"No, the Shaman cannot leave the Tribe." Yan Hua said with a serious expression. This was what her Father had repeatedly instructed her before leaving – the Shaman must not be allowed to leave the Tribe under any circumstances.
Chieftain Yan Jiao had acted on impulse and didn’t think too much about what the Shaman might want to do. In order to quickly find the linen-making materials, he took away all the Totem Warriors.
"Why can’t I leave?" Su Bai frowned. Many unpleasant guesses flashed through his mind. [IS this a soft confinement? Are they afraid I would run away?]
"This is for the Shaman’s safety." Seeing Su Bai’s unhappy expression, Yan Hua advised in a clear voice, "Shaman, it’s too dangerous outside. You are the pillar of our Flame Dragon Tribe. What if something dangerous happens?"
"What danger could there be? Aren’t you here?" Su Bai’s solemn expression relaxed. [As long as it isn’t soft confinement, it’s fine.]
"Shaman, you just became the Shaman and don’t know some things. There are some Wandering Totem Warriors who kidnap the Shamans of small Tribes and force them to perform the Shaman Inheritance Ceremony to the kidnapper’s tribesmen." Yan Hua seemed to recall something and hatefully continued, "Among our Flame Dragon Tribe’s Ancestors, there was a Shaman who was kidnapped by Wandering Totem Warriors. Later, it was after that incident that our Ancestors decided that Shaman were not allowed to leave the Tribe."
"So, there’s actually such a thing." Su Bai said in surprise. [So, being a Shaman is a high-risk occupation. To think there are Wandering Totem Warriors who want to kidnap me?]
He thought about it for a bit and understood. [The Wandering Totem Warriors are most likely those that have lost their Tribe, or more precisely, their Tribe had lost its Shaman. They urgently needed a Shaman, so they would kidnap the Shamans of other Tribes, to inherit the Shaman Inheritance and ensure the continued birth of Totem Warriors for the Tribe.]
"Shaman, it is dangerous outside. You are absolutely safe in the Tribe." Yan Hua earnestly persuaded.
"Yes!" Yan Hua affirmed.
To better persuade Su Bai not to leave the Tribe, she continued, "The Chieftain is the strongest in the Tribe. The reason he also doesn’t go hunting is to protect the Shaman’s safety."
"It’s too much of a waste of manpower." Su Bai shook his head. If there were many Totem Warriors, leaving some to guard the Tribe would be no problem.
However, there were currently only a total of eleven Totem Warriors. To protect the Shaman, five Totem Warriors were left to stand guard, and even the strongest Chieftain was fixed in the Tribe.
Of course, it wasn’t that Su Bai didn’t care about his own safety. He was just thinking of making the greatest use of the Tribe’s manpower to accelerate the Tribe’s development.
"So, the primary task of the Tribe is to ensure my safety." Su Bai reached this conclusion. [There is a lack of population. No, rather, it is that there is a lack of Totem Warriors. The population issue and Totem Warriors issue can’t be solved immediately. Such things can’t be produced at will. This really limited my options.]
Su Bai decided to first solve the water issue. Having easy access to water would free up the Totem Warriors tasked with transporting water.
He had to convince the stubborn girl in front of him to take him to see the lake. After all, he didn’t know the way there.
"Shaman, you can’t leave the Tribe." Yan Hua repeated. She could agree to anything else, but she couldn’t agree to anything that might endanger the Shaman’s safety.
"But if I can check the lake, perhaps I can solve the problem we have with water. It might allow us to no longer lack water." Su Bai spread his hands.
"Even so, it’s not allowed." Yan Hua said stubbornly.
"Can’t you smell that you stink?" Su Bai said, wrinkling his nose. He retreated another small step and fanned his hand in front of his nose.
"I don’t stink." Yan Hua shouted, exasperated.
"Is that so? Then take a careful sniff and you’ll know how much you stink." Su Bai retreated another step, his face full of disdain.
"Fine, I’ll take a sniff." Yan Hua was livid. She gritted her teeth, lowered her head close to her chest, and sniffed with her proud nose. A sour stench rushed into her nostrils, instantly giving her a feeling of suffocation.
Yu Ying also imitated her, raising her arm to sniff.
"Stinky, yeah, it stinks…" She stammered, her face turning deathly pale. Her whole body felt sick.
"…" Yan Hua’s expression also turned ugly. Many thoughts flashed through her mind. [I stink so badly. Do others also think I stink? How embarrassing!]
The human nose was great at adapting. After prolonged exposure to one’s own body odor, the nose would adapt to the stench. Eventually, the person would no longer be able to detect the stench.
This was the situation Yan Hua and Yu Ying were in. They hadn’t bathed for several days and didn’t feel like they stank. It was only after being conscious about it that they noticed that they stank. Stank enough to feel sick from smelling themselves.
"How is it? Don’t you stink?" Su Bai crossed his arms and teased, "Do know that others can smell the stench from you."
"I…" Yan Hua was at a loss for words. Thinking of the people around her privately discussing the stench from her made her frantic.
Su Bai continued asking, "Are the Totem Warriors in the Tribe all gone? All taken away by the Chieftain?"
"They, they were all taken away." Yan Hua’s expression was a bit unnatural. She blamed her impulsive Father. He was being too unreliable, handing the heavy responsibility of protecting the Shaman to just her alone.
The corners of Su Bai’s mouth curved up. He asked, "Why is there not even a single Totem Warrior in the Tribe? How are you going to protect me? Going together to find the Chieftain is actually safer."
"Al-, alright." Yan Hua lowered her head helplessly, having been convinced.
"Then, let’s go. We’ll find the Chieftain and the others first, then we can go take a look at the lake." Su Bai felt that it would be much safer with Totem Warriors by his side. There were still some laborious tasks that required people.
After all, he hadn’t started learning Shaman Techniques yet, and Yan Hua wasn’t a Totem Warrior either. Encountering Ferocious Beasts would just be asking for death.
"Yu Ying, you stay. First go help the Shaman tidy up his tent." Before leaving, Yan Hua said to the fox-eared girl.
"Okay, be careful." Yu Ying gently urged.
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