Chapter 778: The Skillful Cripple and the Proud Blackstone Chief Inside the courtyard, a group of children, both big and small, stumbled and ran around. Because of their presence, the Green Sparrow Tribe instantly became lively. The Shaman, who had just fed the rabbits, watched these little ones running about and beamed so broadly that her eyes nearly disappeared. As people age, they often become especially fond of children. Seeing children running around one’s knees brings an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Standing beside the small stone mill, Han Cheng did not share the same sentiment as the Shaman. For these little ones—who, when gathered together, could instantly turn the tribe into something like a toad pit—his feelings were mixed with both love and hate. It could be said that his mood was very complicated. Perhaps when he grew older, to an age not far from the Shaman’s, he would become just like him. After watching the children run about for a while, Han Cheng went back to thinking about the upcoming sacrifice ceremony and the sports meet. Once he connected the sports meet with the sacrifice, the timing of the event became much easier to determine. Since this matter was now tied to honoring the heroes of the tribe, it naturally followed that the date needed to be chosen from these occasions and established as a festival. Logically, there wasn’t much to hesitate over; the best date would, of course, be the day the cemetery was completed and the Green Sparrow heroes were laid to rest. However, that day was rather far from the onset of winter, and before long, it would be the New Year. Two major festivals being so close together would make the tribe unbearably busy. Moreover, the effect of both would be weakened when they overlapped. Still, not choosing the burial day felt somewhat unreasonable, and this was precisely why Han Cheng had been torn over the matter. His indecision had lasted from yesterday until now—until he looked at the children running all over the place and suddenly felt enlightened. Yes—his purpose in holding the sports meet was to make the tribe stronger, to give the people a suitable and proper outlet for their inner passion. It was also to ensure that in the future, when their descendants spent long hours farming and became used to holding a hoe, they would not forget the long spear and bow. Since that was the greatest purpose, everything else naturally had to serve it. Under that premise, it would be perfectly fine to set the day for the sacrifice and the drills on any suitable date. Having thought it through, Han Cheng’s mind instantly became clear. Then let it be set on the day the tribe set out to attack the Semi-farming Tribe. At that time, it would not be far from the heavy snowfalls; it was the most leisurely season of the year for the tribe, with enough time to spare so as not to delay too much work. Furthermore, from this raid on the Semi-farming Tribe, Han Cheng had gained a somewhat immature idea. That idea was: if they were to face another large enemy tribe in the future, it would be best to time the decisive battle for winter. The cold winter was something most tribes in this era found extremely difficult to endure. But for the Green Sparrow Tribe—who possessed sleds, anti-freeze, and anti-crack ointment for their hands, as well as abundant food—winter’s impact was far less severe. This was the Green Sparrow Tribe’s advantage. And it was precisely because of these advantages that, in the battle against the Semi-farming Tribe last winter, the Green Sparrow Tribe had been able to subdue them with minimal casualties. As the saying goes, “One good trick works everywhere.” With these advantages, if utilized effectively, the Green Sparrow Tribe—holding the advantage of timing—could continue to achieve great victories in future wars. By arranging both the sacrifice and the corresponding sports meet in the season after the snow fell, the tribe’s people could become more accustomed to marching in snow. This would give the tribe an even greater advantage in any future wars. After figuring these things out, Han Cheng suddenly felt a great deal more relaxed. Even when he looked at Little Pea sneaking around with a few little ones, preparing to rechallenge the big goose, he found it amusing. Han Cheng waited there for a while, and when he saw Little Pea and the other children running for their lives, screaming as the big goose chased them, he finally showed a satisfied smile, got up, and went to find Shaman to report this matter. The reason Han Cheng chose to consult the Shaman when significant events happened was not because the Shaman’s status in the tribe was higher than his, but out of respect for the old man. Han Cheng had seen with his own eyes how much Shaman had worried about the tribe and how much he loved it. Moreover, to him, Shaman had also once saved his life. If it hadn’t been for Shaman, in the state Han Cheng had been in when he first arrived, even if wild beasts hadn’t eaten him, he would have just stood there and starved to death. He would have become one of the most failed of the transmigrators. In the archives of the Space-Time Administration at the starting point, it might have been recorded : “Han Cheng, male, twenty-six years old, died four days after transmigrating to primitive society. Cause of death: starvation. Research value: zero. Recommendation: destroy the soul…” Under such circumstances, how could Han Cheng possibly overlook Shaman? When Han Cheng went to find Shaman to discuss the sports meet and the sacrifice, Lame was examining the vine armor he had just woven, wearing a satisfied expression. After the fight between Eldest Senior Brother and Shang, as the first carpenter of the Green Sparrow tribe and the direct weaver of vine armor, Lame was greatly inspired. This man, whose leg was not very agile and who could not go into battle to kill the enemy like the others in the tribe, had made up his mind to weave vine armor well, to provide