Chapter 575 - 268: Those Totem Pet Beasts Buried in History_2
He paused for a moment and a faint smile appeared on his face: "If all else fails, we still have physical interrogation methods."
The group quickly put the matters of the New Star Association behind them. This unexpected incident was over for them, and the most important thing now was to enjoy their leisure trip.
The four of them shared their lives with each other, entering Deqing County amidst laughter.
Compared to Lishui City, Deqing County is much more remote in its geographical location and has a higher altitude, but its majestic scenery is far more impressive.
Jiang Wenning and Chang Yuhuan chatted excitedly about the scenery outside the window, while Li Junyue stepped on the accelerator, turning into a side country road.
"Just over a hundred kilometers ahead is a village." Li Junyue had already worked out a detailed plan after returning home yesterday and slowly revealed today’s itinerary to the group, "This village is called Longda Village, very close to Pudaxue Mountain, and surrounded by vast forests."
"Whether it’s mountain mushroom picking or snow mountain climbing, this is the most suitable transit point."
Pausing momentarily, he continued: "After the Spiritual Energy Revival, many Beastmasters and climbers going for field adventures will stop here and hire guides."
"The local villagers are very familiar with the surrounding environment, and even after the terrain changes due to the Spiritual Energy Revival, they can precisely find each path."
"For field trips, a guide is indispensable, and they can also help us find mushrooms."
Chen Yuan nodded in agreement.
In Qinling, it’s the same; many Beastmasters choose to hire locals as guides, but few villagers agree.
After all, selling stuff on the street is much easier than being a guide, and there’s no danger involved.
Li Junyue: "I’ve been to this village a few times for missions before; there’s something very strange about this place."
Jiang Wenning asked directly, "What is it?"
Li Junyue chuckled, intentionally leaving it as a mystery: "You’ll know when you get there."
After driving for two or three hours, the road gradually became winding and bumpy, and the concrete road turned into a dirt path. Fortunately, Longda Village finally appeared before them.
Longda Village wasn’t as clean and tidy as Xuanhe Village, but it did have a main street, with dense stalls on both sides and loud hawking echoing in the air as numerous pedestrians moved through.
But a statue standing at the village entrance caught Chen Yuan’s attention.
Taking a closer look, it resembled an eagle with outspread wings, its beak sharp.
However, upon closer examination, it differed greatly from any eagle species Chen Yuan knew. Its surface was covered with nonsensical, irregular patterns, its wings long and sword-like, with a sharp, majestic crest crowning its head.
Clearly, this was some kind of eagle Pet Beast. Were the locals so forward-thinking as to build a statue for a Pet Beast?
"This is the totem they’ve revered for generations." Li Junyue’s explanation left Chen Yuan momentarily stunned.
This seemed different from what he had imagined.
A totem can be considered a tribe’s belief, and even in today’s highly developed society, many remote places still preserve totem culture, continuing their ancestors’ faith.
Li Junyue took half a step forward, looking up at the strange totem, and continued explaining to the three:
"This is the strange thing I mentioned."
"I specifically researched before; this statue has existed for over a thousand years."
"Legend says that long, long ago, the area faced a cataclysmic crisis, and it came down from the Snow Mountain Peak, solving the crisis and saving them from peril."
"To thank it, the village’s ancestors specifically crafted this statue, treating it as the village’s protective totem, with regular offerings."
"It’s a widely circulated local legend; before the Spiritual Energy Revival, no one considered it true."
After hearing Li Junyue’s story, Chen Yuan looked pensive.
Jiang Wenning’s eyes sparkled as she voiced her guess: "Could this totem actually be an ancient Pet Beast?"
"Very possible." Li Junyue nodded, agreeing with this guess, as it was also his thought.
Chen Yuan also nodded in agreement.
Just like the stories circulating in Fire State, where indeed a Divine slumbers beneath Flame Mountain.
This place has its story, but perhaps eons ago, a Pet Beast truly descended from the Snow Mountain Peak to save the world.
But this is not the sleeping place of a Divine; the totem Pet Beast revered by Longda Village’s ancestors likely faded into the annals of history long ago.
Besides a Divine, no Pet Beast could endure to this day.
Indeed, in many places across Donghuang, totem culture persists, with dragons being most common.
Perhaps, the existence of dragons isn’t mere legend; such incredible creatures might have truly existed in history but vanished after the first Spiritual Energy Revival concluded.
In today’s era, those totem Pet Beasts buried in history might gradually resurface.
While the three were deep in discussion, Chang Yuhuan took out her camera to take pictures of the statue, the click of the shutter sounding continuously.
"Let’s purchase some supplies and then hire a guide to enter the mountain."
Seeing it was getting late, Li Junyue led the three to buy mountain supplies and then went to the Beastmaster Office.
"Captain Li, another mission?" The head of the office clearly recognized Li Junyue and greeted him enthusiastically.
The two shook hands, and Li Junyue smiled, explaining: "No, this time I’m here to pick mushrooms."
The head appeared taken aback but quickly responded: "Captain Li, how refined; let’s register first."
According to the Beastmaster Association regulations, anyone or organization entering the wild must register at the office and be responsible for themselves thereafter.
The four took out their Beastmaster certificates and quickly completed the mountain entry registration.