From this perspective, the animals on the ice field are in great danger.
They can no longer judge the threat level of the other party based on their appearance and footprints. For example, next time they encounter a group of antlers, who knows what they actually think they are?
All experience was no longer applicable, the ice field suddenly became extremely unfamiliar, even the most experienced hunters were frightened, and they themselves admitted in their hearts that they were afraid, and Xintara's suggestion was indeed correct.
But in the end, I still felt unwilling.
Yes, you, Xintala, are a "bear man" and even killed your parents because of that prophecy. That means you will be alone from now on, and if you eat well, the whole family will not be hungry.
The missing people have nothing to do with you. They are not your brothers, elders, sons, wives... so it is certainly effortless for you to make such a decision.
But we can’t…
How can we be willing to give up like this...
Sintara continued to talk about the reasons for his decision. Some of the men around him began to nod along, while others lowered their heads, deciding to fight reality with silence.
I'm afraid it won't be that easy.
Hitzfeld watched coldly.
There are more people supporting Sintara now, but nearly 40% of them remain silent. Although they look like they are submissive now, as long as there is an excuse, as long as someone can stand up and say a possibility, that is, give them even a little hope, they will immediately jump up and insist on their own opinions. It is not so easy for him to suppress them.
“…Who’s still against it now?”
Xintala stood in the middle and looked around. The sound was like thunder, slowly echoing throughout the tent.
Some met his gaze with determination.
Others buried their heads even deeper.
"So……"
Sintara was about to announce the final result, but at this moment, the tent was suddenly opened and a sharp cry came from the other side: "You can't leave!"
"Geyeso?"
Xintara stared, totally unprepared for the appearance of the ancient witch.
"Why are you here?"
Then his face began to twist, as if he was trying to suppress some violent emotion.
"Get out of the tent before I lose control..."
"I hid in the oak barrel filled with grain." Geyeso was still responding to his previous question, "I just came up, and I heard from them that you wanted to go back, which is impossible. We must keep moving forward. We have to go to that lake, we have to-"
He didn't get to finish his words because Sintara grabbed his collar, lifted his frail body up in the air, and slammed him against the wooden box like a package of animal skins.
"All ancient witches should die——"
"Go meet your mother, bitch!"
"stop it now!"
"Calm down, Sintara!"
"Someone come and hold him down! He's going crazy!!"
The farce in the tent lasted for nearly ten minutes. Xia Yibing and Heidi dragged Hitzfeld to the corner of the tent. They could not help with this matter.
The reason why Xintala killed his parents was because Geyeso's mother, the ancient witch "Gerosha" of the previous generation, made that prophecy to his parents.
It was because of this prophecy that Xintala was abandoned in the wilderness, causing him to not recognize his own parents and ultimately leading to such a tragedy.
Of course he hated the profession of "ancient witch". Even though Gerosha had passed away three years ago, he could not have a good face towards Geyeso.
"You blasphemed the angel of God!"
Geyeso was held by the arms by two strong men, and he stretched his neck and continued to shout.
"I sent you an oracle! And you wanted to kill me? Sintara, you are crazy don't drag the others with you! You almost destroyed the last hope!"
"I bother!"
On the other side, the giant bear man, who was blocked by seven or eight strong men, spat fiercely at the opposite side.
"All ancient witches deserve to die..."
"You are of no value other than spreading lies to confuse the public!"
"I should kill you! ... I'll peel off your skin and make it into a flag!"
"Don't just talk! Come on if you dare!"
"I kill you!!!"
"..."
It can be said that until this moment, the wildness in Xintara's bones, the animality and ferocity he had developed since he was a child on the ice field, completely erupted. His muscles looked even more swollen and strong than before, his whole face was red with blood, twisted and hideous like a demon.
If there weren't so many people blocking him and suppressing him, and if he hadn't barely retained the last bit of human rationality towards these people, Hitzfeld had no doubt that Geyeso's hands and feet had been torn off alive, and his skin had been peeled off and made into a flag.
Ah, it seems he was very polite to me before...
"Slow down!"
"Don't get excited!"
In the interval, the girl heard the fat man with a red nose named "Zhabu" shouting loudly.
"Calm down, Xintara! Geyeso is an ancient witch! According to the customs of this town, we cannot disrespect ancient witches!"
