The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 296

"Thank you, High Priest." Su Ninglong and the others bowed and then presented their gifts.

When visiting someone's home, how can you not bring some souvenirs?

The gifts weren't expensive, but they were all things that were rare in this planet's environment.

Dried mushrooms, tea leaves, preserved fruits—boxes of gifts were taken out of the spatial ring.

Shen Zhaoming and others jointly purchased a large television.

Sally said that not everyone in the tribe has a smart bracelet with internet access, and televisions are rare, mainly because people are reluctant to buy them.

Children have difficulty receiving information from the outside world.

It brings a virtual TV scene; once activated, it can project a super-large screen.

Sally took care of all the subsequent TV channel subscriptions herself, so that men, women and children in the tribe could receive information from the outside world.

As for how to select video content, that's a matter for the priests and tribal leaders.

They will not interfere in anyone's life, and some external information is not suitable for "simple" groups to know.

The priestess's expression darkened for a moment, then she said happily, "Most of the children in the clan are very resistant to going to school. With this, at least they can see a lot of written information, which will help them learn to read."

The tribe's welcome party didn't feature any special sacrificial dances, but the scene of everyone dancing in circles was lively and filled with laughter.

Su Ninglong and the others were too lazy to move. They had been somewhat tempted to join, but Sally told them that today was the clan's matchmaking day, and many young men and women from other clans had come.

If they join in the dance, it means they want to find a partner.

If the four of them were in the dance world, they would definitely be like sheep caught in a pack of wolves, with both men and women wanting to take them back.

These young men and women were very passionate and unrestrained in their relationships, frequently throwing flirtatious glances, which frightened Shen Zhaoming and the others, who hid like quails next to the priest.

Su Ninglong sighed calmly and refused the twelfth man who asked her to dance with a straight face.

Finally, it got so annoying that he just said, "Sorry, we're both underage."

Suitors: You should have said so earlier!

Then no one bothered them anymore.

Many people remarked that the group seemed quite mature for their age.

The three men, forced to "return to being minors," were left speechless with despair.

However, no one doubted their age, which can be considered an acceptance of their appearance.

Seeing that the banquet was going to last a long time, Sally approached the priest to inquire about news from the neighboring town.

“They haven’t had a good time these past few years. We’ve tried to persuade them to leave, but they have a mission to fulfill and can’t leave.”

The former priest drank a cup of tea that Su Ninglong had brought him.

Beneath the several layers of folds in her eyelids, her clear pupils appeared even brighter.

Sally: "What mission?"

"There are some things that ordinary people of the tribe cannot know." The two priests were very secretive. If the people of the tribe knew that they were restricting the tribe's reproduction and development for the sake of a promise, most of them would leave.

“Sally, would you like to become a future priestess? If you are willing to come back in fifty years and become a new generation of priestess, we can tell you.”

Sally remained silent. Having seen the wonderful world outside, it was hard for her to stay in one place for long.

“Your mission is to guard the seal, isn’t it?” Su Ninglong suddenly spoke up.

The priest looked over calmly, but his heart was churning. The two then turned to look at the younger group, making sure they hadn't noticed them.

Their reaction is enough to prove that the "mission" is such a simple thing.

Human righteousness alone cannot guarantee that future generations will stay for a long time; only responsibility and the desire to stay in their hometown can keep these people here.

"After the banquet, please invite Sally and this hunter Su to my residence," the current priest invited.

My friend: Awesome! You hit the nail on the head with just one sentence.

Su Ninglong smiled. She had a lot of information, and after combining it, it wasn't hard to guess.

If you come here completely clueless, you'll be in complete darkness, not even knowing which direction to explore from.

Unfortunately, Funi didn't participate in this investigation. She didn't want to see Assistant Sun, and she didn't want to have Assistant Sun's name added to the research data she had worked so hard on.

As the bonfire in the tribe gradually died down, the members of the opposite sex who were attracted to each other held hands and prepared to go to their "bridal chamber".

The speed of their "car ride" was so fast that Su Ninglong thought these couples had been dating for several months.

"Sally, will you always rush into relationships like this in the future?"

Sally calmly replied, "My status is the second highest in the tribe. Except for the priests, everyone must address me as the messenger. I am free to choose whether or not to marry."

"Simply put, you can make money, so not marrying is actually the most beneficial thing for the tribe." Most Greenscale people are too honest. It's not that they're not smart, but they would be loyal and useful as subordinates.

They're not quite up to the task of being bosses. Even if Sally's workshop were located in the Gemini complex, it would only be an inconspicuous little company.

Quan Wang embodies the kind of character a great entrepreneur should have.

They can be ruthless when necessary, and they try their best to keep their promises.

The rest pavilions she built, even in places where they wouldn't pose a safety hazard, were constructed using inexpensive materials; a businessman's essence is to maximize profits.

Sally is full of craftsmanship and strives for perfection in everything, so it is difficult for her to grow her business into a large and powerful enterprise.

Through Sally, one can understand that the Greenscale people are unlikely to become wealthy and powerful.

However, there are advantages as well. As long as no large-scale war occurs within the universe under the government's jurisdiction, they can live such a happy and simple life.

After the crowd completely dispersed, Su Ninglong and Shali entered the priest's room, which was filled with strange specimens.

The old priestess held a bowl full of green paste in front of them, and after leaving the crowd, she looked worried.

“We all know the seal has loosened. If it weren’t for the special nature of our race, it would be difficult to survive in this place.” The priestess sat down cross-legged, her fingers dipping into the green paste.

After getting the paste on, she reached out and gently wiped it off Sally's face.

“Apply this, and you will be a candidate for priestess,” the old priestess said. “You are not the only choice, and we will not call you back unless absolutely necessary.”

Sally knew about the priesthood lineage; it was determined by the previous priest, and whoever was chosen became the priest.

Of course, there is an unwritten rule about candidates.

However, the priest did not want to announce that he was a candidate; only Sally knew that he was a candidate.

A priest must never die before another takes over; usually, the transition to the position is done in advance to ensure the successor understands their responsibilities. The green paste gradually dried on Sally's face, and the scales turned a deeper dark green. The priest nodded. "You do indeed have the potential to be a priest."

The priest looked at Su Ninglong, "I hope what I said tonight won't get out of your clan. What guarantee can you give me?"

Su Ninglong: "I can't guarantee it, because I'm here to explore the ruins. We will record everything about the ruins truthfully. This is the way to be responsible to future generations. If there had been detailed written records of that darkest era, we wouldn't have had to risk entering the ruins and lose so many people. So-called protection is unnecessary."

The priestess was stunned. Yes, she didn't like being kept in the dark either. When the previous priestess was alive, he always seemed to want to say something but couldn't, and she thought about it every day.

The thought of it became an obsession, and he almost missed out on the position of priest.

With a soft sigh, she said, "I don't want this to reach the ears of my clan."

"Don't worry, Mother-in-law. I can guarantee that I will not tell your people what you said tonight, nor will I tell anyone around you before the mission is completed. If you violate this rule, you will be struck by lightning immediately."

The priestess and Sally remained silent, their faces full of helplessness: Think about what you said.

Something seemed off. Su Ninglong laughed first: "Sorry, I forgot. You all probably think I'm not afraid of lightning, but for us cultivators, this oath is a very serious punishment."

The priestess withdrew her suspicious gaze. "Actually, we don't know what's inside the seal, but do you know..."

The two listened intently, imagining many magnificent and epic stories, only waiting to be confirmed by the priestess.

"Our race did not exist naturally."

Su Ninglong and Sally exchanged glances, and then the priestess continued, "We are a race that was artificially cultivated."

Hahaha???

Su Ninglong blinked rapidly in shock, her left and right brain seemingly contradicting each other.

Is her medical knowledge inadequate? Or was her biology education completely ineffective?
Sally: "That's impossible. If it were artificially bred, you could see the editing in its genes."

"More than ten thousand years ago, the concept of genes didn't exist." The priestess lifted her eyelids. Weren't these two little ones supposed to be top students? How could they be so adorably silly?

Sally chuckled and scratched the back of her head, feeling a little awkward about the fact that her race wasn't born naturally.

No wonder most people's skin is black, white, or yellow, but the Greenscale people are green.

The blue, purple, and red skin of the Huafu people are actually just color tones, while the Lülin people are so green that it's hard to even find their veins.

The priestess took out a book made of animal hide. "We make a copy of the book of tradition every time a new priest is born."

