Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Red Leaf Tribe
"The branches of the redwood tree, our tribe also uses them as a seasoning, but we usually soak and rinse them in water for a long time to reduce their toxicity before using them. However, even then, there are occasional cases of poisoning. When someone is poisoned by the redwood tree, their senses, starting with taste, become numb, and they gradually lose the ability to move..."
At this point, Lidriell paused because the boy behind him could still walk and even fly. Apart from having a slightly bitter expression on his face, he didn't seem to show any symptoms of redwood tree poisoning.
"The way our tribe counteracts this poison is by picking the green leaves of the redwood tree before they mature and turn red. We grind them into a juice to detoxify the poison."
As he spoke, the chief of the Red Leaf Tribe handed over the freshly ground green leaf juice he had prepared, adding, "It's very effective against redwood tree poisoning, but I'm not sure if it will help with the bitterness in your mouth."
Broly took the leaf juice. As long as it could reduce the bitterness in his mouth, he didn't care what it was. He drank it all in one go.
After drinking it, Broly smacked his lips a couple of times, and the bitterness in his mouth did indeed lessen. His eyes lit up.
"Can I have another cup?"
"Of course, but could you tell me about how you saved my daughter?"
Lidriell took the clay cup and began to question Broly, hoping to get answers from the boy who had saved his daughter.
Hearing this, Broly felt a bit troubled. Lidriell's daughter was just one of the 71 children he had saved incidentally. When asked to describe the specific situation, Broly couldn't recall the details. He could only say, "There was some kind of big prey chasing her, and then I went up and kicked it like this. The thing chasing Rivalina just went 'ugh' and fell down."
Lidriell: "..."
Could someone please tell him what exactly this "big prey" was? And what was with the boy lifting his leg and mimicking a kicking motion, making strange sound effects, and then sticking out his tongue, tilting his head, and pretending to fall down? Was that supposed to represent the dangerous prey chasing his daughter being killed?
As the chief of a tribe living in the mangrove forest, Lidriell could roughly understand the situation, but this abstract yet vivid description felt less impressive than what his daughter had described in simple words.
"Thank you for saving my daughter. You are now a friend of the Red Leaf Tribe, and we always warmly welcome our friends."
After helping Broly with the bitterness in his mouth, Chief Lidriell treated him with the respect due to a benefactor. He had the tribe prepare a lot of food to entertain Broly and the other children.
This meal was much better than the roasted meat they had been eating in the forest, especially since it included many seasonings, such as the crucial salt.
"Everyone, eat as much as you want. If it's not enough, we can make more."
"What's going on with the chief?"
"He's happy. His missing daughter has returned."
"Rivalina? Wasn't she dead?"
"No, she wasn't. I heard she was captured by imperial slave traders and sold to the giant tree forest up north, but someone helped her escape and return."
"So, these kids are the ones who helped her?"
"Yes."
"No wonder..."
After some private discussions, the people of the Red Leaf Tribe understood why their chief was treating outsiders to their tribe's food.
Although a few complained, no one openly said anything negative. The idea of repaying kindness was widely accepted here.
The night passed without incident, and the children slept soundly on the vine-covered ground arranged for them by the Red Leaf Tribe.
When they woke up the next day, the tribe had prepared food for them again.
The children were a bit confused. It seemed like they didn't have to do anything.
They couldn't help but look at Broly.
"Effort brings reward. Let's help with the hunting too."
Though they called it hunting, it was actually fishing. However, the areas in the mangrove forest where fish gathered were already occupied by the Red Leaf Tribe.
While they weren't explicitly excluded, it was made clear that it wasn't convenient for them to fish near the traps the tribe had worked hard to set up.
Fortunately, when Broly had arrived the previous day, he had brought another section of the mangrove forest with him. That area's waters were unoccupied.
Rivalina joined them to fish, and without needing to travel elsewhere, the day passed leisurely.
Initially, the tribe had thought the outsiders were freeloaders, but when they returned with a large catch of fish that evening, some members of the Red Leaf Tribe began to accept these outsider children. However, others felt that the outsiders were taking resources from their tribe's mangrove forest and muttered some complaints.
