Chapter 159: Returning to School

In the afternoon, Everly sat at her desk, quietly writing down the information she had gathered that morning from memory.

After returning from the reservation, she hadn’t slept well for two days in a row. On top of that, she had used the power of the sea the night before to put out a fire, leaving her mentally exhausted. After eating something simple, she collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Unexpectedly, she slept all the way until the afternoon.

When she woke up, worried that she might forget what she had heard that morning, Everly immediately sat down at her desk to record everything.

It had to be said—this trip to the Winton tribe had been extremely worthwhile.

The story about the heavenly stairway and the two springs had given her a rough idea of the location of the Fountain of Youth, as well as the different functions of the two springs. As for the later tale of the warrior Gesar, it contained an astonishing amount of information.

There was no doubt that Gesar’s story was partly fictional.

For example, the two periods of “forty-nine days and nights” during his search for the fountain were clearly exaggerated. Traveling on land for that long was still understandable, but drifting in the sea for forty-nine days was entirely unrealistic. Even with a ship, given the maritime technology of that era, it would have been nearly impossible—and deadly—for a native to survive drifting at sea for that long.

However, aside from these necessary artistic embellishments, many details in the story corresponded closely with the poem.

For instance, the mention of “the sun shedding tears” clearly referred to the “On the day Venus crosses” described in the poem. Likewise, the island rising from the sea echoed perfectly with the line about “Slowly rises from the realm of Poseidon.”

The greatest gain, however, came from the guardian’s words at the end of the tale.

At the conclusion of the story, the guardian asked the warrior Gesar to present the key needed to ascend the stairway. That key was not a gem, gold, or any common mineral—it was a special stone carrying “messages from distant lands.”

It is known that Aurelbis is a legendary god of the heavens. He favors intelligent beings and delights in “all forms of special life.” He shows compassion toward humanity and has granted humans a chance to approach the divine. However, anyone who wishes to ascend the heavenly stairway must present a certain kind of stone—one that carries “messages from afar,” one that is “Heavier than all stones in the world,” a “A thing of another realm, a stone of heaven”…

With so many clues, the conclusion is obvious—the key required by the guardian is a meteorite, and not just any meteorite, but one that carries information related to special forms of life.

In other words, this meteorite must originate from an extraterrestrial planet that harbors unique lifeforms.

Yes, this conclusion may sound rather science fiction at first glance, and it doesn’t seem to fit well with the theme of Native American mythology. However, hasn’t there long been a theory in academia that humans did not evolve purely through natural processes, but were influenced—or even created—by higher-dimensional extraterrestrial beings?

From the Australopithecines 4.5 million years ago to the Neanderthals 120,000 years ago, there was a span of over four million years of gradual evolution, yet the stone tools used during these periods showed little difference. However, around 35,000 years ago, Homo sapiens suddenly appeared, possessing language abilities and the capacity to use sophisticated tools. This unusually rapid leap in development has led some scholars to believe that human evolution was influenced by some kind of “external force.”

Naturally, some people have linked this external force to the “gods” described in mythological traditions.

Meteorites themselves are not hard to find—but meteorites connected to “special life” are extraordinarily rare, one in ten thousand.

Almost immediately, Everly thought of the meteorite fragment she had picked up during the Lemot cockroach disaster.

From the core of that meteorite that fell from the sky, the culprit behind the Lemot cockroach disaster had emerged—an “alien egg.” This indicated that the meteorite must have come from a planet where life exists. In other words, it carried “messages from afar” related to “special life,” and should therefore meet Aurelbis’ requirements.

After the cockroach disaster ended, the U.S. military transported away all the cockroach corpses in the town. They also took every meteorite fragment the townspeople possessed—including the large meteorite in the town square—and cleared out the wilderness where the meteorite had fallen, removing every suspicious stone from the crater.

Because Everly had been staying at the gas station, she escaped notice by sheer coincidence and managed to keep that ugly meteorite.

If her guess was correct, this meteorite would be the only “key” she could obtain.

Everly decided that later she would talk to Old John and ask him, once he got home, to help her hide the meteorite she had stuffed into her bookshelf in the underground shelter—just in case it somehow went missing one day.

…

After organizing her notes, Everly stretched and idly played with the new bracelet on her wrist.

This segment of the Sacred Tree’s true form now looked completely like a strangely shaped wooden bracelet.

Its surface was rough and grayish-white, curved into a slightly flattened oval. It didn’t fully close, leaving a gap about the width of a finger for easy removal. At both ends of the bracelet, a few tender, light-colored sprouts had grown—small and jade-like, soft to the touch yet surprisingly resilient. No matter how much she fiddled with them, they wouldn’t fall off, which made them rather interesting to look at.

The old priestess Nava had told Everly that this bracelet could be regarded as an avatar of the Sacred Tree’s true form. If she removed it and threw it onto the soil, it would immediately grow into a new Sacred Tree form, capable of protecting her or carrying out certain tasks on her behalf.

