Three days later, at the Claw Clan Assembly, an elder was chosen and appointed as the new chieftain. Todd's Twilight Expedition and Morgan's Blackskull Clan were also invited to the inauguration ceremony.
Upon assuming office, the new chieftain of the Claws announced his first decision: to sign a peace treaty with Twilight Town and the Blackskull Tribe. The North Island peace treaty was far more formal than Todd had imagined. A stone, polished to half a person's height and shaped like a pyramid, was inscribed with the testimonies and oaths of the gods. Finally, those who participated in the treaty had to personally carve their names into the stone with a hammer and chisel.
The new chieftain's second act was to announce the cooperation on long-distance maritime trade of seafood. Specifically, the Claw tribe would be responsible for fishing, while the Blackskull tribe would be responsible for preparing the ships. The fleet carrying seafood would stop at the Duskwood coast en route, where Duskwood Town would be responsible for converting the ships into cold storage facilities. Finally, the converted trade fleet would sail south, stopping at the Abbasid and Fatima Empires in the south, where the seafood would be sold in numerous seaports.
If the first two things went relatively smoothly, then the third thing announced by the new Claw Chieftain—returning Blackskull Island to the Blackskull tribe—caused a huge uproar throughout the tribe.
Chieftain Razor made this decision with the release of prisoners and the preservation of trade routes in mind. However, aside from a small number of wise members of the Razor Clan, the majority viewed this decision as a betrayal.
Morgan and his warriors nearly clashed with the Claw Clan over this matter, but fortunately, thanks to the suppression by Huggins' forces and the persuasion of the Claw Clan elders, a crisis that could have destroyed the entire cooperation was averted.
Having experienced this turmoil, Todd had to replan the details of the expeditionary force's return.
Ultimately, aside from the soldiers, monks, and craftsmen who originally stayed behind to establish the trading post, Haskins, Edgar, and Jerry, along with the "Inheritors" squad, will temporarily remain on North Island to mediate the conflict between the two tribes. Todd, on the other hand, will return to Twilight Town with a group of mutant soldiers to begin preparations for the conversion of the cargo ship's cold storage.
Before Todd left, Kendi, a Southerner, found him.
"What? You want to come with us?" Todd stared into Kendi's eyes, emphasizing his words, "You know that Muxi Town is the territory of the Father's Church, right? Do you know what kind of trouble a Southern heretic would cause there?"
Kendi shrugged. "It's still better than North Island. I've had enough of life here. I'm asking to travel with you and request your asylum."
Todd laughed: "Do you know what you're saying? Asking the Grand Master of the Knights of the Church to provide shelter for a southern heretic?!"
Kendi blinked. "I can prove my worth to you."
"value?"
“Lord Todd, I remember a few days ago in the council hall, when I brought up archaeology and physics, your reaction was more like that of a scholar than a church official.”
Todd paused for a moment, then said, "I am indeed interested in academic matters, but that cannot be a reason to shelter heretics."
Kendi took out several notebooks from his bag.
The man opened the notebook, which was filled with dense Arabic script, giving Todd a headache.
As Kendi flipped through his notes, he said, "Although I didn't find the legendary crystal artifact on this trip to North Island, I did find some interesting things in the Sacred Forest on Claw Island."
Having heard the term "Sacred Forest" several times, Todd couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is the 'Sacred Forest'?"
Kendi looked up at the other person, turned to a page with a picture in his notebook, and showed it to Todd.
The paper depicts a vast forest with ruins of broken walls in the very center.
Kendi said, “The ‘Holy Land’ is a sacred place for the people of the North Island. Every year, many believers of the gods of the North Island come from afar to worship here. Legend has it that the ‘Holy Land’ is the entrance to the North Island’s divine realm—Asgard. There is a group of Valkyries, the ones you saw a few days ago, who are responsible for guarding this place and ensuring that no one can get close.”
At this point, Kendi suddenly remembered something: "Lord Todd, I wonder if you have ever heard of the alien race?"
Todd was startled, then nodded.
"In the eyes of the Northern Islanders, mutants are often associated with disease and mutation, so supernatural abilities are seen as a curse from the gods. But the 'Sacred Forest' has a peculiar effect: any mutant suffering from disease, if they stay in the ruins for a few days, will mostly transform into a normal person..."
Todd grabbed Kendi's shoulder abruptly and whispered, "What did you just say?!"
Kendi, somewhat confused, repeated what he had just said.
Todd stood there, slowly lowering his arm, his mind racing.
Can the ruins transform mutants into normal humans?
If this rumor is true, then it means that the establishment of the alien army will encounter its biggest variable yet...
Kendi looked at Todd, who had a furrowed brow, and asked in confusion, "Sir, what's wrong? I haven't even gotten to the most exciting part yet."
Todd paused, then asked, "The most exciting part?"
Kendi flipped through the notebook to the last few pages, where strange skeletal patterns were drawn.
Todd examined the sketches of the skeletons closely, noting the rulers and annotations below. He looked at the man and asked, "What are these?"
“These are some fossils I unearthed near the Sacred Forest. Look at this bone; it's somewhat similar to a bird's scapula, but it's 4.3 meters long and 2.2 meters wide. And look at this leg bone; it's 7.5 meters long.” Kendi flipped through the pages, pointing to over a hundred illustrations, and excitedly said, “I compared these bones to all known animals, and not a single one matched! Moreover, these bones are incredibly ancient; I dare say they are older than any history we know!”
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