"Child, what is your name?" the Shaman asked kindly.
"My name is Su Bai," Su Bai answered honestly, fully aware that the old man before him was anything but ordinary.
A Shaman clearly possessed extraordinary power—after all, he had instantly enabled Su Bai to understand their language, and even speak it.
"Where are you from? What is your tribe called?" the Shaman asked slowly.
"I…" Su Bai hesitated, his mind racing as he hurriedly tried to organize his words.
Should he say he came from Earth Village?
That would be asking for trouble.
"Alright, you don't have to say it," the Shaman said gently.
Misunderstanding Su Bai's hesitation, the Shaman smiled and comforted him. "Your tribe is gone. From now on, the Flame Dragon Tribe will be your home."
From Su Bai's body, the Shaman could sense no trace of a totem's spirituality—meaning his tribe's totem had already perished. He was a wanderer without a tribe.
After all, no one would ever imagine something like transmigration.
"Mm." Su Bai paused, then quickly nodded.
In his previous life, he had been an orphan, supporting himself by writing novels. Staying in the Flame Dragon Tribe wasn't bad—having a place to settle down in an unfamiliar world was already a blessing.
The Shaman turned to the red-horned man and said, "Yan Jiao, have someone show Su Bai around the tribe."
"Yes," Yan Jiao replied respectfully.
"You may leave and make preparations. Tomorrow night, we will begin the Shaman's succession," the Shaman announced.
"Yes," everyone in the tent responded solemnly.
Su Bai noticed a trace of sorrow in their eyes and guessed that this inheritance ceremony would require a painful price.
"Go," the Shaman waved his hand.
...
The group exited the tent in silence, immediately surrounded by people waiting outside.
"Chief, has the Shaman's successor been found?" someone asked urgently.
"Yes," Yan Jiao replied. His stern face finally showed a hint of a smile.
"That's great! Our totem won't be lost!" The young men clenched their fists in excitement.
"We won't become wanderers!" the women cheered.
"Wuwuwu… thank the ancestors! We haven't failed them!" some of the elders cried openly.
...
"Alright," Yan Jiao said, straightening his expression and raising his voice.
"Don't crowd around here and disturb the Shaman's rest. Everyone, go back to work."
"Yes!" The crowd quickly responded and dispersed.
A few people from the tent spoke up. "We'll go patrol."
"Go," Yan Jiao nodded.
Soon, only Su Bai, Yan Jiao, and a young girl remained.
"Yan Hua, come here," Yan Jiao called out to the girl.
"Father①, are you sending me hunting?" Yan Hua asked excitedly.
She looked nothing like Yan Jiao.
Dressed in well-fitted animal-hide clothing, she was quite beautiful—long black hair, red eyes, wheat-colored skin. Most eye-catching of all was the small, curved red horn about an inch long on her head, delicate and neat.
Isn't this a cow-horned girl?
The thought flashed through Su Bai's mind. His dark eyes subconsciously drifted downward, glancing behind her animal-hide skirt to see if she had a tail.
"No," Yan Jiao said sternly. "You're to take the successor around the tribe and explain our situation."
"Oh—okay," Yan Hua replied after a brief pause.
Yan Jiao turned to Su Bai politely. "Successor, if you need anything, just ask Yan Hua."
"Alright," Su Bai nodded.
"If anything comes up, call me," Yan Jiao said, then turned and returned to the large tent.
He still needed to discuss the tribe's future—and the Shaman's succession ceremony—with the Shaman.
"Successor, what's your name?" Yan Hua glanced at him and asked.
"My name is Su Bai," Su Bai replied with a faint smile.
"That's a strange name," Yan Hua raised an eyebrow.
She turned and began walking forward, her voice crisp. "I'll give you a general introduction to the tribe."
"Okay," Su Bai said, stepping forward to walk beside her.
"Our tribe is called the Flame Dragon Tribe. Our totem is the Flame Dragon. As for what it looks like… I can't really describe it. When Father has time, he'll explain it to you properly."
Her tone was solemn.
Su Bai thought back to the vision he'd seen earlier.
Could the creature within the flames have been the Flame Dragon totem?
"Our current chief is my father," Yan Hua continued.
As she spoke, hatred flashed through her red eyes. Her voice sank.
"There are seventy-two people left in the tribe. The hunting party has only eleven members remaining. Fifteen days ago, the Flame Dragon Tribe had three hundred people, and thirty-two hunters… but—"
Her voice turned icy, filled with killing intent.
"The Black Snake Tribe invaded our hunting grounds, ambushed our hunters, and seized our ancestral land. In the end, we had no choice but to relocate here."
"So… our enemy is the Black Snake Tribe?" Su Bai asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
He hadn't expected the Flame Dragon Tribe to already have such a deadly enemy. That meant once he became the Shaman, the Black Snake Tribe would be his primary opponent.
"Yes," Yan Hua said through clenched teeth. "One day, we must take revenge—and reclaim our tribe and hunting grounds."
"We will," Su Bai said calmly.
"Hm?" Yan Hua turned to look at him in surprise.
Her impression of Su Bai shifted slightly—if only by a trace.
After all, he was still a stranger to the tribe. He'd only been here three days, and those three days had been spent unconscious. Truly integrating into the tribe would take time—and action.
"Do we all live in beast-skin tents?" Su Bai asked, glancing around.
"Yes. For now, tents are all we have. We used to live in caves," Yan Hua said, her teeth grinding slightly as anger flared again in her eyes.
"Uh…" Su Bai fell silent.
Compared to modern buildings on Earth, neither tents nor caves sounded particularly comfortable.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his head.
"Ding! Daily Support System binding… 10%… 20%… 70%…"
"Ding! Daily Support System successfully bound."