Chapter 1 A Big Haul

Suren counted this wave of spoils, and overall, he made a large profit.

For the strong side, war is always the quickest way to get rich.

With hundreds of puppets helping to clean up the battlefield, the speed was very fast. Before long, he had collected almost all the spoils.

While dealing with the traces of the battlefield, he heard a large group of people coming from the village on the distant hillside.

Looking over, it was Yuta leading a group from the White Deer Tribe.

At the head was an old man with white antlers on his forehead, whose soul fire was also the strongest. This was naturally the Fourth-Order Druid, Great Elder Dagu.

The old man looked very weak, supported by others. The wound on his abdomen was still covered with freshly crushed herbs. As the people walked over, a strong medicinal smell wafted through the air. He seemed to have been seriously injured in the previous battle.

This group of people walked over, and Yuta formally introduced them, "This is Mr. Suren, who just repelled the enemy."

She used the Common Tongue, which only the druids in the Dalu tribe could understand.

The White Deer Elder looked at Suren, his face filled with excited and sincere gratitude, "I, Dagu, on behalf of the entire White Deer Tribe, thank you, brave warrior, for your life-saving grace..."

As he spoke, he placed one hand on his chest and bowed deeply to Suren.

The dozens of people behind him bowed in unison.

In front of an elder, Suren naturally didn't dare to be presumptuous and responded politely.

.......

Even though the tribe had just suffered a great disaster, Suren, as the brave warrior who saved the tribe, was warmly entertained by the Dalu people of the White Deer Tribe.

Originally, he planned to spend the night in the forest, but now he was in the village.

Probably because they needed the population, the old and young in the tribe were not completely slaughtered by the slavers this time. But even so, corpses were piled up like mountains, and the village was scarred.

As a guest, Suren naturally didn't need to help. There were enough people in the tribe. The young and strong of the Deer tribe were cutting down trees to repair the destroyed walls of the village. With solid walls, the old and young could safely clean up the bodies of their relatives, so as not to attract predators from the forest with the corpses and bloody smell...

The tribe's buildings had been mostly burned down, but Suren was still arranged in the best shack, with roasted meat and fruit.

The moonlight was very good tonight, like silver.

Suren looked at the village in front of him, carving the puppet in his hand, his thoughts occasionally wandering to other things.

Yuta was by his side.

For a long time, neither of them spoke.

This druid had experienced such desperate scenes twice in a short period of time, and her emotions were very unstable.

She didn't dare to look at the tribe members. Moonlight shone into those crystal blue eyes, sparkling.

Finally, unable to hold back her emotions, she looked at Suren, her eyes filled with tears, and asked, "Mr. Suren, why are humans so cruel? We could be living in peace..."

Suren didn't know how to answer.

After thinking about it, he reached out and touched Yuta's head, comforting the White Wolf girl who was crying her heart out.

Yuta threw herself into his arms and cried loudly.

.......

The next morning, Suren and Yuta continued on their way.

The White Deer Tribe sent a team of young and strong warriors to escort them a long distance until sunset before returning.

The Dalu tribe was in a very bad situation in the various large and small tribes.

Now that the slave hunters had discovered their location, other slave hunting groups would definitely come again.

The White Deer Tribe had to move too.

The Silent Forest was vast, but there were not many places they could choose.

This was already deep in the forest, and if they retreated further, they would reach the Holy Lake.

The Dalu tribe worshiped the God of Nature, and their lives were almost in their most primitive state. Their food came from hunting and gathering. This lifestyle also meant that they could not gather in a city like humans.

A hunting area could only support a certain number of people. If the population of a tribe exceeded the limit that an area could support, they would have to split off a part to open up new hunting areas and establish new tribes.

But now their living space was constantly being compressed, the population was declining sharply, and if it continued, the survival of the race would be a major problem.

Suren also asked Yuta why they didn't migrate further.

She said that the Holy Lake had something that the Dalu tribe must protect.

.......

The journey in the following days went smoothly.

As a druid, Yuta could understand some of the language of birds and beasts. With her leading the way, the two avoided some dangerous areas frequented by high-level magical beasts.

Although they encountered several attacks, they arrived at the deepest part of the Silent Forest without any major incidents.

The Silent Forest had abundant water resources like the veins of leaves. Although it was in the cold north, there were also large rivers that didn't freeze all year round.

On this day, after landing in a mountainous area, the two built a small boat and drifted east along a river called the "Runas River" by the Dalu tribe.

Boating on the clear river, the two seemed very relaxed.

Yuta was in charge of rowing, while Suren was still focused on tinkering with his puppet.

The two had also formed a tacit understanding along the way, occasionally chatting a few words, and Yuta would also introduce him to the strange creatures in the forest.

