Chapter 28: The Wicker Basket

Mu Tong felt a wave of irritation, thinking that if it weren't for the awe they felt toward her as the "Messenger of God," these primitives might have even reached out to curiously touch the fabric of her clothes.

She was no longer wearing her pajamas; she had hidden behind a tree to change into a clean and crisp denim outfit. Stashing her discarded clothes into a backpack, Mu Tong discreetly retrieved some essential daily necessities from her storage ring and tucked them inside as well.

She expected to be living with the tribe for quite some time, and she did not want to expose her storage equipment just yet. The combat capabilities of these primitive people remained to be seen. Now that she was effectively an ordinary person, she had to maintain a necessary level of vigilance toward a tribe that might possess mysterious means.

Listening to them call her the "Messenger of God" repeatedly, she wondered how they knew of her existence and how they knew she was here. When she was at the Amazon forest ranch, she had seen tribes with extraordinary, mysterious abilities, and it was hard to guarantee that this primitive tribe didn't possess similar secrets—such as a magical way to track her location.

Sticking to the mindset of "better safe than sorry," Mu Tong prepared to survive in the primitive tribe for a while and slung the backpack over her shoulders. The rest of her items were already being carried by the tribesmen, who were competing to curry favor with the Messenger of God.

Seeing that the Messenger’s belongings were packed, Ah Yu raised his stone spear and signaled. The group surrounded Mu Tong in the center of the formation and began the return journey to their tribe.

Along the way, Mu Tong examined every plant she encountered, and the group, wanting to accommodate her, slowed their pace in cooperation. Unfortunately, after many identifications, most were either poisonous or inedible.

After walking for nearly an hour, Mu Tong spotted a vine-like plant resembling green beans. The vines were laden with pods of varying lengths, looking quite promising. However, the vines were covered in many thorns, making them difficult to harvest.

Mu Tong stopped. Having been terrified by the lack of food, she naturally wanted to identify anything that looked potentially edible. She carefully picked a pod and pretended to play with it, while actually having Xiao Qiang perform the identification.

Shama saw this and, assuming Mu Tong was interested in the plant, kindly warned, "Messenger, this thing is poisonous. It cannot be eaten, though it is fine to play with." He explained that someone in the tribe had once mistakenly eaten it, resulting in stomach pain, vomiting, nausea, and dizziness. It was only after the tribe’s shaman had prepared various medicinal herbs that the person recovered.

Mu Tong raised an eyebrow. She had just received the identification results from Xiao Qiang: it was indeed a plant similar to green beans—edible, and with a similar composition.

Hearing Shama’s warning, Mu Tong smiled. These primitive people were quite kind-hearted. However, their belief that it was poisonous likely stemmed from eating it without cooking it properly. Green beans contain two types of toxins, but these are not dangerous; as long as the beans are heated above 100 degrees Celsius and thoroughly cooked, the toxins are destroyed. If processed improperly and not fully cooked, the toxins can cause poisoning.

"These are green beans," Mu Tong decided to name the newly discovered plant after a familiar term. "They are edible, but they must be cooked and steamed thoroughly before eating."

Could they really be eaten? The tribesmen looked at one another. Since the noble Messenger of God said so, it must be true. Hadn't the shaman said that the arrival of the Messenger was to ensure everyone in the tribe was well-fed? Surely, the Messenger must have a special way to ensure they could eat this plant without harm.

The group silently followed Mu Tong to pick the beans until the small patch was cleared. While picking, Mu Tong secretly stashed some into her storage ring, yet even then, the group harvested over two hundred pounds of beans, showing how abundant that small patch was.

On Earth, the harvest season for green beans is generally in the summer. From this, Mu Tong deduced that it was currently summer in this region. The temperature in the forest was comfortable for her thin outfit, and she would even break a sweat if she walked quickly, which aligned with early or late summer temperatures.

Although she could have asked the tribesmen directly, she considered that different cultures had different ways of speaking and naming things. Since they called her the "Messenger of God," would asking too many questions expose her? Choosing caution, she abandoned the idea of being a curious child.

But how were they to carry so many beans back? Should each person hold a pile? These small beans were hard to carry, and Ah Yu and the others were at a loss.

Mu Tong’s eyes darted around. There were plenty of vines by the roadside, including the type she had identified earlier—non-toxic and flexible, yet incredibly strong. They would be perfect for weaving into baskets.

She took out a small knife (a magical tool she had forged previously) and with a light flick, cut down piles of vines. She then cut some branches from the roadside, trimmed them to size, and with nimble finger movements, began weaving a basket on the spot.

Mu Tong had woven baskets with vines before. Despite once being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she had always done things herself and was quite capable. She watched as the thin vines flew between her dexterous fingers. In a short while, the base of a basket had formed. Mu Tong crouched, adjusting the shape of the basket from time to time.

Before long, a sturdy basket capable of holding a significant amount was finished.

What was this thing for? The tribesmen looked at Mu Tong with astonishment. When they saw her fill the basket with the harvested green beans and then instruct Shama to carry it on his back, they finally realized: the Messenger was teaching them how to make something useful.

They had watched Mu Tong make the basket from scratch, transforming seemingly useless vines into a functional container. In such a short time, the value difference between the two states was immense. Naturally, Ah Yu was also very interested in the knife she had used to cut the vines; he didn't know what material it was made of, but it was much sharper than a stone knife.

"Noble Messenger of God, can you teach us how to make this?" Ah Yu didn't know what to call the basket, so he used "this" instead.

"Of course," Mu Tong readily agreed. A single basket wouldn't be enough to hold over two hundred pounds of beans.

To Mu Tong’s surprise, these seemingly brawny men were quite dexterous. As she taught them, they learned quickly, and each of them produced a decent basket without much trouble.

Seeing everyone equipped with a finished basket, Mu Tong pointed to them and said, "These are called baskets, used for carrying items." She then directed the group to load the remaining green beans.

With over a dozen baskets, there was more than enough room for the two hundred pounds of beans, meaning each person only had to carry about ten pounds.

The group resumed their journey. Along the way, their understanding of Mu Tong’s habit of stopping and starting grew; they now realized the Messenger of God was helping them find food.