Chapter 614: In the Midst of a Challenge
Alright.
I’ve come to the Land of Ruin to give it my all.
This is bad.
I thought there would be wraiths or something. Wraiths are ghosts, but I was expecting something more game-like… like a large Black Spirit. I figured physical attacks wouldn’t work, but maybe magic would.
But no, these are seriously ghosts!!
With hollow eyes and transparent bodies, they crawl along the floor with gaping black eye sockets. They silently pass through walls, creeping closer from the shadows, making unsettling sounds like slithering and splashing, despite their small size.
The seafaring nation of Chrisdrum has completely turned into a ghost kingdom. Most of the stone buildings are crumbling, shrouded in thick mist. A ruined city wrapped in pale blue shadows.
I found an old map in the Spirit Library and came to what seems to have been the capital in the past. The locations of other towns are vague, but the capital is easy to pinpoint—it’s at the end of a bay that looks like a cut into the island, just a bit upstream from a large river.
It seems the shape of the island has changed a little since then. The map I have only details the western part of the Land of Ruin, so I can’t compare it to the old map as a whole.
There were ghostly figures near the bay, but they seemed to just be wandering around, so I thought, “Oh, there they are.” I was somewhat accustomed to fantasy beings like Black Spirits, so I didn’t find it too shocking.
But when they approach me in that form, I don’t know how to react. If they charged at me, I could respond with force, but…
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the ghosts are possessed by Black Spirits. Unlike the Black Spirits from the Demon Forest that swiftly invade and gradually take over a body, these ones feel different.
The Black Spirits here have a more tangible quality than the ghosts themselves. They wrap around like a thick, viscous substance.
—So, do they consume from the outside since the ghosts lack bodies?
If I were to peel them off, they might stick to my hands. The thought of controlling the ghosts along with the Black Spirits is too much to bear. The Black Spirits from the Demon Forest exude feelings of resentment, pain, and sorrow, but these ones feel like something inorganic and slimy.
By the way, this place also seems to have been a nation that thrived under the “King’s Branch,” only to collapse overnight after breaking its oath to it.
Scary, really scary, “King’s Branch”!
I don’t want to defeat the Black Spirits here and use them, but if I ask for help from the spirits, the ghosts—who are essentially the Black Spirits—will gather to try to consume them.
Collecting the Traveler’s Stones is supposed to be a form of entertainment…! No, but because it’s entertainment, I have to take it seriously…!
I thought having a goal like searching for something would allow me to explore the world! Honestly, if it weren’t for the Traveler’s Stones, I wouldn’t willingly come to a place like this!
Where’s the Seikouseki…?!
…I ended up fleeing back.
I think the Seikouseki is probably located in places like shipyards or areas where ships might have sunk.
The sea surrounding the Land of Ruin is pitch black, but that’s the Black Spirits. They sway in the water, and when I thought it was seaweed or kelp, I realized it was arms extending from the sludge-like Black Spirits that have pooled on the ocean floor.
No way!
After thinking it over, I decided to check out the castle’s treasury. If that doesn’t work, I might investigate the main sailing routes of Chrisdrum’s sailors and explore the ocean floor as far away as possible.
But that feels like running away, so for now, I’ll take on the treasury challenge!
So, first things first: preparation. Thanks to the many contracted spirits, I can use magic even without direct assistance from the spirits. Well, I can create phenomena similar to magic. Yeah, I can do what the spirits do with magic.
But that’s a secret, or rather, a last resort. I don’t want to worry Retze and the others, and Haulon would probably collapse, so I’ll prepare like a proper human!
First, I need to ensure the safety of the spirits I’ll be relying on. I need something portable that feels comfortable for the spirits—ah, this will do.
What caught my eye was a lantern. The Spirit Lamp seems to be cozy enough for them to rest in, so I’ll go with the basic shape of a lantern.
First, the glass part, I guess? Spherical shapes are favored by spirits, but I’m using a magic circle to summon them. Instead of spherical glass, would a round gemstone be better? Without any special crafting, the chances of spirits settling in would be higher, and it should be comfortable.
There are many things harder than glass. So, I guess I should start by getting a fist-sized gemstone. Maybe something like crystal would work.
For now, I’ll need to find a large gemstone in the desert or the sea, one that doesn’t have an owner. I could go mining, too.