Chapter 107: Ancestor
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
"KYYAAAAAAAAA!!"
When they were soaring through the sky, Baiyi's ears were almost deafened by the two loud ear-splitting screams. Even though he had already laboriously cast a layer of shield enveloping the two of them, giving them the freedom to shriek and not swallowing a stomach full of air, the two girls were still strongly overcome with fear and did not dare to open their eyes to look at the scene.
... But somehow, it feels quite nice having these two soft warm bodies hugging me tightly... Baiyi sighed in contentment. As a matter of fact, he kind of wished the feeling would last for a while longer. Without any further hesitation, nor any sense of embarrassment, he cast a Levitation Spell and slowed down the speed of them falling towards the ground. Rubbing the head of the two girls gently, he coaxed, "Have a look!"
Mia had her eyes shut tightly and her face was buried against Baiyi's chest. The moment she heard his words, she could no longer hear the harsh wind blowing by her ears anymore. Curious, she tentatively opened one eye first and looked at her feet, "E-Eh? W-What happened? Wow, this is so beautiful!"
When Tisdale heard Mia's comment, she quickly opened her eyes as well, "Ah, so it looks like this behind the cliff?"
At that point, the three of them were floating in the air as they descended slowly. From their positions, they had a commanding view of everything on the ground. What laid in front of their eyes was a land shaped like a wide annular basin. Lush green color spreaded out everywhere in the basin, with its surrounding cliffs and mountains capped with snows that never melted all the year round, and right in the middle, a pearl-like lake was situated directly in the heart of the basin. From the sky, the lake that was shimmering and sparkling under the sunlight looked as beautiful as a gem.
Snow, greens, lakes, those three of God's creation were harmoniously standing with each other, forming a beautiful picture that no artist could ever paint. That was where the only city of the Alpine Barbarians lay, Harrogath, the capital of the mountains that perfectly blended in with the natural surrounding.
"Actually, there's an active volcano below it," Baiyi gestured towards the lake, "But, it has long been inactive so it can't erupt now. Instead, it continues to exude heat, melting the snow on those snow-capped mountains so that it flows down and gather here to form this beautiful lake. It is also for this reason that this land was able to maintain and enjoy spring all year round."
As Baiyi was explaining the view, a man's shriek abruptly pierced through the air. Turning his head around, he saw Xillians, like a cannonball, soared past him in a high speed towards the little lake down below. At first, Baiyi wanted to cast a Levitation Spell on him but with the two delicate soft bodies in both of his arms, he had no extra hand to cast a spell on him. All he could do was watch as Xillians plunged headfirst into the calm small lake, creating a ripple that splashed across the shore…
Soon, he was followed by the chaplain, the fighter and also the three Zhang brothers, who all flew past Baiyi one after another, as they plummeted into the pearl-like lake. By the time Baiyi slowly landed on the ground by the shore, they had just managed to reach the shore, violently coughing and gasping for air as they climbed up hastily.
"Huh huh huh huh... H-He is... t-tooo... rough..." Spitting out water non stop, Xillians gasped for air as he complained.
"Well, at least his aim is pretty accurate," Baiyi said, amused. He released the two girls and allowed them to go forward to help the rest of the team. Using his Mana, he proceeded to dry the water from their clothes.
"Wow... It's really beautiful over here... B-But, it would be even more beautiful if we could come up here in a more normal way." After taking in the view of the surrounding, Xillians, who finally managed to catch his breath, exclaimed.
"How come th' juice o' thaes lake is hot?" Big Brother Zhang asked a question that nobody else seemed to have noticed.
Still, nobody bothered to answer his question at all. Instead, the chaplain interjected suddenly, "Erm, hello? Can anybody help me please? I think I'm going to be eaten alive soon!"
All of them turned back to look at him at his remark.
... W-Wait. Is that a fish on his head? A big and fat one, too!
The fish was upside down in the air, its mouth engulfing the chaplain's entire head that it appeared to be swallowing him. Its tail was flapping relentlessly in the air, making 'pata pata pata' sounds that added a somewhat comical effect to the whole ordeal.
"Oh, that's an Alpine Largemouth bass. Although it has a really big mouth, it has no teeth at all," Baiyi briefly introduced the fish to them. Casually, he threw a tiny fireball at the fish's body and as soon as it felt the pain, the fish released its bite immediately, dropping down to the ground while it continued to struggle and flapped its tail.
"It's quite hard to capture this fish but the meat is very delicious. You guys can try it later," Baiyi announced as he walked towards the fish and with his metal fist, he slammed down on the fish's head without any hesitation, knocking it unconscious. With both hands, he lifted up the fish and added again, "Alright, guys, let's go! Our barbarian friends are still waiting for us!"
Then, moving half a step to the side, he revealed the Mama Goat who had appeared out of nowhere and was standing behind them at that moment. It looked like she was there to guide them to wherever they should go.
Nonchalantly, Baiyi threw the fish that he was holding in his arms at the directions of the Mama Goat. Seemingly in sync, she lowered her head down and used her horn to catch the fish, stabbing it with the sharp tip of her horn. With the fish now firmly secured on her horn, she began to show them the way.
