I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

After coming out of Sky City, Lu Yuan saw the sneaky Chicken Snake squatting in the scorching desert.

This clever creature hadn't been eaten by the Insect Tide?

When it saw Lu Yuan, it scurried toward him in a puff of dust.

"Cluck cluck!"

That pair of chicken eyes teared up with murky tears.

The chicks in the basket had all died of thirst and turned into mummies.

"Sigh, I'll just hatch another batch, I have some fertilized eggs," Lu Yuan said.

Lu Yuan took the basket of chicks. These dried chicken meats were still safe. He planned to take them back for the village people to eat, not wanting to waste them.

Chicken Lady looked puzzled. Where have you hidden my children?

Lu Yuan magically produced several eggs.

Instantly, her chicken face broke into a smile.

The Chicken Snake also knew who was the boss here and obediently followed behind.

After a while, he saw a few lizard-like creatures frantically running across the desert.

It seemed that some nimble animals had escaped from the continual disasters.

Nature is always cold and merciless, yet often harbors a sliver of vitality.

After a few hours of jogging, he arrived at the village of The Sha Li Clan.

"Woof woof!" Old Wolf shook its tail, extremely excited when it saw Lu Yuan. It had lost a lot of weight and the female wolves behind it had withered fur and were skin and bones, evidently not faring well.

"Old buddy, I just knew you weren't so easy to kill," Lu Yuan said.

Lu Yuan hadn't even had the chance to pet the dog when he heard a noisy commotion.

The Insect Tide and the Opium Poppy had been in a massive war for three months.

During these three months, they had been hiding in the cellar, unable to farm.

Therefore, Lower Sand Village, which had previously taken in many refugees, was facing another food crisis.

Old Cat was no longer strong enough to maintain order.

Lu Yuan knew it was not a time for hesitation and rushed into the village.

He quickly knocked a group of troublemakers to the ground.

Then, he rang the large bell in the village.

"Dong dong dong!"

Men and women came out of the cellars, all shocked yet overjoyed to see Lu Yuan.

"He's back!"

"It's good that he's back…"

"Has the Insect Tide gone?"

Many people shed bitter tears, as if they had just seen their backbone, such feelings were very sincere.

Lu Yuan looked at these men and women, all gaunt and haggard, his heart filled with pity… The scene was like arriving in Africa, with starvation widespread.

The village girl who once wanted to offer him a chamber pot looked like a skeleton.

She was now married.

When she saw Lu Yuan, her eyes were still bright, and with a smile on her face, she greeted, "Mr. Lu, are you hungry? I still have a little food at home…"

Her husband also stood beside her, smiling foolishly.

Lu Yuan quickly expressed his thanks, but his heart felt sour.

Many elderly had died, and those familiar faces were now buried in the soil, never to be seen again.

On the other hand, quite a number of children had survived.

Militia Captain Sha Kan'er, along with Elder Sha Sanli and other clan elders, had some conscience and preserved the future of civilization…

Lu Yuan, clutching his heart, loudly said, "My fellow villagers, the Monster in the center of Sky City has been defeated by us!"

"Those insects have all left!"

"Anyone who wishes to follow me, let's head to that city together and start a new life!"

"I can promise, everyone will have food to eat and won't starve!"

"But you must obey management, follow commands, work, and not commit crimes!"

Those pairs of still bright eyes stared eagerly.

They actually didn't quite understand the flowery term "commit crimes."

So, they whispered among themselves.

"It's simple… it just means don't make trouble," one explained.

"If you commit a crime, you'll be disciplined according to our ancestral laws," another added.

"Sigh, who would want to cause trouble if they can just live?" another voiced.

Lu Yuan, having gone through so much, felt somewhat weary.

He needed to find time to sort out the current situation thoroughly.

He didn't bother explaining further, gestured for everyone to quiet down, and shouted, "My friends, my ultimate goal is to return to my homeland!"

"My homeland is a place of human civilization, far, far away, beyond imagination."

"The people there… don't look much different from you."

"If you follow me, then I will find a way to take you back with me!"

"Along the way, we will undoubtedly encounter many, many difficulties!"

"At any moment, sudden death or encountering unbeatable monsters could happen!"

"Therefore, I'm not forcing anyone."

"You can continue to stay in the village… Sky City is now safe, you can live peacefully there."

"Or you can follow me, and let's become partners."

"All these decisions are up to you!"

Having said that, he took out some food from the Storage Space.

