Humans?

"This time, it looks like they're in luck. This is quite an interesting island."

Mona watched Ned and the others land on the island in silence as he spoke.

Although he hadn't actively used his divine power to sense everything on the island,

he had already faintly sensed that there was something "extraordinary" about it.

For the people who had landed on the island,

this was a risk,

but also an opportunity.

How these pioneers, exploring the outside world for the first time, would face everything that was about to come was something he found quite interesting.

Meanwhile, in the forest, the Abigail Flower

was gathered in concentration, glowing with a pale blue light.

Clearly, this Apostle, like its creator, was curiously watching the outside world through the eyes of its followers.

That night,

the people of Giant Tree Island made camp by the coast.

They cut down some Green Fruit trees on the beach, lit a bonfire, and put together simple tents.

With Ned's permission, a few especially bold members of the Tribe shot several black birds on the beach, then immediately set them over a wooden frame to roast.

For people who had been living on fish and Tree Cassava for two months, this was no less than a taste of the legendary delicacies.

"With so many birds around, if we can raise them, won't we be able to eat meat every year?"

Several Artisans said excitedly,

"The most important thing is all these countless giant trees. We can build more boats on this island. Maybe it won't be long before we can bring more of our people here."

"Exactly! We could even build a Wonder for the god on this island, made entirely of giant timber! I've already thought of a name for it: the Giant Wood Temple!"

"Building a Wonder is a major undertaking. Only Ned, our leader and God-Chosen, is qualified to consider it. How could you presume to decide on it yourself?"

Beside the bonfire, the people eagerly gulped down Green Fruit juice and tore into the roasted bird meat, their faces shining with grease as they excitedly chatted about all sorts of things.

Ned stood alone at the edge of the island, watching the people around the bonfire, immersed in their excitement.

These young members of the Tribe had no resistance to such things.

Everyone seemed to have become completely absorbed in all the new and unfamiliar things the island had to offer.

Only the older members of the Tribe retained a trace of reason and composure when faced with such novelties.

Seeing the people carried away with themselves, Priest Moro couldn't help frowning.

"They've seen a few ordinary things and are already so excited they've forgotten themselves. What a disgrace."

In his view,

only things bestowed by the god were worth such unrestrained joy and excitement.

Besides, it was only through the god's blessings that they had been given the chance to see such a bountiful new land.

Even if they could safely establish a home on this new island, they would have to consult the god before deciding.

They shouldn't take it upon themselves to make such decisions.

Barlow hadn't joined the others in their drinking around the bonfire, either.

He kept his bow raised, guarding Ned as his eyes swept back and forth across the forest.

Although the old guard captain had chosen to leave the precious Lightning Bow in their homeland rather than bring it on the voyage, that didn't mean his arrows weren't powerful.

Even now, no one in the Tribe could surpass him in the accuracy or speed of his Archery.

Blair had also recovered from his seasickness.

After learning what Ned needed, the wise man began observing the kinds of insects on the island, considering which ones would be best for Ned to use in quickly expanding his numbers of Rot Spirit Insects.

Before long,

at Blair's suggestion, some members of the Tribe collected an insect unique to Giant Tree Island.

It was a flying beetle that gave off a foul smell.

They called this new insect a Stink Bug.

From what they observed,

the Stink Bug gave off an extremely pungent odor.

It seemed the birds in the forest avoided preying on them because of their stench.

These insects might make useful scouts.

Ned soon fed a few Water Mosquitoes to the captured Stink Bugs and successfully turned them into new Rot Spirit Insects. Using them to evade the birds, he began scouting deeper into the island.

For now, the people still didn't dare venture too far inland, partly because they feared something might happen back on the shore.

If anything happened to the boats, their only way back would be cut off.

Fortunately,

for several days in a row,

the insects detected no giant beasts.

This gradually put everyone at ease.

But one night,

Ned was sending out Stink Bugs to scout, as usual, when he suddenly seemed to sense something and sprang to his feet.

Everyone's eyes turned to the God-Chosen.

"Someone's approaching."

"They should be human. The feeling coming back from the Stink Bugs suggests there are people in the forest deep within the island."

"They seem to have spotted our boats on the shore."

"Now, one or two people have climbed high into the trees and are watching this stretch of coast."

"We don't know what they're after."

When they heard Ned's words,

everyone's expression changed, and they hurriedly looked toward the depths of the dark forest.

This was something none of them had expected.

They had never imagined

that humans could be living in the forest on an island so covered in giant trees, with no sign whatsoever of human habitation.

The excitement they had built up over the past few days vanished at once.

They had thought this was an uninhabited land belonging to no one.

Could this be the island where their ancestors had once lived?

But it seemed to bear no resemblance at all to what was depicted on the Hemp Paper.

But now wasn't the time to think about any of that.

Since there were humans here,

they had to be careful.

They knew all too well the story of those unimaginably dark years.

They also knew that humans could sometimes be far more frightening than wild beasts.

Soon,

at Ned's signal,

the bonfire on the shore went out.

The people quietly held their breath in the darkness, waiting for the uninvited guests to arrive.

About four hours after the bonfire on the shore had gone out,

rustling finally came from the forest.

When they actually saw several eerie figures emerge from the darkness,

the members of the Tribe froze for a moment, then widened their eyes.