Chapter 1130: A Man With A Broad Mind Can Hold the World!
Translator: Lordbluefire
Intense smoke and heatwaves were seething at the volcanic crater.
“This place has such a strong sulfur smell!”
Sun Mo covered his nose. Thankfully, this was in the game. Otherwise, there was no way he’d come to this place.
Hui Yan a.s.sumed a devout att.i.tude, using animal blood, bones, and rocks to prepare a sacrificial altar. He then looked toward his tribesmen.
“We’ll need to offer eight lives as a sacrifice to activate the sacrificial altar. Now, it’s time for you guys to choose.”
Hui Yan looked at his tribesmen. “Is there anyone willing to sacrifice themselves?”
The aboriginals were stunned. They hadn’t heard of this before!
“Chief… Chieftain, you’re kidding, right?”
Hui Que laughed awkwardly.
“We’re surrounded by enemies and time is tight. Is there a need for me to lie to you?”
Hui Yan’s countenance was cold and he asked again, “Is anyone willing?”
No one replied.
“Sigh, I knew that things wouldn’t be that simple!”
Gu Xiuxun sighed.
“Since we have to use human lives as sacrifices, why don’t we let the Red Rock Tribe’s people kill us then? Their goal is also to stop the volcano eruption anyway!”
A middle-aged warrior couldn’t understand.
“We’re archenemies for generations with the Red Rock Tribe. The battles between our tribes have continued for over 100 years. Moreover, who can guarantee that their sacrificial ritual will definitely be a success?”
Hui Yan explained, “Each of our tribesmen is very precious. Even if we were to die, we must die with value!”
The aboriginals fell silent.
Sun Mo understood that things were difficult for Hui Yan. Even though both tribes shared the same goal, their leaders were different and their sacrificial rituals were different as well. Neither side felt that the other party would succeed.
“Dying in battlefields, being eaten by wild beasts during hunting, as well as offering our lives as sacrifices like now… All of these are making contributions to the tribe. There’s no difference.”
Hui Yan said n.o.bly.
Some aboriginals were clearly convinced. Hui s.h.i.+ was one of them.
He raised his hand.
“Chieftain, please take care of my parents!”
“Brother Hui s.h.i.+!”
Although Lu Zhiruo had only spent a few months with Hui s.h.i.+, she liked this simple and honest older brother.
Hui s.h.i.+ smiled brightly. “Don’t mind me. I won’t be dying. I’m just using another method to protect my tribe and my kins!”
“Teacher, think of something!”
Lu Zhiruo tugged Sun Mo’s arm, her eyes filled with tears.
Other than Hui s.h.i.+, two other aboriginals stood up as well, willing to offer themselves as sacrifices. However, it was still not enough.
“Next, we’ll be drawing lots to pick the remaining five!”
Hui Yan took out the wooden lots he had prepared long ago. “I had prepared these wooden lots. To ensure fairness, I’ll be the last one to draw!”
This would prevent Hui Yan from cheating through making marks.
Everyone’s countenances turned solemn. Some even felt scared and started s.h.i.+vering.
They knew that drawing the wooden lot with the red mark would mean death.
“Hurry up and start!”
Hui Yan urged.
“Chieftain, are there no other solutions?”
Sun Mo interjected.
“Do you think that my heart doesn’t ache when I do such things?”
Hui Yan’s eyes were bloodshot. He hadn’t been sleeping well all this time. “If I’m not the chieftain and need to continue to lead the tribe, I’ll be the first to step forward and offer my life.”
“Let’s stop the talk! I’ll do it!”
Someone stood out and drew a lot.
Suddenly, everyone showed different expressions.
Seeing that there wasn’t any red paint on the wooden lot, their expressions relaxed. However, they didn’t feel any joy either. They just stood by the side quietly.
It was Hui Que’s turn.
This guy who liked to fight was unlucky and drew the red wooden lot.
“Why is it me?”
Hui Que looked crestfallen and then felt angry. “I’m not afraid to die for the tribe. But isn’t such a way of dying too meaningless?”
“This may be what life is.”
Hui Yan patted his shoulder.
“The h.e.l.l it is!”
Sun Mo couldn’t hold it in anymore and dashed over, punching Hui Yan on the face.
Bang!
Hui Yan’s body shook but he didn’t retaliate. Instead, he wore a cold expression and reproached. “Prophet Sun, please do not interfere with our tribe’s matters!”
“Why don’t you choose to move?”
Sun Mo couldn’t understand. “Is it worth it to use eight lives to trade for a chance to stay in a place like this?”
“This is our homeland! It’s where our roots lie! Our hearts will die if we have to leave this place!”
Hui Yan explained.
“To h.e.l.l with the roots. You’re just afraid of change. You’re afraid to encounter difficulties and unknowns on the path of moving. To put it simply, you’re just a coward!”
Sun Mo lashed out.
Sun Mo could tell in their time together that Hui Yan was someone who didn’t seek continuous improvement. All the orders he had given were based on traditions. With that, even if the tribe were to fall, it wouldn’t be his fault.
“It’s very easy to grow mushrooms, but why didn’t you give the order to promote it within the tribe?
