The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 801

Chapter 801: Guests

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

Before leaving Stone City, Hao Ren curiously asked Gezer, “Do you know about the ruins?”

Since Gezer came to the ruins to perform the ritual, he deduced that this ancient city should have a special significance for the indigenous people in this world. Since the city and the people were here, he could not fathom why the tribe of Gezer had given up this majestic and sturdy city and chosen to live a nomadic life. Perhaps the climate change had forced them to be nomads. But he wanted to hear what Gezer had to say.

The question surprised Gezer. “The Goddess should know everything. Why do you ask about the ancient city?” Gezer said.

It looks like Gezer still believed that Vivian was the Goddess who created everything and knew everything. That was why he thought Hao Ren’s question was puzzling. The Goddess here should already know everything!

It was a tricky situation. If not careful, Hao Ren could screw up the trust he had built with Gezer. Fortunately, Vivian saved the day. “The way Goddess observes this world is different from yours. Just tell us about the changes in the world according to your understanding,” she said.

Her words seemed deep but at the same time, transcendent. Hao Ren could not help but glance at her. He whispered in Hollettan. “Good acting! Where did you get that catchy phrase?”

Vivian smiled softly. “From who do you think I learned that? Those old coots back home have been babbling like that for the past ten thousand years!”

Gezer was convinced. He felt the great wisdom of the Goddess in her word. He began to explain as he pointed to the collapsed megalithic buildings around him. “This is the ancient sacred city of Dorasil. Before the end of the Sun Dynasty, this great city enshrined the Holy Spirit of the Goddess. And, until now the Holy Spirit is still echoing in the shadow of Dorasil. Is Goddess coming today to check on the Holy Spirit?”

“You’re baffling me,” Vivian waved her hand instinctively and then hemmed twice. “I mean you shouldn’t speculate on what Goddess thinks. As I said, the way I observe the world is different from yours. Look, I even have an avatar.”

Vivian dragged Hessiana before her, made her nodding her head with her hands as if that would be convincing enough.

“Why is this city abandoned?” Hao Ren asked curiously. “What happened to the Sun Dynasty?”

“After the heaven closed, the Sun Dynasty ended following the teachings of the Goddess,” Gezer said as if he was reciting from the text. He had studied these phrases for many years. “Now is the Year of Jade, the greatest and the most peaceful era.”

“The close of the heaven… the Year of Jade…” Hao Ren looked up thoughtfully at the dark ‘crust’ behind the clouds. The natives of this world roughly knew that it was the First Born who used the canopy to cover the planet, but that history had become a myth, the growth of the First Born had turned into that of the Goddess performing a miracle to close the heaven. Hao Ren felt he would not be able to get the real picture from the Gezer. “Do you know what is out there on the heaven?”

Gezer’s face suddenly turned solemn and fearful. “A place where the Goddess exiles the sinners. No one has ever dared to go there.”

“The heaven is a sinful place?” Hessiana was surprised. “What about the underground?”

Gezer said with an honest look. “The underground is the glory of the Goddess.”

Hessiana pursed her mouth and said, “The myths and legends of this planet are bizarre, but they quite suit the worldview of the Blood Clan. I don’t like skylight either. I feel comfortable in the cave.”

Vivian looked away in embarrassment. “It was all because I was poor back then that we had to live the cave. That affected the kids mentally.”

“Ahem. Judging from the situation on the upper crust, I would have agreed with Gezer.” Hao Ren interrupted Vivian from babbling about her troubled past. He then noticed everyone had stepped out of the wall of the ancient city of Dorasil. The vast expanse of the prairie stretched out in front of his eyes. But he did not see any tribal settlements nor means of transport. “Gezer, where is the tribe settlement that you mentioned?”

“Over there,” Gezer said, pointing to Heaven’s Pillar at the end of the horizon. “At the foot of the Pillar of Eternity, my people are there. We are waiting for the coming of the second windy month, and under the divine guidance of the wind, we will jointly perform a praying ritual with other tribes.”

Hao Ren glanced at the magnificent black pillar that towering through the clouds. “Then how did you come here? By horse?”

“On foot,” Gezer said, his face covered in the painted lines blooming in a smile. “It took me several days. The messenger who carries out incense ritual must not ride on any animals into Dorasil. We have to come on foot. Otherwise, the ancestors will not respond to the call even if I burn the incense.”

Hao Ren needed a while to understand the religious terms Gezer mentioned. The scented incense must be the spices that Gezer burned on the stone platform, and this warrior was here today to do the ‘unsealing’ or some preparation work for another more important religious ritual. People in this world followed a set of strict religious practices, though it was not clear how they interpreted the existence of the “Goddess of Creation,” they were highly religious.

