Chapter: 24
Some time had passed.
As the number of humans kept increasing, they spread across the world, and finally, some of them reached the territory of the lizardmen.
Well, technically, it wasn’t always lizardman territory. Thanks to the method I taught them for maintaining body temperature with fire, the lizardmen had been able to expand their territory beyond their race’s limits.
During this time, they were quite flabbergasted when they first encountered humans and discovered their existence.
I wonder what the lizardmen thought when they saw creatures walking on two legs, like them, but without scales, tails, and matted fur?
Fortunately, since I had met the lizardmen in human form, they didn’t end up being hostile towards the humans.
But let’s be real: if a fight broke out, the lizardmen would totally wipe the floor with the humans. Those massive bodies sculpted from dinosaur might would possess strength that weak little humans could only dream of.
Moreover, while humans were fumbling with nothing but wooden sticks, the lizardman warriors were wielding very sharp weapons made of obsidian like pros.
Seriously, it was a blessing that lizardmen were more benevolent. If there had been a full-on war, humans would have been squashed like bugs.
Anyway, so these humans and lizardmen started gradually forming a kind of peaceful relationship, exchanging what they needed from each other.
Though, let’s be honest, most of the time, it was humans asking for stuff.
Food? Lizardmen are basically born hunters with superior physiques, so they almost never blew their hunts. They’ve got the strength to take down pretty much any wild beast single-handedly and can swim like dolphins to catch fish with their bare hands using their stout tails.
Because of all this, the lizardmen never found themselves in a food shortage.
And considering they were growing corn, beans, and pumpkins thanks to the farming methods I taught,
it was much more likely they’d end up feeding the humans rather than just asking for food.
Honestly, they were making strides in building a close relationship by sharing food, like they were doing some sort of lizardman humanitarian outreach.
While all this was going on, signs showed that the lizardmen were teaching the humans bits and pieces of their language.
It was really touching to see humans, who could only grunt and make barbaric sounds, awkwardly trying to speak under the lizardmen’s guidance.
After all of this, the lizardmen gave the humans their grand finale gift: they taught them how to make stone tools.
You know, the classic method of smashing stones together to create hand-held axes. Thanks to their long experience dealing with obsidian and other stones, the lizardmen were like expert stone craftsmen.
Sure, the humans did struggle a bit due to that little thing called physical differences… While the lizardmen could just smack a stone against another without breaking a sweat, humans had a harder time making it happen.
Then there’s the whole making primitive ropes from grass and tying them to branches to create basic axes or spears. Talk about a huge upgrade for humans!
After showering the humans with so much knowledge, the lizardmen asked for two things in return: obsidian and white flowers.
These were lizardmen who had to move due to a sudden environmental change, but because they rushed it, they ended up abandoning their previous obsidian quarry.
True, they had some obsidian stockpiled, but reserves are only reserves. If they don’t find ways to replenish it, it’ll run dry.
So that’s how the lizardmen ended up bumping into humans while they were expanding in search of a new obsidian quarry…
And since humans aren’t bogged down by body temperature restrictions, they could probably search even farther than the lizardmen.
As for the whole white flower thing… well, they said they were short on flowers for a festival.
Hey, I’m really glad they remembered the white flowers they used to offer me, but honestly, there’s no need to go overboard for a festival… Hmmm…
Should I say something when I visit the lizardmen next? I really don’t want to rain on their festive parade, though.
Maybe I should think about this a bit more.
Or perhaps I could just solve the issue by creating a nice little flower garden for the lizardmen?
Yeah, maybe I’ll think about that later. Like, way later.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Festival of White Flowers is the most crucial event for the lizardmen.
This festival, which kicks off on the first day of the year, honors the Creator Dragon God who bestowed treasures upon the lizardmen in return for those humble white flowers. It’s also meant to wash away the sins of the world to appease the Creator Dragon God and keep him from getting ticked off.
Imagine streets overflowing with white flowers. The spectacle of flowers being carried by the wind spirits makes it feel like you’re strolling through a street floating in the clouds!
