The second day, the Festival of Gratitude arrived.
The people of the Makala Mountains did not worship any specific deities, so during the Festival of Gratitude, they thanked everything.
They thanked the earth for yielding crops, thanked the forests for nurturing prey.
They thanked the heavens for rain, thanked the rivers for fish.
In short, they thanked everything, and in the end, thanked themselves for having toiled through another tough year. It was truly not easy.
It was a very simple festival.
Because there were no particular beliefs, there were also no conflicts over faith.
When Heine left by carriage, the town was filled with a harmonious scene everywhere.
As the carriage moved away from the town, he looked back.
The morning mist blurred his vision, as if a giant beast was embracing the town in its arms.
To the north was a pale golden sky.
The ground showed minor cracks, and the trees on both sides were tainted with a withering yellow.
