Chronicles of Primitive Civilization’s Growth

Chapter 29 Into the Swamp (Part 2)

What?

Are you here for a bath?

Clearly, no one would come to a swamp to bathe, and the people in the water were from the Water Caltrop Tribe who lived in this swamp.

The Water Caltrop Tribe was small, with only over 50 people. At that time, the foraging team of the Water Caltrop Tribe was collecting the reserves they needed for the winter—water chestnuts, which have black, bull-head-like shells enclosing white fruits.

Many people have eaten this thing, but few know that water chestnuts actually grow in water, especially in shallow-water swamps. Water chestnuts contain high levels of starch and protein, and are easy to store when dried, making them a staple food for the Water Caltrop Tribe.

At this moment, each member of the Water Caltrop Tribe’s Foraging Team was floating in the water holding a piece of floating wood. Everyone was diligently examining the “aquatic grass” floating on the water, grabbing the leaves to flip them over, revealing the water chestnuts on the root system of the “aquatic grass.”

While they were busy and enjoying their work, a similar figure suddenly appeared in their line of sight. A youth with a topknot adorned with a bone hairpin sat on a mysterious object, floating on the water and gradually drifting towards what the elders called the “Forbidden Land of Death.”

Out of goodwill, the leading figure of the Water Caltrop Tribe Foraging Team, a young adult woman named Lingcao, hurriedly called out to Luo Chong, hoping he would not continue to drift towards the forbidden land, although their tribal language was incomprehensible to him.

Luo Chong only saw surprise and curiosity in her eyes.

In a panic, Lingcao quickly swam towards Luo Chong, shouting while swimming.

Luo Chong, however, was confused, unsure who these people suddenly appearing in the water were or what the woman swimming towards him was intending to do.

In an instant of Luo Chong’s bewilderment, Lingcao had swiftly swum like a fish to Luo Chong’s boat’s side, grabbing his small boat with one hand and pointing to the reed patch covered with lush rice plants, shouting with both an anxious and fearful expression.

Seeing that the other party meant him no harm, Luo Chong eased his tension. However, from the woman’s look, it seemed she didn’t want him to go over there, as if there were some kind of monster in the reed patch.

Luo Chong gestured wildly, opened his mouth widely, showed his teeth, mimicked the claws of a beast with his hands, imitated a wild animal’s call, then pointed to the reed patch.

“Is there a wild beast in there?”

Lingcao shook her head, pointing at Luo Chong, then at that place, and finally at the water, making an action of slowly sinking.

“You’ll sink if you go there.”

Good! This sign language exchange deserves full marks.

Oh, it’s a swamp, but it’s no problem, I’m ready, so I don’t have to worry about it.

After understanding Lingcao’s meaning, Luo Chong was very grateful for her good-hearted warning. Nevertheless, with the necessary preparation, he still intended to make his journey; the rice was right in front of him, how could he turn back at this moment?

Then Luo Chong smiled at Lingcao, indicating that he was fine, and paddled the boat without hesitation, floating towards the reeds.

Lingcao was stunned, immediately shouting to Luo Chong again, but she did not continue swimming forward. She could only warn this stranger as she had her own tribe and her children to think about.

Lingcao looked blankly at Luo Chong’s back, then suddenly she was utterly dumbfounded.

She saw the youth attaching something like planks to the soles of his feet, holding a man-sized square vine shield, and leisurely stepping onto the “Forbidden Land of Death.”

Lingcao couldn’t help but gasp at this sight.

“A god, it must be a god. That boy entered the Forbidden Land of Death but did not sink!”

Accompanying Lingcao’s shout of amazement in her tribal language, the other members of the Water Caltrop Tribe Foraging Team turned their heads to look, and all of them were dumbfounded in the same way.

The Forbidden Land of Death meant countless lives lost in the tribe’s exploration, and the Water Caltrop Tribe had never seen anyone move on the Forbidden Land without sinking.

And though Luo Chong appeared relaxed externally, he knew well that walking through this swamp was far from as easy as it seemed.

There was sticky mud under the reeds. While the foot paddles allowed Luo Chong to not sink into it, the suction force of the mud was strong, requiring considerable effort to pull his feet out each time.

Having no choice, Luo Chong had to revert to his second plan—laying the vine shield on the mud in front of him, then stepping onto it, moving it forward repeatedly, inching painstakingly towards the rice plants.

At this point, the Water Caltrop Tribe’s group seemed to understand the boy’s tactic: stepping on the board to avoid sinking into the muck. This was enough to surprise them, as no one had ever considered this trick before.

After much effort, Luo Chong finally reached the “reed” that grew the rice panicles and began examining it with much delight.

Mixed with grassy marshlands and reeds, the rice plants were easy to overlook if it weren’t for their panicles.

Each rice plant was around two meters tall, some even taller than sorghum and corn, standing firmly against the wind and water. On each plant were panicles over an inch long, full of bountiful grains.

At this moment, the rice plants were ripe, with 95% of them already turned golden yellow, which conveniently helped Luo Chong with his harvest.

Taking out a previously prepared snake skin bag, Luo Chong immediately started pulling off the rice panicles in front of him, cramming them into the snake skin bag.

Seeing Luo Chong constantly busy in the “Forbidden Land of Death,” Lingcao no longer wasted time and quickly began collecting water chestnuts with her tribespeople, occasionally glancing at Luo Chong’s direction curiously.

What is that blue man doing?

“Lincao, what is that person doing? Is he gathering food? Could there be food in the forbidden land?” a young girl who just came of age asked curiously.

Lincao frowned, her eyes flashed coldly, and she strictly admonished: “Don’t get involved in too much. Even if there is food in the forbidden land, it’s not something we can take. Haven’t you forgotten how your younger brother died?”

The girl was startled by Lincao’s stern tone and suddenly became aggrieved. But then she remembered how her younger brother had sunk into the swamp while trying to get bird nests, and her tears flowed uncontrollably.

That day, they had gone out together to gather food. The girl’s younger brother noticed many bird nests on the ground in the meadow filled with big, round eggs. Laughing, he walked towards the meadow, saying he would fetch some eggs for his sister to eat as a treat.

But when he reached the meadow, he suddenly sank down. The mud swiftly covered his waist. Panicked, the boy struggled desperately and called out to his sister for help. The girl was held back by fellow tribespeople, and could only watch helplessly as her younger brother helplessly and despondently sunk into the meadow.

Since then, the Water Caltrop Tribe marked yet another forbidden land.

Seeing the girl crying uncontrollably, another middle-aged woman consoled her quickly.

“Don’t cry. Your younger brother was a good child. Without him, we wouldn’t have discovered that place, he’s a hero of the tribe.”

Lincao also felt she had spoken out of turn by mentioning her younger brother. She glanced in Luo Chong’s direction and quickly changed the subject.

“Look at what he’s sitting on, how does it float on the water? It looks so magical. Why don’t we ask him later if he would share how to make such a thing? Then we won’t have to stay in the water all the time.”

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads to look at Luo Chong’s small boat.

(Chapter end)