Chapter 329: Temar’s Third Tomb (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 329: Temar’s Third Tomb (1)
June 5, 1799.
Dressed in a brown robe and disguised as an ordinary traveler, Jin walked along a forest path in the southern border region of the Jhan Kingdom.
I think I’ve memorized all the paths around here by now.
Even though summer had begun, the forest path remained cool. The thought of meeting his cute, simple-hearted friends after such a long time put him in a refreshed mood.
Walking at a leisurely pace, Jin suddenly came to a halt and smirked.
Once again, he smelled the scent of grilled fish. For the savory aroma of roasting fish to suddenly waft through the forests of the southern Jhan Kingdom meant only one thing: the Water Tail Tribe was nearby, preparing a meal.
Step, step.
The sound of the Water Tail Tribe’s chattering grew closer. As always, they were in high spirits, dancing in front of their grilled fish, completely unaware that Jin was approaching.
There were three members of the Water Tail Tribe in total, and all of them were familiar faces.
“Dark Flame.”
“Huh? That… voice is…”
The dancing Water Tail Tribe members whirled around to face Jin.
“And you two must be Big Nose and Big Eyes.”
“Jin Runcandel! You… always find us. How?”
“Well, I’ve received your help quite often. I even brought a gift this time. I’m not a fugitive like I was back then, after all.”
When Jin pulled out some premium dried eel strips he had prepared in advance, the eyes of the three Water Tail Tribe members sparkled in unison.
“This is… dried eel. A precious fish.”
“For us?”
“Is that… true?”
The Water Tail Tribe members were practically drooling.
“It’s not ‘is that true,’ it’s ‘is it true?’ Wait, didn’t the Gold Snow Tribe kids share the money with you? This is high-end food, but with your wealth, you should be able to afford this for every meal without any problem.”
The Water Tail Tribe members were too preoccupied with the dried eel to even answer. As soon as Jin held out the strips, they lunged at them like starving ghosts and began to wolf them down.
Chew, chew, munch!
Jin waited for them to finish their meal, making a mental note to have a word with the Gold Snow Tribe when he saw them.
“Ah, sorry. It looked… too tasty.”
Having finished the eel strips in an instant, the Water Tail Tribe members gave him a big thumbs-up.
“It’s fine.”
“We go now? To the cave.”
“Yeah.”
He followed the Water Tail Tribe toward their secret cave.
I feel this every time I come here, but this cave really is a total maze.
It was a structure so complex that even someone with an excellent memory would inevitably get confused.
The space at the end of the cave where the Gold Snow and Water Tail Tribes lived was impossible to find without a guide, but the dwelling of the Catfolk was entirely untraceable. There wasn't a single guide in the world who knew the location of their space.
If someone were to discover that the Catfolk resided in this cave and tried to find them, there was only one way.
To collapse the entire cave.
Even then, they wouldn't be able to meet the Catfolk. The destroyers would only manage to see traces of where the Catfolk had once stayed. The Catfolk would simply hide even deeper.
As they reached the area belonging to the Water Tail and Gold Snow Tribes, a soft yellow light began to spread from within.
“Oh, you’re here! Our strong and powerful partner!”
“Do you have any idea how many letters have been arriving for you at our branches lately? There are so many customers, regardless of age or gender, writing love letters to you. Humans are truly strange. I just don’t get them.”
“But aren't they all lovely customers? Get ready, Jin Runcandel. Since we started advertising with your face, sales have literally exploded. Production schedules are lagging, and nobles are lining up to buy our top-grade Gold Snow at ten times the price!”
Suni, Dori, and Songi poured out words in a rapid-fire barrage the moment they saw Jin.
“…What is all this? Gold? Did you seriously decorate the entire cave with gold?”
The interior of the cave where the Gold Snow Tribe sat was completely bathed in gold. This was the source of the soft yellow light he had sensed from a distance.
“Of course! We decided to plate the whole place in pure gold. How is it? Breathtaking, right?”
Top, who was perched atop a pile of gold coins, turned to Jin with a smile. His front teeth glinted from the light reflecting off the pure gold.
Clatter!
Top hopped down and extended a hand to Jin.
“Thanks to the promotion using you, our Golden Top Merchant Group is sailing smoothly, Jin Runcandel. Let me give you a business report. There’s also something I’d like to discuss.”
“Discuss?”
“One of our researchers developed another incredible cosmetic product recently. However, the ingredients are a bit unique, so we’re having trouble with the supply.”
“Just how unique are these ingredients?”
“There are certain flowers that only grow in the Secret Palace. Their whitening effect is so immense that this product is guaranteed to be a hit. So, I was thinking of opening a trade route with the Secret Palace… but rumors say that you, well, might or might not be becoming the Secret Palace’s son-in-law?”
“Where did you even hear such a thing?”
“We meet more than a few humans while doing business. Is that story true?”
“It’s a baseless rumor.”
“Hmm, well, they say there’s no smoke without fire. Is it possible for you to set up a line with the Secret Palace?”
At the word ‘line,’ Jin suddenly thought of the hotline between the Palace Master and Lucas and let out a hollow laugh.
