Chapter 158 – Battle (1/2)

Translated by Joycelyn

Ping and Chen Jia stood nervously by the bank, waiting.

At this time, the number of Water Moonstones that their houses produce will affect how well off or poor they will be the next day. If they produced a lot of Water Moonstones, each big and shiny, their houses will be hitting it rich. If they brought these out during the trade period, they can exchange for many things; but if the stones that they produced are not many, and small as well, then there will be hardship.

Whether they will be rich or poor, will all depend on this canal that flowed through their houses. This idea felt quite novel for Shao Xuan.

Ping was already nervous and started praying, Chen Jia was also biting on his fingers. He always loved biting his fingers whenever he got nervous.

The turbid river was getting clearer, after not even 10 minutes had passed, the river was already half transparent. The light spreading out from under the river was even more eye catching than the moon in the sky.

The muddy river gradually became clearer, and at the bottom of the river, something shining could be seen. Those were the Water Moonstones.

White light, through the river, reflected into the eyes of the crowd at the river bank.

“Ha…hahahaha!” Someone laughed out. The canal surrounding their house was especially bright, this meant that there would be more Water Moonstones.

Some of them cheered, some of them worried; some flow section of the canal was dimmer than the rest, this meant that there would be less Water Moonstones.

“Hahahaha!” Chen Xia also started laughing out arrogantly. Their house’s area, compared to the two houses beside them, was brighter. So he laughed while facing the two houses’ children, to show off to them.

Ping kneeled at the river bank, looking at the white luster getting brighter beneath the river bank, excitement rose to the point she had no words to put in her mouth.

The surrounding house’s families looked upon Chen Jia and his mother, both with envy and jealousy, but what could they do, even if there were less or more, it had already been decided; Even if they were envious, they could not snatch them. They could only comfort themselves that maybe next year their own area could be like theirs.

Shao Xuan felt that there was a type of fire energy within them, the Drumming tribe’s flame?

This tribe that resided at the river zone, what kind of tribal flame would theirs be?

At the Flaming Horn’s tribe, the shaman was able to use the flame’s power to connect the few houses at the mountain top; that was why the mountain top’s stone houses were warm even in the winter season. These Water Moonstones seem like they also had some close connection with the Drumming tribe’s flame.

After Ping prayed to offer thanks, she turned and called out to the eager Chen Jia beside her: ‘Into the water!’

“Okay!” Chen Jia pulled off the animal hide on him, with totems appearing all over his body, and jumped into the clear bright river.

Many other houses’ children were like Chen Jia, eager to jump in to collect the Water Moonstones.

Shao Xuan realised something about these children when they were swimming. Both of their legs were not paddling alternately against the water, but swaying towards the right and left. With their bones that seemed like they had softened, and the scale like totem patterns all over their bodies, made it look just like a crocodile’s powerful tail gliding across the water.

The Drumming tribe has good affinity with water. Even if they are diving deep under water, they can stay for a long time. Because of that, collecting Water Moonstones from the river floor to them was beyond easy.

As the first Water Moonstone of this year, one has to choose a big one. The Drumming tribe members believe that if there’s a good start, there will be a good end. Who knows if the ones they dig out later will be equally big as their first one. Therefore, the first stone has to be chosen wisely.

Chen Jia swam around the river’s floor, finally choosing a huge and bright Water Moonstone. He did not swim up, but just turned and threw it towards the river bank directly.

The Water Moonstone that was thrown out was accurately caught by Ping.

Rubbing the water off the Water Moonstone preciously, Ping got excited just looking at it; Happy to the point where her mouth could not keep it together and kept tilting upwards.

After looking at it for a while, Ping did not place it into the basket, but passed it over to Shao Xuan, “Shao Xuan look, this stone is what my house produced this year, big right? Bright right? Definitely can be used to trade a lot of good stuff!”

Shao Xuan took it over, both of his hands felt the coolness of the water, the luster was brighter than the stone that Fu Shi showed him that night, this was the result of the new produce.

But Shao Xuan still could not absorb the energy within, he could only feel that this piece of stone, together with the Drumming tribe’s flame and totem, were all connected.

Not only the tribe’s flame and totem, but these stones and those that have already flowed downstream are related as well.

From what the Drumming tribe members have said, the crocodiles that left, when they come back, they will spit out some stones into the water moon canal. These stones will then eventually become Water Moonstones.

Every year, after picking out the Water Moonstones, there will be new stones going into the river, and the next year they will continue to collect them. But if therre are no crocodiles, there won’t be any Water Moonstones here.

How many stones will the crocodiles spit out into the canal in their own family’s area, these stones, exactly how many will become Water Moonstones; these Drumming tribe members did not know. Even if they were to change their way, the result will not be what they expected. In the end, they can only pray to the the totem spirits, hoping for more fortune.

This is also the reason why the Drumming tribe members call these crocodiles as treasured fish.

In Shao Xuan previous life, he had a classmate that raised a crocodile before. He once told Shao Xuan that their house’s crocodile also ate stones, and those stones became gastroliths (stomach stone). They will help the crocodiles grind the food that are hard to digest down.