I changed the world.

Page 142

“That’s right…the earth gods on the islands are always so eccentric…” Mei’er chuckled from the side.

An Huiling glanced at the mask again, but found nothing unusual, so she turned and left, with Mei'er quickly following after her.

Not far away, local aboriginal people were selling grilled crabs. The crabs here were huge and plump. They were wrapped in salt and grilled. After grilling, the crab roe was plump and solid. An Huiling looked at them with envy and bought four. She gave one to Mei'er and one to the two bodyguards behind her.

The crab tasted really good, especially the crab roe, which was exceptionally plump and had a slightly salty, baked flavor. As An Huiling ate, her mood gradually improved, and she slowly put aside the slight unease she had felt earlier.

The resort features many indigenous buildings with triangular, sloping roofs covered in reeds. These buildings were renovated from the original indigenous villages, and some indigenous people still live inside. Tourists can even go inside to visit, which is a unique feature of local tourism, allowing visitors to experience "authentic indigenous culture."

Of course, even An Huiling knew that this "authentic" version was definitely made up, but that didn't stop her from going in to take a look; it was purely out of curiosity.

The island is covered with plants and flowers. The local climate makes the plants grow particularly lush, and you can even see some huge trees that are as thick as a dozen people can hug. This attracts many tourists to take photos with these trees.

Because it was a holiday, many local vendors in the resort area took the opportunity to sell local products, mostly handicrafts. An Huiling bought quite a few, thinking she could mail some to her senior brother and teacher later...

..............................

………………

……

When the group arrived at a rather lavish-looking building, An Huiling stopped. At this moment, the two security guards behind her were already carrying many large and small bags.

After glancing at the building, which resembled a sailboat, An Huiling took out her phone to check. The navigation software indicated that it was a specialty restaurant that offered afternoon tea.

Chapter 231 The Poems of the Sea God

An Huiling glanced at Mei'er, who was constantly wiping her forehead with a tissue, and the bodyguard behind her, whose face was also covered in sweat. After thinking for a moment, she walked into the restaurant.

As soon as An Huiling entered the restaurant, a round-faced indigenous girl dressed in local attire quickly approached. She appeared to be in her early twenties and quite young. The waitress first bowed respectfully to An Huiling at a ninety-degree angle, then, according to local custom, tossed a plant branch over An Huiling as a blessing. She then bowed and gestured for them to enter.

The white curtains, the paintings on the walls, and the rustic pottery jars create a very comfortable atmosphere in the restaurant.

An Huiling chose a seat on the rooftop, where she could see the distant sea through the window.

Taking the menu from the waiter, An Huiling casually ordered a few teas and snacks. At her signal, the two bodyguards also found a table nearby and sat down. The maid Mei'er originally wanted to serve her, but An Huiling said it wasn't necessary and told her to find a seat herself.

Seeing this, Mei'er had no choice but to sit down not far away, though a hint of disappointment was visible on her face.

An Huiling was intelligent and knew Mei'er's little thoughts. In fact, since she returned home from school, many maids in the manor had been vying to show off in front of her. The reason was simple: she did not have her own personal maid, while it was extremely common for wealthy families in this world to have their own personal servants.

Although modern society is no longer the kind of society where people sell themselves into servitude as in ancient times, both in the East and the West, powerful families still have a large number of servants who depend on them for their existence, including some who have been servants for generations.

For the master's family, these servants were certainly more trustworthy, and for these servants, they didn't feel their dignity was being suppressed at all. On the contrary, they were even proud of their master's high status.

Becoming a personal servant of the young master or young lady is not just a promotion in status and salary for the servants. In fact, after these young masters and young ladies own their own businesses, many of their personal male and female servants will become housekeepers to manage the businesses for the young masters and young ladies.

Therefore, given the An family's immense wealth, if An Huiling were to choose her as her personal maid, it would undoubtedly be a meteoric rise for a second-class maid.

Of course, An Huiling had no intention of changing anything; such is the way things are, and it's not something she could change on her own.

Soon the round-faced aboriginal girl returned, carrying a glass water bottle in one hand and a bamboo basket filled with snacks and fruit in the other.

The bamboo basket is divided into three layers. The top layer is filled with fresh flowers and dried fruit, the second layer contains glassware, the third layer contains baked cakes and exquisitely designed puddings with beautiful patterns drawn on them with jam, and the bottom layer contains fruit.

The girl first laid out a silver spoon and a napkin in front of An Huiling, and then she deftly arranged the glassware and began to brew herbal tea.

How much sugar do you need?

The indigenous girl, holding a bowl of sugar, asked An Huiling a question. Her pronunciation of Dazhao was slightly off, but they were still able to communicate normally.