“I can’t guarantee it. I have some sense of shame, you know.”
“Shame?”
“I’ve already received many favors from the Secret Palace, so it’s awkward to ask for more. For now, just write up a report on the business and send it to Tikan.”
“Spoken like a true Runcandel flagbearer; you certainly love your reports.”
“By the way, Top. You have the money to pile up pure gold inside the cave, yet you won't even buy dried eel for the Water Tail Tribe?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I gave them some eel strips as a gift, and they ate them like they’d been starving for days. Don't tell me you haven't shared the profits from the Bradamante sales with them.”
When Jin asked in a low voice, the Gold Snow Tribe members shook their heads vigorously.
“No, we shared it. We definitely did.”
“Then why are those guys still living in poverty?”
“How should I know? We gave them piles of money, but they didn't even know how to use it. They just left it stacked in a corner of the cave, so out of frustration, I personally deposited it in a bank for them. I told them multiple times they could buy tons of dried eel every day. But they say they’re perfectly happy as they are, so what can I do?”
Jin looked back at the Water Tail Tribe.
They were chatting amongst themselves in their broken speech and dancing once again.
“And this is all just gold plating. It’s not like we brought in actual solid gold blocks. This is a time for aggressive investment; we don't have room to waste money pointlessly. Do you really think we’d rip off those naive fools? We have a bond, you know.”
“I see I was mistaken. My apologies.”
“No need to apologize. You’re the human who put us where we are today. Well, I suppose we might look like materialists at a glance. Actually, we are materialists. But our calculations are more precise than anyone else’s.”
Top spoke while looking at the Water Tail Tribe with a satisfied gaze.
“More importantly, what brings you here today? Arriving without any notice like this. Judging by the atmosphere, it doesn't seem to be a business matter.”
“I came to meet the Catfolk.”
At Jin’s answer, not only the managers of the Golden Top Merchant Group but all the small beastmen in the cave pricked up their ears.
“The Catfolk, suddenly? Do you absolutely have to meet them?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, that’s a problem. I remember the Catfolk judged you to be the one who would protect us small beastmen, but that’s a separate issue. They aren't beings you can meet just because you want to.”
“Exactly. Even we only run into them when we’re really lucky… Oh. No need to waste my breath.”
Songi pointed a finger behind Jin.
“Whoa! Uh, uhhh?”
“Wow, that’s amazing. Didn't a similar situation happen once before?”
“Right, it was exactly like this back when Jin Runcandel was being hunted as a fugitive.”
A mysterious race with purple eyes that stood out against fur as white as snow.
The Catfolk was already watching them from about twenty paces away.
“...I guess you really are special. Don't tell me you had an appointment?”
Top looked back and forth between Jin and the Catfolk.
In truth, Jin was also inwardly surprised by the Catfolk’s appearance.
—By the way, Lord Olmango.
—[Yes?]
—Do you know who holds the key to the third tomb?
This was a conversation he’d had with Olmango as he left the second tomb.
At the time, Olmango had answered that the ‘Catfolk’ held the key to the third tomb.
When I asked what I should do if the Catfolk refused to meet me, he said even he didn't know… but it’s this easy?
He worried for a moment that the Catfolk might suddenly vanish before his eyes, just as they had when he fled to Laprarosa to escape pursuit during his days as a reserve flagbearer.
However, Jin soon saw the Catfolk make a light gesture, as if telling him to follow.
“Go on, hurry! Catfolk are quite fickle; if you delay even for a moment, they might just disappear.”
Jin cautiously approached the Catfolk.
Just before the Catfolk turned to walk away, Jin became certain that this was the same one he had seen once before.
Furthermore, he received a strange impression that the creature’s expression was very dark.
Is something wrong? The feeling is completely different from the last time I saw him.
The Catfolk walked while maintaining a certain distance from Jin.
Just following behind him made Jin’s head feel hazy. He couldn't tell if some kind of device had been set up or if magic was being used. It felt as though his sense of reality was slowly fading, as if he were wandering through a dream. However, it didn't feel unpleasant or dangerous.
After what felt like an eternity but was likely only a few minutes, his vision suddenly opened up, revealing a beach beneath a sky filled with purple stars.
A beach!? And purple starlight…
The nearest sea to the southern border of the Jhan Kingdom was a distance that could never be reached on foot in such a short time.
It felt like I only walked for about five minutes. It was like this when I first traveled across the otherworldly snowy plains on the back of the Snow Toad Mort.
Looking around, he saw the Catfolk standing some distance away, drawing something in the sand with a tree branch.
[My name is Neru. Contractor of the Thousand-Year Contract, Jin Runcandel. We’ve met once before, haven't we?]
“Yes, thank you for your help back then. I’m only just getting to greet you properly.”
[This is our own space, connected to the cave. You are the first human to enter.]
“Thank you for inviting me.”
[Take a good look, for you will never be able to behold this beautiful scenery with your own eyes again. It will be some time before the tomb of Temar can be opened.]
Jin naturally understood this to mean that the Catfolk would not invite him to this space again.
However, the next words Neru spoke were these:
[Soon, your enemies will find this place, destroy it, and attempt to massacre the small beastmen.]