Chapter 19: Chapter 14: Beggar-Style Raid
After finishing the tedious preparations, Luh Yao could finally get back to playing *God Simulator*.
The top-right corner of the game interface showed: Population 254, Faith 21.
The Garlic Tribe’s population was growing much slower than Luh Yao had expected. It wasn’t that the pixel people lacked enthusiasm for procreation—they had given birth to some babies, but most of them died in infancy. Few survived to adulthood.
Things had improved since the early days.
In the beginning, the survival rate for infants was less than ten percent. Now, Luh Yao estimated it was around thirty percent.
The high infant mortality rate, apart from infrastructure issues the tribe couldn’t fix overnight, was mainly due to the lack of a doctor or a Pharmacist.
The Garlic Tribe’s only doctor was the Shaman, who had to cover the entire tribe’s medical needs by himself.
...
[Shaman Lv2] Hunter
Attack 0, Defense 0, Knowledge 1, Mana 1, Luck 0, Morale 1
[Abilities]
Healing Technique Lv2: Can treat various illnesses and injuries. Healing effectiveness is dependent on the ability’s level, Knowledge, and Mana.
...
As new lives were born, old ones faded away.
Untreated injuries and death from old age were the primary reasons for population decline. The dead pixel people were buried in the forest by the others, returning them to the earth and nature.
This had been a custom of the old Forest Tribe, and it was continued by the new Garlic Tribe.
After winter ended, a particularly hot summer soon arrived.
The entire game screen was filled with a faint yellow light. Large patches of grass had dried up and turned yellow. The water level of the river to the east had dropped, revealing more of its banks.
All the little people in the tribe had steam rising from their heads, a sign of their suffering in the extreme heat. They usually hid in their huts, only venturing out to farm and hunt in the morning and evening when it was cooler.
The scorching sun and persistent drought led the little people to gather around the Divine Hall and pray once more.
"Lord Yao God, please grant us rain!"
"We can’t stand the heat! If this keeps up, the wheat and garlic will wither, and we’ll all die."
"Merciful Yao God, great Yao God, please save us!"
Luh Yao didn’t hesitate. He immediately spent 10 points of Faith and cast the Miracle [Rainfall].
The long-awaited rain fell upon the parched land, causing the tribe’s pixel people to cheer loudly in praise of their God.
But at that moment, the Prophet and the Shaman were in discussion.
"Our God sent rain to relieve the heat. But we cannot endlessly ask for His help. As God’s servants, we have received too much and done too little."
"This hot weather might return. The land is dry, making it difficult for the wheat and garlic to grow in the fields. We must use this opportunity, while our God has granted us rain, to come up with a long-term, reliable solution."
The two Wise Men of the tribe racked their brains, but came up with nothing.
So Luh Yao guided them to the riverbank.
The Shaman paced back and forth along the riverbank, and suddenly, a lightbulb appeared over his head.
"I’ve got it! We can dig a channel to divert water from the river. That will make it easier to fetch water. Plus, we can use it to store rainwater when it falls."
The two immediately rallied the entire Garlic Tribe, gathering all available manpower to dig the channel.
The pixel people worked from dawn to dusk, digging the channel. Bit by bit, they diverted the river to the edge of their farmland, where they dug a small pond. They then channeled the water back into the river on the other side, ensuring the water in the channel was fresh and flowing.
New notifications popped up on the game interface.
[The Garlic Tribe has learned about channels, understanding Irrigation and drainage.]
[The Garlic Tribe has learned Irrigation. Farmland yield has increased.]
[By mastering a new technology, the Garlic Tribe has gained prestige among other tribes.]
The drought continued.
After completing the rudimentary channel, the Garlic Tribe still suffered from the intense heat, but their basic needs for drinking water and Irrigation were secured. The pixel people’s mood stabilized as a result.
In the midst of this long drought, the Barbarian Tribe attacked for the third time.
A total of thirty-two Barbarians participated in the attack. Excluding their tribe’s old, weak, and sick, this was essentially a raid with their full strength.
"Hand over your water and food! You vile heretics!"
