I am a Primitive Man-Chapter 704: The Limits of Resources

Unlike the joyous mood of the people in the Green Sparrow Tribe, the members of this other tribe were visibly downcast.

This was because the fruit they planted this year didn’t grow very well, and the number of fruit clusters was also sparse.

Additionally, since they had only recently relocated here, after moving, they had to build houses and livestock pens. Combined with prior consumption, the seeds of that fruit were not plentiful.

As a result, the planting area for this fruit was insufficient this year.

With limited planting area and poor growth, the tribe was sure to have a difficult time through this winter and the coming spring.

Though most adults already expected such an outcome before the move, when it arrived, many still felt a deep sadness in their hearts.

“￥%R…”

An older-looking female shaman, who seemed even more aged than she was in spring, spoke up. Upon hearing her words, those harvesting fruit in the fields around the tribe gradually felt their sadness ease.

What she said wasn’t complicated — she was reminding everyone that such situations always happened after migrations.

The wild grass in the fields had already been removed mainly by them, and once they got through the current difficulties, by the next harvest, the tribe would be able to gather plenty of these hunger-satisfying fruits again.

After saying this, she pointed firmly with her hand toward the west of the tribe, explaining that the chief was leading others on a hunting expedition.

The chief and his group all rode animals, which helped them conserve energy while traveling. Upon spotting prey, they could either chase while riding or dismount and pursue on foot, making it easier to catch their quarry.

Thus, the chief would certainly bring back a good number of animals.

Besides this, she also pointed to the trees around the tribe that had not been cut down. Among these trees were some fruit-bearing trees.

She meant to say that after dealing with the fruits in the fields, they could still gather these wild fruits for sustenance.

It must be noted that this female shaman was a competent and wise person. Though her words were plain, she faithfully followed the great principle of encouraging people with “the present is hard, but the future is bright.”

After hearing her, many of the women and children remaining in the tribe settled their minds and continued working hard under her wise leadership.

While everyone labored, the female shaman stood upright, raised one hand, and placed it behind her head, beginning to pray silently.

She prayed that those out hunting would bring back more game.

Regardless, the tribe’s food supply this year was low.

And hunting was always an uncertain endeavor.

To the west of the tribe, far away, the chief rode an animal, gripping a long weapon, and led others as they moved cautiously through the area.

They remained alert, scanning the area for prey.

For reasons unknown, the hunting group’s luck was horrible. So far, they hadn’t encountered any large animals.

Even small animals were few.

Although they had animals to conserve strength and were quite skilled hunters, their catch was still meager under these conditions.

The chief looked up through the gaps in the trees at the sun overhead, estimated the distance from the tribe, thought for a moment, and then ordered everyone to continue westward.

This was already beyond the usual hunting range.

In the past, if the catch weren’t large, the chief would have led the group back by taking a detour and circling back toward the tribe. But this time, he didn’t.

One reason was the few animals encountered—bad luck played a part. Another was that after more than half a year of hunting, the wildlife in this area had already declined considerably.

After all, their tribe had far more people than these smaller tribes.

During this time, since the fruit they planted hadn’t ripened, they relied entirely on hunting and gathering for survival.

The limited area could only support a limited population; once that limit was exceeded, resource shortages would inevitably arise.

The tribe’s people didn’t fully grasp this profound truth, but they could sense it somewhat from their past and present experiences. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Another reason was that the shaman had told the chief earlier that this year’s fruit harvest was not promising.

So, until the next fruit harvest, the tribe would have to rely heavily on hunting and gathering.

The wise shaman also informed him that in recent years, the weather had become less stable, with cold and snow sometimes arriving earlier than before.

Before the move, their tribe could depend on the many fruits harvested from their land, so an early winter was not a big problem.

But if that happened now, their lives would become very difficult.

Therefore, the chief decided to lead the group further west, into areas they hadn’t explored or hunted before.

Perhaps there they would find more game and bring back more food for the tribe.

Their tribe still had many people, a wise shaman, and some fruit plants. As long as they survived this period, when the next fruit harvest came, the tribe could become prosperous again.

The chief rode his animal, holding a wooden and stone-made weapon, leading the group westward while thinking about the future of the tribe with growing confidence.

Most of the others following him shared this confidence because the wise shaman had told them these things on more than one occasion.

With these words and the tribe’s previous migration experience, it was easy for people to believe.

Autumn is a season of harvest. Not only the Green Sparrow Tribe and this semi-agricultural tribe were harvesting, but other tribes were as well—such as the Sheep Tribe at this moment…