Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: From Primitive Era Chieftain to Space Age Emperor
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When an agricultural society begins, all sorts of changes take place.
The most prominent is the surplus production, and from that point on, the accumulation of wealth starts.
These days, it's common for kids to know their mothers but not their fathers, but from this era onward, it becomes possible to pass down wealth and power, bringing the necessity of marriage to the forefront.
As wealth builds up, people naturally gain motivation to work hard and seek ways to pass on everything they have.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this is how marriage began.
From here on, my managerial skills would be put to the test.
How far should I allow the inheritance of wealth and power?
If I banned it entirely, marriage would lose its meaning, so for wealth, an inheritance tax of 40-80%; for power, pass down knowledge and experience, but refrain from handing over the father's position.
If civilization had advanced even a little, there would be massive backlash.
But right now?
We're just starting to glimpse escape from hunger, and surplus goods haven't piled up much yet—this is the perfect time to institutionalize it.
It's safe to say this marks the beginning.
On an evening just as summer was beginning,
I gathered all the tribe members.
I laid out a lavish spread in front of the communal torch: ribs and pork shoulder fresh from the smokehouse, barley porridge in earthen pots, bone broth, coarse bread topped with honey, fish pulled from the river, and cheese curdled from boiled goat milk.
Unfortunately, we still hadn't managed to brew any alcohol.
Even with surplus building up, it wasn't that much yet, and all our grains were still foraged from outside.
I took White Flame's hand and walked up to the torch.
"We promise to be together here forever."
The crowd murmured.
The atmosphere grew restless.
Up until now, romantic relationships had formed within the tribe, but marriage was a foreign concept.
The gender imbalance made it unnecessary anyway.
But now, it was needed.
Even without that reason, I wanted to soothe White Flame's heart.
"The promise to be together forever is called marriage. In winter, we become each other's lantern; in summer, each other's shade. It's the deepest bond formed by living together. That is marriage."
Next came the exchange of gifts.
No need for anything extravagant.
Marriage is, after all—even in modern times—about publicly declaring it to the community.
What procedures does the primitive era need?
A ring was already on her ring finger.
'Was I too hasty...? No. Crafting a ring takes tremendous effort, so exchanging necklaces is more fitting.'
I draped the necklace I'd prepared around her neck, and she did the same for me.
A fleeting thought crossed my mind: in the distant future, it might devolve into a collar around the neck.
"White Flame, I want you by my side on the path I walk."
"I promise too."
Even as she said it, a faint pang rose in my chest.
With my immortal body, I would one day have to part with White Flame.
Someday, regret would come.
If you give your heart to someone, the pain when they leave defies description.
Yet, this was all I could offer her, so I made the vow.
I pressed my forehead to hers.
"We are each other's ally."
"Woo-ah!"
The tribe members shouted.
They didn't fully grasp the meaning of marriage, but they vaguely sensed it held profound importance for human life.
After I married White Flame, the marriage rate shot up noticeably.
We practiced polygamy by nature.
The main change was the emergence of families; women slept with men they liked, and men couldn't touch married women.
For now, that was enough.
Someday, it would become established custom.
Summer was in full swing.
Winter had been so cold it felt like an ice age, and now summer was sweltering like mad.
I wasn't sure if it was because I'd fallen into the primitive era or if it was genuinely this hot.
Without a thermometer, I had to borrow wisdom from those with experience.
"This year's unusually hot."
"Is that so?"
"Never like this before."
From Black Stone's words, I inferred the ice age might be thawing.
Probably the tail end of a little ice age.
Just speculation, though—next year would tell.
This brought food preservation issues to the forefront.
No matter how well we smoked or salted it, food spoiled eventually.
Sourness crept in at the edges of smoked meat, and the top layers in salting jars turned mushy.
Even primitive folk used to spoiled food—I didn't buy it.
Typhoid, dysentery, other diseases.
Bad spoiled food inevitably causes problems.
Hence, underground storage.
"Underground storage?"
"Dig into the earth to store food. Naturally cooler than above ground, so better than now. Think of caves."
"You're right. I remember caves underground feeling chilly."
Black Stone nodded.
I added one more thing.
"While we're at it, let's make an ice chamber."
"Ice chamber?"
"In winter, harvest ice from the river and fill it; in summer, use it like a refrigerator... no, like winter."
"Is that possible!?"
"It is."
Black Stone didn't question it further.
Everything I'd said was possible before had come true.
We couldn't get ice yet, but even dropping the temperature by one degree meant building the underground storage now.
We started with a stone slab design.
Dig as deep as possible, make the passage long.
The longer the airflow path, the slower the internal air moves.
This was the core principle of ice chamber design.
Entrance faces away from north, bent in an L-shape.
Prevents warm summer winds from rushing straight in.
Which also means winter ice chill doesn't escape directly.
"We need drainage."
Wise Flower drew the drain.
We nodded in agreement.
Ice melts, obviously.
Needs a water path.
So, how to drain it.
A tiny passage leading outside.
Possible because our site is on high ground.
Drainage zigzags to block cold as much as possible.
Might become a rat tunnel if wrong, but with ice in midsummer, even rats might hesitate.
I immediately assigned construction crew to digging.
Site: slightly lower ground between north gate and smokehouse.
Crucial to get less sun—needs long shadows.
Dug in terraces from the edges.
Strong men from Black Tribe threw their weight in.
When ground softened, sprinkled gravel handful by handful.
Once deeper than a man's height, built walls.
Layered round river stones and bricks dry-stacked.
Backfilled outer side with soil, wedged thin willow branches like pins in between.
Inner walls thinly plastered with clay mortar, wrapped in birch bark for waterproofing.
Ceiling: corbel dome.
Laid bricks inward step by step, narrowing circles.
Two vents at dome peak.
Closed by day, open at night for cooling.
Ice area: slightly concave, bricked edges for lips.
Grid wooden frames for easy ice stacking, gravel base below for drainage.
Water collects in sump, small sluice to drain.
Plan: dry reeds and leaves between ice layers.
Cover dome with soil, build shade house on top—done.
"It's complete!"
Nearly two weeks on the underground storage.
No machines in this era, all manual labor—so time-consuming.
Tribe members inspecting it couldn't hide their awe.
"No more food spoiling!"
"Can store longer!"
"As expected of Great Whirlwind!"
For now, just cooler than outside, but after this winter and next summer, they'd be shocked.
We moved surplus from surface storage underground right away.
Would've been great last year, but no real surplus then.
Labor shortage too.
Definitely felt the labor surplus since Black Tribe joined.
Not overflowing, though.
Summer passed peacefully, autumn seemed near.
As grain heads ripened, harvest anticipation built.
Then Eagle's Eye rushed back from scouting.
"Chieftain! War's broken out!"
"War? Who's attacking?"
"Not that—two big nearby tribes are about to clash."
"Oh?"
This land isn't just ours.
Abundant water, game, salt access—odd if no other tribes.
War for population growth or plunder is everyday stuff.
So.
How to sweep them up so cleanly the rumors spread?