IMC Chapter 85

Because of the cooperative relationship, the added half-mechanoid members did not count toward the population total. Currently, the base population is approaching four hundred, and most of the people nearby who could be rescued have already been helped. Now, they could only hope that Ru Su would return with enough people.

Shu Bao did a quick calculation with his claws and believed in the genius diplomat. He was confident Ru Su would be able to bring back at least one hundred people. Every day, the mouse would go to the tribe’s entrance whenever he had free time, hoping that one day he would see Ru Su return.

After learning of Shu Bao’s hopes, the half-mechanoids offered to charge up the scanning machine first. This way, they could use it to scan for nearby human life forms.

Shu Bao thought it was a great idea and readily agreed. The scanning machine was one of the basic functions of the spaceship, with an incredibly vast range; it could easily cover several million square kilometers. Of course, the wider the scanning range, the greater the energy consumption. A single Tesla electric tower would not be enough to support scanning such a large area.

Apart from detecting life forms, the scanner could also map terrain automatically, scan for minerals, and locate scarce resources. With this, navigating the vast universe would be like having a pair of eyes.

The half-mechanoids prioritized charging the scanning machine and then began fulfilling their agreement with the Xia Wang Tribe. Since the education system was not yet operational, they took a casual approach, explaining knowledge whenever a Xia Wang tribesperson did not understand something. They never showed any impatience and were extremely attentive.

However, their favorite “student” was still Tesla. The differences in intelligence between the deceitful races fascinated them. What amazed them even more was that Tesla often provided insights, many of which aligned with key points in their species’ evolutionary and developmental history.

Tesla’s brilliance led the half-mechanoids to believe for a time that he might be one of their own kind. Every half-mechanoid member who passed by couldn’t resist scanning him. In turn, Tesla sketched out the design for the scanning machine.

Shu Bao did not force the tribe members to study alongside them; knowledge was infinite, but it was not something that everyone needed.

After spending some time together, the Xia Wang tribespeople had grown accustomed to the half-mechanoids, whether meeting them outside the tribe or passing by within. It was common to see a Xia Wang tribesperson, a half-mechanoid member, plus a forest giant wolf and a magical beast teaming up to gather supplies outside.

The Xia Wang tribespeople gradually came to like this race that never got angry, whose tone remained unchanging, but who seemed to know everything. Together, they discussed the different scents of sunlight at various times of the day, pondered what lay beyond the sky, and debated whether the day’s roasted meat tasted good.

Despite their vast cultural differences, they somehow managed to develop mutual respect and understanding. This was something the half-mechanoids had never experienced in their previous interactions with the deceitful races. Intrigued, they once asked why the Xia Wang tribespeople could so sincerely accept them.

The Xia Wang tribespeople replied, “The Great Deity told us so, and we trust the Great Deity! Besides, after spending time with you, we’ve come to see how truly impressive you are!”

At that moment, the half-mechanoids understood a little more about why nearly every deceitful race would produce leaders. The consciousness of deceitful individuals was not shared, yet they possessed an incredible ability to unite everyone’s spirit around a common point. When their beliefs coalesced, the resulting impact was truly astonishing.

With a good leader, their collective consciousness would bloom like a sea of flowers, bringing a sense of comfort. With a warlike leader, their consciousness would form a fearsome weapon, destroying everything in its path.

And they were very fortunate—they had encountered a sea of flowers.

When the first gentle spring rain fell, Shu Bao finally saw Ru Su return. That day, as usual, the mouse stood at the tribe’s entrance, watching the distance. From afar, he spotted what looked like a long line of ants moving forward.

Shu Bao thought he might be seeing things and stood on tiptoes to get a better view. Suddenly, he felt himself lifted into the air; T33674 had picked him up. “There really are a lot of people coming this way—a total of 355,” the half-mechanoid confirmed after scanning.

The half-mechanoids also had scanning capabilities and their observations brought Shu Bao the good news.

Shu Bao was astonished by the sheer number of people. To put it into perspective, the Xia Wang Tribe only had 390 members. Ru Su had practically brought back an entire tribe! Overjoyed, the mouse hopped twice in T33674’s palm before sliding down its arm and sprinting back to the tribe to tell the high priest to prepare to welcome the new members!

Seeing this, T33674 tilted its head in curiosity. Then, a lightbulb-like glow appeared above its head, and it too dashed back to its living area to inform the other tribe members to prepare for their new companions’ arrival.

Through shared consciousness, the rest of the half-mechanoids quickly understood T33674’s intent and sprang into action.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Ru Su finally caught sight of the tribe he had missed so dearly. He turned and shouted to the weary people who had traveled with him for months, “We’re home! Just ahead is our tribe!”

This announcement, like a shot of adrenaline, sparked cheers throughout the group, and their pace quickened.

As they drew nearer, Ru Su noticed that the tribe looked somewhat different from what he remembered! In addition to the grand Magic Academy, there was a strange steel structure beside it—the electric tower, which had not yet been built when he left. The tribe’s area had visibly expanded, more than doubling in size, and neatly arranged wooden houses stretched one after another, creating a beautiful sight!

If Ru Su was amazed, the people who had endured long journeys—some following him, others purchased along the way—were even more astonished. They stopped in their tracks when they got a clear view of the distant tribe.

“How did such tall, beautiful buildings get constructed? How is this tribe so large? And those beautiful houses—are they for people to live in?”

“Gods! Is that a dragon flying up there?!”