Even if the world turned upside down, also if they became a refugee in space debris of a different world, their faith in the Goddess would never fade.

“It would take not days but weeks to go there,” Hao Ren said, looking into the distance. “So the only taboo is that you must not ride any animal into the city, but not when you return to your tribe, right?”

Gezer nodded puzzledly.

Then, Hao Ren brought his private ride out of the dimensional pocket. “Then, let’s get on board!”

Seeing Hao Ren took the car out of thin air, Gezer was rooted to the spot. He then decided that what he just saw was a miracle.

Notwithstanding the appearance of the car, its performance was no need of introduction; except transforming into Heaven’s Pillar, it was omnipotent. He was looking out at the scenery outside as they drove on the prairie. They had arrived at the foot of the Heaven’s Pillar in no time. Hao Ren nosed the car up on a hill near the Heaven’s Pillar, where it was part of the roots of the giant tree. From here, he got a bird’s-eye view of the tribal settlement.

A small river ran through the bottom of the valley between two mountain ridges. The river flowed out from the roots of the giant tree and out into the open grasslands. On the banks of the river, there were many little dwellings, all in elliptical shapes like a tent, covered with straw mats and animal fur. Blue and green decorative ribbons were on the wooden poles surrounding the houses. It looked simple but felt harmonious and beautiful. Such was the settlement of the Hanuk Tribe of West Wind, which was said to be one of the largest tribes in this world.

However, judging from the size and number of houses, the population of this ‘largest tribe’ might not exceed two thousand. To Hao Ren, this was almost a bad sign. Just how many humans are in this world?

But Gezer’s tribe could care less about such distant issues. The settlement in the valley was peaceful. Men, women, and children walking between the houses all looked contented. And, in the lower reaches of the river, many weird animals were drinking in the river. These animals were the valuable property of the settlement. The probes that Hao Ren sent out had also found similar wild animals on the other part of the grasslands, but those were not domesticated.

Lily gazed at the quiet and peaceful nomadic tribe in the valley and fell into deep thought. After a while, she suddenly looked up at the solid black dome behind the clouds as if she did not do that; she would have forgotten where she was.

Gezer had now come out of the sensation of speed; he patted his face trying to make sense of how he could arrive so quickly. He looked at Hao Ren and Vivian with excitement and uneasiness at the same time. “I don’t know how to tell the elders about the coming of the Goddess… What should I say?”

Vivian had only learned a few fudging words from her ancient friends. She was now at a loss what to say. So she poked Hao Ren’s arm instinctively. “It’s your turn to say something. After all, you’re a pope.”

Hao Ren looked at Vivian, and then Hessiana, before nodding to Gezer. “Just tell them that the Goddess has brought her mini avatar along, disguising as commoners.”

Then he looked at others. “Well, along with a working group.”

Lily quietly nudged Vivian and whispered, “Battie, what do you think? You think what Mr. Landlord make sense?”

Vivian bit her lips. “I am regretting it now!”

Chapter 802: The Elders

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

Vivian’s appearance caused a sensation in the quiet tribal community.

Raising his holy blade, Gezer spread the news to the entire tribe. Seven warriors who dressed up like him gathered. They were men and women, but all had something in common—painted face and a special short knife worn around the waist. They gathered around Vivian and Hessiana, and when their short blades sensed the magic resonance and glowed in red, the warriors who were the ‘sacred carriers’ loudly pronounced the appearance of the goddess.

When the hoo-ha subsided, they held a grand celebration once again. Men, women, and children brought drinks, which were only reserved for festivals, out of their yurts. Meanwhile, strong men slaughtered animals under the leadership of the elderly in preparation for the feast at night. Women with strange headwear took out pottery jars painted with old patterns from a unique yurt. They distributed the spices stored in the pots to everyone so that they could spread the seasoning on the meat when the feast began. This spice was a luxury that one could only enjoy at religious events. The cheerful singings and the slightly noisy but inspiring music rose from every corner of the settlement. Even if one did not understand the customs of these indigenous peoples, one could still feel the joy that filled the people’s hearts. Lily looked at the exotic festival on the riverbank. She could not help but nudge Vivian. “Battie. Are they doing this to welcome you?” she asked.

Vivian was not as nervous as they thought. She was just not used to the reverend and adoring stares, other than that she looked calm. She whispered to Lily, “I didn’t expect it to come to this.”

Noticing Vivian’s reaction, Hao Ren became a little curious. “You look pretty calm, eh?”