"The place where we fished isn't your mangrove forest. It's the one Broly brought us to by flying over. We didn't take your fish."
"Liar! Mangrove forests can't fly. You definitely took our fish."
This led to arguments and even fights between the children of the Red Leaf Tribe and the outsider children.
The children of the Red Leaf Tribe were tough and skilled fighters, but the children from the Jifunora Sea Tree Forest were trained as assassins and were even more capable. They won by a narrow margin.
Some adults in the Red Leaf Tribe felt embarrassed and wanted to intervene, but the chief stopped them.
"Children's matters should be handled by children. What kind of adults would interfere?"
Communication wasn't just through words but also through fists and feet. Lidriell thought highly of the children who had come with his daughter and considered integrating them into the tribe.
The best way to do this was to let the children mingle and naturally accept each other.
As Lidriell had predicted, initial resistance was natural, but after the children fought and played together, they gradually accepted the outsider children.
The biggest catalyst for this was when Broly flew to the Jifunora Sea Tree Forest and returned with some dangerous prey.
After witnessing this, the children of the Red Leaf Tribe were completely won over by the outsider children.
Thinking that even Rivalina had such an impressive big brother, they expressed their desire to have one too.
With a shared idol, the children found common ground, and friction naturally decreased.
In short, if you thought Broly was amazing and were willing to join in praising him, then you were their best friend.
In less than five days, the children under ten years old were playing together.
From "This is our tribe's (big brother's) mangrove forest; you outsiders (tribe) can't fish here," to "This is our mangrove forest; feel free to fish here," and even competing to see who could catch more fish, the change was dramatic.
The attitude of the tribe's children also influenced the adults. More importantly, with an additional connected mangrove forest, the tribe's daily fish catch increased.
"Broly, I challenge you!"
Amid this trend of outsider children integrating into the tribe, Rivalina's older brother, Riparip, suddenly challenged Broly.
The reason was that Riparip couldn't stand being called "Second Brother" more and more within the tribe.
Previously, whether it was his sister or other children in the tribe, they would affectionately call him "Big Brother Rip." But after Broly arrived, he was demoted.
Now, Riparip wanted to use his strength to reclaim his position as the big brother in the hearts of his sister and the tribe's children.
"Broly, I know you're strong, so I won't hold back just because you're younger than me. I'll go all out to show everyone who the real big brother of the Red Leaf Tribe is."
This was a battle for status among the children. Riparip was fifteen, not yet an adult, so he could still be considered a child.
"Give it up, Second Brother Rip. You've never hunted dangerous prey. How can you compare to Big Brother Broly?"
The children's words were discouraging, and most of them were from the tribe.
"Enough! I haven't hunted dangerous prey because there aren't many around our mangrove forest. But when it comes to strength, I can collect pearls from over twenty freshwater clams in the deep water in one go. I won't lose to anyone."
The young man leaned on a wooden stake, planning to settle the matter with Broly through arm wrestling.
Then, in a best-of-three match, he lost all rounds.
"Strength isn't everything. Let's race, but no flying."
Even with Broly's flying restricted, he still easily won the race.
"Let's compare lung capacity."
Riparip submerged his face in the water and held his breath for thirty minutes before finally coming up for air.
"How about that? My lung capacity..."
"Big Brother Broly hasn't come up yet."
"Not just Broly, even Akame and Kurome are still holding their breath."
In the subsequent challenges, Riparip lost every one. Even some of the younger children who joined midway performed better than him.
"I admit defeat, Big Brother!"
After a day of challenges, Riparip failed to reclaim his status as the big brother. Instead, he willingly acknowledged the younger boy as his big brother.
That day, through what Broly saw as playful competitions, he unintentionally became the one and only big brother in the hearts of the Red Leaf Tribe's children.
Of course, Broly didn't care about being a big brother. What made him happy was the experience of playing games with everyone.
The happiness levels of Akame and Kurome also increased significantly during the games. Unfortunately, even after so many days, Broly still hadn't encountered anyone else who could be recognized by the Harem Crystal as a potential wife.