"And Geyeso too. What do you mean by 'last hope'? What can we do to break the ice curse?"
coming.
Hearing him shout like this, the three people here instantly understood what he meant.
It seems that the team can't go back.
I don’t know if they will regret it…
"It's easy!"
Seeing that someone finally responded to his words, Geyeso's spirits suddenly lifted.
"I told you! This is God's guidance, God's test, and He is calling us there!"
"We should abandon all distractions and head for the Ice Lake!"
"That's the source! That's the truth! We will be baptized by Him there!"
"We will help Him solve His problems! Share His worries! And as a gift, we will restore the glory of our ancestors!"
After shouting, Geyeso opened his hands, closed his eyes, and a look of intoxication appeared on his face, as if he was expecting someone to respond to his words and cheer for him around.
but.
Even Zab looked a little impatient. He pressed on, "You think the source of all this is that lake?"
"Uh yeah."
"What about the missing people? I mean the people who got separated from the hunting team yesterday morning. What will happen to them? Are they in danger? Will the curse work on them?"
"As long as they believe in God, no filth can get close to them." Geyeso said seriously, "Whether they will be affected depends on themselves. As long as they have sincere beliefs, they will arrive there earlier than you."
"So if we want to find them, we have to go to the Ice Lake?"
Zab's brows relaxed and he turned to look at Xintala.
"Zab!"
Sintara roared.
"You actually listened to this idiot?"
"Geyeso is an ancient witch." Zabu whispered, "I'm not questioning you, Xintala...but the ancient witch's prophecies also come true..."
"Shut your mouth! Do you want to die with him?"
"If it makes you feel good, I'm willing to be killed by you."
Zab looked up and faced his wrath directly.
"But not now - Sintara! Not now... Not until I find my son!"
“…” Xintala stared at him, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
"I'll tell you straight - I have to find him!" Zab said again, "I didn't have a child until I was almost thirty... My poor little Beni... He's not even an adult yet... I want him to go with you to gain experience, I never thought I'd lose him!!!"
"I have to go find him! I have to find him! Otherwise I would rather die here!"
"If you want to go back, Xintala, you can go back by yourself with anyone who is willing to go with you!"
"Those who are willing to continue searching with me, come!"
It must be admitted that this heartfelt statement did touch many people.
Not to mention the men who were planning to stay and continue looking for someone, even the bachelors who could have stayed out of it were moved by Zab's speech, and most of them chose to step forward to express their support.
They also motivated those whose wills were already weak.
In the end, there was not even one person willing to follow Sintara. The color on his face quickly faded, and his lips trembled, as if he was shaking with anger.
"You will regret this choice!"
"Maybe." someone said.
"But like Zab said, if I can't find them, I might as well die on the ice."
Led by Zhabu and Geyeso, the crowd gradually left.
Zab's shouting could be heard outside the tent. He was explaining the result of the discussion to more people. And judging from the cheers for every word he said, the choice of the majority was self-evident.
Only Xintala was left in the tent, sitting on the box in a daze.
He said nothing and allowed his command to be usurped.
Hitzfeld stepped forward from the corner.
"Are you going to laugh at me too?"
The bear man silently moved in another direction, only facing their butt.
"I know you care about your friends, too."
"Then go with them."
"You are all capable."
"They will be safer if you follow them."
He saw it.
He is really not stupid...
As expected, these "wolf boys" are the most sensitive.
"We do intend to continue exploring," Hitzfeld said softly, "but we also need your help."
"I don't think you need it."
"No we need to."
"unnecessary."
"need!"
It was unbearable. Hitzfeld raised his voice, almost roaring.
Not to mention Xia Yibing and Heidi, who were familiar with her, were shocked, even Xintala trembled, obviously not expecting her to make such a violent noise.
"Ahem...!"
Hitzfeld's face turned red and he had to cough a few times to cover it up.
"Well, I know you are very unhappy now."
"But as you said, you are the only one with experience surviving on the ice for any length of time."
"We don't know how long we'll be delayed here."
"After all, you are just worried about the danger... and you have guessed our extraordinaryness. Maybe we can cooperate. We all have the same goal, right?"
She tried to express her thoughts in a gentle tone.
Because Hitzfeld also saw that Sintara...perhaps because of the lack of childhood, the lack of fatherly and motherly love, there was a fragile heart hidden under his rough appearance.
