Chapter 824 Homeland
The sudden descent of the battles.h.i.+p from the sky and the loud explosion that came from the tribe resulted in all the hunters who left not too long ago rus.h.i.+ng back. Their eyes were glued on the mountain like flying beasts before them.
All the hunters hurriedly returned to the tribe, and although the members of the tribe were still trembling in fear, there were no casualties. Only then did the anxious hearts of the hunters ease up as they asked around to find out what had happened.
Duki looked around, and his heart immediately sank. He could not find the figure of his good friend Roseau among the crowd. He anxiously went around to ask the different members of his tribe.
“Those individuals said a few words to Roseau before taking him away. Before leaving, he asked us not to be afraid and said that they did not come with ill intentions…”
“In which direction did they go?” Duki was enraged. He could not be bothered with what Roseau had said and only knew that his good friend had been taken away by a bunch of aliens. He could not sit around and do nothing.
The villager pointed in a direction. The members of the army did not return to the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p but walked into the forest instead.
Duki raised his weapon and charged in that direction without saying another word. The hunters beside him shouted for him to stop, but he ignored them completely and only thought about saving his friend from the hands of those beasts.
Upon witnessing such a scene, the hunting captain immediately followed behind Duki, afraid that Duki would meet with some danger.
The gigantic elves weaved through the jungle nimbly, and Duki could recognize the footprints on the ground. After running for a while, he finally caught up to the members of the army.
All the players were currently swinging their weapons to clear out a piece of land. They were preparing to form a mini stronghold.
According to their mission requirements and the orders of the army, they were to come meet the natives and set up a stronghold near the tribe for future communication.
“Hmm? A life form is approaching.” Frenzied Sword waved his blade to slice down a tree, and his radar detected the presence of Duki.
Duki was currently squatting in the bushes, completely unaware that his whereabouts had already been exposed. He looked around and observed the ‘beasts’ who were clad in metal. He immediately spotted Roseau, who was currently surrounded, and his face broke out with a smile.
“Ha!” The next moment, Duki pounced into the air and landed not too far away from Roseau.
He then charged forward and aimed his spear at the lower body of the metal beast to launch a one hit ko attack.
Pa!
His wooden spear snapped into two instantly.
The member of the army gently sent out a kick, afraid that he may kill the native and fail the mission.
However, in Duki’s eyes, this kick was fast to the point he could not react. He raised his s.h.i.+eld to block the kick, and an irresistible force smashed down on his s.h.i.+eld.
Boom!
The wooden s.h.i.+eld exploded and was shattered into wooden splinters.
Duki’s body was sent flying a few meters away, and a sharp pain could be felt in his arms. His chest had a dull aching pain, and he could not help but vomit out a stomach full of gastric juices. He lay flat on the ground and could not get up, staring at the attacker with a look of fear and disbelief.
“Don’t kill him! He’s my friend!” Roseau cried out and looked toward Duki. “What are you here for‽”
“Cough cough… I am here to save you,” Duki said with a weak voice. He was only an ordinary being but had been kicked by a Grade C warrior. The only reason he was alive was because the other party had only used one percent of his strength.
“Sigh… I don’t need you to save me. They didn’t come with ill intentions and are my friends. Hurry up and leave.”
Roseau then helplessly pleaded toward the warriors of the army. In that short period of time, he had already found out about the general situation. Although there were many words that he did not understand, it did not stop him from understanding that the other party did not have any ill intentions.
Upon hearing Roseau persuade him to return, Duki, who was on the ground, raised his head and saw Roseau talking to the unknown beings in some strange language. Roseau was not in any danger at all and did not need any saving.
Roseau received a reply and said with joy, “I have pleaded on your behalf, and they have agreed to let you go. Hurry up and return to the tribe. I am doing fine, and you just need to wait for news from me. Please do not make any rash moves again.”
“Let me go…” Duki repeated those words again, and he looked at Roseau with a complicated expression. It was as though he had a new understanding of this good friend of his who had never been welcomed since a young age.
A sense of defeat rose in his heart, and Duki clenched his fists tightly.
At this moment, the hunting captain finally arrived, and he looked at the members of the army warily. Upon seeing Duki lying on the ground, he was extremely surprised. Roseau then hurriedly called out to him and explained the situation. The hunting captain then supported Duki, who had temporarily lost the ability to move, and left.