Before they knew it, they had been sailing for half a day, and Yuta suddenly spoke, "Mr. Suren, we're almost there!"

Suren then came back to his senses and saw a pretty face.

After several days of rushing, the druid girl's mood gradually recovered, and a naive and innocent smile returned to her face.

Yuta exclaimed, "Mr. Suren, you're really working hard. No wonder you're so amazing..."

Suren smiled and looked around, "We're here?"

He looked at the surrounding forest, which was no different from before, and felt a little surprised. Was this the legendary central tribe of the Dalu tribe, the "Emerald Sanctuary"?

It didn't seem any different, and he didn't see any other Dalu people.

"Yes!"

Yuta nodded seriously and pointed back towards the bow of the boat, "It's over there~"

Suren then looked past Yuta's body and saw the river ahead.

"Huh... is that a waterfall?"

His eyesight was very good, so he naturally saw that the river suddenly stopped, forming a thin line at the end of his vision.

Listening carefully, the "rumbling" sound of water gradually became obvious.

Listening to the sound, the waterfall seemed to have a significant drop.

"Yes, this is the closest route!"

Yuta had a look of anticipation on her face. "I haven't been to the Holy Lake for two years since I became a druid..."

Suren looked slightly curious. It was like riding a roller coaster and suddenly reaching the highest point, but he couldn't see the situation below, and there was a hint of nervousness due to the unknown.

He watched Yuta not intending to stop the boat and asked, "Are we going to jump off the waterfall?"

Yuta had a sly smile on her lips, "Mr. Suren, hold on tight to me later~"

Suren's eyebrows arched slightly when he heard this.

He also stood up and looked into the distance. The waterfall was getting closer and closer, and the speed of the boat was getting faster and faster. The roar in his ears was so loud that he couldn't hear what he was saying.

Approaching the edge of the river, Suren finally saw the shocking and indescribable spectacle in front of him, and muttered to himself, "It really is the Emerald Sanctuary!"

.......

The maps Suren bought in the black market and the Adventurers' Guild were all adventure maps of the outer Silent Forest. He didn't know that there was such an incredible spectacle in the depths of the forest.

It was as if a huge meteorite had fallen, creating a huge basin in the depths of the forest. This was the "Emerald Sanctuary."

The Silent Forest was in the north, the climate was cold, and the vegetation was mostly coniferous forests, like various fir trees and cold pines, covered with frost and snow, and a gray-white color. But under this waterfall, there was a vibrant green and pleasant climate.

Overlooking from the air, it was like an emerald embedded in the gray-white earth.

Before Suren could admire the scenery in front of him, the boat they were riding in began to free-fall from the waterfall.

Yuta grabbed Suren's hand and laughed happily, her face full of joy and playfulness, "Hahahaha... Mr. Suren, do you know, when I was a child, my favorite thing was jumping off waterfalls..."

Suren smiled slightly as he listened, and his eyes flickered with brilliance as he looked at the waterfall with a drop of several hundred meters. Falling freely in the air, he inexplicably felt a sense of exhilaration in his heart.

A few breaths later, "plop," they fell into the water.

The sound of "glug" as water poured into his ears.

Yuta didn't rush out of the water but led Suren to swim far away underwater.

After the turbulent waterfall water flowed into the forest, it became gentle.

The water was exceptionally clear, and opening his eyes underwater, he could clearly see the underwater world.

There was swaying seaweed in the water, the roots of which were clearly visible; red small fish followed the two uninvited guests playfully; green shrimps were startled and quickly retreated... The light and shadows shone the vegetation on the water's surface into the water, creating a scene of dappled light and shadows.

Suren swam underwater, and the feeling of exhilaration in his heart became clearer.

It was as if the depression accumulated for countless days was now washed away by the clear river water.

He then realized that since crossing over to this world, he had never carefully observed and experienced the beauty of nature like this.

At this moment, all his pores were relaxed.

Suren tilted his head slightly and saw a pretty face smiling brightly.

Yuta pointed to the surface of the water.

The two came out of the water and went ashore.

This was a quiet forest, with the chirping of birds in his ears and the fragrance of flowers in his nose. It was like a forest path in summer, with mottled shadows of trees on the ground, the temperature was just right, warm, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

Under his feet were moss-covered stone slabs that extended into the depths of the dense forest. Beside the road were two ancient stone pillars carved with mysterious patterns, which he imagined looked like the torii gates in front of Japanese shrines in Suren's previous life. In the inconspicuous mounds of earth, there were also several pottery jars for sacrifices. They all looked a bit old, with traces of the years left on them.

Suren took another look.

The runes of alchemy were very different from the Dalu tribe's restriction system, but he could also see that the carvings on these stone pillars contained some kind of high-level law.

