novelslam Chapter 67 [The Fire Thief]
Chapter 67 [The Fire Thief]
It was early morning, and the thin mist had not yet dissipated.
The tribe members gathered at the village entrance, looking at the two teams in front of them.
Kahn's hunting party was small, but every member was a skilled hunter.
Carrying the tribe's best ironware, each with a fierce look on their face, they headed straight for the western forest without saying goodbye to anyone.
On the other side, Terra's exploration team had a larger number of members.
The team included experienced hunters, craftsmen like Mason, and several young people with a particular sensitivity to plants and directions.
They had few weapons, but carried heavy packs containing tools and fire starters.
Terra walked to the front of the group and looked back at the village she had built with her own hands.
Then he turned around and started walking.
Terra led her team on their journey eastward.
The two teams went their separate ways, heading in different directions.
The fog was thick at the edge of the eastern forest.
Terra's exploration team has been on the move for ten days.
Their steps were no longer steady, and exhaustion was etched on everyone's face.
"Terra, we only have enough food for three days at most." A man in charge of logistics patted his emaciated body with a hoarse voice.
Terra stopped and looked back at the team; everyone's morale was low.
They were very cautious, avoiding the tracks of powerful wild beasts, and carefully recording the water sources and plants along the way.
But this area is too barren.
"Let's walk another half a day," Terra decided. "If we still haven't found it, we'll go back."
No one objected, and the procession continued forward.
During their journey, a sharp-eyed young man suddenly stopped, as if he had discovered something...?
He pointed to the bushes ahead and called out uncertainly, "There's something behind there..."
Terra looked in the direction the young man was pointing and could vaguely see some strange rocks beneath the bushes. The edges of the rocks showed obvious signs of being artificially cut.
Mason was the first to walk over, pulled out the skinning knife that Balin had given him, and chopped down the vines blocking his way in a few strokes.
A broken wall appeared in front of everyone.
The team members gasped and rushed over.
They hurriedly cleared away the plants, revealing the complete picture of an abandoned ruin.
The style of these ruins is completely different from the dwarf culture described in Bahrain.
The dwarf buildings are heavy and rugged, but the stone walls here are carved with smooth patterns, making the whole structure look very exquisite.
Even though most of it has collapsed, you can still see what it used to look like; it was once so magnificent.
"Where is this place?" a young man muttered to himself.
"I don't know, but it certainly wasn't left by the dwarves." Mason stroked the carvings on the stone wall, his eyes filled with fascination.
Terra waved her hand: "Go in pairs, and watch your step."
The exploration team carefully entered the ruins.
This place looks like a small outpost, or perhaps an outpost of some academy.
The wooden structure inside had long since rotted away; stepping on it would turn it to dust.
Most of the things were rotten.
"We've found something here!" a team member shouted from deep within the ruins.
The group rushed over and found that it was a relatively dry stone chamber.
In the middle of the stone chamber, there is a stone table.
On the table were several processed parchment scrolls and some stone slabs engraved with symbols.
These things were surprisingly not rotten.
Terra picked up a stone tablet with complex symbols made up of curves and geometric shapes, none of which he could understand.
"What are these? Writing?"
"I don't know, but it's beautiful," a girl named Lia in the group said softly.
Lia was very perceptive; her attention was completely drawn to the flame symbol on a stone slab.
It was a complex symbol, full of rhythm.
As night fell, the exploration team decided to spend the night in the ruins.
The campfire was lit, dispelling the chill of the forest.
People shared the meager food and discussed the day's discoveries.
"What do all this nonsense mean? Mason, can you understand it?"
Mason shook his head: "This isn't the same system as the runes of Balin. Dwarven runes are full of power, while these... are more like records of knowledge."
Lia did not participate in the discussion.
By the light of the fire, she took a piece of charcoal and unconsciously imitated the strokes of the flame symbol on a flat stone slab.
She drew again and again, completely immersed in it, forgetting everything around her.
Every turn and curve of that symbol was etched into her mind.
I carefully copied it dozens of times, and then threw away the charcoal.
She stretched out her index finger and tried to slowly "draw" the symbol in the air.
The moment the symbol was completed, Lia felt a warmth on her fingertips.
Then, with a "pop," a spark the size of a grain of rice appeared out of thin air at her fingertip, flashed briefly, and then went out.
This scene stunned the young man closest to her, who dropped the barbecue he was holding.
"What...what did you do?" he stammered.
His shouts attracted everyone's attention.
"What's wrong?" Terra asked.
"Her...her fingers...are on fire!"
All eyes were on Lia.
Lia herself was stunned. She looked at her fingers, unable to believe what had happened.
"Lia, try again." Terra's voice trembled slightly.
Everyone gathered around, and the atmosphere became tense.
Lia took a deep breath and raised her finger again.
She concentrated and redraw the symbol in the air.
This time, the process went very smoothly.
As the symbol took shape, a small flame flickered at her fingertips.
The flame lasted for a few seconds before going out.
It illuminated every shocked face around it.
This is the first flame in human history to be created by itself.
This is magic that belongs to humankind.
……
【Celestial Realm】Main Tank.
Countless translucent mycelial networks permeated the entire space, and with each pulsation, they maintained the stability of the laws governing the mortal world.
Thea's consciousness is deducing her brand-new magic system within the Heavenly Dao mycelium network.
Suddenly, a group label that she had marked as a "high-potential investment target" started flashing.
Then, a comment popped up: [Initial integration into the knowledge system has been completed, the connection has been established successfully, and the potential assessment has been upgraded to 'extremely high'].
Thea's deductions came to a halt.
Her divine sense, following that connection, was projected towards the mortal realm.
She saw the ruins covered in vines, the cheering mortals, and the girl standing in the middle of the crowd, excitedly looking at her fingertips.
Thea looked at the mortal girl who had ignited the magical spark, and a smile appeared on her lips.
She doesn't need to send down divine pronouncements to guide her, nor does she need to perform miracles to bestow blessings.
All she needed to do was spread the seeds of knowledge, the most basic Arcane Codexes, across the land.
There will always be clever "fire thieves" who will prove to her that this path is the right one.