He had no idea what 'harmony stress' meant, but if he had to guess, he would say that it was caused by the arguing between the two important women if they should kill him or not.
The women didn't allow Caio to have the time to mull over the System's warning, though. He was guided out of the cage and into a small canoe, where he sat right behind Aruá, who was rowing and directing it.
The canoe was just wide enough for one person and not very long, so his body was almost touching Aruá's, and there wasn't enough space for him to sit further back.
Aruá didn't mind the closeness, acting naturally as she guided the boat to another floating platform roughly fifty meters away. The air had become a bit chill, but the warmth of her body gave him a comfortable feeling.
The night had already settled, but floating platforms with piles of big, glowing fungus gave as much light as a bonfire. Every canoe also had small 'lanterns' made out of those fungi hanging on its sides. Those were fainter than torches but safer and wouldn't be put out by water of the river or the rain.
When they reached the platform, Aruá jumped out of the canoe quickly, tying it to the platform with a rope before extending her hand to help Caio to step out. He had barely managed to stand up without falling, so he took her hand gladly.
Her touch was soft and almost intimate. He thought that he would love to keep her hand in his when someone's voice interrupted the moment.
"To-sai i-yaku? Ha-kara sa?" 'He does not move from his canoe? Is he truly grown?'
I'm sorry I grew up in a city whose few rivers are choke-full of pollution, okay? It's not like I even had a say in the matter.
The village was composed of about forty huts built upon countless floating platforms, tied together by thick ropes made out of reed and strong vines. Those huts formed a triangular-shaped web with its tip up current and the 'branches' down current.
The whole structure was tied to a series of strong trees in the margins so it would stay in place.
He was being led to the tip, which had the biggest and most elaborate building in the whole village. Even though he didn't fully understand their language or their ritual speech, he knew that whatever was about to happen would decide if he lived or died.
I need to be able to speak. I don't know how exactly, but I've already learned enough words to be able to say something. I don't know if I've listened enough, though. There's a limit to how much one would simply allow himself to be led.
That moment, the voice of the Overseer sounded in his head, without the usual ping announcing it. Caio was able to sense the amusement in the Overseer's voice.
[Understood. You've managed to do well enough without it, though. Are you sure you want that?]
Of course I do… No, wait, wait. What exactly are the conditions and consequences for unlocking the auto-translate right now?
The voice in his head sounded almost like chuckling as she answered.
[The conditions were to listen enough to memorize two hundred words. You've already passed that some time ago. As for the consequences… There's none, right now.]
The emphasis on the 'right now' didn't pass unnoticed by Caio. So listening had been the right option at the moment when he made the choice.
It was good that he was able to gain some insight on their culture and customs because of it. It was also good because the women spoke more openly in front of him than they would if they had known that he knew their language.
Activate it, then.
A new burning sensation washed his body, making him falter in his step.
He almost fell into the river, but Aruá was able to hold him in an embrace. For just a brief moment, his arm settled in the space between her breasts, and that made him recoil back.
The women all wore rudimentary cloth over their chests and waists, but that was everything. It felt almost like they were in their underwear.
"I-I'm sorry."
The women all stopped and looked at him. Saori was the one asking the question in all their minds.
"Since when do you know our speech?"
He was so flabbergasted by what happened that he said that in their language, unconsciously.
Fuck. What a slip-up.
"I just gained this ability… From the river. I fell because of receiving the knowledge all at once."
It was a half-lie, but not exactly. He gained it from something that would be seen by the people as 'divine power,' and he had already learned that the river was what had that same role in their society.
So it was the easiest way to explain without giving too much information while also improving his own chances of survival.
"I see."
Saori turned her back to him and resumed leading the procession to the big house.
***
The building was rustic but beautiful. The roof was made out of banana leaves with glowing fungus woven on the underside. It had a small circular area surrounded by ten low stools, which was then surrounded by a larger area.
He was led to the very center of the building by Suma, then she and some other women sat on the low stools. Only after they sat down did the rest also sit, on the outer ring.
He stood for a moment, then the embarrassment of being looked at by dozens of women while naked and vulnerable hit him like truk-kun.
"Erm… Can you hand me some clothes? It's really embarrassing to be like this."
He saw Aruá stand up and dart out of the building.
The woman right in front of him spoke.
"She will bring them to you. We'll wait."
She was the pregnant woman who appeared before, and she was sitting on the biggest and most elaborate of the stools. At her right was Saori, and another woman was at her left. The stools of those two were less fancy than the pregnant woman's but visibly better than the other seven.
