The meandering streams wind around the endless valleys, forming an endless river on the open plains.
I could see that on the sunny side of the valley, there were scattered caves and not-so-extensive terraces.
Because of the towering vegetation, the rows of field ridges carved into the mountainside are almost difficult to see.
This is the realm of the valley people.
The forest people call them "the sinners".
However, this is obviously not their own name.
They call themselves "Qiu".
This syllable does not have any special meaning, it is just something passed down from their ancestors and has been used to this day.
Although the Qiu people living in this valley are not like the tribes in the forest, where they huddle under the same tree as a clan unit, they have a unity that is not inferior to the latter.
Clan large and small all call themselves "Qiu people".
Not only do they have the same culture and traditions, but they also use the same hieroglyphics to record them. They even use the same set of precepts and codes of conduct. They elect the elders of their respective clans to form a "senate" to arbitrate in matters big and small.
In fact, they have given birth to the concept of "nation" and evolved an organized society.
From this point of view, the tribes in the forest are still in a state of disunity.
Although the advantage of the Qiu people over the forest people is not obvious now, in the long run, the rise of the former and the decline of the latter are almost destined.
Of course, this is only under normal circumstances.
If the powerful interference factor of Gaia is taken into account, the future of the two groups will be difficult to say.
The reason why the forest people call the Qiu people living in the valley "sinful people" is because apart from the distant history, there is another most direct reason.
That is, the latter does not have the "ability to communicate with nature" at all.
Although not every Forester can awaken this ability, the power flowing in their blood has never been cut off in the Forester tribe.
In contrast, the "Qiu people" seemed to have been abandoned by God. They could only live in cold stones and eat dry plant seeds and sour and astringent wild fruits.
Of course, this is also the perspective of the forest people.
At least in the eyes of the Qiu people themselves, cooked grains are not unpalatable, and wild berries and mushrooms have a unique flavor.
On the contrary, it is the "rebels" who live in the forest who are truly pitiful, living a life of eating hair and drinking blood, like monkeys.
On a rugged hill, a young man riding a lizard was looking at the south side of the valley.
I saw that deep in the dense forest, a cluster of leafy tree crowns was rising with golden fluorescence.
That was the signal for the "renegades" to gather, and it seemed to be sent by Doma City.
Looking at the fireflies flying in the dusk, the lizard crawling on the rock paced back and forth restlessly for a while until the boy riding it tightened the reins around its neck.
"laugh--"
The lizard blew out mist-like breath from its nostrils, shook its neck from side to side, and finally calmed down.
In contrast, the young man riding it had an ominous look on his eyebrows.
I heard from the elders of the clan that whenever the rebels send out a positive signal, something bad will happen.
The news must be reported to the Senate immediately!
With this thought in his mind, the young man pulled the reins and prepared to leave.
However, at this moment, a light blue light suddenly lit up under a short tree not far away, and then a squeaking sound came.
"People over there, wait a moment."
Hearing the movement close at hand, the young man was suddenly startled. He almost instinctively took off the bow and arrow on his shoulder, pulled the arrow in and unstrung the bowstring at the same time.
"who?!"
The light blue beam seemed to be emitted from the leaves, and a figure like an iron can stood in the center of the light.
The moment he saw the tin can, he was stunned and stood there in a daze.
Then, a soft voice floated from the light.
"I am... your... ancestor."
Before the voice could finish speaking, the young man had put away his bow and arrow, got off the lizard's back, and knelt on the ground without daring to take a breath.
"Greetings to the ancestor!"
The figure standing in the light blue light nodded appreciatively and continued to speak at a gentle pace.
"Get up and talk."
The young man stood up tremblingly, lowering his head and not daring to look directly at the figure standing in the light.
His mind is very confused.
On the one hand, he was shocked that the legendary ancestor had actually returned and appeared in front of him; on the other hand, he was terrified by his previous disrespectful behavior.
However, the ancestor did not seem to blame him, but tolerated him and allowed him to stand up.
"May I have your name?"
The young man answered truthfully.
"I don't have a name, I am a soldier of the Lynk clan."
The ancestor continued to ask.
"What is the Lynk clan?"
The young man quickly explained.
"They are a branch of the 'Qiu people'. Although everyone in the valley is divided into various clans, they all still use the surname you gave us."
The tin can standing in the light was silent for a while, and then continued to speak.
"I roughly understand that you are a soldier of the Lingke clan of the Qiu people in the valley... right?"
The young man nodded repeatedly and said.
"Is such that."
The tin can standing in the light blue light nodded, looked at the young man who was so nervous that he was holding his breath, and continued.
"To facilitate communication... you will be called 'Qiu Ling' from today on."
Hearing the instructions from the ancestor, the young man was stunned for a moment, then his face showed an ecstatic expression, and he knelt down on the ground again excitedly, and babbled a burst of thanks.
The tin can standing in the light waited quietly. It wasn't until he vented his joy and excitement that he slowly opened his mouth and continued.
"...Don't be too quick to be happy. The reason why I came to this land is because I smelled the smell of disaster."
