As the second Sun also turned to sunset, the sky finally darkened. The clouds on the horizon began to change colors and shapes, giving one the illusion of being back on Earth.
Before the Sun had completely set, some bright stars eagerly opened their eyes, peeking at the world from the sky. They grew brighter and brighter, their dazzling light reflected on the lake's surface, making it almost impossible to distinguish between the lake and the sky when viewed from the hillside.
Mrs. Larry squatted by the lake, washed her hands clean, scooped up a ladle of water, and gulped down several mouthfuls. She was clearly exhausted; since the end of the battle, she had been cleaning and bandaging the wounded, some of whose injuries were severe and difficult to treat due to the lack of medical facilities.
She washed her face, smoothed her slightly disheveled hair in the lake water, then stood up and returned to the already lit campfire.
Petru is grilling a fish over a fire; he just caught it from the lake.
The savages were also roasting fish around other fires. After the corpses were buried, they could only rely on picking wild fruits and fishing to fill their stomachs.
Their fishing skills were so good that even Petru, who spent most of his life at sea, had to admire them.
Petru tore off a piece of fish and handed it to Mrs. Larry: "Try it, this fish is very fresh."
Mrs. Larry took the fish, tasted it, and praised, "It tastes good! I didn't know you were such a good cook!"
Petru was delighted by the compliment and said, "It's a pity there's no seasoning. I wish I could ask Mr. Stone for some salt."
As darkness fell completely, the starry sky appeared increasingly low, like marbles on the ceiling, seemingly within reach. Barnard's Loop, with the Great Orion Nebula encircling it, slowly rose from the eastern sky, looking even closer than the night before.
Qingmu then realized that he was still a thousand light-years away from Earth, possibly a few light-years farther away than yesterday, and he didn't know how much time had passed on Earth in the past day.
He set the ebony staff aside and took out a willow twig, examining it closely in his hands. The tender leaves on the twig shimmered with a silvery-white light under the starry sky, as if coated with silver. He sensed the faint yet persistent life force within it, as if it connected to some distant place, where life was being conceived, sprouting, and growing vigorously.
Kubota walked over, seemingly wanting to say something, but probably realizing Qingmu wouldn't understand him, he just opened his mouth without making a sound. He glanced at the scepter Qingmu had placed on the ground, a strange look flashing across his face. Then he walked away.
Judging from Kubota's expression, he wanted to communicate with Qingmu through consciousness, but such communication required the scepter, which he had already given to Qingmu. Qingmu, being a lazy person, was enjoying the gentle touch of the willow branches and naturally didn't bother to pick up the scepter from the ground to communicate with Kubota.
The savages, led by Kubota, began to sing to the stars.
After a while, probably disturbed by the savage's chanting, Qingmu finally gathered up the willow branches, picked up the Divine Wooden Staff, and lazily stood up.
He went to check on the wounded first.
Although Mrs. Larry was not a professional medical worker, she was very meticulous and treated all the wounds very well. Petru, a former ace mercenary, was "coerced" by Mrs. Larry into using his battlefield first aid skills and was of great help.
Apart from a few seriously wounded, the rest of the wounded sang along with the other savages. Those who could crawl lay prone, while those who could not curl up as much as possible, making a devout gesture.
Qingmu looked around, not understanding why they did this every day while gazing at the stars. If the weather was always this nice, didn't they need to sleep?
He shook his head and went to Mrs. Larry's campfire. Petru tossed him a branch with a roasted fish stuck in it, Qingmu caught, took a bite, and found that apart from being a little bland, it tasted pretty good.
Mrs. Larry asked, "Are the wounded all doing well?"
Qingmu said, "Everything is fine."
The lady said, "We still need to be careful; the conditions are too poor, there's a chance of infection."
Qingmu nodded and said, "Madam, you really didn't need to do that."
Mrs. Larry said, "I know what you're thinking, but some things don't need to concern me with my feelings. Before God, I'm just an ordinary person."
"God?" Qingmu asked curiously, "Where is God?"
Mrs. Larry laughed, "It's both far away and right before our eyes. Everyone can see that the entire tribe is now your people; they treat you like a god! You were the one who saved me, oh, and of course, Petru— "
She smiled gratefully at Petru. "I thank you! I also hate those who hurt me! But after we escaped from that island, that timeline was destroyed, and everything in that world disappeared. This is a new world, and we shouldn't dwell on our past experiences, should we?"
Now, Mr. Qingmu has become their god, and they have become the people of my benefactor. If I continue to regard them as enemies, then the hatred will never end, and our hearts will never find peace. This world should not exist for hatred, and we should not live for hatred. When the evil has vanished and the object of revenge is no longer there, why should I still cling to hatred?
Qingmu was a little unsure how to respond to Mrs. Larry's words. She called him a god, but in her presence, Qingmu suddenly felt very small, or at least very lazy, because he had never thought so much before.
"But you don't need to do it yourself. I can have other people in the tribe do things like cleaning and bandaging the wounds."
"No, they're not professionals. Petru is a hundred times better than them in this regard."
"That's right! Uh..." Petru was in a good mood after receiving the praise, but he was also conflicted. He felt that helping the savage heal his wounds was an infuriating thing. He was not as noble as Mrs. Larry, and he did not understand how simply changing islands could be considered a matter of different worlds.
"Do you know what they're chanting?" Mrs. Larry asked.
Qingmu's heart stirred, and he sensed the consciousness of the savages through his scepter. Their consciousness at this moment must be the content of their chanting. Qingmu felt it was very sacred, but he could not transform this consciousness into a direct understanding, just like the poetic meaning of a poem, which you cannot translate.
But Mrs. Larry could translate, because she had learned the Savage language. In the afternoon, she spoke with Kubota for a long time, correcting some of her misunderstandings of the language.
She began to imitate the savages' tone, reciting their poems in English:
By the God Si above,
Descendants of Weir
I hereby make this vow.
I will protect the Holy Land of the gods for generations to come.
Banish the shadow of the demon.
Let the trees grow lush and verdant, their canopies providing me with cool shade;
Let the flowers bloom profusely, and let the earth forever be bathed in their fragrance;
Let the lake water be clear, reflecting my true appearance;
Let the sky be clear, and let the crows soar freely;
May the starlight shine eternally, illuminating the path of God's return, unobstructed and unimpeded.
God!
Please grant me strength!
I will raise my spear,
Anyone who blocks your way home,
Even mountains can be shattered!
I will draw the bowstring taut.
Those who destroy my Holy Land,
Even if it's shot down for days on end!
Not to mention those demons, monsters, and evil spirits!
Besides, that evil spirit's hand, that demonic shadow!
I will transform myself into a pillar supporting the sky;
With my eyes, I transform into the gaze that wanders the heavens;
I used my own hands to turn the sword into weapons;
With my blood, I transform into a sweet spring.
I will be with the Holy Land.
generation after generation,
The day the gods return.
At that time, if my descendants are still alive,
Please grant him his third eye.
Embark on the road to glory
Return to the Holy Paradise!