"Take their water and food!"
"Don’t resist!"
"Hungry, hungry! Thirsty, thirsty!"
The Barbarian Tribe looked ferocious, but the slogans they shouted made Luh Yao laugh.
’They can’t even feed themselves, and they’re still calling others heretics?’
’They don’t even know how to beg properly. You have to kneel first if you want anything.’
The Garlic Tribe of today had no fear of an attack on this scale. Their Hunters, armed with bows and arrows, easily shot down the Barbarian warriors.
In this battle, twelve Barbarians were killed, and the remaining twenty were captured.
It seemed they had completely lost their wits, driven to desperate measures by the drought.
The Barbarian Tribe lived more like mountain nomads, skilled at Hunting and raiding. During this prolonged drought, they had completely lost their food supply, and their water sources had become extremely scarce.
So they had no choice but to return to their old ways, coming down from the mountains to raid in a desperate search for survival.
With just a little persuasion from the Shaman, the Barbarians immediately surrendered. They proclaimed their desire to join the Garlic Tribe, shouting that they would never betray them.
This made Luh Yao suspect they had planned to defect to the Garlic Tribe all along.
It was just that the simple-minded Barbarians didn’t know how to get the Garlic Tribe to accept them. ’Of course,’ Luh Yao mused, ’it could also be their warrior’s pride. Surrendering after a fight probably seems more honorable to them.’
The Barbarians spoke of their tribe’s current situation.
"It’s too hot. A lot of people in the tribe died."
"The tribe has no food left. Everyone is starving, and there’s no water. We’re so thirsty... And the Demon lord still demands Sacrificial Offerings."
"Our Hero was eaten by the Demon as a Sacrificial Offering."
"We tried raiding everywhere, but we couldn’t win. A lot of our people died."
"So in the end, we came here."
Their words indirectly confirmed Luh Yao’s suspicions.
Demon Jack wasn’t a management-focused player. To him, the Barbarian Tribe was just a tool. He couldn’t care less how the Barbarians lived; he only forced them to hunt for prey to be sacrificed, not even sparing their own Barbarian Hero.
The Barbarian Tribe was now a tribe in name only.
Luh Yao had been planning to wait out the dry season and then find a time to completely wipe out the Barbarian Tribe. He never expected them to collapse on their own under the extreme climate. When faced with the indiscriminate power of nature, survival came down to which group could adapt better.
At least that was one major worry taken care of.
Luh Yao rolled his neck and stretched.
Isabel, who was beside him, suddenly looked out the window. Her voice was grave. "My lord, the scent of a Demon."
"A Demon?"
Luh Yao walked to the window and looked outside.
The alley and street were empty. It was late, and with recent reports of a pervert in the neighborhood, the only creature on the street was a stray white dog.
"Where?"
Isabel pointed to a street corner.
A middle-aged man was lying there. He appeared to be drunk, leaning against the curb with a pool of vomit beside him.
The stray dog trotted over to the man and sniffed him.
Then, it did something that Luh Yao never expected.
The stray dog clamped its jaws onto the man’s clothes and began dragging him, inch by inch, into a parking alley.
"My lord, please command me to hunt the Demon," Isabel said.
Luh Yao asked, "If you go to deal with the Demon, how will I contact you?"
"Through my eye."
Isabel reached into her left eye socket, dug out her eyeball with her fingers, and handed it to Luh Yao.
It was a white eyeball with a green pupil. It had the cold, smooth texture and crystalline luster of a gemstone, like some ancient work of Art.
"My lord. Everything I see using the Power of Faith will be shown to you through this eye. You can also give me new commands through it."
Luh Yao carefully held the eyeball and urged, "Be careful. Don’t let anyone discover your identity."
"Yes, my lord."
A cloud of black mist enveloped Isabel’s body, quickly solidifying into a black robe. Her eyes were once again covered by a black blindfold, returning her to her original appearance.
A men’s shirt, sunglasses, and a pair of jeans flew out from within the black robe, scattering across the bed.
Isabel leaped from the windowsill and melted into the night.