The air suddenly became quiet.
The young man who was dancing excitedly a second ago suddenly changed his expression, showing an expression as if he was facing a formidable enemy.
Almost subconsciously, he thought of the vision he had seen in the forest before.
He couldn't help but swallow, and asked in a cautious tone.
"Disaster...are you talking about the traitors in the forest?"
The ancestor said in a gentle tone.
"Maybe, but maybe it's not just their problem, but part of it may be ours."
A trace of fear appeared in Qiu Ling's eyes.
"You...want to destroy us?"
He firmly believed in the words of his ancestors.
It is precisely for this reason that I cannot understand why the respected ancestor did this.
Looking at the young boy with a look of fear on his face, the ancestor standing in the light blue light continued with a calm voice.
"I have never thought about my children this way...otherwise I wouldn't be standing here trying to make up for the mistakes that have happened."
"In the foreseeable future, I saw burning flames engulfing the forest, and saw countless people dying in the black smoke...including you and the children in the forest."
"But in addition, I also saw another future. From then on, you will move towards common prosperity, ending hundreds of years of grievances, and starting a new era... Do you believe me?"
Qiu Ling lowered his head respectfully and said.
"...I am willing to listen to the teachings of our ancestors."
A voice of approval floated out of the light blue light, and then the light gradually faded.
"Very good, it seems I didn't choose the wrong person...come here, my child."
Qiu Ling raised his head blankly and saw that the burly iron man had disappeared, leaving only a weak beam of light standing on the spot, as if guiding him in the direction.
"There is a silver metal disk on the branch in front of you."
"Take it with you, carry it with you at all times, and I will tell you what to do next..."
…
While a green-skinned boy was exerting all his strength to climb up the tree, a researcher floating in synchronous orbit was sitting in front of the terminal screen, stretching comfortably.
"nailed it!"
Half an hour ago, when her drone was hovering in the sky, she spotted the little green man standing on a higher ground in the valley. She guessed that that guy was probably a "sinner" living in the valley, so she thought
As a plan, a four-rotor drone with holographic projection function was sent over from the scientific research ship.
These primitive people had never seen such awesome technology before. As expected, they were clearly fooled and believed all her lies on the spot.
In this way, she only paid the price of a drone and obtained an aboriginal spy.
Next, as long as the child shows a few more "miracles", he can get the reactor's fuel tank in minutes, without even having to worry about Ye Shi.
When Jiang Xuezhou thought of Ye Shi, he felt extremely angry.
This guy is usually pretty good, but sometimes he is as stubborn as a cow.
Just because he disapproved of his practice of encouraging the aborigines to launch war and fish in troubled waters, he accused himself of not taking his safety to heart, and of being overly compassionate and not thinking about him.
It's on her head.
You are really feeding your conscience to a dog!
Didn't that guy say that negotiating with the "Valley People" was just his own whim?
There is no need for him to take risks now. He can handle the matter by himself. He will be speechless after all, right?
Of course, even though she said so in anger, she also admitted in her heart that Ye Shi had put in a lot of effort.
At least, the language she used to fool the aboriginal boy was compiled from the materials collected by Ye Shi.
Fortunately, the languages used by the forest people and the valley people have not yet differentiated, and even the culture about the "ancestors" is carved from the same mold.
Looking at the information compiled on the terminal screen, Jiang Xuezhou murmured to himself while drinking coffee.
"Qiu people... Are there any crew members named 'Qiu' on the USS Gemini guided missile cruiser?"
"But it's really weird... Both groups of people come from the sky. Are they all descendants of the crew of the Gemini guided missile cruiser?"
One group of people have awakened their special powers, while another group of people have not awakened their special powers.
There was a conflict between people who had awakened their special powers and those who had not. Or perhaps it was out of fear of Gaia or some unspeakable thing that the people who had not awakened their special powers drove the former into the forest by virtue of their numerical superiority.
.
This can explain why the forest people call the Qiu people "criminal people", and the Qiu people call the forest people "rebels".
From the standpoint of the Gemini—or the People's Federation Air and Space Force, isn't it a betrayal for the Foresters to take refuge in Gaia?
But here comes the problem.
If both groups of people are descendants of the Gemini, where were the original colonists?
Although the People's Federation Air and Space Force carried out a thorough bombing campaign against the rebels in the colony, there were survivors even on the Gemini. It is hard to imagine that no one survived on the surface.
Just when Jiang Xuezhou was puzzled, the little koala squatting aside came over carrying the freshly heated canned food and rice.
"Your meal is ready."
"Ah, thank you." After accepting the thoughts in his mind, Jiang Xuezhou responded and reached out to take the plate.
It has to be said that the People's Federation has a good set of dehydration and freeze-drying technology.
It is hard to imagine that these foods that have exceeded their shelf life for two centuries can still emit an appetizing aroma after cooking.
Jiang Xuezhou felt hungry and immediately started to eat hungrily.
"You're welcome, it's my honor to serve you." Little Koala clicked on the camera and said in a gentle tone, "But master, are you really not going to communicate with Ye Shi?"