“But there is one condition,” the old priestess had added. “That patch of soil must be connected to the earth. Only then can the Sacred Tree’s branches draw power from the ground. Throwing it into a flowerpot, or into a garden completely isolated from the land, won’t work. Also, this branch is only an avatar, after all—it can only last for a short time. Once the countdown ends, it will wither into a dead branch and lose its function.”

In simple terms, the Sacred Tree had essentially granted Everly a one-time chance to “summon its true form.” Although the conditions for summoning were somewhat strict—making it difficult to use at sea or in reinforced concrete cities—just recalling how brutally the Sacred Tree’s true form had beaten the chupacabra, as long as the environment met the requirements, Everly had effectively gained a super capable bodyguard, greatly enhancing her chances of survival.

No matter how you looked at it, she had made a huge profit.

Everly held the bracelet fondly, unable to put it down, playing with it for quite a while. Thinking that this bracelet—and even the story of the warrior Gesar told by the old priestess—were all thanks to Buddy’s reminder, she was moved again and gently touched the fang bracelet on her left wrist.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but she seemed to hear Buddy’s cheerful “woof!” somewhere in the unseen. It made her eyes grow a little warm again.

Buddy was her most beloved dog in the whole world—always would be.

…

As evening approached, Quilla mysteriously came to the room and called Everly out while she was packing her things.

Following behind Quilla, Everly ran into Misha and Old John along the way.

The three of them, somewhat confused, were led by several members of Karl’s family out of the wooden house and into the small square at the center of the village.

A large bonfire had already been lit there. The Native villagers—whom the three had become familiar with after encountering them all around the village—were now all dressed in distinctive traditional attire, looking both splendid and ceremonial. Around the fire, some played music while others danced.

When Everly and the other two appeared, the square fell quiet for a moment—then suddenly erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

“Welcome, welcome, friends of the Winton tribe!”

Nava, the tribe’s leader and priestess, personally stepped forward to greet them, warmly embracing each of the three before placing necklaces around their necks one by one. The necklaces were adorned with feathers, animal fangs, and mother-of-pearl—according to Winton tradition, this was the highest form of hospitality shown to guests.

After the necklaces were put on, the surrounding Native villagers burst into another wave of excited cheers. With a sudden rush, a large number of them crowded in, surrounding Everly and the other two, hanging their own gifts onto them one after another.

“Welcome!”

“Thank you for your help!”

“Those recognized by the Sacred Tree will forever be partners of the Winton people!”

They spoke all at once, chattering over each other. Every person who passed by Everly would smile at her or offer a simple, heartfelt compliment. This kind of plain, sincere way of expression—this intense and genuine outpouring of emotion—was completely different from the white people she was used to in the city. It made Everly’s cheeks flush and her ears turn red, leaving her a bit overwhelmed and unsure how to respond.

Fortunately, before long, amid the celebratory singing and dancing, the bonfire party officially began.

In one corner of the square, lively drumbeats rang out. A villager holding a kena flute closed his eyes and played a melodious tune with full concentration. Others shook maracas in their hands or struck the uniquely toned marimba. Some white residents living among them even took out violins. These various instruments blended together in a strange yet harmonious way, creating music full of energy and wild passion.

On the laughter-filled square, everyone began to dance.

It was a style completely different from waltz, square dance, or country western dance. The movements were simple but wide and expressive, every gesture carrying a sense of raw vitality and untamed spirit. It evoked images of blazing sunlight, vast plains, flowing sweat, and herds of cattle in motion… Everly and the others were swept along, unable to resist, spinning, jumping, and moving with the crowd.

The sweat on their bodies flowed more and more, and the smiles on their faces grew freer and brighter.

In this endless rhythm, Everly felt a long-lost sense of freedom.

…

The joyful bonfire party continued until midnight before finally coming to an end.

Everly and her companions had completely lost themselves in the fun. Only after returning to their room did they belatedly feel the exhaustion in their bodies. The next morning, still worn out from the night before, Misha nearly overslept.

Fortunately, when Old John and Everly made plans, they both liked to leave some buffer time for emergencies. Even though they set off half an hour late, the three of them still arrived in Gilosha on time.

The major strike from last August had already ended, and the city was now calm and peaceful.

With more than two hours left before the flight, there wasn’t enough time to wander around. After a reluctant farewell to Old John, Everly and Misha checked in, passed through security, and boarded the plane.

The rest of the journey went very smoothly.

There were no mid-flight malfunctions, no lost luggage, and no terrorist incidents at Concord Airport after landing. After a brief rest, the two of them took an intercity coach straight to Dalami City.

By the evening of the 16th, Everly and Misha got out of a taxi and successfully returned to New Osebuch State University.

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Author’s Note:

Does it feel a bit like those “Discovery Channel-style” speculative theories? But it’s true that some experts believe humans were created by extraterrestrials. Especially in some foreign religious circles, many people tend to associate the gods they believe in with aliens [glasses]