Chapter 374: Exploring the Es River
I continued to teleport while listening to the spirits tell stories about their names, making my way upstream along the Es River.
Getting too close to the riverside meant encountering crocodiles and giant snapping turtles. While I could handle the crocodiles, I had fought the snapping turtles a few times, only to end up stuck in the mud and having to teleport back home to change my clothes.
For now, I was limiting my battles to demon beasts that could be found on land, like hippos and cows.
The cow demon beast had four horns… Wait, is one pair just regular horns? It had a pair of massive horns that were bigger than its face.
As for the hippo, it was strong enough to attack crocodile demon beasts. With that bulky body, it had surprising explosive power, its legs were quite fast, and its throat opened wide to reveal sharp fangs arranged in a circular pattern. I thought it was bleeding, but it turned out to be poison, and they tended to go on rampages in groups, making them quite troublesome.
Wait, do the demon beasts here even eat each other? The moment they catch sight of me—my human form—they stop fighting and come at me together. It seems whether they attack similar species or not depends on the type.
After washing my Ex-Staff following the battle with the snapping turtle, it seemed to enjoy the experience and was now napping. For now, I was slicing through with the Zanzenken. The ground near the river was slippery, but the mud spirits and the Water Spirit supported my footing, so it wasn’t a problem.
No, I was fighting without the spirits’ assistance until I got used to it, and right now, the place I teleported to was outside the spirits’ active range, so I was fighting on my own.
If I accidentally ran into a hero, I needed to have enough training to escape on my own.
That aside, the feel of the hippo demon beast’s hide seemed like it would make good soles for shoes. So far, the skin of a stingray-like demon beast lurking in the desert was the best, but I planned to experiment with it when I got back.
As I focused on defeating hippo demon beasts and moved forward, I came to a spot where the Es River, which had been calm until now, began to show a slight current. Until now, it had flowed gently, and I couldn’t tell if it was the wind causing ripples on the surface or if it was actually flowing, but here, the current was noticeable.
Unlike before, I could see rocks on both banks. There were several islands in the current, and the largest and longest one beckoned me with the spirits’ guidance. According to the spirits, it was the island of the god of “Moist Seeds”… the island of the calves.
Long ago, there existed powerful spirits in this area. The god of “Moist Seeds” was said to have been cut into fourteen pieces by his brother during a sibling quarrel and scattered. This island is referred to as “calf.”
It’s like those myths where gods are torn apart and grains sprout from their remains… there are so many of them.
On this island, there was a temple dedicated to the Goddess of the Chair. According to the spirits, the reliefs in the temple featured motifs of the water source of the Es River.
…A chair. Feeling a bit uneasy, I decided to listen to the story and accept their invitation. The spirits fluttered around, looking quite pleased to guide me.
The spirits around here were often a mix of humanoid and animal forms. The spirit currently guiding me had large wings sprouting from beneath its arms, each one different in color and shape.
With my Ex-Staff in one hand, I landed on the island. Having splashed through the water a few times, I passed through a place where the remnants of buildings were buried in the earth, exposing patches of white soil. The island felt impressively large for one in the river; well, the Es River itself was massive, and I couldn’t even see the opposite bank.
Although the spirits were guiding me, they often lacked clarity, and the information was biased, so I proceeded while confirming things for myself.
I discovered a stone ruin of a temple. There was a considerable amount of dry earth piled up in front of the building, but the entrance was wide open.
I cast a light spell, creating a sphere slightly larger than a softball, and attached it to the tip of my Ex-Staff.
“Please guide me to the relief depicting the birth of the Es River.” I offered a bit of magic power in advance, asking the spirits that had gathered around me for help.
A few spirits gathered and began to deliberate. Maybe they weren’t quite understanding what I meant by the birth of the Es River? But I had no idea how else to phrase it. Some winged spirits joined in the conversation, so I thought it would be fine.
After a moment, they nodded as if to say “Alright,” and the spirits began to move forward. Here, the winged ones said their goodbyes. I gave a little magic power as thanks.
The spirits that floated ahead were soon joined by others, fluttering around them. As I walked behind, I began naming them.
As I continued walking, the soil gradually diminished, revealing cobblestones. The sensation under my feet became harder.
On the walls were sculptures that seemed to be embossed images of people and spirits, slightly three-dimensional. The dark stone was adorned with gold. Although the gold had faded significantly, it must have shone brightly under the light in the past.
I advanced while observing the wall reliefs illuminated by the light spell and the soft glow of the spirits leading the way. It seemed that stories of ancient spirits were depicted here.
If there had been writing, it would have been straightforward with the language, but since it was represented in pictures, I could only grasp the meaning intuitively. It was interesting in its own way.
The spirits stopped at one corner of the wall. I stepped forward to examine it.
There was a painting depicting water being poured from two jars into the body of a snake. Hmm? Does this mean there are two sources for the Es River?
As I gazed at the relief, the wall suddenly bulged, revealing a large log—no, it was decorated, so perhaps it was a pillar?
“Let me out of here.”
Uh, excuse me. Pillar spirit?