Seeing his interest, Yuta introduced, "Those are 'Sacrificial Pillars,' which are specially built for the residences of the elves guarding this forest. They can ward off disasters and pray for blessings. They are also a barrier blessed by the gods, and they will block anyone who has malicious intentions towards our Dalu tribe."

After a pause, she called out, "Let's go, Mr. Suren."

"Okay."

Suren took another look and followed her up.

Passing through the two pillars, as if passing through an invisible barrier, after walking a few steps, several people wearing animal skins suddenly popped out of the trees.

The few people looked down, saw the visitors clearly, and shouted excitedly, "Sister Yuta!"

Yuta obviously knew them too and greeted them happily, "Kou La, is it your turn to patrol today?"

"Yes! Sister Yuta, why are you here at the Holy Land?"

The one called Kou La was a rabbit-tribe girl who looked young, about thirteen or fourteen years old. She was holding a bow and arrow, with a quiver slung on her back, as if she was on patrol. She was followed by several Dalu tribe boys and girls of the same age.

A few people jumped down, and they also saw Suren, a human, and all their eyes immediately showed caution and vigilance.

Kou La asked, "Sister Yuta, why did you bring a human into the Holy Land?"

Yuta introduced, "This is Mr. Suren. He is my life-saver and also the benefactor of our Dalu tribe..."

Even so, the vigilance in the eyes of the several teenagers looking at Suren didn't diminish at all.

The children began to chatter.

"Recently, many slave hunters have come to the forest. The 'Green Tiger Tribe' and the 'Black Bear Tribe' in the north have been broken through by those hateful humans, and many tribesmen have died..."

"Yes, Sister Yuta, humans are not to be trusted... Recently, some humans have been scouting around the periphery of the Holy Land."

"It is said that some humans are plotting against the ancient city in 'Cursed Valley'..."

"..."

Suren was on the side, listening to Yuta and this group of little patrolmen communicating in the Dalu language, and didn't understand a few sentences.

But looking at their eyes, he knew that these little brats didn't seem to welcome humans in here.

Hearing those bad news, Yuta also knew what they were worried about and patiently explained, "Mr. Suren is different. He is the 'warrior in the prophecy.'"

Hearing this, Kou La exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? Another warrior in the prophecy? But, one came yesterday. The elders were very happy and held a gathering to welcome that human..."

Hearing this, Yuta frowned and immediately asked, "A human came?"

"Yes."

Kou La said, "That human saved the 'Frost Fox Tribe' from the slave hunters and brought back a sacred object. The elders all said that she is the warrior in the prophecy."

Saying this, she looked at Suren with suspicion, worried, "Sister Yuta, don't be deceived by this human. The elders said that humans are very cunning. They lie even better than foxes..."

Hearing this, Yuta was immediately shocked, "That human brought back a sacred object?"

"Yes!"

Kou La responded, "It's the [Spear of Brionac], I saw it with my own eyes yesterday."

Hearing this, Yuta was also surprised.

She originally thought that Mr. Suren next to her would be the person in the prophecy, but she didn't seem to be?

The prophecy that "the warrior who follows the ancient covenant will save the tribesmen and bring back the sacred object" was referring to someone else?

However, what about the oath?

Mr. Suren said that he was the heir of the Isaac family.

For a time, Yuta felt very conflicted.

However, it was ultimately a good thing that the sacred object had been found.

........

Suren saw Yuta's expression become very strange and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yuta didn't doubt Suren at all and directly translated the previous conversation.

Suren also found it very strange when he heard it, "Someone came with the sacred object?"

As soon as he heard it, he immediately felt that something was strange about this matter.

The covenant of that year was signed by Sir Isaac and the ancestors of the Dalu tribe. The "warrior who follows the covenant" in the prophecy most likely referred to Mr. Jing.

Now another one had come, what was going on?

If Suren wasn't very familiar with Mr. Jing and knew that Isaac only had two daughters, he would even suspect that there were other heirs of the Isaac line.

So, what exactly was going on now?

They even brought back a sacred object, which seemed to fit the conditions of the prophecy even more...

Yuta didn't figure it out either and was full of doubts.

However, in her opinion, it didn't matter whether Suren was the "person in the prophecy" or not.

He had saved herself and her tribesmen many times, that was a fact.

She called out to Suren, "Let's go, Mr. Suren, let's go see the chieftain."

"Okay."

Suren nodded and didn't think much about it.

He was here to deliver a message and treat a disease, as for who the warrior in the prophecy was, it didn't seem to matter much.

The Dalu tribe had been around for countless years, and the possibility of being deceived was not great.

Perhaps that "warrior" was someone else entirely?