Even gods can die, and time itself will also pass away; there’s nothing that is eternal.

In the evening, within the grand hall of a towering tree, the lights shone brightly.

The banquet had begun. The attendees from the tribe included Gongdian and his wife Yu Jiao, Fang Mu, Ge Xiong, Kong Xiaotian, Xin Biao, and Yu Yong, as well as Gongdian’s second son Gong Yi, his adopted son Gong Kong, his eldest daughter Gong Min, his second daughter Gong Jie, and Ge Xiong’s youngest son Ge Wu.

Since the evening’s banquet saw the addition of several members of the tribe who had not been seen during the day, hosts and guests alike took the opportunity to reintroduce themselves.

The dining table was a long rectangular one, with benches to match.

Suzi Qi and others sat at the head of the table, facing them were the tribal chieftain, the chieftain’s spouse, the leaders of the four major tribes, the high priest, Gong Yi, and Gong Min.

Among the group of five Suzi Qi, Suzi Qi, and Hua Mei sat at the ends, acting as interpreters. Gong Kong was seated to the left of Suzi Qi, while Ge Wu and Gong Jie were to the right of Hua Mei.

The chieftain noticed the absence of the eldest prince and asked, “Where has Gong Kang gone?”

The second son, Gong Yi, replied, “Father, my brother went hunting yesterday and has not yet returned.”

The chieftain shook his head, saying, “Only your elder brother, Gong Kang, would dare to roam the Southern Gorge Forest Forest after dark.”

Several new members at the dining table were seeing the “celestial gods beings of the human race” for the first time. They were already secretly amazed at the clothing and adornment of Suzi Qi and the others, and upon hearing tribal chieftain Gongdian’s introduction—that these celestials had indeed descended from the sky—a murmur of astonishment and whispered speculations immediately arose around the table.

“Why don’t these celestial gods have a third eye?”

“Indeed, how come they look exactly like us? Who would have thought that our humble human race would also have celestial gods!”

…

Bone utensils were set out on the table in front of each person. The food was plentiful, with roasted meats from various unknown animals that were rich with aroma, along with a variety of rare fruits and grains. The staples were corn and tubers, and there was even amber-hued wine.

The chieftain’s spouse, Yu Jiao, explained the origin of their wine-making to Suzi Qi. Following the instructions of the celestial gods, they would put uneaten, harvested fruits into clay pots with yeast to store. When opened after a period of time, it turned into fruit wine. Yu Jiao shared that their agriculture and wine-making techniques were all gifts from the celestial gods, for which they would be eternally grateful.

Suzi Qi tried a sip of the wine, finding it richly flavorful and pleasantly sweet, with an unexpectedly strong kick; Drinking too much left her feeling pleasantly tipsy, almost as if in a blissful, ethereal state.

The five of them had only eaten some fruits on the road that day, and their hunger had long since overcome any sense of propriety. Professor Dong Yifeng picked up a large chunk of bone-in meat and began to gnaw on it, praising its delicious flavor between mouthfuls. He took a big gulp of wine from his bowl, feeling the smooth, sweet liquid wash over him and relax his entire body.

The leaders from various tribes all had a hearty appetite and soon began to drink and make merry together. Though they didn’t seem to meet often, the chieftains engaged in lively conversation and toasted one another.

Amidst the raucous drinking, the little princess Gong Jie grew bored with the adults’ world. She walked over to Suzi Qi, Wang Yue, and Zheng Ya, and looked at their faces closely, making the three of them feel quite self-conscious.

Suzi Qi saw the apple-cheeked little girl with her big, watery eyes, and her hair tied up in a bouncing ponytail. She smiled and showed her dimples, looking very bright and adorable.

Seeing how cute the little girl was, Suzi Qi forgave her brashness and asked in the tribal language, “Little sister, what are you looking at?”

“Your three celestial god sisters are so beautiful! Our celestial gods all have a third eye, which is normally closed and appears as a vertical pupil on their foreheads.” Gong Jie was innocent and candid, speaking her mind without any reservations.

“Having an extra seam on the forehead is not good-looking at all, especially when this eye is open, it’s incredibly terrifying, making people dare not look directly. So, the three human goddess sisters are still more beautiful.”

Sitting next to Su Ziqi, Gong Kong scolded, “Little girl, you must not blaspheme our gods, be careful of divine punishment.”

Gong Jie’s eyes twinkled, she made a face and stuck out her tongue at Gong Kong.

Hearing this little sister talk about their gods, Su Ziqi felt a stir in his heart. He wanted to learn more about the “Three-Eyed God” through this innocent little sister, so he asked Gong Jie, “Little sister, have you seen the Three-Eyed God?”

The girl chimed in, "I've seen it before; that statue is our heavenly deity。"

Su Ziqi chuckled, "Sweetie, I'm talking about a living three-eyed celestial being. Ever come across one?"

"Oh, I haven't seen that," replied Gong Jie with a radiant smile. "But my father has. According to him, the third eye of the celestial beings possesses magic. So, I came here to see if you celestial sisters also have a third eye."

Upon hearing this, Su Ziqi and the others exchanged glances. It seemed that Gong Jie was right. In their world, the three-eyed giant did indeed exist. Moreover, judging from what this girl named Gong Jie said, the third eye of the giant seemed to hold magical powers.

"Sweetie, we're just regular folks without any third eye or magical powers," Su Ziqi clarified.

