Enzo studied the crude map sketched in the dirt and asked, "Once the rainy season arrives, will the rainfall be intense?"
Sovita hesitated. "Hard to say. But last year, back when we were in our old camp, the rains were overwhelming. Entire mountainsides collapsed. Even extraordinary beasts were swept away in the floods."
He paused, then added with a somber tone, "Even though we evacuated early, nearly a third of the tribe was lost."
A third.
The number hit Enzo hard.
In this world, humans weren't the top of the food chain. Wild beasts and supernatural creatures could tear them apart with ease—but nature itself could be even more merciless.
With that sobering realization, Enzo didn't delay further. He gave his full approval for the vanguard's supply request.
Sovita then shifted to food matters.
All of the wild boar meat had been cut into strips and was currently being dried. Sovita estimated they would yield around 1,500 kilograms of preserved meat—enough to form the tribe's primary rations for the foreseeable future.
But more urgently, Sovita had a question.
"My lord priest," he asked, "what size cave should be prepared for your use? I can assign workers immediately. Tia's cave is too small and crude for someone of your position."
Enzo frowned slightly.
Living in a cave wasn't exactly appealing.
He stood and looked out over the settlement. The camp was nestled against the mountains, with caves of various sizes carved into the slopes. Some were homes, others storage. At the center of it all was a flat clearing—roughly 400 by 200 meters—used as the tribe's main gathering space.
With over two hundred people in the tribe, the area was spacious enough.
Enzo thought for a moment. Then he said, "Sovita, gather the others. I have something to announce."
The elder nodded quickly.
Just as he turned to go, his eyes flicked toward the leftover roasted potatoes on the ground. With a hopeful grin, he asked, "Lord Priest, may I try one?"
Enzo rolled his eyes but waved a hand. "Go on, take it."
Sovita's eagerness grated on him. He found the man's obsequiousness off-putting, especially from someone who once held the role of priest himself.
But Sovita didn't seem to care. He quickly peeled the potato and took a bite, eyes lighting up in delight. Then he left to gather the people Enzo had requested.
Tia, having just finished her own potato, looked mournfully at the one Sovita had taken.
That was hers.
Enzo noticed her sulking expression. With a chuckle, he pinched her cheek and handed her the rest of the potatoes. "Go hide these in your cave. We've got work to do."
Brightening, Tia snatched up the food and darted off, returning a few moments later as Sovita arrived with a group of tribespeople.
Enzo immediately issued orders.
They were to dig into the pale clay soil near the second peak, mix it with water, gather stones, and construct waist-high furnaces.
The others glanced at each other, puzzled.
But Enzo offered no explanations. It was too much effort to explain everything.
What he had in mind was a primitive charcoal kiln. The pale clay was perfect for containing heat and could even be used later to craft pottery or bricks.
Under Enzo's guidance, the group quickly assembled several basic furnaces.
He then had dead trees dragged in, cut into manageable logs, stacked and layered with branches, then sealed in clay, leaving only one vent open. Once lit and sealed again, the wood would smolder and turn into charcoal.
By the time they'd finished, the sky was dimming.
Enzo called over Sovita and Ward. "Make sure people keep this going. We need more wood brought in—we'll need plenty of charcoal soon. For firing ceramics, for bricks, and everything else we're going to build."
Sovita's eyes widened. "Ceramics, my lord?"
Enzo arched a brow. "Why? What's the issue?"
Sovita quickly explained, "You might not know this, but ceramics are extremely rare. Before I was a priest, I once met traveling merchants from one of the great tribes. A single palm-sized piece of pottery could be traded for a full-grown hyena."
Enzo perked up. "Merchants? When do they pass through?"
Sovita scratched his head. "Hard to say. It depends on luck."
Enzo nodded slowly and walked off, filing that away for later.
Behind him, Sovita and Ward shared a look—then broke into grins.
Pottery. If Lord Enzo could really produce such treasures, the Crimson Star Tribe's future was about to change dramatically.
That night, Enzo returned with Tia to rest.
Despite everything, it was a long day.
Between experimenting with divine arts and leading construction efforts, he felt thoroughly drained. Back in the cave, he pulled Tia into his arms, using Amy's soft tail—now clean and dry—as a makeshift pillow.
The fox girl remained quiet, curled up nearby.
Exhausted, Enzo drifted off quickly.
Tia, ever obedient, didn't disturb him.
Later that night
The camp was silent under a sky full of stars.
In the quiet cave, Amy stirred. Slowly and carefully, she slid her tail free from beneath Enzo's head, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and determination. Dressing quickly and quietly, she slipped out of the cave.
Her amber eyes glowed faintly in the dark, unaffected by the absence of light.
She had lied.
While she really had come from the Red River Tribe, Amy wasn't just another survivor—she had once been a priest herself. A true priest, blessed with night vision and danger sense. But with her tribe's fall and the fading of their tribal flame, her powers had diminished—only her night vision remained.
She scanned the camp.
Strange structures now dotted the open space. A plot of land had been cleared and planted with something unfamiliar.
But Amy didn't stop to investigate. She turned toward the wooden wall near the entrance of the settlement, moving quickly and quietly.
She didn't want to be a slave. She didn't want to belong to anyone.
Just as she approached the wall, a hand slipped around her waist.
It moved downward—brushing her stomach, her thigh, and then curled firmly around her tail.
A quiet voice whispered close behind her ear. "Amy, where do you think you're going this late?"
Heart pounding, Amy turned to find Enzo standing there.
She froze. Then, quickly lowered her gaze and said, "I'm sorry, master. I was wrong."
She knew the rules. In this tribe, a slave trying to escape only had one fate: death.
Enzo's fingers tugged gently on her ears. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Mistakes can be forgiven," he said coldly. "But only if you're honest with me... Amy. You were a priest, weren't you?"
When using the totem imprint to explore, Enzo had sensed the tribal priest imprint that had once existed within Amy's body.
This indicated Amy's true identity.
However, at that time, Enzo didn't reveal it directly.
The Crimson Star Tribe needed to develop, to have more people, and Amy, having served as a priest, was undoubtedly a talent of the primitive era. Enzo didn't intend to miss out on her.
But to completely subdue Amy, to make her genuinely obedient, was evidently not an easy task.
Hearing Enzo's words, Amy was completely flustered.
Her legs went weak, making it difficult for her to stand, but Enzo supported her.
Enzo wasn't interested in further toying with this timid fox priestess. He directly commanded, "If your performance can satisfy me, I might overlook your transgression this time."