“What dangers can there be to rear chickens and ducks? But you didn’t lead everyone to catch wild chickens!
“You didn’t care about clearing land for cultivation either. Maybe, deep inside, you just don’t wish to see me succeed.”
Sun Mo stared at Hui Yan. “A useless general will strain out the entire army. The tribe will perish sooner or later in your hands.”
“…”
Hui Yan’s face turned very pale because Sun Mo was right.
Pa!
Sun Mo tugged away Hui Yan’s animal skin bag and then used all of his strength to toss it into the volcano.
“What are you doing?”
Hui Yan was shocked and tried to s.n.a.t.c.h it, but he was still too late.
Swoos.h.!.+ Swoos.h.!.+ Swoos.h.!.+
The other tribesmen instinctively drew their blades toward each other. It was because that bag contained the last remaining ice stone.
An Xinhui’s group also drew their weapons, ready to fight at any moment.
“Given your capabilities, you could have jumped down, caught the bag, and thrown it up. Of course, you’ll definitely die. But if this is the tribe’s last hope, why didn’t you do it?”
Sun Mo questioned.
Hui Yan fell silent.
“You can use other people’s lives as sacrificial offerings, but why do you cower when it’s your turn?”
Sun Mo sneered. “Don’t tell me things like you have to conduct the sacrificial ritual. Everyone was brought up by their parents! No one’s life is more precious than others!”
“Teacher said it well!”
Lu Zhiruo clapped.
“Let’s go back to the tribe and prepare to move!”
Sun Mo looked toward the group of aboriginals. “I don’t understand. Why are you guys refusing to move when you have a great enemy—the Red Rock Tribe—and are targeted by them all the time?”
“The world is so big. How hard can it be to find a place to survive?”
“A man with a broad mind can hold the world. Why do you have to keep yourself on this small hill? Are you guys willing to waste your entire life away like this?”
Sun Mo turned to leave, bellowing very loudly.
Some aboriginals couldn’t understand, but there were some whose eyes grew increasingly brighter.
Sun Mo’s words had opened up a new world for them!
After walking out for over ten meters, Sun Mo stopped in his footsteps, looked back, then bellowed again, “Let’s go! Return to the tribe and then step into the world!”
The aboriginals exchanged glances. Then, some of them went after Sun Mo.
“Great Prophet, please allow me to follow you!”
“Great Prophet, please bring me to look at the world!”
“Bring me along!”
The aboriginals followed after them in turns. No one showed any concern to the great chieftain who was kneeling on the ground.
Without any exceptions, all of them were moved by Sun Mo’s words.
“Teacher is really amazing!”
Lu Zhiruo looked at Sun Mo’s back view, her gaze filled with respect.
“Sun Mo is amazing, but this choice might not necessarily be right!”
Zhou Zerui looked toward the volcanic crater worriedly.
“Sacrificial offerings are rubbish. It should be cast away!”
After An Xinhui said that, she went after Sun Mo.
“Let’s take each step as it comes!”
Xie Enhui said to her good friend.
Sun Mo was the leader now. The tribesmen only listened to his words.
“I hate this feeling a lot.”
Zhou Zerui felt upset. It was because his life no longer belonged to himself but was decided by every decision Sun Mo made. If Sun Mo were to take the wrong pick, then everyone would have to die.
Everyone gave up on making the sacrificial offering and left the volcano.
Hui Yan had no idea if he should jump into the volcano to commit suicide or to go back. But just as he was hesitating, the Red Rock Tribe’s great chieftain appeared.
He was wearing a black cloak and his face couldn’t be seen clearly.
“Return to the tribe? Step into the world?”
The mysterious man sighed. “His words are really domineering!”
He had follow-up means that he could use to wipe out the Gray Rock Tribe’s hunting team. However, Sun Mo’s words made him give up on this plan.
As for the fact that his choice could lead to the game’s bad ending?
The mysterious man hadn’t considered this point before. When doing things, he’d only want things to go as he wished for them to. If he were to fail, then he’d consider himself unlucky. However, given his intelligence, he had also guessed some tips on clearing the stage.
The reason he had stayed here to launch an a.s.sault on the Gray Rock Tribe’s aboriginals was so that they could fail and thus choose to move.
A week later, both tribes stepped on a journey to move to a new place.
Another week later, the volcano erupted and the earth shook. Even from afar, everyone could still see scorching hot lava gus.h.i.+ng up into the clouds, dying the sky in red.
The Gray Rock Tribe’s members dropped to their knees and prayed to their ancestors.
“Great Prophet, if it wasn’t for you, we’d all have died.”
Hui Que lowered his head, kneeling in front of Sun Mo and begging for punishment.
“Let’s go!”
Sun Mo didn’t care about these things.
On the way, Sun Mo taught everything he knew about botany, beast taming, as well as herbology to these aboriginals.
A year later, the group arrived at a stretch of plains with fertile soil. The fertile land stretched out for over 1,000 lis.
“It’ll be here!”
Sun Mo decided to have the tribe settle down permanently in this place. He then taught them to bake bricks, build houses, and use the cut-and-slash cultivation method.
