Chapter 153: Savior’s Promise
Chapter 153: Savior’s Promise
As Vasen Lak Orazen went to the neighboring village, he confirmed that all the captured Pangolins there had also been freed.
After Vasen returned, he said to Theone Itimo, “Everyone was puzzled because all the Rakshasas died overnight.”
“Did they not see Mr. Hillove?”
“Some of them did, but it was in the middle of the night, and they each saw different parts of the body and mistook it as something else. Hence their testimonies didn’t make sense when put together. Anyway, I gave them a good explanation, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“What did you say to them?”
Vasen replied, “I told them that the guardian of the great Night Sky helped them.”
“I’m not sure if they would have understood that explanation…”
Vasen and Theone looked up at Hillove, who was sitting still on top of the partially constructed small temple. Hillove occasionally moved its legs to adjust its posture, but it didn’t make any other significant movements or say anything.
Vasen asked, “By the way, did you check the ship?”
“Yes.”
“Is it repairable?”
"We at least managed to ride it here, so we should be able to use it after we repair it. The problem is whether we can actually repair it though... Our ship, the Humiliation of Pirates, was made of sturdy wood from the north, so I'm not sure if the wood grown in this warm region would do. We don't even have a professional shipwright aboard. We’re asking the Pangolins if we would be able to use theirs temporarily, at least for now.”
Vasen nodded.
“Would it take long to fix the ship?”
“Yes. Don’t expect too much. Even if the communication ship arrives, it would be difficult for all of us to return on it.”
“So in any case, someone has to stay here.”
Theone pursed her lips and replied, “Probably.”
Fortunately, the Humiliation of Pirates didn't sink, but it was in a condition where self-navigation was currently difficult. Since the ship had departed with the purpose of exploring ancient ruins, some crew members intended to stay for an extended period. However, about a quarter of the original crew members had been swept away by the waves and went missing or died, and a lot of supplies had to be discarded to prevent the ship from sinking.
"As expected, we'll need a lot of help from the Pangolins here."
As soon as Vasen said so, Margo, the Pangolin, appeared from behind them.
“Oh, of course. Ask us anything as you have helped free us.”
Vasen replied, “We are not Rakshasas. Even when our technology was not as advanced as it is now like the Rakshasas, we didn’t act like them. If we need anything, we will pay the proper price and trade for it.”
Vasen thought Margo would naturally agree to his words. But Margo responded differently.
“No. We are in great debt for you have granted us freedom and saved Katuru. Besides, you are an important guest. And…um…above all…”
“Above all?”
Margo seemed to think for a moment and then said, “I have something to show you, so please follow me.”
Vasen and Theone followed Margo. Margo led them to the basement of the small temple that the Pangolins built.
“I didn’t know there would be a basement as well. It must have taken more time to make a space like this than simply stacking rocks.”
“No, that’s not true.”
“Then what?”
“This underground space was here before we even settled on this land.”
“Oh, then…”
“It’s an ancient ruin.”
However, it wasn't the kind of ancient ruin that Vasen had hoped for, which was one that would please the gods of the Pantheon. The staircase leading downward wasn't too long, and the place they had arrived at wasn't very spacious.
“We didn’t think this space was very important, but the Rakshassa wanted to keep it hidden. That’s why they wanted to build a small temple on top and seal the space off.”
“How come?”
“Oh, well, at first we couldn’t understand either, but now I think we do.”
There were drawings on the walls of the underground ancient ruin. Margo illuminated the drawings in order with a torch and explained.
"These paintings portrayed events from the past and the future. I think it starts here, showing the gods leaving while mortals remain on the land. The mortals fall into decline and lose all their knowledge."
"Hm."
"Then comes the important part. These figures represent us, and we are sat on by the Rakshasas and Ashurada. They are conquering us."
In Vasen's view, the drawings were so simplified that one couldn’t really make out Pangolins or Rakshasas at all. The figure referred to as Ashurada simply looked like a big lizard. However, he didn't bother to point that out.
‘There’s no way that old knowledge would have remained anyway, so isn’t it just interpreted the way it’s read? If the ancients were so wise, they might have intended for it to be interpreted this way.’
Margo continued to say, “This part is crucial. From over there, you cross the sea, and there’s also a very large being, probably the god called Night Sky you say you believe, and a white spider comes out from their hand. Here, this is Mr. Hillove.”
“Oh, it really does seem that way.”
This time, Vasen, who had been listening halfheartedly, was also bewildered, as there really was a white spider drawn on the wall. Although it was a simplified image, the only thing with a round body and eight legs that Vasen knew of was a spider. Afterward, the story continued to show the spider defeating the Rakshasas and Ashurada, thus saving the Pangolins.
When the story ended, Vasen said, “So…are you saying we’re the army sent by gods that appear in this prophecy?”
“Yes.”
"And it was predetermined that Hillove would help you?”
"Yes...!"
Margo continued to say with excitement, "At first, it didn't occur to us because it was an old story. After the Rakshasas sealed this cave, we almost forgot about it too. But when I saw Mr. Hillove, I immediately recognized that you were the beings from the promises of the old stories. And that you would undoubtedly defeat the Rakshasas and Ashurada and save us all."
Vasen was somewhat bewildered.
'Was this also a divine arrangement by Night Sky?'
***
Vasen wasn't the only one who was bewildered.
Crampus asked Sung-Woon, "Did you know?"
Sung-Woon nodded.
“Eldar mentioned that savior transcriptions were quite common.”
