Chapter 609: Storing in the Island Tower
“Hey, Papona, do you know about the ‘Traveler’s Stone’ that the people who lived here had?”
“I don’t know~”
White bubbles danced and popped around us.
“Then, could you gather some portable accessories with stones on them?”
“Sure~ Can I ask the little ones inside me to help?”
“Yeah.”
And just like that, magic power was taken away. I allowed it, so it’s only natural. Papona is a retainer of Seikai and smaller than him. But for a human, he’s still a pretty sizable spirit!
The retainers of Papona around here are even smaller, but there are many of them.
By the way, please don’t make the moss spirits work. It’s scary.
A few golden rings. A necklace without stones. A brooch with a ruby. — They’re all different. Or rather, is it just me, or are there fewer than I expected given the size of the ruins?
“What should we do~? Are we searching here~? This isn’t the place where things from the seabed get swept away by the waves~?”
Please say it quickly.
Larger items stay here, but smaller ones get swept away by the waves — especially on stormy days, it seems they’re completely taken away.
So, we moved to a deeper area, to a dark hollow on the seabed. I wanted to say there were treasures of gold and silver… but it was hard to tell with gray sand piled up like dust.
“Could you blow away the surface sediment?”
“Sure~”
“Sure~”
Other bubble spirits helped out too.
What appeared was a pot of gold and silver treasures. Some pottery was broken, probably from rolling around on the seabed, but that can’t be helped.
“Can I take this?”
“~~~~”
“~~~~~~~~”
“~~~”
The wave spirits that gathered items here responded. The spirits of the swirling seawater, the spirits of the lifting currents, and the spirits of the cold flows. I couldn’t tell if they liked gathering things or if it was just a coincidence, but when I asked, they said to go ahead.
“Thank you.”
I thought how convenient the language was as I descended into the hollow to sift through the mounds of sediment. Spirits around me were pulling out items they could carry and showing them to me.
Then, I found several bracelets strung with what I assumed to be the right stones. Each stone was slightly different, but since the shapes were the same, I figured they were probably related.
Smooth, opaque stones alternated in size, threaded through with thin, silver-like chains. They ranged from pale green to deep green, some with a strong yellow hue and others with a deep black. There were white stripes, scale-like patterns, and mottled green with purple.
“I know those stones~. They come from a sunken country~.”
“From earlier?”
Papona’s nuance seemed slightly different.
“Yeah, yeah, but they were given to the people of the town by someone who escaped from there~.”
“Escaped, huh?”
“They were chased by the Black Ones~. Even when they turned black, it was still the ‘King’s Branch’~. A lot of spirits gathered, and the Black Ones got bigger. Those Black Ones sank everything~.”
That’s terrifying!
I don’t know what kind of ‘King’s Branch’ it was, but it sounds like it could sink everything into the sea. And even after the country fell, it continued to chase its people. Wait, didn’t the people of Etoru get caught in the crossfire?
I’m glad our Ex-Staff is easygoing.
“What kind of country was it?”
“I don’t know~. It’s outside my knowledge. I only know about when I entered here~. I can only hear what the Wind Spirits talk about~. I’m only interested in what comes into me~,” Papona said.
I should look into the crazed ‘King’s Branch’ a bit more at the Spirit Library. I’m also curious about the now non-existent country where these green and purple mottled stones come from. I feel like I want to see other ordinary ‘King’s Branches’ too.
Maybe I’ll aim for some king’s coronation ceremony. I think Captain Cat mentioned there would be a presentation of the ‘King’s Branch’ at the coronation.
For now, I’ll get the ‘Night Safety Stone’ worn by the traveler from Etoru. It’s a charm for walking at night, providing protection from unseen dangers.
It’s a beautiful stone, but it’s not transparent and isn’t a gem. A small serpent-like spirit is sleeping within the stone.
I’ll head to the Island Tower and store it in the collection room shelf. It feels a bit lonely with just this, so maybe I’ll pick up a related book or a representative ornament? Or perhaps I’ll create a small display case.
The square shelf is big enough to hold the Traveler’s Stone. I think I could display Dragon Scales nicely, but what should I do?
Before it becomes a hassle to decide where to place it, I should show it to Haulon. He seemed to be looking forward to it.