Chapter 25

Even in modern times, Cloudy wasn't considered a good navigator unless it was a very familiar route... like going home from work, or to a nearby shopping mall, which anyone could manage. But when faced with places she had only been to once or twice, she would repeatedly pull out her phone map to navigate, confirming whether she should exit from which subway exit, or whether she should turn left on the overpass or on the left side of the road.

Getting lost occasionally happened, all with the assistance of a phone map. Now, being thrown into this vast forest... finding the way was too difficult. It took her a long time to even find a small stream in the rainforest, let alone the habitable place she stumbled upon in a panic, akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Yet, she furrowed her brow and tried hard to remember, but it was all a jumble. The rocky and leafy map in front of her could only be described as chaotic. It now resembled some sort of wizard's divination in a movie, with shells, bones, stones, and crystals in hand, thrown up into the air to form abstract divination results on the ground.

"..." Cloudy persisted in organizing her map. The largest stone on the ground marked the location of the Titus settlement, that was certain. The area extending downwards from this stone was marked with other symbols. The issue was that Cloudy had no idea how to explain these other markers to Titus.

For example, the tree leaves directly across from the large stone, the first rectangular tree leaf she saw after being thrown out of the settlement... how on earth could she explain that to Titus? Her primitive language skills were not that advanced.

Titus, staring at the so-called "map" in front of him, was clearly puzzled. His peculiar eyes narrowed into a line as he struggled to think. His sharp, elongated ears were tightly pressed against the back of his head, looking somewhat comical, like a wet anteater: "Here is my home," he pointed to the large stone in the middle, then moved his finger down to the tree leaves, "Here is the tree."

The two looked at each other, and after a moment of silence, Titus continued, "But, Cloudy, in the rainforest... there are trees everywhere."

Ah, this is something I already know even if you don't say it, Cloudy thought, holding her head in anguish. Those days of frantic fleeing were too blurry, with her clearest memory being curled up at night in the darkness, praying not to be eaten by wild beasts.

"Stone..." Cloudy began to vividly describe the safe place in her memory, "covered with stones, lots of plants. In the middle, a gap... going through it, is..." Cloudy stumbled for a moment, unable to resist speaking in her native language, "courtyard."

"Courtyard?" Titus mimicked Cloudy's voice, repeating, "Courtyard?"

Cloudy gave up on communication, burying her head and swiftly collecting all the stones on the ground to the center, deftly using them.
A small "well" was built with stones, and then Cloudy began awkwardly introducing the property to Titus in her local dialect.

"Here, the entrance." She pointed to a human-shaped entrance made of leaves in front of the well. "Go in, encircle, here." After saying this, she pointed to the well, completing the introduction of the property.

The six pupils in front of her were all filled with confusion. Titus glanced at the small stone well, then at Cloudy. He was a bit afraid that he couldn't understand Cloudy's intentions and would make her angry, but he truly didn't understand. "Cloudy, I don't understand..."

"I don't blame you for not understanding; it's my fault." Cloudy patted Titus' arm twice. "There's no other way; I'll have to resort to the dumbest move." Cloudy cleared her throat. "Titus, take me to the settlement."

Titus, feeling a bit deflated, widened his eyes and perked up his ears. "Are you staying at my house?" He began thinking of ways to deceive others. If Cloudy stayed in his house without going out, it should be fine. He could sneak her into the village at night. But there were risks... Titus hesitated again, but since Cloudy made this request, he had to give it a try. Moreover, after the next hunting season ended, it would be the rainy season, and Cloudy would be safer staying in the village.

"Not staying at your house."

Titus's ears drooped.

"I'm starting from here." Cloudy pointed to a large rock, then circled her finger on the map. She didn't notice Titus's emotions and continued planning. "We'll find that place, wherever it is."

Titus was about to nod when he suddenly realized that Cloudy said "I" instead of "we." "Together?" he asked.

"It's not possible to go together..." Cloudy hesitated. If it were up to her, she would prefer to find a place to live on the plains; the rainforest was too dangerous for her. However, several places Titus showed her were in the rainforest, indicating that the grasslands might not be safe either, like the wild people who came to dismantle homes. The grasslands were indeed habitable, with relatively few wild animals, but the downside was their visibility. When she lived on the green slope, she didn't pay much attention to concealing her movements during daily outings. Now, she realized her vigilance was not high enough and needed improvement.

