LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 151
The paper that had fallen from inside the statue was a map. An extremely old one at that. The image of a vast desert and a golden city served as evidence that there once was a city of gold on this land.
At least, that’s how it seemed to me.
“Renilla, was there such a city in this desert? A long time ago, I mean.”
Renilla leaned in to take a look at the map in response to my question, furrowing her brows as she replied.
“Surely, you aren’t believing that the map from this statue is genuine?”
“Is it not allowed?”
A small laugh escaped Renilla at my question. Then, she swept her reddened face, perhaps from the drink, and continued to speak.
“A treasure map found inside an old statue… This is a common tale in the desert, Seris. If you were to seek the place the map points to, an empty wasteland would be waiting for you.”
“Is there a reason you’re so certain of that?”
Renilla nodded at my question, glancing up at the sky as if recalling old memories.
“The tricks of thieves looking to fleece foolish adventurers, pranks from desert dwellers who couldn’t resist their boredom… Why wouldn’t there be? There were plenty. You can even find many fake treasure maps in my drawer.”
“So, you conclude this map is fake for those reasons?”
“It’s a map that came from a statue acquired from a desert merchant. It’s only natural not to trust it.”
I tilted my head at Renilla’s response. The statue had a faint aura of a dragon. I thought there was no way a map from such a statue could be fake.
“Still, I want to go.”
“Ha. Didn’t I tell you? You’ll regret going.”
I chuckled lightly at Renilla’s response. Even if this map is fake, it doesn’t matter. From the moment I discovered the map to the last moment of my search for the city of gold, every bit of that journey would remain a memory.
“Regardless, I still want to search for it.”
“Hmm…”
*
The next morning, I began flipping through books in Renilla’s room to gather information about this desert. As a result, I could obtain data about the history, culture, and various cities that once existed in the region known as the Golden Desert.
“Are you really planning to go?”
“Of course.”
Even while eating, my research didn’t stop. I was tearing off bread with a large book propped open, when Renilla sat down next to me.
“This map looks extremely old. As the desert expands more each day, we need to gauge the location considering that pace.”
“Hmm…”
“The distinctive terrain around the golden city has likely disappeared as well. Especially this large rock mountain…”
Even if Renilla looked uninterested, I didn’t mind. I just wanted to savor this thrill of exploring the unknown.
Time flowed quickly. After several cycles of day and night as I grew accustomed to life aboard the ship, I was able to procure information about the large rock mountain from a very old storybook. The mention of the golden city was absent, but that wasn’t what mattered.
If I could find the large rock mountain, I could estimate the area where the city of gold once existed from there.
As Renilla mentioned, I was able to find other treasure maps from her desk drawer. Traces of her past searches for treasure, no less.
The marked locations of treasures on the numerous maps were likely fake, but the maps themselves weren’t.
The first place I needed to locate was the large rock mountain situated in the heart of the desert. There were only two old maps that marked such a mountain. I began to overlay the most recent maps to create a new one.
If Renilla hadn’t left behind those fake treasure maps, I wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint the location so easily. I smiled lightly as I held up the newly created map of my own.
It was nothing more than a scribbly map lacking basic information like accumulation and direction, latitude and longitude, but what did it matter? As long as I could understand it.
With that completed map tucked into my pocket, I rose from my seat.
Having found the location, it was time to say goodbye to the Sunny Ship. I gathered my belongings quietly and left the cabin without a word.
Standing on the deck, I looked up at the sky without a word. The clear, expansive black sky was flowing with a shimmering galaxy. Following the slowly drifting starlight with my gaze, I mused.
What a perfect night to leave.
Nightmare seemed to feel the same way, wriggling around in the bag. If I just slipped away like this, no one would notice my departure. I quietly jumped off the ship, avoiding the lookout sailor on the observation deck.
Wooosh-!
As my body soared into the sky, a gentle breeze swept in. I moved as if riding that wind, landing on the desert.
As long as the desert winds didn’t cease, the Sunny Ship would keep on moving forward. I turned my back on the vessel, which gradually faded away amid the hazy sandstorm.
“Okay, it’s your turn now.”
It had taken quite a rest. As I tapped the bag, Nightmare popped out, quickly returning to its original size. After rolling around on the ship for the past week, it had grown quite plump.
Thud-!
With a stomp of its front leg, Nightmare seemed ready to run at any moment. I hopped lightly onto its back.
The moment I tugged on the bridle, Nightmare sped off across the desert. Galloping over a sand sea under the flowing galaxy reminded me of my search for the legend of the Star Forge.
Nightmare and I charged forward endlessly toward the existence of the uncertain golden city. At times encountering massive monsters and at others quenching our thirst at tiny oases, we made the golden sand our bed and the sparkling galaxy our ceiling as we spent the night.
The journey across the desert wasn’t only beautiful. Whenever a hazy sandstorm came, Nightmare and I had to stick close together, waiting for the wind to retreat.