"But I really think you're celestial beings. Your clothing is like nothing we've ever seen. Even though Brother Gong Kong spins fantastical tales all day, he's never lied to me. When he says you descended from the sky on giant birds, I believe it's true. How could ordinary people command such majestic birds? Our three-eyed celestial beings also ride triangular birds, gliding through the skies. So, you must be celestial beings," Gong Jie persisted.

As Su Ziqi and her companions shared glances, it became evident that the three-eyed giants indeed had the skill to pilot flying vessels. The triangular bird mentioned by Gong Jie could very well be the spacecraft depicted on the Martian lava cave stone coffin.

"However, compared to our celestial beings, I prefer you celestial sisters. You look exactly like us, unlike our celestial beings who always appear high and mighty, making it intimidating to approach them. Celestial sisters, let me sit beside you for a while."

Gong Jie was outgoing and quickly became acquainted with Su Ziqi. Gong Kong shifted his seat a bit, allowing Gong Jie to sit next to Su Ziqi.

Among the group, only Huamei didn't eat or drink. Gewu, sitting aside, found it strange and asked, "Dear celestial, is our food not to your liking?"

Apologizing in the native language, Huamei replied, "Lord Gewu, I can go my entire life without eating or drinking."

Huamei's accent had lost the buzzing sound typical of early robots, now aligning perfectly with the pronunciation of ordinary humans.

At this moment, the voices at the dining table happened to be relatively quiet, and everyone heard Huamei's words. The people of the tribe all wore expressions of fear.

Huamei, being a bio-mimetic robot, looked exactly like a human from the outside, but beneath the skin lay machinery instead of flesh. Naturally, he had no need for food or drink.

Huamei didn't feel inclined to elaborate further because he knew that explaining to a tribe still in the civilization stage of the Gongyou Tribe might be beyond their comprehension.

Gong Jie, full of curiosity, returned to her original seat and sat next to Huamei, wide-eyed and inquisitive. She stared at Huamei and asked, "Dear Celestial, can you share the secret of not needing to eat every day?"

Huamei helplessly smiled, "Little princess, there's no secret to it. My construction is different from yours. I'm naturally designed not to eat anything, and I don't feel hunger, cold, or fatigue."

At this moment, Chief Gong Dian interjected, "If our warriors of the Gongyou tribe could be like this celestial being, not needing to eat or drink and not feeling hunger or pain, our tribe would be invincible. To show our admiration for this celestial being, I propose we all raise a cup of wine to him. How about that?"

Everyone stood up, raising their cups to toast Huamei. Huamei, feeling a bit embarrassed, poured a little wine into his cup, raised it, and symbolically touched it to his lips.

The banquet now reached its climax, with everyone's cups clinking, discussions becoming a bit tipsy, and gazes becoming dreamy.

Suddenly, Chief Kong Xiaotian of the Tiger Tribe stood up, "Today, the celestial beings have graced our tribe, bringing us infinite honor. Chief, I propose that my sister-in-law sing a song for the celestial beings, what do you think?"

Chieftains such as Goxiong of the Bear Tribe expressed their agreement. Chief Gong Dian then said, "Madam, please perform for our celestial beings."

Lady Yu Jiao and a few performers walked to the center of the grand hall. They gracefully danced while singing a folk song. The translation of the song is as follows:

In the moment when chaos first unfolded,

We were mere specks of dust,

Mighty celestial beings!

It was you who shaped the cosmic constellations,

Gifted us life,

Bestowed upon us wisdom,

And provided the nourishment we needed.

Celestial beings!

How truly great you are,

How merciful you are,

We sing of your greatness,

We praise your compassion.

Ah, life is filled with its own bitterness.

Oh, mighty celestial beings!

You know the names of the stars,

You also perceive the sorrows within our hearts.

Thank you for granting us the gift of life,

Thank you for endowing us with wisdom and time.

In our smallness,

We cherish life dearly,

In this fleeting existence,

Continuing to sing your praises wholeheartedly,

May happiness prevail in this world,

May the distant shore be free from troubles.

Yu Jiao and the two princesses, with their attire standing out from the male members of the tribe, donned elegant yellow silk dresses. As the chief's wife, Yu Jiao adorned herself with the shimmer of golden jewelry and pearls, emitting an air of refined grace.

When Yu Jiao's melodic voice filled the air, it was as sweet as honey, and her graceful figure added an enchanting allure. It felt like a celestial voice, a rarity heard in the mortal world.

Su Ziqi, Wang Yue, and Zheng Ya, typically not ones to indulge in alcohol, found themselves partaking in a bit more tonight. The day's exhaustion and the surreal events they had encountered seemed to call for a departure from their usual habits.

Under the influence of alcohol, captivated by Yu Jiao's soul-stirring song, they felt as if everything existed in a surreal realm. They were no longer sure of their surroundings—was this heaven?

Kong Xiaotian, the chieftain of the Tiger Tribe, slightly intoxicated, knocked on the table with his hand, "Sister-in-law truly deserves to be the most beautiful woman of our tribe, retaining her charm just like in the past. Unfortunately, no matter how well you sing, how beautifully you dance, no matter how you extol the Yellow Tribe celestial beings, the old celestial can't possibly come back to life!"

Upon hearing Kong Xiaotian's words, a solemn atmosphere enveloped the members of the tribe at the table.

Su Ziqi and her companions, not fully comprehending, were following Gong Kong's explanation that their Gongyou tribe was created by the Yellow Tribe celestial beings. However, hearing Kong Xiaotian's words, did it mean that these three-eyed giants with yellow-pupiled eyes, the celestial beings, were already deceased?