After waiting for a while, the people of the White Bear tribe remained frozen, unable to react, still standing dumbstruck in place.
Seeing this, Shu Bao took a deep breath and made himself appear both fluffy and imposing. With an air of bravado, he marched up to Yinzi’s feet, and with a heavy kick to Yinzi’s paw, scolded him, “Look at you scaring the guests! You’ve frightened them all!”
Yinzi lowered his head to look at his mother by his paw, feeling the ticklish sensation on his paw scales and becoming somewhat bewildered. But soon, he received a signal from his mother: cry! And the more pitiful, the better!
Yinzi’s eyes lit up. Crying? He could definitely do that!
The next moment, the stunned White Bear tribespeople saw the terrifying giant dragon flop onto the ground. It began rolling around while wailing miserably, as if truly in agony from being kicked by a mouse!
As Yinzi rolled and howled, the surrounding dust kicked up, and the ground trembled, snapping the White Bear tribespeople back to reality. They awkwardly and bewilderedly watched the scene of the mouse parent scolding his dragon child, feeling for a moment like they should step in and stop it.
But looking at the rolling dragon, they feared that one wrong move might accidentally get them crushed. After hesitating for a bit, the high priest of the White Bear tribe, remaining the most composed, quickly stepped forward to Shu Bao and tried to mediate. “Honored deity, there’s no need for this. I shouldn’t have broken the rules by coming out at night. It’s not entirely the dragon’s fault.”
Shu Bao’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t immediately relent. Crossing his arms, he replied, “High Priest of the White Bear tribe, you don’t need to make excuses for it. This dragon has been mischievous for quite some time. It scared our guests today, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause next!”
The high priest scratched his head and continued to plead, “Children are often like this. Even the children in our tribe are playful. After all, it’s just a child.”
At this, everyone’s gaze turned toward the giant dragon, still rolling on the ground. They all pondered—was it really appropriate to call that a child?
With a way out offered, Shu Bao naturally let go of his anger. Waving his paw at Yinzi, the young dragon immediately stopped rolling and eagerly brought his large head closer. The mouse patted the dragon’s head with a paw and said, “Don’t let this happen again.”
Yinzi let out a low growl in acknowledgment.
After this whole ordeal, dust was swirling everywhere around the large tent. Shu Bao decided to lead the White Bear tribespeople on a tour of the camp at night. Pointing to the chaotic world beyond the fence, he explained, “Our tribe is somewhat special. At night, we shift into another realm—the world of darkness. You see those creatures outside? They’re incredibly dangerous. We didn’t want to scare you before, but now that it’s come to this, I might as well explain it all.”
Even without Shu Bao’s words, the people of the White Bear tribe had already noticed the unusual situation outside the fence. Not only that, but the transparent, dome-shaped barrier covering the entire tribe was now hard to miss.
“This is a protective shield. It can withstand external attacks and, when not in combat, it can self-repair. Our tribe is truly very safe.” As they walked, Shu Bao continued introducing the advantages of the tribe.
Perhaps it was the presence of the magical dragon ahead, or the various magical buildings they had seen over the past few days, but the people of the White Bear tribe, while surprised, gradually accepted these new revelations. There were still some things they couldn’t fully understand, but at least the heavy weight on their hearts was finally lifted.
It seemed that the Xia Wang tribe indeed had the resources to store such large amounts of food. This was a remarkable and powerful tribe—possibly the best one they had encountered on their journey so far. But precisely because of this, they were even more puzzled. Why was this tribe being so welcoming and enthusiastic in inviting them, especially since they were merely penniless wanderers?
While the White Bear tribespeople were busy familiarizing themselves with this new world, far away in the original universe, the viewers in the livestream room had already gone wild.
The Chaotic World couldn’t receive livestream signals, which caused broadcasts to be interrupted. So far, several streamers have suddenly gone offline. At first, viewers assumed that the streamers had accidentally died, but shortly after, they would reappear.
Eventually, after some explanations from the contestants, the viewers finally realized that the Chaotic Universe had two distinct states: the real world and the Chaotic World.
This new development not only attracted a large audience but also drew the attention of numerous astrophysicists across the universe.
Although there was no sample to study, many speculated that the Chaotic Universe might represent a state that the universe could evolve into at its final stages. This held great significance for studying the future trajectory of the universe since entropy increases are irreversible, and eventually, the original universe would face its own end.
If they could decipher the reasons for the Chaotic Universe’s emergence and find a solution, perhaps they could prevent the eventual demise of the original universe.
Beyond the origins and future of the Chaotic Universe, the new technologies that contestants unlocked during their development phases also attracted many researchers. A significant number of these researchers were employed by various countries and factions, tasked with attempting to replicate these emerging technologies.
This sparked a massive wave of live-streaming across the entire population, to the point where almost no one in the original universe was unaware of this ongoing broadcast.
With the unpredictable nature of the Chaotic World, the competition became even more suspenseful, giving rise to many new streaming stars.
Among them was the dragon tamer Yu Lingqi, who had set up camp near Shu Bao’s base. He gained popularity by taming a dragon that hated rain in the summer and feared the cold in the winter. Of course, his repeated, unsuccessful attempts to ambush the Xia Wang tribe also drew attention.
