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Translator: Silavin
As dawn was just breaking, all the slaves in the Black Snake Tribe had already risen and started working.
This was their daily routine in the Black Snake Tribe – beginning work before daybreak and continuing until complete darkness. They could only stop when everyone else was asleep. It was only then that they could rest.
Day after day, it was always the same. But for the sake of that one meal with meat at noon, they had no complaints.
At this moment, a man who looked to be in his early twenties was leading several slaves, preparing to leave the Black Snake Tribe.
*Tap, tap, tap…* “Da Shan, looks like you didn’t sleep well last night,” Another young man asked.
“Yeah, I was too hungry last night, and couldn’t sleep.” the man called Da Shan responded.
Da Shan was originally from the Flame Dragon Tribe. He was just an ordinary person. When the Black Snake Tribe attacked the Flame Dragon Tribe, he was too slow to escape and was captured. That was how he landed in his current state, a slave.
“Me too, I was starving last night, but I gritted my teeth and slept anyway. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any energy today,” Said the man who spoke first.
“Ah Hu, I remember you were sneaking a few berries with you last night, right? You’re still hungry after that?” Da Shan rolled his eyes.
Ah Hu shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile, “Can’t help it. I secretly picked them when I went to fetch water yesterday. I was just too hungry.”
The first person who spoke was called Ah Hu. He was with Da Shan. They were both from the Flame Dragon Tribe and of similar age. Since they were of the same Tribe and got captured together as slaves, the two had grown quite close to one another.
“Alright, stop talking. Let’s go fetch water quickly, or we’ll get scolded again.” Da Shan resignedly said.
Ah Hu scanned the surroundings and said, “This time, you need to look around you carefully. Many berries are edible. You can secretly pick some to eat when you’re hungry at night.”
“You must be crazy. They search us every time we come back.” Da Shan grabbed the other’s hand and whispered, bending down, “If they find out we’re hiding berries, they’ll definitely cut off our fingers.”
He was a cautious and careful person, always following the rules in everything he did. This was why he had managed to stay safe in the Black Snake Tribe for so long, even becoming the leader of the water-fetching team.
Moreover, the incident of picking berries had happened before. Someone was so hungry that they secretly picked a few berries while out fetching water. However, when they returned, the Totem Warriors at the outskirts of the Tribe discovered the berries during a body search. As a result, that person had a hand cut off. With only one hand left, it became inconvenient to do anything, and within a few days, that person was killed by the Black Snake Tribe.
“It’s fine, it depends on how you hide them. If you hide them poorly, of course you’ll be discovered.” Ah Hu rolled his eyes.
He was optimistic and opportunistic . Even as a slave, he could still think of ways to liven up his mood
Intrigued by Ah Hu’s words, Da Shan asked curiously, “We’re only wearing leaves. How are you going to hide them?”
Slaves had no right to wear Animal Hide clothes. They only had some leaves covering their important parts.
Ah Hu whispered a few words in Da Shan’s ear, then raised his eyebrows and said, “Just do as I say, and you won’t get discovered.”
Da Shan’s eyes widened in surprise as he said, “You rascal! I can’t believe you came up with such a method.”
Ah Hu shrugged and said, “Hey, it’s all for filling our stomachs, right?”
“Okay, let’s do as you say. Let’s just hope we don’t get caught,” Da Shan helplessly agreed to it.
Originally, he did not want to do this, thinking it was better to be cautious and careful while they wait for a chance to escape in the future.
However, the hunger pangs every night were really unbearable. When hungry, he could not sleep. When one could not sleep, they would have no energy the next day. This vicious cycle was truly torturous.
“En, let’s go,” Ah Hu nodded.
They walked to the outskirts of the Black Snake Tribe. The patrolling Totem Warriors did not stop them, letting them leave directly.
Of course, the reason these slaves were not stopped, and each was carrying a water bucket, was because they were all going to fetch water from the lake in the forest. The Totem Warriors naturally would not interfere with them doing their task.
They also were not worried about them leaving, because once they left the Tribe, who would give them meat to eat?
They were neither Totem Warriors nor Warrior Trainees. Even if they ran away, it would be a dead end for them.
This had happened before. In fact, the escaped slaves returned to the Tribe within a couple of days.
However, returning to the Tribe did not mean they were safe. The punishment they received was very severe. They would have one or two fingers or toes chopped off as punishment, to deter them from trying such things again.
Over time, no one dared to do such things anymore. Firstly, if they ran away, they could not Hunt, and would eventually starve to death. Secondly, everyone would succumb to hunger and definitely run back to the Tribe, only to face cruel punishment upon their return.
Ah Hu had only walked a few steps when he kept turning back to look at the Totem Warriors. He asked, “Da Shan, what do you think life would be like if we hadn’t been captured?”
He started to recall his life in the Flame Dragon Tribe. Although they had to work every day, at least they were free people.
“Maybe we would be Warrior Trainees by now, probably still in training.” Da Shan smiled bitterly.
At their age, they should be at the stage of being selected to become Warrior Trainees.
Of course, the first batch of Warrior Trainees was selected at 15 years old. If they did not get chosen then, they had to wait until they were 20 or older.
At 20, it was the selection for the second batch of Warrior Trainees. If they could not become a Warrior Trainee at this time, they might never have the chance to become a Totem Warrior in their lifetime.
“Do you think we would have become Warrior Trainees?” Ah Hu suddenly asked with curiosity.
Da Shan moved his neck, stiff from the poor sleep last night, and said, “It’s hard to say.”
After all, they had failed the first selection, and the chances of failing the second selection were quite high.
People with talent could be identified around the age of 15, but if they did not have the talent, even at 20, they could not be selected.
“Haaa… here’s no use thinking about all this. I wonder how those that escaped are doing now?” Ah Hu nostalgically asked.
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