Chapter 5: Annexation
Huang Xing stood on the altar.
His gaze pierced through the darkness and saw the returning group.
When the old priest saw that everyone was injured, his heart sank. The wounds were too severe—he could not save them.
Apollo looked at the old priest expectantly, but the old priest shook his head helplessly:
“Their injuries are too severe. I cannot save them.”
Apollo nodded, set down the tribesman on his back, and walked alone onto the altar, kneeling.
At this mont, his heart was filled with complex emotions.
“God!”
he called out, his voice trembling.
He felt ashad.
The god had never demanded anything from them, yet he kept asking for help again and again.
He was afraid—afraid that his own incompetence and constant requests would bring about the god’s disdain.
Huang Xing sensed the fear in Apollo’s heart.
He felt a wave of helplessness, along with a trace of tenderness.
How could he possibly disdain Apollo?
In this strange world, Apollo was like his child, a projection of his emotions.
“Bring them here.”
A gentle voice sounded within Apollo’s mind.
Apollo suddenly lifted his head, the panic in his eyes instantly swept away by overwhelming joy!
The god had agreed!
A smile returned to his face as he hurried down the altar, directing everyone to carry the injured and place them upon it.
Once everything was arranged, Apollo knelt again, a hint of embarrassnt on his face, yet filled with anticipation as he called:
“God!”
Huang Xing did not act imdiately.
His gaze fell upon Apollo, and deep within his consciousness, he resonated with Leo among the stars.
He knew clearly that as the foremost of the Twelve Constellations, Leo’s authority could not possibly be limited to rely enhancing physical strength.
The true power had always been slumbering within Apollo’s body.
And now, it was ti to awaken it.
With a slight movent of Huang Xing’s will, the stars of Leo in the night sky suddenly shone with incomparable brilliance. Vast starlight traversed distant space and ti, descending with a roar and enveloping Apollo on the altar!
Bathed in starlight, Apollo felt a warm and powerful force awaken within him!
All his wounds healed at a visible speed.
When the starlight faded, Apollo’s appearance had undergone a trendous transformation.
His hair turned into a radiant gold like the sun, shining brilliantly. His eyes also beca a majestic and sacred gold.
Simply standing there, he naturally exuded an aura of warmth, light, and reverence.
He looked at his own hands in disbelief, feeling the surging new power within his body.
“Go.” Huang Xing’s voice guided him.
Under Huang Xing’s direction, Apollo ca before one of the injured.
He extended his hand, and a gentle golden light flowed from his palm, enveloping the wounded person.
Within the light, wounds deep enough to expose bone began to wriggle and heal, broken bones reconnected, and the pale complexion rapidly returned to a healthy flush.
When the light dissipated, the dying tribesman suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in confusion.
“A miracle! This is a miracle!”
Shocked cries erupted from the crowd.
Apollo was filled with excitent. He imdiately turned to the next injured person, repeating the process.
For a ti, golden light rose and fell across the altar like successive sunrises.
When the last injured person was healed and awakened within the golden glow, the entire tribe erupted into thunderous cheers!
Apollo looked toward the totem pole in excitent, wanting to express his boundless gratitude:
“God!”
But at this mont, Huang Xing had already returned to the top of the totem pole, hidden within starlight and shadow.
Below, having witnessed the miracle, the tribespeople, led by Apollo and the old priest, danced their most fervent dances around the blazing bonfire and sang their most devout hymns, praising the greatness and benevolence of the Lord of the Stars.
……
At dawn, Apollo walked alone toward the Sun Tribe.
“Monster!”
“The monster is here!”
The people of the Sun Tribe cried out in terror.
They had never seen soone with golden hair and eyes.
In their eyes, Apollo was not human at all!
Though trembling with fear, they still picked up their weapons and shakily aid them at Apollo.
Apollo remained expressionless and took a step forward.
The surrounding crowd seed to be pushed back by an invisible force, collectively retreating in fear.
“Call your priest and your chief out.”
Every tribe had both a priest and a chief.
And in his own tribe, the position of chief had been taken by him ever since he received the god’s blessing two years ago.
The crowd imdiately stirred, looking at one another.
In the end, a burly middle-aged man with scars on his face and an old man draped in worn animal hides, holding a bone staff, stepped forward reluctantly.
They were the chief and priest of the tribe—they had to protect their people.
They had to defend their tribe.
“You… what do you want?”
the chief of the Sun Tribe asked.
Apollo raised his hand, and a blazing fla appeared out of thin air in his palm.
With a casual flick—
“Boom!”
A nearby pile of dry grass instantly ignited, flas surging upward and illuminating faces filled with shock.
The priest imdiately knelt and shouted:
“God!”
Everyone followed, kneeling and shouting in unison:
“God!”
In their eyes, only a god could control fire.
“I am not a god!” Apollo said.
He was rely a believer of the god.
The fla just now, as well as the healing light from last night, were all powers granted to him by the god.
The people of the Sun Tribe were confused. They could not understand why the god claid he was not a god.
Apollo did not explain further. He began to declare their punishnt:
“You hard my people.”
“Therefore, from now on, you are my slaves.”
They did not understand what “slaves” ant, but they still followed Apollo, leaving their own tribe behind.
……
Back at the tribe, people looked at the large group Apollo had brought back, their faces filled with surprise and confusion.
The old priest stepped forward and asked:
“Apollo, why did you bring them back?”
Apollo loudly announced, his voice spreading across the entire tribe:
“From today onward, they are the slaves of our tribe!”
“Slaves?”
“What are slaves?”
No one understood—not even Apollo.
The word had simply appeared in his mind.
This era was too primitive; even the concept of slavery had not yet erged.
But they understood one thing—if the tribe wanted to grow stronger, it needed more people.
Thus, the people of the Sun Tribe were kept.
The tribe, which had once been just over fifty people, suddenly beca a large tribe of more than one hundred and forty.
In Huang Xing’s view, the ergence of slaves signified that the tribe had entered the age of slavery.
Unfortunately, they still had no written language and could not yet be considered a true civilization.
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