Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 451 - 416: Shark vs Shark

The night slowly descends.

Even after a whole day of ritual dancing, these Araucan clan’s aboriginals felt not tired but increasingly excited!

They formed a large semicircle by the sea, centered around the totem pillar.

Only the young and strong males of each family were qualified to remain within the circle, which was a special seat for the warriors.

As the moon rose, the most important moment of the ritual ceremony had arrived.

Yawu——!

Yawu——!

During the ritual ceremony attended by all the tribe members, everyone, regardless of gender or age, let out primitive and wild shouts like huddled animals.

The sound lingered for a long time, collectively welcoming the most honored and powerful member of the tribe.

Sha..sha..sha..

Bare feet on the fine sand by the sea.

Chieftain Manguenke wore a pair of animal hide shorts, draped in a white traditional woven robe.

Accompanied by an elderly and a young Shaman Wizard, both wearing crowns of blue parrot feathers and colorful ritual robes, he walked through the gathered crowd all the way to the imposing totem pillar.

When the burly chieftain raised both hands high to signal, the shouting below finally ceased.

"Tribe members, I am your chieftain, Manguenke.

I promise you: in the future, we will have endless food to eat, endless good wine to drink, endless clothes to wear...our children will grow up safe and sound...no one will bully us anymore...

Please remember this moment; it is the starting point of the revival of the Araucan clan!"

The chieftain’s invigorating voice was like thunder, clearly reaching the ears of every clan member.

The surrounding members of the Araucan clan blushed with excitement because of his words, their fiery gazes at the chieftain seemed ready to burst into flames.

If support could be directly quantified, Manguenke’s value would have already exploded!

Everyone yearns for a better life, especially those who live in the lower echelons of the New Continent’s ecological chain. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Now, they were about to welcome the first Tier 3 Totem Warrior of the tribe, marking a true opportunity for rise, how could they not be excited?

Moreover, it was achieved at the cost of half of the young and strong males in the tribe!

The tribe members had already started to call out the chieftain’s name in unison.

"Manguenke!"

"Manguenke!"

"..."

Surrounded by the enthusiasm of the tribe members, the chieftain, bearing the heavy responsibility of tribal revival, was high-spirited, feeling like he was akin to a true god.

Wishing that the next moment he could reappear before them in a Tier 3 stance!

The beliefs of the Atrean people are based on the theory that all things have spirits, including nature worship, totem worship, and ancestor worship.

The three aspects are ranked progressively in their hearts.

However, totem worship brings them real and undeniable power, which is the fundamental reason they can survive long-term on this perilous continent!

The essence of the totems worshipped by various tribes is the "Spirit of Nature" widely existing in the mountains, water, grass, and trees of the New Continent, a mighty natural spirit born between heaven and earth.

Although they lack even the status of a demigod, they possess transcendental power beyond all spirit bodies, including evil spirits, thanks to their deep-rooted connection with this land.

Manifested as totems through faith, they become stronger also due to faith.

Like the extraordinary, since everything has a spirit, naturally, there are also ranks among the natural spirits.

As a nomadic tribe, the Araucan clan was small and weak in the past, and their totem "Great Sea Shark Oveg" was certainly not a powerful natural spirit.

Its true form was a giant great white shark with six eyes, wielding dual powers of wind and water, but in terms of power and status in the Atrean pantheon.

It was far inferior to "Spirit of the Giant Bear" Gleam and "Eagle Spirit" Avanca, jointly worshipped by major tribes or even several major tribes.

Compared to those beings possibly only second to demigods, Oveg’s essence is actually only Tier 3.

Yet, for these mortals, the Great Sea Shark Oveg appeared no different from other powerful natural spirits, all being irresistible existences.

"Chieftain, the ceremony should commence."

Glancing at the position of the moon in the sky, the elder Shaman Wizard reminded Manguenke.

Then.

He painted two pairs of eyes on Manguenke’s cheeks, from top to bottom, in parallel, consistent with the image of the Great Sea Shark Oveg on the totem pillar.

Then he crowned his head with a tall blue feather crown, sticking straight up, resembling a shark’s dorsal fin from a distance.

Teng——

The two Shamans then added jasmine essential oil, coca leaves, tobacco, and specially-made potions to the bonfire, aiding them in opening the communication channel with the Great Sea Shark Oveg.

What was then thrown into the flames... were the bloody scalps.

Dong dong! Dong! Dong!...

As smoke rose, the two Shamans hugged waist-high drums made from hollowed tree trunks, "Tebonaster", continuously beating the python skin drum head.

Dancing a primitive and flamboyant ritual dance, the bells around their waists continuously ringing.

Their voices sang high praise to the Great Sea Shark Oveg, the ethereal and uplifting song echoing far away.

Reverberating between the sky and ocean, besides the crackling of the bonfire, there was no other noise.

Surrounded by them, on that seemingly ancient totem pillar handed down for countless years, a water-colored brilliance quietly rose.

The Great Sea Shark Oveg responded to their call!

Then, the green smoke emerging from the fire seemed to contain countless human faces, absorbed into the totem pillar by the sea breeze without missing a trace.