“It’s not that people have not worshiped me before,” Vivian said, appearing a little helpless and sounded self-deprecating. “Did I not tell you before that people in the ancient times occasionally mistook me as a deity? Some even enshrined me in the temple.”

Lily became curious. “Wow! That must be cool!”

“Oh, it was annoying.” Vivian sighed. “You couldn’t communicate with them. Even a sneeze of mine could inspire them to write a book about it. If I weren’t starving, I wouldn’t have sat in the temple like an idiot for a few years.”

Hao Ren did not say a word; he just listened quietly to the conversation. Then, Gezer and a few warriors brought them before a special-looking yurt.

This particular yurt was gorgeous, but it was larger than the others. Other than that, it looked like an ordinary dwelling. An old man with dark skin was standing in front of the yurt. This old man seemed to have been waiting there for a long time. When he saw Vivian, he immediately bowed on his knees. Hao Ren could do nothing to stop him.

“This is the elder, the wise Gotarug.” Gezer respectfully introduced the old man. “He is the tribal head in the West Wind.”

Hao Ren stepped forward to hold the old man up, preventing him from carrying out the unnecessary etiquette. “Well, your goddess knows how pious you are now, but she also wants quiet time. Shall we go inside the yurt now? I have a lot of questions to ask.”

Gotarug looked at Hao Ren in surprise. He had no idea who Hao Ren was and what Hao Ren had to do with the goddess. Vivian noticed his reaction and told Gotarug, “You shall do what he says.”

Vivian had gotten used to letting Hao Ren deal with such people. After all, he was better at doing this than she was.

The interior of the yurt was large enough to accommodate all of them, but the warriors who came with Gezer stayed put at the doorway respectfully. Only Gezer got the chance to talk to the goddess, as he was the first warrior to have met the goddess. Though no one had asked them to do so, the warriors and the tribal elders had their code of conduct. So Hao Ren felt he was in no position to stop them.

The interior of the yurt was simple. Most of the furniture was wooden or woven rattan. Some things looked like containers, but some had no known uses. There was a thick, patterned carpet in the c the yurt. Sitting on the rug was a finely crafted wooden table, which seemed to be the most exquisite piece of furniture in the yurt. On the ground next to the carpet was a metal object that looked like a mini obelisk engraved with some rough patterns. An orange glow radiated from its surface. It felt warm.

It was a piece of magic-driven heating equipment.

They all sat on the carpet with legs crossed just like Gotarug. Gotarug and Gezer did not dare to sit in front of the goddess initially, but Vivian glared at them to have them sit just as others did. Soon, the heat-emitting metal vessel had caught Lily’s eyeballs. She curiously poked the shell of the equipment with her claws. “What is this?” she asked.

Gotarug did not expect someone would have asked such an obvious question. But he still replied respectfully, “It’s a phlogistic lamp, an item made using the ancient knowledge.”

“Ancient?” Hao Ren nodded slightly. “How much do you remember things of the ancient times?”

Hao Ren started by asking questions about calendar, legends, beliefs, and customs. He had prepared all these questions while on the way here. Having many experiences in dealing with different civilizations, Hao Ren naturally knew the right questions to ask. Before long, he had gathered the information he wanted.

There were only two periods in their entire history, namely the Sun Dynasty of the ancient times, and the Year of Jade that had continued to this day. The Sun Dynasty was the era when ancient civilizations flourished, and the goddess was with everyone, while the Year of Jade was the period during which mortals declined from a highly developed civilization into a primitive tribe. The megalithic city of Dorasil on the prairie was a symbol of the Sun Dynasty. The remnants of technology that were left behind made people wonder about the brilliant magic of humankind in that period. But now, their technology had declined so much so that they could only make a phlogistic lamp.

Hao Ren carefully studied their dating system and did some conversion. He found that a year in this underground world was slightly more than two years on Earth. He then asked Gotarug about the specific date the Sun Dynasty ended.

Gotarug took out a meticulously preserved manuscript of parchment from an old rattan box. Perhaps, this manuscript was a hand-written record by generations of people because it was heavy and had a strong scent of spice. People in this world believed that different spices had different sacred uses, just as the spice that Gezer burned in the city ruins that allowed him to talk to his ancestors, the spices on the manuscript could comfort and protect knowledge.

Gotarug found the record of the Sun Dynasty. He pointed to the hieroglyphs and said, “The last ray of sunshine shone on the earth 5,600 years ago. Because the sun’s time was over, the goddess would close the heavens. She commanded the underground giants to reach into the sky; the giants’ arms became the Pillars of Eternity, which supported the sky and the earth.”

