novelraw Chapter 2 : Food
Chapter 2 : Food
Chapter 2: Food
Huang Xing looked at the scene below and felt somewhat helpless.
He was not angry; he was simply indifferent to bloody things.
“Sigh, they’re just NPCs in a dream, yet their reactions are quite realistic.”
At the same time, he felt a trace of confusion. He was clearly sitting so openly atop the totem pole.
Why did everyone, including Apollo, seem unable to see him?
What they worshipped appeared to be only this pole—or rather, the “god” in their imagination?
Seeing Apollo so frightened by his “displeasure” that he was on the verge of tears, his words filled with fear and self-blame, Huang Xing’s helplessness turned into a hint of pity.
But Apollo was, after all, just a six-year-old child. One could not expect too much.
So, he sighed softly and spoke. His voice directly echoed in Apollo’s mind:
“Apollo.”
“God! I am here!” Apollo’s body trembled as he responded quickly and urgently.
“I do not require your offerings.”
Huang Xing stated calmly.
“W… why?”
Apollo raised his head, his face filled with confusion and hurt. “Is the offering not precious enough? Or have you stopped favoring us?”
Huang Xing patiently explained. His thoughts were very simple:
“Whether you offer or not, and what you offer, holds no meaning to me.”
His underlying meaning was: this was just a dream—everything in it was illusory.
However, in Apollo’s ears, these words took on a completely different meaning—
The god transcended all things, utterly indifferent, even disdainful of accepting their insignificant offerings.
Did this mean…
that one day, the god would leave?
Just as Apollo grew even more terrified and was about to continue pleading, Huang Xing felt that his real-world self was about to wake up… the dream was ending.
Seeing the boy’s devastated expression, Huang Xing could not bear it. Before fully waking, he left behind one final sentence. His voice remained calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority:
“Simply be yourself.”
As soon as the words fell, Huang Xing vanished instantly from atop the totem pole, and even the starlight seemed to dim for a moment.
Apollo stood frozen in place, pondering the final divine decree left by the god.
Be yourself?
What did that mean?
Did it mean they need not deliberately offer sacrifices, or…
that the god valued the tribe’s own development more?
He fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, Huang Xing opened his eyes in his rented apartment. Outside, the sky had just begun to brighten.
He savored the events of the dream, an unconscious smile appearing on his lips.
“A dream like a continuous series… pretty interesting.”
……
Night came again.
With a trace of anticipation, Huang Xing lay on his bed, closed his eyes, and awaited the unfolding of that strange world.
Another moment of haziness…
He heard the cheers of many people.
Looking over, he saw that Apollo had brought back another large prey.
This one looked like a gigantic wild boar.
At this moment, everyone’s faces were filled with the joy of harvest. They sang songs praising the god while skillfully beginning to butcher the rare prey.
At this time, Apollo sensed the presence of the god.
He immediately set down the stone knife in his hand, quickly ran to the base of the totem pole, knelt down, and called out with a bright smile:
“God!”
The dependence and joy in that voice were so genuine that Huang Xing felt as if his heart had been lightly brushed by a soft feather, stirring a gentle warmth.
Looking at the bright-eyed boy below, a feeling of affection arose within him.
Although in reality he was still a single young man,
at this moment, the way he looked at Apollo carried a warmth akin to that of looking at his own child.
He suddenly wanted to go down and pat Apollo’s head.
Unfortunately, for some reason, he simply could not descend from the totem pole.
Though a little regretful, Huang Xing did not dwell on it.
His emotions came and went quickly, and he soon returned to his usual calm demeanor.
Even though Huang Xing did not touch Apollo,
Apollo still clearly sensed that fleeting warmth, like sunlight in spring.
He did not understand what it was, but the god’s gaze had rested upon him, carrying warmth.
That alone was enough to satisfy him completely.
However, at that moment, a sudden disturbance broke out within the crowd.
A young woman named “Shui” suddenly clutched her stomach and rolled on the ground in pain.
The celebration came to an abrupt halt. People gathered around her, their faces filled with worry.
Soon, the old priest was summoned.
He carefully examined “Shui’s” body. After a long while, he finally shook his head and said:
“I cannot see any wounds on ‘Shui’s’ body.”
He could only treat bleeding external injuries.
For this kind of pain without visible wounds, he had no solution.
Atop the totem pole, Huang Xing’s gaze fell upon the woman writhing in pain.
Almost at the same time, fragmented images and pieces of information automatically flowed into his mind.
He saw that “Shui” had secretly hidden a small piece of the prey’s internal organs earlier…
He saw that this morning, out of hunger, she had eagerly swallowed that already rotten and spoiled meat.
At this moment, everyone was escorting Apollo to “Shui’s” side.
The old priest looked at Apollo and asked:
“Apollo, can you save her?”
Apollo was completely at a loss. Aside from being strong, he understood nothing else.
Just then, Huang Xing’s voice sounded in his mind:
“This is food poisoning.”
Apollo’s eyes lit up instantly as he shouted with joy:
“God!”
Hearing Apollo call “God,” everyone immediately knelt down in unison. Even the old priest knelt.
The god had once again cast his gaze upon them!
Huang Xing continued:
“Make her vomit what she has eaten.”
Apollo immediately turned to the crowd and loudly conveyed the divine decree:
“The god says, let ‘Shui’ vomit what she has eaten, and she will recover!”
The people did not understand, because food was extremely precious to them.
But this was the god’s command. Under the old priest’s signal, several people stepped forward, held down the struggling “Shui,” and forcefully pounded her abdomen.
In the end, “Shui” vomited everything she had eaten that morning.
Sure enough, her stomach pain quickly subsided.
She knelt devoutly, facing the direction of the totem pole, and praised:
“Thank you…”
“Great Lord of the Stars… thank you for your mercy…”
The people had witnessed a miracle!
Once again, they erupted into enthusiastic cheers, praising the god’s greatness and benevolence.
Huang Xing noticed that this tribe was still at a very primitive stage.
Although they knew how to start fires by drilling wood, they did not know how to use fire to cook food.
This resulted in frequent illnesses caused by consuming spoiled food or parasites.
Thus, he told Apollo that from now on, the tribe was forbidden from eating raw food. All food must be cooked over fire before being eaten.