There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

Chapter 516 What is an Interstellar Superstar?

When discussing the geographical distribution of the blue hermit crab plains, one place that must be mentioned is the Hateo Plain.

The entire Blue Hermit Crab Plain is located at a mid-altitude. With moderate precipitation, it has a semi-arid to arid continental climate, which is a transitional type between desert and forest climates.

To put it simply, the soil is neither too dry nor too wet; grass can grow, but trees don't thrive. Besides water availability, another significant factor is insufficient soil fertility.

Therefore, most tribes can only live a life dependent on the weather.

The members of the Siwendian farmed and herded livestock, and could make a living by slash-and-burn agriculture.

However, the fertility of a place will eventually be depleted to the point that it can no longer support the population density. Therefore, these gentle tribes migrate regularly, spending the rest of the time moving between a few fixed pastures, except for the few months they settle down to wait for the harvest.

The main migration route is a triangular structure formed by the Hetu Mountains on the eastern coast, the Nebagatra Tropical Forest in the south, and the Corillo Mountains in the center.

What? You mean the west?

The west was the direction the Cedar Clan fled to. Leaving aside the poor mountains and treacherous waters there, the increasingly arid climate further west was their greatest enemy.

That escape left the once-arrogant and domineering Cedar Clan unable to take care of themselves. The chief was crippled and the shaman was severely demoralized. After decades of recuperation, they have shown no signs of making a comeback and have instead declined further.

Therefore, for these tribes, fleeing westward was tantamount to extinction, as they had lost any chance of dominating the world.

This embodies a simple theory of productivity based on factors such as land, population, and technology.

For a tribe to make technological breakthroughs, it needs a sufficient population to work and practice, and accumulate enough technical expertise before someone can summarize and improve upon it.

But for the population to increase, in addition to the initial base, the production of food is even more important. If good land is not occupied, the end result is the dispersal of the population, the loss of technology, and ultimately, the loss of all other people.

Admittedly, the military expansion brought about by the young and middle-aged population and the productivity improvement brought about by technological breakthroughs are a supplement and enhancement to land resources, but this is only an enhancement, and the principal-subordinate relationship cannot be ignored.

Warlike tribes like the Scorpion Yakan tribe are forced to intercept the migrating routes of the gentler tribes every year, relying on the law of the jungle to arm themselves and fill their stomachs, while remaining subservient to the Giant River tribe. This shows that the so-called gentle tribes are only gentle in name; in a real fight, it's not necessarily a matter of who is afraid of whom.

Along the way, I used Krio to learn more about the true nature of the Giant River Tribe and to study the tribe in as much detail as possible to prevent a repeat of the previous blunder.

My current direction is northward, heading straight for the area rumored to be the site of the Boxer Rebellion.

I don't mean anything by this, but according to the information I got from Creo, the actions of those unidentified attackers were exactly the same as those of the Boxers.

For example, these people would tie strips of cloth around their heads, and the vanguard warriors would carry the flag of Reverse Lightning. Wherever the flag was waved, they would charge in that direction, regardless of gender, age, status, or wealth.

For example, when these people attacked the stronghold of the Giant River Tribe, they would all shout "Lord Shaflin is with me" and attack the enemy like madmen. Some warriors would even fight naked and then boast to their companions about their "miracles".

For example, apart from using flags as their identifier, these people seem to have no clear hierarchical relationship. If they lose a battle here today, they will go to fight there tomorrow. They form groups freely, prioritize efficiency, and once they have seized food, they burn down the tribe's village and look for the next target.

When I heard him say that these tribal mobs had awakened to the "Shaflin" faith at different times and were burning, killing, and looting as if possessed by an evil god, I knew that this must have been the work of the bald man.

Besides him, who else could apply brainwashing theories so effectively? Who else could propose "equality before Shaflin"? Who else could use such persuasive rhetoric to redistribute wealth?

Fortunately, the bald man was naturally timid and knew how to hide himself. He only proclaimed among his followers that the true apostles had appeared in the west, unlike ordinary religious leaders who would jump out and claim to be "the second son of the old man" or something similar. Otherwise, he would have been captured, skinned, and stuffed with straw long ago.

Anyway, the more I listened, the more I felt that the person behind all this must be the bald man.

In the current situation, relying on the pincer movement unintentionally created by the bald man is crucial to rescuing the Brown Pool tribe. This tactic of attacking Wei to rescue Zhao has struck at the enemy's weak point, proving more effective than my previous deceptive peace negotiations.

Returning to the Giant River Tribe's Achilles' heel, it lies in the Hateo Plain north of the Tikorillo Mountains.

In the tribal language, "Corilo" refers to "the body of the giant god," hence it is called the sacred mountain. "Hateo," on the other hand, means "the giant footprint" in the tribe.

This plain is quite small compared to the surrounding land, yet a mighty river has been born on this small plain. The river's water source is partly glacial meltwater and partly flowing water from the surrounding grasslands.

As I walk across the vast Hateo Plain, I can feel the strangeness of this place.

