Chronicles of Primitive Civilization’s Growth

Chapter 27: Deep into the Swamp (Part 1)

Who knows how excited, wronged, and homesick Luo Chong felt when he saw the rice. It made him burst into tears. A man doesn’t cry easily, unless he’s deeply hurt.

Here was a fine young man who hadn’t even married yet and had died, then inexplicably ended up in this cursed place, transformed into an Ancient People. Without Vegetable Oil, vegetables, seasonings, Iron Pot, Rice or wheat flour, all he ate day in and day out was either roasted meat or meat soup. He was almost sick of it.

Though eating meat every day was something he could get used to, that didn’t mean he didn’t crave some staple food.

Luo Chong wiped away his tears, slapped his head, and realized that rice came from paddy fields, and wild paddy fields should naturally grow in swamps. Swamps were nature’s best natural paddy fields. Why hadn’t he thought of this earlier?

Finding them was an instinctive decision. How could Luo Chong ignore the first grain crop he discovered in this world?

The rice in the goose’s stomach had already had its outer shell corroded, revealing the inner grains. Luo Chong didn’t know if such seeds could still be planted, so he must find intact rice seeds.

Moreover, he had never seen this kind of rice before; each grain was slightly larger than mung beans. Perhaps it wasn’t polished by modern machinery, but one grain was equivalent to two or three modern grains. But he absolutely believed it was rice.

After finishing the roasted goose, there was no time to rest at night. Luo Chong was busily making equipment for venturing deep into the swamp. He had to harvest those rice grains before the animals did. Even if he could collect just one more grain, it would turn into hundreds next year.

Using available materials in the mangrove forest, he chopped down some two-centimeter-diameter long branches and saplings with a Stone Axe, binding them into a spindle-shaped dugout canoe frame, pointed at both ends and wider in the middle. The bottom was wrapped with a large silver lungfish skin. Since fish skin is waterproof, wrapping it around the wooden frame created a makeshift canoe.

Considering it needed to carry quite a bit, it was made relatively large: four and a half meters long and about eighty centimeters wide, divided into three compartments – front, middle, and back. The middle was for sitting, while the ends were for placing items. This was also the maximum size the fish skin could accommodate, using the diagonal length of the rectangular fish skin as the boat’s length.

This type of dugout canoe was very light, easily carried in one hand. He had made similar ones before, but back then, he used plastic sheets and willow branches; now, he used fish skin. Such a simple dugout canoe could even be made with cling film, simply by adding a couple of extra layers, allowing it to carry people, proving it to be extremely simple and practical.

He also wove some fine tree vines into several vine paddles. Two smaller ones, fifty centimeters long and thirty centimeters wide, were tied to his feet with ropes to walk in the swamp. Binding his feet in these makeshift flippers, with only twenty centimeters between them, though a bit awkward, didn’t hinder walking and reduced pressure, ensuring he wouldn’t sink into the swamp, which was the key.

There was also a larger vine paddle, half a meter wide and one and a half meters long, serving as the final safeguard. If he accidentally fell, he could place this large vine paddle under his body, surely saving his life.

After completing these tasks, Luo Chong checked the equipment while fencing for the Blue Horse Antelope. The fence was simple, just setting up a few Wooden Piles and laying some crossbeams.

The makeshift sheepfold had pasture grass and a stream, enough for them to eat for the day. He wouldn’t stay in the swamp until nightfall.

The next morning, Luo Chong drank a bowl of goose meat soup in the morning mist, cut some six-meter-high sweet elephant grass for Wu Da and Xi Men, picked up his makeshift canoe, and set off.

He found a deeper spot to place the canoe, rowing in a reversed Y shape with a makeshift paddle wrapped in snake skin, heading towards the depths of the swamp wetlands.

Meanwhile, in the Dark Forest, the Tree Tribe, led by Da Shu, was capturing Snow Rabbits. Now they hunted not only at night but also during the day.

