Arlen collapsed to the ground.
Before them lay a sea of fire. The Sacred Land Tree was the kingdom of the Pygmy Marmosets, the place where their ancestors had lived for generations, and now that kingdom had collapsed.
Typhon twisted his neck, the firelight illuminating his ashen face. The monster looked at Arlen held his wife tightly behind him. Lisa had gone mad; just moments before, she had run over and picked up the charred corpse from the ground, holding her burnt child and weeping.
Arlen's two brothers huddled together with him, protecting Arlen behind them, but they both knew they were facing Typhon, Lisa all their struggles were in vain.
Let alone a super species like Typhon, even a Nightmare Leopard —no, a smaller feline predator—could easily wipe out Arlen's entire family.
The Intelligent Species respect messengers; they only realize the importance of Rainforest Messengers because they possess wisdom. But the Savage Species in the rainforest don't care about such things; in their eyes, messengers are just pieces of meat.
In the rainforest, the habitats of Intelligent Species often far apart. Rainforest Messengers need to travel long distances to deliver messages to other Intelligent Species in order to earn rewards. Many messengers are killed by wild beasts in the process. However, the messengers are smarter. They have learned to avoid most of the dangers in the rainforest, such as memorizing the territories of predators and choosing the safest routes.
But some dangers are beyond your control.
As is the case now, danger has come knocking, and this wisdom is insufficient to allow the messengers to confront the most savage violence in the rainforest.
"Child of the Earth" and "Day of Death" have always been the most unsolvable questions for wisdom.
The fire is spreading.
Arlen had no idea where the fire came from.
Fire is the messenger of Red God Nia, while Typhon is the son of the earth. These great serpents cannot command the Red God's messenger to set the trees ablaze.
There's no point in thinking about this now; Typhon is right there, and he's standing before the Pygmy Marmoset family.
This is the world's largest snake and the world's smallest primate. Arlen watched as Black Typhon enveloped him, its massive body bulging high, some of its scales larger Arlen's entire body. The scales rubbed against each other, and the low vibration gradually disappeared. The Child of the Earth Furnace Core fell silent.
The Pygmy Marmoset was much better off; if the shaking continued, Typhon would have killed them with just natural breathing.
The burning flames could not pass over Typhon's body. Arlen raised his head and looked at the huge, drooping head, staring directly at Black Typhon's pale eyelids.
"My lord, why are you so cruel!" Arlen cried out.
He was trembling with fear, but he still stood up and shouted at Typhon.
"The Daughter of Bronze is my friend, and you have informed an Abomination of her news," Famu said.
That one sentence shattered Arlen's last remaining courage and anger.
Damn it... no, he made a mistake.
He made a mistake!
According to the rules of the Rainforest Messenger, Arlen serves Typhon that devours its own kind, and no other Intelligent Species will hold Arlen responsible, as the exchange of information is the Rainforest Messenger's duty. However, keeping the employer's secrets is also the Rainforest's duty. In the Messenger Oath, keeping secrets is as important as spreading messages, which is the foundation for the Rainforest Messenger's survival in the Rainforest.
Only when other Intelligent Species believe that the Rainforest Messenger will keep their secrets will the messenger have the power to possess them.
The simplest example is Arlen now.
He revealed his employer's secret to his brother, a secret that Black Typhon knew, so Black Typhon would never let him go, because Black Typhon knew he wouldn't keep his oath!
"The matter entrusted to me is like the veins of a leaf hidden in the palm of my hand, not revealed to the wind. The secrets I have heard are like roots buried deep in the soil, not proclaimed to the sunlight."
The law is the law of survival, and the way to survive lies in the oath. Learning to keep secrets can help you avoid unseen harm.
If Arlen hadn't leaked the information, Black Typhon wouldn't have known he had provided information to the Abomination, and his family wouldn't have met such a tragic end.
Arlen slowly backed away, falling backward. His brother caught him, and in his brother's arms, Arlen stared blankly at Black Typhon. "My lord," he said, "If I hadn't leaked the information about that employer and let you know, would you have chosen to leave quietly?"
"I will proceed according to your methods, the Rainforest Messenger's deal." Famu looked down at Arlen. "Now, it's my way."
What do you want to do?
Tell me everything.
"We are sorry we cannot tell you everything. We cannot leave alive. From the moment you appeared, I knew you would not let any Intelligent Species that might leak secrets go. We will not say anything," the largest Pygmy Marmoset said, shaking its head.
"We can trade! My lord! I'll tell you anything! What I'm trading is my life!" said the smallest Pygmy Marmoset, who was also the most impatient.
"Tell me your name," Famu said.
"My name is Milo, my lord!"
Famu nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, Milo. Then tell me the locations of all the Furnace-Core Creatures you know."
"This..." Milo hesitated.
The Pygmy Marmoset's brother stopped Milo, shaking his head. "You need to think carefully about what a leak means. If Intelligent Species along a messenger route fall one after another, everyone will know it was the Rainforest Messenger! Those Furnace-Core Creatures will no longer provide shelter for other messengers!"
Milo slapped his brother's hand away. "Stop pretending. Weren't you also interested in Arlen's employer? Now you know to keep it a secret?"
He looked fierce at his brother, then rushed to the foot of Famu's head and knelt down obsequiously. "My lord, I am willing to offer you all the Intelligent Species hidden along the messenger's path, just please let me leave."
"Can."
Famu looked at the other two messengers.
Arlen tenderly stroked his wife's cheek, stood up, and said to Famu, "My lord, I am willing to offer you the messenger's coordinates to guide your way."
"You also want to exchange your life?" Famu asked.
"No, I'll trade my wife's life for hers. She's already a poor mother who has lost her child. Please let her go. I will stay here and atone for breaking my vow," Arlen said.
"Didn't you ever think that she might also be a poor wife who lost her husband?" Famu said.
Arlen remained silent. "My lord, please grant this deal."
"Can."
Famu looked at the largest Pygmy Marmoset, the messenger's elder brother.
"Will you really let us go? We are messengers who have broken our oaths, and we are not worthy of your trust," he said.
Milo glared fiercely at his brother, as if his words had robbed him of his chance to live. "Are we supposed to just wait here to die?"
"Our deaths are good for the messenger," he sighed, "But to live is not a sin."
Please allow me to keep my distance; I still won't tell you anything.
"I will be executed by flames tonight, to die with the Sacred Land Tree, in the name of breaking the Messenger Oath, and the earth 'Lundedier' will bear witness." He bowed, then climbed onto Famu's back, crossed the winding black wall, and stepped into the fire.