Chapter 561: The White Goddess and the Stone Spirits
After returning to the Island with Soleil and the others, I came back to Amijin alone this time. I immediately began investigating why the spirits here were so fragile.
“Come on, come on, Stone Spirit, hold on tight! Don’t lie down just yet!”
The Stone Spirits here seemed rather lackadaisical, as if they had no intention of standing up. Usually, Stone Spirits are known for blocking paths and refusing to move! But these spirits had a different kind of lethargy. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to work; it was more like they simply didn’t care.
Well, if they’re spirits, that’s fine, but in this state, they might either change completely into a different spirit or dissolve into “tiny bits.” Some spirits don’t seem to mind disappearing at all.
But from a human perspective, it felt a bit lonely. And selfishly, I was really worried about the coastline here crumbling away. Please, do your best!
“I want to go to the sea!”
“We want to crumble into the sea!”
“I want to be in the arms of the White Goddess!”
“We want to be embraced by the White Goddess!”
Who are you?
“Where is this White Goddess? In the sea?”
“I know!”
“We remember!”
“I know that the White Goddess crumbled away.”
“We want to go to the sea!”
Could these be spirits from the Era of the Boulder? And here we go again with another underwater tour. Familiar with the routine, I asked the Atmosphere Spirit for help, and with a splash, we dove into the sea.
And here it is, the underwater Fortress! …Isn’t that a Temple? It looks rather sturdy. Indeed, ruins from the Era of Luf are elegant, but those from the Era of the Boulder or the early Era of Fire are robust and, well, quite square. It seems they were quick to anger and frequently engaged in warfare.
From what I’ve read, rather than employing tricks to invade or setting traps like in the current Nakahara, they would declare, “You, give us this land, or we’ll invade right now!” before starting a fight.
It wasn’t so much about honor; it was more about showcasing their military strength to make the opponent surrender without a fight. In those days, taking by force wasn’t seen as a sin or something to feel guilty about.
Thus, the buildings were fundamentally sturdy. Depending on the type of spirit they worshipped, this place was particularly rough. I had imagined something a bit different for the White Goddess. The crumbling stones were all large, with no curves in sight; the parts that remained intact were all right angles! Straight lines! It was like…
“Is the White Goddess here?”
“Yes, I am.”
When I called out, I received an unexpected response. Could it be her?
As I moved toward the voice, I found a large, pure white spirit half-buried in the crumbled stones of the fortress. —A Dogu made of marshmallow? It had no eyes or nose, but it had a soft, white, plump appearance.
“Hello. You’re a Stone Spirit, right?”
“That’s correct. But not quite; I’m a picture drawn on the stone wall with white stones.”
A confirmation followed by a contradiction! But it’s a bit ambiguous; both the drawing and the one who drew it are made of stone.
“The Stone Spirits on the surface are longing for you and are about to crumble. Is there any way to prevent that?”
I asked directly.
“My old retainers want to disappear just like me. I don’t want to disappear, though. So if you pull me up, they won’t crumble.”
Pulling this large spirit up… Wouldn’t it be nice if it could just get up by itself? But why is it buried like this?
“Is your main body buried?”
“Yes, I crumbled. I’m no longer the main body, but if I vanish, what creates me will weaken and likely disappear as well.”
Isn’t that still the main body? So many mysteries. But if pulling her up could solve the fragile stone problem, then that’s the direction I’ll take.
First, I’ll start with the Stone Spirits that are burying the White Goddess.
“Um, everyone, could you move aside from there?”
“We want to stick there!”
…
On your chest? Your belly?
“Isn’t there another place?”
I asked, perplexed by their simultaneous response.
“Anywhere is fine.”
“I want to find a good spot.”
“We want to stick there!”
I get that you want to stick.
“Alright then, I’ll share my magic power with the Water Spirits, Wave Spirits, the Atmosphere Spirit, and you all, so could you stick to somewhere other than the White Goddess?”
I had no idea where they would stick.
Right now, they were crumbled and half scattered, but originally, they were built from stones fitting together, so maybe they wanted to reassemble, to connect with each other and find a fitting spot?
“Understood.”
“We wish for it.”
“We fit!”
“♪”
“I’ll roll it~ I’ll roll it~”
As soon as the Stone Spirits of the fortress agreed, the other spirits around began to move all at once, playfully starting their work while gradually siphoning off my magic power.
“Wait! Please! If you’re going there, at least do it slowly! One at a time, not all at once, ahhhhh!!!!”
Is this my fault for saying it without asking where they would stick?
The crumbled fortress, along with the previously fallen white stones, began to reverse and return to the peninsula. Wait, weren’t they pebbles? Are they sticking together!? This is beyond just gravel! Plus, they’re taking a lot of my magic power!
Wait, wait! It would be a problem if a fortress appeared overnight!