Chapter 600: Traveler’s Stone
The Traveler’s Stone.
I learned about four of them from Retze.
The Sunstone, used by the Earth Folk of the Northern Lands to seek the sun on cloudy days, which Captain Cat possessed.
The Blue Ring charm held by Esha of the Wandering People.
The Moonstone, a traveler’s charm carried by travelers from Nakahara.
The Opaque Light Blue Stone worn by Atlas of the Wandering People.
At the Spirit Library, I found four more.
The Night Safety Stone, worn by travelers from Etoru.
Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone.
The Seikouseki, used by the sailors of Chrisdrum to point the way.
The Guide Stone, held by the Earth Folk to navigate the Spirit’s maze.
Out of the eight, I currently possess the Sunstone, Blue Ring, Moonstone, and Guide Stone.
The Sunstone was a gift from Captain Cat, a stone used by the Northern Folk to navigate on cloudy days. It’s still actively used in the North.
The Blue Ring, which I exchanged with Esha, was said to be irreplaceable, but we know the location of the mine where it comes from. Karn and Haulon are eager to craft more Traveler’s Stones, so it should be available soon.
I bought the Moonstone from a shop. True to its name, it has a soft, white glow, radiating a gentle light. I had to visit several shops before finding a genuine one among many fakes—some were treated as souvenirs rather than charms—but I finally acquired a beautiful Moonstone imbued with a lovely blue hue.
The Guide Stone, gifted to me by the Earth Folk, is also classified as a Traveler’s Stone.
Before asking Retze or Haulon, I stumbled upon a book about Traveler’s Stones at the Spirit Library. The title was “Traveler’s Stone Collection,” after all.
The book, written during the Stone Age, provided detailed descriptions of seven stones. The Moonstone from Nakahara was too new to be included, so there are seven in total.
According to the author, Judge, the hardest stone to obtain among the seven is the Guide Stone from the Earth Folk. I managed to acquire that one first.
The difficulty of obtaining these stones seems to relate to the time and place the book was written. It appears that the country from the Stone Age has long since vanished.
While the exact location is unclear, it seems that the Dragon Continent thrived during the Stone Age, so it was likely a southern country.
From what I read, the Earth Folk of the Stone Age were stubborn and rarely appeared in public. Given the physical distance and the fact that they likely wouldn’t sell such items, acquiring them must have been quite challenging.
As for the stones I haven’t obtained yet, they are Atlas’s Opaque Light Blue Stone, Etoru’s Night Safety Stone, Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone, and Chrisdrum’s Seikouseki.
I heard from Retze and Haulon that there are no more traces of Atlas from the Wandering People.
However, since Retze knew about it, it can’t have been too long ago that Atlas was confirmed. Since it’s a stone, even if no one is using it now, it should still exist somewhere. So, I plan to search for it.
The last three stones seem to be easier to acquire according to the book, but they might be harder to find in practice.
Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone was unknown to Retze, and I have a feeling it has become rare in this era.
The author of the Stone Age book claimed it was the easiest stone to obtain! It seems it was quite commonly sold in the author’s country, much like my Moonstone, which straddles the line between a charm and a souvenir…
So, where are Chrisdrum and Etoru?
I headed to the guidebook placed in the central corridor of the library. The spacious building is filled with bookshelves, but this central corridor feels open and airy, enhanced by the high ceiling.
In the corridor, a stand holds a large book.
Hmm, according to the description, it mentions “settled beyond the inner sea,” so from the perspective of the Dragon Continent, that would be around Marina or the Talia Peninsula?
“Where are the books related to the countries that ruled the lands around Marina and the Talia Peninsula? Preferably ones that easily show the country names by era.”
As I spoke to the book, its cover opened on its own, and the pages began to flip.
From the page that stopped, a Spirit emerged, peeking out at me. The content written on the page was about “The Changes of the Countries in the Marina and Talia Peninsulas.”
Alright, this looks promising.
If the content seems good, I’ll pull out the Spirit that sprouted from the page. Once I do, it will lead me to the location of the book mentioned.
Is this also considered searching?
After borrowing the book, I spent some time researching. I discovered that Etoru lived by the sea on the Talia Peninsula during the Stone Age. I’ll need to visit the area later to see if any old remnants remain.
As for Chrisdrum, it is currently referred to as the Land of Ruin. It’s a place where only Demon Beasts of the type that defy physical laws, like those in the west, appear.
There’s not a soul around, let alone stones!