Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Seeing that he remained silent, the shaman took out a parchment scroll from her sleeve; she had been prepared.

Ji Xinghai found the parchment somewhat familiar. Upon closer thought, wasn't this the same material as the book in the fireseed box?

He wondered what plot point he had triggered. Would collecting a certain number of fireseeds unlock the main quest where a mysterious expert provides answers?

"This parchment was passed down from my ancestors. Take a look."

Ji Xinghai took the parchment and gently unfolded it, revealing its worn marks under the flickering firelight. His slightly lowered face was also bathed in the fire's glow, giving him an ethereal and sacred aura.

The large man outside hesitated, then silently retreated, sensing that this space was off-limits to ordinary people—only the shaman and the outsider could enter.

The parchment was not long; fully extended, it measured fifteen centimeters wide and about one meter long. It was adorned with several abstract stick figures drawn from left to right.

The first drawing depicted little figures with flames on their heads, surrounded by darkness and ghosts. The harshness of nature appeared in various abstract forms: frost, floods, droughts, meteorites...

In this cruel environment, the figures fought back with the flames atop their heads, but many fell, their flames extinguished.

Ji Xinghai seemed to understand the origin of the fireseeds and continued reading.

The next drawing showed a particularly strong figure among the stick figures, who traveled around persuading the scattered ones.

Stick figures living on cliffs, by the sea, and even underground caves were all united by him.

These stick figures held primitive weapons and cheered.

When he reached the third drawing, his eyes darkened: so that was it.

The strong figure stood at the center, surrounded by other stick figures. From the decorations on them—leaves, feathers, stones, shells—it was clear these were the original humans scattered across different places, now gathered on the earth.

What was most surprising was that the flames above their heads converged toward the center, forming an egg-shaped fireseed.

In the fourth drawing, the fireseed had taken shape, creating a protective circle. Outside the circle were various natural disasters and monsters, while inside were the stick figures living safely in houses, raising livestock, planting crops, and starting families.

These stick figures no longer wore leafy, shell, or feather decorations, no longer tracing their origins or distinguishing themselves.

This clearly marked the rapid development period of humanity in this world.

At this time, humanity finally ended the era of divided rule and entered a unified era. The vanished stick figure could be considered the first emperor, with achievements lasting for generations.

Even if there were divisions later, the concept of unity was deeply ingrained. Unless this civilization completely vanished, the fireseed would remain like a tangible symbol of royal power.

After finishing the parchment, Ji Xinghai rolled it up and returned it to the shaman: "I now understand the origin of the fireseeds. But why are some red and others golden?"

The shaman carefully stored the parchment: "Ordinary people have weak beliefs and can only serve as the flesh of the fireseed, hence they are red. However, the bravest individuals, willing to sacrifice everything for the continuation of civilization, serve as the bones of the fireseed, thus they are golden."

Red is common, while gold is rare. Without bones, the body cannot stand; without flesh, the bones easily break. Both are essential.

"Gold only attracts gold. If a fragment is gold, the grown form will also be gold. A complete fireseed requires both red and gold."

Everything became clear.

A fireseed is the physical embodiment of a civilization. If the fireseed is swallowed, even if the people remain, their beliefs are severed, and the civilization ends. If the fireseed remains, and the people's beliefs persist, even a single fragment can regrow into its original form.

But what if the civilization is stolen?

Stealing a civilization is complex in reality.

Cutting off the transmission of writing, altering books, rewriting history, controlling propaganda, defaming great figures... This is the 'cultural method.'

Occupying land, setting new classes, racial extermination... This is the 'military method.'

But in this scenario, stealing a civilization becomes simple and brutal. Let the disguised squid creatures ascend to power.

Perhaps this step is to gain the recognition of the fireseed. In the history he knew, alien races occupying the throne was not unheard of, but in this world, humans might not have a chance for cultural revival.

Once the fireseed recognizes them, this kingdom might become a squid creature kingdom.

"Do you know what the squid creatures are about?"

