In the wilderness, at the campsite.

Flames flickered by the stone pile while the snake meat stew in the clay pot boiled vigorously, sending bubbles to the surface. Several frail tribal members approached Enzo again, expressing their gratitude, “Merciful Lord, thank you for your generosity!”

Enzo remained impassive and said directly, “Speak your mind.”

Upon hearing this, the tribal members explained their intentions.

They spoke together, “Lord Enzo, we wish to follow you! We are willing to become your slaves!”

Their leader Yara handed over the animal skin once more, along with a thumb-sized golden crystal, saying, “Merciful Lord, this is a treasure of our tribe’s inheritance. The animal skin contains records of a treasure trove in Plata Plain, said to involve supernatural entities. The golden crystal can be used to replenish consumed power.”

They had thought it through clearly.Their tribe had been destroyed, and staying here would only lead to starvation.

Enzo’s formidable team not only refrained from attacking them but also offered delicious food. Under such a kind master, even as slaves, life wouldn’t be too harsh.

They simply wanted to survive.

Enzo looked at them, took the map and golden crystal, nodded, and said, “In that case, you will join the expedition with the team tomorrow.”

The people immediately expressed their gratitude, “Thank you, master!”

With Enzo’s permission, these individuals settled their hearts and, having just consumed the piping hot snake meat stew, began absorbing energy and soon fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Heru stood guard beside Enzo.

Despite Enzo’s strength, no guard was actually necessary.

Enzo spoke up, “Heru, do you understand now?”

Heru followed Enzo’s gaze towards the flickering firelight where the tribal people huddled together, their faces less burdened with sorrow.

Heru shook his head, indicating he did not understand.

Seizing the opportunity to teach, Enzo said, “Kindness and sympathy are qualifications earned through strength alone.”

Heru suddenly grasped the meaning.

He wanted to say something, but Enzo stood up, leaped onto the fluffy back of the giant bear Betta, and remarked, “Rest for now. We have a journey ahead tomorrow.”

Heru nodded and replied, “Yes, Lord Enzo.”

After assigning guards, Heru found a relatively flat area to lie down and rest.

Meanwhile, on Betta’s back, Enzo took out the animal skin map and the golden crystal.

Treasure in Plata Plain?

And this golden crystal was the supernatural essence of some monstrous creature.

If such treasures existed in a tribe on the brink of extinction, what about the other tribes?

However, Enzo had no interest in being a plunderer.

He began absorbing the energy from the golden crystal. As the energy surged into him, Enzo once again felt the totem’s power expanding. Yet this time, despite the energy accumulating to its peak, he couldn’t break through and remained at Level 2.

“Seems like something’s missing.”

Enzo muttered, feeling a strong yearning for Bookstaver.

Despite the fellow’s incessant chatter, he had been instrumental in supernatural knowledge.

The search for a soul seed needed to be prioritized.

Before long, the campfire extinguished, plunging the tribal campsite into darkness.

…

The next morning.

Enzo and his companions were awakened by the crying of a baby.

The tribal people who had volunteered to become slaves were gathered together, trying to soothe the crying infant. When they saw Enzo approaching, their faces instantly turned nervous and anxious.

Their leader, Yara, apologized, “Master, Bella didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Enzo ignored the apology and said, “Give her to me.”

Yara looked conflicted, fearing for Bella’s safety, but since they had chosen to become slaves, everything they had now belonged to Enzo. Reluctantly, Yara lifted Bella and placed her in Enzo’s arms.

This was the first time Enzo had seen a human baby in this world.

The little baby was very light and thin, clearly malnourished.

She likely not to survive much longer under current conditions.

Heru stepped closer, looking at Bella, and couldn’t help but remark, “She’s about the same size as Tia was when she was born.”

Enzo smiled faintly but then furrowed his brow, saying, “There are no babies in the tribe.”

Heru’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

Babies symbolized the future of a tribe, signifying the continuation of the tribe after the older generations passed away. Yet, the Crimson Star Tribe currently had no infants…Certainly, this could be attributed to various disasters. Babies had inherently weak immune systems, and their lives were extremely fragile.

It also meant a decrease in available labor once pregnant.

However, a tribe without a new generation was highly abnormal.

Heru understood this but remained confident about the tribe’s future, saying, “Lord Enzo, the tribe is growing stronger now, and more and more people will be born.”

