The enlightened Tilsa is determined to reform the outdated traditions of the Nora tribe, but the conservative Lancela has always been opposed to it, and Tirtha's reform ideas have never been implemented.
Another eldest mother Jielong's position is biased towards Tilsa, but in order to avoid a split within the eldest mother association, she has not clearly expressed her attitude.
The attack by outsiders this time caused some changes in Jielong's thinking, which was also the reason for the previous conflict between the two.
According to the tradition of the Nora tribe, only those with special permission can leave their territory and go to the outside world.
The three members of the Elder Mother Association unanimously agreed that the war leader Sona would lead the clan's elite out to seek revenge. Others who wanted to leave the Nora clan's territory had only two options.
One is to become an exile who can never return to his hometown from now on, and the other is to be granted the title of seeker by the eldest mother and give a special token to the person who leaves.
Seekers can go to mission places in the world, complete the sacred missions given by the Elder Mother, and can return to the territory of the Nora tribe at any time, which is completely different from the meaning of exiles.
Ever since he saw the woman who looked similar to himself, Aloy had planned to leave the territory of the Nora tribe to pursue life, and Tilsa's proposal played into her mind.
"I am willing to be a pursuer. I swear that I will definitely track down the murderer who attacked the Holy Land and make them pay with blood!"
…
Beside the altar at the top of the holy mountain, Tiersa and Jielong watched Aloy go down the mountain.
Tilsa turned to someone next to her and said, "Are you sure you don't want to say goodbye to her?"
Standing behind Tilsa was a middle-aged and elderly man with slightly gray hair. He smiled and shook his head without saying anything.
"Ah, I forgot."
Tilsa patted her forehead: "Roster, you can speak now."
Rost, Aloy's adoptive father.
More than ten years ago, the Nola tribe's territory was invaded by foreign tribes, and Rost's wife and daughter died in the turmoil.
In order to avenge the blood of his wife and children, Rost volunteered to become a cursed death seeker.
He pursued the murderer all the way out of the Nora tribe's holy land, and traveled all over the world, catching and killing the murderers one by one who he thought were free from justice.
After killing the last murderer, Rost also suffered serious injuries from the fatal blow.
He thought he would never survive and wanted to get as close to the Nora tribe's territory as possible before he died.
By luck or by walking, Rost, who was seriously injured and in critical condition, was brought back to the territory by a tribesman who also lost a family member at the hands of the murderer, and his injuries were finally cured.
Rost is seeking death. According to the customs of the Nora tribe, his body has long left the holy land, but his soul has always been with the tribe. Logically speaking, his body should not return to the territory.
In view of his successful achievements in avenging his tribe, the three eldest mothers made an exception and allowed him to continue to stay in the Holy Land as an exile.
By chance, Tilsa handed over Elsa, who was not suitable to the tribe, to Rost to raise.
After more than ten years of getting along, Rost has already regarded Aloy as his real daughter.
The trial ceremony was Aloy's only chance to return to the tribe. For the sake of his daughter's future, Rost made up his mind to bid farewell to Aloy and watched her enter the Heart of All Mothers under Tilsa's welcome.
"No need."
Rost looked at Aloy's retreating back with relief: "I am an exile. Even if I meet Aloy, I can't respond to her words."
"Rather than meeting her and not being able to communicate, it's better to just send her away silently."
"I believe that Aloy, who was born unfettered by common sense, will definitely become an important promoter of the reform of the Nora tribe in the future."
"Then, maybe I will have the chance to meet her again."
…
Although the Eclipse Cult withdrew from the territory of the Nora tribe, Sirius left many corroded mechanical beasts along the way in order to stop the pursuers.
These mechanical beasts also included some medium-sized war machines that Lu Xiao had personally dismantled before. The Nora tribe called them Degenerates.
Vault 53 is located between the Kingdom of Calgar and the territory of the Nora tribe, right at the junction of the two tribes' territories.
The drone has been recording Aloy's journey from a high altitude. Lu Xiao, who was at the base, witnessed her removing an overclocking hacking terminal from a Degenerator... which is the cylindrical part that Lu Xiao had obtained before.
.
After testing, Lu Xiao discovered that this small terminal could overwrite the logic programs of wild mechanical beasts in a very short time, allowing their thinking modules to accept commands.
Mechanical beasts that have been corrupted by unknown energy cannot be rewritten, and larger mechanical beasts cannot rewrite their programs using this small overclocking terminal.
"No wonder the people of the Eclipse Cult can control the mechanical beasts in the wild to assist them."
Lu Xiao thoughtfully took out the strange energy that he had previously sealed with runes.
"So, what is this thing?"
"Since the Eclipse Cult has a way to control machines, why do they need to use this corrosive energy to corrupt the mechanical beasts?"
In order to test the effect of this energy, Lu Xiao specially caught a civet cat from the wild.
Practice has proven that this corrosive energy is not only useful to mechanical beasts, carbon-based creatures will also be harmed if they touch it.
When Aloy recovered from his injuries and returned to the road, more than half a month had passed since the ambush.
While Aloy set off, Aletheia and Consus, who had been in seclusion for a long time, finally completed the tasks assigned to them by Lu Xiao.
"Lu Xiao, your intuition has come true."
Aletheia, who had re-condensed her electronic body, said solemnly: "The pile of data fragments and damaged codes you found in Cradle No. 9 all came from Gaia, and are the 'wreck' left behind after she executed the self-destruction program."
"Self-destruct?"
Lu Xiao opened his mouth in surprise: "Why did Gaia want to self-destruct? Elizabeth Sobek's order?"
"Of course not."
Consus stroked his beard and explained: "According to the data records we recovered, Gaia encountered some kind of difficult problem more than two years ago."
Lu Xiao's eyebrows twitched, "It was two years ago again?"
"Gaia has calculated the situation and finally concluded that it cannot be solved through conventional means, and self-destruction is only her last resort."
Aletheia took over and said: "We found the name you have always cared about in the incomplete data-Hades."
"More specific information cannot be sorted out, but Gaia mentioned that she left a message to Elizabeth Sobek, which was stored in a message recorder."
"Um?"
Lu Xiao frowned and took out the small silver recorder from the portable space that he got from the No. 9 cradle more than a month ago.
"Is this it?"
"It should be right."
"Elizabeth Sobek..."
Lu Xiao lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "The real Dr. Sobek died as early as 2066, but Gaia mentioned her again after nearly a thousand years."
"Considering that Aloy was born through cloning technology that is impossible to achieve with outside technology, could it be..."
Aletheia shrugged: "It's almost the same, that's why I asked you to get Aloy's DNA sample."
"As long as Dr. Sobek's DNA can be used to decipher the 'last words' left by Gaia, the truth about Gaia's self-destruction and the whereabouts of Hades should be solved."
"Perhaps, we can also learn the truth of that year through Gaia's guidance and understand what happened to the earth in these hundreds of years."