Chapter 150 – Setting sail (2/2)

The Shaman and the elders could be seen behind the canoe, their faces displaying a wide range of emotions. Some looked excited and others looked worried, some elders looked peaceful, but none could control the twitches of their facial muscles, showing their hearts did not truly feel any sort of peace at all. This was something that the ancestors had always desired, how can they be calm?

Along this route, the spectators too gathered behind the canoe, following its movement. Adults had brought their kids, and disabled people hobbled on their crutches, causing those around them to lend a hand as they closely stuck together.

Together, they sang the “Hunting Song” and the “Prayer Song”. Originally only those in the upper mountain sang, but before long, those in the lower mountain joined in. The whole tribe’s voices, tender, aged, sharp or rough belted through the air at the same rhythm, singing the same song. For them, singing represented how they felt at this moment in time.

The majority of the tribe weren’t adept at showing their emotions or thoughts, so singing allowed them a medium to do so.

Usually the Hunting Song brought out a feeling of impatient murderous air, this time, for the first time, it had carried with it a sense of fearlessness and hope.

And so, on this day, the whole tribe had collectively gathered to send Shao Xuan off.

What was on the other side of the river? They didn’t know and had never attempted to find out. In the eyes of many, Shao Xuan’s actions were admirable, but they didn’t believe he would be able to safely cross. This river was truly too dangerous! Too fierce!

After the canoe had been delivered down the mountain, Ao’s group had carefully pushed it into the river.

The boat that they had crafted could be classified as a double outrigger canoe.

Its name came from the miniature boat like structures on either side of the canoe. Shao Xuan had designed it like that to provide extra support; he had seen it during a vacation abroad in his past life.

With this design, the canoe could overcome the risk of capsizing due to the fierce winds. Furthermore, the canoe had the advantage of being lightweight. Back in his previous world, this boat was used for long distance travel and transportation.

The sail was also an important part of the boat, helping the boat navigate through the waters. This sail was woven from a combination of tree leaves and vines. These flexible yet sturdy vines were discovered in the hunting grounds and sent to the finest weavers to create a triangular sail.

In the eyes of the Shaman, these kinds of materials with unpredictable uses should be collected, the more the better. However, those vines were were truly difficult to find, and in the end, they could only find two chunks. One of those chunks had been used to weave the sail, while the other one was set as a reserve. With only one in reserve, they didn’t know if it would be enough.

In his past life, Shao Xuan had learnt that this kind of boat could sail for more than 200 kilometers a day. However, in this world, he wasn’t too sure how far he could go with the different conditions.

Shao Xuan continued to attach the side supports to the main canoe, examining every nook and cranny and checking if he brought everything he needed. When he was finished, he looked back towards the shore.

Caesar was carrying Old Ke as he stood on the shore, observing Shao Xuan and the descending Chacha. Caesar was whimpering as he too wanted to follow after the pair, but Shao Xuan simply couldn’t bring him along. If they encounter any dangers in the river, Shao Xuan could escape along with Chacha, but Caesar couldn’t.

Had Chacha been the same size as the giant eagles at Eagle Mountain, he could’ve brought a couple of people along. Unfortunately, he was still too small.

“Goodbye. I’m leaving.” Shao Xuan said to the shore as he cupped his hands in farewell.

Under the direction of the Shaman, everyone followed in his manner as they too mimicked Shao Xuan’s actions. This was, in the past million years, something never seen before.

For the members of the tribe, Shao Xuan was their sole hope. If he did not succeed, then how much longer would they have to wait until they could try again? No one knew, perhaps even after a thousand years, nothing would change.

With a pull of the sail, the wind filled it and the canoe launched out.

The sail was incredibly big. If it wasn’t for the totem’s power, Shao Xuan might not be able to operate it.

Chacha, this rascal! Standing inside the canoe, he curiously looked around both sides. For him, this was an extremely novel experience. To think that he could be able to stand on water!

However, despite being such a big ship, compared to Chacha, it was still considered small. He couldn’t move around, at best he could only stand stationary for a while before flying back up again towards the direction Shao Xuan told him. The sky truly had more freedom, and when he tired of flying, he could return back to the canoe to rest.

On the shore, the tribe continued to sing the prayer song together.

Shao Xuan turned his head, looking back as the people on the shore grew smaller and smaller. The houses situated on the mountain grew hazier and hazier, and the mountain where he had spent eight years of his life grew fainter and fainter as the water finally touched the sky.

Other than the howling of the wind, all else was quiet.