better protection for those who did fight. Lame had seen the contest between Shang and Senior Brother with his own eyes. After being glad that the vine armor he wove had such defensive ability, he gradually began to feel some dissatisfaction. He thought that vine armor that could only defend against wooden spears and stones was not enough; it would be best if it could also defend against the tribe’s bronze spears. When he saw Shang holding a bronze spear and, with just two thrusts, piercing through the vine armor so that the bronze blade protruded ten centimeters past it, Lame began to think about changing the weaving method. Lame held the vine armor pierced by Shang’s bronze spear for a long while, discovered something, and then asked Shang to continue stabbing the armor with the bronze spear. This time, however, instead of holding the spear horizontally, Shang held it vertically and stabbed at the armor. Sure enough, just as Lame had guessed, after changing the way the bronze spear was held, the effect was immediately different. The same vine armor, the same bronze spear, the same person—this time it took six consecutive stabs in the same spot to pierce the armor. Moreover, when it was pierced, the bronze blade didn’t go through very far. Shang found the result puzzling, but Lame was so excited that he was hopping up and down. He had discovered an effective way to strengthen the defensive ability of vine armor. The reason for the significant difference in holding the bronze spear horizontally versus vertically when stabbing vine armor was that, in weaving the armor, the vines were laid one by one horizontally from top to bottom. Although the vines were tightly connected, no matter how tightly they were joined, it couldn’t change the fact that they weren’t a single piece. So when Shang held the bronze spear flat and stabbed, the flat blade could easily push apart two adjoining vines and slip through the gap. But when the spear was held vertically, perpendicular to the vine gaps, it could not slip through. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 To break through the armor and hit the person behind it, the vines would have to be cut. After discovering this weakness, making targeted improvements became much easier—certainly no problem for an experienced weaver like Lame. The vine armor he was now holding was the new type, created by modifying the weaving method to enhance it. After years of Han Cheng’s guidance and influence, Lame, the tribe’s earliest carpenter, had become quite skilled at finding problems and thinking of ways to solve them. In the process of creating various tools, he could now utilize his intelligence more effectively. Unlike the previous vine armor, this one had many more vertical “warp” vines—no longer just a sparse few, but one placed in every gap between horizontal vines. The result was that the armor appeared to be covered with small, square grids. With this method, the gaps between the vines were minimized, never wider than the thickness of a single vine. With such narrow gaps, for a bronze spear to pierce through, it would have to cut at least three vines. From his experience, Lame knew without testing that this new armor’s defensive power far exceeded that of the previous type. After admiring it for a while, Lame cheerfully took the fresh-from-the-workshop armor and walked out of the carpenter’s hut. He was going to find the Divine Child and share the good news with him. To create something good and not share it with the Divine Child would genuinely be a regret. Bo didn’t know the famous saying “to return home in glory is like walking at night in fine clothes,” but he had a similar feeling. Seeing the Divine Child smile with joy because of something he had made, and receiving a few words of praise, there was nothing more wonderful. While Han Cheng was discussing the sports meet and the sacrifice with Shaman, and Lame was taking the improved armor to the Divine Child for praise, something else was happening in the northern Blackstone tribe. The chief of the Blackstone tribe was holding a wooden board tied with rope, standing proudly, as if once again intoxicated by his own cleverness. This board was different from the one he had brought earlier this spring when he led his men to attack the tribe where Shu Pi lived. The most significant difference was that this board was more neatly made. Shu Pi stood to the side, smiling, because the neater board was his handiwork. The Blackstone chief was also happy because, after such a long period of subduing him, this seemingly capable chief of Shu Pi’s tribe had finally become obedient and compliant. How could he not be pleased? Another reason for his happiness was that, holding this highly defensive board, he had recently thought of another use for it. Initially, the idea of threading rope through the boards and tying them to the body was to counter the deadly arrows of Shu Pi’s tribe. After conquering Shu Pi’s tribe, the Blackstone people had set these boards aside. They thought that since the tribe with that hateful weapon was defeated, they wouldn’t need the boards anymore. And it wasn’t just them— even the chief, who fancied himself clever, thought the same way. But this idea changed in recent days. The change came because, when the chief led his men to conquer a new tribe, one of his people was killed—stabbed in the stomach by a wooden spear. When the chief returned and saw the neglected, rough wooden boards, inspiration struck. If that man had been wearing a board, he wouldn’t have been killed. This death, and that flash of inspiration, made the chief realize that these boards weren’t just for defending against arrows— they could also be used in battles with other tribes. That way, fewer of his people would die. At this moment, the Blackstone chief was even more delighted with himself than Lame was with his improved armor. Drunk on his own cleverness, the Blackstone chief muttered, then gave Shu Pi’s shoulder a firm, satisfied pat…