Chapter 303:
C303 - Temar's Second Tomb (1)
The tavern owner had gone home, leaving Clamwell in charge of the place. Jin and his companions were the only patrons left.
Olmango made a lot of noise as he devoured the cookies. He almost seemed like a god gone mad for cookies. He sucked in the treats like one drinks from a rare oasis in the desert.
What kind of god is this?
The scene surprised Jin. He also regretted not ordering more cookies.
Naturally, Jin's companions also gathered to watch how the scene unfolded.
For them, it was an amusing experience to see a God sticking his head into a basket to devour cookies.
"More, don't you have more?"
Olmango finally pulled his head out of the basket and asked after finishing about seventy percent of the cookies.
"This is all I have."
"Please tell me there's more." He seemed genuinely desperate.
"There is more, but only at the third-floor confectionery in the Tikan Free City across the sea."
"No! Then I guess I'll have to save them for later. My contractor will want to try them too."
Olmango's hands trembled in a superhuman effort to close the basket.
"It's so adorable!" Enya shouted unconsciously as the rest shrugged.
Olmango pretended to cough, embarrassed by all the attention. "I acted below my capabilities. If possible, please tell the owner of the Tikan bakery that these are the best cookies Olmango has ever tasted. The baker has superhuman skills."
Indeed, the baker was not human, but that information did not seem necessary.
"I'll make sure to relay the message."
"Good, good. So you are Jin Runcandel, the thousand-year contractor mentioned by Solderet, is that right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Prove it."
Jin formed a fist-sized Shadow Energy orb in his hand, to which Olmango nodded.
"It looks safe then. Honestly, I didn't think you'd survive and make it to me. With the trouble you caused against the Zipple even before becoming a Flagbearer and that bounty on your head, I was almost certain you wouldn't survive."
Clamwell and Olmango were well aware of the Holy Kingdom incident, as was everyone in Hufester.
"Solderet, my friend. You were right about what would come in a thousand years."
"Look, Mr. God-of-Clams. We're busy, okay? Why don't you give us the key?" Murakan spoke with an attitude.
He was quite irritated that Olmango referred to Solderet as a friend. Murakan had never seen Solderet hang out with Olmango before he fell into a long slumber.
In fact, Olmango's only known powers were the ability to keep the contractor's skin moist and the power to easily attract seafood. Additionally, contractors were granted the power to cook clams perfectly in any situation.
This was why Murakan considered Olmango a useless deity. It wasn't necessarily because Murakan was especially rude. Most people in the world regarded Olmango as useless.
This was why Clamwell, Olmango's contractor, served tables in a remote tavern like this.
"From the looks of it, you must be Murakan, the dark dragon. Solderet was very concerned about you."
"Don't tell me he was concerned about me. He left the keys to Temar's tomb to gods like you or Picon Minche without telling me anything about it."
"Solderet would have had his reasons, don't you think?"
"Hmph! Would you mind telling me some of those reasons, then?"
Olmango shook his head. His innocent-looking eyes annoyed Murakan. However, the dragon had no reason to hold it against the God of Clams.
But the rest of the companions could deduce from Murakan's anger that he was quite upset. In Picón's case, they had all been very close a thousand years ago, but Olmango was just an ordinary god from Murakan's perspective.
"Well, anyway. I'm fed up with cookies, so I'm going to talk about the second tomb of the first Runcandel patriarch. By the way, Jin Runcandel?"
"Yes?"
"Do you intend to enter the tomb all together?"
Jin looked surprised at Olmango.
"Is that possible?"
"I don't see why not. After all, it's just a tomb made to commemorate a person."
Jin had never thought about entering the tomb with companions other than Murakan or Misha.
"Of course, it's quite a particular tomb, so you should be prepared to face its dangers."
Its dangers.
The phrase immediately related to the memory of the first tomb for Jin. If there was a guardian resembling one of the ten knights like Silderay Runcandel, it was more than just dangerous.
Jin didn't want to expose his companions to such dangers if he could avoid it.
But he also understood that trusting his companions was the best way to show them respect.
Everyone seemed willing to accompany him, whatever might happen.
The companions were already determined. Lately, they had felt sorry for not being able to help Jin as much as before.
"Olmango, do you know the guardian residing in the second tomb?"
"I cannot answer your question."
"Why?"
"All memories of the guardian have left me. I've tried to remember many times, but only a faint image comes to mind."
Each of the ten knights had been erased from history.
"But one thing is certain. The guardian must be tired because many great battles were fought when the Zipple plundered the tomb."
The guardian of the first tomb, Silderay, materialized long after the Zipple plundered the tomb because it required the presence of the thousand-year contractor to appear.
