Chapter 454: A Close Brush with the Flying Snake Tribe

"￥￥!"

The leader of the Donkey Tribe's voice was filled with confusion, and the other members of the tribe exchanged puzzled glances.

Inside the cave with the open entrance, there was no single person to be found.

The interior was cold and desolate, devoid of any sign of life.

A pile of ashes, which looked like they had been there for a long time, was in the center of the cave.

Beside the ashes, there were some animal droppings, likely left by animals that had used the spot to keep warm during winter.

Had the people of this tribe left?

Where had they gone?

The leader of the Donkey Tribe wondered in disbelief.

It seemed that the people of this tribe must have migrated, as the cave was very clean, with nothing left behind.

They wouldn't have left so calmly if they had faced a disaster.

The leader of the Donkey Tribe felt regret at the disappearance of this tribe, as he had lost another trading partner.

Additionally, the journey back and forth had cost him a lot of time.

After waiting for a while, he left and moved on to the next tribe for trade.

Just then, someone suddenly screamed, and the sound was somewhat sharp.

The leader of the Donkey Tribe gripped his weapon tightly and hurried over, only to find a pile of white bones in a dark corner.

At first, he thought nothing of it, but upon realizing that these were human bones, his demeanor changed.

He ordered his people to use their stone spears to move the bones into the light and saw that some of them had scorch marks from fire.

The leader of the Donkey Tribe and his people shuddered, feeling a sense of grim foreboding.

However, this feeling quickly turned into deep relief.

Fortunately, their tribe had a smart leader who had found a way for them to survive.

Otherwise, they might not be able to afford salt and could end up in a dire situation similar to this tribe, leading to internal strife and migration.

Thinking this, their respect and admiration for their leader grew even more.

The leader of the Donkey Tribe also felt grateful to be in a position to lead, accepting the tribe's praise without hesitation.

"￥!"

After expressing these thoughts, the leader of the Donkey Tribe shouted loudly and picked up the jar of salt. Leading his tribe out of the abandoned cave, he headed towards the next tribe for trade.

With the bloody lesson from this tribe in mind, the people of the Donkey Tribe became even more enthusiastic about trades that could improve their lives.

Following their leader, they trudged through the snow without feeling any hardship...

The cave was destined to be less quiet. After the Donkey Tribe left, as the snow gradually melted, green grass emerged, and tree branches sprouted new buds, a new group of people arrived.

The newcomers were the second-in-command of the Teng Snake Tribe and the Grassroots from last winter, who had returned to the big tribe to spend the winter.

Valuable pottery and salt were highly prized by the Teng Snake Tribe’s shaman and others, so as soon as spring began, they left the tribe with the previous batch of people and returned here to wait for the donkeys.

The Grassroots was particularly pleased to be back at this former residence.

It wasn’t due to nostalgia, but because being here allowed him to continue waiting for the deer and wolves that had caused him trouble before.

This had almost become an obsession for him, much like how the former second-in-command of the Teng Snake Tribe would curse the Blue Sparrow Tribe daily.

“aa…?”

The second-in-command of the Teng Snake Tribe looked at the exposed white bones inside the cave and questioned.

"￥￥!"

The Teng Snake Tribe’s second-in-command was puzzled about why the pile of bones, completely devoid of meat, had been disturbed.

Had another tribe come here after they left?

Or was it the tribe they had been waiting for?

If that were the case, it would be quite distressing.

“￥…”

Amid these worries, the Grassroots with the crooked nose pointed to the animal droppings near the pile of ashes they had left behind and explained to the Teng Snake Tribe’s second-in-command.

Under the threat of death, many people’s potential is unleashed, and the Grassroots was no exception.

After witnessing the brutal killing and eating of two women who couldn’t understand their language, the Grassroots had become highly motivated to learn the tribe's language and behaviors and integrate quickly.

The Teng Snake Tribe’s second-in-command closely examined the animal droppings, which were somewhat white, suggesting they had been left by carnivores.

In winter, with food hard to find, it was plausible that a hungry carnivore had come into the cave and, finding no meat, had disturbed the bones while searching for something to eat.

Having confirmed this, the second-in-command felt reassured and stopped worrying about whether the other tribe had been here.

Instead, he instructed his people to place their supplies inside the cave, built a fire with considerable effort, and began preparing for the hunting season.

They planned to wait here for the tribe with the precious pottery and salt…

At the same time, the leader of the Donkey Tribe, along with his people, carried the numerous furs they had painstakingly traded and headed towards the Blue Sparrow Tribe.

Upon arriving at the Blue Sparrow Tribe, he planned to exchange these furs for salt and pottery and continue trading with other tribes.

However, trading this year was more challenging than before.

It wasn’t because the surrounding tribes had less demand for pottery and salt. On the contrary, after a long period of use, their demand for salt had actually increased.

The difficulty in trading stemmed from the fact that after two years of exchanges, most of the surplus furs from these tribes had already been traded away…

He needed to find new tribes, the leader of the Donkey Tribe thought to himself.

Yet, thinking about arriving at the Blue Sparrow Tribe brightened his mood.

Since their tribe began trading pottery and salt with other tribes, they had become one of the wealthiest tribes in the area, except for the affluent tribe.

He clearly remembered the astonished look on the Green Tribe leader’s face when they saw the many furs they brought. Every time he thought back on it, it made him feel particularly pleased.

He now hoped to encounter the Green Tribe again this time; it would be great to surprise them once more…

After thinking for a while, he shook his head, realizing the likelihood of meeting the Green Tribe was slim. After all, unlike his tribe, they wouldn’t have such a large quantity of furs to trade as soon as the weather warmed up.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay