Chapter 109 Etching

Inside the tree house, Sulun sat bare-chested on a mat woven from bamboo shoots.

Wolf Granny was preparing materials for drawing the totem, going up to the attic, rummaging around. She took some magical beast blood, crystal cores, and herbs, dozens of materials in all, and crushed them together in a millstone.

Before long, she produced a dark, viscous paint.

Chief Deer then used a wooden thorn to draw the totem on Sulun's body.

As he drew, he chanted a spell, and a firefly-like light gradually enveloped his body. He was wielding a natural force far beyond his own strength.

Sulun looked at the source of this power; it seemed more like... the divine tree's.

The drawing process was very complex, so much so that Sulun, an alchemist proficient in rune drawing, couldn't quite figure it out.

Chief Deer said as he drew, "This totem can only contain a limited amount of law. But as long as the whispers of the gods don't occur too frequently, it should keep you safe for three to five years under normal circumstances. At that time, you can come back to the Holy Land, and I'll draw a new totem for you."

"Okay."

Sulun nodded in agreement.

This totem was like adding an external buffer to his Jiang He, and once it was full, it would need to be replaced.

Without using the "Death God's Shadow" ability, it could probably last three to five years.

However, Sulun naturally still wanted to use his second-stage talent.

So he asked, "If it were a more advanced totem, could it permanently solve this problem?"

"Yes,"

Chief Deer gave an affirmative answer, saying, "If it were a Great Druid above the seventh rank, they could draw a permanent totem with 'spirituality.' At that time, not only would you not need to replace the totem, but you could also nurture the totem into a 'spirit.' The spiritual power in the totem could then be fed back to you when you need it. For example, if you advance to a certain rank and need a lot of spiritual power to break through a bottleneck, it would be an excellent aid..."

Wolf Granny, who was beside him, seemed to have thought of something as well, and sighed softly, interjecting, "If the clan's holy artifact, the [Holy Grail of Fal] were still here, solving this problem wouldn't be so troublesome. But unfortunately, the holy artifact has also been lost."

"Holy Grail?"

Sulun showed a thoughtful expression upon hearing this.

Although the holy artifact was lost, it was still good to have another way to completely solve the problem.

He thought for a moment and realized that he had the tip of the [Spear of Buionnac] right in front of him. He could ask Katyusha later where she found it, perhaps there were relevant clues.

Also, if the great battle back then took place near the ruins in Cursing Valley, maybe he could find clues to the other holy artifacts of the Dalu tribe in the cursed space.

At this moment, Chief Deer looked at Sulun's furrowed brows and deep contemplation, assuming he was worried about the spiritual aberration, and smiled, shaking his head. He then offered a different perspective, "In fact, from our Druidic perspective, spiritual aberration is not entirely a bad thing. My young friend Sulun, you don't need to completely discard those things. Even gods have greed, jealousy, anger... all kinds of negative emotions. All things in heaven and earth are part of nature. Without 'darkness,' there is no 'light.' Similarly, people cannot completely abandon emotions other than rational ones..."

After a pause, he continued, "Therefore, spiritual aberration has its negative aspects, but also its positive ones. If used well, it is a powerful force that can make your strength grow rapidly. If negative spiritual power is strong, then your beneficial spiritual power must also be strong. Of course, the prerequisite is that your willpower prevents you from completely becoming a slave to emotions..."

"..."

Sulun listened to Chief Deer's words, thoughtfully nodding in agreement.

Spiritual aberration did indeed cause his spiritual power to skyrocket, a surge far beyond what harvesting and meditation could achieve.

If it didn't endanger his life, it was indeed a shortcut to cultivation.

...

It took about half a class day to complete the totem drawing.

The magic-devouring totem drawn on Sulun's body had its own name, called [Eclipse Sun].

The finished product didn't look complicated. It resembled the sun outlined in black lines. The middle was empty, and the surrounding area had thick, radiating black lines.

Sulun thought the pattern looked somewhat familiar.

He was now very slender, with highly defined muscles knotted in blocks. With this black sun pattern tattooed on his body, he looked a bit like the final boss, Orochi, from the arcade game *King of Fighters*, exuding an aura of heroic ferocity.