Roseau looked at their departures and heaved a sigh of relief.
…
Many different troops landed from the sky and came into contact with the tribes scattered all around the planet. The gigantic battles.h.i.+p that descended from the sky was like the descent of a celestial being to the Pangurus Giant Elves.
The silence in their lives had been disturbed, and all the natives looked at the descending aliens with fear and wariness.
The members of the army set up a stronghold beside the tribes and chose one or a few representatives from each tribe. These representatives were taught how to use the translating device so that the army could communicate with them.
At the same time, Han Xiao did not let the others remain idle and sent out the mining squad to the various resource rich locations. They began to construct a new base and started their mining operations.
Large patches of forests were uprooted and replaced with cold metal.
With a large amount of manpower under his charge, Han Xiao did not need to take action personally. He only needed to command the operation from the flags.h.i.+p and was extremely idle.
“Your Excellency Black Star, you discovered a resource rich planet that has rare materials?”
Senico from the dynasty was overjoyed when he received the piece of news.
At this moment, the majority of the forces were still exploring the first Star Zone, and the majority of the resource rich planets that they had found only contained ordinary resources. There were extremely few planets that had a value of over six billion Enas.
Planet Pangurus was the most valuable planet that they had discovered in the first Star Zone to date.
“Yes, I have already updated the information of the planet in the database. There are natives living on the planet, and my men are keeping in contact with them,” Han Xiao said.
Senico thought for a moment before saying, “I see. The mining operation for the planet shall be handed over to you then. I will send a team over to help you.”
According to the rules, Han Xiao would be able to temporarily enjoy mining rights to a planet that the Black Star Army discovered.
But if the planet was discovered by the dynasty’s forces, the allies of the dynasty would have limited rights over the planet. Thus, the only way to maximize their benefits would be to mine a planet that they discovered. Senico’s troops were both his comrades and compet.i.tion.
After chatting for a while, Han Xiao hung up and opened the interface. A few notifications popped up from the Flickering World Main Storyline Mission. His discovery of a resource rich planet and native civilization awarded him with quite a few Exploration Points.
The players who followed him to Planet Pangurus were the ones who got the greatest rewards among the players.
On the forums, the players who explored the different planets began to show off their own Exploration Points. However, they were extremely envious of the Exploration Points that the players on Planet Pangurus got.
“We can earn the most from following our Army Commander.”
“Sigh… what a pity. Most of the slots to follow Black Star have been given to the large guilds. I didn’t manage to s.n.a.t.c.h the remaining slots because I was too ugly.”
Although the players went to explore the various planets, they could still communicate with each other through the forums and share information with each other.
Of the players that Han Xiao had taken along with him, a large number of them were players from the various clubs, and many professional players were included.
Closing the interface, Han Xiao looked at the dots of light on the map that indicated the presence of his troops and asked, “How is their contact with the natives going? Did anyone fight back?”
Aurora shook her head and said, “There are more than ten thousand tribes on the planet, and the population of the Pangurus Giant Elf race is about ten million. Our warriors used scare tactics to instill fear in them, and thus, we don’t have any injuries temporarily. Er… there seem to be some accidental deaths, but the numbers wouldn’t exceed a hundred.”
Han Xiao replied with a nod. The natives of this planet were still at the elementary stage, and their population was small. Under a hundred deaths on their first contact was still within an acceptable range.
“Let the ground troops console those tribes and slowly educate them. This is only the first day, and it will be a long process. Tell our men not to be eager for success. Even if the natives fight back, they won’t cause much harm to us. Try not to deal with them using violence.”
Even if no one fought back currently, it did not mean that no one would in the future. The natives had not understood just what they were facing. One day, some of them would fight back because of their love for the land.
Thankfully, the natives were far too weak, and their retaliation would be meaningless. This was also their saving grace.
Han Xiao knew that there were a few native civilizations who could barely reach the level of a Star System in the Renault Star Cl.u.s.ter, and it was far more difficult to deal with them. If the Bloodshed Land met those civilizations, they would have to suffer for a period.
It would take far too long to educate a bunch of natives. This was a job that would take a few decades or even centuries. Han Xiao naturally would not remain on a single planet for such a long time. He was only setting the foundation and would hand over the job of educating the natives to the dynasty when they arrived. He only needed to leave behind some forces for his mining operation, and he could go and explore another planet.
