Only God
Chapter 174 - 151: Not Every Race is Favored by the Divine

Chapter 174: Chapter 151: Not Every Race is Favored by the Divine

Although the Rabbit Tribe was still immersed in sorrow, their leader still directed them away from the Path of Death, towards the direction of the forest.

After a brief moment of mourning for the Turtle Clan Leader, Noen and his party hastened their journey.

Along the way, they did not dare to communicate much, especially Noen, Casas, and Baird, as the leaders, they mostly exchanged glances.

After all these years as master and servant, Casas and Noen could often understand each other with just a glance, and when dealing with Baird, they had to make some gestures or exchange some ambiguous words.

After three days and nights, the group finally left the Path of Death and arrived at the edge of the wilderness.

There were small forests scattered sparsely across the land, with Noen leading the camels at the front.

Druids often dwell in forests, and it is said they are creations of the Curse God Yikabe, who from birth to death, please that esteemed curse with various rituals.

Apart from informing Noen of the direction to the Druids, the Rabbit Tribe leader also told them how to find the Druids’ dwelling place.

Noen and his companions occasionally looked at the trajectory of the rustling leaves to locate the Druids’ habitat.

Due to lack of experience, the group wandered in the forest for a full day without finding a precise direction.

At night, they rested briefly in the forest, resuming their observation of the leaves’ movements the next day.

In the following days, they continued their search for the Druids in the forest.

But they were unlucky these days and found nothing.

It was as if fate was deliberately opposing them.

Day by day, as the deadline neared, everyone’s patience dwindled, with urgency and panic lingering in the forest.

In this atmosphere, the three leaders still maintained their composure.

Baird, during this process, deepened his tacit understanding with the other two.

He observed the direction of the leaves more carefully, exchanging his thoughts with the others through glances and gestures.

Finally,

on the tenth day of entering the forest.

They at last captured the correct direction.

It started with a fleeting glimpse of a deer head through the leaf gaps, like an afterimage, which Baird captured with his keen eyesight, lowering his body, moving closer slowly.

Baird approached like a cheetah, slowly drawing nearer.

Then, he pushed aside the gap carefully and saw a young deer-headed Druid stealthily observing other Three-eyed Ape People and Stone Slaves.

Baird pressed his lips together and pounced.

He grabbed the Druid by the throat with one hand and held the Druid’s arm with the other while pressing down on the Druid’s body with his knee.

"Over here! The Druid is here!"

Baird called out loudly to the others.

While the Druid was pinned to the ground, face against the dirt, he whimpered and struggled in vain, even with all his might, he couldn’t break free from Baird’s grip.

The rest of the group rushed over from various parts of the forest upon hearing the noise.

They all saw the Druid being subdued by Baird.

The Druid’s struggles were futile, and facing the people gradually surrounding him, he whimpered and ceased his movements, completely giving up resistance.

"Who are you? Where is your tribe?"

Baird pressured him with loud questions,

"We mean no harm!"

After hearing this, the Druid twisted.

Noen spoke to Baird:

"Baird, release him a bit."

Upon hearing this, Baird loosened his grip on the young Druid’s throat.

"Who are you? What are you Three-eyed Ape People skulking about here for?!"

The Druid asked indignantly, his voice sounding incoherent.

"We mean no harm; we’re seeking your tribe for help."

Casas approached the Druid and spoke,

"And we are but a handful of people; we pose no threat to your tribe."

"Help? What help?"

Casas was about to say something when Noen preempted him:

"We’re lost here, having wandered in from the Path of Death."

Noen lied.

The Druid listened, seemingly half-convinced.

"Alright, release me, and I will bring you our Oak Sage."

Baird slowly let him go, and the Druid rose from the ground; his hollow eyes, elongated deer face, and the young antlers on his head came into everyone’s view.

The Druid pointed deeper into the forest, disdainfully motioning for the group with his eyes,

"Follow me, but if you betray us, the esteemed Yikabe will bestow a terrible curse upon you."

The group pulled their camels along, closely following the Druid with Noen trailing right behind him, gazing at the path ahead.

After an unknown duration, the travelers finally saw the Druid tribe living deep within the Secret Forest.

The Druids had carved out a small open space among the forest; trees of various kinds grew around, unknown wildflowers were crushed to extract their juices, then smeared over the bared tree trunks to form handprints, Druid triangles, moose, and other patterns.

Strange and rudimentary wooden carvings were placed throughout the tribe—deer, snakes... serving to differentiate the areas for the Druids.

In the very center of the tribe, there was a huge altar made of piled rocks, and behind the altar stood the Divine Statue of Curse God Yikabe, whose stone figure lacked artistry and seemed rigid yet exuded a mysterious and ominous presence.