After the winds receded, shaking off the sand that had burrowed into our bodies, I sometimes let out bursts of laughter for no reason at all.
And so, on the fourth day of our continuous trek across the desert, I caught sight of starlight slowly cascading down from the sky towards the ground.
A meteor shower.
Nightmare and I stopped running, climbing up a sand dune to watch it distractingly.
Countless shining flashes fell from above, the rapid descent towards the ground reminiscent of Nightmare’s charge.
Suddenly, a cool yet dry breeze swept through. The slowly swirling cloak and golden hair.
As I shifted my gaze along the seemingly endless meteor shower, I realized I had reached my destination.
It wasn’t the depiction of the large rock mountain written in the book. It had been worn down by the winds of time and was no longer worthy of the name ‘mountain.’
I urged Nightmare slowly toward the rocks. The scattered large and small stone fragments surrounding me made me recall the grandeur of the former rock mountain.
Thud-!
“This has to be it…”
With my back to the large rock, I unfolded the map. On the crooked map was drawn the image of a large rock mountain alongside a shimmering golden city.
Now, I pulled out the worn map I had found in the statue. Holding the two maps up to the moonlight in the sky, they aligned perfectly without a single discrepancy.
Nightmare and I began establishing a campsite based on the large rock, starting to explore the area. Time passed quickly as day and night swapped places several times.
I sighed and sat down on the sandy ground. No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find any clues about the golden city. Perhaps it was to be expected. A city of gold with no recorded existence? Even Renilla seemed skeptical about the existence of the golden city.
The other crew members aboard the Sunny Ship had similar reactions.
Thud-!
“Yeah.”
As I stroked Nightmare’s head and stood up, it seemed time to wrap up this journey. Just as I was about to grab Nightmare’s bridle and head back to the campsite, the sand beneath me suddenly began to tremble slightly, as if something was approaching.
To the right. A very faint presence was felt. It was close yet distant, implying it wasn’t something on the ground.
Thud-!
At that moment, Nightmare raised its front leg high, poking at the sand beneath with it. Sharp crystal stones had begun to emerge from beneath its feet.
The monster that had come closer seemed frightened by Nightmare’s attack and began to back away.
Thud-!
Just when I thought the monster had fully retreated, the sand beneath my feet began to shake and suddenly started to suck me down.
“Ugh!”
Whoooosh-!
The sand under my feet seemed to rise like melting ice, reaching up to my knees. I instantly lifted Nightmare and infused mana into the Ice Dragon Sword and Fire Dragon Sword.
Once infused with mana, the two swords quickly emerged. As I stuffed the shrinking Nightmare into my bag, I hopped on top of the Ice Dragon Sword.
Just at that moment, a massive monster’s mouth erupted from the pit where the sand was being sucked down.
Swish-!
It had an impressive appearance with sharp, claw-like jaws rising up like pillars and small saw-like teeth inside. It looked exactly like a colossal version of an antlion.
-Kyaaaak!
It emitted a horrific shriek that matched its appearance. Frowning, I grabbed the nearby Fire Dragon Sword with my hand and swung it away.
Fwoosh-!
The Fire Dragon Sword was swung wide, igniting fierce flames that enveloped the antlion’s body. The creature screamed as the searing fire seemed to cause it pain, starting to dig itself into the sand as if trying to escape.
Indeed, monsters surviving in this world had their differences. Although my swordsmanship wasn’t anything to brag about, I couldn’t just let off a creature that endured my strike.
I exhaled quietly and lightly kicked the Ice Dragon Sword beneath me. With the reaction, as the Ice Dragon Sword soared high into the air and settled into my left hand, my body began to drop downward.
I had prepared for this, prioritizing the technique of the Twin Dragon Blade’s second form over using the flight technique. Unlike the first form, Tai Chi, this was a technique intended to overwhelm the opponent with overwhelming strength.
Fwoosh-!
Boom-!
At the moment the extreme energy from the Ice Dragon Sword and the blazing energy from the Fire Dragon Sword intersected, a tremendous tempest erupted.
Twin Dragon Blade
Second Form: Twin Dragon Strike
Boom-!
The combined strikes of the two blades shot forth rapidly, engulfing everything below. The antlion, caught in the fierce storm, couldn’t even retain its form and was torn apart, while the desert below it was engulfed in an explosion, sending up a hazy sandstorm.
“Ugh!”
I too was far from unharmed by exerting such overwhelming power. The technique was originally crafted for use on solid ground; using it in mid-air made sense that there was no ground to support the backlash, causing my body to spin in the air.
As I spun around, the world whirled rapidly, and I plummeted beneath the hazy sandstorm, crashing into the golden sand.
“Ugh…!”
Coughing up the sand that had filled my mouth as I stood up from the sand mound, I suddenly realized the surrounding area was strangely dark. Looking up to check if dark clouds were gathering in the sky, I scanned the area, only to be engulfed by a radiant golden light.