Open the first page, "Our ancestors especially revered certain gods who created our race and bestowed blessings upon us, giving us a constitution that protects us from the invasion of evil spirits."

Sally's eyes widened. "Is this why so few of us Greenscale people can become Spirit Masters?"

After receiving a nod of approval from the priestess, Sally asked cautiously, "Now that I'm a spiritual practitioner, will it affect the next generation?"

"Yes, so a spiritualist can only be a single priest or marry into an outsider, but can never marry back into their own clan. Unless the next generation does not have supernatural abilities."

The text on the animal skin book comes from ancient times, and every candidate needs to study it. The priestess pushed the pages face up in front of them.

"The blessing is just an ancestral saying. All the priests throughout history know that this is the reason for the birth of our race. The book records that the stronger our Greenscale people become in our homeland, the stronger the seal will be." The priestess sighed again.

"Because spirits cannot marry back into their clans, and even if they do marry, they must leave this place, their numbers are dwindling. The universe is changing too much, and after the people of our clan have seen the outside world, they no longer care about this place."

Sally clenched her fists, her cheeks flushed, looking deeply ashamed. She herself didn't long to go home; her hometown clearly needed the Greenscale people, yet few of those who left returned.

But... but the only way to live well is to go out.

Back then, it took the combined resources of the entire clan to afford her schooling.

Over the years, she has grown to the point where she can support dozens of people on her own.

She accumulated wealth because she left her hometown.

Su Ninglong lacked this empathy and stated matter-of-factly: "The world changes, things change, you can't have your cake and eat it too. That's just how the world works."

The priestess knew, of course, that she meant no harm to Sally. She simply hoped that those of you who were developing your careers elsewhere would visit your hometown more often and offer some assistance. The inability of the tribe to prosper is partly the fault of us priests.

Not every priest of the Greenscale people is selfless.

There were those with selfish motives who almost caused the entire tribe to be displaced.

“Yes, our people don’t know how to run a business, and we don’t welcome outsiders. If it weren’t for the Song family saying they would build an experimental base here, we would really have to consider relocating.” The priestess held Sally’s hand. “Thanks to you all.”

Sally silently analyzed what Su Ninglong and the priestess had to say, and both of them made sense.

Su Ninglong is cold and rational, always acting based on the actual situation, and lacks a bit of human touch.

The priestess always considers the well-being of her people first in everything she does, but this is mixed with coercion based on kinship, and it carries a strong sense of moral superiority.

After thinking it over, Sally decided to follow her heart. Returning to her tribe was definitely out of the question; her shop, her job, and her newly bought house were not there.

Home is where your family is. You can come back occasionally to help out, but as for the rest, it's best to let things take their course.

They still had a mission, so they set aside the greater good of their tribe and went to find out what was going on.

"Grandma doesn't know what's in the ruins. Does this book contain any information about it? Even just a few words would be helpful."

The priestess remained silent for a moment, then turned to one of the pages.

Su Ninglong looked over and saw that what was drawn on it was exactly the "Bronze Gate". The lines were a bit blurry, perhaps because it was impossible to draw and could only be recorded in the book by its resemblance.

On another page, a half-open door is depicted behind which are countless eyes and arms, gripping the edge of the door and vying to rush out.

This painting is very similar to the scene "behind the door".

The priestess said, "We only have these two pictures." She stroked the words next to the pictures, "There is only one word here: 'Deserves to be executed.'"

If someone should be executed, but the person lacks the power to do so, then the only recourse is to seal them up.

The story gradually becomes clear. After many twists and turns, the story is actually very simple: people in the darkest hour work together to close the door.

Thinking that everything was fine and leaving no record was for the sake of future generations, so that those who didn't know wouldn't bother to investigate.

Human curiosity, however, does not act as expected, and they try every means to break through the sealed gate.

Fortunately, they had a backup plan, allowing loyal Greenscale people to remain and guard the seal for generations.

Yes, it's such a simple matter, the higher-ups should have already figured it out.

However, there are still many doubts.

How did Qi Shen fall into a deep sleep for so long? Was he a person from the darkest hour?

What happened to those people during their darkest hour that made them go to such great lengths to seal it away?

And what is the real reason we wanted to find out about this trip to the ruins?
Su Ninglong regretted not summoning Bai Ze to ask him before setting off; she had enough spirit stones stored up to ask him for several hours.