The Sapo King granted Al's journey.
He carefully selected six valiant hunters to accompany his brother in seeking counsel from the entity that bestowed reason.
"Al, do you really mean to scale that high mountain?"
On the eve of departure, the Sapo King questioned once more.
The Sapo King hoped his brother would change his mind and avoid a needless death on the journey.
"I am going there, not just for myself but also for the Logos people."
Al said:
"We must always seek."
The Sapo King listened quietly, having advised him numerous times these past days, yet Al's conviction remained unshakable.
"Countless wise men have failed to unravel the enigma of death, what makes you think you can find answers from that entity?"
He truly didn't want his brother to take the risk and end up dead on that snow-filled mountain.
Al lifted his head, locking eyes with the Sapo King.
The Sapo King's voice was gentle as he continued:
"That mountain has never been visited by anyone; we only know it to be bitterly cold and extremely dangerous. Stop, Al, continue to tend to the fire. That entity will appear one day."
"Brother King,"
Al's limbs filled with courage as he spoke out forcefully:
"Our ape-man ancestors guarded the fire for generations, yet only we have been graced with language!"
"Yes, only we have received language, so why not leave this question for our descendants? Someday, they will understand why we must die. They will have the answers!"
The brother's rebuttal unsettled the lofty Sapo King, angry undertones laced his words.
"Because we need the answers!"
Al gazed intently at the Sapo King and declared:
"Not yesterday, nor tomorrow,
but because we need the answers today! Our generation needs the answers!"
They had no predecessors to question,
nor did they know where they would be when their successors addressed this matter.
This generation of Logos people needed an answer.
The Sapo King's fists trembled from Al's refutation; at a loss for words, he no longer tried to dissuade Al.
"Go then, Al, and do not perish there."
Thus, come morning, Al and his team set out on their journey.
Everything went smoothly; although the Sapo King did not endorse Al's ascent, he still provided the promised assistance.
Just a minor incident occurred before leaving the kingdom.
The sage who had cared for Al during his illness volunteered to join this perilous journey.
"As my King Brother said, this journey is fraught with great danger."
Hesitation showed on Al's face.
"Main Priest, I wish to validate my suspicions."
The sage paused, then added:
"Death is but an illusion."
Upon the sage's persistent appeals, Al welcomed him into the group.
Within the kingdom, many Logos people had heard of Al's intentions. Citizens of the kingdom emerged onto the well-tended land, offering heartfelt blessings for Al's voyage.
"Main Priest, is the true fire really atop the high mountain?"
"May you obtain the answers for us."
"Main Priest, you must return safely, for you are the Priest of that entity. Who else, if not you, is worthy of performing the rites?"
```
......
Al and his team, totaling eight people, embarked on a journey in quest of answers.
As for their destination, the high mountain, the people of Logos seldom saw mountains, and therefore did not give this particular mountain a special name.
They simply called it the high mountain.
Al lifted his head and looked towards the high mountain, its summit near the firmament covered in white snow, while its middle and base were cloaked in varying shades of green.
The summit, blanketed in pure white snow, seemed at first glance to contain an indescribable brilliance.
In half a day's time, the team from Logos traveled from the border of the kingdom to the foot of the high mountain. Relying on the hunters' extensive hunting experience, they avoided ferocious beasts, encountering virtually no obstacles, not even a moment of fright.
At the foot of the high mountain, the team began to search for a viable path to ascend. Choosing the wrong path equated to choosing danger, and among the most important of experiences was to find a trail marked by animal tracks.
It was not until dusk that they finally found a path that would take them up the mountain.
To be safe, they dared not climb at night, and thus decided to rest at the foot of the mountain for the evening.
The people of Logos sat together in a circle.
The night sky burgeoned with stars, the Secret Forest's exposed branches casting coarse, intermingling shadows on the ground, their boundaries blurred and indistinct.
Darkness threatened to engulf the sky, and as the sunlight retreated, the bright moon rose from the layered forest, while the clouds emitted a faint silver sheen, drifting across the heavens.
Evening crows perched on dead branches, occasionally emitting a solitary call, and the sound of wildlife slowly faded from the woods, disappearing into the distant mountains, falling silent as the night approached and then gradually departed.
Al discussed death with the sage.
"I have a premonition, and I think it's true. Death is just an illusion."
The sage spoke,
"Do you have any thoughts, Main Priest?"
"It's very hard for me to believe,"
replied Al.
He wished what the sage said was true, but logic told him such a conjecture was hard to accept.
"Because... because..."
The sage paused, pondered for a moment, then replied in a roundabout way,
"If we all forget someone, can we really say that person has died?"
"It seems... not necessarily."
Al, after a moment's thought, said.
"You see, that's the mystery of death, we just don't know why we forget those people."
The sage stroked his beard, looking towards the high mountain with a wise gaze.
"Death is just an illusion... then why do we have this illusion?"
Al countered.
As if anticipating Al's question, the sage said:
"Some fruits or mushrooms in the forest cause illusions when eaten, as does the meat of certain animals. Perhaps we're suffering from some ailment after eating the meat of an animal, which has led to the illusion. Those people from Logos aren't dead; parts of them are still alive."
"That doesn't make sense to me. I think being dead means truly dead, just like the beasts die."
Al paused, then after a moment of reflection continued,
"However, I hope it's true that parts of them are still alive."
The sage did not continue to argue with Al; he was acutely aware that the knowledge of the Logos people was too limited. Whether it was his own conclusion or Al's statement, either could be mistaken.
"What do you think, if a part is still alive, which part could it be?"
Al temporarily set aside the contradictory points of view and discussed this instead.
"As I mentioned before, death is an illusion, it's just that everyone has forgotten about someone. I think the parts that haven't been forgotten, they must still be alive."
Al listened to the sage expound at length, discussing death for a long time, until overpowering sleepiness hit and they could no longer hold out, only then did they stop.
The sage's words had given Al much to ponder.
However, the Logos had neither painting nor writing, so the Main Priest committed the night's conversation firmly to his memory.
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