Chapter 1025, A Chieftain Transformed Beyond Recognition

Translator: Silavin

 

Su Bai performed his customary Daily Check In today, receiving a Low Grade Assistance, a serving of salt-baked quail eggs.

 

He could not help but feel resigned at pulling something like this, though at the very start he would surely have been overjoyed.

 

He might even have considered it a fine reward, a small spark of pleasure amid the monotony of plain, unremarkable food.

 

But now, the sight of it only brought a mild sense of exasperation. It felt rather like squandering the one Daily Check In he was entitled to.

 

Salt-baked quail eggs could already be prepared within the Tribe anyway. Salt was no longer in short supply whatsoever. What was more, wild bird eggs of every description were plentiful, easily found throughout the forest, and a salt-baked preparation easily within their capabilities.

 

Just as Su Bai was mulling over his mild dissatisfaction, Yan Jiao arrived at the Yong’an Building in a state of visible excitement. He barely spared a thought for the rain soaking his shoulders as he urgently said, “Shaman, Qing Yan and the others have returned.”

 

And indeed, the source of his excitement was the return of his comrades who had set out some time before.

 

Moreover, every single person who had departed had now come back, and that was precisely what made the news so exhilarating.

 

“Great. Are they all safe?” Su Bai asked. The gloom that the System’s reward had stirred in him dissolved in an instant.

 

“Every one of them is unharmed. Ten Warriors went out, and ten Warriors have returned,” Yan Jiao said at once.

 

“As long as they’re safe. Coming back in one piece is the best news of all. Have they brought back the ores?” Su Bai asked.

 

After all, they had been dispatched on a mission, and with their safety confirmed, the matter of the ores naturally had to be addressed.

 

“That’s not yet known. Ai’er spotted them from the sky during her patrol, and they haven’t arrived at the Tribe yet, so we’re not clear on the details.” Yan Jiao shook his head. He understood that the butterfly girl would not have asked about the ores, and that the Warriors needed to reach the Tribe safely first before anything else could be discussed.

 

“There’s no hurry. Once they arrive, let them rest properly first. When they’ve had enough rest, they can come and find me,” Su Bai said with composure.

 

“Yes. I’ll go now and have the bathing water prepared. After a day out in the rain, they’ll be thoroughly uncomfortable.” Yan Jiao’s happiness was almost childlike.

 

He bore none of the graveness that had once been so characteristic of him. In its place was something youthful and unguarded.

 

That youthfulness showed itself precisely in moments like this one, fretting over the welfare of his Warriors. It was, of course, exactly what a Chieftain ought to do, but the spirit with which he did it was something altogether different now.

 

The change in Yan Jiao had been plain for everyone in the Tribe to see, and the general feeling was that it was a welcome one.

 

The reason needed no explanation. People felt they could approach him now, free of the forbidding air he had once carried.

 

*Step step step…*

 

A little over an hour after Yan Jiao left, Qing Yan arrived at the Yong’an Building in a state of barely contained excitement.

 

He had not permitted himself any real rest. The moment he reached the Tribe, he changed out of his rain-soaked clothing in haste and made his way straight to the Yong’an Building without a moment of delay.

 

Qing Yan wiped the sweat from his brow with great animation, upending the Animal Hide Bag he carried and depositing every last piece of ore he had brought with him onto the surface before him.

 

In the blink of an eye, the table was covered in stones of every colour, large and small, shaped in every manner imaginable.

 

“Shaman, these are the ores we found matching the sample you gave us.”

 

Qing Yan’s voice was charged with excitement. “It took a long time, but we completed the mission in the end.”

 

His gaze never strayed from Su Bai as he spoke, his face alight with a broad, unwavering smile.

 

“You’ve worked hard. Why didn’t you rest before coming?” As soon as Su Bai finished the question, he sensed something different about the man before him.

 

He regarded Qing Yan with his finely crafted dark eyes, a bold suspicion already forming in his mind.

 

“Have you broken through?” Su Bai asked in a tone that was very nearly certain.

 

“Yes, Shaman. I’ve broken through to become a Mid-Stage Totem Warrior. I don’t feel tired in the slightest. I have no need of rest at all.” Qing Yan gave himself a firm, energetic thump on the chest to show that his condition was excellent.

 

“Congratulations. Did something happen while you were searching for the ores?” Su Bai asked.

 

Yan Jiao stood quietly to one side throughout, though his face bore a constant smile.

 

There was a straightforward reason for that. He had already known the moment Qing Yan entered the Tribe, and had made a point of asking directly what had caused the breakthrough.

 

Beyond that, the more Mid-Stage Totem Warriors the Tribe had the better. It was confirmation of the Tribe’s growing strength, and it meant he could protect his people all the more effectively.

 

“We encountered a… and then I… and in the end…” Qing Yan gave a detailed account of everything that had happened.

 

He felt the matter was of real importance, and that it might prove useful to the other Warriors of the Tribe. The more thoroughly he could explain it, the better.

 

“I understand. Congratulations once again on breaking through to become a Mid-Stage Totem Warrior. I’m truly happy for you.” Su Bai gave a warm, open laugh and asked, “Incidentally, is the location where you found the ores far from our Tribe?”

 

“Thank you, Shaman. The place where we found the ores is indeed somewhat far from the Tribe.” Qing Yan’s eyes crinkled into narrow lines from smiling. “During the rainy season it does cost a fair bit of time to travel there, but under normal conditions it should take roughly seven or eight days to reach. With a hot air balloon, the journey would be considerably shorter.”

 

He had already worked out the figures. Although the outward journey had taken a great deal of time, the bulk of it had been spent searching.

 

Part of that time had also been lost to the rainy season. Travelling in the rain was no easy undertaking, and it had had a marked effect on their overall journey.

 

“Calculating that way, the distance is manageable. Not truly far.” Su Bai said, clearly satisfied.

 

“Is there a good quantity of ore at the site? If it’s only a modest amount, it won’t be of much use to us.” He needed to establish the details clearly. A location that could only yield a small batch of ore would not be of great benefit to the Tribe.

 

What Su Bai required was a large ore mountain, or a wide mineral vein of some kind.

 

“The amount of ores there is extraordinary. Truly staggering. We couldn’t carry much back, which is why we brought these samples for you to examine.”

 

Qing Yan expressed considerable regret. Had they not been pressing to make time on the return journey and remain vigilant against the Ferocious Beasts in the forest, they would certainly have brought back far more.

 

“No need to belittle yourself. You’ve done exceptionally well and were of great service to the Tribe.” Su Bai said reassuringly.

 

And indeed that was the reality of it. The Flame Dragon Tribe’s present circumstances demanded ores urgently, every kind and variety of it.

 

Although infrastructure such as housing and roads presented no difficulties, other areas of development needed to advance in step.

 

“Thank you, Shaman,” Qing Yan said again, moved with gratitude.