The surrounding grasslands are at a high altitude, but a huge depression has sunk to the north of the Corillo Mountains, sloping slightly northward, like someone scooping a piece out of an ice cream with a wooden spoon. This creates a narrow strip of land where the Corillo Mountains are high in the south and gradually slope down to the northwest, where the famous "giant river" flows.

No wonder this mountain is called a giant, and the Hateo Plain is said to have footprints.

This geographical feature does indeed resemble a giant stepping out of the sea, leaving a trail of footprints on the grassland, which eventually transformed into this towering mountain.

In my judgment, the defenses of the Brownpool tribe are not a problem.

With the old hunter Ulisses defending the city walls from within and the seasoned double agent Gray secretly helping from without, as long as the Brownpool tribe's food supplies are not exhausted and their morale remains high, the besieging tribe will only suffer heavy losses in the short term.

To completely resolve this conflict, I have no choice but to find other means—such as finding the bald man and having both sides work together to fight our opponent.

The problem is, this guy is incredibly timid. Now he's doing underground missionary work with rats, leaving no trace whatsoever. I heard he's been using all the aliases I've used, Zoffy, Seven, and Jack taking turns appearing, making me almost think the Land of Light was about to launch a massive invasion of this planet.

…………

The subsequent fragmented information was all obtained by Creo from people on the roadside.

Heading north on our route, we soon passed several tribal settlements with their gates tightly locked. Their camps were quite rudimentary, but they had well-maintained wooden fences and watchtowers. As soon as we approached, guards would question our identities and whereabouts. Thanks to Creo's wit and resourcefulness, I managed to get through many of these checks.

Whenever I passed by the area around the tribal settlement, I would make a point of checking the condition of the fields along the riverbank, but what I found made me frown.

The fields along these rivers already possess exceptionally fertile soil, nourished by the silt brought in by the regular floods of the great river, far more fertile than the soil on the grasslands, which is prone to desertification. By ancient Egyptian standards, this river could have easily supported a miniature ancient civilization.

But now, on the riverbank, I only see some newly planted rice seedlings lying listlessly on the ground. At this time of year, the climate on the grassland is gradually becoming hot and dry, and crops in this condition clearly cannot survive until the autumn and winter harvest.

Seeing that I was silent with my head down, Krio came over and said in a low voice, "Many people will starve to death on the grasslands this year."

Krio told me that the timing of the toxic dust that appeared from the desert was too coincidental, and even for a tribe as large as the Great River, they could only replant some crops in the summer.

However, this replanting has continued from early summer until now, and the seeds planted have all failed to survive due to toxic soil pollution, losing the last chance to save the situation.

As I continued forward, I gradually came across some burned-down villages and scattered ruins. Due to the fighting and harassment between the two sides, some of these places were completely destroyed, some were forcibly relocated, and some were directly transformed into fortified strongholds, stubbornly holding out against the attackers and waiting for a counterattack.

It seems that the Giant River tribe is planning a scorched-earth policy.

This vast, uninhabited area is the formidable obstacle we must overcome to continue our journey. Only by traversing it can I reach the land that flies the Reverse Lightning flag.

This process took about two days.

For the next two days, I will travel during the day and tie up Cleo at night to prevent him from ambushing or escaping. Not only have I been unable to sleep well for the past two days, but Cleo is also trembling with fear of being secretly killed by me, so he stays up all night with his eyes open and dares not close them.

Finally, as I approached my destination, I decided to let him go back.

If we go any further, we'll be in the territory of the Giant River Tribe's enemies, which could very well be my territory. This guy is practically useless now; he can no longer be used to cover my identity.

During the two days I held him captive, Cleo's dark circles under his eyes were almost like those of a time management master, and his body visibly thinned out from fear. His gaunt figure and terrified eyes made me feel a little sorry for him.

After all, I'm not some kind of demon, and there's no need for me to do something like discarding someone after they've served their purpose. So I let Cleo go back, and before he left, I advised him to treat his horse better and not to let such a careless mistake of losing his beloved horse happen again.

At the same time, I also gained a deep understanding of the importance of character traits.

This "cowardly" nature of Creo makes him subservient to the enemy, not daring to have any thought of resistance. If he were to accidentally recruit me into his ranks, he would probably be the most loyal surrenderer.

So no matter what, old habits die hard. Even if he hides himself well and even becomes a cavalry messenger, he can't change the fact that he's a coward at heart.

This is similar to Qin Hui stepping forward to issue a statement, urging everyone not to focus solely on his framing of Yue Fei, but also to acknowledge Yue Fei's contributions during the Northern Expedition.

Anyone with eyes to see would stand up and criticize him: "Your greatest contribution to the Northern Expedition was not persecuting Yue Fei!"

If I have the chance, I will definitely use the colonizer system's cheat code to carefully select good subordinates, prioritize quality, and be selective rather than compromise on quality.

The fact that an ordinary person like the bald man could achieve success is less due to his personal efforts and the publication of a book called "Mein Kampf," and more due to the toxic knowledge in his head that is spreading its influence with a strange, infectious power.

The Bodhisattva Namo Gatling of Borneo seems eager to descend upon this land.

Aside from this special case, the most reliable person under my command is none other than Eton!

