There are 217 would-be hunters who come of age during this fire season, and they are gathered in the tower by the chiefs or high priests of the original tribes three days before the rite of passage begins. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoNow that "Shin'ne-Nu" is thriving, these old tribal leaders don't show any signs of discomfort, but instead have more and more admiration for Hado. There could be no better way to live than to live a life full of peace and contention, free from war and carnage, and even with the power in their hands, it gave them more places to exert their energies - the formation of new tribes consumed more food, and gave these old masters of hunting a greater amount of vanity and satisfaction.

In the same way, they will set a good example for the children who are about to become adults, and at this age when the fertility survival rate is not high and the maximum life expectancy is short, each hunter is the core wealth of the tribe, and the premise of becoming the core wealth is to lay a solid foundation.

Led by the high priests or chief priests of the original tribes, more than 200 would-be hunters moved from the tower to a makeshift camp on the banks of the river, where they were trained in fishing and hunting skills for half of the fire season. The prerequisite for obtaining this training qualification is to persevere until the end of the coming-of-age ceremony - the upstream patrol cavalry reported that the precipitation of the "Fa Lie" is increasing, and it is expected that the flood season of the main river and the maximum water level of the upper river will be reached within 4 rises and falls. According to the patrol and reconnaissance research, the middle and upper reaches of the main river will bring together the main trunk of the river and six other tributaries, and the experience of previous years shows that the flood season will last for 12 to 16 rises and falls, and its highest point will last at least one sunrise. In the past, when the steppe tribes scattered and settled on their own, when the fire season came, the tribes near the river had to move their families to the high ground, otherwise they would be overturned in the raging floods.

In order to prevent the rapid flood from causing unnecessary damage to the newly built stockade, under the leadership of Hadu, "Shin'ne-Nu" carried out the first joint combat operation of all the tribesmen: led by the original "Cin-Din-Ta" craftsmen, they dug boulders close to the desert area, transported them to the river by rolling logs, and built a boulder embankment about 9,000 steps long. Of course, this is a holistic effort that starts before the fire season and is even more of a priority than the relocation of tribal camps.

Persevering in the face of the flood until the last reaches the peak of the flood season means standing tenaciously on the wooden frame erected for the ceremony in the face of the splashing water until the peak water level has passed. Among them, the closer the hunter is to the riverbank, the less he will be hit by the splash, because the stronger the splash will definitely rush higher and fall farther, so that the hunter standing at the back of the line will be baptized by the most violent splash. It's like the environmental characteristics of this era, the safest thing is to stand in front of the enemy and go all out, on the contrary, hiding at the back of the team and hoping that their teammates will take care of them, but they will always be the first to attack and be the first to be taken away.

The top brass of the original tribes were cheering on the would-be hunters from their camps, telling them to move as close to the wooden frame as possible, so that they could hold on to the entire rite of passage without worrying about being swept away by the splash. But there are some things that can't be solved by cheering, especially the children who are ready to become adults who are a little pale at the sight of the swelling of the river and the violent crash of the waves against the rocks on the shore. It is not only the rainwater that flows into the river from the upstream that flows downstream, but also the trees, shrubs and weeds that are washed away by flash floods, and even the cascading corpses of animals that seem to be floating in the unclear water. This is not yet the most violent time of the flood season, the waves in front of the sharp bend of the river have reached more than 1 person high, and sometimes some drifting gravel soaked in the mud will be churned and hit on the wooden frame, which is terrifying to see - being hit by that thing will cost you half a life. ！

Hadu was also waiting for the peak of the flood season, when a steady drizzle had begun to fall in the makeshift camp, and the sky was also covered with dark clouds, and a terrible storm was about to fall. But what upset Hadu was not the flood they were prepared for, but the strange weather that came from time to time.

It's been more than half a fire season since the last settlement, and Hado has been experiencing all kinds of strange weather conditions during this time—more often than before. According to the statistics of the guards around him, during this period, the tribe encountered a total of 6 mudslides, 14 non-sustained rainstorms, 5 hailstorms, 21 subsidences, 4 irregular floods, 16 landslides, and countless strange environmental changes such as rock changes to quicksand, chopping wood and encountering fountains, splitting thunder on sunny days, and not catching fire at the damp point in the kiln. Once, Hadu heard a lot of frightened cries from the tribe, he climbed to the lookout of the tower, and found that there was a fierce fire in the sky along a long line, falling in the desert nowhere, after a while, a strong and obvious earthquake was felt in the tribe, some of the villages that were not strong enough collapsed in this earthquake, fortunately the earthquake did not last long, and there were no casualties in the tribe.

Hado had a feeling that this unwarranted change of weather would not change until his next settlement. And now, he was frowning, waiting for the extreme change in weather conditions: something was wrong, and there had not been a single unusual weather phenomenon since dawn, which made Hado feel that the most intense weather conditions in so many times were about to occur.

