Several years
passed once more.
The Abigail Flower had truly begun to understand a hint of Evolution from what the gods had taught it.
It had genuinely succeeded in grasping a sliver of the power of Evolution.
A new insect variant appeared on the island.
And the first to learn of this change
was Ned, who possessed the Rot Spirit Staff.
Ned told Boer everything he had sensed.
"Though I can't see it, I can feel that it's new. It has never appeared on the island before. I think this newly appeared insect must be a creature newly bestowed by the Divine Envoy. It should be in a cave somewhere on the island."
Ned said this.
In recent years,
the Rot Spirit Flower's mycelium had spread faster and faster.
This pale blue mycelium had covered not only the gloomy forest where the Rot Spirit Flower grew,
but had also been carried by insects into dark, damp caves.
The Rot Spirit Mycelium seemed to thrive in these shadowy, humid environments as well.
Those caves must have been where the new insects lived.
Before long, Boer and Ned led their people into a cave covered in Rot Spirit Mycelium, where they found the new insect variant.
Deep inside the damp, gloomy cave,
the torch-bearing people were astonished to discover a glowing worm.
The crystal-clear silk spun by these creatures hung from the cave walls like strands of precious gems, shining with a brilliant blue light that illuminated the pitch-black cave.
"My goodness, it's so bright."
"Yeah, it's even brighter than those tiny flying insects that give off a faint glow."
The Abigail Flower had used the power of Decay to transform worm after worm, disrupting and reassembling their lives in the pitch-black caves. After repeating the process again and again, it had finally produced a new variant.
In essence,
it was still a worm.
But within this seemingly insignificant change, there was already a hint of Evolution.
In the Tribe,
people soon began experimenting with ways to use the insects.
These poor creatures seemed destined to be used by people from the moment they were born.
First, the tribespeople wove cages from vines.
Then they hung the Fluorescent Worms, each transformed into a Rot Spirit, on the cages.
The worms began to spin their dazzling silk. Combined with the naturally glowing Rot Spirit Mycelium, the cages shone almost as brightly as torches.
And so, the worms became an excellent source of light.
Simply put,
they had become [Worm Lamps].
The elders were soon marveling at the invention of these [Worm Lamps].
And not only because of their light.
They meant the Tribe could reduce its consumption of wood to some extent, leaving more felled timber for cooking food over fires or making tools.
Moreover,
using [Worm Lamps] also avoided the danger of carrying torches in the forest, preventing an accidental fire from engulfing the whole woodland.
There had been several close calls in the Tribe when people had used fire in the forest.
Now,
Worm Lamps could both save wood and protect the forest.
It would hardly be an exaggeration to call these miraculous Worm Lamps energy-saving and eco-friendly.
Following close on the heels of this wondrous invention
came the further expansion of [Animal Husbandry].
The Tribe no longer raised only the giant Yamal Spider.
To make more [Worm Lamps] for illumination, people also began raising these insects in the damp caves.
Before long,
the people of the Tribe took pride in being able to light a [Worm Lamp] on certain nights.
On some nights,
adults used Worm Lamps to illuminate the forest around them.
Children gathered around the dreamlike, pale-blue glow of the Worm Lamps, laughing and playing.
Even the artisans no longer had to fear that flames might burn their hemp paper or wooden items bearing drawings of weapons.
All they had to do was place a Worm Lamp on the table in their home.
Then the artisans could study more intently through the long night, undistracted, as if failing to do so would betray the light bestowed upon them by the Messenger of the Gods.
For the first time, people felt
that even the night could be so beautiful.
Just as Ned had once imagined,
everything bestowed by the gods
had truly lit up the darkness of the world for humankind.
"It's beautiful. No wonder Father told us to come up the mountain more often. Standing here and looking down, the view is truly something else."
Standing atop the mountain, Boer gazed at the countless dreamlike patches of fluorescent blue below, glowing in the night. His eyes shimmered with wonder as he voiced his feelings.
Like his father before him, he had finally witnessed the beautiful transformation of the island's scenery.
Boer said,
"I hope things can stay this way forever."
Standing behind him, Ned smiled and said,
"Listen to yourself. With our great chieftain leading us, this is only the beginning."
At that time, the Tribe was immersed in the happiness of receiving one divine blessing after another.
Even when they occasionally suffered poor harvests or droughts, people still had the confidence and courage to overcome it all.
However,
Fate was always like a mischievous child, fond of toying with people's hearts.
It was as if
the world would be no fun if everything went too smoothly.
One night,
a colossal tsunami, the likes of which came only once in a century, crashed against the island.
Though the Mangrove Forest on the shore successfully held back some of the seawater and kept it from reaching the island's interior,
the towering waves still swept away several homes and wooden towers along the coast.
"It's fine. They're just a few shabby wooden houses, a storeroom for odds and ends, and a watchtower. We can always rebuild them."
"Exactly. As long as no one was hurt, that's what matters."
The people offered these words of comfort to those who had lost their homes.
They paid little mind to the disaster,
considering it no more than an ordinary hardship sent by the sea.
But they had no idea
that this was only the beginning of the calamity to come.
As the black waves surged and swayed, broken planks from the shore, dried salted fish from the beach, and other things piled in the storeroom slowly drifted away from land, floating farther and farther into the depths of the sea.
Meanwhile, far out on the ocean,
the black waves churned.
Dense bubbles slowly began to rise from beneath the surface.
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