It was definitely impossible to find the "Sky Well" from her memory today. Titus had shown her three places, and it was already late afternoon. "Titus, let's go home. You can't keep being with me. I'll find it on my own." Titus hadn't gone home yesterday, and if he didn't return today, something might happen again.

"No!" Titus couldn't help raising his voice. "I found it with you, so let's go back together."

Cloudy quickly waved her hand, trying to calm down the excited wild man. "First, to the settlement. Then..."
"Discuss? Discuss! Let's discuss." Is it a bit too convenient that now Titus can teach her the second half of the sentence just based on her previous words? Cloudy feels that if she spends a bit more time with Titus, she could even pass the Level Four exam in the Wild Language soon.

Anyway, they have to start searching from near the settlement. Titus' village itself is in a relatively hidden area in the rainforest, surrounded by anti-animal measures. Cloudy thinks she can manage to search around there alone for a few days. Then, following her memory of the route, she can safely reach the "well."

She knows this is all talk until she tries it, but how can she know if it will work if she doesn't try? If she wants to live in this place long-term, she will have to get familiar with this rainforest sooner or later. The timing doesn't make much difference.

"You can't search alone, it's too dangerous."

Cloudy knew Titus would say that, so she prepared a corresponding plan: "You go home today. I'll be resting near the settlement... outside."

This explanation was long and exhausting. Cloudy and Titus grumbled at each other for a long time before finally reaching an agreement. The plan is that it's impossible to find the well today, and Titus must return to the settlement once because he didn't go back yesterday.

Titus agreed to this, as by the time they reach the settlement, the sun will likely be setting, making exploration impossible at that time. Cloudy plans to quietly stay near the settlement, waiting until the next morning when visibility is better before heading out to explore. She will leave marks along the way for Titus to follow and find her later.

After the discussion, it was endless traveling. During the journey, Cloudy didn't waste time and continued chatting with Titus to train herself in the Wild Language. From Titus, she roughly understood the size and terrain of the rainforest. It turns out that the area where Titus' settlement is located is not considered the center of the rainforest.

This surprised Cloudy, as to her, the place where they are now is already quite deep into the rainforest. The rainforest area described by Titus can be summarized as "boundless; even climbing the tallest trees, one cannot see the end of the rainforest."

This is Earth from tens of thousands of years ago. Cloudy pondered to herself that in this current environment, having a rainforest or forest is normal, unlike her previous world where rainforests were rare places one had to spend money and travel far to visit.

In short... mentally prepare yourself for the entire Earth, except for the oceans, being covered in forests. Speaking of which, have the continental plates drifted now? Titus probably wouldn't have an answer to that question; she was just curious in her mind.

Apart from the rainforest area, she also lightly learned about Titus' settlement and other settlements nearby. They have very strict boundary divisions, but the boundaries are not tightly connected. There is a certain borderless area left between each territory, which is reserved for hunters."
"In the 'bleeding line,' when the pursuit of prey fails, one can still struggle in the boundary area. Generally, if the prey escapes to someone else's territory, the pursuit cannot continue. However, this boundary is not strictly enforced. For example, there have been cases before the Titus settlement where enemies chased prey into their territory. This situation arises due to the vast size of the territory, without a deliberate arrangement of many people patrolling and monitoring the borders. Over time, these rules become blurred, as long as there is no interference and trouble, there are no major issues.

In this rainforest, including the Titus settlement, there are a total of three large settlements that have been thriving for generations. The relationship between the settlement to which the people who destroyed the caves belong and the Titus settlement is slightly tense. Previously, there have been several conflicts over prey and some resource issues.

However, each time, peace was restored through the redistribution of food. Although the relationship is still strained, Cloudy feels uneasy: 'Will there be no consequences if we kill them?'

'There will be consequences.'

Don't be so blunt in your response! Cloudy wiped the sweat off his forehead, unsure if it was from the heat or fear: 'Will you be punished? Will there be major conflicts between settlements?'

'Previously, during external hunting due to prey issues, they killed several of our people. If it's discovered this time that I was involved, even if it's fair.' This is not a problem for Titus; he doesn't understand why Cloudy is so worried. 'If it's not discovered, the matter will pass.'

