Chapter 7: The Mysterious Iron Spear

Forget it's just a game, if Ethan himself was in this pickle, he'd make the same call!

Since these dudes had shady plans for him, he had to nip it in the bud, or else it's just trouble sprouting back up!

But Ethan didn't wipe out all the bandits.

He only took out the ones bold enough to try and run.

Only five bandits were left on screen, and Ethan's focus shifted to Nathan.

"The Forebearer's cards has stopped."

Nathan looked around, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

But soon enough, he stood up, grabbed the knife he'd just put down, and charged at the bandits.

"The Forebearer is ticked off, honey, I've figured it out."

"We gotta wipe them out to protect our home!"

"Thanks for the wisdom, Forebearer!"

Smart move!

Ethan really admired this about Nathan; the guy was quick on the uptake. These five bandits were left just for Nathan!

The Forebearer cards returned to its place.

Under Ethan's watchful eye, Nathan, in front of his wife and kids, took out all the bandits and even moved their bodies out of the yard overnight.

And Lucas, who had just run out with a wooden sword, watched his dad move the bodies with a mix of awe and respect in his young eyes.

[Your descendants have averted a family crisis, gaining Spiritual Tribute +12]

[Loot acquired: A small amount of silver, worn clothes, a dung fork...]

[Watching Nathan eliminate the family's enemies, the young child seems to grasp something, a strange concept imprinted deep in his memory.]

[Lucas gains the trait: Killing Potential]

[Killing Potential: Becomes more ferocious in combat, strength increases by 20%, and insight into attack techniques improves by 5%]

"Huh?"

Ethan was taken aback; he hadn't expected that this bout of violence would solve more than just their immediate problems, and that it would bring more than just loot to Blackwood.

The biggest gain.

Turned out to be Lucas, this 4-year-old kid, a natural-born killer, a warrior!

After that night's carnage.

Blackwood returned to its usual peace, of course, Ethan couldn't see the full picture of what changed deep inside Blackwood's descendants after killing their enemies.

He sped up the flow of time again.

Blackwood continued to develop.

Blackwood's stone houses became more refined, and the wooden fences, due to previous thefts, were gradually replaced with stone, forming a sizable courtyard.

They even built a training ground specifically for practicing magical martial arts.

What surprised Ethan the most.

Was that Nathan, on a hunting trip in the Silver Ironwood Forest, brought back flat stones and built a small temple in the most conspicuous part of the courtyard to honor the Forebearer's cards, ensuring the Spiritual Tribute remained bright.

[Nathan and his descendants built a temple for you, gaining Spiritual Tribute +20!]

"Such a dutiful kid."

Ethan touched his chin in satisfaction, then paused, feeling a bit odd about having descendants build a temple for him while he was still alive.

While Ethan was eagerly waiting, the big festival that comes once every decade finally popped up on the screen!

Nathan, his wife, their three kids, and even their Ironwood horse, all showed up at the little stone temple to light up the Spiritual Tribute and start the worship!

"Sorry, Forebearer, for the weak sauce tribute, but thanks to your blessing over the past decade, our family's been thriving."

Nathan kept bowing non-stop, then turned to his eldest, Lucas, "Lucas, hurry up and toss the gold and silver dad prepared into the copper furnace for the Forebearer."

[You've received a Tribute Offering: 10 pounds of silver, 1 pound of gold]

[Wanna take it out?]

Nah, bro!

Ethan rolled his eyes in front of his computer. In his time, gold and silver were so last season, even diamonds were just street pebbles. Ethan's sports car hood? Made of pure gold. His villa's bathtub? Lined with diamonds.

He clicked no.

Nathan stared at the Forebearer's cards, "Huh? No warm Divine Gift from the Forebearer!"

"Does the Forebearer not dig gold and silver or what?"

Luna chimed in.

"Yeah, must be it!" Nathan nodded vigorously. "Forebearer's too cool for school, ordinary stuff just doesn't cut it. Lucas, go check the storeroom for something pricey, we gotta please the Forebearer!"

"Uh?"

Watching the hustle on the game screen, Ethan just shrugged.

He wasn't really in the mood for gifts.

After all, Blackwood was just getting off the ground, what valuable stuff could they possibly have? But he had already prepared this round's Divine Gift as an investment in Blackwood's growth. Only if Blackwood got stronger could they possibly have something that caught his eye.

Soon, Lucas was hauling a bunch of stuff in front of the temple.

[You've received a Tribute Offering: King Boar's tendons, two pounds of Blackrock ore...]

[Wanna take it out?]

A whole bunch of weird items.

He wasn't keen, but it was the thought that counted, right? Ethan rummaged through the items, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

One item caught his eye, a rusty old spear he remembered seeing Nathan train with when he switched screens.

[Mysterious Iron Spear (Sealed)]

The game even recorded the spear's backstory—it was snagged by Nathan while hunting in the Mystic Boar Forest, from a pile of human bones in the Boar King's cave!

"A sealed weapon?"

Ethan's expression turned serious. In the world of cultivating psychic powers, anything worth sealing had an extraordinary origin and could be extremely dangerous. Clearly, Nathan's limited skills hadn't clued him into the spear's value.

"Take out the spear!"

Ethan didn't hesitate to pull out the spear, even he was intrigued by it.

[You chose to take out the Tribute Offering from your descendants—the Mysterious Iron Spear!]

In an instant, a rusty spear appeared in front of the Mystic Burner on Ethan's computer desk, and he could smell the rust coming off it!

But at the same time, Ethan was drawn to the faint patterns on the spear, inscribed with strange characters, and he suddenly realized that his limited knowledge couldn't make heads or tails of it.

He set aside the spear for now.

Ethan held a brocade box, placing it in front of the copper furnace.

[You've Divine Gifted your descendants—36 various elixirs.]

[Wanna send it?]