Chapter 62: The Staple Food of the Konghua Tribe

Chapter 62: The Staple Food of the Air Tribe

Li Hongshen and his companions, upon entering the Eastern Forest, first encountered a patrol from the Air Tribe circling the outskirts. Fortunately, Li Hongshen had let Li Bingbing walk at the front as soon as they arrived, thus avoiding an arrow shot in their direction.

The patrol members all wore leather armor and short leather boots, wielded longbows, and carried bone blades at their waists. The leading female warrior was even accompanied by a forest bear. But this did not surprise Li Hongshen; a lord who possessed spirit honey would certainly have a fierce bear—this was standard practice.

“This is Sophia, my captain of the warriors. This is Bear One, our tribe’s battle companion,” Li Bingbing introduced. “This is Li Hongshen, the patriarch of Hong Tribe and the ally I invited to deal with the Wild Tribe.”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Li Hongshen quietly led his people to follow them into the tribe. The Air Tribe’s settlement had an exotic charm; the warriors behind Li Hongshen were like country bumpkins entering a grand estate, gawking around, barely restraining themselves from reaching out to touch everything.

The Air Tribe was located on the eastern edge of the Eastern Forest. The camp was filled with trees, seamlessly blending with the surrounding woodland; it was impossible to tell where Li Bingbing’s territory ended and the Eastern Forest began.

Within the camp, there was a mountain spring and two wells, more than sufficient to supply the tribe’s water needs. The houses were built among the trees, with few sharp corners—everything appeared rounded and smooth. Beautiful relief carvings adorned the walls, so exquisite that even Li Hongshen felt the urge to run his hands over them.

Only the roads were paved with stone slabs; everywhere else, vibrant flowers and herbs flourished. Pale blue spirit bees flitted among them, diligently gathering nectar like little faeries.

These faeries, upon seeing their lord return, gathered along the main road to welcome her, casting curious glances at Li Hongshen and his party.

The elves of the Air Tribe did not have the long, pointed ears of traditional elves—just a slight tip. Their skin was a faint pink, and their azure eyes were as captivating as the sea. Their hair was a tawny yellow, shining golden under the sunlight—their overall beauty was striking.

When Li Bingbing finished greeting her people, she led Li Hongshen deeper into the camp. At this point, Li Hongshen broke the spell of wonder with a practical question.

“My friend, I’ve noticed your territory lacks basic textile works. Only a few of your people wear leather clothing; most are still wrapped in leather robes. Would you like to order more cloth? I take custom orders—you design, I make, guaranteed to be exquisite and durable, and the price is fair.

Also, I haven’t seen what you plant for staple food. What do you usually eat? Would you like to buy some crop seeds? I recommend potatoes—they can be made into fries, chunks, mashed, slices, shreds, or diced. They work as both a dish and a staple.”

Li Bingbing glanced at Li Hongshen, then turned and walked ahead. “No need, thank you. My people aren’t that delicate; there’s no need for such fine clothing. As for the staple, you’ll see soon enough. And keep your potatoes—I think they’re more suited to someone like you.”

With that, she fell silent, striding forward without another word to Li Hongshen until they reached an open space within the camp.

“This is the place. You and your people can camp here for now. Shortly, food will be brought for you, and then you’ll see what our staple is. It’s getting late, so let’s leave things here for today. I still have government affairs to handle, so I won’t keep you company. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss how to deal with the Wild Tribe.”

She turned to leave, but after a few steps, paused again.

“Though it may be unnecessary, I want to remind you: you’ve read the rules and laws between new lords in the civilization, haven’t you? Malicious attacks and seizing another lord’s altar are strictly forbidden in the Endless Wilds. I brought you into my territory because I trust you—don’t do anything to disappoint me. I’m sure you understand?”

“I do, I do, of course I do. Don’t worry; I’m a law-abiding citizen and would never break the rules.”

“Good.”

Watching Li Bingbing leave, Li Hongshen mused to himself, “She’s beautiful, but her personality is a bit cold and prideful—just not my type. Ah, Fuzhen, I miss you!”

As for Li Bingbing’s warning, Li Hongshen didn’t take it to heart. He had never considered doing such things—he wasn’t one to court death or make deadly enemies needlessly.