Enzo naturally believed in this.

Besides absorbing people from other tribes to strengthen theirs, the reproduction of tribal members was equally crucial.

As Bella continued to cry, her voice gradually weakening.

Yara and the others suddenly realized what was happening. Sadness washed over them—was their tribe’s last newborn going to starve to death right before their eyes?

Suddenly, a verdant green glow appeared in Enzo’s palm.

The light was incredibly gentle, enveloping Bella, and her cries ceased, replaced by joyful laughter.

Yara and his companions were overjoyed!

Enzo’s displayed power once again left them awestruck and bewildered.

Their master possessed such extraordinary abilities!

Before they could express their gratitude, Enzo left a bundle of totemic power on Bella and then placed her in Heru’s arms, saying, “Heru, take care of Bella. We need to move out!”

With that, Enzo returned to Betta’s back.

Heru was stunned. He had no experience caring for infants.

However, it was Enzo’s command, so he had no choice but to comply.

Lost in his worries about how to care for Bella, Heru didn’t notice anything unusual about Enzo.

On Betta’s back, Enzo closed his eyes, feeling the Life Sapling Totem undergo yet another transformation, filled with pleasant surprise.

Last night, the totemic power reached the limit of Level.2 but couldn’t break through.

Enzo keenly sensed that to advance to Level 3, something was missing.

Treating Bella, witnessing a human infant for the first time, represented the beginning of life. This realization made Enzo understand that what he lacked was a deeper perception of life itself.

The Tree of Life nurtures all things.It’s not just about increasing energy to advance.

With this insight, Enzo felt uplifted.

Not only that, after stepping into the third tier, a detailed leaf vein appeared on one of the leaves of the life sapling totem, emitting a faint blue glow. Enzo sensed it for a moment and immediately understood that this was the totem’s new ability—Firstborn Blessing!

Any recently born creature could receive this blessing, gaining enhanced physical strength.

Moreover, this blessing could be bestowed upon other objects.

It just like springs.

Enzo realized the immense potential of this power!

With Firstborn Blessing, the newborns of the tribe would grow stronger generation by generation, potentially possessing strength comparable to wild beasts from birth.

Such power was enough to make the tribe the undisputed king of the barren mountain region, if not the entire world!

Besides acquiring Firstborn Blessing, this revelation provided Enzo with a clue.

He muttered to himself, “There are twenty-eight leaves of varying sizes on the Life Sapling Totem. Lighting up just one granted me the ability of Firstborn Blessing. The other leaves must represent other abilities. If I can light up all the remaining leaves… perhaps I can advance again!”

Enzo couldn’t be certain. It was speculation.

After all, no one’s totem was as unique as his, with potentially significant changes after each advance.

After pondering for a while, Enzo opened his eyes.

At this moment, the team had already arrived at a pond’s edge. Heru was directing the team members to fill enough water in animal skin bags before leaving the pond, heading towards a valley.

This time, they were lucky again.

The rock walls on both sides of the valley were solid enough, with no collapses happening. Based on his previous records, Heru quickly found those red and yellow ores. He hurriedly informed Enzo.

Enzo took a few glances and confirmed it was yellow iron ore.

He ordered the Vanguard squad members to start mining, and the group led by Yara also came forward to help. In just half a day, they filled both carts pulled by yaks.

Enzo muttered, “It seems like the quantity is a bit insufficient.”

Yellow iron ore could be refined into iron, and making various tools from iron would significantly accelerate the tribe’s construction.

Just one problem… Iron ore required a blast furnace to melt, requiring sufficient temperature.

This iron ore location was far from the Crimson Star Tribe, and even at full speed, it would take about four days round trip.

They needed to find a way to bring back more.

Thinking about this, Enzo looked towards Betta, who was lying nearby.

Betta sensed Enzo’s gaze, its fur bristling, realizing something bad was coming.

Enzo handled this situation with ease. Enzo gathered a large clump of totemic power in his palm and enticed Betta, saying, “Betta, if you agree to pull the yellow iron ore back, this whole clump of totemic power will belong to you.”

Tempted by the power, Betta agreed.

Afterward, Enzo instructed Heru and the others to gather materials on-site and construct a huge cart for Betta to pull.

Before long, the new cart was filled, and Enzo’s team returned to the Crimson Star Tribe.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep