Section 265 History
Taking the dagger, even the normally steady Sangpu couldn't help but show an excited expression. He turned it over and over in his hands, looking at it as if he had obtained a priceless treasure, unable to put it down. Beside him, Sang Ling's eyes were fixed, staring intently at the dagger in Sangpu's hand.
It's just a dagger. Is such an exaggerated reaction really necessary? Ye Zhong found it quite strange.
Seeing Ye Zhong's puzzled expression, Village Chief Sangde explained for them: "Hehe, don't mind them, Yezi. They're seeing a metal weapon for the first time, so they're a bit beside themselves. Apu, let me have a look."
Sangpu hurriedly handed the dagger to Village Chief Sangde.
"What exquisite craftsmanship," Village Chief Sangde couldn't help but praise. "Indeed, it's very sharp. Its hardness and toughness are far superior to Bitterwood. Apu, bring a Bitterwood spear."
Sangpu walked to a corner of the room where several of the wooden spears Ye Zhong had seen before were leaning. He casually picked up two. Noticing Ye Zhong's curious gaze, he smiled slightly and handed one to Ye Zhong.
Ye Zhong carefully examined the Bitterwood spear in his hand. Each spear was about two meters long, with a thickness just right for gripping. It had considerable heft. Ye Zhong applied a little force to bend it; the spear only curved into a semi-arc, and the expected breaking didn't happen. The spear tip was sharpened extremely finely. The shaft had dense, spiral patterns, as if naturally formed.
Ye Zhong was secretly amazed. What a tough wooden spear. What interested him most were the spiral patterns on the shaft. They completely conformed to aerodynamics. When thrown, it would spin rapidly in flight, not only increasing its penetrating power but also ensuring more stable, high-speed flight.
He never expected to see such sophisticated design on such a primitive weapon, which greatly piqued his interest.
Village Chief Sangde took a Bitterwood spear from Sangpu and lightly swung the dagger. The Bitterwood spear, five centimeters in diameter, was easily cut in two.
Everyone except Ye Zhong had a gleam in their eyes: "Incredible!"
"Just as the legends say!" Village Chief Sangde gently wiped the blade of the dagger, murmuring. The others all stared, spellbound, at the dagger in the chief's hand.
Now Ye Zhong was baffled. Legends? A dagger should be a fairly common item. What's all the fuss about? From a design perspective, this dagger had nothing particularly commendable. It was identical in style to the one Gu Shaoze had given him. Although Gu Shaoze was a mechanical genius, he wasn't a weapons expert. In Ye Zhong's eyes, the curvature design of this dagger was utterly terrible. He had just gotten used to using it and hadn't bothered to change it.
From a design standpoint, compared to the Bitterwood spear, this dagger was practically a defective product.
After a long while, Village Chief Sangde was the first to regain his composure. He smiled apologetically at Ye Zhong: "Yezi, please excuse our behavior. I've lived this long, and this is also the first time I've seen a metal weapon. It truly is exactly as our ancestors described."
First time seeing one? Even the most primitive tribes have metal weapons! Moreover, judging by the seven mechs placed in the ancestral hall, even though the smelting technology seemed a bit backward, if they could manufacture such large mechs, how could they possibly fail to produce a simple metal dagger?
Ye Zhong couldn't help but ask: "You mean you don't have any metal weapons?"
Glancing at Sangpu and Sangling, who still hadn't fully recovered, Village Chief Sangde spoke slowly: "No. Back then, our ancestors migrated here to escape a catastrophe. They endured countless hardships along the way. Our clan originally numbered 1.7 million people. Only a pitiful 50,000 arrived here safely."
Village Chief Sangde's face was full of sorrow as he continued: "That disaster struck suddenly, giving our ancestors very little time to prepare. According to records, it was just shortly after mechs first appeared. Our Sang clan possessed the largest mech corps in the He Yue Star Domain at that time, with a full 3,000 Mech Pilots. Back then, being a Mech Pilot wasn't a mature profession. The clan leader faced immense pressure to maintain this corps. However, a significant portion of people believed that mechs undoubtedly represented the future trend."
Village Chief Sangde's voice was low, as if recounting an ancient legend. Everyone's attention was captivated, even Ye Zhong showed an expression of listening intently.