With the complete totem on his body, he could clearly feel that the totem contained a high-level "power of nature." Those uncontrollable spiritual powers were absorbed into it.

This was much more effective than the [Jester's Mask] he had made himself.

Sulun estimated that he could withstand a few uses of "Death God's Shadow."

This trip to the Dalu tribe's Holy Land was not in vain. At least this was the best method he knew of to solve spiritual aberration.

With the totem drawn, Sulun didn't plan to stay in the wooden house any longer. He put on his top and sincerely thanked them, "Two elders, thank you very much for solving this big problem for me."

Hearing this, the two old men both revealed kind smiles.

Chief Deer said, "You're too kind, young friend Sulun. Compared to the hope you have brought to our Dalu tribe, this small favor I have done is insignificant."

Sulun smiled politely at his words.

After a pause, Chief Deer thought of something and added, "By the way, there's one more thing you can pay more attention to. Human beings have normal physiological reactions to their seven emotions and six desires. Don't always suppress them. Appropriate relaxation will make your situation better..."

"Okay."

Sulun nodded.

Seeing that he was about to leave, Yuta, who was beside him, also smiled and said, "Chief, Wolf Granny, we're leaving now~"

Wolf Granny had naturally seen the wolf claw amulet hanging around Sulun's neck a long time ago, and her eyebrows contained a meaningful smile, "Okay. Yuta, you can take Mr. Sulun to stroll around the Holy Land. There will be a banquet in the clan later."

Yuta obediently responded, "Okay."

With that, she led Sulun out of the wooden house.

The two Dalu elders watched the backs of the two young people, their kind smiles growing stronger.

...

The path from the divine tree to the Rainbow River village crossed a dense forest.

The two of them were not walking fast.

After coming out, Yuta's pace seemed very cheerful.

Before this, the cloud of the tribe's survival was pressing down on everyone's heads, and everyone in the Dalu tribe had a string taut in their hearts.

Most importantly, there was not even a glimmer of hope that the situation would improve.

But now, the "Oath Keeper" had come, and it seemed that everything was getting better.

Yuta thought to herself, and a bright smile filled her face.

After walking a little further, she secretly glanced back at the wooden house, as if relieved.

Sulun looked at her like this and joked, "Wolf Granny looks quite amiable. Why are you so afraid of her?"

Yuta patted her chest and said, "Mr. Sulun, you don't know... Wolf Granny is actually very strict! When I was a child, my friends and I couldn't remember the effects of those herbs, and we would always get spanked; if we fell asleep during prayers, we would be scolded with our ears pinched; if we scraped our legs jumping off the waterfall and cried, we would still be scolded when we got back..."

She tilted her head, counting her childhood embarrassing moments one by one, her eyes full of happy smiles.

Listening to her rambling, Sulun seemed to see a picture: a strict teacher was teaching a group of naughty wolf cubs, tiger cubs, and deer cubs...

The corners of his mouth also curved up slightly.

"I've never seen so many smiles on her old face before."

After a pause, Yuta looked at Sulun with a curious expression, her eyes full of novelty, "I didn't expect that Mr. Sulun was actually a disciple of Mr. Isaac. No wonder you're so powerful..."

Sulun looked at her pretty face and chuckled.

There was only a hard dirt path in the forest, and the two followed it.

The sunshine, like that of early summer, shone down through the gaps in the treetops, warm on their bodies.

There was a patch of green grass beside the road, with small white flowers blooming. Among the green leaves above, there were scattered specks, which were heavy fruits, orange, yellow, purple... and some slightly green fruits.

Two or three deer were leisurely burying their heads to eat grass in the forest. They glanced at the two people who had broken into the forest, and then buried their heads to eat again.

Everything here was so peaceful and carefree.

Sulun strolled through the forest, temporarily entranced.

...

Unknowingly, the two returned to the village.

Perhaps because they knew Sulun's identity, the Dalu tribesmen were very enthusiastic.

As he walked along the way, everyone nodded to him.

But everyone was very quiet, as if listening to something.

Sulun followed everyone's gaze and looked over. In front of the huge black stone tablet, a girl in a red cloak stood there, intently reading the poems on the stone tablet.

Sulun was becoming more and more interested in the identity of this noble lady whom he had met three times.