The entire ceremony was sacred yet sinister.

In the next moment.

As if connected by electricity, Manguenke shuddered slightly, feeling his spirit enter a vast and boundless world, connecting with a powerful and aggressive existence.

It was a massive shark over a hundred meters long, with six blood-red eyes like a beast, constantly floating in the void.

On this natural spirit, a band of blue and blood-colored spiritual light extended like an umbilical cord, linking the man and shark together.

"Ah! Praise you, Oveg!"

Feeling that overwhelming power, Manguenke’s face was overjoyed, constantly extolling the Totem God.

And on his external body, the once abstract totem engravings began to become vividly lifelike at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It even seemed to transcend the boundaries of two and three dimensions, slowly moving across his skin.

All the spectators, especially those warriors in the best seats, watched this miraculous scene with fervor, unwilling to miss even a single detail.

Today, it is the great chieftain who becomes an Extraordinary Tier 3, what about tomorrow?

Everyone hopes that the next lucky one will be themselves!

However.

They failed to notice that all the sentries placed around the temporary camp had already fallen silent.

And a group of fully armed Kingdom soldiers, under the command of the lower-ranking officers, had silently surrounded them.

As a hunting tribe, the Araucan Clan had no fixed settlement, but the chosen sacrificial site was not too far from the Ilya Town where they had last struck.

Especially since there was a large bay surrounded by land on three sides here, providing them with excellent conditions for their rituals.

The original intent was to allow the warriors to return immediately upon fulfilling the prerequisites, but it also made it convenient for Aiven and his group.

Although they were a step behind the aboriginals and couldn’t intercept them midway, they managed to arrive just in time before the ceremony concluded.

However, when they were still ten kilometers away.

Wilde’s squirrel already could only screech in panic and refused to guide them further, only Fleck in his bear-skin state could subdue the animals’ fear of a higher existence.

But by that time, they no longer needed their scent tracking.

With the reconnaissance network in place, Aiven had already observed the aboriginals’ preliminary ceremonial preparations.

In this world, no matter the purpose of the ceremony, to the enemy, it was akin to a factory producing weapons of mass destruction, always being the top target for a strike.

Continuously urging the soldiers to speed up their forced march.

And now.

When Aiven saw the changing totem engravings on Manguenke, standing beneath the totem pillar.

Having thoroughly studied the profession of the Totem Warrior, he instantly realized the function of this ceremony.

Although rituals differ for various Natural Spirits, the changes corresponding to the Totem Warrior remained consistent.

First, it transforms from abstract to concrete, and then re-simplifies, when it finally becomes only a few symbolic symbols, it signifies the completion of the ascension ceremony.

So there was little time left, Aiven’s face changed, and without allowing the soldiers a moment’s breath, he decisively ordered:

"Gary and I will be responsible for the frontal assault, Milan and Roddy will provide support, Wilde and Mike will find sniping points to eliminate key targets.

Fleck, you join the main force and focus on clearing out the enemy’s warriors."

"Understood!"

Aiven gave a heavy wave of his hand.

"Action!"

A flock of seagulls swooped down first.

Pop! Pop! Pop!...

A few glass test tubes shattered at the upwind position, releasing minuscule spores that scattered in the wind.

[Laughing Spores]

Shortly after.

Achoo——

Someone in the outer crowd suddenly sneezed.

Drawing reproachful looks from their clan members around them, how could such an inappropriate action occur on this solemn occasion? What if it angers the Totem God?

However, in the next moment.

"Hehehe..."

A low suppressed laughter arose within the crowd.

Instantly, it caught the attention of the elder shaman on the altar, who turned to see who was so unruly, planning to give them a harsh lesson after the ceremony ended.

Just as the thought crossed his mind.

"Ahahahaha..."

No longer able to hold back the laughter burst out, and this time it was no longer just one person, but one after another.

"Ahahahaha..."

"Ahahahaha..."

In just a few short seconds, all the clansmen participating in the ritual were laughing to the point of toppling over.

Before the elder shaman could realize what happened.

Bam! Bam! Bam!....

Innumerable gun flames flashed in the darkness behind them, deadly lead bullets blossoming into blood flowers amidst the specially reserved seats where only the robust young warriors stood.

Simultaneously.

Clang! Clang!

Two lead bullets had halted in front of them, blocked by a water-colored light barrier released by the totem pillar, saving the two shamans’ lives.

These two paused bullets bore peculiar patterns along their edges, traces left as they rapidly traversed the rifled gun barrels.

In the era of front-loading guns, loading a rifled gun was a time-consuming and laborious task.

On the intense battlefields, there was virtually no opportunity to fire a second shot, only suitable for specific occasions or specialized operations on this continent.

This is why the main armies still primarily used smoothbore guns.

Only when breech-loading guns were simultaneously developed, would there usher in the golden era of rifled guns.

Although the two divine archers missed their first shot.

In the darkness, aggressive slogans erupted.

"Invincible in battle!"

"Kill——!"

Amidst the thunderous shouting, like a tidal wave, the multicolored "sharks" rushed madly towards the Araucan Clan, who also worshiped the "Shark."