The chief still took the ornament, but only allowed people to look at it and not take it off:
"Don't destroy or remove the ropes wrapped around it!"
Feng Yi doesn't need to go through any dismantling steps at all.
He said he wanted to watch it, just to introduce the following topic.
The chief respectfully placed the pendant on the table, and looked at Feng Yi vigilantly to prevent Feng Yi from doing anything to this pendant with special meaning.
Feng Yi just looked at it quietly for a moment before saying, "The vertebrae are well preserved."
These are not some old, deformed fossils that have been dug up. These are real, intact vertebrae!
The species should be the iconic creature in this rainforest - the anaconda.
Just bigger in size.
However, what Feng Yi was most interested in was that there was still a little bit of energy reaction remaining on this vertebra!
From these energy reactions, Feng Yi speculated that this giant anaconda might have been a pet raised by an elder in the tribe when it was alive.
It shouldn't be food.
If it was food, it would be unlikely that the bones would be preserved so well.
"I would like to ask, is there any special relationship between your tribe and this giant anaconda?" Feng Yi asked.
The chief's face was full of gloom. He thought for a long time, wondering how to answer the other party's question. Should he just give a perfunctory answer or tell the truth
Thinking of the other party's identity as an expert from the Joint Security Bureau, the professional strength just revealed, and the attitude Feng Yi has shown so far, the chief still said:
"The great beast Serpan, that's what we call it.
"It once protected this land from pirates..."
When pirates invaded, they would seize the tribe's gold, kill some of the tribe's resisters, and capture the rest and sell them as slaves.
But under the protection of the behemoth, they survived the most chaotic years.
Therefore, their tribe regards the giant beast Serpan as its patron saint.
Their tribe also eats other snakes in the rainforest, but not anacondas.
They regarded anacondas as descendants of gods. Even when they came into contact with the outside world, these beliefs were always ridiculed by outsiders, who laughed at the exaggeration of their stories and the ignorance and hypocrisy of the indigenous villagers.
But they remain extremely determined.
Because they know that what they say is true!
The giant beast Serpan really exists!
"If you know the history of our tribe, you will know that our tribe was not here before the abnormal climate period..."
The place where their tribe once lived was destroyed by continuous storms and floods during a period of abnormal climate. Under the disaster, they were forced to move and finally settled in their current place.
The former place of residence...
"We used to live very close to the tomb of the great beast Serpan. I dug this vertebra out after the disaster.
"The storm destroyed our former home and the tomb of the great beast Serpan. The land was completely changed after the storm. When we went there, we only dug out this vertebra."
Feng Yi listened to the chief's story quietly. He originally thought that the chief would talk about the three great snake mothers in the local mysterious legend, that is, the Yakumama type.
I didn't expect the chief to tell another story. And the authenticity of this story, judging from the emotional information, is likely to be true!
However, there are many things in this story that confuse Feng Yi.
"The giant beast Serpan? That's the name you gave it?" Feng Yi asked. This name means "big snake" in the local language system.
The chief shook his head slightly, "I don't know. It could be a sage."
Feng Yi: "Who is the sage?"
The chief's eyes were full of reverence: "He once appeared with the giant beast Serpan, taught us to identify herbs, and taught us to fight pirates. He must be a messenger of God!"
Feng Yi: “…” What a familiar routine.
Chief: "Until one day, there was a loud bang and the ground shook. When everything died down, my ancestors went there and saw a new hill where the giant beast Serpan often appeared. The sage said that it was the tomb of the giant beast Serpan. Later, the sage also disappeared."
Feng Yi nodded. He roughly understood the development and direction of the story.
Generally speaking, these things happened three hundred years ago, and the tomb has existed for a long time.
The fact that the bones have remained so intact after so many years may be due to the tomb.
However, during the abnormal climate period, after the disaster, the tomb was destroyed and the chief only dug out one of the vertebrae. If the remaining ones were scattered in the rainforest, the speed of erosion and decomposition would be accelerated. This was also the chief's regret that he was unable to dig out the second piece of remains.
The chief carefully stroked the straw rope pendant on the table.
This vertebra has never been taken out and has been disguised because the chief was worried that it would be coveted by outsiders.
According to the records passed down by their ancestors, the pirates would ruthlessly rob all their rare treasures and kill the villagers of the tribe.
Some people are scarier than pirates nowadays.
Once it is exposed, with the strength of their tribe, they will not be able to protect this treasure.
"Why are you willing to take it out now?" Feng Yi asked.
If the chief had firmly denied it just now and hid himself afterwards, Feng Yi would not have insisted.
The chief looked helpless and bitter at this question.
"It will be exposed one day. I just found out recently that people from other tribes are also digging. They may not know it, but they may trade it. I can't stop them from selling the remains of the giant beast Serpan to those generous vendors and tourists."
Feng Yi immediately asked: "Do you want to sell this piece in your hand?"
Chief: “Not for sale!”
Feng Yi: "Who else has dug it up? Can you ask for me so I can pay for it. Oh, and can I go to the tomb of the giant beast Serpan and take a look?"
I can dig it myself!
