Axel is thinking about replacing the word astounded in the second sentence of paragraph 3 which word would best make the tone of the sentence more negative

When someone is astounded, it means that they are amazed. We can turn that word into a more negative meaning using synonyms that mean what they find out leaves them confused. Some examples would be:

bewilder, which means to become perplexed and confused;shock, when an event or experience leaves us upset or surprised;stagger, something makes feel astonished or deeply shocked;startle, the feeling of sudden shock;stun, a more dramatic way of saying something shocked us so much we weren't able to react for a while;Stupefy, my personal favourite that means something astonishes AND shocks you so much you can't think or feel properly.

The details that best show evidence of tribal traditions are, "never in the history of his people had a man married a woman who spoke a different tongue” and "it has never been heard," was the verdict of an old man speaking a few weeks later.