Eldar explained, “That’s right. If you think about it, savior transcriptions were common even on Earth. For example, in the Bible, it foretells the world's destruction, but it also mentions the second coming of Jesus. Buddhism has a similar concept too. Anyone can achieve nirvana like Buddha, so a new Buddha can emerge as well."
Crampus pointed at the white spider drawn on the wall.
“What about that?”
Sung-Woon said, “It was a simple trick. I noticed the drawings before Margo explained it to Vasen, but I only noticed the spider when inspecting the temple's interior. Seeing it, I thought we could use it. And therefore, I sent Hillove, the white spider, based on that."
“What if you had no creation that was a white spider?”
“Then I would have created a new one. Or…we could have embedded that pattern onto the existing creations and sent them instead.”
Crampus then exclaimed as if he had just come to a realization.
However, Sung-Woon had a question himself.
Interpreting the simple drawings didn't seem to pose any problems as it wasn't a methodology foreign to them. Even though the image wasn't precisely of a white spider, the story of new gods coming to save the persecuted was spread among the third continent. However, Sung-Woon couldn't help but feel uneasy because even if it hadn’t been for that particular drawing, Sung-Woon would have most likely sent his most efficient annihilator, which was Hillove.
'Additionally, this fourth continent didn't even exist until now. So far, it doesn't seem much different from the other continents. But is there some undiscovered reason that it had been hidden like the evil gods?'
For now, it was impossible to know, so Sung-Woon decided to observe the situation with the other players a little more. But of course, he would make use of the Pangolins’ story.
***
Vasen learned that Pangolins lived in various places along the northeastern coast of the Southern Continent.
“There are a few more villages.”
“And what about the other villages?”
“Oh, other species are enslaved there.”
“And the Ashurada or Rakshasas tribes dominate them?”
“Yes.”
Vans seemed to have gotten lost in his thoughts for a moment.
Then Theone asked, “Why are you asking about the other villages?”
“Because in my opinion, we might be in danger. We have defeated the nearby Rakshasas, and according to Margo, the Pangolins aren’t concerned. However, Rakshasas have regular communication networks as well as channels they use when the need arises. Moreover, the neighboring villages did undergo a surprise attack from Hillove, but there would have been some who managed to escape when we first started the battle here.”
“Hm…that’s true. Although it may not be a proper reporting system, they would come by to check the situation as a part of the process.”
“Exactly. Lucky for us, except for the neighboring village, the next village is more than a two days' journey away, and even if the runaways arrive without getting lost on the way, they won’t just send an army recklessly. We used an unfamiliar weapon that they have never seen before, and if they ran away so quickly, they wouldn't know exactly what happened here.”
“Then what do you plan on doing?”
Vasen replied, “Fortunately, the tales of this underground ancient ruin are widely known among the Pangolins. So to the Pangolins, we are the promised saviors.”
“Ah.”
"While it's unfortunate that the stories haven't spread much among the other enslaved species, it's fortunate that the Pangolins believe it as they can spread the word to other Pangolins."
It was as Vasen said.
The Rakshasas had sensed that there was something wrong in the northern region. As runaways appeared, they came to learn of the stories of Lizardmen holding sticks that made thunder-like sounds and killed all the Rakshasas. At the same time, a secret spread among the Pangolins in the northeastern region of the Ashurada tribe, stating that a legendary white spider had come to rescue the Pangolins. Hearing such stories alone created a buzz among the Pangolin society, and the slave supervisors became bewildered.
Although the Pangolins' stories were only ancient tales combined with the rumors coming from the northeastern end, it created an atmosphere of uneasiness.
Despite how absurd the story was, Akulda, the governor responsible for the northern region of the Ashurada tribe, reported it to the higher-ups and decided to send an investigative unit instead of an army for now. They opted not to form an army because the slave supervisors and soldiers had expressed uneasiness about the unusual movements of the Pangolins.
‘Even if it’s just a story, we can’t afford to let the supervision of the slaves go complacent. If something did happen in the northeastern region, it would probably just be a Pangolin rebellion. And that wouldn’t be a problem if that happened in only one or two villages. One Rakshasa warrior can deal with ten Pangolins. So although we may not know what exactly is going on, we shouldn’t act rashly.’
That was a miscalculation on the part of the northern governor, Akulda.
Vasen quickly trained the Pangolins into an army while acquiring information about the jungle and the terrain from them. And four days later, when a small reconnaissance unit of about twenty appeared, he and the Pangolins ambushed and annihilated them.
‘They are moving as I expected.’
Vasen then realized that they had more than enough time. Even if the Rakshasa realized something was wrong when the reconnaissance unit never returned, they would be hindered by the excited Pangolins if they were to prepare an army and send them.
Leading the expedition team, Hillove, and the trained Pangolin troops, Vasen recaptured the coastal villages in the northeastern region one by one. Within five days, they recaptured two villages and even discovered survivors from a wrecked expedition team's ship, who had been hiding in the area. Unfortunately, there weren’t many of them, and the ship had partially sunk, leaving almost no cargo behind.
Regardless, there was a silver lining to their situation. They encountered the fifth ship of the expedition team, the communication ship, three days earlier than initially expected. Vasen rode the communication ship back to Margo’s village and instructed them to unload all the gunpowder and guns on the ship. Then he made them hurriedly set sail for Doltan Island and told them to bring back all the sulfur and guns.
Theone asked, “Why sulfur instead of gunpowder?”
“We found a source of sulfur on the island, and we’ll make gunpowder here. If they carry only sulfur, they can transport more of it.”
“What about the guns? There aren’t too many of us here.”
“We will need more from now on.”
“How come?”
Vasen replied, “Because the Pangolins now know how to shoot guns too.”
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