Baron was genuinely surprised!
"Shu Yue, did you teach the arithmetic?"
Shu Yue nodded, "Yes, my sister and I can both do arithmetic. Do you have any other questions, Uncle?"
Baron was stunned and asked the same question as Bach, "Where did you learn it from?"
Shu Yue, being a good child, naturally told the truth, "Uncle, I received a blessing from the Beast God, so the Beast God taught me some things. Including our mating ceremony, the Beast God also gave us a blessing. Don't believe me, ask Went."
Baron looked at Went.
Went nodded. No one knew how he did it, but the golden light spot of the Beast God's blessing reappeared on his forehead. Nothing could prove it better than this.
Baron and Leite stared, their eyes wide. Leite, without hiding his envy this time, said, "You're really lucky, the Beast God actually blessed you!"
Went felt smug but maintained a calm expression, "I'm benefiting from Yue Yue's luck."
Upon seeing the golden light spot on his brow, Baron fully believed Shu Yue's words. The Beast God was the true deity worshipped by the beastmen; he was not a legend but a real existence, a fact every beastman firmly believed.
Shu Yue curiously asked, "Went, how did you make it appear? I can't do it."
Went replied, "...The mating mark is on us, but it's usually invisible. It only appears when we want others to see it."
"...!" Did this mean it was controlled by thought?
She tried, but it didn't work.
Never mind, this wasn't important. The important thing was to make Baron believe.
Baron patted Went's shoulder, "You're a lucky kid!"
His gaze towards Shu Xin and Shu Yue grew more satisfied. It was common knowledge that a female blessed by the Beast God had an increased chance of conceiving. He could already picture little dragon beasts playing around him!
The future of the dragon beasts depended on them!
Baron's gaze was too intense and peculiar, making Shu Yue and her sister uneasy. They wondered what this old man was plotting!
Went coughed lightly, blocking Baron's view, and said, "Uncle, go and persuade the witch doctor. The tablet isn't important. As long as we are united, the Warrior Tribe will eventually become the strongest tribe on the beast continent!"
Baron nodded, "Well said! I'll go find the witch doctor now."
As the chief, he sometimes felt helpless. The witch doctor was too special and couldn't be easily offended.
A capable witch doctor could help the tribe survive longer. Conversely, if the witch doctor harbored too much selfishness, it wouldn't be good for the tribe.
Some small tribes respected their witch doctors even more than their chiefs. In their eyes, the witch doctor was someone who could communicate with the Beast God, second only to the Beast God himself.
This led to an overestimation of the witch doctor's status, and the witch doctor would lose themselves in such vanity. That tribe was truly at its end.
Their dragon beasts had long lifespans and had carved out a place for themselves through hardship. While the witch doctor was important, they wouldn't overemphasize their role. If Shu Xin had appeared in another tribe, she wouldn't have been able to keep the tablet.
No one could contend with a witch doctor for something.
After the chief left, the atmosphere in the cave remained tense.
...
In the afternoon, while Went was teaching the tribesmen to count, he overheard discussions about the tablet.
"Did you hear? Leite's female has a glowing board. They say the witch doctor wants to keep it for treating the tribesmen, but Leite's female refuses to give it up!"
"Really? What does Leite say about it?"
That beastman spoke with dissatisfaction, "Leite spoils his female too much. The witch doctor is very angry now."
"Ah? Then what should we do?"
"What can we do? Just let Leite's female give the tablet to the witch doctor. What use does she have for it herself!"
Went frowned deeply upon hearing this, "What are you talking about!"
That beastman asked him, "Went, isn't your female Shu Xin's sister? Ask your female to persuade her sister to quickly give that glowing board to the witch doctor. It would benefit all our tribesmen!"
Went shot them a cold glance, "How can you say such things? The tablet belongs to Shu Xin. If she's willing to give it, she gives it. If she's not willing, you want to force her?"
"Besides, if it weren't for that board, could the witch doctor not heal your injuries? It's just something that provides light; it's dispensable."
The angry tone made the discussing beastmen look at each other. Upon reflection, it made sense, but that was the witch doctor!
Sensing his anger, the beastmen wisely stopped discussing and turned to ask about counting, "Went, did you learn to count from the Uda Tribe?"
Went replied, "No, my mate taught me. The arithmetic you are learning now is something only Shu Xin and her sister know. If I hear anyone discussing this matter again, you won't be allowed to learn counting anymore!"
His words were blunt, but the beastmen were astonished. Seeing Went's displeased expression, they dared not ask further and became much more obedient.
There were many people in the tribe, so it was impossible to teach everyone at once. Twenty to thirty beastmen came in the morning, and a new batch came in the afternoon, all males. Went decided to start with the males. After teaching a few batches, he would have them teach their own females.
The afternoon batch of beastmen dared not discuss further. They lowered their heads and drew 1 on the ground with stones...
The teaching location was the tribe's large cave, usually used to house beastmen whose tents were flooded during the rainy season. Halfway through the rainy season each year, this cave would be filled with people.
It had only just begun this year, so no one had moved in yet.
It had become a teaching spot. Anyway, the males had good eyesight, so the dimness of the cave didn't affect them.
The cave walls were inscribed with Arabic numerals 1-10. They wouldn't be erased once written, and these ten numbers alone would take a month to master.
A large beastman squatted on the ground, holding a sharp stone and drawing a 3 on the ground. His hand struggled with the curves when writing!
Sweat beaded on his forehead, "It's so hard to draw!"
Went glanced over, "Practice it slowly when you get back. It's very simple."
The beastman wiped the sweat from his forehead and curiously asked, "Who came up with these numbers? They're truly magical."
Went ignored this question, as he didn't know the answer either.
Ever since he saw those texts, he realized how simple numbers truly were. The people in that world were very capable.
...
At night, after dinner, Leite and the others were preparing to return when suddenly a beastman, braving the rain, came to borrow the tablet.
Leite and Shu Xin exchanged a look. The former asked, "What do you need the tablet for?"
The beastman replied, "A small beast cub fell into a drainage ditch and is bleeding all over. The witch doctor said to borrow the tablet for light so they can apply medicine."
...
Shu Yue really wanted to roll her eyes. Before, when beastmen were injured at night, they could be treated. Now, they couldn't?
Shu Xin frowned, a chill creeping into her heart.
Leite voiced what Shu Yue was thinking, "It's just a fall, how serious could it be? In the past, when beastmen were injured more severely, the witch doctor treated them without the tablet, and they still saved them, didn't they?"