Her appearance always made people feel like there was a layer of mystery separating them. He wanted to find out more about her background, and also ask her where she had found the holy artifact.

This girl with the braid seemed completely lost in thought.

Her serious little face was sometimes frowning, sometimes contemplating, as if she was very fascinated by the poems on the stone tablet.

Sulun looked without hurrying to greet her, and his gaze slightly condensed.

Because at this moment, he saw a visible special halo gathering around this Katyusha. It was a bit like an elemental barrier, but it was not a certain element of earth, wind, water, or fire, but rather a rhythm that fit the laws of nature.

A red cloak, a stone tablet, a primitive village...

She stood there, as if blending into this beautiful painting.

Heaven and earth resonated with her.

It made people feel as if she was supposed to be there.

Yuta tugged at Sulun's arm, gently shook her head, and said softly, "Don't disturb her, she's wandering in the poems."

As she said this, a complicated expression appeared in her eyes. "The elders in the tribe say that only those who can truly understand the poems on the stone tablet will be immersed in the stories of the poems. This young lady has a very high attainment in poetry..."

Sulun listened to her words, thoughtfully, and stood quietly there as well.

Although he didn't understand poetry, he also knew that it was the same as the law.

Only those who truly understood it could appreciate its mysteries.

At this time, a subtle but clear voice of recitation sounded in his ear.

It was a poem.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate..."

"...

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

The voice was melodious and pleasant to the ear, gentle and lingering.

After reciting a poem, it was like singing a song, or rather, telling a story.

Katyusha stood in front of the stone slab, finished reciting the whole poem, and then sighed, "This poem is so beautiful!"

At this time, she seemed to have withdrawn from that wonderful state.

She noticed Sulun and the other two behind her.

Katyusha turned her head and immediately showed a happy expression: "Mr. Nicholas..."

Just as she was about to call out, a sly look flashed through her crystalline eyes, and she blinked, "Should I call you 'Mr. Nicholas' or 'Mr. Sulun'?"

"Whatever you want, it's fine."

Sulun didn't feel embarrassed and calmly replied.

In noble etiquette, it was impolite to use a false name for a lady.

But Sulun didn't have this concern. He felt that he was just an ordinary person who couldn't integrate into that so-called high society.

Besides, he also felt that the name "Katyusha" should also be a fake name.

At least, among the top nobles of the Luying Empire in his various memories, such as the daughters of dukes and marquises, there was no one called that.

And this one in front of him, who could casually take out a holy artifact, would definitely not be a small noble.

Since everyone wasn't telling the truth, it wasn't awkward.

Katyusha was obviously extremely intelligent. She seemed to see what Sulun was thinking and said faintly, "I didn't give a fake name~ My name is 'Katyusha,' and everyone at home calls me that."

Looking at her teasing expression, she seemed to be saying: You're lying to little girls, nyah nyah~

Sulun felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this and changed the subject, "I heard you reciting poetry just now, it was very beautiful. You're a very talented poet."

He was also testing her. She claimed to be an "astrology apprentice," but her attainments in poetry seemed ridiculously high.

Katyusha didn't seem to mind others praising herself, but she also said modestly, "I'm not that good."

She pointed to the stone tablet behind her, and a fanatical look suddenly appeared on her face, "The Dalu tribe seniors who wrote these poems are truly super amazing! These poems record the most wonderful stories in the world. These are truly poems with souls~"

Sulun nodded in agreement.

He glanced at the stone tablet, but unfortunately, he couldn't understand the Dalu writing.

Even if he could understand the words, a rough man like him who followed the path of the "law of death" only knew how to fight and kill. He couldn't appreciate the mysteries between the lines of poetry, nor that romantic sentiment.

At this time, Sulun saw Katyusha's curious gaze falling on Yuta beside him, and then he remembered to introduce them: "This is Elder Yuta. A Dalu of the White Wolf clan."

Katyusha was very polite and well-behaved, with a sweet mouth: "Hello, Sister Yuta, my name is Katyusha, it's nice to meet you."

Although Yuta had a very strange feeling in her heart when she first saw this Katyusha, as if her fate would have a lot to do with her in the future, how could she feel any vigilance towards the "warrior" who brought back the holy artifact and saved the tribe?

She also politely responded, "Miss Katyusha, hello."