Chương 30: Elder Shana

Eggs are my favorite food, its easy to prepare and have lots of different ways on how you want them cooked.

I don't care if eggs are white, brown, speckled, or zig-zagged, I just want to eat them. Fried, boiled, or scrambled, I really don't give a damn.

But at this moment, the egg that I was supposed to crack and stir into a scrambled egg, suddenly hatched right in front of my eyes.

Typical croc eggs, take around 80 days to hatch, although incubation time is influenced by incubation temperature—warmer nests have faster development. Once the embryo's metabolism reaches a stage where available resources (e.g. oxygen) cannot be fulfilled, it's time to hatch!

Perhaps those crocs had stayed there not because of that wounded Banuk-Rhanuk, but actually there to await and safeguard the hatching of this baby croc.

As I watched the croc's egg hatching I heard some footsteps outside the hut where I am located at.

Then a guard with a small stature entered,

"You better not try doing anything funny, If we find out that you had put some poison in there... Death is the only thing that would await you."

This scrawny guard with a face that screams 'punch me in the face' suddenly threatened me.

I found it cute and got insulted a bit.

If I am not in this condition and I am back with my usual body, I would have smashed and knocked the living daylight out of this punk, 'daring to threaten me?' Hmph laughable, I inwardly struggled to contain my emotions as I sneered.

And after threatening me for a warning, the scrawny guard quietly left the hut.

Then I shifted my faze to the hatching croc.

When I tried to listen closely, I can tell that it's going to hatch by the small squeaks coming out of it. The squeaks come from this unborn baby, sounded like "Umph! Umph! Umph!"

And when my eyes greeted the egg, a small creature crawled out from the cracked egg.

Well, it is my first time seeing a crocodile hatch in real-time.

"It looked like he was calling for his parents..."—which automatically puts me into a guilt trip.

Anyway, am I supposed to answer that with a squeak?

Also, should I keep it or eat it?

I debated on myself but decided to keep the croc.

I began to look for a suitable container where I could put the baby croc.

"Here, from now on I'll be your guardian." Different from how his fierce parents who battled against me, it acted so docile as I gently placed him inside of a pot made from earthenwares which he replied with a squeaking sound as if he understood what I meant.

Hmm, he is probably hungry...

As I thought about how hungry the baby croc must have been, I tried recalling what do baby and juvenile crocodiles usually eat.

"I shouldn't be thinking over this much, what else would they eat aside from fish?"

"Urghh... Humans?"

I started to look for any tool that might help me in catching a fish.

But alas! I only found short stuck spears.

I guess they haven't developed fishing rods yet...

Then I thought of making one.

But the problem would be, on where should I find a sturdy thread?

So I scrapped the idea of making one, and just took the short stuck spear as I make my way out of the hut which I was immediately greeted by two warriors who are guarding me just in case I do something funny, and that scrawny punchable dude is included.

With a stern voice, the two guards pointed their spears towards me.

"Where are you going?"

Ughh this is so troublesome...

"Uhmm I realized I need a complimentary dish that would go beside the food I was about to prepare... May I catch some fish somewhere?"

The two guards squinted their eyes including the scrawny guard, from which his brows creased into an ugly frown.

"Excuses! if you need fish, we can accompany you to get one from our tribe's fishing pond."

So we actually have an exclusive fishing pond hmm

And with that, I was escorted to the so-called fishing pond.

Walking outside the Lumin Tribe's Kanya: Saman's Courtyard,

We have reached the outskirts of where the main town was located.

Judging by the look of these infrastructures that made up the town, all houses were built in the same fashion and arrangement.

With most of them being built with materials such as Bamboo grass, Anahaw leaves.

All having their own distinctive, intricate, and unique wooden carvings at their wooden pillars.

The only design that is common from each of these houses is that,

they have the same golden embroidery on the banners outside their houses.

The golden embroidery was designed to look like a sun rising from two mountain peaks.

Then, while walking, I heard a feeble voice coming from a tree, and when I looked at the tree I was shocked silly!

"It's a maple tree!" I screamed like a young kid delighted by a candy, in which the guards who are escorting me started staring me in a weird way.

Well, to tell you... For this childlike reaction, the reason I am so surprised to see a maple tree is that a maple tree is known to be unable to grow in a tropical summer country, like Ophir.

But here in Danao, an alive and tall maple tree is firmly standing, gnarled throughout its probably long years.

It actually survived?

But then again, I thought that its possible since in the olden times, Danao actually had long colder seasons than its counterpart—Ruson who had a predominant summer season.

And among the three major isles, Danao is probably the coldest!

Well, someone might argue with me but still, it is my own opinion based on what I experienced in the past.

Now, I am witnessing the Old Danao before the Aghoran bastards invaded us, and feeling it with a younger body.

I feel so honored at the same time as I am amused, I surreally achieved this wonderful phenomenon that I feel like I am inside of a fictional-fantasy book!

All of my logic is slowly being tossed out of the ceiling, including that particular strange place where I met the previous owner of this body.

It could be my consciousness?

Or could be, possibly be... Hell itself?

Moving on, like what I always do...

Putting everything at the back of my head, I witnessed a serene view of a glamorous woman sitting below the maple tree, surrounded with little children younger than Argus's age.

As we passed by, her incoherent words slowly became clear as it gently brushed past in my ears.

"This is a story of how the world was made..."

And as I stared closely at the woman, her face looked familiar.

So, it was actually that Shaman!

Elder Shana!

I went close to the old woman as it also noticed me coming close, she winked at me and gestured me to come close.

And when the two guards interjected, the Shaman raised her arms and the two halted.

She also gestured at them to get close.

Like headless chickens, we could only bow down and obey this respectable figure.

According to Argus's memories and what he had told me in that strange place, although having no real power among the tribe...

The Shaman is received pleasantly among the tribesmen, she was the most respectable one second only to the Datu herself!

So it's understandable that these two guards, including that punchable scrawny guard whom I was dying to punch, would act in a polite manner and would actually obey without a word.

We are now the unsolicited guest who suddenly made an entrance as we sat down surrounded with the little kids.

Gazing at the Shaman who looked like a sage that would speak wise words for the worthy.

Yes, it looks like Shamans are the old teachers whom our ancestors had learned from, before.

"Thousand of years ago...:"

The feeble voice continued, as our ears perked up!

Including me—Ready to listen to the wise words of the Shaman...