The food for ten thousand people was truly a lot.

A ton of rice, just enough for a meal when cooked.

Lu Yuan's food reserves could not possibly support everyone, he was actually somewhat distressed, even if the Tree of Life accrued a lot of Life Essence, using it to fertilize food was too extravagant and wasteful.

"That Mother Worm didn't leave me any meat either."

Soon, under the pacification of food, the villagers of the Sha Li Clan calmed down.

"How much food reserves are still in the village?"

"To tell the truth... I'm not so sure." Old Cat intentionally spoke loudly, "The village naturally has its poor and rich!"

"Some folks might have hoarded quite a bit of food, but getting them to give it up is extremely difficult!"

"Why should the strong share their food with the weak?"

"I don't have the ability... after all, those with the food are the upper class."

Lu Yuan shook his head, when outside threats existed, banding together was human nature.

But in the current famine, they must turn the blade inward, fight against some rich folks to get by.

Elder Sha Sanli quietly passed by on the side.

This old man was actually still living robustly—mainly because he was well-nourished with good physical health.

Hearing their conversation, Sha Sanli's body trembled.

As a prominent family in the village, his family indeed had a lot of food stored…

But people are always selfish, he really didn't want to share the life-saving food with others… Why should he?

But now Lu Yuan had returned, and the situation was a bit different.

Sha Sanli's mind was troubled, feeling a deep sense of crisis, always feeling like he was a pig due for slaughter.

He and several other family elders, along with a few powerful individuals, exchanged glances.

"What should we do?"

"I don't know."

They used to be the protectors of order, now they had become the antithesis of the people.

What's worse was, Lu Yuan alone could handle them all! Slaughter them like pigs!

To let them take out their private property was truly bitter... they felt suffocated.

"We didn't make any big achievements, but we surely had our hard struggles!"

Thinking this way, Sha Sanli took the lead in taking out some iron pots to cook rice.

The Sha Li People had always survived on cacti and had never eaten rice before, the delicious aroma permeating the air was truly mouth-watering.

While cooking, these clan elders, to assert their presence, even started to judge some criminal elements.

Many of them were from other villages, with a few having a combat power not below the Militia Captain.

They'd been bound and couldn't stir up any trouble.

And ancestral law was indeed cruel—capital punishment being just the start, extending even to the families…

As for capital punishment, Lu Yuan turned a blind eye, after all, in chaotic times, harsh laws were necessary, these natives' way of thinking couldn't evolve overnight.

As for the guilt by association... let's leave it at that for now.

Soon, amid cries of agony, the souls of this group were stripped by the "Pre-spirit", sealed within a mysterious wooden post.

The "Martial Art" within their souls would be passed down to the descendants—this too was ancestral law: the person might die, but the martial techniques must remain!

Lu Yuan faintly saw a streak of white light.

Within the soul of one of the individuals lay a Divine Skill.

[Rune Reader: Allows you to read, learn, and understand engravings, difficult to forget.]

Well, the "Rune Reader" was fairly common; it wasn't of much use to Lu Yuan.

"Divine Skills" could be stripped from the soul and transferred to someone else.

But the Sha Li People's technology wasn't sufficient, they could only seal the entire soul altogether.

[Really too cruel...] Conch trembled as she spoke, she was scared.

"The economic base determines the superstructure, their economic conditions can only enforce such laws."

"If we want to change, besides economic improvement, the only other way is to educate the next generation." Lu Yuan sighed softly, "With sufficient education, one or two generations could be reformed."

Just then, the delicious rice was ready.

Beside it were several big pots of chicken soup, poor Mrs. Chicken, her deceased children made a great contribution. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

Old Cat personally supervised, rationing out portions so no one ate too much, but nor would they starve.

This meal was like heaven for the Sha Li People!

With chicken soup and rice, they, in their impoverished lives, had never tasted such delight, eating very slowly, each mouthful held for half an age before they could bring themselves to swallow.

After dinner, these villagers then had to consider whether to follow Lu Yuan...

"Take your time to think about it, no rush."

"I'll just wander around nearby..."

Watching Lu Yuan's departing figure, many villagers' eyes suddenly lit up with a strange flame.

Whispers rose among the crowd.

They wanted to follow!

They wanted to leave!

They no longer wished to stay in that village because if another disaster were to come, even just its residual effects would lead them to die confusedly.

Sha Sanli and a few clan elders, seeing this, sighed, "The people's hearts are scattered."

...