After a while, Chen Xing met the leader here in the largest tent in the middle of the tribe.
To be precise, he is the village chief here, because this is a village with Eastern Continent culture. In the Red Earth Continent, the refugee groups of the Western Continent culture are generally called "tribes" and the supreme leader is the "chief", while those of the Eastern Continent culture are called "villages" and the supreme leader is the "village chief" .
The village chief is an elderly man. His skin is like the bark of poplar trees outside, covered with cracks and wrinkles. He looked to be seventy or eighty years old, with a thin body but bright eyes. He was holding a small oil lamp in his hand and was looking at Chen Xing carefully.
After about a few seconds, the village chief put down the oil lamp, leaned on crutches, bent his waist, and saluted Chen Xing. In the wilderness, the strong are respected. Chen Xing is the master of the place, so his status is naturally much higher.
"Are you Mr. Chen Xing?" The village chief raised his head and asked slightly confused. He didn't expect that the "adult" that "Red Wolf" Quick called was so young.
"Yes, I am Chen Xing, captain of the third team of the Orchid Town garrison, and the person in charge of the water station stronghold in the northwest of Orchid Town." Chen Xing said in a calm voice.
"Hello, Mr. Chen Xing, I am Garide, the head of Gari Village." The old man introduced himself respectfully.
After identifying each other, Garide invited Chen Xing to sit down. Although it is the largest tent, it still seems a bit small. The floor was covered with animal furs, including those of pigs, sheep, and some unknown creatures.
The two of them sat cross-legged across a small long table. There was a small oil lamp placed on the seat, emitting a faint light.
Chen Xing was about to ask about the situation of the village, such as how many people there were, how many young adults there were, and how many old people and children there were. Suddenly the light came on, and two girls opened the curtain and walked in from the outside. They knelt down in front of the table and placed the plates in their hands in front of Chen Xing one by one. There were some red wild fruits similar to hawthorns, dried mutton and some pastries of unknown origin.
Taking a closer look, the two girls had pretty faces, but their faces were slightly yellow, and they were a little sickly thin under their homespun clothes. It is not difficult to see that it is caused by malnutrition. In refugee villages, good food must be reserved for young adults, because they have to go out to find food or protect the village. The elderly, children and women usually eat less.
"The conditions here are not good. We only have these Elaeagnus angustifolia, dried mutton, and mulberry fruit cake. You can eat it first. I have already sent people to kill the sheep." Garid said.
"It's okay, I think it's pretty good." Chen Xing ate an angustifolia symbolically, and then asked about the situation in the village.
Garid said that there were 761 people here, including 138 young and middle-aged people, and the rest were old people, children and women. Then, some of their customs and habits were explained. The people of Gali Village believe in the "green lantern god" and believe that the god is hidden in the wick and protects their clansmen.
"The state religion of the Red Dragon Principality is the Holy Light Church. You can only worship your gods in private, and you cannot preach, otherwise no one can protect your safety." Chen Xing reminded.
"Of course." Garide nodded and said.
At this time, Chen Xing found two girls staring blankly at the dried meat on the table, their eyes shining with hunger. So he moved the plate and said, "Would you like some, too?"
"Ah?" They were startled. They raised their heads at the same time and looked at Chen Xing and then at the village chief. They seemed hesitant.
"Master Chen Xing is our most distinguished guest. If he asks you to eat, you can eat." Garid said with a gentle smile.
The two girls suddenly beamed with joy. They both reached for the dried meat and pastries and stuffed them into their mouths hungrily.
"Eat slowly, don't choke." Garid said kindly.
Seeing the village chief's performance, Chen Xing nodded secretly. The village has simple folk customs and will definitely be easy to manage in the future.
"Master Chen Xing, I still have questions and want to ask you for advice." Garide said.
"Please tell me." Chen Xing made a "please" gesture.
"What kind of person is the mayor of Orchid Town, our future protector?" Garid asked. This issue is the most critical. The character of the mayor determines their future living environment. If he has a bad temper and is cruel to the people, he might as well stay in the wilderness. Even though the environment is harsh and they are hungry, they are still free.
"My position was promoted by killing Wang Bo, the captain of the third team of Orchid Town." Chen Xing said with a mysterious smile.
"What mistake did he make?" Garide's face changed slightly and he asked.
"He took pleasure in killing civilians, so he died." Chen Xing's eyes narrowed and he said, "I shot him in the head."
"Well..." Garide thought for a while and said, "The mayor must be a fair and wise protector."
"Yes." Chen Xing nodded.
Garid lowered his head, thought for a long time, and finally clenched his fists with determination and said, "Let's pack up and leave in ten days."
"Okay!" Chen Xing stretched out his hand and shouted in a deep voice. Although the sound was not quiet, it did not affect the appetite of the two girls at all, and their mouths were filled with pastries and angustifolia.
The two hands were held together, and the migration was settled.
In the evening, a large pot was set up in the middle of the village, cooking mutton. A fire was set up next to it, and the mutton legs were roasted. The aroma of the meat filled the air. People of all ages gathered in a circle, looking at the meat in the pot, their eyes almost bulging out.
However, each person can only get a small piece. Only the village chief and a few elders who accompany the guests can eat more.
In order to win over people's hearts, Chen Xing naturally couldn't eat more. Like ordinary refugees, he only ate a small piece. Furthermore, the refugees' pots were pitch black, and they didn't know what had been cooked, so as not to eat something they shouldn't...
At night, Chen Xing was alone in the tent, his stomach growling with hunger, and he was about to take out compressed biscuits to satisfy his hunger, when a timid voice suddenly came from outside.
"Sir, are you asleep?"
"Who are you?" Chen Xing asked doubtfully. The voice outside sounded a little childish, it must be that of a young girl.
"We met at the village chief today..." Her voice was trembling, as if she was nervous.
"Is something wrong?" Chen Xing asked.
"Can I come in?"
Before Chen Xing had time to answer, the curtain was lifted, and a girl came in and threw herself into his arms without any explanation, her shoulders hunched slightly, nervous.
How could Chen Xing III not know what the other party meant. However, looking at the girl's thin body, he really couldn't bear it, so he gently pushed her away and said, "You don't have to be like this."
"You, you want me, otherwise, they will beat me to death..." The girl shed tears and looked at Chen Xing with helpless eyes.
"Who?" Chen Xing asked with a straight face.
The girl shook her head desperately and refused to answer.
Chen Xing thought for a while, gave up asking, and instead took out two cans of meat from his backpack and stuffed them into the girl's arms.
"Eat, sleep here when you're full." Chen Xing pointed to the corner of the tent and said, then took out the compressed biscuits, tore off the aluminum paper from the packaging, and started eating on his own. It is not difficult to guess that the village chief asked her to come. It would be bad for her if she was turned away.
The girl stood up silently, walked to the corner with the canned meat in her arms, and curled up into a ball. When Chen Xing saw this, he picked up the blanket beside him and threw it over.
"Go to bed early," he said.
"Yes." The girl nodded, her eyes looking at him became a little complicated, showing gratitude, confusion, and a hint of inexplicable loss.
