Chương 263: Chapter 259 - Jurassic Valley (XVI)

Lukas opened his eyes. He stared down at the crystal in his hands. Intricate. Its inner structure was composed of tightly woven magnetic filaments—thin, almost impossible to trace by eye—interconnected through a layered matrix. When pulsed at just the right frequency and amplitude, it returned a signal. Data. Encoded and clean. The design was fascinating. Could something like this have been developed during primitive Earth civilizations—if humans had naturally evolved the ability to manipulate EM waves?

He placed it back on the table and leaned his head against the wall. A quiet moment. A rare one. But crystals aside, this civilization's tech... there was a lot to learn from it. And more importantly, a lot they could use. And for that, Chiara was irreplaceable. She was the key for them to gain quick leverage over this technology without having to go through grueling efforts to earn their trust. They were, after all, researchers, engineers, and scientists in a way—and in that field, well…

Chiara was a literal Messiah. Her talent, her genius, all amplified by such a suitable Awakening, made Chiara a strategic asset—one could say a humanity-level asset all by herself. He let out a soft breath. He looked at the crystal again and smiled faintly. Everyone had their strengths. His job was to make sure those strengths connected. Moved in the right direction. Lined up at the right moment. Still—" Lukas?" He blinked. Break's over. He grinned slightly." What's up?

Don't tell me you already finished with the whole library."" That's gonna take a while... Anyway, I wanted to ask—would you like to be my Machta?"" And that is?"" Oh, I thought you'd read about it in the crystals."" I suppose our access to information is still… limited compared to yours."" Well, whatever. I'll share everything I've got later. So—Machta. It roughly translates to 'Crafter,' but here it means the person who builds and tunes the Mecā—you know, the constructs.

In this society, some people build their own, but others have a dedicated Machta who does it for them. And since I'm terrible with anything manual and you're like… ridiculously good at it, I thought… maybe you'd want to be mine." Lukas smiled faintly." It would be an honor."" Huh… I thought you'd say something sarcastic. Maybe joke about not being worthy or something... But—uh—thanks. Really. I'll read a bit more about it and send you everything I find. Also, I'll talk to them, let them know you're the one I want.

There might be some pushback, but I'll handle it. Don't worry."" Sure. Just try not to traumatize them. Also… if you can, keep easing your way up. Don't worry about the rest of us for now.

If you get a solid position, we can use it to secure access—for Wang, the others… and hopefully for finding Alonso, Ayu, and the rest."" Oh. Right. Yeah. Got it. I'll send you the pulse soon. It's honestly really great here. They're not… super sharp, but the tech—it's insane. You can feel the centuries of knowledge layered into it. The Tower didn't mess around designing this stage. It's nuts."" Glad you're enjoying yourself. Try not to hack their entire infrastructure on day one."" No promises."" See you later.""

Later." Building some robots, huh? Lukas grinned. Sounds fun. Ayu stared at the corpse of the dead dinosaur in front of her. Then she looked at the elder. Then at the bones on the floor. Then at the people, eyes wide, full of excitement. And then back at the elder again. So... what was she supposed to do? It looked like some fancy ritual, but come on. They couldn't seriously expect her to know what to do, right? She wasn't from around here. It wasn't like she got the memo. She sighed. Loudly.

Arms crossed, one eyebrow twitching. Communication was a pain. She'd tried sending a few pulses with basic visuals earlier, but no reaction. Nothing. These people weren't like her. No Pillar. No EM sense. Just big ears, sharper noses, and weird beast-like vibes. So Ayu waited. Very clearly. With the most blank, confused, unimpressed expression she could muster. The elder stepped forward. Slowly. Calmly. Then crouched beside the corpse. He ran two fingers along the creature's side, over the still-warm scales.

Then he tapped his fingers three times on its chest. Rhythmic. Intentional. Several villagers echoed the gesture. One by one. Ayu blinked. More weirdness. The elder looked up at her, then tilted his head, making a soft growl—almost like a question. Ayu squinted.... Was she supposed to touch it too? Her gut said yes. Okay then. She stepped forward, crouched, and tapped the same spot three times. It felt kinda stupid. But sure. She did it. The villagers responded with a strange, almost howl-like hum. Low, steady.

The elder raised both hands and tapped the sides of his own head—then pointed to her. Ayu pointed to herself, confused. The crowd nodded in near unison. Then a young boy stepped forward with some kind of feathered paintbrush and a flat clay dish, stopping just in front of her. The elder nodded once—slow. Calm. Stolen story; please report. Well… doesn't look dangerous. So she allowed it. The boy dipped the brush in the dish and painted a single streak down the center of Ayu's forehead. It was warm. Earthy.

Smelled faintly of copper and ash. Then the villagers started to chant. A low, circular rhythm. Hands beating against their chests or knees. Some of them started mimicking animal movements—sharp twitching shoulders, hunched backs, claw-like hand gestures. Ayu stood still. Watching. Processing. Oh. Ohh. Were they welcoming her? Maybe. Their version of it, anyway. A guy near the back did a weird sideways hop and clawed at the air. Was that part of the ritual or was the guy just… too excited? She held back a chuckle.

It was weird. Wild. Awkward. But her gut told her it was a genuine, friendly welcome… in their own way. So Ayu did the only thing that made sense. She hunched her shoulders, flexed her hands into claws, and let out a low, breathy growl. The crowd went wild. Howls. Cheers. Thumps against the ground. The elder gave a single nod—deep, slow, respectful. Drums started. Somewhere. From someone. Ayu wasn't even sure who started it, but the beat picked up fast. Thump. Thump. Thump-thump-thump.