Hao Ren then asked, “What about the stone city? Was Dorasil built before the heavens closed?”

He did not believe that a human-made stone city could withstand the earthquake that ensued when the First Born used its tentacles to create a new layer of crust. The quake would have destroyed any remains of human achievement.

Sure enough, Gotarug shook his head. “The Sun Dynasty signified the end of the old world. When the heavens closed, the earth swallowed up everything in the old dynasty. The goddess directed the chosen remnants to the highlands, waiting for the world to complete the remodeling process. The process lasted for a hundred years. Then the world and the remnants of the Sun Dynasty built the last city on the earth, that was, the city of Dorasil. The city was not inhabited but abandoned under the command of the goddess. It is evidence that shows the Sun Dynasty once existed. The old days thus ended, and we ushered in the Year of Jade in the land of abundance.”

“That is to say; the Sun Dynasty only officially ended 100 years after the heavens closed. The city became the only relic of civilization on the planet, but it was never inhabited.” Hao Ren’s brows knit together. “You built it only to abandon it. So, the massive architecture was just a souvenir… What’s the point?”

Gotarug put his hand on the chest. “The goddess commanded us to do this. And that’s what matters.”

Chapter 803: The Connection Between You and the Goddess

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

As Vivian said, it was difficult to reason with people who saw their faith as everything.

Gotarug was likely the oldest and most traditional man in that society of remnants. He had a rich and unique experience as well as ancient knowledge but he also used to attribute phenomena that he could not explain to the goddess. He told Hao Ren about the ancient history recorded in the manuscripts, but Hao Ren would have to deduce the truth of it.

According to Gotarug, the end date of the Sun Dynasty was in line with the time when a significant event happened in the Plane of Dreams. So after the fall of the goddess, the planet and space around it were thrown out of the Plane of Dreams, getting stuck in the Wall of Reality as a result.

The closure of the heavens was an emergency measure taken by the First Born in response to the natural disaster caused by the disappearance of the sun.

While the First Born created the upper crust, the ecological environment on the original surface underwent devastating destruction. But some power—perhaps the power of the goddess of creation—had protected the humans there and provided them a safe place as the ecosystem stabilized.

After the First Born created Heaven’s Pillars and the canopy dome, the survivors began to build the city of Dorasil. They then abandoned the city without inhabiting it.

Gotarug said that the goddess commanded the humans to abandon the city. But Hao Ren thought that the real reason was climate change.

These deductions added credibility to the history of the place.

Age truly affected one’s energy. After Gotarug took a few questions, Hao Ren decided to stop the conversation so that the old man could rest. Gezer had arranged the best yurt for his “sacred guests.” But the frank tribal warrior still found it inadequate. He felt like he was slighting his goddess with the mortal dwelling. But, there was no way for his small nomadic tribe to build a temple according to the ancient specifications overnight. The presence of the goddess among them had caught them by surprise. Right until then, more than half of the people there still found it surreal. They worshiped and believed in the existence of the goddess, but her appearance was a bolt from the blue. That did not bother Vivian though. She was happy with Gezer’s arrangements. Soon after, went outside with Hao Ren to enjoy the unique “sunset” in that world.

It was a sunset without the sun.

There was still a cycle of day and night in the underground world without the sun. The clouds created the day-and-night cycle.

The light in the clouds was now gradually dimming from bright white to a calming dark yellow. The glowing microbes in the clouds followed a biological clock, and they could synchronize their actions among themselves. When dusk came, the light in the clouds would dim sequentially. And as the lights went out, the solid black dome behind the clouds became even darker. It was so dark that it was impossible to perceive it from the ground with the naked eye.

“The microbes in the clouds must be the result of the First Born’s careful design,” Hao Ren said as he gazed at the evening sky. He said to Vivian casually, “At first, I thought the First Born on this planet cleansed the entire ecosystem, but now it seems that it’s received the same order as Zorm did to protect the Second Born. But then, a question arises: it’s kind of difficult to explain the existence of the gnarled monsters on the surface crust.”

Vivian appeared a little absentminded like her mind was on something else. Finally, she opened her mouth. “The goddess they’re talking about has to be the goddess of creation. But then, why have they mistaken me as their goddess? What do you know?”

Hao Ren was silent for a few seconds. When Gezer called Vivian the “goddess” earlier today, Hao Ren already knew that he would inevitably have to explain eventually. While they were on their way from Dorasil to the tribal settlement, Hao Ren did not just observe the ecological environment of the world, he had also thought about the mysterious connection between Vivian and the goddess of creation.