The shaman carefully stored the parchment and smiled mysteriously: "Perhaps only the wandering poets know."

"...Are you NPCs assigned specific roles? You could have told me everything at once."

Ji Xinghai was speechless. The shaman then presented the box containing the golden fireseed: "Young man, I see unwavering courage and firm belief in you. I entrust this golden fireseed to you."

"...Thank you."

He was about to leave but received this crucial golden fireseed.

Though he knew this was part of a process, triggered by collecting a certain number of red fireseeds, Ji Xinghai, who disliked owing others, left many supplies in exchange.

His sled departed as the sun set, and a thick fog enveloped the small village. When the fog cleared, the forest revealed no sign of the village, only desolate dead trees.

Before nightfall, he found a lumberjack's cabin, which still had a usable fireplace. He lit the fire, listened to the howling wind outside, and roasted squid slices over the flames.

The five sled dogs, having eaten meat bones, lay on the ground. With their thick fur, they did not fear the cold and slept soundly near the door.

Ji Xinghai opened the parchment book he had obtained earlier.

The thick parchment contained many scattered papers, dried leaves, and leather pieces, resembling someone's journal.

The first page read, "I think 'Father' wants to kill me because I discovered a secret. But I can't find evidence that 'Father' wants to kill me. I wanted to confide in a friend but found them acting strangely, so I had to leave the capital city in embarrassment."

"The capital city?"

At the bottom right corner of this page, there was also a rather abstract drawing, resembling an old tree root, of a monster. The monster was perched on a castle-like building, and its eyes gave off a terrifying and eerie feeling.

At this point, Ji Xinghai only suspected that the diary owner's father had been replaced by a squid creature. Who knew that on the very first page, the diary owner dropped a major bombshell.

‘Am I actually the child of a monster? Does anyone know about this? Does my mother know she shares her bed with a monster day and night? The strange noises at night—could they be my father gnawing on human bones? He must want to eat me too, given that I look human, I would be his target as well…’

It had a flavor of a madman’s confession. Ji Xinghai lowered his head and carefully examined the pages.

The diary owner claimed that the nobles in the royal city had all been infiltrated by monsters. Some might be aware, while others might be unaware but under the monsters' influence. The sky remained the same, but the land might no longer be the same.

Through careful investigation, the diary owner discovered that if the mother is a monster, the offspring are monsters; if the mother is human, the offspring are human.

However, appearances can be deceiving; one's thoughts may not align with their appearance. The diary owner learned this the hard way after many setbacks.

There were even beings that existed between humans and monsters, fanatical converts who had been transformed. Out of a hundred, only one could succeed, and their blood was blue.

“The squid creatures and humans don’t have reproductive barriers? They could give birth to either squid creatures or humans?” Ji Xinghai, learning this information for the first time, felt a sense of perilous isolation in the diary owner's environment.

Things became more complicated; it was now impossible to distinguish humans from monsters.

The diary owner wanted to save those like him who refused to submit, but after searching high and low, he found only debauchery and hypocrisy. There wasn't even a handful of trustworthy companions in the entire royal city.

This situation did not arise overnight, and the diary owner was determined to uncover the source. While evading assassins, he sought the truth. Upon arriving in Blue Whale City, he encountered several attacks, and a coup occurred in the royal city, destroying even the fire seed.

The diary owner knew the monsters had made their move, and he might not escape.

In the chaos, he entrusted this important book to a friend, asking him to deliver it to those determined to fight back. The clues he had gathered were still incomplete.

The diary ended here, followed by a map and a location name.

Ji Xinghai unfolded the map.

The royal city was at the center, surrounded by numerous cities and towns. Upon closer inspection, six remaining cities were scattered around, each at varying distances from each other.

"Blue Whale City." He located this city, which was not far from the coastline and shaped like a ship.

The location name 'Whale Point' left by the diary owner was behind this city, a harbor.

"Hush."

