Meandering streams entangle the valleys, painting a river that flows endlessly across the open plains.

On the sunny side of the valley, there were a few caves and terraced rice fields.

Obscured by the towering vegetation, the ridges carved into the mountainside are almost impossible to see.

This is the land of the people of the valley.

The foresters refer to them as "sinners".

However, this is clearly not their own name.

They call themselves "Qiu".

This syllable has no special meaning, it is simply passed down from their ancestors and has been used to this day.

Although the Qiu people living in this valley are not like the tribes in the forest, they are grouped together under the same tree as a clan, but they have a unity that is not inferior to the latter.

Clans, large and small, all call themselves "Qiu people".

Not only did they share the same culture and traditions, but they also used the same hieroglyphic script to record them, and even used the same set of precepts and codes of conduct to elect the elders of their respective clans to form a "senate" to arbitrate matters large and small.

As a matter of fact, they had already given birth to the concept of the "state" and had evolved into an organized society.

From this point of view, the tribes in the forest are still in a state of scattered sand.

Although the advantages of the Qiu people over the forest people are not obvious now, in the long run, the rise of the former and the decline of the latter are almost doomed.

Of course, this is only in general.

If you take into account Gaia's powerful distraction, the future of the two races is difficult to say.

The reason why the foresters call the Qiu people who live in the valley "sinners" has one of the most direct reasons besides that distant history.

That is, the latter does not have the "ability to communicate with nature" at all.

Although not every forester can awaken this ability, this power flowing in the bloodline has never been broken in the tribe of foresters.

On the other hand, the "Qiu people" seem to have been abandoned by the gods, and can only live in cold stones, eating those dry plant seeds and sour and astringent wild fruits.

Of course, this is also the perspective of the foresters.

At least in the eyes of the Qiu people themselves, the cooked grains are not unpalatable, and the wild berries and mushrooms have a unique flavor.

On the contrary, it is the "renegades" who live in the forest who are truly pitiful, living a life of fur and blood, living like monkeys.

On a rugged hill, a young man riding a lizard looks out over the valley to the south.

In the depths of the dense forest, a golden glow was rising from the canopy of a leafy tree.

It was the signal of the "renegades" rally, and it seemed to be from the city of Dom.

Looking at the fireflies flying in the dusk, the lizard crawling on the rocks paced restlessly back and forth for a while, until the boy riding on it tightened the reins around its neck.

"Whew-"

The lizard's nostrils let out a misty snort, and it flicked its neck from side to side before finally settling down.

On the other hand, the young man riding on it had a hint of ominous foreboding between his eyebrows.

I heard from the elders of the clan that whenever the apostate gave a positive signal, something bad would happen.

The news must be reported to the Senate immediately!

The boy thought to himself, pulling the reins and preparing to leave.

However, at this moment, a pale blue light suddenly lit up under the low tree not far away, and then a stumbling sound came.

"Guys over there, wait a minute."

Hearing the imminent movement, the young man was suddenly startled in his heart, and almost instinctively took off the bow and arrow on his shoulder, and pulled the bow string as he pulled the arrow.

"Who?!"

The pale blue beam seemed to come out of the leaves, and a figure like a tin can stood in the center of the light.

The moment he saw the tin can, he was stunned and stood in place.

Then, a soft voice drifted from the light.

"I'm ...... You guys...... Primogenitor. ”

Before the voice could finish speaking, the boy had already put away his bow and arrows and turned over and got off the lizard's back, and knelt on the ground without daring to take a breath.

"Meet the Ancestor!"

The figure standing in the pale blue light nodded appreciatively, and continued to speak at a flat pace.

"Get up and speak."

The young man stood up tremblingly, and did not dare to look directly at the figure standing in the light.

His mind is a mess.

On the one hand, he was shocked that the legendary ancestor had actually returned and descended in front of him, and on the other hand, he was terrified of his previous disrespectful behavior.

However, the Ancestor did not seem to blame him, but tolerated him to his feet.

"What's your name?"

The boy replied truthfully.

"I don't have a name, I'm a soldier of the Lynk & Co clan."

The Ancestor continued to ask.

"What is the Lynk & Co Clan?"

The boy quickly explained.

"It's a branch of the 'Qiu people', and although the people in the valley are divided into various clans, they are still using the surnames you gave us."

The tin can, standing in the light, was silent for a moment, then continued.

"I probably understand, you are a soldier of the Lynke clan of the Qiu people in the valley...... Is that right? ”

The boy nodded again and again.

"That's right."

The tin can, who was standing in the pale blue light, nodded, looked at the teenager who was so nervous that he was holding his breath, and continued.

"To facilitate communication...... From today onwards, you will be called 'Qiu Ling'. ”

Hearing the order of the First Ancestor, the young man was stunned for a moment, and then his face showed an ecstatic expression, and he prostrated on the ground again excitedly, and thanked him for a while.

The tin can, standing in the light, waited quietly, until he had vented the joy and excitement in his heart, and then slowly opened his mouth and continued.

“…… Don't be in a hurry to rejoice, I have come to this land because I smell the smell of disaster. ”

The air fell silent in an instant.