During Shu Bao’s disappearance, Yu Lingqi had a stroke of luck, unlocking fire and gunpowder technology. Although he was still far from reaching the firearm era, it was a significant leap ahead of the Stone Age.
Just when people thought Shu Bao’s tribe was going to fall behind in development, it finally returned from the Chaotic World. With the live stream signal restored, viewers witnessed Shu Bao’s frenzied efforts to upgrade the wood processing factory, establish a magical academy, and develop a batch of mages.
Indeed, how could they have forgotten? This base couldn’t be understood by conventional means. It was a base with magic! Fortunately, the heavens seemed fair, giving Shu Bao an abundance of magic but limiting his technological development with population constraints.
In the next moment, a large wave of people rushed to join them, leaving the livestream audience speechless. If it weren’t for the unique geography of the Chaotic Universe, they might have suspected Shu Bao of cheating.
“I can’t believe it! The streamer I was watching got kicked off the stage by his own people because his rules were too strict!”
“Our star, Xing Meng, has already entered the electronic information age! They’re on a completely different level from those still stuck in the Stone Age!”
“Why did Fu Qing disappear and reappear at the same time as Shu Bao? And what about that Lan family snake? Didn’t the two royal bloodline contestants from the Lan Snake family declare they were going to find him?”
“Hurry up! Get that Magic Academy and Military Academy built already!”
…
Since the live stream began, Shu Bao had attracted his own fanbase, partly because of his seemingly cheat-like luck and his unique magic-based infrastructure. Of course, his stream was always full of people just coming to watch the chaos, because Shu Bao was the only contestant to offend both the strength and luck factions.
As for Shu Bao, he had long forgotten about the live stream. Aside from checking it once after his crash landing, he hadn’t looked at it again. There was no remote interaction, no shoutouts, and certainly no distant words of thanks.
The mouse didn’t seek recognition. After all, he was destined to leave. However, fame could be useful in helping him find a disciple. But that, too, would have to wait until he escaped the Chaotic Universe and returned to the original one.
After leading the White Bear tribe around the base, Shu Bao finally guided them to the Magic Academy. “This is where we train mages. If you join our base, you’ll be able to come for testing. Those with talent can study magic, and those without it can still go to the Military Academy later…”
As Shu Bao spoke, he signaled for the high priest and Mu Bao to perform a magic demonstration. After this period of intense learning, the two, who were already highly gifted, had made rapid progress. With ease, they waved their wands, sending flames soaring into the sky. The fireballs exploded high above, lighting up the night before slowly falling back down.
The White Bear tribe had never seen anything like it. For the first time, they realized fire could take on so many shapes and be so beautiful. Under the firelight, their eyes glimmered with excitement. Many of them felt an overwhelming urge to join the Xia Wang tribe right then and there.
However, Shu Bao didn’t push them. “You can take your time tonight to think it over. Just give me your answer tomorrow. Don’t worry, even if you don’t join the tribe, my promise to take care of you until spring still holds.”
The White Bear tribe members exchanged glances before looking at the high priest of the White Bear Tribe. The high priest sincerely thanked Shu Bao and then led the tribe back to their tents to rest.
Once inside the tent, silence fell once again. They were still processing the night’s overwhelming revelations.
“I want to join the Xia Wang tribe.”
“Me too!”
“Even if there are some risks, I’m willing to stay.”
After the silence, one person voiced their decision, and others immediately chimed in with agreement. Once again, all eyes turned to the high priest.
The high priest raised an eyebrow. “Why are you all looking at me? Of course, I’m joining the Xia Wang tribe too. You didn’t think I would oppose this, did you?”
And just like that, the entire tribe came to a consensus. In the crowd, Ru Su let out a heavy sigh of relief. When he left the Xia Wang tribe last year, he never imagined that he would one day return as a member.
That night, the White Bear tribe slept especially soundly. As soon as the sun rose the next morning, they eagerly formed a group and sought out Shu Bao to express their decision to join the tribe. Shu Bao was thrilled and said he would announce the good news to the rest of the tribe during breakfast.
The news that the tribe had finally gained new members quickly spread. The White Bear tribe members found their families and explained the situation in the Xia Wang tribe, as well as their decision to join.
That day’s breakfast was eaten at the altar, where the Xia Wang tribe warmly welcomed the White Bear tribe members. The atmosphere was joyous throughout the tribe, and when Shu Bao later went to the mission hall, he finally completed the technology mission for having a population of one hundred.
Shu Bao was overjoyed and even generously rewarded Ru Su with a roasted grasshopper, asking him enthusiastically if he had any plans to leave the tribe again.
Ru Su panicked, thinking Shu Bao was settling old scores. He immediately dropped to his knees, pleading for his family to be allowed to stay while he would leave if necessary.
“Of course, of course, wait until next spring. You’ll be our trade caravan’s diplomat, responsible for trade and diplomacy from now on. You’ve got a talent for it, I believe in you!” Shu Bao said, feeling quite pleased with himself, thinking that the grasshopper hadn’t gone to waste.
Ru Su was left bewildered. What did Shu Bao mean? This wasn’t at all what he had expected.