In the early days of the Endless Wilds, the rules were not as thorough as they are now, especially between new lords. The laws were much more lenient. This led to some new lords deliberately targeting others, oppressing and suppressing newcomers, sometimes even expelling them from the Endless Wilds or seizing their altars and killing their people.

At that time, groups were sorted by school zones, and only later would they face external competition. This made the early stages a hotbed for school-based bullying—the age of lords became the era of campus bullying, with the situation growing worse as time passed.

Initially, the higher-ups paid little attention. Some incidents were suppressed by the parents of bullies before reaching the authorities. Eventually, things spiraled out of control.

It wasn’t until a major crisis broke out on the front lines that the issue finally drew widespread attention and decisive action. The front-line cities were under enemy assault. Three cities fell in succession, creating a massive breach in the defenses. Fortunately, the military’s intelligence system responded swiftly. Just after the three cities fell and their lords perished, an alliance leader arrived in time to seal the breach, preventing catastrophic losses.

Upon investigation after the crisis, it turned out that the very person whose actions had caused the crisis was also the one who provided the critical intelligence that minimized the damage. He made no attempt to conceal his motives.

The lords of the three destroyed cities had been his high school classmates. They had bullied him for years, ultimately taking over his altar and destroying the fruits of more than two years’ labor—his people were slaughtered. Unable to attend university, he was forced into vocational school, but he refused to give up, enlisted in the army, and through ability and perseverance, rose to manage logistics for some front-line cities.

When those three former bullies arrived under his management, the old wounds reopened. Unable to restrain his anger, he sabotaged their support in the ensuing battle: no supplies, no reinforcements, no replacements. Yet, not wishing to let the legion or the alliance suffer irreparable losses, he reported the situation at just the right moment, ensuring the breach could still be sealed.

As events played out exactly as he’d foreseen—the three were killed, the breach was closed, and he faced judgment from civilization. Yet he felt at peace. In his confession, he wrote that he had always known the price he would pay for his actions. The fire of revenge had tormented him for years, but now it was finally extinguished, and he could rest.

This incident rocked civilization to its core. The highest authorities made a decisive ruling: “School bullying is strictly forbidden. Campus infighting must be prevented, and retaliation is not allowed. The Endless Wilds is for healthy competition, not mutual slaughter—it was created to train new lords, not to breed venom. From now on, if bullying occurs, the civilization police can intervene. If verified, students, parents, teachers, and principals will all be punished accordingly.”

With this, the atmosphere in the Endless Wilds improved, hostility between new lords diminished, and each could pursue development with some peace of mind. Though bullying still occurred occasionally, it was swiftly controlled and severely punished.

This was why Li Bingbing felt safe letting Li Hongshen into her territory, and why new lords could form alliances amicably.

Thus, Li Hongshen would never do anything to violate his own morals or break the rules. He settled peacefully in the Air Tribe, scrupulously observing their customs without a single thought of overstepping.

Not long after Li Bingbing left, several elf warriors brought food—ferocious beast meat, vegetables, fruits, and, to Li Hongshen’s surprise, an exceptional staple.

Seeing the staple food before him, Li Hongshen felt as though he’d been gently slapped in the face—it was a subtle show of strength from Li Bingbing, a reminder of her tribe’s prowess and resources.

The staple was breadfruit, from the breadfruit tree—a top-tier spirit crop, specially engineered by agricultural experts and planted throughout the Endless Wilds as a staple food.

Unlike the breadfruit of his previous world, this variety resembled a banana, with a peel that, once removed, revealed snow-white flesh within. Its texture and taste were similar to bread, hence the name.

With ample water, these trees matured rapidly, flowering in one month, fruiting the next, yielding six harvests per year.

Breadfruit was highly nutritious and filling—a single fruit could sustain an ordinary person for two to three days, and a warrior for at least one.

Almost every new lord in the Endless Wilds grew it, though the quantities varied. Still, such a precious food shouldn’t have appeared in this place so soon. It was usually traded for only at the periphery, so its presence in Li Bingbing’s territory puzzled Li Hongshen greatly. Had he encountered a legendary wealthy heiress?

The question lingered until the next day. When Li Bingbing came to see him that morning, Li Hongshen couldn’t help but blurt out the question that had kept him up all night, hoping as well to trade for some breadfruit seeds to plant back home.