Kachina widened her small eyes, showing shock.
She had not expected to hear such high praise from an outsider she had only just met.
Words like these seemed to be something she had never heard from childhood to now.
Just like the other children of the [Children of Echoes].
The adorable Spiny Dragons, the shiny gems dug out from deep within the mountains, and the heroic stories passed down orally among the elders had accompanied Kachina's growth.
She was familiar with the mountain paths, skilled at finding mineral deposits buried deep underground. In her spare time, she often went with everyone to the studio where the record artists produced music, stepping to the rhythm and dancing freely.
Bumps and scrapes were inevitable, and Kachina would also shed tears from the pain.
However, while the other children had not yet recovered from the pain, she had already wiped away her tears and stood up again.
In the eyes of others, she was naturally a good child, but Kachina did not quite understand why an ordinary person like herself would be granted the Ancient Name "Uthabiti."
Which part of her actually matched the meaning of resilience contained in this great name?
Kachina still did not understand it even now.
However, since she had received such a great honor, she had the obligation to participate in the "The Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame."
Moreover, returning triumphantly from the pilgrimage and joining the ranks of legendary heroes was the wish of every Natlan warrior, including Kachina.
Although she had experienced several failures, not only making herself extremely sad, but also making it hard for her to raise her head when facing the disappointed eyes of her teammates, she would still wipe away her tears and stand up again.
But after failing so many times, could someone like her really win in the "The Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame"?
As she fought with all her might, there was some confusion in her heart.
Just like her current situation, it was even difficult for her to find teammates.
Was she really worthy of such high praise?
Perhaps Mr. Mu Yang had only told a kind lie...
Uthabiti — the meaning of this [Ancient Name] was resilience.
Kachina did not think she was worthy of this honor-filled Ancient Name.
She had once gone to the [Masters of the Night-Wind] tribe and looked through ancient fabrics.
After learning what kind of people the heroes who had held this name were, she became even more confused.
Some of them possessed great power and could always maintain their spirit no matter what obstacles they faced, earning the admiration of future generations;
Others still maintained noble character in harsh living environments, guarding their homes single-handedly and upholding their duties until they passed away.
Looking back at herself, she felt she was neither as strong as the brave warriors of the Collective of Plenty, nor as agile as the knights of the Flower-Feather Clan...
Although she did not want to appear weak and easily bullied, she was often looked down upon or belittled, causing her to cry frequently.
"Would a resilient person cry so easily like me?"
Kachina often asked herself this.
She felt she was really too far from the word "resilient."
After reaching this conclusion, Kachina felt dejected for a long time.
She even immersed herself in a depressive atmosphere for quite a while.
But soon, she gave up this emotion.
It was not because she had trained and become a powerful warrior, nor because she had figured out some truth.
Her family and friends had indeed given her care, but her choice was more due to habit.
No matter how badly she fell, she had to stand up first.
When she was even younger, every time she fell, while the other children were still crying loudly, Kachina had already stood up first.
The wound was still hurting, and tears were still falling — these were instinctive physical reactions, but in her conscious mind, she felt she should stand up, look at the small stone that had caused her to fall, and then continue crying.
It was still the same now. Facing what seemed like a hopeless future, she felt intense fear and loss.
Because she was still too young and did not yet know how to hide her emotions, all her negative thoughts showed on her face.
But Kachina would still sniffle and sob with a big tear-stained face, stand up again, continue practicing, and continue moving forward.
She understood this as being tough. However, using the words of Uncle Pagal, who was better at expressing himself and more mature:
"Although humans are weak, they still have the courage to face a cruel world. It is in this process that human greatness is revealed."
Perhaps she really did have a tiny bit of resilience.
But compared to the other "Uthabiti," she was still far behind...
Kachina had read the "Uthabiti" banner.
She would never forget the stories on it:
The first volume, embroidered with golden thread, was dedicated to the sword-bearer who first created this name — an unremarkable woman whose height was similar to that of a child.
She had once held up a collapsing mountain cliff with both hands and carried an entire tribe's people on her shoulders.
Her mind and spirit were several times greater than the tallest and strongest warrior in Natlan's history.
This hero's flame of life burned out early. Yet even on her deathbed, she laughed freely, her lingering laughter resounding like a great river bursting its banks.
Even after her breathing stopped and her heartbeat ceased, the weavers could still hear the sound of waves continuously coming from her shriveled body, only dissipating after seven nights.
The second volume, embroidered with silver thread, was dedicated to the shield-bearer who fished this name out again from the river of concepts. He had never put down his shield in his entire life.
Although he himself was as thin as a reed, he stood firm in battle alongside his shield for years, unmoved by the passage of time.
His body was as silent as the shield, yet his soul often roared on the battlefield.
In his urn, the ashes still tried to condense and eventually broke through the pottery. People thus declared that he could not be contained in a narrow tomb.
In the end, his body was scattered among the mountains. The crystalline ashes collided with the rock walls, producing thunderous echoes.
The third volume, embroidered with reed thread, was dedicated to the anonymous ones lost among the layers of overlapping banners. History had hidden their deeds.
Were it not for the Wayob revealing them, we would find it difficult to see the blood and tears they left behind.
The final chapter of these heroes had already returned to peace. We sincerely pray that they burned out their lives in happiness and fulfillment.
Kachina had once imagined her own name being written on it.
Unfortunately, failure after failure had worn down her confidence.
But today, there was actually someone willing to believe in her.
Believing that the Wayob's judgment had not been wrong.
"Sorry, I got a little too excited, because very few people have ever given me such high praise."
Kachina was ultimately still a child.
She could not suppress her joy and hoped to see sincerity on Mu Yang's face.
On the other hand, Mu Yang clearly felt that words alone could not convince Kachina.
He decided to teach Kachina a move or two before the competition.
As her ranking improved, she would definitely become more and more confident.
[Confidence] + [Resilience and Unyielding Spirit].
Just endure it. With this kind of template, she would probably break through by the time Lumine arrived next year.
Kachina's clothing and attire were very meticulous. Mu Yang guessed she was an important character.
It was never wrong to build a good relationship with important characters.
Thus, he asked Kachina what weapon she used.
Speaking of weapons, Kachina suddenly remembered that she had been so engrossed in the conversation.
This afternoon she still had an appointment with Sister Xilonen.
Her weapon was still with Xilonen.
Hearing Xilonen's name, Mu Yang could not help but sigh.
Everything came without effort. He had found the gemsmith just like that.
This must be the benefit of doing one good deed a day.