"...I will talk to him later."
With his mouth full of food, Jiang Xuezhou muttered vaguely, as if he was unwilling to answer the question.
To be honest, she was just angry, but in her heart she no longer blamed that guy.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, she herself is not entirely without fault.
At least, she should put herself in his shoes and consider that he is in a highly stressful environment, or that he is stepping on the head of a monster. It is impossible and impossible for her to stay away from it like she is thousands of kilometers away from the ground.
Watch a play.
He wanted to make a quick decision and get the fuel for the reactor and return immediately. As for the indigenous people living on this planet, it was not his first priority. He should not say that he was inhumane just because he did not act according to his own ideas.
After all, he is not her tool, let alone her child, and can be manipulated by her...
They are obviously able to solve problems through communication.
Looking at Jiang Xuezhou with a hint of regret in his eyebrows, the little koala standing aside said in a gentle voice.
"People are often too harsh on those close to them because they believe that the other person will never leave them no matter what... However, you rarely seem to remember how short your life is."
"My last master didn't have time to give me a nice name. When I opened my eyes again, he had turned into a skeleton. Although my words may be a bit redundant, I still hope that you will be like him.
Don’t leave any regrets before you become a skeleton.”
Jiang Xuezhou whispered.
"I understand...I will talk to him nicely."
Are these words of comfort?
But thinking about it carefully, it seemed that this was really the case, and she didn't feel angry at all because of these strange words.
Maybe, as little Koala said, she was a little too harsh on Ye Shi.
She was actually not like this before...
Thinking of this, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly began to worry about gains and losses again, worrying that he would hate himself like this.
Sure enough, I still have to find a chance to talk to him.
By the way, it's dinner time, and I don't know if that guy has eaten yet.
With this in mind, Jiang Xuezhou pointed his index finger on the holographic screen and connected the action recorder of the power armor.
At the same time, a graceful figure appeared on the screen.
It was a dark space, and the fireflies lingering around that graceful figure were the only source of light.
In fact, this is nothing.
She's not the kind of person who gets jealous just because her partner looks at other women.
However, the problem is that the camera of the action recorder is locked motionlessly on the two huge fruits, as if the vertical stabilization function is turned on.
As if he had a premonition that the storm was coming, the little koala standing nearby swayed and rolled away and quietly left the bridge.
Almost at the same time, a creaking sound sounded in front of the terminal screen.
"This guy……"
Jiang Xuezhou looked down at his chest and gritted his teeth.
The fist that finally softened became hard again!
…
On the waist of the holy tree of Doma City, where the branches are entangled, there is a pure wooden palace.
The chief of Doma City—or rather the king of the entire tribe—is sitting on the steps of the main hall at the moment.
His name is Tunnan.
In the widely circulated language of this forest, the name carved on the roots of the sacred tree not only means a leader, but can also be interpreted as a "warrior with boundless power".
Generally speaking, the two actually mean the same thing.
The so-called "mana" is actually the ability to communicate with the sacred tree.
In this land given by the Holy Tree, only the bravest warriors can please the Holy Tree and gain its favor.
As for what the sacred tree is, that's a long story.
Even the oldest wise man in the city of Doma could not finish talking for two days and two nights.
A man wearing wooden armor walked into the hall, knelt on the ground and said in a loud voice.
"The ancestor is awake."
He is a warrior in the tribe and one of Tunnan's most trusted guards.
Tunnan looked down at the man crawling under the steps and said in a calm voice.
"What did he say?"
The guard bowed his head and replied respectfully.
"He ordered the maids of the temple that no one should enter the place where he stayed without his permission."
Tun Nan's expression didn't change at all, and he just continued expressionlessly.
"Any more?"
The guard continued.
"He left one person behind."
Tunnan asked.
"who?"
the guard replied.
"Dora."
Tun Nan looked aside, and the elderly man standing next to him leaned down and whispered a few words to him, briefly describing the life of the maid who had won the favor of the ancestor.
After listening to the elder's narration, Tunnan nodded calmly, and then looked at the guard.
"Have other tribes received the signal we sent?"
The guard said with his hands clasped in fists.
"More than a dozen tribes nearby have responded to us, and their envoys are gathering towards us."
After hearing the waiter's report, not only Tunnan's face showed joy, but all the priests, including Sagui, also showed joyful expressions on their faces.
"God bless the Doma tribe!"
Rough palms were slapped on the handrails wrapped with vines. The burly Tunnan stood up from the throne and took two steps forward energetically. He stood on the edge of the steps and looked around at the priests in the hall and the nobles in the tribe.
.
This is an unprecedented time.
They will take back the entire Forbidden Forest Valley from the "sinful people"!
"This time even the ancestors are on our side."
"It's time to end this feud that has lasted for hundreds of years!"
…
At the same time, on the other side, Ye Shi couldn't help but sneeze while walking beside the murals in the temple at the base of the sacred tree.
Hearing the sneeze, Dora, who was walking in front surrounded by fireflies, turned back, looked at him with concern and asked softly.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing...just keep talking about the holy tree."