"This is a good treasure! Although we encountered a natural disaster back then, it wasn't without gain. Come to think of it, the reason we were wiped out had a lot to do with this damned thing."
Mr. A's eyes dimmed when he spoke of his teammates, but then he calmed down.
Oh?
Everything Mr. A said struck me as contradictory.
If the box contained something good, why did it lead to Mr. A and his team being wiped out?
Mr. A's conflicted feelings of love and hate for this item piqued my curiosity.
"My condolences, my condolences. The way you put it, I'm genuinely curious to hear the story."
The crisis had passed anyway, and the night was long; I had plenty of time to listen to Mr. A tell me the origin of this item.
"Alas."
Mr. A sighed, but instead of recounting the item's origin, he brought up a seemingly unrelated matter.
"Do you know how I managed to connect with the High Priest when I was all alone?"
Hmm?
Mr. A's words made me shift my gaze to the small black box in my hand.
"Could it be related to this thing?"
"Precisely!"
Mr. A's expression changed, and he slowly began to recount an untold secret.
"Batu, you should know that in ancient times, the Shepherd God and the Mother of All Creation engaged in a great battle, and in the end, the Shepherd God was defeated and fled."
"At that time, the Mother of All Creation was at the peak of her power, the ruler of this island. Facing such a powerful deity, how could the Shepherd God have escaped unscathed?"
I hadn't seen this account on any of the animal skins from the Du'an tribe. Perhaps it was because the Du'an tribe worshipped the Shepherd God, and thus, this embarrassing chapter of the Shepherd God's history was omitted.
However, I hadn't gathered any information about these matters in the tribe. How did Mr. A, as a modern person, know about them?
Mr. A did not answer my confused gaze but pointed to the small black box in my hand.
"Batu, open that box now. That long-lost history lies within."
Could this contain a part of the Shepherd God's body?!
But why would this old fox want me to open the box?
Facing someone as shrewd as Mr. A, I had to be extra cautious. Therefore, I didn't heed his words and open the box. Instead, I slowly placed the box on the ground.
"Mr. A, that doesn't seem right. You just said that what's inside this box caused your team to be wiped out. It probably wouldn't be appropriate for me to open it now."
I smiled insincerely, watching Mr. A closely, observing his expression.
I had to be doubly cautious in the face of anything that could threaten my life.
"Batu, don't be afraid. This item is entirely beneficial to you and has no drawbacks."
After hearing my words, Mr. A did not get angry. Instead, he appeared quite composed. With a devout gesture, he picked up the box from the ground and placed it back in my hands.
"What's inside is the shattered scale of the Shepherd God from that time. This item poses no threat to someone like you, who is favored by the Shepherd God."
Seeing that Mr. A's expression didn't seem like he was lying, I cautiously opened the black box.
As the box opened, a faint glow emanated. Inside the box lay a scale.
Just by looking at it, I could feel its extraordinary nature. The scale was densely covered with fine, intricate cracks.
Even more peculiar was that the tip of the scale was a deep black.
The back, however, was a vibrant green.
The faint light emanated from the green side.
"Although this item is a scale of the Shepherd God, it has been eroded by the power of the Mother of All Creation."
"When I first came to the Du'an tribe, I had three such scales. I offered two of them to the High Priest, and only then did I gain his trust."
"Batu, as the new chief of the temple guards for the Du'an tribe, the last scale will undoubtedly serve a greater purpose in your hands."
Hearing this, I looked at Mr. A with a hint of disdain.
He was clearly trying to buy his life, yet he spoke so righteously. One might think he was an elder in a novel, bestowing treasures! After dismissing Mr. A in my mind, I gazed at the extraordinary scale in my hand.
Regardless of anything else, just the fact that this scale contained the combined power of the Shepherd God and the Mother of All Creation told me that this item was destined for me.
In the current Du'an tribe, I was likely the only one who bore the mark of the Mother of All Creation while also being protected by the Shepherd God.
With this thought, I nodded to Mr. A, closed the box with a flourish, and tucked it into my pocket.
Seeing me accept the item, Mr. A smiled with satisfaction. Neither of us said it explicitly, but we both knew that from this moment on, our alliance against the High Priest was officially formed!