"Although the incident happened suddenly, the clan leader's preparations were still meticulous. All data, from the most basic metal smelting to the Sang clan's core technologies, were recorded on data chips. To prevent the loss of technology due to the holder's death, 300 copies of this chip were made. Out of the entire mech corps of 3,000 people, on average, one chip was held for every ten people. Almost everyone believed that with so many chips, preserving one or two shouldn't be a problem. At that time, the Sang clan was one of the four most prosperous great families in the He Yue Star Domain. And the Sang clan's mech corps was the most powerful combat force in the entire He Yue Star Domain. Everyone thought these preparations were foolproof. Even in the most unfamiliar place, with these technologies, the resurgence of the Sang clan would be absolutely assured."
The sorrow on Village Chief Sangde's face deepened, and a tremble entered his voice. "But unexpectedly, disaster still struck."
"The only exit leading out of the He Yue Star Domain was paralyzed. Left with no choice, the clan leader had to lead the entire clan to brave this vast asteroid belt. No one expected that within this asteroid belt lay the terrifying Red Mist Sea."
"Red Mist Sea?" Sang Ling couldn't help but ask. This was the first time she was hearing her clan's secret history.
"Yes, the Red Mist Sea," Village Chief Sangde confirmed. "It's a vast void space filled with thick red mist, like an endless sea. Our ancestors called it the Red Mist Sea."
Ye Zhong's heart stirred. Wasn't that the same red mist where I got separated from牧[Mù]?
"No one anticipated that this beautiful red mist concealed countless dangers. Interfered with by that red mist, all radar systems became useless. Everyone lost their direction in the Red Mist Sea, and a significant number of clansmen were separated. Little did they know, the disaster had only just begun."
"That red mist was unusually sensitive to metal. When they reached the center of the Red Mist Sea, the mist grew thicker. Almost all the ships became entangled by countless strange red filaments. To cut these filaments, almost all the mechs were deployed. Unexpectedly, as soon as these mechs exited the ship bays, countless red filaments would immediately grow around them, wrapping them up tightly. Everyone on the ships witnessed all the mechs being swallowed by the boundless strange filaments in an instant."
So that's how it was, Ye Zhong understood. So when this red mist reaches a certain density, it becomes so sensitive to metal. No wonder the Dandy was entangled so tightly by those strange filaments. It seemed he had escaped precisely because the [Jia Household/含家] was made of bone material.
Ye Zhong began to worry about牧殇[Mù Shāng] and the others.牧殇[Mù Shāng] was also made of metal! Unfortunately, he had completely lost contact with牧[Mù] and the others now. If only he could relay this message to牧[Mù],牧[Mù] would surely find a solution. But...
Ye Zhong gave a bitter laugh inwardly. He took a few deep breaths, temporarily pushing these thoughts aside.
Ye Zhong suddenly asked: "Then how did you manage to escape?"
Village Chief Sangde explained: "The vast majority escaped in lifeboats. To reduce weight, the lifeboats weren't made of metal, though what exactly they were made of, this old man doesn't know. About 100,000 people escaped initially. Among them, only fifteen were Mech Pilots. These pilots had been injured and didn't participate in that operation, which spared them. But due to shortages of food and water, people kept dying along the way. By the time they reached here, the entire Sang clan was reduced to a pitiful 50,000 people. Only seven Mech Pilots remained, none of whom possessed the chips. Having been injured and without effective treatment, they all passed away not long after. We had to start from the most primitive beginning. Among the surviving 50,000, there were originally a few Scientists. But when we first arrived here, with the high gravity and fierce beasts everywhere, our survival was not guaranteed at all. In the first month alone, 20,000 people died from starvation and disease. Scientists generally have weaker physiques; they couldn't endure and all perished."
As he spoke, Village Chief Sangde sighed deeply, filled with emotion. Sangpu and Sangling were somewhat stunned. Ye Zhong finally understood why this place was so primitive.
"Before they died, those Scientists wrote down their various insights and knowledge. But unexpectedly, no one could learn from them. Most of those who survived such harsh conditions were robust Martial Artists. Without any foundation, how could they understand such profound knowledge? Those Scientists, before dying, wanted to pass down their most prized expertise, but they didn't write down any foundational knowledge. That's how this situation came to be." Sangde's words were full of helplessness.
Sangpu and Sangling could only remain silent.
Ye Zhong nodded in understanding. Indeed, in any field, without a foundation, advanced knowledge is like a book from heaven to ordinary people. The more advanced the knowledge, the more this holds true.
No wonder the villagers here still used such primitive weapons. That they could firmly establish themselves, continuously multiply, and thrive in such a harsh environment couldn't help but fill Ye Zhong with deep respect.
Suddenly, Ye Zhong thought of himself on the garbage planet, struggling alone to survive. How similar it was!