However, something unexpected happened.
This night was not as pitch black as before; on the contrary, it was so bright it was almost dazzling.
As the evening clouds still basked in the warmth of the setting sun, a few stars began to appear in the sky. As the rosy glow of the sunset gradually faded, a large patch of pale red mist appeared in the center of the sky. These two events occurred simultaneously; the paler the sunset glow, the denser the mist became. Within the mist were some dazzling specks, shimmering with blue or white light.
People couldn't tell when night had fallen until the entire sky was filled with this luminous mist, then they were certain that this was the night sky over the island.
The red mist in the sky was diffuse, with a ring of light and shadow around the outermost edge and several clusters of clouds, some bright and some dark, in the center. At first, Qingmu thought they were clouds, but Su Huilan pointed them out and he realized they were nebulae in the Milky Way.
The stars in the nebula grew brighter and brighter, with the brightest ones emitting a dazzling blue light that was so intense that looking at them felt like looking up at an LED light bulb on a ceiling.
The magnificent starry sky was breathtaking. People almost forgot their hunger and the chill of the night wind. Everyone held their breath and silently looked up, just like countless philosophers when they faced the brilliant Milky Way.
Only Anderson exclaimed, "Ah, this is the perfect time for fishing! What a beautiful scene it would be to take a fishing rod and paddle on the lake!"
The sound of chanting drifted from afar.
Looking out, Qingmu saw that beneath the starry sky, the savages had extinguished their fires and prostrated themselves on the ground. The savage shaman also knelt, holding a scepter high, leading the chanting of incomprehensible prayers. The scepter pointed to the most dazzling star cluster in the center of the sky, which resembled a large bird soaring and flying in the center of the arc-shaped red haze surrounding the sky, its wings stirring up stellar storms and its body emitting a seven-colored glow.
The Crow spread its wings and cawed, "Caw! You look just as cool as I do when I fly!"
It meowed Hanran for a moment, glanced at the Crow, then looked back at the nebula in the sky, swallowing back the rest of its "woof".
The same chanting came from the other side of the hillside, but it was a bit further away, and they couldn't see clearly. Qingmu took out his binoculars again and looked in that direction for a while, but he didn't see Situ.
He decided to go now. Su Huilan suggested that she and he go together, while the others stayed behind just in case. She said that the two of them were capable enough to protect themselves and would be able to escape if they encountered danger.
Qingmu thought for a moment and said, "Let's stay together! We've all survived this ordeal, it's not good to separate again. If we get separated, it won't be easy to reunite later. Besides, I believe Situ isn't an enemy. Even if a conflict does break out, with our combined abilities and the weapons we have, we might not be afraid of them."
He touched the willow branch in his arms, which gave him a little more confidence.
Petru and the others agreed with him, believing that they should not separate, so Su Huilan said no more, and the group began to head towards Situ's camp.
The starlight shone down, and although it was blocked by the dense foliage of the trees, the light was sufficient compared to the complete darkness of the previous night.
The wind gently rustled the leaves, making a soft rustling sound. Insects chirped and sang in the ground. People's feet crunched on the soft ground, interspersed with a thump-thump sound.
Only then did everyone feel the chill in the wind, with the occasional drop of icy dew, giving them a sense that it was late autumn and winter was just around the corner.
They moved cautiously, afraid of disturbing the savages. As they approached Situ's camp, they saw the savages there also prostrate on the ground, muttering incantations. At that moment, an elderly savage was presiding over the prayer, holding a scepter. Two Russia stood guard on either side of the woodland, while Situ rested against a large tree in the woodland.
When Qingmu and his group approached, they clearly startled the savages. The savage priest let out a howl, and the savages tensed up, grabbing their weapons from the ground.
The savage priest ran over and respectfully handed the scepter to Situ, but Situ did not take it. Instead, he patted the savage on the shoulder, and the savage relaxed. He glanced suspiciously in the direction of Qingmu, and then went back to preside over the prayer ceremony.
Situ stood there, like a host welcoming distinguished guests, with a warm smile on his face, greeting Qingmu and his group.
"Is this Mr. Qingmu?" Situ's voice was very magnetic, like a prince on a theatrical stage, handsome, and his words were firm and regal.
Qingmu was slightly taken aback and said, "This is our first meeting, isn't it? How does Mr. Situ know me?"
Situ laughed heartily, "Isn't this your first time meeting me too? How did you recognize me?"
Qingmu thought about it and smiled unconsciously. He was not one to overthink things, and besides, this question wasn't worth dwelling on. Situ had a good impression of Situ; besides the natural comfort his appearance brought, his words and actions were also like a gentle breeze. When he stood in front of you, whether you knew him before or not, you would feel like he was a long-lost old friend.
Su Huilan looked at Situ curiously, then turned to look at Qingmu. She noticed that the two men didn't resemble each other physically, but if you looked at them for a while, you could indeed get the illusion that they looked somewhat alike. She didn't know why this was, and she thought it was the influence of their subconscious. Could it be that people with strong Mental Power all give off this kind of illusion?
So far, Su Huilan had never encountered anyone with a stronger spirit than Qingmu, and with just one glance, she was certain that Situ's Mental Power was no less than Qingmu's. But that savage's Mental Power was also very strong, so why didn't she have the same misconception?
By this time, Situ had exchanged greetings with everyone. He was polite to everyone, treating them like friends, without discrimination based on status or intellectual ability. Only when facing Mrs. Larry did Situ show even more respect:
"Madam, I have long admired your name and wished to meet you, but alas, fate has not allowed us to meet. Speaking of which, I did meet Mr. Yeger once before. He is a great scholar whose insights into the Gendaya Civilization have surpassed the current level of human understanding of civilization. It is a pity that the world is short-sighted and regards him as a scientific heretic. I believe that in the near future, his ideas will surely shine brightly again!"
"Thank you!" Mrs. Larry's voice suddenly choked up, tears welled up in her eyes, and she could only utter two words before she could say nothing more, her voice filled with gratitude.
She thought of her husband, an even more stubborn Germany than herself, who firmly believed in the existence of the Gendaya Civilization and repeatedly ventured into the jungles of South America and the islands of the South Pacific. His academic radicalism, especially his Theory of Biological Degeneration, sparked great controversy. Not only was he not accepted by the mainstream academic community, but he was also ostracized as a heretic, called a Madman and an anti-humanist scholar. His stubbornness was even misunderstood by his wife at one point, and until his death, he was an extremely lonely man.