The chief stared at Feng Yi for a moment with an oppressive gaze: "It's late, we can discuss some issues tomorrow."
Feng Yi was not in a hurry: "Okay, I'll bother you again tomorrow. Oh, I have another question, I hope I can get your answer."
Feng Yi looked at the chief and asked seriously, "What does the giant beast Serpan eat?"
This anaconda, which is suspected to have been modified by our ancestors, should be more than twelve meters in size!
Could the environment here support such a body size, even three hundred years ago
The chief frowned and looked over, as if he had heard a stupid question, but he still replied:
"As long as it's suitable, eat it."
"For example?" Feng Yi asked.
"For example, the animals in the rainforest, or the invading pirates," said the chief.
Feng Yi was silent.
I understand, but it also eats people.
But at that time, some tribes here also practiced cannibalism.
Without disturbing the chief any longer, Feng Yi returned to the guest house prepared for him by the villagers.
After turning off the lights at night, lying in the hammock, Feng Yi recalled what the chief had said.
There are many legends about this ancient rainforest, some true and some false, which cannot be confirmed.
But after summarizing the facts, Feng Yi guessed that perhaps more than one of his ancestors came here to raise pets!
Or play
Or foraging
Either the pet was discovered by someone, or the original form was causing trouble in the jungle and the natives saw the non-human part of it. Then the news spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and it was distorted again and again, becoming a monster of thirty or fifty meters in length.
Unfortunately, most of them do not have detailed written records, but only some simple symbols and pictures, as well as stories passed down from generation to generation. This kind of inheritance process will definitely be distorted to a certain extent, and it is not absolutely true, but it is also for reference.
The "sage" who was playing tricks on others might very well be one of our predecessors.
Thinking of this, Feng Yi suddenly realized something:
“Have my ancestors ever seen the Mayans?”
If our ancestors came here thousands of years ago, they should have had some intersection with the lost civilization, right
Snakes also have their own special status in Mayan culture. I wonder if our ancestors ever communicated with them.
The next day.
After eating and drinking enough, sleeping well, and having another big meal in the morning, Feng Yi went to the appointment in a good mood.
There are some things we haven't finished discussing yet, let's continue today.
But today's conversation will not take place at the chief's house.
The chief had people bring out a canoe-like, narrow boat. It was obviously not made locally, but was made of high-tech fiber material, which was lighter and easier to carry.
Obviously, this is also the material obtained by this tribe through exchanges with the outside world.
After strict control over tree felling, some of the original tools were also changed accordingly.
High-tech canoes are also one of them.
The chief brought out this canoe and extended an invitation to Feng Yi.
According to local custom, the boats will be rowed to the middle of the river and the people on the boats will have one-on-one conversations.
Many people go out during the day, the house is not soundproofed, and there are many potential dangers in the jungle, so when they want to have some more private conversations, they will do it in this way.
This is a means of communication that has both deterrence and confidentiality, and can also test the other party's sincerity.
If you don't have enough courage and sincerity, the villagers will not continue talking to you.
The slender canoe moved forward along the river.
At this time, there were only Feng Yi and the chief on the boat.
There were other tribesmen following not far away, but they just didn't come close.
Feng Yi was at the bow, but he was not facing forward, but facing the captain. He did not look at the villagers who were following the chief at a distance. He looked around with interest.
The boat slowly rowed to the center of the river.
The chief observed Feng Yi's expression.
There was no sign of uneasiness.
Considering Feng Yi's identity as an expert from the Joint Security Bureau, the chief did not stop the boat in the center of the river, but planned to row forward a distance to a place closer to the shore. This was also a way of showing respect.
The boat continued to move forward, approaching the shore in an oblique line.
Seeing that the distance was about right, the chief let the boat drift slowly with the current and prepared to start today's conversation.
On the boat, Feng Yi stood face to face with the chief and did not look around.
The chief saw that the atmosphere was about right and was about to speak, but suddenly his eyes fixed:
"Maybe this isn't the right place to have this conversation."
"No, no, no, I think it's pretty good!" Feng Yi said, raising his hand and pointing behind him.
"Are you worried about this guy?"
A dense branch protruded into the air, its leaves blocking the view. Behind the branch was a thick dead tree, standing at an angle on the shore.
A big snake was resting on the dead tree that was contaminated by water vapor.
One of the specialties of this rainforest is the anaconda.
Initially, it was estimated to be at least five meters long, a very threatening size.
I watched the boat drifting over there, getting closer and closer.
The chief held the oar in his hand, his face tense.
Feng Yi rummaged through the bag skillfully and said apologetically:
"Excuse me, please wait a moment."
Now that you have come across the material, you certainly can’t let it go!
Get out your camera and take close-up photos and videos.
On the dead tree, the huge anaconda was spitting out its tongue, and its eyes showed no emotion or warmth, making the chief's muscles all on alert.
However, there was another cheerful voice on the boat.
"Chief, would you like to take a photo?" Feng Yi asked.
The chief looked at the expert who was almost touching the anaconda, and his face became even more tense: "No!"
The Chief's inner thoughts: Can you maintain even a little respect for the descendants of God? !