The young man who was dancing excitedly a second ago suddenly changed his face, revealing an expression like he was facing a great enemy.

Almost subconsciously, he thought of the vision he had seen earlier in the forest.

Swallowing his saliva, he asked in a cautious tone.

"Catastrophe...... Are you talking about the renegades in the forest? ”

The Ancestor said in a gentle tone.

"Perhaps, but maybe it's not just their problem, it's probably part of it."

A hint of fear appeared in Qiu Ling's eyes.

"You...... To destroy us? ”

He was convinced of the words of the First Ancestor.

It is precisely for this reason that it is impossible to understand why the Honored Ancestor did this.

Looking at the young man with a look of fear on his face, the ancestor who stood in the pale blue light continued in a calm voice.

"I've never thought so, my kids...... Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here trying to make up for the mistakes that have already occurred. ”

"For the foreseeable future, I have seen burning flames engulf forests and countless people dying in black smoke...... Among them are both you and the children of the forest. ”

"But beyond that, I see a different kind of future, where you are moving towards shared prosperity, ending centuries of feud and beginning a new era...... Do you believe me? ”

Qiu Ling said respectfully with his head bowed.

“…… May I listen to the teachings of our ancestors. ”

A voice of approval floated through the pale blue light, and then the light faded.

"Very well, it seems that I didn't choose the wrong person...... Come here, my child. ”

Qiu Ling raised his head blankly, only to see that the burly iron man had disappeared, leaving only a faint beam of light standing in place, as if guiding him in the direction.

"There's a silver metal disc on the branch in front of you."

"Carry it with you, always with you, and I'll tell you what to do next......"

……

While a green-skinned teenager was struggling to climb up the tree, a researcher floating in a synchronous orbit was sitting in front of the terminal's screen, stretching comfortably.

"That's it!"

Half an hour ago, when her drone was hovering in the sky, she found the little green man standing on the higher ground of the valley, and estimated that the guy was probably the "sinner" living in the valley, so she had a plan and sent a quadcopter drone with holographic projection function from the research ship.

Where have these primitive people seen this kind of awesome technology, and sure enough, they were bluffed clearly, and they believed all her fools on the spot.

In this way, she only paid the price of a drone and obtained an aboriginal internal response.

Next, as long as the child shows a few more "miracles", the reactor fuel tank can be obtained in minutes, and it doesn't even take ten nights to have an accident.

Thinking of Ye Shi, Jiang Xuezhou was angry for a while.

This guy is usually very good, but sometimes he is as stubborn as a cow.

Just because he did not approve of his practice of instigating the aborigines to start a war and fish in troubled waters, he accused himself of not caring about his safety, and put all kinds of sympathy and not thinking about him on her head.

What a conscience to feed the dogs!

Didn't that guy say that negotiating with the "valley people" was his own whim?

Now he doesn't need to take risks, he can get things done by himself, he can't speak after all, right?

Of course, although she said so, she also admitted in her heart that Ye Shi had made a lot of effort.

At least, the language she used to fool the aboriginal boy was sorted out through the materials collected by Night Ten.

Fortunately, the languages spoken by the foresters and the valley people have not yet diverged, and even the culture of the "ancestors" is carved out of the same mold.

Looking at the information sorted out on the screen of the terminal, Jiang Xuezhou, who was drinking coffee, muttered to himself.

"Qiu Ren...... Is there a crew member on the USS Twin missile cruisers with the surname 'Qiu'? ”

"But that's weird...... Both groups of people are from heaven, are they both descendants of the crew of the missile cruiser Twins? ”

One group of people has awakened the special function, and the other group has not awakened the special function.

There was a conflict between those who had awakened the supernatural and those who had not, or out of fear of Gaia or something unspeakable, that the unawakened supernatural had driven the former into the forest by virtue of their numerical superiority.

This would explain why the foresters called the Qiu people "sinners", and the Qiu people called the foresters "renegades".

From the standpoint of the Twins, or the Aerospace Forces, isn't it a betrayal to defect to the foresters in Gaia?

But here's the problem.

If both groups are descendants of the Twins, where did the original colonists go?

Although the Aerospace Forces carried out a complete bombing campaign against the rebels in the colony, there were survivors alive even on the Twins, and it was hard to imagine that no one on the surface had survived.

Just when Jiang Xuezhou was puzzled, the little koala squatting on the side came over with the canned food and rice that had just been heated.

"Your meal is ready."

"Ah, thank you." Accepting the thoughts in his mind, Jiang Xuezhou answered and reached out to take the plate.

I have to say that Renlian has a set of dehydration and freeze-drying technology.

It's hard to imagine that these foods, which have been over their shelf life for two centuries, can still have an appetizing aroma after cooking.

Jiang Xuezhou only felt hungry, and immediately devoured it.

"You're welcome, it's my pleasure to serve you." Little Koala tapped the camera and said in a gentle tone, "But then again, master, don't you really plan to communicate with Ye Shi?" ”

“…… I'll talk to him later. ”

Stuffed with food in his mouth, Jiang Xuezhou muttered vaguely, seemingly reluctant to answer the question.

