C19 The Spring the Autumn and the Summer Take a Nap

The shrimps are still working on the valley.

It had been some time since the Divinity's Bout. After a short celebration, the shrimp people continued to work.

The disaster had severely injured the shrimp people, but it also gave the shrimp people a chance to catch their breath. The giant octopus had not appeared until now, and no one wanted to face Du Kang, who was lying on the square.

The construction of the valley was not going smoothly. More than half of the people had been lost, causing the construction of the prawns to be severely delayed. The dead prawns' corpses did not return to the flames, and there was no way to use the altar to incubate the new prawns.

The prawns could not always slaughter their own kind to complete the inheritance ceremony. The people on fire could not withstand the consumption.

The square was repaired first. The shrimp people found that the gods liked this square very much.

It wasn't just the manpower that slowed down the progress of the project. There were also new ideas that were constantly being developed during the modification process. For example, after experiencing Evil God's mysterious power, some shrimp people suggested using the power of runes to seal the valley into an independent environment. To reduce the possibility of suffering such a silent attack, this idea was immediately supported by most of the shrimp people. After that, the workload increased again.

The valley was not only the home of the shrimp people, but also their war fortress. It was their last country, so no matter how much they racked their brains to build it, it was not excessive.

However, the more they solved the problem, the more problems they would discover. Being able to resist the flood, they might not be able to resist the explosion. Being able to defend against the sky, they might not be able to defend against the underground. As more and more considerations were needed, the problems that needed to be solved would also increase. Correspondingly, the workload would also increase.

Shrimp Leader felt that he was really starting to age. This kind of aging did not only appear in his spirit, but also his physical fitness. Although it was not obvious, as a top warrior, he could still feel it.

If it was in a peaceful era, perhaps Shrimp Leader would sigh at the passing of time and youth and face his aging calmly. In the remaining years of his life, he would use the knowledge and experience he had accumulated over the years to teach the young clansmen. In the end, when death came, he returned to the embrace of the flames in exchange for a new life for the next generation of clansmen.

However, it was different now.

The situation was too grim. The people of Fire had reached the moment of life and death. The enemy might delay the attack because of the fear of the gods, but Shrimp Leader understood that the reason why the gods would attack was because of Evil God. If the enemy launched another attack, the gods would only see how the people of Fire would respond.

After all, this was a trial for the people of Fire.

However, among the shrimp people who were still alive, no one had the ability to replace Shrimp Leader. This was the biggest concern of Shrimp Leader.

The fact that not even the inheritor of the flame had appeared among them was undoubtedly the worst news. This meant that the physique of the prawn men had dropped.

One should know that Shrimp Leader's generation had a total of 13 Inheritor. And now, not a single one.

According to tradition, the people with fire would be guided by the Inheritor. And every generation of the Inheritor was a person with a firm will - to be able to use the body of a prawn to create a flame that was not firm enough was not something that could be done.

But in the history of fire, there had never been a situation where there was only one Inheritor left.

Of course, replacing Shrimp Leader as the leader didn't necessarily require an Inheritor. There had also been times in history where sages who were proficient in Path of Runes led their race. But even if the standards were relaxed, Shrimp Leader did not have a suitable candidate.

The remaining prawns were undoubtedly outstanding, especially the prawns who had experienced the war where the fire had been extinguished. Every one of them was a qualified warrior, and the new prawns were not bad either. They worked hard to learn combat and Path of Runes, and then they devoted themselves to the modification of the valley. Each of them was a good craftsman and rune scholar, and there were also many strong warriors.

But these were not what Shrimp Leader needed. What he needed was a manager with enough prestige and ability.

Shrimp Leader made a mistake. He still made a mistake that he did not have enough experience. After the war of fire, he should have started to nurture a group of successors. He did not realize that there was no one he could use until now.

If it was the ancestors, what would they do?

Shrimp Leader's appendages unconsciously pointed at the carapace.

If they initiated a war, they would filter out managers and commanders with potential, and the deceased would return to the embrace of flames and pass on their legacy. The next generation of clansmen would be able to welcome a new life.

...

Shrimp Leader felt disgusted by his own thoughts. This was undoubtedly an action that went against his status and spirit of the Inheritor. As the inheritor of the flames, what he should do was to lead every fire person towards a bright future, and not let the fire people die.

Even in the name of the flame.

But was there any other choice?

How much more time would the enemy give them?

Shrimp Leader was very confused. This was the first time he felt the confusion as a decision-maker. In the past, he only needed to fight when the army came. Even at the moment of life and death, the gods would miraculously save the situation. But now, the gods could not help him.

On one side was the teachings and responsibilities of the Inheritor for generations, and on the other side was the continuation and survival of the people who were on fire.

All along the way, he had relied on his own judgment and choice, but now, the path in front of him had changed.

Where was the path?

Sure enough, he wasn't a qualified Inheritor. ...

A shrimp man walked over and reported the information while swaying his limbs.

"The node of the third structure has been laid out? Has it passed the physical test and is waiting for acceptance?"

Listening to the report from his subordinate, Shrimp Leader lightly tapped on his carapace's appendages and accidentally drew a blade mark on the carapace.

Is that so...

"I will be there soon. Also, prepare to gather all the people who are on fire. I have something to announce." Shrimp Leader waved his arms and legs to express his intention.

The subordinate who received the new order left quietly, leaving Shrimp Leader to look at the burning flame on the altar.

As expected, whether it was the Inheritor or the leader, he was not qualified...

I'm sorry...

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Du Kang, who was in the square, did not know what Shrimp Leader was trying to say. He did not care about those things. The muscle strain was almost healed, but he felt sleepy again.

The flame on the altar next to him was warm, like a heating device. The sunlight was warm on his body, like a blanket.

In a trance, Du Kang had a feeling that when he was still a Horrifying Upright Ape, he had entered a quilt in the winter.

He was sealed by the blanket... he wanted to sleep... he didn't want to get up...

Just like that, Du Kang once again fell into a deep sleep in a daze.

In his dream, he lifted his legs and pulled the blanket that didn't exist.