Ji Xinghai, who had been reading by the firelight, quickly put away the book and looked towards a certain direction. The wind carried an unusual sound.

The five large dogs at the door were still sleeping quietly. He silently moved to the side of the wooden house, peering through the gaps in the decaying wood.

In the dark blue snow-covered night, several blurry shadows appeared, swaying among the trees.

Whoosh. A sudden burst of light streaked across the silent night sky. It was an arrow with a blue flame, which, upon landing on the wooden house, spread rapidly.

"Woof! Woof woof!" The sled dogs woke up, barking at the burning house.

Ji Xinghai patted their heads and kicked down the already unstable wall. "Go."

The mostly white-haired dogs ran out quickly, their fur providing natural camouflage. The pursuers chased after them but couldn't catch a single hair.

They turned back, finding only the abandoned sled in the burning house.

"One got away."

"In this weather, he won't get far."

These people wore thick white furs and had entire animal skulls covering their faces, with blue flames burning inside. They moved freely and swiftly through the snow, making no sound.

Not far from the wooden house, another group of humans was discovered.

Three students from some academy.

They were startled awake but didn’t attack, standing guard around the burning temporary tent, back to back.

Two pursuers approached swiftly. For some reason, these two disintegrated mid-air. Their skull masks, cloaks, and bodies were instantly sliced into several pieces, rolling onto the snow without spilling a drop of blood.

Invisible threads were wrapped around the tent, turning it into invisible blades in the forest.

However, an eerie scene unfolded.

The severed body parts emitted a blue glow, revealing that they were covered in glowing runes.

These rune-covered body parts seemed to be drawn together, recombining into new bodies.

Were these humans?

Yet they were bizarre, completely hairless, with smooth, slimy skin like the squid creatures, and glowing runes on their skin.

A blue flame burned atop their bald heads, reminiscent of the primitive humans depicted in the parchment scrolls.

The resurrected pursuer twisted his neck, touching his unmarked skin. His eyes first showed fervent devotion before turning venomous.

"Huh?" Seeing him resurrect, the three students were momentarily stunned but were not afraid. If he could be killed once, he could be killed again.

Due to the presence of invisible threads, the pursuers hesitated to approach. Blue flames emerged from their fingertips, igniting arrows and oil-soaked balls.

They attacked with blue-flamed arrows and fireballs, which the three students dodged. One of them drew a strange symbol on the ground, creating a hole beneath their feet.

The first student jumped into the black hole and disappeared. Then the second.

Seeing their prey about to escape, the pursuers leaped onto the trees, preparing to cross from above. But as they jumped toward the tent, their bodies were sliced vertically into several pieces.

Before these limbs could recombine, the last student poured a special solvent over them.

The flesh began to dissolve upon contact with the liquid, and soon there were several pools of reluctantly writhing fluid on the ground.

The students jumped into the black hole, and as soon as the three of them disappeared, the black hole vanished instantly.

The remaining pursuers punched trees in frustration, causing a pile of snow to fall: "When did so many special ability Fire Thieves appear?"

They continued to capture the humans left outside the city, who seemed to have some kind of special radar, making it easy to find them.

When students encountered the natives, one would always die—sometimes a student, sometimes a native. Ji Xinghai followed from a distance, intervening only if it was a fellow Hungry Academy student who was about to die; otherwise, he remained a calm observer.

Due to external demands, Hungry Academy students subconsciously turned into obedient tools in front of Ji Xinghai, but when real trouble arose, they proved to be quite reliable.

Ji Xinghai watched as a group of over ten Hungry Academy students faced off against a wandering native carrying an instrument, his gaze sharp. He thought of 'Wandering Poet.'

Some students fled, others fought back, and the plan to pursue the remnants outside the city was not successful. Ji Xinghai calculated that the number of fallen pursuers actually exceeded the number of students.

The pursuers began to withdraw. He chased them to a ship-shaped city, enveloped by a suffocatingly thick stench.

This city seemed to have become entirely the stronghold of the lurkers.