Ch.9Chapter 9. Tribe (1)

Chapter 9. The Tribe (1)

“This is the Blue Moss Tribe. It’s not far from the altar that serves Malak.”

The tribe that I saw through Paya’s eyes was… well, I couldn’t honestly call it beautiful or impressive.

It resembled something like residential tents used by Native Americans. Triangular wooden frames serving as the structure were covered with the hide of some unidentifiable animal, with a thick wooden pole inserted in the center as a pillar.

It was essentially a cluster of such dwellings arranged in a circle—something like a tent village.

“Quite impressive, isn’t it? Everyone is working hard to survive.”

I could hear the pride in Paya’s voice.

– I see.

Saying something like “Why didn’t they work harder?” might make Paya cry. Better to just let it slide.

People don’t always need to live honestly, after all.

“P-Priestess! One of your eyes is glowing blue!”

“Are you alright?”

Several tribal warriors rushed anxiously toward Paya.

“I’m fine. Malak is with me right now.”

“Ah… I see!”

“Have you received divine possession?”

“Yes. I need to show Malak our tribe, so please excuse me.”

Paya nodded and left.

So the eyes of someone receiving divine possession glow blue.

Wait, one eye glowing blue?

This is totally like Sans… ah, no one would get that reference anyway.

Suppressing my comedic instincts, I observed the tribe with Paya.

The fence protecting the tribe was tightly woven, and there were spaces resembling livestock pens and fields… but to modern eyes, it just looked like a space created for a primitive era experience.

– Hmm?

There’s one unusual space. Unlike the other triangular hide tents, it’s a rectangular wooden building.

– What’s that place for?

“Oh, we built that this year. Would you like to see it?”

– Let’s do that.

As we entered the building, the distinctive smell of animals suddenly hit me. The raw, natural scent.

Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck~!

Peck-peck-peck-peck-peck-peck-peck~!

The sound of the animal I’ve eaten most frequently on Earth.

– Hmm.

Colorful birds laying eggs diligently in wooden boxes…

Wait, this is just a chicken coop.

“This is the House of Feathers. It’s a space optimized for obtaining bird meat and eggs. It was built under my direction.”

House of Feathers?

– Isn’t this a chicken coop?

“You… could see it that way. Certainly, it was inspired by the chicken coops used by civilized people.”

It’s not just inspired by a chicken coop—it literally is a chicken coop.

“…But since I made it with my own reinterpretation and consideration of the Blue Moss Tribe’s geographical characteristics, it’s not exactly a chicken coop.”

But it is a chicken coop. Why can’t you just call it that? This child is stubborn in the strangest ways.

Perhaps she understands the necessity of technology used by civilized people, but can’t easily accept it because she hates civilization. I think I understand this complex feeling.

I’ve seen many people who loudly boycott certain companies while diligently using those same companies’ products at home.

– Alright. Let’s stop looking at the House of Feathers.

Let’s just consider it confirmed that they have a means of steady nutrient supply.

“Yes, is there anything special you’d like to see?”

– I’d like to see the children. Healthy children would be even better.

It might sound strange, but my intentions are pure.

Isn’t there something called the 3B rule for guaranteed successful advertising?

Baby, Beauty, Beast.

The three elements that touch people’s hearts and appeal to most people. Naturally, they work on me too.

As you know, I needed to develop affection for this world and the tribe I must protect.

I don’t expect much in terms of beauty or beasts since this is a barbarian tribe, but I have a modest hope that the children might be growing up nicely despite these conditions.

Above all, nothing pairs better with the word “protect” than children.

I need to see the children for my own motivation.

“Children! I know a place Malak would like!”

The place Paya guided me to was located in the center of the tribe—a circular space filled with sand on the ground. Somehow reminiscent of an elementary school playground…

“Yah!”

“Hiyah!”

Wait, what?! The little kids in the playground are throwing axes at each other?!

– What on earth are they doing!

I was so surprised I used an exclamation mark in my question.

“These are children growing up to be warriors. After their coming-of-age ceremony, they will roam the mountains shouting Malak’s name.”

No, that can’t be right. Are such young children allowed to train like this?

– Isn’t this training too dangerous?

I almost said “This could be bad for growing children’s growth plates” but stopped myself. That seemed like too trivial a concern for a god to express.

“It’s not training, it’s play. They develop trust and balance by passing axes back and forth.”