Thunder was already rumbling in the sky, and the cumulonimbus clouds in the direction of "Falie" began to rain the most violently. You can feel the sound of the pond on the mountain peak bursting the embankment after too much rain has poured in for a moment, and of course it could be the hoofs of the patrolling cavalry who rushed to the side of the makeshift camp to deliver the message. According to the cavalry report, the highest peak of the flood season is approaching, and it has been discovered that large flash floods and mudslides have broken out in the more sunken mountain passes on the "Falie", and according to the high mountain stronghold, the mountain flood has an uninterrupted impact on the stronghold, but because the stronghold has been reinforced and recanalized, there is no structural instability problem in the heavy rain.

Hearing that the maximum water level was about to be reached, Hadu ordered the coming-of-age ceremony of the prospective hunters to begin immediately, and the high-ranking officials of the original tribes nodded in agreement, and began to walk on the wooden frame with the juniors of their camp. Sending the would-be hunters to the wooden rack, the former high priests all turned to stare at Hado, and their eyes were straight and said, "Honorary Chief, you are just coming of age. ！”

Feeling the gaze of the old ritual personnel, Hadu was not intimidated, he himself seemed to stand in front of these would-be hunters who had just escaped from the inter-tribal fighting, and set a top example for them. Not much to say, Hadu went around from one side of the frame to the front of the frame, and the edge of the frame was only 1 step apart. The would-be hunters, who were still trembling in the waves, saw that the honorary leader of the tribe also came over to join their team, and their eyes lit up - thinking that Hadu was only 14 years old, and now he was just an adult, he could be in the highest position of the tribe, and he also needed to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony like these would-be hunters, which was not to imply that there was no difference between him and ordinary clansmen, which meant that these would-be hunters would one day stand on the same platform as Hadu. The thought of being a role model for those who came after them, the most powerful hunter in the tribe, and the highest honor for the tribe of protection made the hearts of these would-be hunters feel hot, and they, who had been afraid of the natural power of the flood, puffed up their chests and prepared to face the first real baptism of nature in their lives.

In fact, every hunter who participates in the rite of passage will misunderstand the true purpose of this ritual: not to make you stand there stunned and stand still by the impact of the water, but to learn to use the natural conditions to overcome nature. Look at Hado, he didn't just face the waves bare-striped like those would-be hunters, but he was fully armed, with shoulder chest armor, brass arm guards, ventral armor (made of stone-skinned horn rhino skin), multiple layers of fur to cover his hips, fleece brass knee pads, bison skin leggings, and a dehaired tiger skin with brass discs sewn on. Needless to say, the weapons he carried on his body were complete, in addition to the necessary copper-bladed axes, he also deliberately brought several more stone flying blades and stone short knives.

These weapons and armor were designed to cope with this coming-of-age ceremony, and the closer to the peak of the flood season, the more the sense of crisis in Hado's heart grew, and he had to make sure that this group of would-be hunters were safe and sound—not just to implement the simplified runes, but the key was that he couldn't let any of his clansmen suffer casualties in front of him.

The flood peak in the distance is gradually forming, and when several torrents converge in one place, they stir up a vortex to the bottom of the river, blocking the flood peak from rushing directly downstream. In an instant, the height of the water surface was more than twice as high as the shore in an instant, and some of the water rushed to the banks mixed with mud, rocks, and tree fragments, most of which were stopped by the boulder embankment next to the riverbank, and a small part flew over the embankment and scattered in the camp of the evacuated personnel.

The debris of the muddy river in the current is Hado's "opponent" this time - to prevent these sharp objects from harming the would-be hunters. The flood began to rumble about 900 paces in front of the ceremonial wooden frame, and as the river was flowing backwards and dispersed, you could even see the rocky bottom of the river looming. At this time, the gravitational wind on the "Fa Lie" began to blow, the cumulonimbus clouds began to move like the middle reaches, and the storm clusters also advanced towards the site of the coming-of-age ceremony. The propulsion of the rain exacerbated the accumulation nature of the flood peak, but the mixture became more and more condensed, and the advance speed of the flood peak slowed down, but the impact force was also more condensed.

Hado's face was calm, he already sensed that this extreme weather should not be the clutter in the flood peaks that he could handle, but something else that was even more than that. Hadu was a good teacher when it came to dealing with threats – the would-be hunters behind him followed his example, steadying their legs in the wind and waves, keeping their center of gravity down to avoid the spray. They soon discovered that they could pass the rite of passage as long as they stayed on the wooden frame, and that trying to protect themselves from injury in the rough waves was the first priority.

At this time, Hong Feng had already reached a distance of 300 steps in front of the wooden frame.

Looking at the wooden frame from a bird's-eye view, it can be found that the hiding space it leaves for each prospective hunter is only 3 people, and when multiple debris flies, hunters need to ensure that they do not get out of the range of the wooden frame when they dodge, and it will not affect the movements and bodies of other hunters. This requires these would-be hunters to have a basic sense of cooperation: dodge and reset in sequence, and counter and divert threats within their capabilities. A lot of debris that rushed out from the high point of the flood peak can be easily pushed out of the range of the wooden frame by pushing it from the side, and the debris that bursts out of the low position can easily be knocked down by Hadu with a double axe, and those large pieces of flying rocks, mud and animal carcasses need to be really dodged. But this kind of defense can reduce the difficulty of dodging by at least 3 percent, and also give everyone present a little more time to rest.

