Chapter 291
C291 - Sand Slaves
Posted on October 20, 2018 by AzureOrchid92
This bread and what Shao Xuan and the others usually eat were different. It was more solid, strong enough to be used as a discus to shoot someone dead.
Shao Xuan took a piece from the bread and felt its strength. If one did not have the strength of a totem warrior, it was very difficult to pinch a piece from this thick dough.
He broke down a small piece and put it in his mouth to chew. Shao Xuan felt that this kind of bread should have a warning outside, "If your teeth is not good, do not eat."
"Hard. But it'll do if you're hungry." Shao Xuan gave an evaluation.
"This is a must for the travellers on our side. Unlike what you've exchanged from others, these are made for our own use, and generally not traded out. The food in 'death' was few, so with these, at least you can temporarily cope with it."
After saying that, Yang Sui handed the black stone wrapped in a leaf to Shao Xuan. "You can use this as well."
"What is this?" Shao Xuan felt the moist coolness of the black stone, guessing, "A rain stone?"
"It is indeed a rain stone, but it is not an ordinary rain stone. You could find a thousand pieces of rain stone for a small piece of this kind. We call it 'spirit rain stone', given by the spirit, and it can let the people of the tribe go through the driest season."
Shao Xuan touched the surface of the little black stone, and for a moment, the part of the stone that had touched leaf had a moist mist. But those parts not touching the leaves, even if it had a layer of mist, it has evaporated.
It must be said that this was indeed a water-producing artifact in the arid zone.
"Thank you." Shao Xuan did not refuse the kindness of Yang Sui, and the small piece of rain stone with the leaf were wrapped again as he put it inside a clean animal skin bag.
"Don't thank me. If it weren't for you, I'd be burnt to death." Yang Sui said him, "If you meet a slave owner in 'death', do not easily fight them. Try to avoid it."
"How much do you know about the slave owner?" Shao Xuan asked. The Rain tribe, who has been living here, should know more about the slaves and slave owners.
"The slave owner?" Yang Sui's eyes had a trace of dread, "Slave owners has a group of people without fire."
In the eyes of the tribes, since there was no fire seed, it meant that a tribe cannot be formed. If they could not form a tribe, naturally, their strength were weak like the wanderers. But slave owners were different. They have no fire seed, but they have great power, and they could even create more slaves with great powers.
"Where does their power come from?" Shao Xuan was puzzled about it.
"I don't know." Yang Sui shook his head, "Perhaps, that is why the people in the central region passed by here again and again. In the records of the Rain tribe ancestors, the slave owners had an ability that was feared by the people of the central region. Thousands of years ago, they appeared and there was a storm, and many tribes perished. After that, they all went to 'death'. This made many people puzzled, so some tried to find answers as they ventured to 'death'. But, it's always been that more go in, but few people came out. Some became slaves, some were dead. And the people in the central region still often go in and out of there... If you see something shocking, come back and tell me about it." Yang Sui laughed.
"Ok."
After talking with Shao Xuan, Yang Sui left together with Mi Fu.
Someone from the Rain tribe came to find Yang Sui, since the Shaman still have a lot of things to deal with. Yang Sui just let them wait, as they all gathered in a place not far away, obediently waiting. Seeing the Rain tribe waiting for Yang Sui with reverence, he knew that at least in the coming years, Yang Sui's status would be stable.
Shao Xuan, with that bread and that piece of spirit rain stone, looked at the camel on his side resembling the face of a beast. Mi King said it was called "Mud".
In the Rain tribe, "mud" was not a bad word, just like "slime", which was a lucky word. What was mud? Soil and water. For the water-scarce Rain tribe, it would be nice if the land was the same as mud, not the cracked lump they have.
"Come on, Mud." Shao Xuan took the rope, and led the camel back to their resting hut, then tied to the door of the house.
Lei and Tuo thought Shao Xuan was coming over with a spare food, as they looked at the camel with light in their eyes.
"Hey, our travel will slow down carrying that kind of thing, so it's still better to eat it now," said one of the Tian Shan tribes.
The response was a long "puff" by the trembling lips of the camel.
Huang Ye and the others were not unfamiliar with camels. They did not express any other opinions on Shao Xuan with this camel. They only have to let Shao Xuan pay attention to it, and not let it fall behind.
The next day, the team left the Rain tribe, headed for the desert.
As Shao Xuan expected, the more they went there, the more serious the desertification. At first, there were some trees and grass, but slowly, only sand was left.
A scorching sun was overhead, while the sand on the ground was hot.
After a quick walk, Huang Ye told them that before tonight, they have to get to a resting place, where it will be safe.
With their travel up to now, no one has been left behind. Only those who could follow over were selected. If you were not up to the requirements, you would not be dragged. Even if these people really couldn't keep up, the seniors would let them go back, and the team would not delay the process because of the few who left.
Shao Xuan looked at the camel "Mud", carrying several animal skin bags with food stone tools, and a few animal skins, but it still followed the procession, and did not lag behind.
Shao Xuan and the other two relaxed a lot. Although they can carry their own packs since the weight was nothing to them, but with reducing some weight, they could better preserve their strength. For the first time in such a dry land, Lei and Tuo were somewhat uncomfortable, but it was easier to lighten their load.
Other first-timers have also not adapted well. However, they did not have their own transport camels. At first, they were cynical about it, but now, their glances held envy.
In order to withstand the strong sun, a camel's brow bone was high, and in order to resist the wind and sand, a camel's eyelashes were also long. When it looked down at you with its eyes, tut, there was noble indifference.
In the sky, five eagles were following. Sometimes they saw that there was movement in the desert, and they rushed over to scramble for food.
Near the end of the night, the team finally reached the place where Huang Ye said they could rest.
It looked like an abandoned small village, just walls of gravel, and a dry pile of broken pottery and stone tools that were half buried.
Shao Xuan and the travel team were not the only ones to get there. Before them, there was a team that looked like slaves, but there was a big difference from the slave team they came across.
These people were not tied up.
"It's sand slaves," someone said.
Sand slaves were the tribes who were slaves to the desert. These people were already slaves since the time of their ancestors, and they did not know that they were the first generation of slaves.
These people were different from the new slaves, that they don't have to be binded since they don't run away.
Shao Xuan looked at these people. Their appearance did not have much difference compared to from the tribes, but their bodies were thin, their skins were black, and these were a shared physical characteristis of majority of the desert residents.
Perhaps because of their excessive exposure to strong sunshine, coupled with the poor desert climate with frequent sand storms, and cold from often sitting by the fire to warm, their skin loses elasticity and wrinkled, becoming stiff, rough and chapped.
Their teeth were yellow, their feet were bare, and they have no protective footwear to wear that the soles of their feet were larger than those of an average person.
Looking at Shao Xuan and the others, these people had eyes filled with curiosity and preparedness. Seeing the people on the team carrying things, they looked on with greed and intent to kill.