We made fish soup for dinner, and since we had found a lot of jicama recently, Xiao Qiang and the others used the seaweed and other seafood they had picked up from the beach, along with some jicama, to make a soup that tasted very delicious.

However, this female native was clearly out of place with us. Perhaps she also knew that the conflict between us could not be resolved with just a few words.

We brought her back this time entirely out of a sense of righteousness and morality; we didn't want her to die like this.

Moreover, I could sense that this female native seemed very wary of all our actions.

Fortunately, she just sat there silently, so for a moment people didn't even notice her presence.

Xiao Qiang and the others all went to sleep on the mountain at night, while I and one of the foreigners kept watch.

The foreigner was clearly tired, leaning against a rock with his eyes closed, it was unclear whether he was resting.

On the campfire stand was our big iron pot, filled with soup. I would add some fresh water every now and then so that we could eat it right away in the morning, saving Xiao Qiang and the others the trouble of preparing it.

The local woman was holding a fishing rod that we had dried earlier. To be honest, the fish was already very fishy, ​​and it tasted even worse after being dried.

To paraphrase Chen Jian's earlier words, no one would eat such strange things unless they were facing starvation.

That dried seafood was given to her by a female colleague.

The local woman didn't refuse and took it. She ate it in small bites without making a sound. Seeing her pitiful appearance, I couldn't help but soften.

After all, we are all human beings. Although we have different positions and races, all lives deserve respect.

Xiao Qiang and the others weren't there, so it was just me and that foreigner left, which meant I was the only one who could serve the soup.

I took a clay bowl from the side, filled it with soup, walked over to the female indigenous woman, bent down and handed her the bowl.

"I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying, but have something to eat."

Upon hearing my words, the female native suddenly raised her head, and only then could I clearly see her appearance.

She has a small face with big, watery eyes. Although her skin is a bit dark, she looks very delicate and probably isn't very old.

She looked at me with great confusion before carefully taking the bowl. After taking a sip, a look of joy appeared in her eyes.

Then she looked at me and suddenly said two words: Mu Cuo.

This was a very difficult phrase to say, and at first, I didn't understand what she meant at all.

But after she finished the soup, she repeated it again in a low voice.

I looked at the local woman with a puzzled expression for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You mean your name is Mu Cuo, right?"

The female indigenous woman nodded, and I couldn't help but be a little surprised: "You can understand me?"

The female native nodded again, which surprised me even more. I never expected that this female native could understand Mandarin!

Suddenly, I felt a strong urge to communicate with her, because I had always wanted to know what the name of this deserted island was.

And why do these indigenous people attack us again and again?

Also, was the previous wildfire caused by them?

These thoughts have been swirling in my mind for a long time, and I still can't find the answer.

But now I've discovered that this female indigenous person can communicate with me, does that mean that the things that have been troubling me for so long will finally have an answer today?

I was afraid of startling the female indigenous woman, so I sat down about half a meter away from her and looked at her.

"Then let me ask you, who was that person who attacked you in the woods today?"

The female indigenous woman looked at me with a pained expression in her eyes, clearly recalling the tragic death of her companion.

Although I know that asking such a question is cruel, under these circumstances, if I cannot find out the origins of those attacking these indigenous people, I have no way to protect myself.

Therefore, from any perspective, I must clearly understand the ins and outs of this matter.

The female native was stunned for a long time before she whispered, "Those are a group of devils."

This time she spoke more words, and I finally understood that she spoke with a very strong, strange accent, like the kind of local accent that comes from some remote mountainous areas.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. These local people must have their own unique ways of communicating, but I was already surprised that he could speak this much Mandarin.

I just don't understand what "a group of devils" means.

"Then why did they attack you?"

The female indigenous woman took a deep breath after hearing my words: "For the sake of the stone!"

Now I was even more confused.

It is said that people die for wealth and birds die for food. If these people who attacked the indigenous people, whom this female indigenous person called devils, came to this deserted island with the same purpose as Xiao He and his group—to pan for gold or to dig for jade—I understand perfectly well.

But she said it was for the stone?

This place is so desolate, what kind of person would travel thousands of miles just for a stone?

While I couldn't help but wonder, I also kept guessing that perhaps this indigenous woman still couldn't express what she was thinking.

It's also possible that this stone is just a transliteration of what I heard.

I paused for a moment, then looked at her again: "Then, was the wildfire that happened in the woods a while ago something you did?"

At this point, the indigenous girl's expression, which had been one of pain, suddenly turned to one of despair. I could also tell that she was terrified, because the dried fish she was holding had broken in half without her noticing the force she had used, and had fallen onto the beach.

But the female native seemed completely oblivious. She stared at me coldly, her eyes filled with extreme fear. After a long while, she finally spoke in a trembling voice.

"That's the gods punishing you; you brought this disaster upon yourselves!"

Now I was even more confused. We've been on this deserted island for two years now, and I really can't imagine why this disaster would happen at this time. And that wildfire was so dangerous back then. If it was really a punishment, why didn't it start burning here first?

God...

There are even gods in this place?

If it's a god, why doesn't it save all living beings and instead tries to kill us?

If the gods really want to punish us, wouldn't it be easier to just send down a bolt of lightning and kill us all?

Furthermore, I don't believe that any gods truly exist in this place. So what exactly is this so-called celestial being?