Within 110 steps of the wooden frame, the violent waves of the water had already made it necessary for the old high-ups who were watching the prospective hunters by the riverbank to retreat to a makeshift camp built on high ground. Hado had already begun to use his axes and stabs back and forth to knock away the debris of the raiding team, but he hadn't used the blades and daggers at his waist and legs yet—these were consumables that could only be used the moment the front of the Flood Peak hit the boulder on the shore.

And as the torrent pours out of the narrow channel into the bend that suddenly widens, the long-accumulated water rushes down, and the densest rock in the water shoots out of the water first, stirring in the dirt on the shore, followed by a majestic wave - hitting the boulder, instantly spraying a wave five people high, and the debris in it overturned and smashed down on the wooden frame.

And at this time, the crisis that Hadu had a premonition in his heart finally happened: the wave of mud foaming with yellow foam froze in less than a breath and became ice cubes for human flesh and bones. Hadu yelled behind him, "Jin-Sjen. . . The children who had participated in the rite of passage were immediately dispersed, and he himself rounded his axes, smashed the ice picks with the side of the axes, and then threw his left copper axe at a beam of ice that was about to stab a prospective hunter, and then took out a dagger from the left side of his waist and threw it precisely at the broken ice. The copper axe in his right hand swept the wall of ice picks that fell head-on, cutting off all the sharp ice tips, and slammed the ice wall in two with the copper axe. He instantly rolled towards the edge of the wooden frame, and then removed the set of copper thorns from his back, only to hear a "swish", he cut the scattered ice into multiple pieces, and then quickly came out with both hands, causing the copper spikes to fly straight away, knocking off the ice that was about to hit the hunter at the back of the wooden frame.

Hadu did it in one go, and quickly took out the branches, grass roots and other debris scattered after the flying blade was thrown at the ice wall with both hands, and jumped up in place to dodge the large wooden block flying towards him, he jumped up and twisted his body, and easily used the dagger in his hand to nail the wooden block into the wooden frame below, and the moment he landed, he pulled the dagger out of the wooden block with a grasp and inserted it back into the belt behind his waist.

Even though Hadu tried his best to fend off the tawny ice, there were still would-be hunters who were injured and even torn flesh by the debris or ice that slipped through the net, but Hadu was able to snatch their injuries away with a single lift of his hand. This "miracle" had only been heard of in the accounts of their elders, and it was the first time that these would-be hunters had seen it with their own eyes. Whether it was the prospective hunter who was protected by Hadu and was not injured, or the prospective hunter who was plundered by Hadu and recovered from his injuries immediately, they all looked at Hadu with a reverent, grateful, and affectionate gaze. He just turned back and gave him an encouraging look, and then turned his mind back to face the next wave.

In fact, after the pioneer wave turned into an ice wall, the subsequent waves were largely absorbed by some of the kinetic energy, so the prospective hunters in the coming-of-age ceremony were a blessing in disguise - the waves that came later did not have as much power, and they were not as turbulent as the first wave, and they only rushed to a distance of 1 person and began to fall. The water coming from the rear is more of the mud washed down during the flash flood, and the sand content in it is large, and the head and face are covered with sand when it is washed away, but the lethality is not great at this time. After the unexpected events ahead, the would-be hunters standing behind Hado have learned some basic tricks to avoid danger - they are no longer children who don't know anything, but have been given the opportunity to become the pillars of the tribe.

The old high-ups who had taken refuge in the makeshift camp were also amazed by Hado's active defense: it was impossible for any of them to achieve the same results as Hado, and they might not even be able to pass. While they were amazed, they did not forget the purpose of the trip: to classify the would-be hunters who had undergone the rites of passage, focusing on cultivating some of them with stronger strength and judgment to lay a more solid foundation.

Several of the would-be hunters had fallen into the eyes of the old higher-ups - all of them were in the side of Hadu, and when they saw Hadu's thrown weapons smashing on the wooden rack, they bravely went over and picked them up and swung them, not only breaking a few ice cubes, but also protecting the other members around them. As for the slightly timid children at the back of the group, at least they were not paralyzed by the serious situation in front of them, and they still restrained themselves from standing within the range of the wooden frame, and some of the children were able to roll on the spot to avoid the flying tree trunks, which seemed to be worth training.

As Hadu predicted, the flood peak began to recede at one sunrise, entering the critical period of the flood season. After this life-and-death battle with nature, the would-be hunters, who had just become adults, were so tired that they collapsed on the wooden frame and refused to move, allowing the torrential rain to hit their still thin bodies.

Hadu turned around, looked at the prospective hunters who had "successfully broken through", and smiled with relief.

The pillars of the steppe tribes have grown.