Vivian noticed Hao Ren’s silence. She knew what his silence meant. She sighed and leaned against the rock behind her. “You know something. Okay, I’m ready. After all, I’ve lived for 10,000 years and seen enough.”

“Do you still remember the world you saw when you first woke up?” Hao Ren suddenly raised a seemingly irrelevant question.

Vivian knitted her brows together. “The first time I woke up? It was a long time ago. I can’t remember, but I guess it was probably at the end of the ice age… the little ice age. The manuscript that Pavel gave me recorded it as such. That should be my earliest memory.”

“Actually… Raven 12345 and I have found something,” Hao Ren said as he looked into Vivian’s eyes. “It’s about your connection with the goddess of creation.”

Just like rocks that have to emerge after the water subsides, Hao Ren had no choice but to tell her everything, including the vast volume of information about her, her inextricable connection with the goddess of creation, and her crossing of the Wall of Reality 48 hours before the fall of the goddess of creation. The revelations had Vivian’s eyes out on stalks. When Hao Ren finally finished, she was utterly rooted to the spot.

“I’m related to the goddess?” Vivian’s voice was a little quivery. “I-I’m just a Blood Clan member. Am I not?”

“Besides being able to summon some tiny bats, do you think you’re part of the Blood Clan?” Hao Ren glanced at her. “And even the ability to become a small bat can be mimicked with magic. I guess you’ve been assuming that you are, and you do have some characteristics of a Blood Clan member. But that’s it. Of course, there is no clear evidence.”

Vivian was wide-mouthed as she looked down at her hands, which were pale and small as if they lacked vitality. It was a characteristic of a higher Blood Clan member—cold and pale. Yet, when she carefully recalled, she really could not remember when her hands became like that.

“Then, who am I?” Vivian frowned. She did not doubt what Hao Ren had told her. “The reincarnation of the goddess of creation? A fragment? An avatar? Or some creation?”

“You’re not the goddess of creation; I guarantee that,” Hao Ren said. “You have no deity in you, so you aren’t a reincarnation or a fragment. You’re only connected with the fallen goddess somehow. Let’s not worry about it now. Just stop worrying.”

Vivian remained silent for a long moment, her face pale and emotionless. Only her eyes were shimmering in the dark. After a long while, Hao Ren heard her asking softly, “So, who am I?”

“You are Vivian.” Hao Ren had expected this. He turned his head around and looked into her eyes. Then he gently flicked his finger on her forehead. “You are Vivian Ancestor, the oldest, poorest vampire in the world who can cook the best dishes and whose presence is undoubted.”

Vivian was stunned. She instantly bloomed with a bright smile, which almost lit up the grassland. “This is embarrassing, the oldest Blood Clan member needing your consolation.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Hao Ren arched his eyebrows. “I speak on behalf of the true God. I am Aerym’s King of Sun, the guardian of Io, the new lord of Zorm, the governor of Tannagost, and more importantly, I am still your landlord. My roles have become so impressively numerous that it takes six lines to print them all on my business card. Hence, it doesn’t take me much effort to comfort a bat.”

Vivian smiled, hugged her arms and looked at Hao Ren. “Keep bragging. Maybe you’d still be able to come up with more titles.”

Hao Ren put on a deadpan face. “Oh, that’s pretty much all I can compile for now,” he quipped.

Vivian smiled from her heart. Her worry seemed to be gone, and Hao Ren breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t you see how capable I am? How many situations have I handled successfully so far? So however big your trouble is, I’ll deal with it. For you.”

“I’m not worried anymore,” Vivian said as she leaned on the rock, smiling and shaking her head. “But I’m not so weak that I need to rely on others. I’ll try to figure out the secrets regarding my identity. But in case of trouble, you’ve got to help me.”

Chapter 804: Someone Else Was Here

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

In the beautiful dusk of the underground world, Hao Ren and Vivian were chilling out in the open. They were talking about the secrets involving Vivian, and the fallen goddess of creation, who left behind countless mysteries as well as troubles for this world. He did not tell Vivian about herself earlier because he did not want to cause unnecessary worry. But since the inevitable moment had come, he decided to reveal it all.

But one thing was beyond doubt; Vivian was not merely a Blood Clan as she assumed, there was a shadow behind her. The remnant of the power of the Goddess of Creation was caught with this shadow. But there had been no tangible evidence so far.

This mysterious planet of Inferno could be the key to uncover the secrets.

