Following the waterway, Famu entered the interior of the pyramid.
Beneath these bronze-colored rock peaks lies warm, comforting swamp water, beneath which lies a massive, slightly upturned black rock.
Warm water lapped against the stone walls, and towering bronze pillars supported this vast space. On these rusty pillars, slender, soft, pale green bodies coiled.
Those were the male Typhons of Bronze Fort.
They clung to the rugged, ancient pillars, looking down at Famu, the foreign Typhon, their tongues flickering, their eyes filled with astonishment and unease. For in this fortress, apart from their mother, they had never encountered any other Child of the Earth, nor had they ever felt such a powerful heartbeat.
They tried to penetrate the Slough to see the true face hidden beneath.
But the tender shadows receded the moment they touched the Slough, causing the males pain instead.
In the center of the hall stood the male owner of this fortress.
Dalenmayou sat on a circular pedestal, the sacred bed Tessa used to receive her vassals and visitors.
He looked at Famu, observing the massive body Slough. Judging from its size alone, it was very close to that of a baptist; girls who had just come of age during the rainy season could not reach that size.
But Dalenmayou knew that the baptized individuals carried a special kind of Earth Vein Energy, which was fundamentally different from the ley Earth Vein Energy that normally came from the earth.
The other party is not a baptist.
Even if that wasn't the case, Dalenmayou stopped thinking about the other person's identity.
According to custom, the one who holds the shed becomes the temporary lord, a rule known only to both parties and tacitly approved by the Queen.
Whoever comes, on this shadowy earth, the priest must bow his head and offer the gifts the lord has planned.
In general, however, the power granted by the Slough is only effective within certain limits, and the children would find it difficult to make any excessive demands when facing the Lord of Bronze.
Its owner is no longer in this fortress.
"Welcome to Bronze Fort, Blessed One, I am Dalenmayou Shadow Priest," Dalenmayou said, his voice soft and magnetic.
Famu was also observing the Shadow Priest.
The other's scales were a noble bright yellow, with densely interwoven black spiral patterns on the surface.
Judging from the characteristics of Shadow Priest, it is the Shadow Blessing left by the Dark Marsh Furnace Core. The more markings on the scales, the stronger the priest is. Without a doubt, Dalenmayou is a powerful Shadow Priest, with Lundetil inscribed shadow oracles upon his body.
However, Dalenmayou's physique was too slender, with a body length of only sixteen meters and a torso thickness that was not even comparable to that of a newly adult Xing Rui, let alone compared to a baptized warrior like Red Typhon Seran.
Delicate and fragile were the first impressions this priest gave Famu.
The male master of this fortress was so weak that the other male Typhon Famu like cubs.
Famu climbed out of the water, perched on the raised stone slab, and asked, "How long can I stay here?"
"That depends on what you will take," the priest replied.
"Some of the children who came here yearned for the nourishment of the ley lines, hoping to gain greater power so that they could qualify for baptism in the King's Territory competition. So they drank deeply from the lower ley lines until the Furnace Core could no longer bear the burden, and only then did they reluctantly depart."
"Some children yearn for the lord's wisdom, and after receiving the skills he imparts, they return to the water network contentedly. And you, blessed one, you have taken the lord's former form, braving torrential rains and floods to come here, what are you seeking?"
Dalenmayou lowered his head and looked at Famu.
"I pursue knowledge," Famu said.
"Knowledge is like a shadow, deep and empty." Dalenmayou shook his head. "Unfortunately, the power of the shadow is difficult for the Child of the Earth to use. Even my wife, after all these years, has only learned how to sense the flow of water."
"No, Priest Dalenmayou."
"Shadows are unimportant, nor are the children of the Child of the Earth. I seek the memories of the rainforest. The Lord of Bronze are noble beings who have inherited their positions through generations. They have watched over this land thousands of years ago and witnessed wars a thousand years ago. I want to know what happened in the past."
"What happened in the past..." Dalenmayou asked in astonishment.
Knowing what happened in the past is equivalent to knowing what will happen in the future—this is a parable from the Shadow Priest.
Warm water lapped against the stone wall, making a gurgling sound.
The Male Typhons on the pillars looked at each other in bewilderment.
For them, life is nothing more than eating, learning to read, learning to pray, tending to their scales, and sleeping during the long dry season.
A select few brothers would venture to the King's Territory but never return. They would either settle in another swamp with the females they had met or enter the Shadow Temple to cultivate deeper knowledge.
A Child of the Earth seeks history and war.
That's something only high priests know.
The Lord of Bronze's spouse happened to be a high priestess.
Dalenmayou was silent for a moment; he had almost never seen such a request.
"My past experiences have always been obscure and difficult to understand. The children here, besides learning about shadows, spend their time grooming their scales to adorn themselves. They have no interest in those things, so I need some time to prepare to access those long-forgotten clay tablets."
Bronze Fort appears from the outside to be a building that rises from the ground, but in reality, its actual area is all underground.
The overall structure is more like a rhombus than a pyramid, with underground space comparable to that on the surface. To better absorb the earth's energy, ancient lords drove Bronze Rock Ridges deep into the ground, then formed a closed pyramid shape underground, ensuring both safety and providing living space for future generations.
Dalenmayou, as expected of the Lord of Bronze's companion, only mentioned a mere half-day of preparation time.
After navigating a winding, circular passage, Famu, guided by the priest, arrived at an underground space. The space was extremely vast, and no matter which direction Famu looked, it was pitch black. Moreover, he could clearly feel the ground temperature rising, becoming even higher the closer he got to the underground.
On the ground lay numerous clay tablets, and carving the Mud Language at the tips was a mandatory course for aspiring priests. Every so often, the Shadow Priests would rework these tablets, re-carving the blurred characters clearly, and then take them to the top of Bronze Fort to air dry.
"How much do you know about the past?" Dalenmayou asked.
"You can start from the beginning," Famu replied.
Dalenmayou rolled up the largest clay tablet and placed it in front of Famu.
"If you want to understand history, you need to understand war first," the priest said.
"This is the most profound period in the Samei Rainforest, a war between the Typhon, the Dead Sun Armor, and the Emerald Skirts —three races."