Finding the Witch
Finding the Witch
When Gezer mentioned the witch, it struck a chord with Hao Ren. The time the witch fell from the Pillar of Eternity coincided with the time when Baptiste was active and experimenting on the opening of Inferno on Earth. The answer to Baptiste's hell-bent attitude on getting to the second level of Inferno had to also lie with the witch. Vivian finally learned where the final resting place of the witch was; she was buried in the territory of the Fire tribe.
Hao Ren could not wait to find out everything. "How far is the Fire tribe from here?"
"They're on the other side of the grassland, at the intersection of the spirit of the earth's veins," Gezer replied in the peculiar language of the tribe. "The spirit of the mountains and the spirit of the wind gather there, where a magnificent Pillar of Eternity supports the sky. For generations, the Fire tribe has had people guarding the place."
Then he lifted his finger and pointed in a direction. "Go in that direction. It will take 66 days and nights if you travel on horseback. You will know that you have reached when there is hot wind blowing."
"We can't afford to take our sweet time." Hao Ren's brows knit together. "Gezer, do you know someone who has contact with the Fire tribe?"
"You want to go there?" Gezer's eyes widened. He looked stunned. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You can travel a thousand miles in the blink of an eye. I can guide you there; warriors of different tribes know each other well, and we have an inter-tribal covenant, which allows us to visit each other's Pillar of Eternity."
Hao Ren nodded. He tossed the MDT into the air and said, "Then, let's not delay any further. We will teleport—"
"I have to inform the elder first," Gezer said quickly. "Since we're visiting other tribes, I should tell the elder."
Hao Ren nodded. "Yes, please. Oh, wait a second. I'll go with you. I need to ask the old man if he knows about the witch."
Gotarug was still in his yurt. The highly respected and knowledgeable old man was too fragile for the cold evening wind outside. He would not leave his yurt once the light in the clouds went out. Hao Ren and Vivian's sudden visit surprised him. He quickly stopped whatever he was doing and got to his feet to greet them. Hao Ren noticed that there were many parchment-like writing materials on the table. The old book he once saw was also lay opened on the table. If he remembered it correctly, the book was about history and myths; the part of history that the aborigines of the world remembered.
Gotarug was making a copy of the sacred classics. It was his job as a tribal head because every tribe had its own holy scrolls. The elder was responsible for safeguarding the manuscripts. When the elders became old and felt that their time was about to come, they would begin to copy the knowledge on these scrolls and pass the copy to their successors. Tribal elders had the magical ability of premonition, which allowed them to predict their time of death accurately. So they were always able to finish the sacred job before they passed on to the other world.
That was how the human remnants in the incredible underground sanctuary passed down their ancient knowledge and memories from generation to generation. They had successfully passed down their ancient wisdom until today using that very method. However, it was possible that some knowledge may have been lost.
When Gezer saw the writing tools and papers, he was in awe. But he quickly conveyed what Hao Ren and Vivian had to say.
"Ahh, the witch! The witch who came a few hundred years ago..." Gotarug's mind was still active even though he was in his old age. He nodded repeatedly and said, "There are still many people who know about her. Gezer, bring the 'Seal' and give it to Bonia of the Fire tribe. And be sure to explain the situation, don't slight our goddess."
He handed a wooden ornament, which looked like a pendant, to Gezer. Hao Ren asked, "What did the witch do that people still talk about her even after hundreds of years?"
"She fell from the Pillar of Eternity, which was significant enough to be recorded in history." Gotarug nodded repeatedly. "Additionally, she brought with her many novels as well as interesting knowledge and saved the Fire tribe once. You will know when you get there."
Hao Ren left Gotarug's yurt with a little doubt as well as anticipation in his mind. He then brought Gezer along and departed the tribal settlement. They arrived at an open space and got ready to teleport. Gezer curiously asked, "How will we go there? Are we using the speedy 'magic cart?'" He was referring to Hao Ren's Northstar.
"No, this time we teleport." Hao Ren pointed at the MDT, which was floating in the air. "I have a probe heading in the direction that you've mentioned. It has found the Fire tribe. We can teleport there directly."
Gezer thought for a moment, figuring it may be another kind of miracle.
They stood inside the teleportation range as the MDT enveloped them in a halo. A sense of dizziness and distortion struck them. When everything subsided, they had already arrived at the foot of another Heaven's Pillar.
The Pillar of Eternity, which was how the tribes called it, looked no different from the other Heaven's Pillars. It supported the heavens above, and the black mountain ranges stretched out under its foot. But unlike the air in the Wind tribe's settlement, the temperature around this Pillar of Eternity was significantly higher, as though they had come to the tropics from a temperate zone. The vegetation around this Heaven's Pillar were few, and the land around the roots of the giant tree bore a strange, reddish color, giving a peculiar sense of heat.
It was the reason why the people there called themselves the Fire tribe.
Not all humans lived a migratory life on the grasslands, though all tribes still maintained a nomadic lifestyle. They had their territory, and the tribes stationed some of their tribal men at the foot of a particular Heaven's Pillar. They regarded the Heaven's Pillars as the foundation of their tribe. The Heaven's Pillar there was where the Fire tribe's "totem" was located.
The tribal customs of that world were very complicated. It took several days and nights to scratch the surface of the religion and traditions of the land. Hao Ren only learned some bare basics from Gezer, not much.
The Fire tribal village was at the foot of the Heaven's Pillar. From where they stood, they could already see the lights in the village. They arrived just in time for nightfall, and the tribal people had yet to rest for the night.
Gezer had just recovered from his dizziness due to the teleportation. He looked at the familiar scenery not far away and felt a little at lost. He only came to his senses after a while, realizing that he had completed the 66-day trip in the blink of an eye. He was rooted to the spot, and he would have stayed that way if not for Hessiana jolting him with a jab on his back.
"Don't alert too many people." Hao Ren pulled Gezer close to him and said, "We're here for the witch. Just let the tribal warriors and elder know that we're here. If it's possible, take us directly to the tomb of the witch."
Gezer nodded and quickly ran into the tribal village not far away. He was as fast as the wind, and soon, he disappeared into the darkness. Not long after, Hao Ren saw him coming back with a small group of people, including the elder of the Fire tribe. Unlike Gotarug, this elder was a strong man. He even looked stronger than the tribal warriors. Hearing news of the coming of the goddess, the elder launched himself from the doorstep of his yurt and moved in their direction. He acceleration from zero to a hundred in 70 yards only took slightly over three seconds.
After that, the process was the same; Vivian was up front. After a while of frenzy, obligatory greetings, and rites, they began to get down to their real business. Hao Ren had no time to get to know the elder and warriors of the Fire tribe. He got straight to the point, explaining his purpose for being there. Gezer pushed a little girl, who looked about 10 years, old before them and said, "This is the current saintess of the Fire tribe. Her name is Bonia; she can take you to the temple of the Pillar of Eternity."