Vivian was optimistic so far. She sometimes even laughed at herself. “It doesn’t matter Blood Clan or not. There are many strange races in the world. And, they all have their place in the universe.”

Hao Ren smiled and said, “You sound positive.”

Vivian spread out her hand. “Don’t forget there is still a husky who once thought that she was a werewolf. But Lily did not lose her heart when the truth was out. She had opened up a new chapter in her life. So I could do better than her.”

Hao Ren was speechless and quickly swayed the conversation away. “Speaking of which, Gezel’s tribe people are the first to associate you with the Goddess of Creation. Don’t you think there is something more than meets the eye?”

Vivian arced her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“The belief in the Goddess of Creation exists in more than one planet.” Hao Ren stared into Vivian’s eyes with a serious look on his face. “Holletta also believes in the Goddess, but they think the Goddess is a messy dark-red mist. The belief in the Goddess also existed on the rogue planet, but the Goddess recorded in the database appeared like a kind of chaotic spiritual symbol. The planet Zorm also believes in the Goddess, they knew who their creator was, even before disaster struck the planet, but they had no established image of Goddess in their minds. So think about what all these mean.”

Vivian frowned as she suddenly recalled Gezer’s reaction when he first ‘recognized’ her. “The people here seem to recognize me by my appearance!”

“Yes, they first recognized you by your appearance though they also used stuff like the holy blade.” Hao Ren nodded. “When you were in Holletta, no devout priest of Disciples of Glory had ever mistaken you as the Goddess. Even Muru, the guardian giants did not. Only here, the locals. They bowed when they saw your face. Don’t you feel strange?”

Vivian stomped on Hao Ren’s foot and said, “Damn you. What do you mean ‘they bowed when they saw my face’?”

Then only she thought about the question. “Well, I feel relieved when I think of Muru; he didn’t mistake me as his mother. So there’s no worry that I am a vessel of the resurrection of the Goddess of Creation. As for the locals here, there is only one explanation. Their ancestors must have seen the ‘Goddess’ personally. And, the Goddess was impersonating me.”

As soon as Vivian’s voice trailed off, they both fell into silence involuntarily. At last, Hao Ren said, “That’s telling.”

Vivian let out a long sigh. “Which part of the discussion since half an hour ago was not telling?”

At this time, Lily’s loud voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting their conversation. “What are you guys doing here?” Lily asked.

Hao Ren turned his head around and saw Lily standing behind him, appearing spirited. She was holding a large bag of spicy strips in her hand, and there was a stain of oil on the corners of her mouth. Hao Ren could not help but tell her, “This stuff isn’t healthy. Please cut down.”

Lily looked down at the pack of spicy strips in her hand and then looked away. “No, it is a necessity.”

Hao Ren was lost for words.

It was the first time in his life that someone said spicy strips were a necessity.

“All right, call it whatever you like,” Hao Ren waved his hand as if saying “you’re freaking spoilt child.” “So what’s up here?” he asked.

“Oh yeah.” Lily smacked on her forehead. “I almost forgot what I came for. Gezer is looking for you two. It seems like he has got something to report.”

“Report?” Hao Ren and Vivian exchanged a clueless look, wondering what the tribal warrior had up his sleeve. Vivian pulled her face, feeling a little annoyed. “To tell the truth, I don’t want to meet him. Pretending as a goddess myself is hard enough, let alone someone’s else goddess. What should I say if he asks about Genesis?”

Hao Ren had never thought about this. He could only imagine what Raven 12345 would do if she were in a similar situation. “Why don’t you f**king Baidu it yourself? He said in his mind. This reply did not suit Vivian’s style. He could only shake his head. “You can tell him that you created the heaven and the earth with the swing of your giant ax. Anyway, they don’t seem to know who Pangu is. But I guess Gezer is not asking about Genesis. Judging from the level of enlightenment of this indigenous people, they haven’t come to the point where they would be concerned with how the universe comes into being.”

Vivian nodded with a forced smile. It seemed that she did not have much choice but to get along with the locals so that their future exploration could go on smoothly.

Lily immediately beckoned Gezer to come to them, held her pack of spicy sticks, stepped to aside and watched.

As expected, when Gezer saw Vivian, he bowed on the ground. Unlike the first time, Gezer was fully prepared for the customary greeting this time. Vivian could only accept Gezer’s salute reluctantly while she worked hard to tune her mindset back to when she was enshrined in the temple thousands of years ago on Earth. She nodded solemnly and said, “Relieve yourself. I heard you have something to report to me?”

