For the hunt, Baron brought six wolves with him. But as he just killed one, there were only five left, which was not a sign of luck for him.
However, Baron did not care whether it symbolized fortune or misfortune. He looked into the distance and saw the elders and the High Priest arrived. Dressed in a white robe, the Goddess got here on the carriage. Her long silver hair cascaded to her feet, swaying as the carriage moved.
Behind her was another carriage covered with sheers. Through the sheers, Baron saw the person sitting in it and became a little cheerful.
Zack had already drawn the bow and aimed it into the distance. He was strong enough to handle iron bows and arrows. Before he shot the arrow, he also saw the mysterious woman in the later carriage. Judging from the looks of the attendants, he was sure that she was Jennifer, Baron's biological mother.
It was said that she had committed herself to Buddha since after her husband died on the battlefield. She hadn't cared for her own son ever since. Therefore, Baron was brought up by the Second Elder who was also his grandfather.
Till now, Baron could only see his mother on important occasions with sheers between them.
Although he didn't say anything, Zack knew that he still longed for the care, at least a greeting of his mother.
But Baron's wish was never realized.
From the day that Zack began to serve Baron, he had never seen Jennifer or Baron visited each other. It was believed that Jennifer was so indifferent to Baron because she was wholeheartedly devoted to Buddha and did not care about the secular life.
Zack guessed that Baron never went to see her because he had received rejections from her.
Baron's eyes suddenly narrowed and smiled towards the distance. Zack looked over, and it turned out that Pablo finally made his entrance. His eagle hovered above everyone as if it was patrolling its territory.
And Vincent was pushed by Rex on a wheelchair after Pablo.
Behind them were some women wearing white robes and veils. They were previous patriarchs' wives. Baron should have called them aunts. But he never called his mother, not to mention them.
"The patriarch is here!"
"And so are the elders!"
"And look! It's the Goddess!"
It was rare for the residents on the Emerald Island to see the Goddess. Therefore, they were quite excited to see her. Some of them prayed at her, but none of them dared to look into her eyes.
As Pablo and the elders announced the prizes and rules of this year's Summer Hunting Festival., others went to the viewing platform with tea and snacks prepared for them.
Although the Emerald Island was small, it was populated with more than twenty-eight thousand people. And that number was yet to increase.
Today, almost everyone living on the island gathered here to take part in the hunt or to simply watch others compete. Crowds, tents, and partitions could be seen everywhere except for the giant viewing platform in the middle.
Rex took Vincent to one of the cubicles, attracting many people's attention. This was the first time Vincent showed up in public since Pablo accepted him as one of their tribe. Unexpectedly, he looked even more handsome than Pablo.
All the maidens were obsessed with his gorgeous look, imagining a romantic relationship with him. In spite of his disability, his appearance and status were able to win him a wife. Moreover, on an island where men were allowed to have plural wives, Vincent was even more attractive now that he had none.
The maidens stared at Vincent with obsession and attachment, dreaming about a love story with him.
Rex watched from behind for a moment. He drew the curtains to block their eyesight and sighed silently. He knew that Vincent would never develop a romantic relationship with any of the girls outside now that he had Emily.
After introducing the rules, Pablo and the elders let the participants clean their hands and humbly prayed to the ancestors for good luck. Summer Hunting Festival was a tradition, so as these ceremonies. Every procedure had remained the same since ancient times.. The elders would even ask the High Priest to predict the weather on the day of next year's hunt to make sure nothing would go wrong.