Raising all of humanity: Starting with a backyard pool world

Chapter 73 [Blood Sacrifice Spear]

After the baptism of blood and fire, the rebuilt human villages were no longer filled with cries of agony.

Under Terra's unified command, a more purposeful busyness replaced the chaos.

Deeply suppressed by grief, they silently moved the charred timber and filled the destroyed walls with mud.

Everyone knew in their hearts that the decision had been made at last night's campfire meeting.

I will no longer be just a member of my tribe, but a cornerstone of a certain path.

The guide for the path of craftsmanship was quickly identified.

"Mason." Terra's voice rang out in the clanging construction site area.

Mason stopped hammering scrap metal, straightened up, and sweat streamed down his face, which was covered in charcoal ash.

"From today onwards, you are the leader of the 'Forge Seekers'." Terra walked up to him. "Choose the people you need, and the Horde will fulfill all your requests."

Mason didn't speak, but nodded heavily.

He spent the entire day selecting his team and found some of the most patient young men in the tribe.

They can spend an entire afternoon just to smooth out a single splinter.

They also selected several craftsmen with a natural sensitivity to structure and balance, who could always build the most stable supports with the least amount of materials.

He also recruited ten of the most composed hunters into his team, who would be responsible for the safety of this long journey.

After providing a general direction for the dwarven city-state, the dwarf Balin made an important decision.

"I'll go with you," he said to Mason, who had come to say goodbye, in the evening. "I can't complete the exploration of the main city by myself; I need help. Besides, without my introduction, you won't even be able to get your hands on the gates of the dwarven city-state."

Bahrain's words were blunt, but Mason sensed the goodwill in them.

Before leaving, the dwarf handed a forging hammer to Mason.

It was a forging hammer with no runes and an ancient design.

The hammerhead is made of high-quality steel and has a substantial weight; the handle is made of a hard wood with a smooth and warm surface from years of use.

"This... Master, is too precious." Mason wanted to refuse.

"Take it." Balin handed it over generously. "My hammer is only given to true craftsmen; you can consider returning it to me when you can forge something that satisfies me."

This is the final recognition from a proud race of the identity of an artisan from a newly emerging civilization.

This group, known as the "Forge Seekers," had a very clear goal: to head west in search of the legendary dwarven city-state and learn systematic forging and architecture.

The formation of the eastward-bound team was much quieter.

Because of mental exhaustion, Lia was still very weak and mostly leaned on Anya's side.

But her eyes were bright, and she would unconsciously look at the carefully wrapped stone slabs.

"The Fire Keepers" is the name Anya gave to this team.

They chose neither strong warriors nor clever craftsmen.

Instead, they were the young people in the tribe with the best memories, the most meticulous, and even some who were not sociable.

Anya took out several pieces of stone fragments with intricate symbols drawn on them, showed them to the candidates for a moment, and then asked them to repeat what they had seen.

Some people forget quickly, while others can draw every detail flawlessly.

Ultimately, seven young people, including several women, were selected.

They will become the first "scholars" of human civilization.

Their first task was not to go out.

Instead, they systematically studied, copied, and analyzed all the stone slabs brought back from the Eastern ruins in the safest tent in the camp.

They tried to reproduce more basic symbols in order to find the patterns of that magical power.

Terra gave them maximum support.

"I will send a small team of the best hunters to you," Terra said to Anya. "Once Lia's power has stabilized, they will escort you to the vicinity of the Eastern Ruins to establish an outpost there and prepare for the next stage of excavation."

Anya looked at the girl beside her, who sometimes fell into a deep sleep due to mental instability, and nodded.

This path of knowledge is perhaps the longest and most fragile of the three.

The tribe's military power was unified and handed over to one person.

"Kahn." Terra looked at the man whose body was wrapped in bandages, yet he still stood ramrod straight.

"From this day forward, you are the tribe's 'Spear Bearer,' the sole war leader." Terra's appointment was concise and clear.

Kahn led all the surviving hunters and warriors, responsible for protecting the camp and hunting within the newly designated safe zone in Bahrain, as well as providing backup food for the two teams about to set out.

He accepted the appointment and bowed to Terra, the tribe's nominal supreme leader, with the salute befitting a warrior.

During the day, he meticulously carried out Terra's orders.

He would patrol the outposts, assign hunting tasks, and even go to Mason's artisan quarter to request the forging of more lethal weapons.

On the surface, he seemed like a completely different person.

Night falls.

In the most remote corner of the village, the corpses of orcs lay piled up, yet to be disposed of.

Kahn secretly gathered a dozen young people who had lost loved ones in battle and whose hearts were filled with hatred and courage.

Their eyes burned with the flames of revenge.

Without a word, Kahn planted the totem spear he had seized from the orc captain heavily into the ground in front of them.

The ferocious totems carved on the spear exuded an eerie aura under the moonlight.

Kahn drew his sword and slashed open his palm.

Blood dripped down the blade, soaking the base of the totem spear.

"This is our shame." Kahn's voice was hoarse, with a metallic quality to it.

"They used this to pray for power, and then they slaughtered our loved ones."

"Now, we too will use it, with our blood, with the blood of our enemies, to nurture something that belongs only to us."

He looked at the young and enthusiastic faces in front of him.

"Our god has no name yet. But it will remember every drop of blood we shed, every ounce of hatred in our hearts. It will stand behind us in battle!"

The dozen or so young people remained silent and stepped forward one by one.

They followed Kahn's example, cutting open their palms and smearing their hot blood onto the orc totem.

A primitive and bloody sacrifice was quietly carried out in a corner unknown to anyone.

Kahn is trying to forge a warrior's fanatical "battle spirit".

This is the deepest nail that will be planted in the future division within the tribe.

Early morning at the entrance of the rebuilt village.

The thin mist had not yet dissipated.

The surviving members of the tribe gathered here to see off the "Forge Seekers" team that was about to embark on their journey.

There weren't many words, just tight hugs.

Anya distributed the prepared food and water to each team member, giving them careful instructions.

Terra stood at the very front of the crowd.

Kahn also arrived behind him, standing silently in the shadows.

A tribe, with three de facto leaders, standing together at this moment.

Mason walked to the front of the line, turned around and took a deep look at the place where he lived and at those familiar faces.

Finally, he turned to Bahrain.

"Master, let's set off."

The dwarf nodded and strode toward the western horizon.

Mason and his team of twenty followed closely behind.

Their figures gradually blurred in the morning mist, eventually disappearing beneath the outline of the rolling mountains.

One tribe, three paths—thus, they officially diverged.

The spark of human civilization began to spread in three completely different directions.