"No need to thank me, it’s just a small effort. Speaking of which, we’ll be staying in the neighboring forest for a while and I know this is the Fire-Swallowing Tribe’s territory, so could you ask the Clan Leader to allow us to reside here for a bit?"
Technically, we could move in without saying hello, but it’s not quite nice if neighbors keep hopping over the fence every other day, especially when there’s a bunch of conservative girls living at home. They’d be scared to death by the sight of these stark-naked men.
Madam Mao was delighted to hear that they wanted to settle here and quickly asked her child to translate.
When Ermao went to convey the message, Madam Mao chuckled somewhat sheepishly: "I’m not very good with the local language."
"It’s not okay to be unable to communicate all year round, and besides, the living environment and conditions are quite problematic."
Bai Junjun stated the facts bluntly.
The sight of all those excrements on the ground earlier was truly unforgettable. It might have been okay in winter, but now, with the weather so muggy, and what if the rainy season brings floods?
Madam Mao felt helpless; it was already an achievement for her, a feeble woman, to stay alive, and she really had no power to change the Fire-Swallowing Tribe’s customs of thousands of years.
Overhearing Ermao’s translation, the Clan Leader started dancing with joy, and so did everyone else.
The child translated, "It’s wonderful that the Celestial God is willing to dwell with the Fire-Swallowing Tribe. We will definitely protect the Celestial God well, and moreover, we will offer sacrifices and big beasts daily."
"..." Bai Junjun, they’re really treating them like clay statues. How about throwing in some incense and candles while they’re at it?
But while mocking is one thing, Bai Junjun, the young lady, was mostly afraid of owing favors. Although the Fire-Swallowing Tribe’s beasts and offerings hadn’t arrived yet, she already felt ill at ease, as if she had to do something in return.
Li Wenli glanced at those several hundred stark-naked people and asked, "How about we recruit them as our own people?"
"Big changes are coming outside soon. If Yuwen Luanfei remains in power, fine, but if someone else ascends to that throne, they will inevitably come to the Ownerless Land and cause trouble. Not to mention those fierce bandits just across, you understand the principle of mutual dependence between neighbors, right?"
Bai Junjun was deeply moved. Fox has a point!
If people from the Imperial Court come to conquer Ownerless Land, surely they can’t just let them go out and fight, right? If the neighboring bandits come making a racket, they can’t just go and beat them up, can they?
Although the Fire-Swallowing Tribe are Wild People, they have the purest of thoughts and lack devious intents. Plus, they’re physically robust, remarkably united, and what’s rare is their absolute obedience and fearlessness of death.
If these people could be tamed, they would become a troop of highly capable soldiers, true masters of Ownerless Land!
Bai Junjun decisively turned to Madam Mao: "Ask the Clan Leader if he has any wishes he’d like to fulfill."
"We hope the Celestial God will bless us not to fall ill and to hunt more food to get through the winter," relayed the child, passing on the Clan Leader’s words.
Bai Junjun nodded: "To not fall ill and need more food, to overcome nature’s hurdles, you must be ready to change immediately. We can teach you how to survive and even improve your lives, but you must and be able to execute our demands."
That was a bit too much for the kid to understand, he was puzzled.
Madam Mao silently condensed Bai Junjun’s words into a simpler sentence and had Ermao translate.
"As long as you follow the Celestial God’s words, you can have your wishes come true."
Ermao suddenly saw the light and joyfully turned into a loudspeaker.