Chapter 322: Wasteland Heritage

"Oh? An old tribal priest?"

Shulot looked at the camp with interest and saw only a shabby red crow flag and a low leader's longhouse. The rest of the place was full of traces left by migration. He looked at it for a while, then looked at Chief Red Frog beside him.

"Coca, do you know this wasteland priest?"

Koka stared, looked at the camp flag, and nodded.

"It's Kakaro of the Red Crow Tribe. He is both the priest of the wasteland heritage and the chief of the Red Crow Tribe. The crow is an intelligent divine bird, so he is also a person with wisdom and magic. Great Chief, when you go north, The Red Crow Tribe was the first to notice the danger and the first to escape!”

"The Red Crow Tribe, the first one to escape from the valley? Kakaro, Crow?"

Shulot chewed on this Nava word. In Mesoamerican culture, the crow is indeed a sacred bird that can predict death and the future.

"Since you are the chief and priest of the Red Crow Tribe, why didn't you leave with the tribe?"

"Great Chief, the tribes in the wilderness are always migrating, and those who cannot keep up with the migration will leave forever. It is the custom in the wilderness to abandon the old and the weak who have only a few days to live, regardless of whether he is a distinguished priest or chief."

Koka shook his head and said calmly.

"Actually, because he is a priest of the wasteland, Kakaro has lived longer than most people."

"Um."

Xiulote nodded. He has always been interested in the wasteland priests. The king pondered for a moment and then decided with a smile.

"Since he is a priest of the wilderness and a rare old man, let me go and meet him! Bertard, Coca, you come with me."

The warrior commander nodded. He made a warning gesture, and several personal guards, fully armed, entered the leader's longhouse to inspect. After a while, the guards came out again, returned the normal gesture, and then stood guard around the longhouse.

Only then did Shulot move. He lowered his head slightly and got into the long, low house. Sunlight penetrates through the gaps, illuminating the earthy ground. Scattered on the ground are various animal bones, wooden sculptures, and stone panel paintings. The aroma of herbs fills the room, and a gentle sniff makes people feel peaceful.

In the corner of the longhouse, there is a gray-haired priest. He was wearing priestly attire, his face was gray and old, he was sitting on the ground weakly, holding a wooden board in his hand. Looking carefully, the old priest's clothes were stained with blood, his eyes were slightly closed, and he seemed to have fallen asleep.

The king moved his eyes, looked at the sculpture of the moon and the wolf, and reached out to pick up a painting. On the small stone surface, dense graphics are carved, and in the center is a stone container with square flowing water and flames in the container. On the left and right sides of the container, there are dense flowers and fruits; above and below the container, there are extended grasses and roots. Further outside, there are human-shaped trees.

"Ahem. Dear Death Chief. This is the inheritance panel of the wasteland priest."

Kakalo spoke with difficulty. The guards had informed him of the visitor's identity.

"Oh, inheritance panel painting? Dear Priest of the Wasteland, can you explain it to me?"

Shulot smiled gently, approached the old priest, and sat down cross-legged. Bertard held the bronze sword and guarded the king. Kaka looked at the dying Kakalo with a complicated expression.

Kakalo opened his cloudy eyes and looked at the Death Chief in front of him, and was immediately surprised by how young he was.

"Ahem. Chief Death, you are so young! I have heard your name for a long time. It must be fate to meet you before I die."

Kakaro sighed softly, and then coughed again. Shulot took out a piece of cotton cloth from his arms and handed it to the old priest. The other party took it with difficulty and covered his mouth, which soon stained the cotton red.

"Ahem! Don't worry, Mother Wasteland is calling me. She is always a little anxious."

The old priest smiled hard and looked at the painting in the king's hand.

"Chief Death, I am happy to tell you about the spirit of the wasteland, and I also beg you to treat the people of the wasteland well. The tribes that migrated south did a lot of killing, but they did not kill for the sake of killing, just to survive. Survival is the eternity of all tribes in the wasteland. The pursuit is also the kindness and cruelty of the wilderness mother."

Shulot lowered his eyes slightly and did not make any answer, but just listened patiently.

"Ahem. We were born in the wilderness. We believe that all things are animistic. We love the sky and the earth, the sun and the moon. We believe in the balance and cycle of the world. The priests of the wilderness respect the way of nature and believe in the coexistence and balance of nature."

"Chief Death, please look at this painting. The side of the wilderness is the unity and derivation of all things, the coexistence of nature! The stone container symbolizes the tolerance of the earth and the restraint of nature. Even flowing water and flames can They coexist in a narrow container, and water brings life, flames bring light and heat, and the earth breeds vitality. When water, fire, and earth blend together, dense grass can grow, take deep roots, and bloom gorgeous flowers. , the fruits of harvest are grass, roots, flowers, and fruits, which are symbols of the prosperity of life.”

Having said this, Kakaro paused, trying hard to suppress the fishy smell rising in his throat. Then he continued to speak.