“Yes.” Gezer stood up reverently. “I heard that you are tracking down some foreigner…”

It turned out that Hessiana, Nangong Sanba, and others had mentioned Baptiste with several tribal warriors while they were hanging out in the settlement. Perhaps they had never expected the tribal people could have information about a missing wizard in this vast space. But Gezer heard it and came to Vivian. It seemed he knew something.

“Your people met the wizard?” Hao Ren looked at Gezer in surprise.

“I don’t know what wizard you’re talking about.” Gezer shook his head. “Our warriors had never seen any stranger while they were out hunting. But, I do remember there was also a foreigner who had been here, but that was like a few hundred years ago.”

“A few hundred years ago?” Hao Ren seemed to have thought of something. “Tell me!”

“The old folks would occasionally talk about her,” Gezer said, nodding his head. “It is said that it was a woman who fell from the Pillar of Eternity. She claimed to be a witch, a woman who knew magic. She could fly. She created a piece of paper that using symbols and words to produce power, and used magic and ointment to treat diseases. Four hundred years ago, she fell out of the Pillar of Eternity where Fire tribe was guarding. She was injured badly. The Virgin of Fire used the power of the totem to cure her. The woman said that she came from another world. So I figure maybe she is the foreigner you are looking for.”

“Four hundred years ago in this world should correspond to about eight hundred years ago on Earth,” Hao Ren said quickly to Vivian. “The wizard who called Baptiste was active since about that same time?”

“It should be a little later. But by not much.” Vivian nodded. “So we can say that these two incidents are connected.”

“What happened to the witch? Is she still alive?” Hao Ren looked at him anxiously, awaiting his reply.

“She died a long time ago,” replied Gezer truthfully. “According to the old folks, the Virgin of Fire had extended the life of the witch for seventeen years, but she had inhaled too much vapor and toxins above the Pillar of Eternity when she fell from above. So she did not make it that long.”

Vivian became very curious. “Where was she buried? Did she leave anything behind?”

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Chapter 805: Finding the Witch

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

The information that Gezer provided had caught Hao Ren’s attention. He stopped the discussion on the planet’s strange history and redirected his focus to the missing wizard. He still remembered his purpose there: to find Baptiste as well as extract information about the secrets of evil-spirit Vivian and the summoning ritual. The strange faces of Inferno just acted as a temporary diversion.

When Gezer mentioned the witch, it struck a chord with Hao Ren. The time the witch fell from the Pillar of Eternity coincided with the time when Baptiste was active and experimenting on the opening of Inferno on Earth. The answer to Baptiste’s hell-bent attitude on getting to the second level of Inferno had to also lie with the witch. Vivian finally learned where the final resting place of the witch was; she was buried in the territory of the Fire tribe.

Hao Ren could not wait to find out everything. “How far is the Fire tribe from here?”

“They’re on the other side of the grassland, at the intersection of the spirit of the earth’s veins,” Gezer replied in the peculiar language of the tribe. “The spirit of the mountains and the spirit of the wind gather there, where a magnificent Pillar of Eternity supports the sky. For generations, the Fire tribe has had people guarding the place.”

Then he lifted his finger and pointed in a direction. “Go in that direction. It will take 66 days and nights if you travel on horseback. You will know that you have reached when there is hot wind blowing.”

“We can’t afford to take our sweet time.” Hao Ren’s brows knit together. “Gezer, do you know someone who has contact with the Fire tribe?”

“You want to go there?” Gezer’s eyes widened. He looked stunned. “Oh yeah, I forgot. You can travel a thousand miles in the blink of an eye. I can guide you there; warriors of different tribes know each other well, and we have an inter-tribal covenant, which allows us to visit each other’s Pillar of Eternity.”

Hao Ren nodded. He tossed the MDT into the air and said, “Then, let’s not delay any further. We will teleport—”

“I have to inform the elder first,” Gezer said quickly. “Since we’re visiting other tribes, I should tell the elder.”

Hao Ren nodded. “Yes, please. Oh, wait a second. I’ll go with you. I need to ask the old man if he knows about the witch.”

Gotarug was still in his yurt. The highly respected and knowledgeable old man was too fragile for the cold evening wind outside. He would not leave his yurt once the light in the clouds went out. Hao Ren and Vivian’s sudden visit surprised him. He quickly stopped whatever he was doing and got to his feet to greet them. Hao Ren noticed that there were many parchment-like writing materials on the table. The old book he once saw was also lay opened on the table. If he remembered it correctly, the book was about history and myths; the part of history that the aborigines of the world remembered.

