Outside the room, Ignis and the other four walked silently through the cold night wind.
The reprimand they had just received in the room weighed on their hearts like a giant boulder, making everyone's emotions incredibly complex.
Ignis walked at the front, her fists clenched tightly.
"Pride is worthless?"
She repeatedly muttered Wu Liang's words, each syllable stinging her heart.
She refused to accept it!
She was the leader of the Ember Tribe, the proudest warrior on the Great Desolate Mountain!
But in front of that man, she was powerless to refute him.
"Dammit!"
Ignis punched the stone wall beside her, the hard rock jarring her hand bones until they throbbed with pain.
"Ignis!"
Suina caught up, looking at her with a frown.
"What kind of madness has gotten into you?"
Suina's heart was equally unsettled.
But unlike Ignis's pure anger, her heart held more shock and deep reflection.
She had thought Wu Liang would belittle her as well.
After all, she was also one of the people who had stood up and openly opposed him during the previous meeting.
But he hadn't.
This left Suina with mixed feelings.
On one hand, she felt unwilling to submit to this man.
But on the other hand, the knowledge and foresight Wu Liang displayed forced her to admit that he was indeed qualified to say those things.
"I'm fine, Alesha... she's changed."
Ignis withdrew her hand.
"She just found her own value."
Florgloria said softly, her gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Just as Leader Wu Liang said, the Black Rock Tribe does not keep idlers. Alesha used her knowledge and abilities to earn respect for herself and her clansmen. What about us?"
Her words reduced everyone to silence.
Sa Lan didn't speak, walking along silently.
As for Lolia, she kept her head buried low from beginning to end, her small body huddled inside her oversized robe.
Today, she had seen Alesha's current status and glory; besides envy, her heart was filled with even more trepidation.
"Hmph, what's so great about her? I despise that woman, Alesha."
Ignis curled her lip disdainfully, but anyone could hear the bitterness in her voice.
This time, Suina did not side with Ignis, retorting:
"Alesha saved the entire Tribe, including your clansmen and mine! You have no right to talk about her like that."
"Suina, you!"
Ignis glared at Suina.
"Am I wrong?"
Suina met her gaze, refusing to back down.
"Perhaps Wu Liang is right; now is not the time for us to throw tantrums. Pride is something you prove, not something you use to vent your temper!"
After saying that, Suina ignored the trembling, furious Ignis and strode off toward the Military Workshop.
Wu Liang had affirmed her skill, so she would use that skill to create something that would make even him look at her in a new light!
Watching Suina's departing back, Ignis's expression became even uglier.
When even Suina, who usually shared her resentment, said such things, was she really the one in the wrong?
Florgloria sighed, patted Lolia's shoulder, and said softly:
"Let's go, get some rest. There's a lot to do tomorrow."
She led the preoccupied Lolia and the simple-minded Sa Lan toward their quarters.
Only Ignis remained standing there, her fiery red hair flying in the night wind.
She looked up toward Wu Liang's room, where the lights were still bright.
She could almost imagine what kind of scene was playing out in that room right now.
A sense of defeat and unwillingness she had never felt before gnawed savagely at her heart.
"Wu Liang... I will never admit defeat like this!"
She gritted her teeth, emphasizing every word.
After the haze of the plague dissipated, the Black Rock Tribe regained its constructive vitality.
Striking while the iron was hot, Wu Liang used the Medical Camp as a template to carry out drastic reforms on the entire Tribe's structure.
The responsibilities of various departments were clearly defined, and the system of rewards and punishments became more transparent.
Anyone, as long as they could contribute to the Tribe, could obtain corresponding status and resources.
These simple and direct rules greatly stimulated everyone's enthusiasm.
In this transformation, the most eye-catching part was undoubtedly the Military Workshop.
Suina seemed to be holding back a burst of energy; ever since that night's meeting, she had hardly left the forge area.
She led the Artisans of the Chuishi Tribe, researching that Distiller day and night.
They disassembled and reassembled it, constantly trying to improve every detail.
The coiling of the copper pipes, the flow rate of the cooling water, the control of the heating fire... they tested every link repeatedly, recording detailed data.
Wu Liang visited a few times, and seeing their frantic drive, he nodded inwardly.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Reprimands and affirmation, the carrot and the stick—this was always the ultimate way to win people over.
When Wu Liang came to the Military Workshop again today, a much stronger aroma of alcohol than before rushed at him.
"Leader!"
Suina's eyes lit up when she saw Wu Liang, and she immediately came over to meet him.
Her face was streaked with black soot, and sweat soaked the stray hairs on her forehead, sticking them tightly to her bronze skin.
The simple leather tube top she wore was drenched with sweat from her continuous labor.
Her already astonishingly full chest was tightly outlined, showcasing her breathtakingly voluptuous curves.
With Suina's movements, they seemed ready to burst out, swinging wildly up and down.
"Look! We succeeded!"
Suina's tone was filled with irrepressible excitement and pride.
She pulled Wu Liang to a newly constructed Distiller that was even more precise and complex than the previous one.
At the end of the cooling pipe, a pottery jar was already half-filled with clear, transparent liquid.
"We improved the heating and cooling processes to allow for double distillation."
Suina pointed at the equipment, her proud expression radiating a mature and charming glow.
"Look, Wu Liang, the alcohol we're making now is much stronger than before!"
Wu Liang picked up the pottery jar and brought it to his nose to sniff.
A pungent, stimulating scent rushed straight to his head; this alcohol content probably exceeded seventy percent.
"Well done."
Wu Liang praised her unreservedly.
Receiving Wu Liang's affirmation, a brilliant smile blossomed on Suina's face, as if all her previous hard work had been worth it.
"Suina, you are very talented, beyond my imagination."
Wu Liang praised with a smile.
He truly hadn't expected Suina to be able to extract such high-proof alcohol without his guidance.
"Hahaha, do you even need to say it? Of course I'm talented!"
"How about it? I'm pretty amazing, right!"
Suina laughed heartily and proudly, her chest bouncing wildly, leaving afterimages.
"But Wu Liang, your glass-making techniques are truly miraculous."
Suina's eyes suddenly radiated curiosity and admiration.
It was the nature of the Chuishi Tribe to be obsessed with crafting items; once they were immersed in it, they would forget all other trivial matters.
"What? You want to learn too?"