Chapter 18: Defeating You with Gourmet Food

As the sky gradually darkened, Baifeng called a halt to all the busy savages, telling them to find some firewood themselves and clear away the miscellaneous wood and grass around the campsite so they could set up a temporary camp.

Baifeng tallied the savages' half-day results: over two hundred and thirty large fish, enough food for today and tomorrow morning, plus an uncountable amount of wild vegetables that could only be measured by the pile.

The savages had no concept of three meals or two meals a day; they simply ate whenever they caught prey. Now, Baifeng and Xiong controlled the distribution of food.

It appeared as though Baifeng had seized ownership of the tribe, but in reality, Xiong was still in control. The tribespeople had not fully acknowledged Baifeng; if not for the food, Xiong would not have easily let Baifeng gain such significant say.

At a command, the savages received their food one after another and joyfully crowded together to scramble for it.

After the meal, the savages had no habit of washing pots, as they had already licked the pots clean several times over. The Shaman did not go to scramble with the savages, but instead waited to eat the god's leftovers. Seeing the Shaman looking so pitiful, Baifeng gave the leftovers to the Shaman.

The savages watched in confusion as Baifeng washed the pots and bowls, then scrambled to drink the dishwater. This made Baifeng very angry, because this behavior was much like the pigs of later generations, not humans.

Baifeng crawled into the small wooden shed alone. Xiong felt this was the treatment due to a Tribal Chief and wanted to crawl in too. But how could the cramped wooden shed accommodate two people? Furthermore, Baifeng had long since had enough of the stench on Xiong and the lice running everywhere.

Kicking and hitting to drive Xiong away, Baifeng no longer cared what the savages in the tribe were doing out in the wilderness. Lying on the reed mat and using a stone as a pillow, Baifeng was about to sleep, but the lewd cries of those savages mating made Baifeng very irritated.

As soon as the sky brightened, Baifeng didn't care whether this group of savages had the habit of waking up early; he just kicked Xiong in the buttocks to wake him up first.

But when Xiong saw Baifeng, he looked as if he were seeing a stranger, and looking at the unfamiliar environment, he immediately displayed his wild and brutal side. After Baifeng scolded him, Xiong remembered what had happened yesterday, yet he felt no shame for his stupidity.

Xiong used a whip to beat all the sleeping savages awake. Everyone got up grumbling; usually, didn't they only wake up when the sun was too hot to sleep? What was the point of waking them up just as the sun came out today?

Baifeng arranged the same work for everyone as yesterday, but those who were lazy or loved to steal food were driven to do hard labor like transporting coal. Baifeng also let the few savages he taught to make Pottery yesterday continue, though they were to make fewer than yesterday.

After arranging the people, Baifeng picked thirteen sturdy savages, intending to have them follow him to transport salt. Baifeng felt it was necessary to go to the salt mine in person to be at ease.

Telling them to take baskets, animal skin bags, and the like, and to bring enough Dry Rations and Weapons, Baifeng, Xiong, Chi, and those thirteen strong men set off.

As for the matter of serving lunch, Baifeng handed the power to the Shaman and also had the Shaman supervise the tribespeople so they wouldn't slack off. To prevent the Shaman from stealing, Baifeng even dragged the Shaman in front of "Heaven and Earth" to swear an oath.

At this time, savages placed great importance on oaths. After all, there were no laws or conventions; oaths were the most deterrent things. Unlike later generations, where I could make an oath every second without repeating, and anyone who believed them would be a fool, especially the "till the seas dry and the rocks crumble" romantic oaths.

The Shaman finished swearing the oath solemnly and seriously. Baifeng was very satisfied, Xiong was also very satisfied, and Chi followed along, nodding without understanding.

"When the sun rises to its highest point, you can let them eat. Four people per fish, four handfuls of wild vegetables. As soon as everyone finishes eating, immediately continue working." The Shaman repeated this in his mind, fearing he would forget.

Xiong led everyone toward the location of the salt mine. Baifeng had never been in this direction. Ever since he escaped from the Cannibal Tribe and ran to the newly built campsite, Baifeng had always kept a low profile and was unwilling to run far; after all, an unarmed person was truly walking food.

When the temperature rose and it began to get hot, Baifeng and his group left the forest and arrived at a very large flat plain. Although there were many trees, because it was close to the salt mine, the density could not be called a forest at all.

If there were large enough freshwater resources here, Baifeng would definitely choose to move the tribe here.

The further they walked, the fewer the trees, replaced by some salt-alkali-tolerant Grass.

Until they saw a depression, and Xiong said they had arrived.

Baifeng recognized that this was a salt lake. The water had long since dried up, leaving only a thick salt bottom. The further toward the middle, the thicker the salt. Baifeng used an axe to chop down until it was forty or fifty centimeters deep, and he still hadn't seen the soil layer, which meant the salt deposit in this salt lake was thick enough.

As for the size of the salt lake, Baifeng couldn't estimate it either; it was indeed too big. Baifeng couldn't even roughly calculate the circumference or area; after all, since it was called a lake, it certainly wouldn't be small.

Baifeng let everyone take out their tools to collect salt. In any case, it was all very white and had relatively few impurities. Baifeng felt he didn't have much need for purification, but for safety's sake, he would still purify it once upon returning to take a look.

When everyone's bags and baskets were full, and Baifeng was still holding a large slab of salt in his hand, they finally left the salt lake at a leisurely pace.

Going ashore to find some shade under a tree, Baifeng let everyone stop to rest and eat lunch, and arranged for a few people to find firewood. Baifeng piled up a few stones to stack the large salt slab, preparing to make salt-slab grilled fish.

Baifeng found it incredible when he watched that savage strike two white stones together to create sparks and then ignite dry tinder. He had been extremely worried about the fire source, fearing it would go out, yet this group of savages could ignite a fire so simply?

Baifeng asked for those two white stones to study them carefully, but the savage gave Baifeng a look like he was looking at a bumpkin or an idiot, and handed the stones to Baifeng with disdain.

Baifeng was insulted but had no way to retaliate, so he could only silently keep a mental note: despise me now, and you'll have a hard time later.

Baifeng took the stones and looked: two milky-white, slightly transparent quartz stones. When they collided, the sparks were very obvious, and there was a strong, foul smell. Baifeng sighed, this works too? He didn't understand the specifics, after all, most stones don't have so many obvious sparks when you hit them. This type of quartz probably contained a lot of something.

Returning the stones, and waiting for the fire to heat the salt slab, Baifeng began his counterattack.

Baifeng placed the fish on the salt slab to fry slowly, letting the oil seep out, the outer skin becoming charred while the meat remained snow-white. The aroma constantly stimulated the taste buds of these savages.

When Baifeng picked a handful of Wild Onion, tore the leaves into pieces, and sprinkled them on the fish meat, and the aroma burst forth even more intensely, this group of savages who only knew how to boil or even eat raw had saliva flowing to the ground like silk threads.

Defeating this group of savages with gourmet food, Baifeng successfully took the first step. Once he found more ingredients and seasonings in the future, Baifeng was confident he could turn this group of people into slaves to gourmet food.