Because they had promised Luo Chong to help catch live snow rabbits, they also needed to store food for winter. Although Luo Chong had promised to exchange other prey, what if he didn’t? What they held in their hands was truly theirs. It wasn’t that Da Shu didn’t trust Luo Chong; as the Chief, he absolutely couldn’t risk the lives of his clan members.

To meet Luo Chong’s needs and those of their own tribe, almost the entire Tree Tribe mobilized, leaving only the Elders and children under six years old behind to guard the home. Others were either catching rabbits or collecting mushrooms and some grass that snow rabbits liked, which was reserved for feeding the rabbits.

Da Shu, aiming to increase production, was no longer satisfied with luring rabbits with food. He resorted to forceful measures, digging up rabbit holes, burning them out with fire and smoke. Indeed, he caught quite a few, including several nests of newly born baby rabbits.

This outcome was unexpected by Luo Chong, otherwise, he would have surely thanked Da Shu greatly. But what was even more unforeseen was that Da Shu encountered some enemies while hunting.

In autumn, no matter what tribe it was, they all stored food, and the cannibal tribes were no exception. Their food was humans, living humans. Men could be eaten, women could be kept to bear children or work. Humans, as animals, lacked sharp fangs and claws, thick and sturdy fur, and couldn’t run fast, making them easy to catch.

On the day Luo Chong ventured deep into the swamp, a hunting team from a cannibal tribe encountered Da Shu’s group. This team consisted entirely of adult males, numbering forty people, and they even rode two Fear Elephants. The elephants were small, barely taller than a person, still immature, probably captured and raised from a young age.

Their weapons were all Stone Axes and wooden spears, making them formidable fighters. Compared to them, the Tree Tribe, even with all their men, women, and children combined, were far fewer in number, let alone facing fully grown adult males.

The reason for the encounter was the firelight Da Shu used to burn the rabbit holes, which attracted them.

Facing such powerful enemies, Da Shu immediately chose to flee. Joking aside, would they fight head-on with mere sticks? One axe could kill you instantly, let alone with the terrifying Fear Elephants.

Da Shu relied on his familiarity with the terrain to gather his clansmen and escape. The cannibal tribe pursued them relentlessly. Da Shu deliberately chose difficult paths, temporarily preventing the enemy from catching up, but some people fell behind.

A nine-year-old girl who had come out to pick mushrooms tripped over a tree root due to fear and fell behind. She was struck by a flying axe on her back and then stabbed to death by the pursuing enemy. The savage cannibals laughed wildly as they gathered around to drink her blood.

Da Shu watched with red eyes, his teeth grinding audibly, but he didn’t stop. He knew he was no match for them. Even if the whole tribe fought together, they would only end up being slaughtered.

Because of the dead little girl, the enemy’s pursuit finally paused for a moment. Da Shu quickly returned to the tribe’s treehouse and informed the Tree Elder of the situation.

The enemy was too strong, impossible to defeat. The only option was relocation. But they had lived in this Dark Forest for generations. Where could they go? They didn’t know much about the outside world.

Wooden Bucket suggested seeking Luo Chong. Luo Chong had left a feathered arrow, saying they could seek his help if they were in trouble. Moreover, judging from the weapons Luo Chong used, his tribe should be very powerful.

Da Shu agreed with this suggestion, but they had no idea where Luo Chong’s tribe was, only knowing it was on the other side of the river. How could they possibly call for reinforcements?

As the enemy was about to attack their home, the Tree Elder made the final decision: Da Shu would lead the clansmen eastward into the Dark Forest to find Luo Chong, while he stayed behind to hold off the enemy. After all, he was nearing the end of his life and couldn’t move anyway, so he wouldn’t burden the clansmen.

Da Shu sorrowfully nodded and hurriedly prepared luggage for the journey.

Each member of the Tree Tribe wore Animal Skins and carried only a small amount of dried meat. They couldn’t take much more. All the Wooden Buckets in the tribe were packed, as containers were the most valuable items. The buckets also contained many live rabbits, specifically requested by Luo Chong. Da Shu hoped Luo Chong would help them for the sake of these rabbits, which served as a bargaining chip.

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