Gotarug was making a copy these sacred classics. It was his job as a tribal head as every tribe had its holy scrolls. The elder was responsible for safeguarding the manuscripts. When they became old and felt that their time had come, they would begin to copy the knowledge on these scrolls and passed the copy to their successors. Tribal elders had magical ability of premonition that could predict their time of death accurately. So they could always finish the sacred job before they passed on to the other world.

Such was how the human remnants in this incredible underground sanctuary passed down their ancient knowledge and memories from generation to generation. They had successfully passed down their ancient wisdom this way until today. Some might have been lost though.

When Gezer saw the writing tools and papers, he was awed. But he quickly conveyed what Hao Ren and Vivian had to say.

“Ahh, the witch! The witch of a few hundred years ago…” Gotarug’s mind still agile though he was in his old age. He nodded repeatedly and said, “There are still many people who know about her. Gezer, bring the ‘Seal’ and give it to Bonia of Fire tribe. And be sure to explain the situation, don’t slight our Goddess.”

He handed a wooden ornament that looked like a pendant to Gezer. Hao Ren asked, “What did the witch do that those people still talking about her even after hundreds of years?”

“She fell from the Pillar of Eternity, which was significant enough to be recorded in history.” Gotarug nodded repeatedly. “And, she had brought many novel and interesting knowledge and saved the Fire tribe once. You will know when you get there.”

Hao Ren left the yurt of Gotarug with a little doubt as well as anticipation in his mind. He then brought along Gezer and departed the tribal settlement. They came to open space and was ready to teleport. Geisel asked curiously, “How do we go? Are we using the very fast ‘magic cart?’” He was referring to his North Stars.

“No, this time we teleport.” Hao Ren pointed at the MDT that was floating in the air. “I have a probe heading into the direction that you said. It has found Fire tribe. We can teleport directly.”

Gezer thought for a moment, figuring it might be another kind of miracle.

They stood inside the teleporting range as the MDT enveloped them with a halo. A sense of dizziness and vision of distortion struck them. When everything subsided, they had already arrived at the foot of another Heaven’s Pillar.

The Pillar of Eternity, which how the tribes called it, looked no different from the other Heaven’s Pillars. It supported the heaven above, and the black mountain ranges stretched out under its foot. But unlike the air in Wind Tribe settlement, the temperature around this Pillar of Eternity was significantly higher, as if they had come to the tropic from the temperate zone. The vegetation around this Heaven’s Pillar was few, and the land around the roots of the giant tree was exposing a strange reddish color, which gave a peculiar sense of heat.

It was why the tribe called themselves the Fire tribe.

Not all humans lived a migratory life on the grasslands though all tribes still maintained a nomadic lifestyle. They had their territory, and the tribe stationed some of their tribal men at the foot of a particular Heaven’s Pillar. They regarded Heaven’s Pillars as the foundation of their tribe. The Heaven’s Pillar here was where the ‘totem’ of Fire tribe located.

The tribal customs of this world were very complicated. It took several days and nights to scratch the surface of the knowledge about religion and tradition of this land. Hao Ren only learned some bare basics from Gezer, not much.

Fire tribal village was at the foot of the Heaven’s Pillar. From where they stood, they could already see the lights in the village. When they arrived, it was just nightfall, and the tribal people had yet not rested for the night

Gezer had just recovered from the teleporting dizziness. He looked at the familiar scenery not far away and felt a little at lost. After a while, he only came to his senses that he had crossed the sixty-six-day trip in the blink of an eye. He was rooted to the spot, and he would have stayed that way if not for Hessiana jolting him with a jab on his back.

“Don’t alert too many people,” Hao Ren pulled Gezer close to him and said. “We are here for the witch. Just let the tribal warriors and elder know we are here. If can, take us directly to the tomb of the witch.”

Gezer nodded and then quickly ran into the tribal village not far away. He was fast like wind and soon disappeared into the darkness. Not long after, Hao Ren saw him coming back with a small group of people, including the elder of the Fire tribe. Unlike Gotarug, this elder was a strong man, even looked stronger than the tribal warriors were. Hearing the news of the coming of the Goddess, the elder had launched from the doorstep of his yurt toward this direction. His zero-to-hundred time was just slightly over three seconds.

After that, the process of was the same; Vivian was the front. After a while of frenzy and obligatory greeting and rites, they began to come down to their real business. Hao Ren had not the time to get to know the elder and warriors of the Fire tribe. He got straight to the point explaining his purpose here. Gezer pushed a little girl who looked like only ten years old before them and said, “This is the current saintess of Fire tribe. Her name is Bonia; she can take you to the temple of the Pillar of Eternity.”