A gathering place of French residents deep in the swamp.
This is a large living area, covering an area even larger than the center of Marsh Town. When the administrative agency was first established, it was originally intended to be the center of Marsh Town.
But at the time, it was strongly opposed by the local people.
The people who live here are basically slaves who were exiled from the Faku or bought and sold.
All dark skinned, and extremely xenophobic.
It has been more than a day since she came here, and Betty took Amanda around the gathering place. Even if Betty was with her, the way people around her looked at Amanda always made her feel a little weird.
Her attitude was quite friendly, and she didn't say any bad words, but the scrutiny in her eyes made her very uncomfortable.
Moreover, there are many rules here, many strange customs are preserved, and there are even some areas where outsiders are strictly prohibited from approaching.
"A whole vacation, are we just here?"
Amanda yawned boredly.
When she first came here, she was really interested in this special custom, but after a long time, it was inevitable that she would feel a little bored.
"We agreed to go sunbathing. And it's been raining here recently, and I feel like I'm going to get moldy."
Betty seemed much quieter.
"Don't worry, it will be fine after tonight."
"At midnight today, according to the ancient custom, I will hold a coming-of-age ceremony. You are my best friend. I hope you can witness this moment."
"And..."
"I'm going to show you something else, too."
"Some truths about the world."
As soon as this topic came up, Amanda immediately became interested. She jumped off the bed and came to Betty's bare feet.
"Tell me, what is it?"
"You guy, your mouth is really strict. I have been here for more than a day, and you can hold back?"
Betty smiled.
"Seeing is believing, and you will believe it when you see it."
For some reason, although I haven't seen her for more than ten days, Amanda feels a little strange to her familiar friends.
As the sun set, coupled with the continuous haze, the depths of the swamp quickly darkened.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Betty, the sun is setting, you guys need to get ready."
"Us? Should I also participate?"
Amanda was puzzled.
The visitor smiled.
"You are Betty's friend, so you are naturally our guest. On this occasion, I hope you can dress up to attend."
"Come with me, someone will help you dress up, believe me, this will be an amazing journey."
The man stretched out his only right hand to lead Amanda, and walked out of the house.
"Go, Betty, they're waiting for you."
The old woman took Amanda to a hut not far away, and several people were already waiting for her as soon as she entered the hut.
"We believe in the ancient gods, and believe that when the night changes, it is the most sacred moment of the day, and at this time, our people will usher in a new life."
"It's different from the second birth!"
The one-armed old woman explained to Amanda.
Do as the Romans do, although Amanda doesn't like the surrounding environment very much, she respects other people's beliefs and doesn't want to embarrass her friends at this critical moment.
Someone stepped forward to spread Amanda's hair, tied the knot with his hands flexibly, and quickly braided a complicated hairstyle.
"Put this on."
Someone next to him handed over a feather crown composed of feathers from different birds. The colors were bright and arranged in a specific combination. Although it was only woven from feathers, it looked extremely luxurious.
Soon, Amanda's neck, wrists, and ankles were covered with gorgeous silverware and bone ornaments, and then covered with a rattan coat, which immediately gave off a more mysterious atmosphere.
After doing all this, the people in the room quietly withdrew.
There were only a few white candles around in the dim hut, and the flickering light of the candles shone on Amanda's face.
"Dear guest, please be patient."
Under the faint candlelight, the old lady's originally kind face looked a bit hideous.
After speaking, she opened the door and left the room.
Amanda waited bored for a long time alone, until she got a little impatient, and the door opened again.
This time, everyone put on ancient costumes, and the old woman led Amanda through the residential area and walked deep into the woods.
At this time, it was completely dark, and the forest in the dark looked terrifying and gloomy. Although there was a group of people around, Amanda still felt hairy.
Just when she was about to retreat, Betty's voice came from not far away.
"Amanda, I'm here."
The decoration on Betty's body is similar to Amanda's. At first glance, the colors complement each other and look very harmonious, but her face is painted with a lot of weird patterns, and Amanda couldn't recognize her for a while.
"Your family has enough rules."
Amanda complained in a low voice, "If I knew this was the case, I wouldn't come here anyway."
"I don't like it either, but tradition is tradition." Betty also seemed a little helpless.
Amanda took two deep breaths, "What are you putting on your face? It smells weird."
"Some berries, twigs, even the blood of beasts..."
"God, how can you paint that kind of thing?"
"Get away from me..." Amanda joked.
This walk actually took nearly an hour.
The forest was dense, and the surrounding visibility was not high. Amanda had lost her way a long time ago, and she didn't know where she was taken while going around.
Until everyone passed through the woods completely, the eyes suddenly opened up.
On the open space in the distance, there are weird statues carved from various logs. In the middle is a tall building made of stones. There are a group of people standing around it. There are no lights, only dozens of torches crackling in the night wind. the sound of burning.
"Here we are."
Betty restrained her smile, and the expression on her face became solemn.
She stepped forward quickly, raised her hands above her head, posed in a strange posture, then knelt down, her forehead pressed against the ground.
"My dear child, are you ready to embrace the gods?"
The leader was a middle-aged woman with white hair. Apart from her hair, her skin and body were in good condition, and she looked somewhat similar to Betty in appearance.
"I am willing to give my all, my mother!"
Boom!
The middle-aged woman knocked on the wooden stick in her hand, but a small voice resounded through the audience, "The initiation ceremony begins!"
Immediately afterwards, the people around took action one after another, and Amanda was dazzled by one set of tedious rituals after another. The time passed by every minute and every second, and it soon approached midnight.
Until then, all the initiation ceremonies were completely over.
Just when Amanda thought everything was over, she heard the leading middle-aged woman raise her cane again, and this time everyone knelt on the ground at the same time.
"The initiation ceremony is over."
"Start the sacrificial ceremony!"
Amanda's heart jumped, and an inexplicable tremor came to her heart.