cw: animal cruelty, endocannibalism. Make sure you're not reading this chapter while eating.
***
A lavish spread of food was presented on the long table in front of the roaring bonfire, with an empty space in the middle. Song Zhuyu had not paid much attention to it, until they placed the dead body there as though… as though it was part of the feast as well!
What in the world—?!
However, this shock was nothing compared to the next scene he was about to witness.
Simultaneously, the islanders took out small knives or daggers from their pockets and sliced the tip of their fingers, causing blood to drip to the ground to form an ominous cycle. It stood to reason that such a small amount of liquid would immediately be swallowed by the sand, rendering them invisible in the next moment.
Yet it did not apply to the current situation.
the first showdown is here! lesgooo!
fyi, events in the book are inspired by real life: the tradition of fore tribe of Papua New Guinea. The Fore people practiced endocannibalism as part of their mortuary rituals. They believed that consuming the flesh of deceased relatives would free the spirit and ensure the person's continued existence in the afterlife.