In the room, Han Cheng examined the various stones that Shang and Mao had brought back.
He picked up a piece and scrutinized it closely for a moment, then muttered to himself before tossing it aside.
Han Cheng picked up another stone. After identifying it, he habitually tossed it aside, only to realize quickly and hurriedly retrieve it, placing it separately.
This action made the onlookers, whose hearts had been sinking, secretly breathe a sigh of relief. They finally found something; otherwise, it would have been a wasted trip.
While they felt relieved, Han Cheng did not share the same sentiment. After inspecting all the stones, he did not find any trace of metal ores so that he couldn't let out a sigh of relief.
“Divine Child, this piece...”
Seeing Han Cheng looking disappointed, Shaman quickly pointed to the limestone and said to him.
This implies Han Cheng didn’t need to feel upset since they still had this piece.
Han Cheng sighed slightly. Limestone was a good resource but was more relevant in the past or future.
Currently, the tribe uses wood ash as a substitute, and there is no large-scale need for lime. For the tribe, metal ores are the most important mineral resource at this moment.
Under such circumstances, it was hard for him to feel happy.
After learning from Han Cheng that the only stone left could not be smelted into metal but rather one that could be used to produce cement, Shaman and the others also felt less cheerful.
Especially Shang and Mao, who had been out for quite some time, felt so down that they lowered their heads.
Only then did Han Cheng realize that things were amiss. He patted the limestone in his hand and said, “Good things are not easily obtained; getting something as good as metal in one go is even more challenging.
Aren’t we still gaining something this time?
Mao, unfold the map and tell me where you found it.”
Primitive people's thoughts were generally simple, and upon hearing Han Cheng’s words, they felt much better inside.
Mao quickly took out a piece of treated, fur-less animal skin.
On one side of this hide, rough lines had been carved out with a sharp stone, and the lines were dyed black with charcoal.
Around these lines were some circles that weren’t perfectly round.
The circles varied in shape.
Some had only one circle, while others had two circles, one larger and one smaller, nested together.
This was the map that Mao had drawn under Han Cheng's guidance.
The black lines represented paths, and the circles indicated the tribes.
A single circle indicated that the number of adults was below thirty, while two circles indicated that the adult population was between thirty and sixty.
Although the map looked rudimentary, resembling several irregular fruits hanging from crooked branches, it had significant meaning.
At the very least, it provided a rough understanding of the nearby tribes’ locations, no longer leaving them in the dark as before.
Mao had an excellent memory, especially regarding navigation.
He glanced at the piece of limestone in Han Cheng’s hand, tilted his head for a moment, and then began to scan the map. Soon, he pointed to a circle on the map.
This indicated that the limestone was obtained there.
Shang, who was accompanying him, felt a bit confused. On this trip, they visited several tribes and exchanged many diverse items, so he couldn't clearly remember which items came from which tribe.
Feeling dazed, he couldn't help but admire Mao, who didn’t seem particularly strong but had a sharp mind.
After Han Cheng confirmed this with Mao, he used a sharp stone to carve the words “Limestone” into the spot.
This way, when the tribe needed a large amount of limestone in the future, they would know where to look.
Shang and Mao's trading expedition could also be considered a significant geographical discovery for the Green Sparrow tribe.
Through their discoveries and documentation, the people of the Green Sparrow tribe would become more familiar with the conditions surrounding their territory.
Having recorded this, Han Cheng turned his attention to another pouch containing various seeds that Shang and Mao had exchanged.
The stones hadn’t brought much surprise; he wondered if there might be anything exciting among these seeds.
It felt a bit like waiting for a lottery draw.
He reached for a leather pouch and untied the string on top. Before he could pour the contents out, several yellow balls rolled out.
Seeing these yellow balls made Han Cheng's gaze sharpen.
A mix of excitement and apprehension filled his heart instantly.
He quickly picked up the yellow balls and held them in his hand, examining them closely.
The balls were entirely yellow, with a small brown patch on one side resembling a narrow line.
They weren’t very large, about one-third the size of modern soybeans.
After observing for a moment, Han Cheng suppressed his growing excitement, picked one up with slightly trembling hands, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly and forcefully.
Soon, the distinct taste of raw soybeans filled his mouth.
Though the flavor wasn’t great, Han Cheng was beaming with joy.
Seeing his reaction, Shaman, the senior brother, Shang, and others also felt elated. It seemed they had found something good.
At that moment, Shaman, as the second-in-command of the Green Sparrow tribe, followed Han Cheng's lead and picked up a soybean, putting it in his mouth and chewing slowly and laboriously with his worn-down teeth.
He wanted to experience the taste of this seed that even the notoriously picky Divine Child enjoyed.
However, the taste was not very pleasant. It wasn't sour or astringent but had an indescribable flavor that felt uncomfortable.
Han Cheng spat out the chewed soybean and fetched some water to rinse his mouth, and his smile grew even broader.
He hadn't expected to have such a big surprise right after opening the leather pouch.
Logically speaking, shouldn’t the main character always make a late entrance? Why was it that they had already struck a significant find?
Could it be that there were even more delightful surprises waiting?
If only they could gather all the grains right away!
He hurriedly began to rummage through the leather pouch.
The pouch mostly contained primitive soybeans.
In addition to those, there were also some tiny, black seeds that he didn’t recognize.
He quickly instructed someone to bring over a bamboo sieve, and he placed all the soybeans and pods into it, handling them with extreme care to ensure not a single soybean was lost.
He planned to sift through and separate the mixed black seeds, storing the soybeans separately to use as seeds.
With these soybeans, the tribe could gradually scale up its soybean production!
After sorting the soybeans, Han Cheng, filled with enthusiasm from his successful start, eagerly opened the second leather pouch.