Old days in the box

Chapter 530: Some people still use their faith to illuminate the way forward
Hastur was kept by the old chief and became a member of the Rock People tribe.

At first, the people of the Rock People had different opinions. Since they could not recognize that this was the Primarch's cockpit, they naturally did not know that Hastur was the Son of God from the old days.

For a group that needs to be nomadic and move for a long time, bringing a child with them is undoubtedly a burden. Moreover, in such a harsh environment as Hull 1, who can guarantee that this child is not a trap sent by the enemy?
But the old patriarch insisted on keeping him, because he firmly believed that this was the child given by the great old blessing, although he did not know Hastur's true identity.

In the golden age of the past, they once owned an empire made of loess, and firmly believed that beyond the loess was an endless ocean, where lived the Old Ones who ruled the ocean and were the patron saints of all rock people.

So when the old patriarch saw Hastur being born with water, he took the child without any doubt.

Caring for a Primarch is not an easy task.

At first everyone was worried about whether such a thin child could survive the long journey of the Rock People, but they soon discovered that Hastur was not as weak as his size.

Although Hastur was not as tall and strong as his other ruler brothers due to lack of water and food, his strong genes still gave him an amazing growth rate.

The rock people are born from rock eggs, and after absorbing a small amount of water, they can grow rapidly to the size of a mortal teenager in just over ten days.

But Hastur's growth rate is not inferior to that of the children of the Rock People at all. It almost maintains the same trajectory, and he is even slightly better in intelligence and physical fitness.

The old patriarch said that this was a child given by God. Although his body was not covered with rough mud and rocks, he was undoubtedly 100% of the Rockman clan.

In the once glorious Loess Empire, the rock people were divided into different classes based on the type of rock they were made of, with the most noble of them being the crystal rock people.

Their bodies are covered with crystal clear transparent crystals that refract a terrifying glare in the sunlight, and Hastur is a descendant of these crystal people.

Hastur was born with the appearance of a mortal, but there was a golden mark surging under his skin, with extraordinary power rippling through it, sparkling in the sun, and he was indeed somewhat similar to the rock people of the crystal rock species.

The old patriarch said so, and he just listened to it. Since he was a child, he thought of himself as a rock man, which led to more questions for little Hastur.

"Father, why can't I eat rocks like other children?"

"Father, I want to go out hunting, too."

"Father, what is blood? Why don't other people bleed red when they get hurt?"

The old patriarch answered little Hastur's many questions while taking care of him as he grew up. The Rock People continued to wander over the years, constantly avoiding the searches of the Divine Realm army in the storms.

It was one thing to deal with life's problems, but it was another to deal with hiding and war.

It was even more difficult for Hastur to understand this long pursuit: it was beyond the scope of logic that he could understand.

In nature, animals hunt prey for food and to defend their territory. Even for intelligent life, they must have some purpose in mind before they will bite so tirelessly. But the Rock People wandered from the atrium and were thrown into this isolated planet by the void. They did not carry any valuables on them, let alone anything that could be targeted. These enemies did not hesitate to run to this desolate mountain and hunt them day after day. This really made Hastur difficult to understand the reason.

"Because our beliefs are different, and they don't allow us to believe in the great Lord of the Deep Sea." The old patriarch explained, "What they want is not our property or our bodies, but our spirits - either get it or destroy it."

"But it's already difficult for us to survive, why can't we do as they say? Is faith more important than life?" Hastur wondered.

"Yes, Hastur, sometimes faith is more important than life." But the old patriarch just answered with a smile, as if it was a matter of course.

The Rock People were one of the provinces peacefully annexed by R'lyeh during the Great Crusade. Their empire was built in the center of the yellow sand. They had almost no contact with any overseas civilizations and knew nothing about the geography and history of the outside world.

The reason they joined the Holy See was entirely based on their submission to the Lord of the Deep Sea, and their worship of the ocean was far earlier than any other country in the Holy See.

This belief has lasted from the heyday of the Loess Empire to the Lost Era after the Cataclysm. Even today when they are struggling, the Rock People have never changed their belief in the ocean and the Old Ones who rule the ocean.

"In the past, the world of Nerokaka was made up of desert and ocean. At the time of creation, the great Lord of the Deep Sea created us, the Rock People, with water and soil, taught our empire to rise from the center of the desert, and appointed us to govern that country of yellow sand."

"But the good times didn't last long. A cold wave invaded from outer space, intending to wipe out our paradise of yellow sand. Although the Lord of the Deep Sea sent messengers to contact us, the Yellow Sand Empire was eventually destroyed by the invaders from outer space, and we were exiled to this land of sinners."

Based on the very limited worldview of the Nile continent, the old patriarch once explained the past history to Hastur from the perspective he knew.

Although most of the details were wrong, Hastur listened carefully. This was the only way for him to gain a worldview, and he believed every word the old patriarch said.

As he grew older, young Hastur began to participate in the group's hunting activities. He began to discover his own strengths and felt the power hidden deep in his body through his own actions.

Even though he was not as thick as volcanic rock or as hard as granite, his skin could still smash boulders and resist the sharp sandstorms. He could run faster than any fox or wolf in the desert and smash their skulls cleanly before they could turn around and fight back.

He believed the old patriarch's words even more firmly, and was certain that he was a rock man with the blood of the crystal rock species, and that this mortal-like flesh and skin was just a blessing from heaven. Beneath this body, he possessed the same powerful strength as other rock men.

As a result, the content of the conversation gradually changed over time, and the object of nagging day after day became the old patriarch himself.

"Hasta, don't run so fast."

"Hasta, the storm is too strong today so don't go hunting. I'm afraid the others will lose you again."

"Hasta, next time you encounter a searching army, you must not act impulsively. Look at your injuries!"

Time continued to pass rapidly, Hastur's contribution to the community grew, and his faith in the vague old god grew stronger and stronger, until the raid occurred.

(End of this chapter)