Chapter 601: Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone
I’m reading a book about the Wandering People, Atlas.
These days, I can roam freely wherever I want, and while exploring and discovering things in person is enjoyable, there’s something special about reading a book too.
Nestled by the fireplace in the mountain house, listening to the crackling of the fire, sprawled on the bed in the attic of Kanum’s House, wrapped in a blanket in the snow-covered Demon Forest House, or surrounded by the stone walls of the Island Tower.
And now, in a small room of the Spirit Library, sipping coffee. It seems the Wandering People began their journey after their island sank into the sea.
Atlas thrived during the Era of the Boulder, and the cause of the sinking was said to be a landslide and a tsunami. There are traces of this on an island southwest of the Talia Peninsula.
It’s puzzling how such a massive tsunami could occur in an inland sea. Perhaps it was due to the eruption of an underwater volcano, especially since there was that Karianto Manju girl around. Maybe the island itself rose up during that era, lifting the traces of the tsunami with it.
Ah, the madness of the “King’s Branch” that broke the Oath. It seems that instead of a tsunami, multiple whirlwinds of seawater struck. With Spirits around, anything could happen, yet I can’t help but think in terms of Japanese standards.
I wonder if it would be difficult to find the Opaque Light Blue Stone from the remnants of Atlas’s country. Tracking the footsteps of the Wandering People seems challenging too.
For now, I think I’ll head to the island southwest of the Talia Peninsula. The edge of the Talia Peninsula was home to the Etoru people, so I’ll start my search around that area.
Chrisdrum seems to be in a tough spot, so I’ll gather others first and then come back to investigate. I’m not sure what to do if physical attacks don’t work. —Wait, can I approach it like grabbing the Black Spirit?
Deciding on the order of my exploration, I close the book.
Now.
In the desert of Es. The sunset casts an orange hue, and the palm trees by the Es River create dark shadows in the distance.
I place my hands on the sand, channeling my magic power and making a wish.
“If you know of a stone resembling the color of Mallow Leaves that’s easy to carry, please bring it to me.”
Searching for Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone seems like the quickest way to go about this.
Over time, it’s likely that someone has dropped it or perished in the desert. I suspect it’s buried in the sand. The first book had a simple description and illustration of Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone, so I’m trying this rough method.
If it works out, I plan to ask for the Opaque Light Blue Stone from the Wandering People of Atlas and the Night Safety Stone from Etoru. I wonder about Chrisdrum’s Blue Light Stone? It’s dangerous to ask Spirits to explore in areas with many Demon Beasts.
“Okay, the color of the leaves, right?”
“Yes, the leaves.”
“Green~?”
“Yellow-green~?”
“Dark green~?”
I feel like the range of colors has already expanded, but I only know it as “the color of Mallow Leaves” from the book, so I can’t specify. Even among Mallow Leaves, young leaves might be yellow-green, and there could be darker shades too.
There was an illustration, but I’m unsure how much I can trust the colors. Even if it looked identical at the time it was drawn, exposure to sunlight and air can change colors. It’s certain that it’s in the green spectrum, though.
The Spirits of the sand, the flowing sand, the cooled sand, and the heated sand begin to stir, creating sand patterns and flowing sands.
And then something green gathers.
“What’s this?”
A short root-like object emerges from the sand. I specified a stone, thinking that other items like strings or decorations are more likely to be found, but this looks quite different from the stone in the book.
“What is this? It’s different, but thank you.”
I’ll ask Haulon later or check the book.
Oh, I can use [Appraisal]. —“Thunder Pipe Stone,” formed when lightning strikes the desert and silica sand transforms. It seems there are various colors too.
“What’s this?”
—“Green Chalcedony,” a type of chalcedony. What is chalcedony?
“Different, but thank you.”
I can never have too many green stones since I’ll give them to the mailman.
“What’s this?”
A handful of emeralds. I don’t even need to [Appraise] them! Emeralds, rubies, and sapphires are still highly valued and traded in Naruadeid, so they’re popular.
“What’s this?”
A glassy stone with a bumpy surface resembling the moon. —“Tektite,” natural glass formed from meteorite impacts.
There’s quite a variety. They brought me many, from a lot to just a little. The smaller ones might be stones that aren’t commonly found around here, perhaps due to their distant origin.
The desert is scorching during the day, but it cools down at night. I should probably call it a night soon.
“What’s this?”
A teardrop-shaped stone with green and nearly black-green stripes, adorned with yarn threaded through beads, ready to be hung.
—The ancient Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone.
“Thank you, this is it!”
“Yay!”
“Congratulations!”
“I found it!”
“It’s here!”
The Spirits whisper softly, rustling and flowing. Since they brought me so many, I channel my magic power into the sand to express my gratitude.
I got Es’s Traveler’s Protection Stone!