Chapter 609: Please the Shaman to Act

Xuanyuan did not have so many procedures to go through. After Cangjie wrote "Tribal Chief of the Xuanyuan Tribe, Youxiong Clan Xuanyuan" on Xuanyuan's behalf, he had Xuanyuan press his thumb into the ink paste and solemnly press it down. The three copies of the contract were processed in the same manner.

Finally, when Xuanyuan lifted his finger, warm applause erupted throughout the conference room. First, the people of Huaxia clapped, and then the people of the Xuanyuan Tribe also began to clap with smiles on their faces. Baifeng and Xuanyuan were both all smiles; this meant that the alliance between their two tribes was about to be officially concluded, and now only the burning of one copy of the treaty remained.

Without delay, Baifeng stood up first: "Let us go to our plaza to burn this treaty and let 'Dao' witness and oversee it!"

Xuanyuan also stood up gladly, leading the people of the Xuanyuan Tribe, preparing to leave together. However, Baifeng immediately reminded him: "First, keep your copy safe and secure; you must keep it safe."

Baifeng was a bit uneasy and hurriedly had someone fetch an exquisitely crafted empty wooden box. Although it had no lock, it was crafted with seamless precision, and with the addition of iron hinges and an iron latch, the box could not be easily flung open.

The wood was also coated with Tung Oil, giving it a certain degree of water resistance. In this era, it could be considered the safest thing, unless one were to forge a box out of pure iron or copper.

Xuanyuan took the box and asked with some hesitation: "What is the value of this box?"

Baifeng waved his hand dismissively: "We are now the closest of allies. There is no need for a transaction for such a thing; it is a gift from me to you. A gift between friends is different from a transaction."

Xuanyuan was somewhat surprised by Baifeng's sudden generosity, but he accepted it gladly, thinking that he would have the opportunity to send Baifeng some other gifts later.

The contract was placed into the box, and the Huaxia contract was likewise placed into a box, and then they were carried together to the plaza.

The people of the Phylum had already prepared everything. When the contract was signed, they had been discussing how to prepare with the Ministry of Rites. Because they did not know which deity it was being burned for, the altar and the bonfire pile had originally been placed in front of "Heaven and Earth," but the timely delivery of the news made them hurriedly move them to the center of the plaza.

Because the scene was quite large, even though they did not know what was going to happen, it had already attracted many people who came to watch. When Baifeng and Xuanyuan arrived together, everyone had some guesses.

Wu, as the Minister of Rites, was invited out temporarily. Wu had now recovered a bit of his energy; he had fallen ill right after returning to Huaxia, and now he was finally able to get out of bed and move around. However, Baifeng still granted him special permission not to work and to come back only when he had fully recovered. Furthermore, given Wu's advanced age, Baifeng intended to grant him a title this year and then let him retire.

These old officials now had more experience, but in terms of ability, they were not necessarily stronger than the new generation of officials. Baifeng feared that the young people could not shoulder responsibilities alone, and since there was a difference between theory and practice, the old officials still needed to guide them more. However, the day for these old officials to retire was not far off. By then, regardless of their physical condition, if Baifeng discovered that their presence was affecting the performance of the young people, he would order them to retire and go home to spend their old age.

Upon learning that there was such a major event that required him to preside over it, and that it was an alliance formed because of his own efforts, Wu was very happy in his heart, feeling as if his body had suddenly improved a lot. Thus, he hurriedly had his wife dress him in formal attire and, supported by servants, sat on a rickshaw and rushed to the plaza.

The rickshaw was now also a way for the Noble class of Huaxia to travel, mainly for short-distance trips. Ordinary people could not do such menial work, but that was how servants were used. Women could attend to daily life and living arrangements, while men, in addition to helping with farm work and plowing, could also pull carts.

People were easier to communicate with than oxen and ran steadily, so the use of rickshaws for short-distance travel had gradually become a trend in Huaxia. Baifeng did not stop it and let it develop; this was not a bad thing, and there would be sedan chairs in the future. Moreover, the number of Slaves in Huaxia was limited, and ordinary households did not use them.

When they arrived at the plaza, the ceremony had not yet begun. Wu hurriedly asked about the details, but the news he received was that there were no details; everything had to be improvised on the spot. The current Ministry of Rites Officials felt that they might not have the ability, as it was their first time handling such an important and large task, and they were not confident, so they could only ask Wu to step in.

After roughly understanding the situation, Wu hurriedly began to draft a plan and adjusted the layout of the scene.

Although the matter was very important, because the two tribes had different beliefs, different etiquette, and different sacrificial methods, the only common point was the belief that fire could communicate with the gods. Therefore, to avoid any mishaps, Wu believed that everything should be kept simple—do less, err less. He could not risk angering the people of the Xuanyuan Tribe over some detail due to a complicated sacrificial ceremony. Now that they were about to succeed, they absolutely could not make a mistake at the final hurdle, otherwise, Wu would have to throw himself into the fire to atone for his sins.

After they were prepared, Baifeng and the others arrived. Xuanyuan saw Wu, whose condition was not as good as when they had met before, and asked with great concern. Wu also responded to Xuanyuan with a smile on his face.

The others from the Xuanyuan Tribe were focused on Wu's magnificent clothing, their eyes filled with envy.

The group walked to the center of the plaza, and then the bonfire was lit. On a table, fruits and some exquisitely crafted offerings were placed. However, considering that the two sides might have different sacrificial etiquette, Baifeng glanced at them and immediately said calmly: "Remove these offerings and replace them with fresh fruits and vegetables available in this season, as well as fresh flowers."

Xuanyuan was somewhat surprised: "Are your sacrificial offerings so simple? We require at least one whole sheep."

Baifeng explained with a smile: "When we sacrifice to our own gods, it is certainly sumptuous; oxen, sheep, and pigs must be present. But now we are sacrificing to 'Dao.' 'Dao' does not need these; we only need to place things that are born in accordance with 'Dao,' especially the seasonal fresh flowers."

Xuanyuan expressed his agreement with Baifeng's words, and Zhishou also nodded in the same way, not contradicting Baifeng.

The offerings were replaced, and then Wu began to preside. Cangjie also needed to step forward together to represent the Xuanyuan Tribe and read the contract. This should have been the job of Qibo, but unfortunately, Qibo was illiterate, so it could only be done by Cangjie.

Subsequently, the two of them held the contract together and began to chant. After the chanting ended, under the gaze of everyone, they threw the paper into the fire. This was considered delivering the contract into the hands of 'Dao.'