I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 934: The Wise Old Shaman
The man who spoke up to express this idea looked very strong.
As he spoke, he raised a somewhat dazzling weapon high above his head and, at the same time, pulled off the ropes around his body, loosening the animal skins wrapped around him to reveal his body beneath.
He was using this display to show the tribe his strength and the might of their tribe.
Although, because of the cold, some parts of his body contracted once the animal skins were removed, this didn’t prevent him from continuing his display.
The meaning behind his words and actions drew audible agreement from many.
Yes—their tribe was strong, and they even had sharp weapons obtained from another tribe. So why couldn’t their tribe raid the newly emerged tribe that possessed precious pottery and salt?
If they did, all those items would belong to their tribe!
Inside the treehouse, the elderly Shaman sat quietly, staring at the exquisite pottery before him and the precious salt within it, lost in thought. He heard the growing chorus of shouts from below.
His drooping eyelids suddenly opened, and his whole demeanor turned angry.
“#￥W@3!”
He rose and went to the open window of the treehouse, sticking his head out, and shouted angrily at the people below. The crowd, which had just been stirred into excitement, immediately fell silent.
The man who had raised his weapon froze for a moment, then quickly lowered it, picked up the rope from the ground, rewound the animal skins around himself, shrank his neck down, and walked off pretending as if nothing had happened.
The sight was somewhat comical, but no one laughed.
The elderly Shaman huffed softly, withdrew his head from the window, returned to the pottery with the salt, and resumed sitting, staring at the two items in deep thought.
The hunchbacked primitive dared not disturb him and quietly waited across from him for the Shaman to make a decision.
After a while, the aged Shaman lifted his drooping eyelids once more.
“#￥5@#…”
He spoke slowly.
What he conveyed was that the hunchbacked primitive should wait a bit longer, then set out again to that region to find the tribe that was doing the same kind of work as theirs.
“￥#%T…”
Once they understood the Shaman’s instructions, the hunchbacked primitive asked him what to do when they found that tribe, whether they were truly supposed to raid them.
The Shaman was silent for a moment, then shook his head and spoke again.
He told the hunchbacked primitive that when they found that tribe, they should not attack them. Instead, they were to observe whether that tribe could produce the two items on their own.
If they couldn’t, the hunchbacked primitive would then follow them to find the tribe capable of producing these precious items.
“￥@@#3…”
The hunchbacked primitive asked again, inquiring whether they were to attack that tribe to seize their possessions and bring back the people who could create these precious items.
“@#Ii…”
The Shaman shook his head and pointed in a direction.
That direction led to another powerful tribe.
The pottery, salt, and sharp weapons of their tribe had all been exchanged with that tribe.
The Shaman meant that the tribe capable of producing such items was extremely strong. The newly emerged tribe, able to produce items even finer than those from the familiar strong tribe, would likely be even stronger.
Such a tribe could not be defeated by its own tribe.
Hearing the wise Shaman’s words and recalling the tribe they often traded with, the hunchbacked primitive shivered involuntarily.
Indeed—how had they forgotten this?
Luckily, they had the wise Shaman. Otherwise, they and their tribe might have made a grave mistake this time, possibly even endangering their entire tribe.
“#￥5@3…”
Seeing the hunchbacked primitive’s reaction, the elderly Shaman smiled, pleased with both his own wisdom and their obedience.
He continued speaking, once more pointing toward the direction he had indicated earlier.
The hunchbacked primitive listened attentively, gradually revealing expressions of joy and admiration.
They were pleased with the prospects for their tribe and deeply respected the Shaman’s wisdom.
The Shaman’s plan was brilliant—far beyond anything they had previously imagined.
The Shaman’s instructions were that once they located a tribe doing the same work as theirs, they would be able to find the tribe capable of producing exquisite pottery.
Then, their tribe would trade food and other goods to obtain the fine pottery and delicious salt.
After that, the tribe could use these newly acquired items to trade with other nearby tribes for food.
When the hunchbacked primitive thought that, upon finding that tribe, they would no longer need to trade with the nearby strong tribe, the elderly Shaman spoke again, pointing once more toward that tribe.
“#￥@#34…”
The Shaman spoke slowly, conveying his intentions.
The hunchbacked primitive, originally seated, could no longer sit still once they understood the Shaman’s plan.
Full of excitement, they quickly stood, placing their hands together in a gesture of respect toward the Shaman.
It wasn’t mere etiquette—it was because the Shaman’s plan was so tempting and feasible that it was impossible not to feel admiration.