In May, after another year pa.s.sed…
Golden wheat swayed with the wind, fluctuating like waves.
It was time to harvest.
After the harvesting was done, Sun Mo made stone rollers and millstones, creating flour.
When piping hot noodles were scooped out from the pot and drizzled with piping hot meat sauce, that delightful taste made everyone almost swallow their own tongues.
“Delicious!”
Lu Zhiruo was smiling brightly as she ate.
“Such a life isn’t bad either.”
Mei Ziyu wiped off the sweat on her forehead. As long as she could be with Sun Mo, it didn’t matter where they were.
Everyone led a fulfilling life over the past year.
These people were great teachers. They taught the aboriginals everything they were good at.
Mining, refining, making ceramics, weaving cloth, rearing silkworms, rearing livestock…
Of course, the most important thing was that Sun Mo had come up with a uniform set of words, allowing these pieces of knowledge to be pa.s.sed down through the generations.
The Gray Rock culture was officially born.
“Haha, it’s as if I’ve returned to my childhood days! If only there’s an ice popsicle to relieve the heat.”
“What’s an ice popsicle?”
Li Ziqi blinked. (Teacher has a lot of secrets. This can’t do, I must uncover them.)
Just as Sun Mo was planning to divert the topic, a voice rang out in everyone’s ears.
“Congratulations everyone on helping the Gray Rock Tribe break free from the stone age and officially lighting up the sparks toward the agricultural age. The first stage of the mission is completed!”
“The second mission will begin one minute later. Please keep up the good work!”
60,
59,
…
The countdown started.
Everyone was stunned and then cheered.
d.a.m.n it, this d.a.m.n game had finally ended.
“There’s still a second stage?”
Gu Xiuxun’s head was hurting.
“Should we hold hands? We might be able to get sent to the same place then!”
Mei Ziyu proposed.
“This is a good idea!”
An Xinhui approved.
Everyone immediately looked toward Sun Mo.
Sun Mo shrugged, not expressing his opinion. “Everyone, listen to me. This stage is to help the Gray Rock Tribe start up a new civilization and let the tribe be able to continue on. The second stage is likely to be similar. Everyone should be careful.”
Rather than holding hands, Sun Mo felt that there was a greater value in telling everyone the theme of the game.
Even though there wasn’t any differentiation of superiority and inferiority in games, to be honest, such a game that involved civilization would appear n.o.bler.
However, why did this notification give off the same vibe as the system?
The teleportation started. Holding hands wasn’t of any use. Everyone started to disappear slowly from the spot they were at from their heads down.
“Teacher, look, I’ve forged a bronze sword.”
Hui s.h.i.+ brought a bronze sword that was over two feet long, and he came to look for Sun Mo excitedly to boast to him. However, he realized that there was no one here.
Many years later, the Gray Rock Tribe disappeared. It was because they had built an even stronger city, creating a nation. The most glorious one of them all was created by Hui s.h.i.+’s descendants.
The name of their dynasty was ‘Sun’, and they revered the color ‘black[1]’!
This was to commemorate Great Prophet Sun Mo, thanking his blessings.
At the same time, the mysterious man also teleported.
“Sun Mo, I look forward to my next encounter with you.”
The mysterious man laughed softly. “But this time around, I’ll find a way to clear the stage before you do!”
…
Sun Mo regained his consciousness once again, realizing that he was in a cla.s.sroom. He was wearing a green-colored long robe.
He had one hand on the table and was reading a history book.
There were over ten young children in the cla.s.sroom, shaking their heads as they read the Three Character Cla.s.sic[2] out loud.
“What the h.e.l.l? This time around, my ident.i.ty is a teacher?”
Sun Mo observed the surrounding environment and then looked at the patches on his clothes, laughing. “It seems that my life isn’t good!”
Clank clank clank!
The sound of clappers rang out.
The children immediately stopped reading and looked at Sun Mo with wide eyes.
Sun Mo was stunned for a moment and then he understood what was going on. The cla.s.s had ended. Therefore, he waved his hand.
“Go on!”
Buzz!
The children ran off like wild geese that were running loosely. One of them even dropped their shoe.
“Let’s figure out my ident.i.ty and situation first.”
Sun Mo got up and stretched his body before he left the cla.s.sroom. He then saw a lady wearing plain clothing standing along the corridor and having a bamboo basket hanging on her right arm.
“She looks quite beautiful!”
Sun Mo couldn’t help but take a few more glances at her. It was because he liked pretty girls like her who were of humble birth!
However, the lady came running over, calling out to Sun Mo, “Husband, I’ve made your favorite vegetable pancake today!”
“What? This is my wife?”
Sun Mo was surprised. The lady’s eyes were filled with love and adoration. This made Sun Mo feel horrified because he wasn’t her husband.
What was she going to do after he completed the game and left?
[1] The word ‘Mo’ from Sun Mo’s name can be translated to ink (used in calligraphy) or the color black.
[2] The Three Character Cla.s.sic, commonly known as San Zi Jing, also translated as Trimetric Cla.s.sic, is one of the Chinese cla.s.sic texts.