…
The representatives of the tribes returned to their tribes with the goodwill of the Black Star Army and conveyed the message that the Black Star Army had no intention of harming them. At the same time, they brought back with them the seeds of a few different crops suitable for the climate of the planet.
With the a.s.surance of the representatives, the Pangurus Giant Elf race was no longer that fearful toward their guests from the sky. After overcoming their fear, they could not help but be curious toward these guests.
Every stronghold beside the tribe had the function of being a school. The school was opened to the natives, and because the translator had gathered enough information about the natives’ language, it was possible for them to communicate normally. There were a few bolder natives who had even attempted to study in the strongholds.
The stronghold taught them various different life skills, including farming and craftsmans.h.i.+p. They also gave out seeds and food for free, and some of the natives returned to set up their own plantation after learning from the stronghold.
Through this process, the various tribes understood the ident.i.ties of these guests who had descended from the sky. They found out about the existence of the Black Star Army and the Crimson Dynasty.
The members of the army pa.s.sed on some basic knowledge to the natives and the history of the army. The natives were not able to believe that there were such powerful organizations living in the sky, capable of easily traversing through the universe.
Everything had exceeded their knowledge, and the existence of the Black Star Army was like a miracle in their eyes.
In the Clear Stream Tribe, Roseau’s life was getting better.
After becoming the representative of the tribe to communicate with the guests from the sky, Roseau continued to learn new knowledge and brought all his knowledge back to the tribe. He was extremely talented in this regard, and the tribe began to learn new things from the Black Star Army, changing their lifestyle.
Roseau suddenly realized that the members of his tribe who had disdained him were finally treating him with respect. In his tribe, his status had exceeded the chief’s, and he became the most respected person within the tribe.
The culture of these natives had not been completely formed and did not have any concept of abandoning their own traditions. They were all immediately entranced by the new inflow of knowledge.
The most respected people in the past were the hunters who brought food back to feed the tribe. Now, the most respected ones were those who brought back knowledge from the stronghold. The seeds and food that they brought back allowed the tribe to feed themselves much more easily. The craftsmans.h.i.+p that they had obtained allowed clothes to be more comfortable and the tents to be warmer. Some of them even brought back a free weapon to the tribe called a crossbow. With this weapon, hunting became even easier.
The hunters were the warriors of the tribe, and they had the responsibility of protecting the tribe. However, these hunters were completely helpless before the members of the army, and the tribe gradually lost their reliance on the hunters. Although the hunters still received some form of respect, they were gradually being pushed to the periphery.
Duki looked at Roseau, who was being surrounded by the tribe, and had a complicated feeling in his heart.
This had once been his honor, and although he treated Roseau as his good friend, a sense of superiority had budded in his heart. He had felt that he was protecting Roseau at that time. But now, their statuses had been swapped. Roseau, who had not been popular in the tribe, was now a respected individual, and the young hunter who had been the hope of the tribe was now ignored.
Duki felt more and more depressed.
After talking to the members of his tribe, Roseau saw Duki and said with concern, “How are your injuries?”
Upon hearing Roseau’s words of concern, Duki found it to be extremely piercing for some reason.
“… I am fine,” he replied coldly and walked away.
Upon seeing Duki’s cold response, Roseau was completely puzzled. Duki had been extremely cheerful in the past and became depressed after being beaten up previously. Roseau could not understand why Duki seemed to be avoiding him.
…
On the other side, Duki walked out of the tribe and sprinted at top speed in the forest to vent his frustrations.
Feeling the wind blowing on his face, his mood immediately became better.
After running for a long while, Duki wanted to go to his own secret base. He had once happened upon a clear lake in the forest, and he liked going there to take a bath occasionally.
However, the scene stunned him upon his arrival.
The lake had disappeared, and in its place was a deep crater. A few metallic towers were beside the crater, and the members of the army were using some strange apparatus to dig up the soil.
“What are you guys doing‽”
Duki flew into a rage. He disliked these guests from the sky and was about to charge forward with his weapon in his hands. All of a sudden, a member of the army blocked him.
“The mining site is up ahead, and it isn’t open to outsiders. Please leave immediately.”
