BXBX NOVEL Chapter 8: The Priest's Daily Life
He spoke, "For the development of the Crimson Star Tribe, we will establish the position of Priest Assistant, primarily responsible for handling the tribe's daily affairs. Only in the event of major incidents or when necessary will the Priest Assistant inform me. And for the first Priest Assistant, it will be fulfilled by Sovita."
After speaking, Enzo looked towards Sovita and said, "Sovita, you have sufficient experience, and this position suits you well."
Sovita was taken aback, "My lord priest, there has never been such a precedent?"
Enzo smiled and replied, "Now, there is! Moreover, for the tribe's development, this position is necessary. I don't have much time to waste on these trivial matters."
Sovita nodded, "I understand, my lord priest!"
The authority of the priest was above all else, and Sovita did not refuse, but he felt uneasy about such an appointment. After all, after this whole roundabout, the tribe's miscellaneous affairs still fell on his shoulders.
But what about Enzo?
In fact, Enzo was not idle either. He had things to do.
After the ceremony concluded and others were allowed to disperse, Enzo took Tia with him to the cave where the fox girl was held captive. The vines around the fox girl were untied, but she did not choose to escape. Instead, she curled up in a corner, resembling an injured little animal licking its wounds.
"How marvelous a creation." Enzo marveled.
Approaching her without minding the fox girl's trembling, he reached out and rubbed her furry fox ears, then asked, "Nice texture. Now, with not many people around, can you tell me about your origins and your name?"
The fox girl suddenly lifted her head, opened her mouth, and snapped at Enzo's hand.
Unfortunately, she missed.
Enzo's tone turned cold, "I'll give you one last chance. If you still refuse to cooperate, I'll have someone throw you into the territory of those beasts. Think about it, the beasts' teeth will easily tear your body apart..."
"NO!" The fox girl suddenly shouted.
A faint smile played at the corners of Enzo's mouth.
She couldn't even handle such a simple description. She really was quite timid.
With a wicked curiosity, Enzo asked, "You say 'don't,' I can promise you that. But what value can you bring to me?"
The fox girl answered in humiliation, "I... I can bear offspring for you!"
Hearing this response, Enzo was slightly stunned. He stood up and instructed Tia, "Tia, take her to clean up, then return to the cave and wait for me."
Tia replied, "Yes, Lord Enzo."
After dealing with the matter concerning the fox girl, Enzo walked out of the cave with a peculiar spherical fruit in his hand, emitting a pungent spicy smell. It was something he took from the fox girl's head. Based on his experience from his previous life, this should be some kind of spice fruit.
Perhaps soon, he could enjoy some spicy grilled meat...
As Enzo pondered, he then called for Ward.
In the Crimson Star Tribe, the priest was the leader of the tribe, while the tribe's warriors served as the leaders and members of the hunting team and vanguard squad. Then there were some people, like the previous Brian, who, due to injuries sustained in battle or existing illnesses, could not handle the intense fighting and had to stay in the camp to build.
This type of people, who occupied the majority of the tribe.
Ward is the manager.
After calling for Ward, Enzo directly isEnzod the command, saying, "Ward, I want you to have people gather enough wild vegetables every day to feed these hoglet piglets. Without my order, no one is allowed to slaughter them, understood?"
"Yes, Lord Priest!" Ward solemnly assured.
However, he was somewhat puzzled and curious, saying, "Lord Enzo, if you want to keep pets, why not have people capture the cubs of the forest sun bears? They are gentle in nature and loyal."
Enzo sighed and scolded, "You fool! Who said anything about keeping pets?"
In primitive times, not only in the Crimson Star Tribe but also in other tribes, people had no concept of domestication.
There was an abundance of food in the forests, and most of the time, they could fill their stomachs unless they encountered unforeseen events. Moreover, life was often tumultuous, with encounters of harsh weather or seasonal changes, leading to migrations for most tribes.
The camp where the Crimson Star Tribe resided had only been set up three months ago.