"Thank you, just a small spoonful will do."

"That won't be sweet..."

"It's okay, I like it light."

The girl nodded and then began to brew...

As An Huiling watched her make tea, she casually glanced around. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a mask hanging on the wall in the corner of the room, which seemed to be used as decoration.

"Is that the mask of Argon the Sea God?" For some reason, An Huiling felt that vague sense of unease again, so she pointed to the mask and asked the waiter in front of her.

The indigenous girl glanced back, then said somewhat reservedly, "Yes, we have many of these masks here."

As she spoke, she placed the brewed herbal tea in front of An Huiling, and then began to set out the cake, pudding and fruit platter on the table. Pointing to the fruit platter on the table, she smiled and said, "Honorable guest, this is a complimentary gift from our shop."

An Huiling nodded her thanks, then returned to the previous topic, cautiously asking, "I'm a little curious about the sea god Argon. Could you tell me about him?"

As she spoke, she took out a ten-yuan tip and handed it over.

The girl was clearly pleasantly surprised; she wiped her hands and then happily accepted the tip.

As the girl arranged the fruit platter for An Huiling, she said, "I don't know much about this either, but it's said to be a deity worshipped by various tribes on the island in the past."

“There are hardly any people performing sacrifices anymore, since many have converted to the worship of the Heavenly Venerable and the Buddha. Many people think that's too outdated.” The girl paused, seemingly hesitant, “And…”

Seeing that she seemed hesitant, An Huiling pressed on, "And what?"

"It is said... well, I've only heard it from others. It is said that a long time ago, in order to worship the sea god, human sacrifices were always required. Although it has been a custom of the tribe for a long time, over time, there have been many complaints within the tribe..."

"Human sacrifice, is it the sacrifice of living people?" An Huiling asked curiously.

For some reason, upon hearing the mention of human sacrifice, she subconsciously recalled the feeling she had experienced in the sect's ancestral hall when she first entered the sect—that chilling coldness, those eerie whispers… Her unease grew stronger.

"It is said... that's how it is..." The indigenous girl was clearly reluctant to talk about this topic.

An Huiling knew that since modern times, due to the urgency of Western colonization and in order to build a barrier against the West, the empire opened up and promoted colonization in Southeast Asia. On many islands in Southeast Asia, the traditional tribal system had long been destroyed and replaced by a more modern organizational system.

At the same time, the tribe's former way of life was also destroyed.

On many islands today, the descendants of those islanders also yearn for a more modern lifestyle and have abandoned the traditional slash-and-burn agriculture of their ancestors.

Ultimately, as long as people are human, regardless of race, most of them yearn for a better and more convenient life.

An Huiling nodded, and seeing that the other party was unwilling to delve deeper into this topic, she changed the subject: "So, do you know how long this belief in the sea god has existed?"

“I don’t know exactly when it started, it must have been a long, long time ago. After all, we islanders are not like the Xia people, we don’t have history books…” The indigenous girl was obviously a little embarrassed. She tilted her head and thought for a moment before suddenly saying, “By the way, there is a poem circulating here that tells the legend of the sea god.”

Chapter 232 People, He is Argonne!

"Oh? Can you read it?" An Huiling asked with feigned interest.

“Many people here know how to do it,” the girl thought for a moment, and then began to recite:

He will awaken.

He will awaken.

In the deepest part of the ocean,

At the very bottom of the abyss

In your nightmares,

He will awaken.

People, He is Argon!

…………”

The indigenous girl's voice gradually became hoarse as she chanted.

It even gradually took on a strange and eerie feel.

But she herself did not notice anything unusual.

Similarly, she didn't notice that her face was gradually withering away...

Yes, withered.

Just like a flower gradually withering away...

Her complexion began to darken visibly.

Even, spots of lividity began to appear...

The girl, seemingly oblivious, continued reciting:

"The breath of the gods, the origin of all things."

He wandered the world according to his own will.

The sound can be heard, but the appearance cannot be seen.

Let us offer sacrifices to Him.

People, He is Argonne...

........................

…………

......"

As the chanting continued, the indigenous girl's originally smooth skin began to break open, and blisters appeared one after another, gradually spreading outwards.

Then, it began to rot...

This was the first time An Huiling had ever witnessed someone's body rapidly decaying at such close range, as if it had been sped up on fast forward...

She instinctively stepped back sharply, the immense kinetic energy causing the chair behind her to spin and crash into the leg of another table not far away, the loud impact accompanied by the sound of shattering.

However, the girl in front of her seemed not to notice the look of terror on An Huiling's face. She continued to sing, but her severely festering body had rendered her unable to make a sound; only her mouth was still opening and closing.