With a shout of disbelief, everyone looked up to see a dragon soaring above the tribe. As if sensing their gaze, the dragon let out a resounding roar. Even from that distance, the ground seemed to tremble!

Confronted with such a scene, many hesitated to move forward. Just then, Ru Su’s voice rang out, “Don’t be afraid! That’s our tribe’s dragon, named Yinzi—it doesn’t eat people!”

A few moments later, the group resumed their journey. Most of them had been bought and didn’t have the freedom to choose their fate. Even if the Xia Wang Tribe intended to feed them to the dragon, they had no choice but to proceed.

The closer they got to their destination, the more anxious everyone felt. They were uncertain about the fate awaiting them, and matters were made worse when they realized that the dragon in the sky seemed to have noticed them and was slowly flying in their direction. Many were terrified—though they had heard tales of dragons, seeing one in person for the first time filled them with dread. All they wanted now was to run.

Ru Su tried his best to reassure everyone, insisting that the dragon posed no threat. But the immense pressure of facing such a massive creature was overwhelming. Although no one actually ran away, many crouched down in fear, unable to move.

The dragon’s speed was incredible; in almost a blink of an eye, it was hovering above them. As it circled overhead, it cast a massive shadow on the ground, sending shivers down the spines of those clustered together in fear, certain they were about to become dragon food.

But they waited and waited, and no attack came. Instead, a faint floral fragrance wafted through the air. Surprised, they looked up and saw countless flowers raining down from above!

Everyone was dumbfounded—since when did dragons have the power to make flowers fall from the sky? Curious, they raised their gazes even higher and finally dared to look directly at the dragon. To their astonishment, there was someone on the dragon’s back, scattering flowers continuously!

Ru Su and his companions were momentarily stunned before quickly realizing that this must be a welcome ceremony prepared by the Great Deity for them. Overwhelmed with emotion, they wept tears of joy, shouting praises to the Great Deity as they jubilantly ran towards the tribe.

Seeing the caravan rush forward, the others had no choice but to stand up and follow. As they moved, so did the dragon overhead, and with it, the rain of petals followed. Experiencing a flower rain for the first time, their fear gradually faded, and they quickened their pace, afraid to be left behind by the caravan.

When they finally reached the entrance of the tribe, they realized that it was even more magnificent up close. Tall and orderly walls projected an unmatched sense of security.

A crowd had gathered at the entrance, their faces lit with joy. They watched as Ru Su dismounted from his magical beast and excitedly ran to a mouse, dropping to one knee. The mouse lifted one paw, and Ru Su performed the highest form of respect—a foot-kiss salute.

“Welcome home, my brilliant diplomat. I knew you could do it!” Shu Bao exclaimed, thrilled at the sight of the large crowd behind him. From leaving with ten people to returning with over three hundred—such a high return rate was astonishing!

“Great Deity, I have missed you!” Ru Su replied earnestly, his voice filled with warmth. The members of the caravan echoed his sentiments. Their time away had shown them the brutal difficulties of survival; without the Great Deity, they might have frozen or starved to death like so many others that winter.

“Come along now; food has already been prepared for you! And to all the new members, welcome to the XiaWang Tribe. Rest assured, we do not eat people here!” Shu Bao called out to the unfamiliar faces.

The crowd, who had just been calmed by the flower rain: “…”

Nevertheless, as they considered how they had never truly suffered food shortages along the way, they started to believe that this tribe might genuinely be prosperous. Just as they were comforting themselves with this thought, the dragon in the sky slowly descended outside the tribe. The crowd turned to watch with great curiosity and finally saw the brave individuals riding atop the dragon.

A second later, they were bewildered. Were those people? Why did they all look so strange?

Under their shocked gazes, the peculiar beings—almost but not quite human—approached and scattered one last batch of flower petals. In eerily synchronized movements, they spoke with a calm yet unsettling voice, “Welcome to the Xia Wang Tribe. Rest assured, we also do not eat people!”

The crowd: “…”

Their earlier self-comfort now seemed inadequate; everything here was stranger than the last!

Despite their bewilderment, they were guided into the tribe by the Xia Wang tribespeople and those peculiar beings. Once inside, with the walls no longer blocking their view, what they saw left them awestruck.

Ru Su and his companions found it hard to take it all in. The base had expanded significantly during their absence, and there were many things they had never seen before.

“Great Deity, what is that?” Ru Su asked curiously, pointing to the towering structure at the center.

“That is the Tesla Electric Tower; it generates electricity,” Shu Bao explained, then turned pointedly to the newcomers, “And don’t worry—it generates power without needing to eat people.”

Before Ru Su could ask more, Shu Bao proactively began introducing the new additions to the base. “This is a small kiln for making pottery—and no, it doesn’t burn people.”

“These are metal farming tools crafted by metal-element magicians,” Shu Bao explained. “They’re for tilling the soil, not for… tilling people.”

As Shu Bao continued with his introductions, the newly-arrived people followed along, trembling with unease. Finally, they made it to mealtime. The food was indeed abundant and rich, yet for some reason, the peculiar beings did not eat anything themselves. Instead, they simply stared at the newcomers without blinking, which made them deeply uncomfortable.

Sensing the fear radiating from their new neighbors, the half-mechanoids quickly communicated through their shared consciousness, wondering if their unblinking stares were an inadequate form of service. Did they need to provide more face-to-face, heart-to-heart attention?

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