A few of the villagers broke into a sprint around the fire. Literally. Just full-on sprinting in circles, arms stretched, panting, growling, leaping like wolves on two legs. Okay... More joined. Someone jumped over the corpse. Then another did a somersault on the corpse. Ayu's eyes twitched. Was that normal? The kid with the paintbrush ran up again and added another streak—this one across her cheeks. Bright red. Still warm. Still coppery. They were getting real fired up now. She took a small step back.

Then the elder pulled out a cup. Bone. Carved. Ornate. And dripping red. Oh no. He raised it high. Loud chant from the group. Then he downed it in one go. Ayu blinked. Another cup came. Handed to the next. Then the next. Then one was handed to her. It was warm. Sticky. Oh no no no. Blood? She sniffed it. No strange smell. No weird after-hint. It didn't even smell rotten or foul. Honestly, if she didn't know it was blood, she wouldn't have guessed. Still gross though. The elder looked at her. So did the whole tribe.

Eyes gleaming. Like proud uncles at a graduation ceremony. Or predators expecting you to bite the heart of your kill. Great. She hesitated. Tilted the cup slightly. Okay. Screw it. One sip. Just one. She tilted it. Took a mouthful. Swallowed.... She hated it. Ugh. The crowd roared in approval. Several of them barked. Like actually barked. A guy did a backflip and landed in a crouch, slamming his fists against the ground. Someone started passing chunks of meat around. Roasted over open fire. Or barely roasted.

Or not roasted at all. They kept offering her pieces. She took one. Sniffed it. Singed on the edges, still bloody in the center. Fine. A bite. It tasted like wild boar. But stringier. She kept chewing. Kept chewing. It wouldn't go away. She forced it down with another sip from the cup—only to remember it was literal blood. She had to hold back a puke. Then someone tossed glowing red powder into the fire. WHOOSH. The flames turned orange-blue for a second. Everyone shouted. Some rolled on the ground.

A woman started slapping her chest and screeching like a bird. The rhythm kept pulsing. Then slowly… It began to fade. The howling turned to humming. The stomps turned to shuffles. People started sitting. Stretching. Yawning. Someone curled up near the fire and immediately passed out. A guy next to her burped, patted her shoulder, and then just fell backward onto the dirt, snoring like a beast. The elder stood. Ayu followed his eyes. The others were done. Tired. Satisfied. He turned and walked away—slow, steady.

She hesitated. Then followed. A bit tired, faintly covered in blood, with half a chewed piece of dinosaur meat still in her hand. But hey. She was part of the pack now, right? They walked past the fires. Past the stone pits and hanging bones. Past where two kids were still mock-wrestling and growling like idiots. Then through a narrow path. The trees thickened. The air felt heavier. Cooler. At the center stood… something. A totem? It was tall. Maybe five meters.

Thick, dark, carved with layered rings—like bark and bone stacked together. Ayu squinted. The surface wasn't just decorative. It was covered in marks. Etchings. Figures. Scenes. She stepped closer. Each spiral carved around the totem told a story. The base showed wide plains—open land filled with long-necked dinosaurs and fanged lizards. Towering claws and tails. And in the middle of it all, the beast-men. Half man. Half animal. Wild forms. Horns, fur, claws, snouts. They fought in packs. Jaws tearing.

Spears flashing. Blood splashing across the carved lines. Their stances screamed rage. Unity. Survival. Then came the next ring. Same tribes—but the enemies changed. No longer beasts of flesh. They were fighting... some sort of robots? Big, bulky things. Angular bodies. Some with four legs, shaped like tigers. Others upright—boxy, almost like statues turned to life. Thick arms. Heavy frames. Some held spears—sharpened poles with geometric shapes at the tip. Others had strange barrel-like appendages aimed forward.

And behind them? Humans. Not half-beast like the others—proper humans. Short. Slim. Standing in perfect rows. Smaller frames. Cloaks and robes drawn tight. Faces blank. Emotionless. She didn't like it. Her jaw clenched. What were those people doing behind machines? Were they the ones controlling them? Were they somewhere out there in this stage of The Tower? Ayu stepped to the next section. Her eyes flicked higher. The next set of carvings—different again. More humans. But these ones?

Dressed in heavy-looking armor. Blocky shoulders. Thick limbs. Swords. Spears. One had what looked like a giant cleaver, and the stone lines sparked around it—like the artist tried to show electricity. Lightning? Energy? These ones fought like the beast-men. Close. Wild. But with different gear. Another war. Another front. The field spread wide across the carving—hills, cliffs, rivers etched in thin parallel strokes. This wasn't one battle. This was full-out war, expanding across an entire continent.

Tribes clashing on the open plains at the center. Constructs and robed humans on one side. And strange warriors in flashy, jagged armor on the other. So many figures. So many battles. But that wasn't the end of it. The carvings stretched upward—newer lines spiraling higher, as if the story never really stopped. And at the very top— Her breath caught. A small panel. Simple. Bare lines. Etched fast, but carefully. Just a head. Two tails. Two bladed limbs arched downward. Few details. But she knew it.

Knew it like the beat of her own heart. Her eyes narrowed. The Seventh Boss.