"Um?" Following behind Shi Niu, Lin Qian turned his head in confusion, and then noticed another burly man hurrying after them.
"By the look of it, you must be Shi Meng, whom Shi Niu has mentioned." Looking at the approaching burly man, Lin Qian saw the scars covering his body and sighed, "You are remarkable. This tribe’s survival up till now owes much to your contributions."
Embarrassed by Lin Qian’s immediate praise, Shi Meng scratched his head and said, "You jest; thank you for saving my fellow clansmen earlier."
"We are all from the Human Clan, no need for thanks." Lin Qian didn’t mind and continued following behind Shi Niu, observing his surroundings.
Perhaps due to the harsh environment, the Human Clan in this Small World lived in abject conditions. In the Stone Tribe, Lin Qian saw only mutual help with no signs of scheming against one another.
The people of the Stone Tribe had only one thought: to survive well.
"Please come with me, I will need your help with something," Lin Qian said to Shi Meng as he glanced at him.
"You need my help?" Shi Meng looked perplexed. What could this formidable, mysterious young man possibly need from him?
Although unsure, Shi Meng instinctively kept close to Lin Qian, not understanding why he felt such trust towards this stranger.
Could it be because the young man exuded an aura that seemed out of place in this world?
"Benefactor, that is the Clan Leader’s house; he should be inside," said Shi Niu, pointing at a stone house ahead as they arrived at the center of the Stone Tribe.
Following Shi Niu’s direction, Lin Qian saw the stone house the Clan Leader lived in, indistinguishable from the other villagers’ homes.
"You two wait here for me; once I’ve seen your Clan Leader, I’ll come out and ask you to do some things." After receiving Shi Niu’s guidance, Lin Qian spoke and strode towards the stone house without waiting for their agreement.
The door of the stone house, crudely made from dry branches, creaked open, and Lin Qian could clearly see inside.
In the stone house, there was simple food on the stone table, which looked and smelled no better than swine feed compared to the outside world.
But some children were cautiously eating this food, while an elderly man with completely white hair watched them tenderly, swallowing the food.
The sudden opening of the door drew everyone’s attention in the stone house.
The children, who had never seen Lin Qian before, curiously gazed at him, then looked towards the Clan Leader.
"Clan Leader Grandfather, who is he, is he a human just like me?"
"It’s strange, why isn’t his face all grimy? Could he have secretly washed?"
The children curiously asked the Clan Leader, who stared blankly at Lin Qian, equally astonished, "Could you be from a major tribe? Impossible, our Human Clan doesn’t have enough water to waste on washing."
"Are you the tribe’s Clan Leader?" Lin Qian asked the man before him.
The Clan Leader of the Stone Tribe didn’t immediately answer Lin Qian’s question. Instead, after letting the children leave the stone house with their food, he nodded, "Indeed, I am Shi Yun, the Clan Leader of this tribe."
"You are a good Clan Leader." After a moment of silence, Lin Qian sat in front of the man who called himself Shi Yun and looked at him, "If I’m not mistaken, that was your food you had, wasn’t it? You barely took a couple of bites before giving it to the children."
"You live no differently from your people, and your living conditions aren’t privileged."
Shi Yun frowned, looking somewhat wary, "What’s your background? In any Human Clan tribe, every Clan Leader puts the survival of their people first."
"Don’t be nervous about me, because I am also of the Human Clan," Lin Qian spoke, waving his hand and suddenly, a bowl of steaming meat porridge and two dishes of plain food appeared on the stone table.
"Shi Chief, let’s talk after you’ve eaten," Lin Qian suggested, looking at Shi Yun who had quickened breaths due to excitement.
"What, are you serious?" a short distance from the stone house, Shi Meng exclaimed after hearing Shi Niu’s words.
Earlier, Shi Niu had told this close friend all about their encounter with Lin Qian.
Touching the cloak Shi Niu had taken off, Shi Meng was deeply moved, "I don’t know what this is made of; it’s so soft and definitely very warm."
Then, Shi Meng returned the cloak to Shi Niu and looked towards the Chief’s stone house, "If what you say is true, where does he come from? Are we, the Human Clan really that powerful?"
"The outside world, our realm is just a Small World, merely a leaf on a tree," Shi Yun murmured from within the stone house, his head slightly spinning.
Lin Qian’s words completely shattered his understanding.
Their lived world was not the entirety; the true Human Clan was incredibly strong, not merely subservient creatures in front of the Dwarf Ghost Clan and the Giant Ghost Clan as they were.
Lin Qian’s words seemed insane to Shi Yun, incomprehensible and needing time to digest, but he believed it was all true.
The reason was simple, the young man before him wore unimaginable clothes, was very clean and presentable, and had fed him an unimaginable full meal.
"Shi Chief, you understand now what kind of person I am," Lin Qian said with a smile, as Shi Yun gradually regained his composure.
Shi Yun was about to kneel out of respect, but before he could, the quick-reacting Lin Qian grabbed him and pulled him upright.
This action took Shi Yun by surprise. Although he was old, he was still the strongest in the Stone Tribe, yet the force of this young man’s grip left him unable to resist.
"The survival issues of the Stone Tribe seem laughable in my eyes; leave it to me," Lin Qian already knew what Shi Yun was about to request, "but I need to confirm, if a lot of food appears, will the people of your tribe go into a riot?"
Shi Yun quickly assured, "Please rest assured, sir; there will be no issues, everyone will certainly maintain order."
After getting the assurance, Lin Qian nodded, got up, left the stone house, and pushing the crude door open, he called out to Shi Meng and Shi Niu outside, "You two go gather all the tribespeople, assemble them by your fields."
"Yes, Benefactor!" Shi Niu instantly understood what Lin Qian intended to do, eagerly responded, and, grabbing the still-dazed Shi Meng, ran towards the depths of the tribe.