Only the stone fire basin was considered a tribal heritage and had been retained.
Enzo didn't want his life to become like that. At least until he had enough strength, it was better to be cautious. Therefore, domesticating and raising the hoglet piglets became important.
After being scolded, Ward became fearful and uneasy, as if the sky was falling.
Enzo, feeling helpless, could only say, "Just do as I command."
Ward hastily nodded, and his inner anxiety subsided a bit.
After instructing Ward, Enzo had another thought and had someone call for Heru.
Shortly after, Heru arrived and saluted Enzo, saying, "Lord Priest!"
Enzo asked directly, "Heru, as the leader of the vanguard squad, have you ever seen some white minerals, which animals often lick, giving off a slightly bitter taste?"
Enzo was naturally inquiring about rock salt.
The Crimson Star Tribe, situated in the mountains, could only rely on luck to find rock salt deposits for obtaining large quantities of salt. Once obtained, Enzo would have a way to refine it into edible salt.
Salt was a necessity, and they had to acquire it no matter what.
Lack of sufficient salt intake could lead to fatigue and susceptibility to various diseases. Looking at the records of deaths among the tribe members since Sovita became the priest, it was easy to infer that many died due to insufficient salt intake.
Additionally, salt could be used for food preservation through pickling, allowing food to be stored for extended periods.
After listening to Enzo's description, Heru tried to recall and nodded, saying, "Yes, I have seen it."
He added, "There is such a mineral near a cave about fifty kilometers away from the camp. However, that area is the territory of cave basilisks. During the vanguard squad's exploration, one member was killed by a basilisk. Cave basilisks are extraordinary creatures and live in groups."
The information provided by Heru posed a dilemma for Enzo.
Cave basilisks, being extraordinary creatures that lived in groups, would not be easy to deal with. Therefore, at present, if they wanted to preserve food for a long time, they would have to rely on drying methods.
Otherwise, the abundance of wild boar meat would go to waste. Enzo could only hope that the tribe members had strong enough teeth to bite through completely dehydrated wild boar meat, which was as hard as a stone.
After conveying his orders, the camp residents quickly got busy.
Following Enzo's demonstration, they cut the hoglet piglet meat into strips and hung them on wooden sticks, slowly roasting them over small fires at the base of the sticks. Other tribe members began to follow suit.
Enzo's dagger proved to be very helpful in this process.
The people at the camp had never seen such a powerful weapon before. With just a light stroke, it could easily cut through the rough boarhide and effortlessly divide the meat.
This made Heru very reluctant to return the dagger.
Enzo could tell what was on his mind and thought for a moment before saying, "Heru, the next time the vanguard squad goes out to gather information, pay attention to whether you come across any ore that appears reddish. If you find some, you'll be able to have a weapon like this too."
Heru's breath quickened. "Priest, is what you're saying true?"
Enzo nodded with a smile. "The condition is that you have to find it."
Heru replied loudly, "Priest, I will find it!"
After bidding farewell to Enzo, Heru returned to the camp and called the other members of the vanguard squad. They prepared the necessary supplies for departure. According to the tribe's previous plan, it was time for the vanguard squad to set out. They needed to determine the flow of water in the mountains and any changes in the territories of extraordinary creatures before the rainy season arrived, ensuring the safety of the camp.
After all this activity, Enzo felt a bit tired.
Being a priest was no ordinary task. Fortunately, he had let Sovita share some of the workload; otherwise, after a whole day of busyness, it would have been overwhelming for anyone.
And there were still many things left unfinished.
Enzo didn't rush. The situation in the tribe was still good, and there was plenty of time for development.
He returned to the cave where Tia lived, intending to rest for a moment, when suddenly his eyes lit up.
The fox girl knelt on the animal skins, her slender body exposed without any coverings.
Everything was perfectly displayed. Seeing him return, despite her eyes being red with embarrassment, she managed to suppress it and said, "Master, you're back!"