"This sudden exclamation startled the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe, and the guards around Han Cheng immediately raised their shields in front of their chests.
"'Brother Cheng, they are marveling at our tribe's walls,'"
Bai Xue translated with a smile, her voice tinged with pride.
"This young daughter-in-law had long considered herself one of the Green Sparrow Tribe's people, feeling no attachment to the tribe that once tried to burn her alive.
"Around them, the other members of the Green Sparrow Tribe also smiled kindly.
"They looked at the amazed faces of the few people from the Fire Tribe, then turned back to look at their tribe's walls.
"The walls looked very tall, and on top of them were several tiny houses made of mud and thatch, used by those standing guard on the walls to shield themselves from wind and rain.
"They had been living here all along, so the walls were long taken for granted. At this moment, hearing the Fire Tribe's exclamation and looking up at their own tribe's walls, many people nodded secretly, feeling that their tribe's walls were indeed magnificent enough to cause astonishment.
"However, these towering walls were just the beginning of what amazed the Fire Tribe members on their first visit. Once inside the tribe, they would see many new and mind-boggling things that would continue to shock them.
As they recalled their tribe's life during this period, besides the pottery jars and the salt that made the food taste better, there seemed to be no other changes.
They continued to live in their tribe just like before.
This comparison made the shock in their hearts even stronger.
Some among them questioned inwardly, 'Why is it that in the same amount of time, our tribe seems to have made no progress while this tribe has advanced so much?'
The eight members of the Fire Tribe, whose feet still felt light from their boat journey, now felt even more adrift.
The sight before them seemed more surreal than a dream, yet they understood that all this was real.
This feeling persisted until midday, when they ate delicious food with the people of these tribes, which somewhat alleviated their amazement.
The people of the Green Sparrow Tribe looked kindly at these Fire Tribe members, each with a curious and amazed expression on their faces, which was the best reward for their efforts and the most gratifying feeling.
By then, the four Fire Tribe members who came later had finally fully believed that everything those few had said after returning home last year was true.
This tribe was this powerful and wealthy, fascinating people like a dream.
After eating and resting here for a while, Hong Song suddenly remembered the purpose of their visit this time.
He got up and came to the distinguished Divine Child of this tribe, expressing his intentions with words and gestures.
On the side, Bai Xue took on the role of translator.
According to Han Cheng's request, they have brought many hemp skins and want to use them to exchange for some Green Sparrow Tribe pottery and that delicious salt.
Han Cheng nodded and walked with them out of the tribe towards the small riverbank.
Earlier, the eight members of the Fire Tribe, captivated by the Green Sparrow Tribe's warmth and wealth, had momentarily forgotten about other things. Consequently, the hemp skins they had transported were still on the raft, not yet unloaded.
Several hemp skins were on the raft, neatly bundled as Han Cheng had taught them before. It was evident that the people of the Fire Tribe had put considerable effort into their preparations.
However, the hemp skins weren't fermented particularly well; there were many impurities, and the fibers were not fully exposed. They would need to be fermented again if they were to be used for spinning yarn and weaving cloth.
Seeing these hemp skins on the ground, Hong Song and his companions finally felt somewhat reassured. At least now, they had something that could surpass this tribe.
Hong Song was appointed as the leader of the small team from the Fire Tribe, temporarily by the Fire Tribe leader. In truth, regardless of the Fire Tribe leader's appointment, Hong Song would have been the fleet leader because he was the strongest among the eight who came.
Hong Song picked up a bundle of hemp skins and spoke and gestured to Han Cheng about their tribe's hemp collection and the fermentation process. He exaggerated their actions to boast about how good their hemp was.
On the one hand, this was to try to get more in trade later, but more importantly, they wanted to show that their tribe was not inferior.
Hong Song and the other seven members of the Fire Tribe felt much better after watching the dignified Divine Child nod in response to his explanations.