Under the Shaman’s guidance, they realized that the pottery and salt they acquired in the first exchange could be used to trade with the strong neighboring tribe, earning even more food.
At first, the hunchbacked primitive hadn’t fully grasped this strategy, but once they did, they were thrilled.
They knew the wealth and strength of the nearby tribe firsthand—they had so much food that combining all the small tribes’ supplies wouldn’t compare.
Previously, their tribe had traded food with the wealthy tribe to obtain pottery and salt, and then used the obtained pottery to trade with smaller tribes for more food.
Much of that food ended up back with the wealthy tribe.
They had never thought of using pottery and other items to trade back for food from the strong tribe.
But now, the situation had changed.
Recalling the abundance of food in that wealthy tribe and imagining using exquisite pottery to obtain it for their own tribe brought the hunchbacked primitive such joy that their bodies trembled slightly.
The Shaman truly was a Shaman—wise and far-sighted.
Without his guidance, they could never have conceived such a plan.
“#￥4@#…”
The hunchbacked primitive spoke excitedly, expressing their desire to lead people and the food obtained from this exchange back to the area where the exquisite pottery had been found, to locate the tribe capable of making it.
They could hardly wait to use the fine pottery to trade for food from the strong tribe.
“#￥4@3…”
The elderly Shaman shook his head again.
He told the hunchbacked primitive not to be so hasty.
The most important task now was to take the food obtained from this exchange to the nearby strong tribe and trade it for pottery and salt.
Then, carrying these less valuable items, they could proceed to the area where the exquisite pottery had appeared.
This way, even if they failed to locate a tribe capable of producing fine pottery, they could still trade ordinary pottery and salt with smaller tribes.
Additionally, this would serve as a test—the nearby strong tribe could see the fine pottery and salt and decide if they were willing to exchange substantial amounts of food for them.
If the wealthy neighboring tribe didn’t value these items and refused to trade food for them, then exchanging so much food for pottery and salt could have been a disaster.
There was no doubt—the elderly Shaman earned the respect and admiration of the entire tribe for good reason.
Even this careful consideration alone was far beyond the reach of most people of their era.
Once he understood the Shaman’s plan, the hunchbacked primitive respectfully bowed to the elderly Shaman once again…
They left the Shaman’s private wooden house and climbed up to their own treehouses.
As the sun set and the sky darkened, the tribe began preparing dinner.
Because they lived in treehouses, they couldn’t light fires inside.
Meals were cooked on the ground below.
Every time they cooked, the elderly Shaman would come down from his wooden house to watch the tribe prepare food.
Not because he particularly enjoyed the sight, nor because he was impatient to eat, and certainly not out of fear that someone might steal a bite.
Rather, it was because the smoke from cooking rose steadily, and staying in the treehouse often caused him to cough, with tears and snot streaming down…
Tonight, because the hunchbacked primitive had returned with a large quantity of food, the evening meal was especially abundant.
Also, although there was no wind tonight, many of the trees supporting the treehouses swayed gently—except for the treehouse where the elderly Shaman lived.
The Shaman’s window was half-open, with pale moonlight shining through and illuminating a small patch inside.
In that light sat a pottery bowl containing salt.
The Shaman remained in the darkness nearby, his eyes fixed on these two items bathed in moonlight.
His mind was cluttered, thinking of many things—the nearby strong tribe, the instructions he had given to the hunchbacked primitive, and speculation about the unknown new tribe.
Before today, he had never imagined that a tribe even stronger than the nearby wealthy tribe could exist.
But now, seeing these exquisite items, he had to consider the possibility.
He could think of no other tribe capable of producing such items except one stronger than the nearby tribe.
After sitting and contemplating for some time, the elderly Shaman rose, closing the partially open window to keep out the moonlight and chill.
As night deepened, the occasional sound of swaying trees disappeared.
The livestock, tied with ropes in the enclosed area beneath the trees, had not yet rested.
Some lay on the ground, some stood, slowly chewing.
White foam formed at their mouths as they chewed.
Over time, the foam would break and turn into liquid, dripping to the ground in thin streams…
The Shaman’s plan was indeed exciting. Since most of the tribe’s food came from trade, the next day the hunchbacked primitive began preparations.
They left half of the food brought back in the tribe, loading the rest onto animals that had already eaten and drunk.
Some people also carried portions on their backs.
After a brief preparation, they departed under the watchful eyes of the elderly Shaman, heading in a specific direction…
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