How about ringing in the new year with those lovely white flowers?
– Promotional pamphlet for the Festival of White Flowers.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The advance of humans continued at lightning speed.
They started making stone tools, learning agriculture from the lizardmen, and gradually catching up.
At this stage, they were meeting other human groups to barter goods and occasionally having minor scuffles. Basically, they were starting to do all sorts of things.
I was holding a new gift in hand to pass on to them.
The spinning wheel, a tool for making thread, was the first item to show up.
And along with it came thread spun with it and needles crafted from bone.
Lastly… a wooden fishing rod.
Honestly, the fishing rod was just a bonus! The real highlights were the thread and spinning wheel.
Fishing… Well, humans were still at the point of tossing stone spears into the water to catch fish, so I thought it was about time for them to have proper thread.
I strolled over to the group of humans I always visited.
Man, this crowd had grown way bigger than when I first popped by. I worried they might end up running short on food!
“Kyii! Wh-who’s there?!”
“Oh, look at you, properly talking now!”
The human spoke a bit awkwardly. Judging by the stone spear in hand, he appeared to be one of the guards.
“I’m here to find the leader of your group, so make way.”
“You are…!”
The guard looked shocked upon seeing me, then bowed and said,
“Please, come in!”
What a polite greeting! Their movements now felt so humanoid, like their beast days were far, far behind them.
“I shall guide you.”
“Good. Lead the way.”
The guard led me down the paths weaving through a cluster of huts, and I followed closely behind.
As we walked, tons of humans were staring at us… Well, since this is how it’s always been when I come around, I was already used to it.
“That one over there….”
“They’re back again. Thank you…”
Look at that, they now recognize my face! I guess it makes sense since I’ve been dropping by all the time.
It looked like the guard recognized me too.
The destination we arrived at, following the guard, was a hut that looked completely different from all the others.
A big ol’ house perched on a little mound of dirt. Unlike the conical huts, this one was a proper building supported by large pillars.
This had to be the place where the leader of this group resided.
Following the guard’s lead, I entered the home and spotted the leader sitting on a large rock.
“What are you… Huh! You’re!!”
A younger human than the previous leader I had seen.
This dude looked somewhat familiar, like I’d seen him before.
“Please, come in…”
“Are you… the son of the previous leader?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
So the former leader passed away? Even though communication was challenging, he wasn’t a bad chap.
But, being a living creature, he couldn’t escape the constraints of life expectancy.
“I’m the new leader now.”
His face was so hairy that I couldn’t guess his age… but he looked like he was in his 30s or so.
But…
“What’s with the branches on your head?”
The new leader was sporting what looked like a crown made of branches.
A primitive crown, perhaps? Or maybe something resembling a laurel wreath?
I kinda wonder if wearing that isn’t uncomfortable and prickly.
“This is, well…”
The leader took off the branch crown and held it in his hand, saying,
“I wanted to imitate you.”
Awww…
“Imitate?”
Imitate… Is he trying to say he wanted to mimic me?
Wearing branches on his head like my horns?
“As the new leader, the others… didn’t listen well. When I imitated you, they listened.”
Hmm. So that’s how it is. An imitation of me.
It sounds like there was some pushback because he’s the new leader. Pretty clever move on his part.
But hey, that branch crown doesn’t look too trendy, and I can imagine the branches poking and prodding his head must be a hassle…
So here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give him another gift!
I created a chunk of pure silver from my power of creation and started tweaking its shape with magic.
Let’s see, first, I’ll make it resemble a laurel wreath. Not too heavy, comfortable to wear on the head, and fitted to stay put. Plus, let’s add a magic that adjusts the size to fit whoever’s wearing it.
Sprucing it up with some flashy decor to give it a sense of authority!
I felt like magic was seeping into the pure silver, making it feel like it was transforming into something else… but that’s not my concern.
What came out from my magical handiwork was a splendid silver crown.
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