This unprecedented method of reproduction sent chills down my spine, and now I know what it means.

Thinking about this, I had some bold ideas in my mind. Those Haru people who haven't shown up for so many years and are staying inside cultivating those mushrooms with such confidence probably have a bigger plan.

If we broaden our thinking, could it be that these phenomena haven't appeared yet because they're waiting for the right opportunity?

Or rather, their plan may have already reached a critical juncture without our knowledge.

A bold hypothesis came to mind: what if these unassuming mushrooms had already spread all around us?

If they collect enough Protoplast spores and then disperse them with the help of the wind, what kind of consequences will that cause!

Countless Protoplasts might sprout in our area within a few days. Their explosive growth rate is so fast that even termites can't keep up with their reproduction speed.

I can almost see those ancient, strange creatures from the Pebble Age beckoning to me.

If the atmospheric composition of this world is damaged in the short term, it will be an irreversible and all-encompassing catastrophe for all living things, including Haru.

Even now, I still don't understand why those Haru people, who aren't exactly stupid, are so determined to spread that dangerous stuff everywhere.

Is it really just to expand their territory and make their group stronger? It seems that this is the only reason that can explain this seemingly unsolvable problem.

However, my intuition tells me that there's something vaguely off about this.

The stone house I discovered earlier was clearly more important to Haru than those mushrooms.

They rushed over to stop us despite the risk of destroying the mushrooms; there must be a deeper problem at play here.

Unfortunately, we were forced to leave due to circumstances. Otherwise, we might have discovered more clues after opening that stone slab.

But there's no point in thinking about it anymore; running away was the best option back then.

If we were besieged and captured by those Haru, the information we found on our bodies would be lost forever, and we wouldn't be sitting here discussing this issue with everyone right now.

Fortunately, I managed to copy everything on that stone tablet inside, so I can't say I gained nothing this time.

Then I recounted how I found the stone tablet in the stone house. I then took out my notebook from my backpack, opened it to the page with hieroglyphs, and handed it to the chief.

"Chief, have you ever seen this before? This is what we copied from that stone tablet."

The chief took the notebook from my hand. Because the firelight in the cave was dim, the chief even took out a flashlight and waved it in the air to turn it on, using the more stable light source to carefully examine what I had brought.

But this time, the leader frowned and stared at it for a long time, his face showing only confusion and bewilderment.

It seems my hopes are about to be dashed. And it makes sense, since Dante and the others have never heard the tribe mention this or have any related records. It's understandable that the chief doesn't know about it.

After a long while, the leader finally spoke in a murmur.

“These drawings are so strange, we’ve never seen anything like them before, but…”

At this point, the leader seemed to fall into deep thought again.

Upon hearing the leader's words, I was overjoyed and quickly asked a question.

"Chief, have you remembered something? Don't rush, think slowly, and it would be best if you could be more detailed."

The leader nodded, his expression solemn, clearly lost in deep thought.

After a long pause, the leader spoke with certainty.

“I remember now. I haven’t seen any of the pictures you drew, but I have seen the praying mantis you drew in one place.”

"Chief, where have I seen you before?"

I clenched my fist and quickly pressed for more information.

"Yes, on the stone wall of the Asaida tribe. They also painted a stone wall like ours."

Moreover, they had been dealing with Haru for much longer than we have; our stone walls were drawn under the direction of that deity.

We told you before that our ancestors drew this themselves, entirely because we were afraid you might have any other thoughts about the deity Asedar. At that time, we also considered you our god, so we kept this information hidden.”

At this point, the leader showed his apology to me.

This kind-hearted middle-aged man looked like a child who had done something wrong, with his head bowed low, waiting for his parents' punishment.

I smiled, put my arm around the leader's shoulder, and said reassuringly.

“Friends, don’t worry about these details. I don’t mind them. Actually, I’ve had a feeling for a long time that these paintings weren’t done by you.”

"Ah! You already knew, then how come..." the leader said in surprise.

I gestured to stop the leader from continuing and instead began to explain.

"These paintings are different from some ancient murals. The biggest problem is that they use scale diagrams and some knowledge products that should not belong to your era."

Moreover, the logic and order of those drawings are mostly very clear. Not only can I understand them, but you should also be able to understand quite a few of them.

I don't know who this mysterious deity from the Asada tribe you're talking about is, but I'm certain that the person who could accurately leave information for future generations on such a large rock face must be incredibly powerful.

"How powerful could he be? Could he possibly be more powerful than you, sir?"

At this moment, Dante interjected inappropriately.

"Probably not. After all, apart from their individual combat prowess, the Asaida tribe wouldn't have as many strange and unusual weapons and equipment as we do."

As she spoke, Su Su picked up a flashlight I had made and waved it around, looking quite proud. The little girl was a bit unconvinced; how could the gods of her own tribe be inferior to those of other tribes?

I gave a wry smile. Su Su and Dante have really become my biggest fans. They don't acknowledge at all that others are better than me.

I don't intend to delve any further into this matter; instead, I turned to the leader and asked him a question.

"Were the paintings on the stone walls of the Asaida tribe also commissioned by that deity you mentioned?"

This time, the leader shook his head and then said,

"No, that's not it. Some parts were there a long time ago, and some were added by their gods based on the previous murals."

I've seen those murals before, but the older ones are much harder to understand. Unlike those murals painted by adults, they're not as easy to comprehend.

And I remember the mantis symbol you drew in your notebook; it also appears on some older murals.”