Chapter 26: Does She Have a Tail
"Shaman, how do we connect these Hollow Logs together?" Da Gua asked curiously.
Yan Jiao reacted and quickly asked, "Yes, both ends can’t be connected by placing them together, the water will leak out."
Being able to connect the Hollow Logs was the most important thing. Otherwise, all of this was just talk.
"Shaman, there must be a way," Hei Ya said expectantly.
"It’s very simple. Sharpen one end of the Hollow Log into a convex shape, then enlarge the hole of another Hollow Log. They can form a ‘convex-concave’ connection," Su Bai crouched down, picked up a stick and started drawing diagrams on the ground.
He was not concerned about the details now, it was impossible for it to be completely watertight. Still, as long as most of the water could be transported to the Tribe, it would be a success.
"So, that’s how it works," Yan Jiao nodded in realisation.
Da Gua stared at the diagram on the ground and nodded, "This is simple. It won’t take long to complete."
"I knew the Shaman would have a solution," Hei Ya grinned in praise.
"Alright, hurry and dig up a small reservoir," Su Bai said. They had been away from the Tribe for quite a while already. If they did not speed up, it would be dark soon."Leave it to us," Yan Jiao said enthusiastically, eager to transport water back to the Tribe immediately.
"Let me do it." Da Gua called out to the cow horned girl who was about to dig, calmly stating, "I’m a bit faster, you go protect the Shaman."
The hole was not very big. There was not enough room for four people. Furthermore, Three Totem Warriors digging would be faster.
"Okay," Yan Hua quickly agreed, stepping to Su Bai’s side with a slight smile on her lips.
Su Bai watched the three digging mud with their bare hands and sighed, "They’re like Human excavators…"
He felt his fingers getting soft just watching. Only Totem Warriors could dig mud with their bare hands like this. If he tried, the mud and sand would make his fingers bleed.
Time passed slowly, and half an hour later, a reservoir was dug out. It was three metres wide and over two metres deep, with sand at the bottom. It also now had about a foot of water in it.
[The rate it goes through the ground isn’t slow. Based on the water level of the small lake to this reservoir, filling it to two metres high shouldn’t be a problem.] Su Bai estimated in his mind."Shaman, shall we start connecting the Hollow Logs now?" Yan Jiao asked impatiently.
"If we start connecting the Hollow Logs now, can we reach the Tribe by nightfall?" Su Bai asked.
"With just the three of us, we can only connect a small section." Yan Jiao frowned, considering they had to cut trees and dig ‘grooves’.
"What if everyone in the Tribe came to connect the Hollow Logs? How long would it take to reach the Tribe?" Su Bai asked again.
"It could be done in a day," Yan Jiao said after some thought.
"Alright. Cover the reservoir with some branches. We’ll connect the Hollow Logs tomorrow," Su Bai said softly.
"Shaman, why wait until tomorrow? It’s still early, we can connect some Hollow Logs now," Yan Jiao said urgently.
"Sharpening the axe will not delay the work of cutting wood. Let’s cut the Hollow Logs first, and have the people in the Tribe prepare the ‘concave-convex grooves’ tonight. Tomorrow, we can bring them here and connect them directly. Won’t that be faster?" Su Bai explained.
At night, those in the Tribe would be idle anyway. They might as well not sleep early and all come to make the ‘concave-convex grooves’, which would save a lot of time. Moreover, this area near the water source was more dangerous. The few Totem Warriors here had to cut Hollow Logs, make grooves on them, and watch out for dangers. It was hard to imagine how many pipes could be laid in one day. It might not even be possible to transport water to the Tribe in three days.
"But the others still need to find plants for making linen," Yan Jiao still had linen on his mind. If he had to choose between linen and a water source, he would definitely prioritise linen.
"We haven’t found any yet, have we? Taking a day off won’t hurt," Su Bai shook his head.
"Alright," Yan Jiao reluctantly agreed.
"The route for connecting the Hollow Logs, from here all the way to the Tribe, must be sloping downwards. Even if it means taking a detour." Su Bai seriously instructed, "Especially the section near the water source. There must not be any section of Hollow Log higher than the one before it since the ‘water pressure’ is not enough to send water to the Tribe."
"Understood," Yan Jiao, Hei Ya, and Da Gua responded in unison.
The reservoir was quickly covered with branches, and Hei Ya even pressed many stones on top.
Su Bai scanned around, and did not spot any issues with it. He said, "Let’s go, take me back to the Tribe."
"Yes," Yan Jiao quickly responded.
The group of five headed back to the Tribe along the way they came. Unlike the complex emotions on the way here, they were now returning to the Tribe with excitement and joy.
It took over an hour for the five to return to the Tribe, and the sun was already tilting west, with only two or three hours left before dark.
"Shaman, I’ll have people go cut Hollow Trees," Yan Jiao said, then rushed back into the forest with Hei Ya and Da Gua.
Most of the Tribe was gathered at the gathering ground, where there were Hollow Trees. They could cut trees on the spot and transport them back to the Tribe before dark.
*Growl…* Suddenly, Su Bai’s stomach growled loudly.
"Shaman, are you hungry?" Yan Hua asked with a smile.
"I am a bit hungry," Su Bai said helplessly. How could he not be? He had not eaten all day.
On his first day as Shaman, he had not rested at all. In the morning, he attended a meeting to understand the Tribe’s situation, then found an assistant. At noon, he went to check the water source. He had been busy until now without eating.
"Shaman, go back to the tent first, I’ll get you some dried meat," Yan Hua quickly said, running off with her buttocks swaying.
[I still don’t know if she has a tail or not…] Su Bai watched the cow horned girl’s swaying buttocks, wondering, [If I ask her directly, will I be called a pervert?]He turned and walked towards the main tent, muttering, "No, primitive society shouldn’t have the term ‘pervert’, right?"