The girl was shocked—rooted in place, like time itself had paused for her. Her father, on the other hand, was calmly eyeing me, trying to read through my expressions. After a few minutes, he asked the question I was expecting.
"How did you make it?"
I smiled faintly. "I don't think I can tell you that it's a Trade secret," I replied, trying to act all mysterious.
He kept staring at me for a little while, then sighed and let the matter go for now. But I could tell from his eyes that this wasn't over. He then started asking me where I was from.
The question seemed to jolt Neelu awake from her trance. She looked at me, waiting.
"I don't remember," I said slowly. "The last thing I remember is being hit on the back of my head. I do remember my name… and how things function generally, but not where I came from or where my home was."
As I said that, I lowered my head, hoping they'd believe me. I didn't want to sound like I was lying.
But that damn girl—like a suspicious box waiting to explode—denied my claim out loud.
Even so, I sighed in relief when the father patted my shoulder. He believed me, at least for now. I could see something shimmering in his eyes—he was planning something. Maybe thinking about using my knowledge to help him or his people. Probably about building more Thatch bases.
As we talked, we started moving out of the cave. The first thing that greeted me outside was an endless range of mountains. Lots and lots of mountains. The mountain I was on was massive—at least 1500 meters high—but what really caught my attention was the even larger range behind it. A natural barrier.
It had to be two or three times bigger than Mount Everest. It stretched in a perfect line, like it was guarding something or keeping something out.
"Wow man, what the heck… This is beautiful," I muttered.
And possibly dangerous too.
The cave where I had built my Thatch base was in one of the twelve—no, thirteen—distinct peaks. And connecting them a beautiful valley that extended farther than my eyes could see. A whole city could be made down there, complete with food cultivation and much more I think every 12 peaks have a connected valley with them.
As I was lost in the scenery, Neelu puffed her chest out proudly. "Did you see how beautiful my home is?"
"Yeah," I said. "It's pure, fresh… and huge."
"So how many peaks does our Gazala have?" I asked curiously.
"Yours?" she said, shaking her head. "No, no. Not yours. You're just a guest here. But yes, we have thirteen peaks. All thirteen belong to my Nanu Gazala."
She pointed toward the much larger peaks in the distance. "Those are other Gazala. The one my Aku spoke of—the Maka Gazala—is also over there. They're more advanced than us. And those peaks to the left and right of ours… those Gazala are on the same level as us. We usually trade with them."
"Ohh, so the bigger the peak, the higher the tier of the Gazala," I said. She might not have noticed, but her father… I could tell he was a little envious.
As we descended toward the valley, I saw many members of the Nanu Gazala. They were watching me with suspicious eyes. Almost all of them had sticks in their hands. I still didn't understand why—maybe to throw poison darts or something?
A group of them approached us. They hugged Neelu—only the females did. The males bumped their wrists against hers to show affection. That must be their custom. I ignored it and continued admiring the valley, which wasn't far away now.
Then I heard it.
"What is your Aku thinking, letting this foreigner stay?
It was a boy, built well, but not as much as me. I could tell I was stronger than anyone here—raw power-wise—but maybe not as skilled. Still, I didn't want anyone to suffer because of me. They had helped me, after all.
I walked up to the boy and stood between him and Neelu.
"Do we have a problem here?" I asked.
The boy backed off a little. "There shouldn't be," I continued. "I'm her guest. If her father says I'm not welcome, I'll leave. But until then… don't push things."
He looked like he wanted to say something, but no words came out.
We continued descending. I noticed Neelu eyeing me from time to time. I thought she was impressed by my bravery—but no, she seemed annoyed. Especially while talking to her friends.
As we neared the valley, we heard children shouting. But it wasn't playful. It was fearful. Panic.
We rushed down. I saw a few children running up toward us. I held one of them and asked what happened. He didn't say anything—just widened his eyes and started crying. I let him go, and he ran off.
I sighed and looked ahead.
What I saw stunned me.
There was a lion—no, a monster. It was at least three times the size of the lions from my previous world. And beneath its massive paw… a kid.
Fear struck me. Not just for the kid, but for what this creature could do. Still, I had seen worse predators before. Even a Dilophosaurus could probably kill this thing.
I ran. Neelu's group and some guards with huge rods were also rushing toward it. But I could tell—the kid wouldn't survive if we waited for them.
So I did what I had practiced so many times in the ARK world.
I summoned my spear.
I aimed, pulled my arm back as far as I could, tightened my grip, and launched it.
WHOOSH!
It was like the air cracked open. The spear flew like a missile, aiming straight for the lion's forehead.
But then—snap! It broke mid-air.
"F#ck man, why?!"
I wanted to kill it in one shot… to prove I was an asset to the Nanu Gazala.
But what happened next? It was wild.
Even broken, the spear carried so much force that when it hit the lion's forehead, the shards of it dug deep into its skull. The lion was thrown three meters back.
It died. Right there.
Everyone froze.
Confusion. Shock.
The warriors saw it. Neelu's group saw it. They saw the spear materialize out of nowhere. They saw the force behind the throw.
They were speechless. Rooted to the ground like statues.
Even the seasoned warriors.