When they got close to the cliff, they were surprised to discover that the cliff was full of caves of all sizes, with many massive figures walking around carrying out their daily activities. When the people saw the rescue team--- odd, tiny, ugly people--- who were walking towards them, they stopped and stared at them with a surprised and puzzled look.
Directly below of the cliff, Huskar stood waiting for them and the moment he saw Mama Goat holding a big fish on top of her head, a look of amazement flashed across his face. Hurriedly, he took the fish off her horn and threw it indifferently to a young barbarian boy standing by his side, "Look! Our friends from a distant land have brought us a sweet plump fish! This is a good sign! Tell your mother to make a pot of delicious stew!"
Happily hugging the fish in his arms, the boy ran away in delight. Huskar turned his head towards Baiyi, "Welcome to Harrogath! Follow me please, the ancestors are waiting for you!" Then, without waiting for Baiyi's reply, he turned around and walked towards the caves.
Without wasting any time, Baiyi quickly followed him and when the rest of the team made their way to follow as well, Mama Goat swiftly jumped in front of them, blocking them from continuing forward.
"Just wait for me right here," Baiyi announced without so much as a glance back.
Along the path that was dug out on top of the cliffs, the two of them climbed their way up gradually, passing by all of the caves. They slowly came to flat land that was situated in the middle of the steep cliff, where it was covered with a thin layer of white snow. Right in the middle of the flat land was a column that was 16-feet tall and it was painted with multiple colorful lines, making it appeared to be like an ordinary totem pole.
Had Baiyi not exchanged his memory with the Caveman, he would have probably thought that the gaudy pillar was merely placed there as ornaments. Courteously, he bowed deeply towards the totem pole before moving past it in a solemn manner.
Yes, the pillar was indeed the ancestors of the Alpine Barbarians, or the Tribal Gods, as commonly known among human beings. Although the title might not be entirely accurate, but all in all, it was how the ancestors communicated with the rest of the tribe. One could even go as far as to regard the pillar as the incarnation of the Alpine Barbarians' ancestors itself.
As he moved past the pillar, he could feel a faint sense of power that emanated off it. Concurrently, there was also a rush of special yet familiar feeling that Baiyi could not describe at all. Suddenly, a bizzare idea formed in his mind.
... W-Wait a minute, this colorful totem pole is actually a passageway for a specific realm?
This specific realm's passageway is really unique! It only allows a soul and consciousness to pass through it. I suppose, it could be that the realm that it leads to is actually the resting place of the Alpine Barbarians' ancestors? I remember the Caveman had said before that every Alpine Barbarian will return to the ancestors after they die. Ah, it has never crossed my mind that this is how they actually return to them... Baiyi said in the Void.
"A realm that only allows the admission of a soul and consciousness?" The Archmage joined in the conversation, "Even though it was theoretically possible for such realms to exist, this is actually my first time seeing it in person!"
"The power of the Divine Warriors are derived from their ancestor so this must mean that the ancestors can pass on their power to their descendants through this totem pole? All the way from a specific realm to a real-life realm? Wow, this is really remarkable... There's no record of this in the Door of the Conundrum at all!" The Scholar, who also had the most profound knowledge among all of the Voidwalkers, exclaimed in amazement.
Perhaps, there may be some special Laws regarding it. Laws that even we do not understand. We, Voidwalkers, are not omniscient after all... Baiyi concluded. At the same time, in the realm of reality, he lifted up his right arm and extended it towards the totem pole, "Well, shall we give it a try?"
The instant his palm touched the totem pole, a fluctuating quaint sound suddenly sounded in his head, exactly the same as how the Voidwalkers communicated with each other.
"Welcome, powerful and noble soul."
Baiyi was taken aback the moment he heard that. Immediately, he inquired the other Walkers about it and it turned out that nobody else other than him could hear the voice. It looked like the ancestor's voice could not break past the barrier between realms and was talking to only his sense of self that was currently in the realm of reality.
In short order, Baiyi replied, "Good afternoon, noble ancestor."
"We feel a familiar trace on your body... The trace of Buvlizad. Is he with you now?" The ancestor asked.
"I'm merely his proxy. He's now being imprisoned in a very special place and I'm trying to save him with all my might," Baiyi replied truthfully.
"A special place? Is that the endless Void that exists outside of realms?" The Ancestor unexpectedly asked such a peculiar question. The question stunned Baiyi for a moment, it was the first time his real identity was seen through by another person.
What a mysterious presence the barbarians' ancestors were...
"Do not be surprised, powerful soul. We can feel the tremendous power in you. A power that even we have to respectfully look up to. Yet, we know that currently the power is not in your present body but in a place that existed outside of realms. It is very similar to our situation," the Ancestors briefly explained, "Tell us, what is your purpose of coming here?"
"I need your help," Baiyi replied straightforwardly, at the same time, he relayed the current situation to the rest of the Walkers.
At once, the Void that was silent a moment ago suddenly erupted in excitement.