Chapter 2304 - 100: Crow's Prophecy III

"Dai, what are you doing here?" Shaya looked at the little girl, asking somewhat surprised.

The little girl's dirty face showed a hint of tension, her frostbitten hands anxiously tugged at her tattered sleeves, "Sister Shaya, you haven't come back, and I was a bit worried."

Shaya walked over in a few steps, squatted down, and gently wiped the little girl's face with her hand, holding her cold hands in hers, she said, "Don't worry about us, go back and take care of your sister, I'll come to see you later."

The little girl nodded seriously, looked at Fang Hong and the others, and walked towards the camp, turning her head back every few steps.

"Is she one of those you rescued yesterday...?" Fang Hong looked at the little girl, asking.

A trail of tiny footprints gradually disappeared in the snow far away.

Shaya nodded, "Her name is Dai, the Crow's Claw Sanctuary claimed her father was possessed by a 'Devil', they 'purified' him, leaving behind these two sisters. Before her father was just an ordinary candlemaker, but he was the pillar of the family, Dai's sister is blind and relies on her for care. The people from Crow's Claw Sanctuary didn't give them food, we rescued her and her sister both suffering from severe malnutrition, I asked her to do what she could, so she and her sister could survive here."

The cold wind blew through the treetops, making the forest rustle like a giant beast whispering. In the distance, the campfire flickered, like the only light in the cold night.

Fang Hong was somewhat silent—

In the eyes of the Invokers, this world, seemingly prosperous, upon deeper inspection, is filled with war, famine, and disaster. Those brilliant and grand terms people care about are just a corner of this world, with its foundation still built on suffering and poverty.

The conflict and turmoil of Colin Kingdom have long spread here, yet some might not see or care—those who fancy themselves as from the civilized world—all hastened to place their weights on this scale.

They consider themselves civilized, but civilization is merely a superior veneer, beneath which Fang Hong saw blatant greed.

But are ordinary people any different?

In the community, everyone eagerly discusses the impending Star of Calamity and the next generation because these disasters do not concern them, but even before the Star's arrival, turmoil and suffering have already spread over this land. Have the Holy Chosen from the civilized world perhaps consciously overlooked something?

"...We consider ourselves faithfully adhering to the 'Stargate Declaration', indulging in the glory given by past Pioneers," Fang Hong murmured to himself, "but what exactly is the 'Stargate Declaration', just a stack of old papers, the bottom line of morality?"

He silently looked forward.

What do the brilliance and courage of the previous era have to do with our generation?

In those days, people set aside prejudices and established a civilized dialogue between two worlds, war subsided, and peace thus descended.

What a brilliant era that was.

Inspiring speeches echoed time and again under that dome—

'If we can coexist peacefully with the civilization of the Otherworld, then what's more, among our own kind?'

'It's not just the genesis of civilization, but a step towards progress, we bridge gaps with language and love, not violence.'

'We have reason to believe we will ultimately eradicate all inequality and discrimination; we also have reason to believe everyone can achieve mutual understanding—we see history's past here, and will also witness the future here.'

'We have come from ignorance and savagery, experienced the ancient journey of civilization, and we will hand over an answer today.'

'On this answer sheet, we write, humanity will not remain in the tombstone it has erected but shall stride towards a more glorious future—'

As the words fell, amidst the thunderous applause, people seemingly saw the dawn of an era.

Under the call of that spirit, our civilization entered a golden age at the dawn of the new century. The time of the Pioneers arrived in the echoes of those words, an era shaped by the Free Summoners' dreams.

Yet when did all this silently change?

"What exactly did we change?"

"Was the mysterious Stargate merely a carnival and a banquet?"

"Did we only intoxicate ourselves or merely forget our original intention?"

Shaya turned back, seeing Fang Hong suddenly stop, startled, she asked, "What's wrong?"

Fang Hong came back from his reverie, shook his head, indicating he was fine. He looked at the firelight beyond the forest, asking, "Do you intend to keep resisting Crow's Claw Sanctuary with these people?"

"Of course not," Shaya replied, "Just like our name, most here are refugees, not warriors, like Dai and her sister, ordinary people. The people have been rescued, I might take them to a safer place, maybe Rodell, and after that, perhaps I will leave."

"How many people are in this camp?"

"Not many, excluding the Chosen, there are a little more than a hundred people, some we rescued, some came following the name. About a third are Chosen, but if you talk about combat, the Chosen are more reliable."