Old Gods and God Chosen

"Butterfly, you can put aside weaving those baskets for now. Process the insects that Dashan and the others brought back. I'll teach you how to weave other things when I get back later."

Butterfly and the others were much slower at weaving baskets than he was, but in this amount of time, each of them had already finished one, adding five more baskets in total.

Including the eight baskets already in use, thirteen baskets were enough for now.

This was because the trap required a lot of manpower; each basket needed someone to watch over it.

And their tribe, including Zhou Xu himself, had a total of thirty-two people.

If almost half the people were tied up guarding a trap for prey, then there wouldn't be enough people for other tasks.

Therefore, a choice had to be made here.

Judging by the sun's position overhead, it should be around one or two in the afternoon. Dashan and the others' work for the day clearly wouldn't end just yet.

After putting down the materials collected that morning and letting the members of the gathering team drink some water and rest for a while, Zhou Xu led them to the Black Forest once more.

On the way, Zhou Xu seemed to remember something and asked Dashan a question.

"Oh right, Dashan, where did that head you handed me on the Altar come from?"

Faced with this question, Dashan was silent for two seconds.

"That was the former chief's head. He died during the previous attack, and I could only manage to bring his head back, even at the cost of my own life."

[Holy crap?!]

Dashan's words almost made Zhou Xu split open on the spot.

"Your former chief... wasn't he also summoned?"

Hearing this, Dashan was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head.

"No, no. It was our tribe's first time holding a sacrifice. Such a ritual can't be performed casually; one must find an Altar left by the Old Gods."

Dashan felt a sense of sadness regarding the former chief's death. As he spoke, his voice grew somber.

Zhou Xu, having received this answer, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If his predecessor had also been a Transmigrator, then that head might have accidentally become his own fate.

Of course, it was also possible that after his own death, his head would be cut off and given to the next person.

"You risked your life to bring the head back because of the power within it?"

Given the situation at the time, Zhou Xu didn't believe Dashan was unaware of the Eye of Insight's existence.

Dashan didn't hide anything in response and directly nodded.

"That is the True Word passed down through our tribe for generations."

To be honest, Zhou Xu never expected to hear the word 'True Word' from Dashan's mouth.

The moment he heard the word, he couldn't even think it through before asking the question that had been lingering in his mind.

"What exactly is the True Word?"

"In the legends passed down in our tribe, the True Word is the language of the Deities, containing immense power."

"Then why didn't you choose to keep the True Word for yourself back then?"

Dashan didn't evade the question at all.

"The True Word chooses its own master. It did not choose me."

"What are these Old Gods you speak of? And that Altar left by the Old Gods?"

"The Old Gods are the original Deities of this world. Legend has it they are already dead, which is why we generally refer to them as Old Gods. After the Old Gods died, their power scattered throughout the world, which is the True Word."

As he spoke, Dashan, who was walking and answering Zhou Xu's questions, paused slightly.

"The Altar is said to have been built by the Old Gods. As long as one finds an Altar and performs a ritual, it's possible to Summon a 'God Chosen'."

If 'Chosen One' was Zhou Xu's own interpretation, then 'God Chosen' was undoubtedly a more orthodox term on their side.

It seems my transmigration this time has something to do with those so-called 'Old Gods' after all...

"Have you ever seen any other God Chosen?"

Dashan shook his head.

"Then how much do you understand about the power of this True Word?"

"The previous chief told me that the power of the True Word could grant him incredible insight..."

As he said this, Dashan fell silent again. When he spoke again, his voice carried an undisguised grief and indignation.

"Although the True Word chose him, it did not favor him. Even simple use would place a huge burden on the previous chief. When we were attacked, he used the power of the True Word to show us a way out, but he was dragged down by the True Word's power himself and couldn't escape alive."

Zhou Xu found it difficult to empathize with Dashan's grief, but he gained a lot of useful information from his words.

From Dashan's account, there seems to be a compatibility between the True Word and a person. Only those who reach a sufficient level of compatibility can obtain the True Word's power.

And the Consumption from using the True Word is influenced by other factors. At least when I used this power yesterday, although I felt a Consumption, I wasn't dragged down to that extent.

The continuous refinement and consolidation of information bolstered Zhou Xu's confidence.

And that Altar, if that Altar was the key factor in my transmigration, then I'll have to find time to go back and study it later. However, the most important thing right now is to solve the food problem and fill our stomachs first.

Between Zhou Xu's and Dashan's questions and answers, the two quickly arrived at the outskirts of the Black Forest.

"Lighten your steps, don't disturb Fei Que and the others."

Any extra movement here could scare away prey that was about to enter the trap. This was also the main reason Zhou Xu had previously sent the gathering team to collect resources in other areas.

Just as Zhou Xu was saying this, Fei Que in the distance suddenly tugged the thin rope in his hand, then rushed forward excitedly. He grabbed a mouse from the basket, twisted its neck.

His movements were swift and decisive, far more skilled than Zhou Xu had been before.

Only after finishing did he notice Zhou Xu and the others.

Fei Que knew immediately that they must have something to ask him, so he quickly ran over.

"Chief."

"How is it? How many did you catch?"

Mentioning this, Fei Que clearly became excited and nimbly displayed his spoils.

Including the one Zhou Xu caught at the beginning, Fei Que now had three mice in his hands. After that, he had caught two more.

Setting traps and waiting by the stumps is difficult to debate in terms of efficiency, as the matter itself is largely influenced by luck.

"The first time, one escaped because I wasn't paying attention, otherwise there would be one more now."

Although using traps is simple, it doesn't mean there's no possibility of failure.

To be honest, Zhou Xu had already prepared himself mentally from the beginning.

He was quite satisfied with Fei Que's results right now.