Chapter 114: Beyond the Ancestral Camp

With the help of the Kurast dwarves, Liu Zong and his companions finally resolved a crucial issue: how to make fire in this subterranean space that was not truly underground.

According to the Kurast dwarves, lighting a fire here was forbidden, for flames could ignite a devastating forest fire. Elsewhere, if the forest caught fire, one might still escape, but here, escape was impossible.

So, how to eat cooked food in this forest? They sought a type of moss that grew on tree trunks. When soaked in water, this moss underwent a chemical reaction, becoming scalding hot and dissolving within ten minutes.

By then, the water would reach nearly a hundred degrees Celsius, sufficient for cooking meat or preparing other dishes.

As for those craving barbecue, the Kurast dwarves offered no solution—they had no custom of grilling meat but preferred soup.

This moss was not easy to find. Though the forest was so dense that one could barely see their own hands, it was still a forest where rain fell. Most raindrops were intercepted by the canopy, but heavy rain caused pooling water, which dissolved any moss that grew in abundance.

Only a few places, less exposed to water, allowed this moss to thrive, and most of those spots were claimed by the Kurast dwarf clans. Even their servant could not guarantee finding enough moss for Liu Zong’s group.

Nonetheless, it was enough. At least Liu Zong and his companions no longer had to subsist on half-raw fish and mushrooms. With the Kurast dwarf’s help, Yuan Ying prepared a pot of fine hot soup, allowing them to enjoy a satisfying meal.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group set off again. This time, guided by the Kurast dwarf, they no longer had to worry about which way to go.

To ensure they would not get lost in the future, Liu Zong and his companions obediently learned from the dwarf servant how to navigate this forest.

During their lessons, Liu Zong noticed the servant’s knowledge was limited. Much of what he knew was instinctual survival rather than studied understanding. He could not explain the reasons behind many things, only pointing to a place and saying what it was and how to use it.

This was unfamiliar to Liu Zong’s group, but luckily, Reina habitually recorded everything as she listened. During rest breaks, she organized her notes, which Liu Zong and Lü Shang then analyzed.

After two days and one night trekking through the forest, they finally stopped before an enormous tree.

This tree could no longer be called a tree. The pine tree they had encountered earlier had a trunk wide enough for thirty people to encircle, but this one was so immense that even three hundred people holding hands could only surround a small part of its trunk.

Upon arriving, the Kurast dwarf servant knelt in reverence on the ground before speaking to Liu Zong’s group: “This is the ancestral camp. Thirteen ancestral spirits reside on this mother tree, with twenty-seven tribes living upon it. Our own tribe dwells at the fork of the third branch.”

“However,” he continued, “since that incident, we have not set foot on the mother tree. Without the ancestral spirits’ permission, stepping onto the mother tree would mean certain death.”

His expression grew sorrowful before he added, “I will wait here for you. You may climb upward. Most of the tribes above do not eat humans; they have their own sources of food.”

As he spoke, his demeanor suddenly changed. He saw a large group of Kurast dwarves descending the tree, singing a somber, peculiar dirge as they moved away.

Most of them were servants like himself, but one brave warrior covered his face, refusing to look up.

Seeing the warrior’s headpiece, the servant guiding them exclaimed, “Isn’t that from the Acorn clan? What has happened to him?”

Liu Zong was surprised and asked, “Do you know him?”

The servant replied confidently, “He is as renowned as our Lord Pine Needle, a young brave of some fame nearby. Once they master the power of souls, they have the potential to become great shamans.”

“What is he doing now?” Liu Zong inquired.

Without hesitation, the servant answered, “Like Lord Pine Needle, he has been exiled from his tribe.”

Hearing this, a flicker of doubt crossed Liu Zong’s eyes. “How many such gifted young braves do you have? They get expelled just like that? Doesn’t the tribe feel any remorse?”

The servant did not think it was something to pity. “It’s only exile, not death. They can appeal to be reinstated. Being sent away is merely a form of trial.”

Liu Zong found some sense in this but sensed something amiss. He said, “Pine Needle was also expelled, but when he went to appeal, the ancestral spirits experienced a problem.”

The servant was not bright enough to grasp Liu Zong’s meaning, but those behind Liu Zong understood immediately. Without waiting for orders, Lü Shang separated from the group and began climbing the tree.

Liu Zong glanced toward Lü Shang’s departing figure and then back at the others before asking the servant, “Do you know where the Acorn clan’s ancestral spirit resides?”

The servant answered, “The forest is full of ancestral spirit trees, but only the descendants of the tribes know which tree corresponds to which spirit. Others have no knowledge.”

Liu Zong said firmly, “We will follow. I have a bad feeling about this.”

The servant hesitated before replying, “You may follow, but not too closely. Otherwise, they will suspect an ambush and attack.”

“How far away?” Liu Zong asked casually.

“At least half a day’s journey; anything closer and you will be noticed,” the servant said expertly.

Since none among Liu Zong’s party were suitable scouts, they had no choice but to trust him.

After some thought, Liu Zong proposed, “Then let us rest here for half a day. After that, we will follow. Resting here shouldn’t bring trouble, right?”

“None at all,” the servant assured them. “The area beneath the mother tree, the ancestral camp’s perimeter, is the safest place. All dangerous creatures have already become food—now in our stomachs.”