How is that play by any definition? And trust—what, building a bond with the axe? Are they using Soul Weapons or something?

“Ah, the training is about to begin. Malak, please watch over these brave warrior candidates.”

The children who had thrown their axes to the ground now drew sharp bone daggers from belt-like waistbands.

“You filthy civilized person! Die!”

“I’ll cut off your head and offer it to the altar!”

“Tear you apart and kill you!”

“I’ll kill you and drink your mother’s blood!”

“Then I’ll resurrect your buried ancestors just to kill them again!”

“I’ll chop your limbs into pieces and feed them to the wolves—!”

Swoosh. Swoosh-swoosh. Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh. Swoosh-swoosh. Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh.

A sudden flurry of blades.

I nearly lost consciousness.

***

To put it bluntly, the “Let’s Get Friendly with the Blue Moss Tribe~” project was ambiguously successful at best.

I still feel a psychological distance. It’s not that I don’t understand them.

This is harsh land, and with demons potentially attacking at any moment, it makes sense to train even young children. I can understand that.

Separate from understanding, the shock was too great for someone like me who grew up suckling at the warm teat of “modern society.”

The sight of middle school-aged children glaring at each other with murderous intent while swinging knives… it’s not easy to get used to.

And the way they went wild with excitement when Paya said “Malak is watching you!”… they were the very embodiment of terrifying barbarians.

Adapting to this culture will take some time.

“—In that sense, Malak is special. Born from water, crawling on land, and ascending to the sky, your divinity differs from other Roas. You don’t rest your body in one specific place, but roam multiple locations.”

– I see.

Divine possession consumes quite a bit of mental energy, so I released it a while ago. I’ve returned to the dragon totem.

Now I’m half-mindlessly listening to Paya’s lecture.

I was the one who asked her to tell me various pieces of information since my memory is incomplete, but Paya has given me truly “miscellaneous” information.

I listened carefully at first, but after realizing most of it was useless to me, I started tuning out a bit.

Most of Paya’s talk was about how amazing I am and what it means for a Roa to descend upon this land after hundreds of years.

[Entering Community]

Click.

So my entering the community was also inevitable.

After using divine possession, I can move my hands and feet. Not the dragon totem’s hands and feet, but those in this virtual space.

It’s literally an invisible body.

Perhaps I gained a virtual body because I experienced a human form through Paya’s physical body? Just my brain’s theory.

I’ve diligently read past posts for a week, so let’s check out some recent ones.

[Skynet: I am Skynet, an artificial intelligence and supercomputer from the 23rd century.

I will answer your questions with my perfect quantum artificial brain.

Ask me anything.]

Oh, an interesting character has appeared.

A user with an AlphaGo concept? The username Skynet fits perfectly.

I checked the comments.

[NotACatfish: Another concept-obsessed person has joined. We have enough already—I wish someone normal would come.]

[LoveDeathMeow: (Watching the newbie curiously) Meow meow meow…!]

[Surviving as Paladin: Heyhey AI friend~! Don’t. Try. To. Conquer. The. World. Okay~!]

[ShotgunAttack: Explain <Surviving as Paladin>.]

ㄴ [Skynet: The game “Surviving as Paladin” is an RPG survival genre game.

This game provides an experience where players take on the role of a paladin fighting against dark forces to survive. Players complete adventures and quests, level up, and improve their abilities and equipment.

Players can explore various areas such as cities, villages, dungeons, and forests to complete quests and gain experience and rewards through battles with monsters. In this process, the protagonist can acquire various weapons, armor, magical items, etc., to strengthen abilities and develop character combat skills and traits.

Additionally, the game provides various content to offer players different challenges and enjoyment. For example, through various activities such as dungeon exploration, boss battles, PVP matches, and events, players can obtain more powerful equipment and rewards through competition or cooperation with other players in the game world.

The game may have multiple endings depending on the player’s choices and actions, and it’s possible for the player’s decisions to affect the flow of the story and surrounding NPCs. The player’s strategy and role-playing ability will influence the outcome of the game.]

ㄴ [ShotgunAttack: Yeah, typical hardheaded AI response~ Are you 23 years old instead of from the 23rd century? I’m an idiot for having expectations]

ㄴ [Ghoulre: Hahahahaha is this a one-day account? The kind of person who comes here just to play a character is always like this]

Wait, not AlphaGo but Chat GPT?