“Where is the lake over here? Where is the lake‽ What did you guys do‽” Duki roared angrily and wanted to barge his way into the mine.
Bang!
Duki was pushed down by a powerful force and clutched his stomach in pain.
“I am sorry. Please do not obstruct our mining operations. If you have any requests, you can go to the stronghold near your tribe. This place is not open to outsiders.”
“What right do you have to stop me? This is obviously a place that I discovered…”
Duki clenched his fists, and his face turned red from anger. At this moment, he saw the guests from the sky digging out a large pile of s.h.i.+ny crystal from the original position of the lake.
Upon witnessing that, he understood that this was their true intention.
Raising his head, he looked around at the trees that were chopped down and replaced with metal. Thinking back to his experiences over the past few days, he could not help but feel a sense of desolation but did not understand where it came from.
However, Duki slowly had a feeling in his heart.
All of those things should have belonged to them…
For the first time, he felt that this forest, land, and planet was their home.
…
In the flags.h.i.+p, Aurora hesitated for a moment before saying, “Uncle, is it alright for us to do this?”
Han Xiao raised his brows and asked, “What do you want to say?”
Hila, who was by the side, also looked over.
“We are actually invading the homes of the natives…” Aurora said softly.
“I know what you mean.” Han Xiao waved his hands. “However, we are educating the natives and bringing knowledge to them. This is different from just invading their homes.”
“However…” Aurora plucked up her courage. “This planet is their home, and the natives do not have the ability to protect themselves. They can only watch as their homes are being invaded by us and all their resources taken away. Aren’t we being too much of a bully?”
“They should be glad that they do not have the ability to fight back. If not, the fatalities would only increase.”
“But…”
“Sigh, you don’t need to continue.” Han Xiao interrupted Aurora and said helplessly, “Do you think that they have a choice?”
Aurora blinked and said, “Actually, we can avoid the planets with natives and explore other uninhabited planets.”
Han Xiao shook his head and looked out of the window at the universe.
“You are far too idealistic. This planet… no, when this Star Field was discovered by the three great civilizations, the destiny of all the living beings changed. They no longer have the right to develop with freedom.
“We can avoid the planets where there are natives, but when the Crimson Dynasty opens up the Flickering World to the outside world, do you think that other wolf-like civilizations will let go of them? They are destined to lose many things and let outsiders share their homeland. This is already a very good ending. The weak will never be able to achieve perfection.”
Aurora fell silent, and her heart was in turmoil. Because of her life Esper Ability, she was extremely sensitive toward the lives of others.
She empathized with the natives. Even if the Pangurus Giant Elf race still did not understand the meaning behind what was going on, she could not help but dislike the world where the strong preyed on the weak.
Hila had a calm look on her face. She was different from her sister, and she had always believed that it was a crime to be weak.
Han Xiao paused for a while before continuing. “You don’t have to think too much about this. Digging up their resources isn’t a cla.s.sy action, but you have to know that n.o.body has the obligation to aid another race in their development. The dynasty will only educate the natives because of the rich resources on the planet, and this is a kind of exchange, an exchange that the natives are unable to reject.”
In his previous life, after many years of development, Planet Pangurus had become a transit station, and the natives were split into two factions. One faction was educated by the dynasty and turned into galactic residents. They learned various technological skills and began building their own skill trees. Their civilization rapidly skipped past the primal stage. As a result, Planet Pangurus had their own cities, and the inhabitants of the planet could even travel to other planets.
The other faction rejected the education and chose to maintain their original lifestyle. They tried to put up a resistance, but it was completely useless. Thus, they decided not to come into contact with the outside world and lived deep in the mountains. They continued to live with beasts as their companions, and no one bothered them.
The Pangurus Giant Elf race was split in two because of this reason. However, there would always be some from the primal faction leaving the forests and joining the bustling cities.
“Compared to the exploration era, this is pretty good,” Feidin said from the side.
Upon hearing that, Han Xiao nodded in agreement.
The exploration of the Flickering World was similar to the exploration era. The only difference being that the three Universal Civilizations had enough strength in the universe to suppress anyone who was dissatisfied. Thus, they had the confidence to employ some warmer means.
In the exploration era, the first thought after discovering another civilization would be to exterminate the other party. War broke out all around; it was a dark time.