After the raft reached the shore, Ivan and the others rowed back. They discussed the matter on the riverbank and decided to split into two groups.
Ivan, Petru, Boris, and Anderson were tasked with setting up the machine gun on the hill behind Huracan village, securing the high ground and optimal firing position. However, due to the machine gun's weight, they had to transport it by boat along the waterways.
Qingmu, Situ, Duwa, and Su Huilan continued their journey into the valley from the front, drawing the attention of the Itza People and giving them time to set up the machine guns.
Once the machine guns are set up, given their range and power, and the fact that the Itza People don't recognize this weapon, they will definitely be able to blast through their Mental Power Formation before the Itsa people can react, or at least create a breach. If they're lucky, they might even kill the three priests outright, like removing the main pillar of a house, causing the Mental Power Formation to collapse.
Qingmu told the Boss Coal to fly over and keep an eye on things, so they could react to any situation that might arise. After all, it would take some time for everyone to get there, and Mrs. Larry Alice could be burned to death at any moment.
"Caw, what if they set it on fire and you haven't arrived yet..." the Crow said thoughtfully, "Should I risk my life to save them?"
Qingmu said, "With your skills, you should be able to stall for time!"
"Ribbit, isn't that sacrificing oneself to save someone?! Their Mental Power Formation is like a net, I feel like it was made just for me!"
Although the Boss Coal was a bit of a nag, he still set off. As he took off, he added, "If I don't come back, remember to cook me a few braised pork hocks every year."
For some reason, Qingmu felt a pang of pity and said, "Do what you can, don't take too many risks. Staying alive is the most important thing!"
"Caw! Caw!" The Crow cawed contentedly and flew into the sky.
The four of them continued onward. After passing the camp in front of the lake shore, they arrived at the valley where they had negotiated with the priest Itza. Traces of the previous battle remained in the valley.
It was a bit stuffy in the woods, but the leaves blocked the view of the three Sun in the sky. Otherwise, every time I looked up, I would suffer mentally from the heat.
Su Huilan said, "Is there something wrong with the Sun? Will it never set?"
Qingmu looked up through the gaps in the leaves, seeing only shards of sunlight forming bright spots. He said, "I also feel there's something wrong, but what is it?"
Situ said, "There are many triple star systems in the Milky Way, so it's normal for Ramla to pass through such a system. The problem is that no triple star system is this stable, unless we're not on a planet within that system."
"Where are we?"
"It's possible that Ramla passed by the side of this star system and, due to some special reason, such as the gravitational pull of the galaxy, remained in a fixed position for a long time. The three Sun revolve around each other, and the galaxy's orbit is a plane. From the side of this plane, we would see the three Sun forming a triangular formation, slowly rotating. If our location also rotates and is synchronized with the stars' revolutions, then the three Sun would appear stationary. Of course, this assumes that such a stable triple star system exists in the Milky Way."
"But the three Sun we saw when we first arrived here didn't look like this. Back then, they would rise and set, some quickly, some slowly, making them look more like a normal three-body system."
"Perhaps its stable period is finite, and it was in an unstable period at the time. Perhaps that was just a scene from the previous star system, and we've moved to a different location. Don't forget, Ramla is always in motion. But none of that is the biggest problem..."
What is the biggest problem?
"It's heat!" Situ said. "Regardless of the stars' trajectories, with three Sun in the sky, it should be hotter than it is now. But in reality, the temperature we feel is only around thirty degrees Celsius. There's no strong atmospheric convection, and the rivers on the ground aren't evaporating rapidly. This is all abnormal. We only feel particularly hot when we look up at the sky; that must be a mental illusion."
"You mean this is... an illusion or... a dream?" Su Huilan exclaimed in surprise.
Situ shook his head and said, "Who could construct such a vast dream? The farthest boundary my Mental Power can reach is still not those Sun, not even with the Sacred Staff."
Qingmu glanced at the ebony staff in his hand and echoed, "Neither can I."
Su Huilan said, "Could it be that Mental Power Formation of the Itza People?"
"If that's the case," Duwa said, "We wouldn't have been able to escape last time at all!"
Su Huilan thought about it and realized it made sense. No one's Mental Power could be strong enough to create a real galaxy instead of a two-dimensional painting hanging on the edge of a dream. The Itza People only numbered a little over a thousand. Even with the support of the Mental Power Field from the altar, their combined mental strength couldn't be that strong, unless it was the size of Earth's population, where billions of people would be dreaming together.
"So what exactly happened?"
"Don't worry about it. There will be many more strange phenomena in Ramla. We'll encounter many more incredible things in the future."
They were walking in the forest, Qingmu remembered that after crossing just one more hill, they would see the river in front of the Huracan Tribe.
Just then, the cawing of Guagua came from overhead.
With tall trees and dense forests, the Boss Coal probably can't find them anymore.
Qingmu put his finger in his mouth and gave a loud whistle.
Crow cackled as it darted in from among the dense branches, calling out, " Guagua, caw! We're back! We're back!"
Once it landed on his head, Qingmu said, "I knew you were back. How did it go?"
The Boss Coal said, "It's not me who's back, it's them!"
"What?" Everyone was taken aback. "Who's back?"
" Mrs. Larry and Alice are back! Guagua..."
"You rescued them?"
"Caw!" The Crow raised its head, looking like a hero returning home. "You don't need to worship me so much; it was just a little trick!"
Hanran meowed with an expression of adoration.
Su Huilan asked in surprise, "What trick did you use?"
The Crow rolled its eyes. "That... it's nothing, nothing at all, caw Guagua..."
Seeing the Crow's bird-like appearance, Qingmu knew there was something wrong with its words. He grabbed it from his head and asked, "Speak properly, what exactly happened?"
" Guagua, quack, watch out for my feathers!" the Boss Coal cried. "Quack, it's me flying around in the sky. I guess I look too cool, so they let them go. Those three old men are leading them this way, quack!"
Before it finished speaking, rustling footsteps echoed in the woods ahead. Soon after, Mrs. Larry and Alice came into view, followed by three Itza priests.
Alice saw them from afar and opened her mouth wide, shouting something, but whether from excessive excitement or hoarseness, no sound came out.
She ran forward with long strides, but then, perhaps remembering the lady, she stopped and turned back to help her.
They supported each other as they walked the last stretch of the road, then collapsed to the ground. Looking at the familiar faces before her, Alice finally burst into tears.
"It's all my fault! Waaah... I've dragged Madam down with me... Waaah..."
Mrs. Larry looked very tired and pale, but she still gently comforted Alice, "It's not your fault, Alice. Cheer up, we're saved!"
The three Itza priests did not come over; they simply stood side by side at a distance, watching them.