To be honest, she was angry, and she didn't blame that guy in her heart.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, she herself is not completely without fault.

At the very least, she should put herself in her shoes and consider that he is in a highly tense environment, or that he is stepping on the head of a monster, and it is impossible and impossible for him to stay out of the way and watch the show like he is thousands of kilometers away from the ground.

He wanted to get the reactor fuel and return to the ship as soon as possible, and the natives living on this planet were not his first priority, and he shouldn't say that he was inhuman because he didn't act on his own ideas.

After all, he is not her tool, let alone her child, who can be left to her fiddling......

They are obviously able to solve problems through communication.

Looking at Jiang Xuezhou, who had a trace of remorse between his eyebrows, the little koala standing aside said in a gentle voice.

"People are often too those close to them, believing that they will never leave them no matter what...... Yet you seem to remember very little about how short your life was. ”

"My previous master hadn't had time to give me a nice name, and by the time I opened my eyes again, he was already a skeleton. While these words may be a bit redundant, I hope you don't have any regrets until you become a skeleton like him. ”

Jiang Xuezhou said in a low voice.

"I see...... I'll talk to him about it. ”

Is this a comforting word?

But when she thought about it, it seemed that this was really the case, and she didn't feel any anger at all because of this strange remark.

Perhaps, as the little koala said, she was a little too harsh on Night Ten.

She wasn't like that before......

Thinking of this, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly suffered again, worried that he would hate himself like this.

Sure enough, I still have to find a chance to talk to him.

Anyway, it's time for dinner, I don't know if that guy has eaten.

Thinking so, Jiang Xuezhou's index finger pointed on the holographic screen and connected the action recorder of the power armor.

And at the same time, a Miaoman's figure appeared on the screen.

It was a black-lit space, and the fireflies that lingered around the Miaoman's figure were the only source of light.

Actually, it's nothing.

She's not the kind of person who will knock over a jar of vinegar just because her subject looks at other women twice.

The problem, however, was that the camera's camera was locked on to the two huge pieces of fruit as if it had turned on the vertical function.

As if sensing a storm to come, the little koala standing on the side swayed away and quietly left the bridge.

Almost at the same time, a creaking sound sounded in front of the terminal's screen.

"This guy ......"

Looking down at his chest, Jiang Xuezhou gritted his teeth and creaked.

The fist that finally softened is hard again!

……

At the waist of the sacred tree in the city of Doma sits a palace made of pure wood.

The chief of the city of Dom, or the king of the entire tribe, was sitting on the steps of the main hall.

His name is Tunnan.

In the forest's popular language, the name engraved at the base of the sacred tree means either a leader or a "warrior of boundless power."

Generally speaking, the two actually mean the same thing.

The so-called "mana" is actually the ability to communicate with the sacred tree.

And in this land blessed by the sacred tree, only the bravest warriors can please the sacred tree and gain the favor of the sacred tree.

As for what the sacred tree is, that's a long story.

Even the oldest wise man in the city of Doma could not say enough without two days and two nights.

A man in wooden armor walked into the hall, knelt on his knees, and said in an urn voice.

"The Ancestor is awake."

He is a warrior of the tribe and one of Thonnan's most trusted guards.

Tunnan looked down at the man who was prostrate at the bottom of the steps, and said in a calm voice.

"What does he command?"

The guard bowed his head and replied respectfully.

"He commanded the ladies of the temple that no one should set foot in his place without his permission."

Tunnan's face didn't change at all, and he just continued with an expressionless face.

"Anything else?"

The guard continued.

"He left one behind."

Tunnan asked.

"Who?"

The guard replied.

"Dora."

Tun Nan looked to the side, and the elder standing next to him leaned down and whispered a few words to him, briefly recounting the life of the maid who had won the favor of the ancestors.

After listening to the elder's narration, Tunan nodded calmly, and then looked at the guard.

"Did the other tribes get any of our signals?"

The guard said with his hands clenched into fists.

"More than a dozen tribes in the vicinity have already responded to us, and the messengers they have sent are gathering on our side."

Hearing the waiter's report, not only Tunnan's face showed joy, but also the faces of the priests, including Sakui.

"God bless the Doma tribe!"

The rough palm slapped on the armrest of the vine-wrapped armrest, and the burly Tunnan got up from his throne, took two steps forward energetically, and stood on the edge of the steps to look around at the priests in the main hall and the nobles of the clan.

This is an unprecedented time.

They will take back the entire Forbidden Forest Valley from the hands of the "sinners"!

"This time, even the Ancestors are on our side."

"It's time to put an end to this centuries-old feud!"

……

At the same time, on the other side, Ye Shi, who was walking next to the mural of the temple at the root of the sacred tree, couldn't help but sneeze.

Hearing the sneezing, Dora, who was walking in front surrounded by fireflies, turned her head and asked softly as she looked at him with concern.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing...... You continue to talk about the sacred tree. ”

Yashi muttered.

I don't know if it's an illusion.

He always had a feeling that he was being remembered......