Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: From Primitive Era Chieftain to Space Era Emperor
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We returned to the cave hauling a massive amount of meat.
Cheers erupted immediately.
"Follow Whirlwind, and meat appears!"
"Long live Whirlwind!"
Praise... I suppose?
The women tried to prepare the meal right away, but I stopped them first, invoking my authority as leader.
Even in primitive societies, hierarchies are a given.
Gradually, within the tribe, signs were appearing that they recognized my immortality, and deification was starting to take root bit by bit.
Power hadn't fully taken hold yet, but something close to it had been granted to me.
They knew full well that listening to what I said brought them no harm.
"I'll teach you a new cooking method."
"Cooking...?"
"Whirlwind! What's that?"
"..."
I'd forgotten.
The fact that the very concept of cooking didn't exist here.
"Cooking is a way to eat even more deliciously!"
"Like dipping it in red powder?"
"Much better than that."
"We'll listen to Whirlwind!"
For reference, the rock salt they mined from inside the cave was pink salt, which is why the primitives called it red powder.
"It takes a long time, but smoking meat over fumes makes it incredibly tender and flavorful. Plus, it keeps without spoiling for ages."
"Is that true!?"
Even the men took interest.
Why wouldn't they?
Primitives knew well enough that storing food was a good idea.
They just lacked the technology.
They understood that fruits spoiled quickly and that drier foods lasted longer.
But the idea of salting hadn't clicked yet, and they had no knowledge that smoking acted as a natural preservative, so they wasted a ton.
Once they tasted smoked meat, though, they'd never settle for just charring it over a fire.
"We'll call this smoking."
First, we needed to build a smokehouse.
I called over four men and had them chop thick green branches—moist wood.
Next came digging a pit.
We packed the bottom firm, made a fire spot off to one side of the pit, and left a passage on the opposite side for smoke to flow.
Over the pit, we erected an H-frame.
Two vertical posts with a crossbar on top, then a lattice of woven branches laid across.
Light the fire, and smoke began billowing.
Now, prep the meat.
I gathered mugwort and cedar leaves near the cave, crushed them, mixed with salt, and rubbed it in.
Mugwort repels bugs, cedar preserves and deepens the smoked flavor.
"Should work, right?"
Of course, I'd only seen it in the game—first time trying it myself.
No worries about failing, though.
Primitive Era Online was so historically accurate that even survival experts played it to pick up knowledge.
As smoking began, the aroma filled the air.
Temptation you could barely resist.
Everyone was drooling visibly.
Even my stomach was screaming for meat; for primitives, this scent could've driven them mad.
"Listen well and memorize what I say, and you'll get meat."
"We'll listen to Whirlwind!"
"There's a reason I brought hides."
I lectured(?) on hide processing.
Using food as bait felt cheap, but nothing was more efficient.
If it worked in modern society, no reason it wouldn't here.
Their brains were probably firing on all cylinders by now.
I fully explained the need for hide processing first.
Emphasized how hides meant fewer injuries in daily life and prep for the coming winter.
Told the men hides were key for survival-boosting defense.
They kept glancing at the smoking meat but grasped the necessity.
While they were hyper-focused, I lectured on hide processing.
The key: stretch it taut and scrape the inner flesh.
Fail to remove inner fat and red membrane, and it'd rot nine times out of ten.
For impurities, use a bone scraper—reindeer shoulder blade knife.
Next, coating.
No chemicals here, so brain tallow it was.
Mix reindeer brain with water into a paste, add a spoonful of fat to emulsify.
Coat with that.
Smoke it, and done.
Pro tanning had finer steps in between, but this was solid knowledge already.
Did any other tribe process hides for clothes or armor?
No way in hell.
That alone gave us a massive edge.
Once explanations wrapped, Black Stone raised his hand.
"Whirlwind! Eat now?"
"Smoking takes time. So we'll pull some and grill over coals."
"Coals?"
Time to demonstrate for these primitives.
Meat's meant for charcoal grilling.
Not straight over flames.
Sizzle!
Smoke-kissed meat gave off an insane aroma.
Worlds apart from the sour, off-taste stuff.
Smoky notes were great, but charcoal-grilled scent drove people wild too.
Gulp!
Some were drooling puddles.
"Eat!"
"Uwaaaah!"
I took a bite myself.
"This... this is it!"
Almost no gamey aftertaste.
We'd bled it, salted, spiced, smoked.
For primitive palates, this was a new world for sure.
"Delicious!"
"Whirlwind's gift!"
"Uoooooh!"
I was moved too.
'Gotta advance food culture! Immortality cheat seems active, but without developed cuisine... life would suck.'
Night fell.
Orgy scenes were breaking out here and there, but I had no intention of stopping them.
In this era, boosting population was survival itself.
Plagues that hit once per season, starvation, frequent accidents.
I had urges as a man, but jumping in to thrust away? Hard pass.
No clue if STDs existed here.
If they did, that kind of free-for-all would spread disease for sure.
No antibiotics—if I caught something, life would get brutal. No thanks.
Then, a sharp young hunter from the Yellow Tribe—who'd shone in the day's hunt—approached the fire.
'Name was Blue Tree, right?'
Behind him stood a woman.
Blonde, blue-eyed Western beauty.
Even my modern eyes, jaded by plastic surgery, rated her highly.
Blue Tree spoke.
"We came from the same belly. Never made children back home, saved for the chief. We offer her to the new chief."
"Huh?"
"I am White Flame. I want the chief's seed."
"..."
Blunt, embarrassing courtship(?).
Standard behavior for this era, probably.
Black Stone approached, having finished sowing his seed nearby.
"Don't touch the chief's woman."
"For real?"
"Rip apart anyone who does."
Black Stone said it casually, brutally.
Easy to guess what'd get ripped.
He added,
"Good seed makes strong boys. We get stronger."
I nodded.
Early Primitive Era Online focused on building clan society.
Then absorb outsider tribes nonstop, forging genetically superior groups. Textbook play.
Dropped in this era, proliferating offspring was duty.
"I'll sow seed deep in the cave."
"Good idea. No one enters."
I learned why White Flame had that name.
Fierce personality, passionate; she drained me all night, leaving next day's energy shot.
Somehow, I gained something like a wife.
Morning air was pretty chilly.
In modern life, I'd shrug it off, but here winter equaled death—brutal.
No winter prep now, and tons of tribesfolk would die from frostbite, hunger, disease.
Cave was decent for overwintering, but in my eyes, insufficient.
Build houses from wood and earth, primitive stoves inside.
Stock food, firewood, prep to survive.
Autumn was in full swing now.
Falling leaves, crisp mornings and evenings told the tale.
Learned from Black Stone the seasons were distinct, so time to build a settlement.
First step: scout settlement candidates.
Ideally near a river.
Elevated ground to dodge floods, nearby salt mine, abundant game—perfect.
Also,
Not deep woods—flat land for farming.
Tribe had swelled to 70 absorbing Yellow Tribe; plan for growth.
Tribesfolk prepped to start the day.
In this era, all who could move did, bustling all day.
I geared up to head out too.
Then summoned the tribe.
"From now on, we're the Whirlwind Tribe. Call me Chieftain. Yesterday's hunt gives plenty to eat, so today we'll pick land to raise meat and fruit."
"Uwo! Whirlwind Tribe!"
"Raise meat and fruit!"
Morale was higher than expected.
Their eyes showed budding fanaticism.
At least faith I'd keep them alive.
Just days in, but my unknowable knowledge and mighty combat made trust natural.
Preparations to seize power and build structure were complete.