Those seven also had a visible hierarchy of fanciness between them. That should probably reflect the political structure of the tribe.
Soon, Aruá returned with a piece of cloth. Caio noticed that she didn't enter the inner circle, instead handing the clothing to Suma, who brought it to him and wrapped it around his waist hastily before returning to her seat.
He was thankful for the clothing and also for the girl having avoided touching a certain something. He focused his mind on other things to avoid having an erection.
So Aruá has some power, but she's not one of the big, big shots, huh? Is this like some House hierarchy thing?
Before he could delve further, the pregnant woman spoke.
"It's good that you understand our speech now. The Circle of Reeds can finally begin. I am Maivira, the Stream-Flower. What are you, and why have you come here?"
Not 'who,' but 'what,' huh? Well, I think it's better to answer with the truth here.
"I'm a man, and my name is Caio. I was sent here to help rebuild fertility."
Civilization was too big of a concept, he assumed, so he went with the 'fertility' side of the matter.
He immediately saw that it was the wrong answer, as the Maivira's face contorted with anger for a very brief moment before she regained her composure.
But the next moment he noticed the look in the faces of the other women. He saw glimpses of hope and even lust in there.
"I am Saori, the River-Speaker. Our Stream-Flowers were fertility enough for a thousand years. What do you think you can gain by insulting the current one like that?"
I see… the woman with the highest rank is the one who can get pregnant through some magical means. That's how the tribes in this world survived without men.
"I'm sorry, I did not mean to offend. I just stated the reason I was given before I was sent here. I was given that mission, without any information about your rules or customs."
Saori turned to look at Maivira.
"He might have been sent by something. But the river always made our Stream-Flowers fertile, like you. Whatever sent him was not our river. The omens are not good, he should be killed."
[HRM -5]
The notification flickered in the corner of his vision. He acknowledged it mentally, and it disappeared like the notification icons of strategy games.
"I am Rana, the Reed-Queen. I remember the stories telling of men who could make any woman pregnant and how several children would be born every generation, increasing the population. I'm afraid we wouldn't have enough food for that many children."
That's a very down-to-earth perspective, girl. I'm positively impressed.
Rana was the woman at the left of Maivira, and she looked like she was in her mid-forties. 'Girl' wasn't exactly fitting for her.
One of the women on the lower stools stood up.
"I am Jara Low-Current. I am the head of the Moonfish House. I have heard all the legends and songs about men, and they always said that men were stronger and faster than women. Tell me, then, man. Are you stronger than me?"
She walked until she was right in front of him. She didn't look at his face, though. Instead, she was looking at his arms and reached to touch them.
"Jara, you are breaking the order."
Saori sounded very angry now, but Jara didn't even flinch.
"Whatever, old woman. You've been using your speech privilege to ask all the wrong questions. Now, look at this. Man, can you flex those muscles, please?"
Even though she knew his name, she was calling him 'man' and treating him like an object, which was truly irking him. Her hands were soon on his chest, feeling the muscles underneath.
"JARA!"
Maivira's shout cracked the moment, and the girl finally noticed that she had overstepped the limits. She went back to her stool and sat down, muttering something.
Caio managed to finally breathe. His flimsy clothing was showing some bulge, though.
He tried to change the subject so he could calm his body and ignore the gazes that were landing on his lower half.
"I am strong. I am not used to the lifestyle of you who live with the river, but I can be helpful in many things."
The old him wasn't strong at all, but he was able to feel that this new body would be able to handle a lot.
Aruá then stood up on the outer ring.
"May I have a word?"
The woman on the flashier stool of the lower seven answered her.
"You can speak for the House of Dawn-Eels, daughter."
Oh, I see. She's the daughter of the head of the highest-ranked House. Whatever 'daughter' means in this context.
The head of the house was probably reaching her fifties, while Aruá was at most twenty. They even looked very alike.
"I am Aruá Tide-Sighted, First Daughter of the House of Dawn-Eels. I say that the river gentled around him when he was in isolation earlier. I say he is worth hearing."
After speaking what she had to say, she sat down. Some murmurs around the house sounded like her words were agreed upon by most women present.
After that, the heads of the other houses spoke in order. They were unanimous in a tentative acceptance.
After they all spoke, the woman who called herself Rana stood up and spoke.
"The Circle of Reeds has spoken. May the words be heeded. The man Caio will not be killed, but we can't fully trust him either. He will be given one of the empty storage shacks, and he must forage for his own food. We will be watching, the river will be listening."