"The Strongest Young Barbarian" was the title that raised Lu Chen's status in the village and earned him a higher position than the rest when it came to resources.
Lu Chen was indifferent to the changes in his status; but the resources made him happy.
With more resources in hand, I can recover faster and level up with the Mastery Points.
While Lu Chen was thinking about the new hope that just filled his life, Master Wuzu requested for Lu Chen's presence.
What's wrong? I don't remember the barbarians being fond of a winner's speech!
Isn't it supposed to be done once the winner was decided?
Lu Chen's mind was filled with questions as he walked toward Wuzu.
"Chen, if I didn't remember incorrectly, you are still single, yes?"
"Yes, what's the matter, Master Wuzu?"
"You need someone to take care of your household, here are the unmarried girls in the village. Choose one."
Lu Chen was dumbstruck hearing Wuzu's words.
Hold up, what's with the sudden discussion about marriage? It's a bit too out of left field, isn't it?
But soon, he figured it out. This was not his Earth nor the Central Plains of this world. This was the Wilderness, a place where anyone could die anytime, a land where love and relationships were luxuries.
Marriage was also simple here. As long as the couples were alright with each other and the families weren't against it, they would just hold a small celebration dinner with a few close ones, and that was all.
However, even when that's the common practice of the barbarians, Lu Chen didn't want to stay on this land for the rest of his life. Thus, he shook his head to Wuzu's goodwill.
"Master Wuzu, all I want now is to improve my strength, I have not thought of marriage yet."
"Ho, it's good to know that you are focusing on your strength."
Wuzu praised and just as Lu Chen thought he would let the matter slide, Wuzu continued saying, "However, even if you don't plan on getting married, you can still get a girl to help you out in your daily routines."
Seeing that Lu Chen was going to reject again, Wuzu quickly smiled and said, "It's good to have a girl in the house, your focus will be on your prowess now and the girl can help you out with the daily house chores."
"I understand."
This time, Lu Chen didn't reject it anymore.
He wasn't a pretentious man, maybe there would be some that didn't like to be served, but Lu Chen was definitely not one of them. Even back on Earth, he would hire part-time maids to come and clean his house for him whenever possible.
Therefore, he didn't mind having someone help with his house chores here in this world.
After seeing Lu Chen agree to it, the faces of the girls on the side brightened up a little. Some even used their strong body to push the others to the side to stand in front of the pack.
Looking at their eyes filled with anticipation, Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh.
In this world, at times like this, there was simply no place for love and relationships. The only reasons the barbarian girls were clamoring to be picked was not only because they looked up to Lu Chen's strength, but also because it was their best chance of survival in the future.
Survival had always been the biggest issue living in the Wilderness.
Under the same conditions, a male barbarian like Lu Chen might starve, but a female barbarian would die.
After all, males were more physically able than females. Thus, whenever food supplies were low, the villages would always prioritize the young male barbarians first, even if they were orphans.
But the same couldn't be said for the young female barbarians. Even if they had families, there were still always a number of young girls dying in the winter out of cold or starvation.
Which was why the young girls were even fighting for the slot. They thought that following the strong and powerful Lu Chen would allow them to live an easier life.
But in most cases, the ordinary young male barbarians may not even be strong enough to feed themselves fully, let alone the girls that followed them. Death was only normal.
But as someone who could defeat even a Barbarian Blood Warrior, not only would Lu Chen be able to find enough food to let them survive, they would even be able to eat until they were full. Thus, the young girls couldn't help but become competitive.
However, Lu Chen didn't choose the strong girls standing at the most front.
Looking at the girls, he didn't know what to think. They were all like smaller versions of the male barbarians. Even though he was only looking for a housemaid, he would still prefer a pretty one.
Lu Chen glanced around and looked in the eyes of every single girl. Then, he saw a young girl near the back. Her body stature and form caused Lu Chen's eyes to brighten up.
I didn't think there would be shorties like her in the barbarians. But, compared to the others, she is much better in terms of looks.
As he thought, Lu Chen pointed at the short young girl and said.
"Her."
After he called his choice, before the disappointed young girls said anything, Wuzu said, "Ah'Chen, she is not a barbarian like us. She has no energy and strength, she's only good enough to be a vase, not able to do anything."
"Furthermore, Ah'Chen, your children with her will be weak and unsuited to survive in the Wilderness. I advise you to choose another."
Not a Wilderness's barbarian? Is she someone from the Central Plains in Ah'Chen's memories? The Wilderness and Central Plains had connections?
Lu Chen thought to himself after hearing Wuzu's advice.
But Lu Chen didn't care.
It may be true that the young girl he chose may be nothing more than a vase, but with the strength of a Barbarian Blood Warrior, it was easy for him to feed another mouth.
As for the survival of his children in the Wilderness, Lu Chen never even considered this. After all, he was only looking for a housemaid, not a wife.
Before Lu Chen could say anything in response, the short young girl heard Wuzu's advice and she quickly tried to squeeze out from the crowd to the front but she couldn't even move the other girls at all. Then, she quickly shouted loudly, "I know how to take care of people. Also, I don't eat a lot, a small chunk of meat, no... a small piece of meat will be enough for me."
Lu Chen heard her words, he looked at Wuzu and said, "I eat a lot, a girl with a small appetite can save me some food."
This time, Wuzu didn't say anything anymore.
It's fine then. We barbarians are not committed to monogamy. Ah'Chen is strong, he can marry a few more wives and have more children in the future. This young girl, I'll just take it as if Ah'Chen has taken in a vase. She won't require much food to feed anyway.
…
With Lu Chen's insistence on choosing the short young girl, the matter ended there.
Other than Lu Chen, there was also another young barbarian that chose a girl. As for the others, they had their own families a long time ago, thus, they didn't need to pick a girl.
From the conversations with the young barbarians, Lu Chen had a better understanding of the culture of the barbarians.
Marriage is too early in this world. I initially still thought the young elites under Wuzu's care were all just teenagers, but only now do I realize that most of them are already married and have families, some even have children already.
Lu Chen thought in his heart while leading the other young elites in following Wuzu to his house.
As for the young girl he just picked up, Lu Chen ordered her to return to his house first.
While they were on their way to Wuzu's house, Wuzu suddenly remembered something and held Lu Chen on the side.
"Ah'Chen, are you sure you want to join the night patrol? With your age, you can still wait for half a year!"
The barbarians would never take care of idlers, even talents like Lu Chen had to earn his keep in the village. Hence, after he recovered from his injuries, the chieftain already had a talk with Lu Chen to have Lu Chen continue his patrol duty during the day.
However, the day patrol was mostly uneventful. So in order to obtain Mastery Points, Lu Chen requested the chieftain to change his shift to the night patrol.
Wuzu was only advising the best for Lu Chen. He wanted Lu Chen to rest a little longer and to increase his strength more during this time.
Sadly, only Lu Chen knew his own situation the best.
Training is the slowest progression path for me, only by killing Evils and earning Mastery Points can I progress. Thus, day patrol is a waste of time to me, only the night patrol can help me improve faster.