a world of the strong preying on the weak. Growing stronger oneself, it was natural to worry that others might grow stronger too.

 

“There is that possibility. But if you compare people against live weapons, do you think we would come off worse?”

 

Su Bai was fairly confident. He offered reassurance. “Just wait. This year, I will begin rolling out the trading network. Other Tribes will not dare to make a move against us.”

 

He had decided they could no longer wait for other Tribes to come to them. The Tribe needed to push its own goods outward.

 

And along the way, it could also give the surrounding Small Tribes a boost in development. After all, several of those Small Tribes had already placed themselves directly under the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

Su Bai naturally wanted to bring them along as well. Only when other Tribes also developed well would the Flame Dragon Tribe’s own development remain strong.

 

“Understood.” Sha Lan relaxed, just a little.

 

Meanwhile, Yan Hua understood none of this. She tore open another packet of dried fish and began eating.

 

*Much much…*

 

The sound of thoroughly contented chewing coming from her said everything about just how good the dried fish was.