Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 719 - 663: Current Situation of the Tribe
The solitary peak at the center was called Alcalon by Sarei and the other Ancient Human Clans, which in the old tribal language meant "great grace." It was a tall stone peak that at least on the dark side where the ancient humans dwelled, was made of stone. A large slab of rock buried deep underground separated the soil and life from it. This was the only barren area in Sahazaan, which somewhat surprised Lyle.
Rock definitely played the role of a tragic character in this land of life. In the jungle, there were countless giant trees as tall as two-story buildings, while slabs of stone one meter wide were rare. The life force in Sahazaan could crush most dead matter. It was normal for sprouts breaking through the soil to push up the stone slabs above them, and tender branches would leave marks on rocks like pythons strangling their prey. The underbrush of the jungle squeezed stone slabs out of the ground, or ground them into gravel to mix into the soil to serve as a stable foundation for root systems. For the most part, the stones of Sahazaan were as pliable as soft eggs.
That’s why Lyle was amazed that such a huge and striking stone peak managed to stand unaffected, even though its other half was already covered in lush grass. The stone slab at the bottom of the soil layer rose half a meter above the ground level. This area had been artificially carved out, a wide space as big as a small playground. On the side near the mountain was a series of steep steps leading upward to tiered platforms. Compared to the broad flat area, the steep stairs seemed unnecessary and dangerous. One could see with the naked eye that the ancient humans climbed and leaped upon the stairs, grasping the protruding spurs of rock. Every leap would ascend five or six meters, and descending was much easier, simply jumping straight down, plummeting from one level to the next. Their thick skin was enough to withstand the impact, causing only a slight acceleration in blood flow.
It had to be said, this was a great place. Here, if you slept, you wouldn’t have to worry about waking up in the morning with your hands and feet entangled in vines, or worse, being suffocated in your sleep on the very first day. When Lyle climbed onto the stone platform, he found some seeds that had hooked onto his robe germinating, with the longest shoots already winding halfway around his waist before becoming Nia’s food. Here, the life force was savage and brutal, and even the producers at the bottom of the food chain didn’t mind swapping roles for once.
When the Alcalon climbed the steps, the battling giants stopped fighting and turned their attention, as one, to the Black Dragon, seemingly contemplating when to strike, while the Black Dragon also silently bared a ferocious grin, remaining still. This standoff lasted a minute before the ancient humans turned their gazes away and went back to what they were doing. From start to finish, Lyle had not drawn any attention, perhaps because he was too small; any brief glance that swept over his body moved away swiftly.
The first level of the platform was mostly occupied by young men learning to fight. They were full of vigor but not entitled to participate in hunting, not even at Mikael’s level. Occasionally, when their fathers or older brothers dragged home prey, these younger giants would swarm like sharks drawn to the scent of blood, bearing their elders’ punches and kicks while tearing into others’ catch.
The tribe tacitly approved of this behavior. These little sharks couldn’t take much from the real hunters, but it could stimulate their ferocity. The Warriors’ Council, carrying food almost as big as themselves, climbed up the stone steps toward the second platform, their home. The second layer was densely packed with large tents, colorful like mushrooms growing in the cracks of rocks, with mostly bone structures for frames. Once the food reached home, it was cut and cured by family and friends, as untreated food wouldn’t last till the next morning.
It was here that Lyle saw Skeleton Gate, the Spirit Summoning Studies portal that served as an elevator between the floors, designated for transporting large game for the tribe’s hunting parties. This relief washed over Lyle, who feared climbing to higher levels.
The tents on the third level were much fewer; this layer housed the tribe’s leaders, the knowledgeable Shamans, and clerics (namely the Black Dragon Priests). On the edge of the platform, there was also the most rudimentary of handcrafting, where tribe members processed the bones and leather of their prey into weapons and armor.
The bone structures were most prevalent here. Lyle noticed the bone totems he had designed, shining as they certainly hadn’t thought to pay him royalties. Andrey’s culture of bone within Sahazaan’s wilds was prevailing, the combination of death and life just right. Lyle spotted three familiar tiny figures; they crouched beside a pile of a female giant’s bones, making excited calls like cats in heat.
"This femur... This tibia... These sturdy horns..."
"Lich, lich, lich, lich..."
Lyle dashed forward and gave a slap to the head that was rubbing its jawbone on the giant femur, knocking it down.
"Who? Plague Doctor boss, I just knew you wouldn’t miss out on these goodies."
Flexibility spread his arms wide in a welcoming gesture, nodding as he continued to stuff bones into his storage bag with undiminished speed. Shiny fell to the floor, his head tumbling off.