'Is that so...'

'Yes.' Titus hugged Cloudy, flipping over a massive tree root. 'Cloudy, you're really amazing.'

'Why are you suddenly saying that...'

'Our communication has become much smoother. Cloudy is much more capable than the children in the settlement!'

Indeed, without realizing it, the conversation with Titus had been going very smoothly... Is this the power of immersive learning? 'I think there's a lot more to talk about with you, Titus, things I don't know.'

Titus' ears perked up, patting Cloudy: 'Me too!'

...

The journey may have taken eight or nine hours, but because Cloudy was engaged in intense conversation with Titus all the way, time didn't seem to pass slowly. When they arrived at the settlement, the entire rainforest was enveloped in red.

Cloudy lay on Titus's shoulder, looking at the settlement surrounded by a massive wooden wall in the distance. The first time she came, the situation was too chaotic for her to observe properly.

At this moment, she and Titus were crouched on a branch about a mile or two away from the settlement. Titus was concerned about being seen by the tribespeople patrolling outside, so he chose to hide here, using a lot of leaves to cover Cloudy's body.

From this angle..."
Overlooking the entire settlement, it is trimmed in the relatively sparse areas of the rainforest. To the west of the settlement is a towering cliff, the upper part of which is covered with red and yellow vines, while the lower part appears to have been processed, with only gray-black stones exposed. In the middle of the gray-black stones, there is a small wooden platform extending from a small crevice in the rock, likely a lookout point.

Descending along the cliff leads to the settlement, where there is a stone wall on one side, mixed with wood and stones, leaning against the cliff. Below, you can clearly see a very large water pool. The entire settlement may cover an area equivalent to three or four football fields. The houses are familiar, but from this distance, only the rooftops are visible. The most prominent feature is the hanging building at the center of the settlement, where Titus mentioned the Matriarch must reside.

The settlement has only one large gate, facing directly south. Cloudy must have fled in a southwest direction after being thrown out. She would need to reach the ground to recall the specifics.

"Here, take this." Titus casually plucked a small bunch of purple-red fruits from a nearby branch. "Wait until nightfall when it's harder to be seen. I'll take you closer to the settlement and find a place nearby to rest."

"Eat," Cloudy nibbled on the fruit, feeling a bit shaky. She already felt close enough in this place. Could she really get closer without being noticed? Seeing Titus so confident, she decided not to worry. Cloudy settled on a branch and asked, "Was the water pool over there built by your people?"

Titus nodded, "During the rainy season, there will be more water. That's where the whole village gets its water from."

The rainy season... Cloudy had thought about this before. Despite being in a rainforest, rainfall wasn't frequent. It seemed the rain would come at a specific time. "When is the rainy season?"

"After the next hunting season, we will enter the rainy season. You need to be prepared by then," Titus replied, furrowing his brow. "During the rainy season, no one goes out. We stay indoors the whole time unless there's a danger."

"What... no going out?" Cloudy widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yes, no going out. The rain is very heavy. The settlement will be sealed off. Unless there's an emergency, no one leaves their homes," Titus pointed to the lookout tower on the cliff and continued, "We watch the clouds from there. When dark clouds approach from afar, we prepare."

The 'very heavy' rain Titus mentioned was surely beyond Cloudy's imagination. She swallowed nervously, starting to fear the unknown rainy season. Could she handle it alone? And she wasn't sure if the habitable place in her memory had shelter and drainage. It was originally an atrium environment, which would turn into a reservoir if it rained...

"Before the rainy season, we will surely find a place for you to stay."
Titus continued to pick fruits from the tree and handed them to Cloudy.

The two of them ate the fruits while chatting casually, waiting for the night to fall. This time, Titus didn't carry Cloudy on his back but let her lie on his back as he jumped down from the tree directly. Despite the ten-meter height of the tree, he jumped down effortlessly. Cloudy, who had experienced a free fall ride before, covered her mouth, trying not to scream.

Even when they landed from the tree, Titus landed softly, almost like an apple falling to the ground. After landing, Titus carried Cloudy sneakily towards the settlement's gate. He planned to leave Cloudy near the gate, at a place used for storing materials - untreated wood, stones, and various bones were piled up there. People only came here when repairs were needed in the settlement.

