Below, what Lin Qian saw was a tribe purely built from piled stones, with boulders of various sizes forming walls two people high.
Within these ring-shaped stone walls rested a series of rudimentary stone houses. Humans dressed like Shi Niu and his companions were busy inside, children running around and playing.
Indeed, just as Shi Niu had said, this Small World too had land capable of sustaining life.
Within the stone walls made of piled boulders, the land beneath the stone houses was still cracked and lifeless.
However, at a far corner away from the tribe’s entrance, there was noticeably better soil, on which food crops were planted. They were of mixed quality, clearly not thriving well.
At a rough glance, the food that these fields could supply was only enough to sustain about two hundred people worry-free. Yet on closer inspection, the population of the Stone Tribe, as Shi Niu had stated, was indeed two thousand!
"Is this the life all humans in this Small World live?" Standing on the hillside, Lin Qian clenched his fists.
Their hemp clothes only served to cover their bodies, providing no comfort or warmth whatsoever.
Every person, like Shi Niu and the others had been, was covered in grime, with no chance to bathe.
Because there was only a small stream flowing into the Stone Tribe, used to water those pathetic crops, even drinking water had to be strictly rationed.
From the hillside, Lin Qian could clearly see that from time to time, someone in the Stone Tribe would collapse, prompting those nearby to rush over—it was clear they had fainted from hunger.
"This month alone, over a hundred people in our Stone Tribe have starved to death," said Shi Niu, standing beside Lin Qian, his voice filled with sadness as he sighed deeply.
Lin Qian also sighed deeply and said to Shi Niu, "Let’s go. Take me to your Stone Tribe."
The gate of the Stone Tribe was built from withered trees, with sturdy members of the Stone Tribe standing atop two stone towers, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Just then, the two observed, with amazement, four figures approaching them.
As the four grew closer, the two lookout members of the Stone Tribe were astonished to find that they were indeed humans.
Moreover, these four people wore fine, soft clothing and were clean all over, far beyond their expectations of the Human Clan.
"Shi... Shi Niu, big brother?" Seeing a clean-shaven Shi Niu, the two lookouts from the Stone Tribe stammered in shock.
Although Shi Niu had shaved his beard, cleaned himself up, and changed into clean clothes, his appearance was deeply ingrained in the minds of each tribe member, as he was one of the three strongest in the Stone Tribe.
"Quickly open the gate, we of the Stone Tribe are saved, we are saved!" Shi Niu, closing in on the Stone Tribe, shouted loudly, his eyes brimming with excitement.
Returning home always brings joy to the heart.
The massive wooden gate of the Stone Tribe opened, and Shi Niu reverently led Lin Qian toward the interior of the tribe.
Only after entering did Lin Qian truly grasp the hardships faced by the people of this Small World’s Human Clan.
The stone-built houses, due to the varied sizes of the materials, had various shapes with many gaps of different sizes, utterly incapable of blocking the wind. Moreover, the walls were not stable and could easily collapse.
If someone were to sleep inside and the house collapsed, wouldn’t that crush the person inside to death?
"This place’s living conditions are simply too harsh, I will find a way to get you all out," Lin Qian sighed deeply as he looked around, resolutely determined.
The situation in this Small World was far beyond Lin Qian’s expectations. The task before him was no longer just about solving the Black Blood Clan’s problem.
Shi Niu’s return had greatly astonished the people of the Stone Tribe, especially when they saw his attire, which they completely failed to understand.
Moreover, they noticed that a strange youth was following behind Shi Niu, constantly surveying his surroundings, wearing a look of sorrow—sorrow that seemed to be for them.
"Shi Niu, bro, what happened to your hand!" Just then, an astonished shout came from ahead as a bearded, strong man hurriedly approached and grabbed his shoulder, "And what’s all this? The Qin Tribe is only slightly better than ours, right? They even gave you a bath and such fine clothes."
"It’s a long story. I have urgent matters to discuss with the Clan Leader; everyone will understand in time," Shi Niu flashed a smile at the man, patting his arm to reassure him.
"My benefactor!" After speaking, Shi Niu gestured to Lin Qian, and seeing him nod, Shi Niu continued to lead the way ahead.
Seeing Shi Niu’s respectful demeanor, the sturdy man and other members of the Stone Tribe were very surprised.
Shi Niu was one of the three strongest among the Stone Tribe, yet he showed such respect towards that unfamiliar young man.
"Could he be from a major tribe? Impossible. Even people from large tribes only wear hemp garments. Even with ample food, there’s no extra water for bathing. At most, important tribe members might wipe down their bodies; it’s impossible to be this clean." The muscular man stared at Lin Qian’s retreating figure, scratching his head in confusion.
A child onlooker, upon seeing Lin Qian leaving, eagerly followed, squeezing toward that direction.
In his heart, he had never seen any big brother as handsome and clean, wearing such attractive clothes as Lin Qian.
However, the child was jostled by someone ahead, staggering into a stone wall.
"The stone wall is going to collapse!" someone cried out in alarm, quickly dodging to the side. But the child who had bumped into the stone wall had yet to react. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late to run, and he closed his eyes in fright.
The already unstable wall of the stone house began to collapse, and a rock, even bigger than the child, was plummeting toward him.
The nearby people all saw this scene, but none could react in time, only able to watch helplessly as the child was about to be crushed into a pulp by the rock.
At that moment, a flash of gold suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes, followed by the sound of roaring thunder.
As the thunder faded, the falling boulders turned into fine stone powder instead.
The child, who had initially closed his eyes tightly, found that the stone had not fallen on him. Upon opening his eyes, he was stunned to see thick stone powder at his feet and on his body.
Then, he looked up and saw the handsome big brother was already in front of him, gently brushing the stone powder off of him, and finally patted his head, "Be careful from now on, got it?"
After speaking, Lin Qian stood up and walked toward Shi Niu’s direction. By this time, the members of the Stone Tribe who had gathered around spontaneously made way for him, watching him with a mix of awe and fear.
"What’s with this young man, and what tremendous power." The strong man gazed at the stone powder on the ground, then back at Lin Qian’s retreating figure, opening his mouth but unable to speak.