Chapter 37: Spirit of the Ancestors (Part 2)
July 30, 2015
Author: Soren
Strange flames danced.
A shaman wearing a bone mask sprinkled black powder into the fire, and the rising flames immediately exploded, revealing countless visions within. A special power enveloped the area; it seemed that certain entities were awakened from the earth, their power rising with the ancient prayer, gradually merging into the aging shaman’s body. Soon he trembled and closed his eyes, as if connecting with some kind of existence.
“Danger!… Do not provoke the enemies!… Outsiders!… Very dangerous!…”
Fuzzy information echoed in his mind. The elderly shaman, trembling all over, stopped and slowly opened his eyes, saying, “The ancestral spirit has given me a prophecy!…”
“Do not provoke those outsiders, be cautious and vigilant of them!”
Before the shaman stood a totem pole, different from the one destroyed by Soren. The spirit here did not emit such chaotic and evil energy; it even possessed a certain wisdom. When awakened, the aura it radiated, while not benevolent, was not overly evil either, resembling a neutral power.
Silence enveloped the scene.
Before the elderly shaman stood a group of indigenous tribal leaders, all the strongest warriors of the tribe, yet their faces bore expressions of fear and trepidation.
The tribes that had been at war for a long time had suddenly vanished without a trace.
This was something the indigenous people living here could not possibly hide from. However, upon realizing that their adversaries had truly been wiped out, what they felt was not ecstasy, but deep fear.
In just one night!
Their hostile tribe, which they had fought against for hundreds of years, had thus fallen, and even the evil god they served had not been spared.
Horrific. Dangerous. Fearsome.
Upon receiving this news, the oldest shaman immediately decided to awaken the spirit of the ancestors to seek guidance for the tribe. He hoped to learn from the spirit of the ancestors what these outsiders truly were. Such occurrences were too terrifying; if these outsiders could annihilate their enemies overnight, they could surely do the same to them.
In the face of such a critical matter for the tribe’s survival, even the oldest shaman did not know what to do, so they could only pray for help from the spirit of the ancestors.
However.
The information given to them by the ancestral spirit was also very limited, and there was even one piece of information that he concealed from his fellow tribesmen.
That is to say.
The ancestral spirit told him that the enemies were very powerful and dangerous, and if conflict arose, even the ancestral spirit would not be able to defeat the terrifying outsiders; the best course of action would be to relocate the entire tribe to another island.
That would prevent the disaster of extermination!
The ancestral spirit is full of wisdom.
The elderly shaman believed this without a doubt! Because the ancestral spirit they served was certainly not the kind of evil deity of the rival tribe!
There was a fundamental difference in essence.
The legacy of the ancestral rituals made them more rational; although this indigenous tribe was not as powerful as the one Soren faced, they were much more advanced in civilization. They had better defensive facilities, had specialized blacksmiths forging weapons and equipment, and were even attempting to tame the velociraptors from Treasure Island. Therefore, even if the ancestors could not grant them the furious power for their warriors, they had still managed to resist against their enemies for hundreds of years and gradually made the tribe grow stronger.
Now.
A difficult choice lay before them.
The emergence of the terrifying outsiders raised the question of where they should go in the future!
Leaving their homeland would mean giving up everything here, starting anew in a dangerous and unfamiliar environment. The cost of such a decision would be immense. Thus, the elderly shaman did not disclose this to others, for if he revealed this information, chaos and panic would likely spread throughout the tribe. Now, all they could do was wait, hoping these outsiders would not attack them.
The elderly shaman gazed into the distance.
He heard the joyful voices of children within the tribe, as well as the scolding of women. These poor tribesmen were still unaware that an unprecedented disaster was about to strike.
The very survival of the entire tribe was under severe threat!
……
The village was bustling.
Relying on his memory, Soren quickly found the approximate location of the gold mine. However, even if he secured it, immediate mining would not be possible.
Soren needed to gather manpower and tools, and he had to proceed secretly. Until now, many of his subordinates did not know what exactly was on this island; they only thought they were here to plunder the indigenous people. This task must be entrusted to trusted individuals. Soren ordered the Cyclops Pirate to personally head to the Southern Coast to gather manpower, preferably bringing back some experts in mining. Soren did not care how, as long as he saw the manpower and tools brought over within the task timeframe.
The indigenous people were quite impoverished.
Apart from the gold and silver mines here, there was hardly anything of significance to speak of.
Even the strongest shaman had almost no extraordinary equipment; their civilization was too backward, preserving only a portion of voodoo knowledge.
Nearly a week had passed.
Soren required a considerable amount of time for round trips. He could not stay too long on Treasure Island, so many matters had to be addressed at once.
Unfortunately, the Half-Elf First Mate had to stay at Fury Sand Island.
Otherwise, if he were there, Soren could completely take a back seat, as the Half-Elf First Mate was very capable in handling affairs.
The first batch of captives had already been sent away.
Soren had the indigenous slave repair the village, then ordered the supplies from the warship to be brought down.
Half of the people returned.
Half stayed here.
Soren spent three whole days leaving a teleportation beacon here so that in case of any emergencies in the future, he could use the Teleportation Spell to come back for support.
After the third batch of slaves had been transported away.
Soren finally finished everything here, preparing to return to Modo Harbor first.
Close to a thousand personnel and about two thousand indigenous captives were left on Treasure Island. When the Cyclops Pirate returned, other pirates would come to garrison; these elite forces could not be left in this godforsaken place.
Time crept into June.
Only about six months remained until the true outbreak of the Saint’s Cataclysm. Soren had no idea how the situation in Leaffall City was. The biggest inconvenience overseas was the blockade of information. Modo Harbor could still rely on prosperous trade to gather intelligence, but that was completely impossible on Treasure Island. Now, the situation on the continent was changing rapidly, and Soren could not afford to linger here for too long.
Therefore.
After dealing with many matters the next day, Soren decided to personally return to Modo Harbor.
Next.
This would be the most important decision that would shape his future destiny!
……(To be continued ~^~)
