Chapter 544 - 55: The Fall of the Tribe
The people in the primitive tribe didn’t have many thoughts.
In fact, their lives didn’t allow them the opportunity to ponder life’s meaning.
Day after day of hunger, year after year of searching for food, survival, reproduction, fighting, and death made everyone’s life indistinguishable from insects, heading towards the end in a cycle of suffering.
Perhaps they would have moments of joy—
Catching a fish, finding fruit in the forest, indulging in primal desires with a mate in a dark, cramped, and leaky hut, or witnessing the continuation of their life entering this world...
But happiness was always scarce, while hunger and pain were ever-present.
Of course, not all tribe members went through such a tragic life journey. At least, Lisoben was an exception, and his experiences were vastly different from others.
As the eldest son of the previous leader, he enjoyed a life of being the center of attention since childhood.
While other natives worked, he slept soundly on comfortable animal skins. Few children in the tribe grew up on breast milk until the age of three like him.
Thanks to ample food supply, Lisoben was taller than his peers from an early age.
His father often praised his strength and intelligence in front of all tribe members. The old priest, who was very close to his father, would echo these praises, saying he was a warrior bestowed by the Celestial God.
From the time Lisoben began to understand things, his ears were filled with such praises.
Back then, the tribe’s situation was not as difficult as it is now. There were still plenty of fruit-bearing trees on the island and fish in the nearby sea. Though people couldn’t fill their stomachs, they didn’t have to spend the entire day searching for food just to eke out a living.
However, along with the relatively abundant food came the exclusion from several other tribes.
Conflicts were inevitable as they competed for limited resources.
As the "warrior" chosen by the tribe, Lisoben had also been on the battlefield, wielding a long spear and wooden saber, charging at the forefront of the team.
With his tall physique and being the leader’s son, coupled with his fierce combat skills, his prestige rose with each victory, making him a strong contender for the next leader.
At that time, he was high-spirited and full of vitality.
After all, he was different from other tribe members. Although he had experienced the trials of life and death, he had never experienced the hardships of ordinary tribe members.
The title of Celestial God’s warrior hung over his head. Over time, even the old priest came to believe it, let alone Lisoben himself, who had held this title since childhood.
Such smooth sailing lasted until he was seventeen, when during a conflict with a small tribe, Lisoben’s father, the old leader of the tribe, died on the battlefield.
Soon after, several other renowned warriors in the tribe stepped forward, starting to fight for the leader’s position, almost causing the tribe to split.
At that time, Lisoben was in a panic, not at all like a "warrior bestowed by the gods." Without the old priest’s guidance, he would never have taken the leader’s position.
The period after his father’s death was the most painful in Lisoben’s life and also an important turning point towards maturity.
...
The tribe was already small, and the struggle for leadership left it battered and bruised. Several valiant warriors died due to internal fighting, leading to a difficult period after Lisoben became leader.
It was also during this time that ambition swelled in his chest. He first developed the aspiration to avenge his father and even conquer all enemy tribes, uniting the entire island.
For those with ability, ambition is a driving force that pushes them forward.
However, for those without enough ability, overly grand ideals are undoubtedly a torment.
In the following years, Lisoben pondered how to strengthen the tribe, but his mind was devoid of great reform ideas. He even had to rely on the old priest for tribe management.
This "unattainable" state lasted for a long time until the Spaniards arrived on the island.
This group of people, like creatures from the Celestial Kingdom, brought Lisoben a new opportunity.
While desperately seeking ways to realize his dreams, he used all his wits, shouting and gesturing, and finally managed to establish initial communication with the outsiders, understanding the Spaniards’ needs.
...
The previous visions gradually became reality with the help of the Spaniards.
These people possessed profound wisdom and inscrutable methods, with abilities far surpassing the old priest. With their help, Lisoben finally saw the dawn of realizing his dreams.
However, the good times did not last long. Ever since the tribe fell into the rhythm of expansion, the old priest often quarreled with Lisoben.
Lisoben always trusted the old priest, but he did not agree with the old priest’s views—
The old priest was too old and somewhat stubborn. Although the tribe, with the help of outsiders, was expanding in size and seemed to be on the verge of uniting the entire island,
in the eyes of the old priest, this was not entirely a good thing, much like witnessing those outsiders treating tribe members like animals.
Such an unequal exchange could not last long. Should a day come when the tribe could no longer provide what the other side needed, the false prosperity would collapse in an instant.
After a disagreement between the two tribal leaders, Lisoben and the old priest’s relationship grew increasingly distant.
Even though he still needed the old priest to help consolidate his position and handle internal tribe affairs,
the old priest had his own ideas and no longer wanted to follow Lisoben’s orders. After leading several rituals, this stubborn old man even personally ventured to that distant small island and never returned.