Chapter 64: The Ritual

"Yes, bricks can be made using mud, but they won't be as strong as clay bricks, especially in the wind and rain. Besides, the mud bricks won't protect you very much from the cold either." An old man with a big nose and long white beard explained in an open hut. "For strength, you want bricks made of clay like this."

"I see." Manu looked at the pile of light brown clay that the man was pointing at.

"Alright, let's take the first step."

Manu did the old man's orders step by step. He started by placing a pile of clay into a hole several inches deep in the ground, mixing it with water, trampling it, then separating the small stones in that material.

A man with messy hair came as Manu started molding the bricks with a wooden rectangular mold.

"The expedition group formation meeting is over?" The old man with the long beard asked.

The man who had just arrived nodded. "Yes, father.

"This is my son, his name is Xe." Turning to Manu, the long-bearded old man pointed at the man. "He also works as a craftsman like me."

Manu and Xe introduced themselves.

"They asked us to prepare 50 bricks, Dad." The man named Xe said. "They will send it to a tribe in the east."

The old man with the long beard stopped his work on the bricks, then pointed to the pile of finished bricks not far away. "Tell them to take it themselves. I don't want to be asked to send it."

"Oh, thank you." Manu smiles faintly. "And sorry that we asked for these very valuable materials."

"Don't think about it, young man." The long-bearded old man shrugged his shoulders. "You need it more than us. We are now making bricks for stock only. We don't need to build a new house yet. If I could, I'd send 100 bricks, but that's pretty much impossible because it'd be too heavy."

Xe looked at the few men walking on the street in whispers. "Now I am grateful to be a craftsman in this tribe. So I won't be sent for that salt mining expedition. I was in the meeting just for formality."

"Who used to whine asking to be a hunter or a gatekeeper?" The long-bearded old man chuckled. "Well, our existence is very important. We are two of the most skilled craftsmen in the tribe. There's no way we'd be sent on such a dangerous mission."

"I can't understand why our leader is willing to send people on dangerous missions just for the sake of salt..." Xe stopped his speech when he found Mau had stopped his work. "Ah, sorry I didn't mean to offend you."

"I've heard what really happened." The old man with the long beard sighed. "If only our leader would accept your silver fee to study with me, you wouldn't need to tell him about the salt cave. You did that for the survival of your tribe, I won't blame you."

Seeing Manu's expression, I guessed that the man felt guilty, even though what would happen was not the result of his actions. I'm the one who makes the decisions. I hope Manu doesn't think about it to the point of breaking his mind.

The old man frowned at his son. "Hey, Xe! Why are you just standing there!? Help us!"

"You were asked to attend a meeting with the other higher-ups, Dad."

The old man snorted and slightly slammed the wooden mold he was holding. "How many times do I have to tell Suja? I don't care about the duties of a high ranking tribe! Just let me work as a craftsman!"

"They'll never listen to you, Dad." Xe shrugged.

Even so, the old man still got up and said to Manu. "You just continue molding the bricks, young man."

"Alright, sir."

Manu looks at the boy and father pair walking away. When they were out of sight, he stopped his work. Grinning in pain, the man slightly rubbed his head which was still wrapped in bandage.

"Hey, god." Manu spoke, even though there was no one there but himself. "Can you hear me?"

Yes, I can hear you, Manu. However, you who can't hear and see me.

"Are you satisfied with all this?" My colonist laughed bitterly. "I really didn't mean to agree to tell them that fucking salt cave. In fact, I was ready to be tortured and intended to ask Kat to run away while we were outside."

The man closed his eyes. I looked at him closely. His lips trembled, and I couldn't tell what expression he had on his face. Angry? Sad? Worried? Or other?

"I'd rather die than be responsible for the deaths of many people..." The man laughed again. "And now I speak for myself. Maybe I'm crazy."

Taking a deep breath, the man continued to mold the clay into blocks.

I left the hut, then moved to one of the houses. There, I saw Sena sitting on the terrace with a gloomy face, looking at his friends playing around.

I intend to wait for this child's power to activate so I can leave a message for Manu.

"You don't want to play with them, eh?" Sena's father, the thin-faced man, came out of the house and slightly ruffled his son's hair.

"I've told you many times they don't want to play with me, Dad." Sena looked up at his parents.

The father shrugged. "You just don't have the courage to ask to join them. You used to play with them, right? They will definitely accept you again if you will explain."

Ah, of course it's not that easy, father.

Sena looked forward again with his mouth still pursed.

"I have to take part in the ritual before our departure tomorrow." The father is on his knees. "I'll be home at night. So, today you take your food and eat it yourself, okay?"

Hearing that, it felt as if something hard hit my chest. Something terrible might happen, and I don't want to imagine it.

"He's coming with us." A man, whom I recognized as someone banging logs and going around, came up to the father and son. "This is a request from the leader. He is considered the one who can communicate with our guardian spirit tribe. So, he is an important part of this ritual."

Sena jumped up. "Well, I hope the ritual isn't boring."