Eaton possesses the purple "commander" trait, a natural-born combat commander and battlefield artist, constantly unleashing his creativity. Since joining my side, he has rapidly transformed into a true general, integrating recruitment, training, combat, and logistics. It's only a matter of time before he leads the Independent Regiment to victory in the Battle of Ping'angrad.

Thinking about this, I suddenly remembered something else.

Even Zhang Jiao, who had been secretly plotting a rebellion for many years, needed the help of two "Oudoudou" and the obedience of thirty-six chieftains, rather than relying on the invincible Yellow Sky Thousand Mile Transmission.

Since the bald man started this rebellion on his own, he certainly couldn't directly manage and command so many men. Therefore, he must have reliable messengers and close associates to relay orders and organize gatherings for preaching. If I just infiltrate the largest stronghold and find out who has the most copies of the "Shaflin Bible," I can easily find the bald man's location!

With this in mind, I continued my journey alone towards the edge of the desert. Halfway there, I encountered a tribe that was also seeking survival due to famine. I wore a similar headband and pretended to be a warrior from a small tribe who had come to seek refuge, saying that I wanted to go to the nearest settlement.

So I blended in with them and followed them to a vagrant settlement, where we waited for the flag bearer to appear.

The next day, the flag-bearer appeared in the camp, selecting the necessary manpower from the crowd, claiming that he was going to attack another stronghold of the Giant River tribe and distribute the food inside to everyone.

After stating his purpose, this boorish man stammered out a string of nonsensical scriptures, which elicited cheers from the displaced people present. I couldn't help but marvel at how easily people in this place could be fooled. It seemed like anything said with "Shafulin" in it could elicit cheers.

Perhaps to resonate with everyone, he also looked to the future, assuring everyone that after the victory, every family would have cattle, sheep, land, and an inexhaustible granary full of grain. He said that he would eat a bowl and then throw another bowl on the ground!

He claimed that Lord Shafulin had said these things himself, and I could pretend I didn't hear anything about how to increase the number of calves and sheep, how to increase the number of eggs laid by chickens and ducks, or how to discipline children. But the slogan he interspersed, "If the front wheel doesn't turn, the back wheel will; if God doesn't give us a way to survive, we'll do it ourselves!" was definitely not said by Shafulin!

This was clearly said by Mr. Park Seung-il from South Korea!

At this moment, I really wish that Shaflin was just an interjection, and that he had some strange verbal tic! What if there really is "that great one" in the universe, and these words accidentally reached his ears? Would he blow up this planet with an M87 ray?

He certainly doesn't want to be this interstellar superstar who has insightful opinions on everything from political debates to the birth of cattle and sheep!

Thanks to my superb conversation skills, I easily found out the bald man's whereabouts from this big-mouthed liar.

It's said the bald man is preparing to meet with guests from outer space to garner aid from interstellar allies. They're currently staying in Silvergrail, so I've decided to travel day and night to capture this bastard who slandered Lord Shaflin!

Chapter 517 The Terror Among the Stars

Yingelaer is an extremely open outpost, and I suspect it was once a space launch base for some civilization on the planet.

This location features a near-desert climate, flat terrain, sparse population, and little rainfall throughout the year, providing consistently sunny weather suitable for launches. However, the more important basis for this assessment is the still intact aerospace infrastructure and the near-Earth orbit spacecraft that has just broken through the clouds.

The aircraft was Y-shaped, with barbed wings maintaining its balance, and its tail was spewing out streams of indigo energy as it rapidly ascended and sped away.

Back in the city of Shining City, my father and I rode in one of these "Leap" class spaceships, used for loading cargo and transporting people.

It actually has the ability to fly in space, but its endurance is relatively weak. The small cabin can only accommodate a maximum of 3 people, making long-distance travel neither comfortable nor spacious. Its only advantage is its strong maneuverability, which can effectively evade missile interception.

This "Leap" class transport ship has clearly been modified, with the addition of two laser cannons and a prominent belly bomb bay, specifically enhancing its combat capabilities.

Those who can travel in such a spaceship must be quite important figures.

The truly ordinary people and the one-off aerospace assault team all launch into space in pods with no return—like me.

Cough cough, I feel offended.

Higher up, I could see a spaceship parked outside the atmosphere, opening its belly hatch to receive this returning aircraft.

It's truly spectacular.

Compared to these extraterrestrial visitors traversing space, the mundane lives of ordinary people on Earth are truly insignificant. It's no wonder that in the ecology of cosmic civilization, there is a saying: "Below space, all are ants; without entering interstellar space, they will eventually turn to dust."

This spaceship is about to embark on a new journey.

Will their next destination be the vast ocean of stars? Or a desolate gas giant? Or a bustling stargate space station? Or the desolate End Cluster? It truly leaves much to the imagination…

Wait a minute... a spaceship?!

"Wait for me! Take me away now!"

Suddenly realizing what had happened, I rushed towards the giant spaceship that had disappeared into the sky, only to find that it had vanished into space, leaving behind only a faint wisp of white smoke in the sky as proof that it had ever existed.