In contrast, the guardian of the second tomb had been guarding the area since its creation.
A bitter smile formed on Olmango's lips as he tried to remember the forgotten guardian once more.
"Let's go."
Jin and his companions followed Olmango out of the tavern.
It was an especially starry night. For some reason, it seemed as if the stars were shining to light their way.
Olmango stopped at the same beach where they had been swimming the past few days.
"Don't tell me the second tomb is right here."
"But it is."
Olmango waded into the water with a splash. Then he turned to look at the group and urged them to follow.
"Follow me in a straight line."
Right at that moment, something astonishing happened.
A path was forming on the water with each slow step Olmango took.
He walked on the sea as one walks on land. The spectacle was truly mysterious and befitting of a god.
Obviously, none of them had ever walked on water before.
"Wow. He really must be a god, Lord Jin."
"I agree, sir. This Jet is experiencing another wonder thanks to you, my lord. Look at all these gentle waves around us. This has to be the most magnificent sight I've ever seen."
"These are turning out to be truly wonderful vacations, young master."
Even Quikantel was quite impressed by Olmango's powers, although Murakan continued to grumble, muttering things like, "What's so special about walking on water?"
They walked for an hour. The starry sky and the sea were all they could see around them, and the land was barely visible now.
"I guess it would be safe to open it right here."
"What do you mean by 'open'? Weren't you supposed to give us the key?"
Olmango showed his palms to Murakan at his question. "My power is the key, Murakan."
It happened right then.
The sea suddenly split in front of Olmango, as if two pieces of fabric were torn apart.
"Whoa. What's this? It's insane. What's happening?"
Now, even Murakan, who was doing his best not to be impressed, had to exclaim in amazement. His companions were no different. Even Jin was left in awe.
The sea followed Olmango's hands and formed waterfalls on both sides of the rift.
No one would have ever believed that the God of Clams could create such a miraculous scene.
In fact, the opening of the sea was not the end.
"Holy gods. What is that?"
Jin and his companions looked down into the open trench under the sea.
There was a clam.
It must have been the only one of its kind in the world. The clam was indescribably massive and slimy. Yet there it was, opening its shell wide.
It was the size of an entire castle.
"That was tough. It's been a while since I used my powers. Murakan, this is why Solderet chose me. Not many beings in the world can handle seals of such scales."
It almost seemed like his cookie madness had been nothing but a lie. The group - including Murakan this time - could only show their utmost respect for Olmango.
This was why the God of Clams, Olmango, was rumored to be a useless deity to the rest of the world.
He had to make sure he always had energy saved because Olmango's duty as a god was to use his powers to hide and safeguard the stories, which should only be shown to those who needed them at the required moment.
It almost looked like a black pearl.
A massive seal of Shadow Energy writhed inside the clam. The seal was the entrance to the second tomb of Temar.
"So, I hope you're not so upset about Solderet anymore. Go on now, all of you."
"Thank you, Olmango."
"I only did what I had to. Oh, and one more thing."
Olmango looked Jin in the eyes and continued, "I don't remember who was inside, but please tell that guy he did a great job."
"I'll make sure to tell him."
The group jumped into the Shadow Energy seal inside the clam one by one.
Once they were all absorbed by the Shadow Energy seal, Olmango's clam closed its giant shell.
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Once again, they found themselves in an ethereal plane created with Shadow Energy.
But unlike the infinite darkness and emptiness of the first tomb, in the second tomb, there were traces of terrible battles everywhere.
The place was littered with white skeletons presumed to be Zipple Magicians from ancient times, and the corpses got in their way as they walked. However, when they touched the remains, they turned into ashes and fell.
"Oh, wow. Everything had been so magical until now. This place is so desolate and unsettling, my lord."
"How many groups of skeletons are these? I can't even fathom how many enemies the guardian must have faced on his own, Lord Jin."
Jet and Kashimir spoke as they explored their surroundings.
The group tried to figure out which direction to head when they heard a woman's voice in the distance.
"I knew I felt quite a ruckus from afar. Yes, I knew you'd come."
The group immediately heightened their senses and turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
Murakan immediately recognized the voice, just like the last time. "Sarah? Sarah Runcandel, is that you, right?"
"Murakan."
Soon, the guardian revealed herself.
She wore armor similar to the Runcandel guardian knights, just like Silderay, but her armor was torn and had holes everywhere.
It wasn't just the armor. Her body was damaged as well. She had only one arm left, and the countless wounds on her body oozed Shadow Energy like it was blood.
"Why are you so late, you stupid dragon?" The guardian spoke upon meeting Murakan.
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