Above The Sky
Chapter 371 - 371 343 The Dusk and Future of the Redwood People 13

371: Chapter 343: The Dusk and Future of the Redwood People (1/3) 371: Chapter 343: The Dusk and Future of the Redwood People (1/3) This was the time for the Tenglan Tribe of the Redwood Natives to have their meal.

Along the coast of South Ridge Redwood, wisps of cooking smoke rose.

The elderly and women were preparing the food ingredients, deboning fish and separating the entrails to mix with bean paste and bone meal next to them as feed for their domesticated hunting and sea beasts.

The fish, along with herbs, were being stewed in a pot with some type of beans, to expel parasites and detoxify.

They vigorously stirred with a ladle, and this fish-bean paste would soon be the meal for the hunters who were about to return.

Those who did not participate in combat or hunting counted themselves lucky if they got a taste of the leftover meat soup and bean paste.

Regardless, after submitting to Harrison Port, the tribe had access to clean food and better fishing tools, ensuring that no one would starve to death.

This was progress.

The people who received food ate silently, not minding the piping hot food fresh from the pot—in the Redwood Forest, no living creature would wait for you to let your food cool down, not the mosquitoes, not the bacterial colonies, not the miasma; if you did not eat it while it was hot, you were simply being irresponsible to your own stomach.

The return of the hunting team did not interrupt the mealtime of the others; only a bountiful harvest could warrant a celebration for the tribe members.

The coastal village of the Tenglan Tribe was very rudimentary, designed for easy dismantling and reconstruction.

This was their many years of experience in combating storms and big waves, but no matter how rudimentary, the layout of their buildings was very orderly.

The Chieftain’s large tent in the middle of the village was covered with mud fish skin, which was waterproof and insulated.

It could even be used as a sail in emergencies.

The Chieftain of the Tenglan Tribe, a robust man missing one ear, was concentrating on reading a simple illustrated book.

“Common Poultry Rearing Manual”

Next to his tent, there was a simple chicken coop fenced with wooden rails, where about a dozen chickens pecked at food scraps and insects on the ground.

With scales on their heads and sharp claws and teeth, one could imagine they had considerable fighting ability, capable of at least blinding a few children.

And by the Chieftain’s side, a very aged native Shaman was busily mixing chicken feed.

“When are we moving next to Harrison Port?”

While making the chicken feed, the Shaman suddenly spoke, “We need to move quickly, or other tribes might beat us to it—the first tribe to relocate gets four pairs of cattle and ten pairs of forest sheep, maybe even twelve fat pigs.

I’m old and don’t care about my dignity anymore; I really want those things, I want to eat meat.”

“Tomorrow,”

the Chieftain said, his voice deep: “The Spirits of Tenglan have died, and the Drum Wave Spirit has lost contact due to anger; apart from following the directives of Harrison Port, we actually don’t have much of a choice…

and you’re right.”

“I too want to eat meat.”

The strong man looked up towards the chicken coop in front of him…

When had the Tenglan Tribe, who used to store plentiful fish catches in underground ice vaults, needed to rear livestock?

The blue Southern Sea was their greatest pasture; at their peak, the Great Shaman of Tenglan needed only to chant softly to provide the tribe with more food than they could consume in a year.

But time flows.

“The era of the Redwood People has ended.”

He murmured to himself, “Perhaps it has long passed, and we just refuse to acknowledge it…

unwilling to believe.”

“Indeed,”

the Shaman spoke softly: “It is time for us to consider the future.”

At this point, the Shaman’s expression changed, as if he perceived something, “Speaking of which, there has been a powerful Magical Beast spotted near Odell Reef recently.

It’s an Ironclad Shark that is about to advance and has possibly even reached the Second Energy Level.”

“It has been quite active lately, should we inform Harrison Port about this?”

“There’s no need, the more we say, the more mistakes we make, and the fewer we say, the fewer mistakes we make.”

The Chieftain lifted his head to look out at the sea.

He seemed to have faintly heard something too but slightly shook his head, “Even if we are to show loyalty, it would be to Harrison Port…

Whether it’s the Ironclad Shark or an Iron Armor Shark moving frequently, only The Empire’s warships will suffer.”

“If they really suffer, it’s quite possible that our port Chieftain would be happy enough to throw a celebration.”

The two gazed out at the sea.

And on the distant other side of the ocean, a silver fin was cutting through the waves, tracing an excited arc as it sped towards the shore.

“Not bad, Shasha, you’ve recovered quite well!”

Taking advantage of the storm, Ian went to the coast to welcome Shasha.

The huge metallic shark, whose fins had been broken due to parasites and attacks by a Gargantuan Eel, and whose body had sustained damaged wounds, had all regenerated.

However, the newly formed tissue shone too brightly with silver and was not as matte as the rest of its body, appearing slightly mismatched.

It might need a distressing treatment.

“Wow, wow!”

Seeing Ian’s arrival, Shasha appeared very energetic, happily making several circles by the shore—The environment of Crystal Lake seemed to be really suitable for the growth of Magical Beasts.

In just a few days, it seemed to have grown bigger.

But, could it be because of better food?

After all, the Overlord of this marine ecosystem Teng had recently gone quiet; the Aether Crystal Dragon was dead, and the Drum Wave Spirit was likely lurking and healing in the Depths of Odell Reef.

As a High-Rank Ironclad Shark of the First Energy Level, Shasha indeed became the top predator of its ecosystem.

It could truly eat whatever it wanted!

“Stop spinning.

Come on, this isn’t the place to show you your gift, let’s return to the base.”

Mounting on Shasha, Ian and his companion dived into the sea and headed toward the South Sea Labyrinth.

The entrance to the labyrinth was located at a submerged entrance around Odell Reef, it was originally sealed, but could be opened with the authorization of the Labyrinth Master.

After Ian granted Shasha top administrator’s access, Shasha too could open it alone.

No wonder the Crystal Dragon could occasionally appear in the open sea.

This wasn’t because the ruins were flawed, but rather because its authority allowed it to leave the ruins independently.

Entering Crystal Lake from this entrance was very quick.

If one had to describe it, it was akin to the ‘express route’ that appears after clearing a dungeon in an RPG game.

Before long, Ian had reached the former lair of the Crystal Dragon.

“Eh, where is the Aether Crystal Dragon’s corpse?”

Immediately, Ian was surprised to notice that the body of the Crystal Dragon, which had been on the central island of Crystal Lake, was gone, but soon he realized, “Oh, it has become one with Crystal Island… I get it now.

This somewhat protruding pillar of Crystal Island is the result of the congealed bodies of successive Crystal Dragons!”

He saw that Crystal Island, which continuously emitted a Spirit Energy Halo, had obviously grown higher and wider, and at the top, one could vaguely make out the coiling figure of a Crystal Dragon.

And at the center of this Crystal Island, a Dragon Egg emanating pale white light with patterns of Origin Structure flowing on its surface was clearly quite healthy.

Looking at it this way, this place was truly a ‘Dragon-Made’ Spirit Energy Field, in a sense.