"When life is extremely lush, there are trees and people, as well as surrounding animals and wind. People are the beloved of Mother Earth and should live like trees, welcoming the wind, rain and sunshine from high places. Water, fire, earth, grass roots, flowers and fruits, Trees, animals, wind and people all come from the same source and coexist with each other! They all have strengths and weaknesses, so they are dependent on each other.”

Hearing this, Shulot's eyes flashed. Water, fire, earth, wind, flowers, plants, trees, animals and people. It sounds like "two are born, three are born, three are all things".

Kakaro looked into Xilot's eyes, pondered for a while, and then pointed to another panel on the pile of bones.

"Chief Death, please look at this painting."

Shulot looked up and was shocked.

I saw a huge round hollow ball nest in the middle of the painting. There is a gap in the hollow ball nest, and the inside is the shape of the combination of petals and ovary. On the inner wall of the ovary, there are human heads and bodies. The combination of these human heads and bodies formed a new canine, holding a bow and arrow and walking out of the gap in the ball nest. The old canine will return to the ball nest, integrate into the inner wall, let go of everything, and turn into scattered bodies again.

In the center of the ball nest, the newly born and the dying are talking, greeting and saying goodbye to each other. In the gap of the ball nest, the priests of the wasteland are conducting ceremonies, welcoming new life and praising death. On the outside of the ball nest, there are busy canines spending their youthful time.

"Chief Death, the side of the wilderness is the cycle of rebirth and death, the balance of nature! Mother Earth is a hollow cactus ball. She breeds new life and accepts old death. Life is in a constant cycle, He emerged from his mother's womb, young and healthy. He traveled through the wilderness, planting, hunting, reproducing, and singing. He returned to the nest where he was born, old and weak, and returned his life to the earth, his body decomposed and peaceful. Death. The spirit of the wilderness tells us that laughter is the opposite of birth, and tranquility is the opposite of death. Rebirth and death are both part of nature, the end and the starting point, and there is no need for gods to control it!"

Hearing this, Shulot looked solemn. This kind of natural thought contains the philosophy of life, but it is the enemy of theistic religion. The king looked at the old priest and said calmly.

"Dear Priest of the Wasteland, what you said is very good! I like the heritage of the wasteland very much, and I also respect the spirit of nature. However, in the entire world, including this boundless wasteland, rebirth and death must be the supreme authority of the gods and given by the gods. A gift from man! My name is Shulot, the incarnation of the god of rebirth and death!”

"Ahem!"

Kakaro coughed, a look of pain on his face. He stretched out his hand with difficulty and said to Shulot.

"Chief Death, the wasteland priests have no intention of challenging your authority. The inheritance of the wasteland can be modified, as long as it can be continued. I beg you, be merciful!"

The old priest coughed violently, and blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, unable to stop it. He was trembling all over, his hands loosened, and the wooden board he was holding rolled down and landed at the king's feet.

Shulot glanced at the wooden board, his heart beat rapidly and his pupils shrank sharply. I saw that the wooden board was engraved with a black wolf head symbolizing death, and three neat square Chinese characters: "Xulot".

Bertard followed His Highness' gaze and his expression suddenly changed. He pulled out his bronze sword, stepped forward suddenly, and held Carkaro's chest.

"Tell me! Who taught you these three words!"

"Ahem. Three words?"

"It's the wolf's head and words carved on the wooden board! Those are His Highness's emblem and real name, and they will never be known to outsiders!"

Bertard looked murderous and put a bronze sword on Carkaro's neck.

"Say it!"

"Ahem, Chief Death's real name?!"

Kakaro looked shocked. He remembered the origin of the wolf head and the words, couldn't help laughing hoarsely, and even forgot to cough.

"That's it! That's it! Haha!"

"Are you using witchcraft to spy on His Highness?!"

Bertard clenched the bronze sword angrily and almost killed Carkaro on the spot.

"Bertard, let him finish."

Shulot's heart was filled with ups and downs, but his face was as calm as a flat lake. The warrior commander then let go of his hand and stepped back slightly.

Kakaro's wrinkles trembled and he showed a strange smile. He stretched out his hand and pointed at Shulot, but his body was facing the east.

"Haha! Life is a rotating circle, and many destinies intersect in the circle! The shadow of death comes from the south, but it actually contains the hope of life, but it is not known to mortals. The hardships and challenges are in the east, that is The difficult journey is also the node of destiny! Alan, the soul you have been looking for is in the place you try to stay away from, and you are destined to be unable to see it!"

After saying these mysterious words, the old priest coughed violently again. Then, he suddenly fell to the ground, with a large glob of blood flowing from his mouth. Soon, his body trembled twice for the last time, and under the horrified eyes of everyone, he became completely motionless.

The two Chichimec paintings mentioned in this chapter are placed in the Easter Egg Chapter and will be available to see after the review is completed.