Qingmu was reluctant to believe Ronald Cohen. From Lester to Xia Wenyuan to Old Wolf, there was too much evidence to suggest that Cohen was involved in the invasion of these people's consciousnesses. Even if he wasn't the mastermind, he was undoubtedly an accomplice. Even if he was playing a double agent game with a longer-term plan, was there any need to sacrifice someone like Lester, a great figure in the Tushu? Besides, if Lester hadn't warned humanity at the cost of his life, people would still be unaware of the Parasitic Consciousness invasion.
But after analyzing for so long, no one has found any conclusive evidence to prove that Cohen is lying. Especially with Situ and Mrs. Larry present, one is a former Awakened and a physics genius; the other is a giant of ancient civilizations and linguistics.
"Then what should we do?" Boris roared.
Everyone looked at Qingmu and Situ. Holding scepters, they were clearly the most authoritative figures present. Since they remained silent, the others had no choice but to keep quiet as well. In fact, no one knew what to do next.
Boris grew increasingly agitated. He was used to doing things decisively, and Mr. Stone had previously arranged everything perfectly, which was why he admired Situ. Now, these people had suddenly become hesitant, and in his eyes, they had become a bunch of women in aprons.
"Why don't we just kill those savages first, Redbeard? Didn't you keep suggesting this?" Boris looked at Petru, who was holding half a scepter, and felt that half a scepter should also have a say, so he encouraged him.
Petru didn't speak, glanced at Mrs. Larry, then looked down at the red coral branch in his hand, lost in thought.
"Let me say something," Anderson suddenly said, "I think what you're all worried about is whether Mr. Ronald Cohen is lying to us. So, shouldn't we look at it from a different angle? What if—I mean, what if we didn't see the ship, or boarded it and didn't find Mr. Cohen's last words? What would we do next?"
Anderson's words gave everyone a glimmer of hope. Yes, Cohen's last words were so shocking that people were too preoccupied with the implications. But in reality, they were now in Ramla, in an unknown location on the Orion Spur, far from Earth. Whether Cohen appeared or not, they should have their own plans.
Alice looked at Anderson with admiration. She added, "Yes, if Cohen was lying, who was he talking to? Us? How did he know we would find the ship? And once we were on board, we wouldn't have found Cohen's bedroom in the dark if Mr. Stone hadn't insisted, and we wouldn't have seen these last words. If he wanted to lie to us, he should have written them on the deck."
Situ frowned slightly as he looked at the three Sun in the sky. He sighed and said, "Yes, I was indeed overthinking it. You're right. Regardless of whether what Cohen said is true or false, we should act according to our own ideas."
Alice, seeing that Situ agreed with her point of view, became excited and said, "Then, shouldn't we ask ourselves, what would we do if Ronald Cohen weren't here? You now have the Sacred Staff, which can activate the altar and might even send us back to Earth. No matter how small the probability, shouldn't we try? Even if there are unknown dangers, it's worth it, better than waiting to die in Ramla!"
Mrs. Larry added, "Indeed, Alice, you've made a very good suggestion."
Situ looked at Qingmu and Su Huilan and asked, "What do you two think?"
Su Huilan said, "I have no objection."
Qingmu felt there was something wrong with this, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He admitted that Alice's suggestion was right; activating Ramla was the right thing to do, regardless of whether Ronald appeared or not. He just hadn't known at the time that the scepter in his hand would have such a powerful effect.
But a lingering shadow haunted him, accompanied by hidden memories that gave him headaches whenever he thought about them. He took a deep breath and said, "Let's do it this way. We have to try to know."
"You should have said so earlier! Working with smart people is exhausting!" Petru excitedly pumped his fist. "Then let's go wipe out the Itza People on this island, activate the altar, and see what miracles happen! Oh, by the way, madam, what did you say this place was again... the winds of Huracan... that Itza wizard is holding the Soul of Wind, isn't he? Let's go activate the Altar of Wind!"
"Do you know how to activate the altar, Boris?" Ivan asked calmly.
"This is none of my business," Boris said nonchalantly. "Leave this to those who hold the scepter; they are the chosen ones!"
Speaking of the Chosen One, he looked at Petru, staring at the half- Soul of Fire in his hand, and muttered resentfully, " Ivan, why didn't you let me pick it up? Maybe if it weren't so hot, I could have picked it up!"
Qingmu didn't know how to activate the altar either. At the Altar of Wood, he had only rushed down to rescue Mrs. Larry. Mrs. Larry was the most familiar with the inside of the altar, even more so than Petru.
He thought for a moment and said to Situ, "No matter what, let's find the Soul of Wind and the Altar of Wind first."
Looking at the undulating mountains in the distance, Situ said, "Alright, let's first find the location of the Huracan Tribe, then the two tribes will outflank them. We now have two and a half scepters, so even if this is Huracan's home turf, I believe we can still take down their shaman. Ivan and the others will launch a surprise attack with firearms to ensure success."
Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Mrs. Larry, who said with some skepticism, "Using Itza People to fight Itza People is a bit..."
Alice said indignantly, "Madam, have you forgotten what they did to you?" Remembering the scene she had witnessed and her dead companions, she gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury. "I agree with Redbeard and Boris's suggestion—we should kill them all! Those beasts!"
Mrs. Larry sighed and said nothing more.
The savages on the shore waited anxiously, not daring to make a move without orders from Situ and Qingmu. The enormous creature in the lake was an unspeakable oppression for them, as terrifying and unsettling as the three Sun in the sky. When they saw the small boat slowly rowing back across the lake, the Itza People cheered excitedly.
Holding simple spears and bows, they chanted "Ura ura!" The Manti Stone Tribe and Sangqi Tribe, who originally had a clear dividing line, now surged towards the water's edge, crowding together like crabs on a beach at low tide.
However, at this moment, as if they knew their motives, the howling of the Huracan Tribe came from the distant mountains, rising and falling, as if sounding the horn of war.