At that moment, Cloudy couldn't see clearly around her and dared not speak to Titus, so she just lay on his back, lost in her thoughts. After about an hour, Titus gently put her down from his back. By then, they had reached an open area without tree cover. In the moonlight, Cloudy could see many tree stumps on the ground, indicating human intervention.

Apart from the stumps, there were scattered huge wooden logs and massive rocks everywhere. Titus led Cloudy around, saying, "This is where we store materials. Few people come here usually. Cloudy, you can rest here tonight."

There were plenty of hiding spots, and Cloudy, being small in size, could easily find a place to hide. Cloudy looked around and felt satisfied with this temporary resting place. The material factory was very close to the towering cliff, to the southwest of the gate.

Soon, Cloudy found her hiding spot. Several oddly shaped stones were gathered together, with a wooden stick placed next to them, creating a low gap. Cloudy bent down, crawled into the gap, then crawled out, saying, "I'll stay here tonight."

Titus patted the stones and sticks, ensuring safety, and nodded, "Tomorrow morning, Cloudy, don't walk towards the gate as people will be coming and going. Head towards the cliff, walking outward."

Cloudy understood this well. Even if Titus hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have had the courage to go near the gate early in the morning. "I'll mark the starting point here with wooden sticks," she said.

"Alright, I'll come find you early tomorrow," Titus said, then hesitated, "Actually, I'll stay with you tonight."

Cloudy quickly waved her hand, "I'm home now. You go back tonight. I'll be fine on my own."

After some back and forth, Cloudy had to resort to using force to send Titus back home. Titus was reluctant to leave, taking multiple glances back, but Cloudy insisted on him leaving.
When Titus left, Cloudy slowly slid out from the crevice where she had shrunk like a gecko the second time he turned around. She planned to crawl back in to sleep when she felt very tired, as the space inside was too narrow. But what could she do to pass the time now? Looking around, the moonlight provided limited visibility, but she could still see the entire material factory. There were truly piles and piles of things stacked here.

Even though Titus had said that no one came here, Cloudy didn't plan to let her guard down. She moved cautiously through the material factory, exploring every corner with a hunched posture, taking slow steps. She didn't have a use for the wood and stones around, but the bones scattered on the ground and the occasional scraps of animal hide she could find were quite useful.

After searching for a while, she picked up a very nice bone stick - forearm-length, thick enough to grasp with one hand, with a jagged, saw-toothed edge at the front due to natural fractures. Cloudy happily tucked it under her armpit and continued scavenging for junk.

Knowing she had to hit the road again tomorrow, she didn't dare to take too many things. Apart from some sharp bones, she collected many small wooden chips. She had promised Titus to leave markers discreetly, so planting small wooden sticks in the ground was the best option.

In total, she picked up around thirty of them, gathered them together, and stashed them in her waist pouch. Just then, she heard sporadic cheers coming from the direction of the settlement, not knowing what was happening... but when she turned to look in that direction, she saw the flickering of flames.

Due to the distance and angle, she could only see part of the settlement's wall illuminated by the fire. The scattered light reflected in Cloudy's pupils, like a sudden realization.

The cheers continued, and without seeing it with her own eyes, she knew they were definitely celebrating around a bonfire. She tried to look away and stop thinking about it, but the flicker of the fire seemed to pierce her eyes like a thorn, impossible to shake off. This might be an instinctual yearning and admiration for fire.

She longed for the beautiful golden-red glow and the flames flickering like thin veils. Even memories of being burned by fire now seemed sweet. Sounds of crackling flames devouring wood seemed to echo in her ears, sparks bursting from the tips, floating briefly before vanishing.

Cloudy felt like she had become a fervent admirer of flames, willing to sacrifice everything for fire. In fact, she had a crazy idea in her mind now - to sneak into Titus's settlement in the dead of night and steal some fire.

It was just a thought... Cloudy wiped away a tear of frustration from the corner of her eye, gathered her materials, and headed towards the small crevice.

She couldn't help but keep looking up at the settlement wall as she walked, even if it was just a tiny flicker of fire that didn't belong to her, it seemed to bring some comfort.