Chapter 409: Chapter 408: Current Situation of the Centaurs
At the intersection of the Western and Southern territories, just beyond the polar regions, there is a hidden basin of no great size, above which resides a Sun God bird whose radiance bathes the entirety of the basin.
The basin is home to fruit trees, water sources, mulberry fields, and a peaceful little town where its people thrive.
Living in the town is the Centaur Race, once thought to have vanished from the world by common folk. At the town’s rear stands an ancient castle, where a host of the Centaur royal family lives—the rulers of the town.
One day, after Ivan had interacted with the Seven Gods Mountain, the Centaurs in the castle noticed something amiss.
Soon, the Clan Leader of the Centaurs issued an order to convene the main members of the tribe to discuss the sudden, pressing matter.
“Father, Mother, what matter did you wish to discuss with me?” Leowen, the son of the Clan Leader, burst into the council chamber in the prime of youth and immediately asked.
…
He must have been called away from his play, for his clothes were covered in dust and sweat stains.
“Leowen, where are your manners? Go and change into some clean clothes this instant,” the Clan Leader’s wife chided upon seeing his impetuous entrance.
“Alright, Father, Elder Sol, I’ll return in a moment,” Leowen said with an embarrassed smile.
“There’s no need, just stay and listen as you are,” the Clan Leader firmly commanded, his expression darkening.
Seeing his grave demeanor, the Clan Leader’s wife did not dare say more; she simply gave her son a look, warning him to not speak out of turn and risk a scolding.
Before long, individuals arrived at the council hall one after the other—elders, guards, officers, both old and young, totaling about thirty people.
This also included the Clan Leader’s twin daughters, one being Leowen’s sister Angie, and the other his younger sister, Jona.
Compared to Leowen, both sister and younger sister seemed much more composed.
“Elder Sol, please detail the full account of events,” the Clan Leader said, directing his words to the elder seated at the lower end.
“This morning, just half an hour ago, I went to worship our ancestors at the ancestral shrine and noticed that the Stele of Seven Gods Mountain had been disturbed. That is why I hurriedly reported to the Clan Leader, who then summoned you all to discuss,”
Elder Sol, aware of his own negligence, did not dare to hide anything and went on to relay the facts as they had happened.
“Elder, do you know the exact time when the disturbance occurred?”
“I do not.”
That was his oversight, guarding the ancestral shrine yet failing to promptly detect any movement.
“Elder Sol is getting on in years; some oversights are unavoidable.”
“Yes, yes, the ancestral shrine hasn’t changed for many years; it is no surprise Elder Sol overlooked something.”
“What would the disturbance on the Stele of Seven Gods Mountain signify?”
At the lower end of the hall, others started to speak favorably of Elder Sol, with young ones quietly asking their elders to explain the intricacies of the Stele of Seven Gods Mountain.
All of this was observed by the Clan Leader, Tanli, who furrowed his brow and slammed his fist down hard on the table next to him.
The council hall fell silent once more.
“I’m sure you all understand that Seven Gods Mountain is connected to our core inheritance; it is the hope for the rise of our Centaur Race. I need not stress the importance of Seven Gods Mountain.
No matter what, Seven Gods Mountain must remain secure.
Now that there has been a disturbance on Seven Gods Mountain, we must dispatch people to check it out and ensure the safety of our inheritance. Who among you is willing to volunteer to make the journey to our ancestral lands?”
Seeing that the tribe members were looking elsewhere, avoiding committing themselves, Clan Leader Tanli directly broached the main issue.
At his words, a dreadful silence fell over the hall, with many heads bowed low, hoping not to be selected by the Clan Leader.
The situation in the hall only served to darken Clan Leader Tanli’s expression further.
“Speak up,” he said after a moment, finding himself compelled to prompt a response again.
“Clan Leader, it’s not that we are unwilling, it’s just that outside there are Centaur Hunters, and departing means never returning, which truly places us in a difficult position,” someone complained, an aged elder himself.
“Yes, yes, before we sent out so many people, and not one has ever returned.”
“Those bastards are too detestable, actually blocking our way out.”
“We live well here, why bother with the outside world’s turmoil? If you ask me, we might as well destroy the Stele of Seven Gods Mountain, out of sight, out of mind.”
One person led with excuses, the others no longer silent, each voicing the dangers outside and their own concerns and opinions.
Some even proposed to destroy the Stele closely linked to Seven Gods Mountain, thereby completely shutting themselves in for good.
The Clan Leader, Ivan, listened to the various sentiments in the hall, his heart a field of desolation, remembering how powerful the Centaur Race had been, how many warriors there had been in the clan, and now all he saw were cowards.
He waved his hand feebly towards the crowd below.
Seeing this, many Centaurs felt relieved and quickly left the hall, as if wishing they had more legs, the youths unwilling, yet being dragged away by their elders.
In an instant, only eight people remained in the hall, among them Ivan’s own family of five.
“Elder Sol, why don’t you leave?” After pausing for a while, Ivan gathered his emotions.
“My old bones haven’t moved in a long time, I’m willing to venture out,” Elder Sol said seriously with his wrinkled face.
“Father, I’m also willing to go,” Ivan’s eldest daughter Angie spoke up promptly.
“Father, let me go,” Leowen said.
Seeing the youngest Joanna also preparing to join in the hubbub, Ivan waved his hand, inviting everyone to visit the Ancestral Hall with him.
The Ancestral Hall was brightly lit, where one could see a row of jars placed inside, actually carved from the Centaurs’ own hoof nails, containing the ashes of the ancestors of the Centaur Race.
A group of them arrived in the hall, the cold atmosphere hitting them immediately, making the youngest Joanna shiver involuntarily.
“Angie, do you know why we cremate our deceased into ashes?” Ivan initiated the question.
“Isn’t it our ancestral tradition?” Leowen answered and was immediately glared at by Ivan, making him shrink his neck.
“Because if we bury the bones in the soil, there’s a high chance they will transform and revive as ‘Centaur Hunters,’ like our ancient burial grounds have experienced,” Angie said solemnly.
“This—this can’t be true, Father, that can’t be real,” Leowen’s first reaction was disbelief upon hearing this.
“Leowen, you’ve grown up, it’s time for you to know the truth, what Angie said is true,” Ivan spoke with a sigh:
“The reason we’ve sealed off the way out is because there is a problem with the lands of our kin outside, the corpses of our ancestors in the graveyards transformed one after another into Hunters, who specifically hunt Centaurs.
Since then, our deceased can no longer return to the earth.”
These words came from his father’s mouth, and Leowen had no choice but to believe them, but the following words from his father were even harder for him to accept.
“Angie, I suffer from a grave injury, Leowen will be the next Clan Leader, and Joanna is still too young. I need you to take on this responsibility, lead a team to our ancestral land, and properly handle the matters of Seven Gods Mountain.”
“I understand, Father.”
Angie seemed to have anticipated this, calmly accepting.
“if it proves impossible—remember to come back safely.”
“Okay.”
The dim flickering of the lights in the Ancestral Hall, Ivan couldn’t bear to look at his eldest daughter anymore, but he didn’t see the flicker in the depths of Angie’s eyes.
Three days later, the passage to the outside world reopened, and a nine-member lightly equipped Centaur squad set off amidst the sparse farewells, leaving behind this secluded paradise bathed in sunlight.
Their figures were quickly swallowed by the darkness.