"Goodies?" Lyle reached out to touch the skeletons in front of them. "Mutated bone..." This was probably the payment that the ancient human clans gave to the liches for inviting them to construct dwellings here. They used the bones of their prey as payment. The behemoths of Sahazaan were the crystals of vitality, and their deaths were equally precious. The White Bone Forest was a place where the liches cultivated and mutated valuable materials, which were now so common they littered the streets, even better in quality—naturally better than artificial ones.
Shiny finally clambered back, his flesh disguise glowed in his eyes with excitement, dancing with joy.
"Boss, with so many materials, our ultimate goal for the Necromancer Figure Club, the Necro-Gundam, will definitely be completed smoothly. Maybe we could even add some extra organs, a thousand hands and a hundred heads, multiple legs and ten tails."
"We could also mass-produce the Necro-Gundam, making Spirit Summoning Studies the number one subject in Andrey in no time, and then we’ll start by flattening Andrey itself."
The three liches, like thieves who had snuck into a treasure vault, fantasized about their vulgar future, their voices too loud, drawing the attention of the female giant nearby. She was an ancient human female clad in a tiger skin dress, with brownish shoulder-length hair. A magnified version of an unsophisticated young girl, her nose smeared with soot, freckled face, and a round face with a touch of baby fat. Holding a dagger in her palm, she was trying hard to scrape the minced remnants from the leather. The movement was not very skilled, obviously, like Lyle, she hadn’t been here long.
The young girl’s mind wasn’t filled with much experience or lessons; she was full of curiosity about the little people around her. She glanced down at the busy women around her, dimples appearing on her somewhat plump cheeks.
Shiny’s shoulder was prodded, and he turned around to find a smooth tibia poking at his face, the overly strong force pushing him to the ground. The girl holding the bone panicked; she moved her "walking stick," with the protruding end of the bone hooking behind Shiny’s head, trying to pull him back up but fearing she might hurt this tiny doll-like figure. Lyle watched those bright eyes and was certain Shiny had been mistaken for a toy or a pet.
Shiny accepted the help from the older girl, propped himself up on his bones, and pretended to touch his forehead in a show of gratitude.
"Thank you, kiddo, and your bone."
"You’re the kiddo," the pouting girl pushed him back down, pressing the shinbone in her hand onto his body. She turned her head to look at the remaining three, holding extra bones in her hands, her eyes gleaming. She paused for a moment, extended her arm forward, and shook the bones in her hand as if teasing a puppy.
"Do you want them too?" her voice was still childish but loud enough.
Flexibility glanced at Lyle, stretched out his arm to grasp the other end of the bone, hopped lightly on his feet, then curtsied with his knees bent, almost touching his forehead to the ground. "Thank you, lovely lady."
Flexibility’s response elicited laughter from the older girl, her freckled cheeks flushing like sesame seeds on a hot pan. Her eyes shifted to look at the angry doll beside the smiling one.
Manipulation crossed his arms and looked up at the big fellow.
"I’m not interested in your house-play games, girl, and don’t expect to impress me with these common trinkets."
Manipulation’s slightly mocking tone did not enrage the girl, her smile faded, and she fell into thought. Then, as if she had an idea, she got up and left, her swinging hair creating a gust with the scent of salt.
When she came back, a smile as bright as the sun shone on her face, beautiful, but the three Liches were staring straight at her chest, at the perfect and enormous Tyrannosaurus skull there, far more perfect than the assorted bones. Lyle could even see the spirits dwelling in that skull, and so could the Liches.
Manipulation pounced, wrapping himself around her thigh like hugging a tree and screeching like a fledgling, "Mine, mine, mine..."
The other two were not to be outdone, the three Liches screeched around her, and her laughter rang out even clearer.
Yes, that’s how the Andrey were, as long as there was profit to be made, they could play crazy and dumb towards any creature, behaving like a charming, tongue-lolling pet, even if the object of their fawning could only be their great-great-grandchild by age.
Only Lyle was left. The tall girl turned her hopeful gaze toward Lyle, but she did not wait for Lyle’s move. Possibly her sister or her mother, a giantess, grabbed her palm and dragged her away, along with the Tyrannosaurus skull.
"No!!!"
"My beloved!! Don’t take her away!!!"
The three Liches dropped to the ground, crying out hoarsely.
The Ancient Human Clans gathered their gear and moved to one side, clearing a path.
Lyle saw a towering giant approaching and beside him, a slender Black Dragon Priest.
Lyle kicked Shiny twice, "Get up, or roll aside."
"The boss has arrived."
