Chapter 138: Labyrinth of time and space (1)
05UTYHowever, the leader was also not an easy opponent.yEnx
tZodv“We came to meet the natives. Is that enough?”UqJr37U
G1YbHj“That could be an answer, but you have to explain it. It’s a breach of contract. If this continues, I won’t ask more.”bfAVY
Y8T2yEThe leader regretted it. He intended to provoke Shirone, but ended up closing the deal too quickly.4VDp9
AdkK2UXThe cunning magician explained further.VGg1l4U
9BQ“We don’t know anything else either. Because we really came just to meet the natives.”s93
9BxzI“I see.”tJG4KtT
vxx7Shirone looked at his friends and nodded. If they also didn’t know what was underground, the risk of falling into a trap was eliminated for now.Cpx
FxcvGpThinking it was a fair trade, Shirone took out an additional gold coin.0gu
MD5LOre“Why did you come to meet the natives? Here’s one gold coin.”arPNXD
HQ7waEThe archer who received the money clicked his tongue as if in conflict. To be honest, it was embarrassing to tell others.B38fQ
Nbjk“We came to look for Loop. It’s also distributed in the market, but we can buy it in bulk here at a much cheaper price. We plan to sell it and finance our adventures. Now, is that an answer?”KIgmmrR
OgJShirone was surprised for a moment. It was a Loop trafficking place that had nothing to do with the secrets of the ruins.ycGqV
XijNBut the mercenaries had also found this place with fragmented information, so it was premature to conclude.I0BeY2
sdF4tb‘What is this? Completely different from what I expected? A drug trafficking place? No, I shouldn’t think that way. It’s a drug for ordinary people but a ritual tool for the natives. Therefore, it must be a sacred object. That means, ultimately…hNnKFGE
w19TcAfter finishing his thoughts, Shirone asked.4zD
2i4“By any chance, is this place connected to the autonomous area of the natives?”Eba
1xqhTP“What? How… Oh, damn!”FuH
3hns91Realizing his mistake, the archer frowned. He had answered without receiving money.mmhvT
fnpPSo Shirone rummaged in his pocket and took out a gold coin. He had hurriedly asked, but he had no intention of playing a trick.0Xg
7g9p8“Oh, here’s one gold. Sorry for asking first.”qGqRfS
Cz5The archer stared at Shirone’s outstretched hand.q5o2w
sjP7F0Of course, a gold coin wasn’t easy to earn, but it wasn’t an amount that would terrify a mercenary who had built their own career.FOXF
OjKJBPh“Darn it! Never mind. It’s my mistake.”JsN2B
CTjY“It’s not a mistake. That’s how contracts work.”eB5
CPF4zlP“I know! It’s just that my pride won’t let me accept it. Damn it, I can’t believe I made such a mistake. I still have a long way to go.”0W9
aY7i“Then I’ll consider the last question as a free service.”QLCgV
B35sKShirone returned the gold coin without hesitation. It wasn’t the attitude of a prudent student to waste it when he didn’t want to accept it.Q0lAn
OcgThe archer was in trouble for no reason. At some point, he felt like a child was playing with him.7spZn
Mkm“Instead, let me ask you something. How did you find out? Indeed, that information is top-secret.”Uq9DWD
LdEL5“Because Loop is sacred to the natives. Also, if the profit margin is large enough to make a lot of money selling Loop, it wouldn’t be easy to free it. Ultimately, you’d need permission from a person with authority among the natives, and the only place where that person could be would be an autonomous area.”o0c1
LtsGNeThe archer had nothing to say. While they wondered if there was anything worth doing with the money, what they found were the ruins of Kerugo.shT
Y0PDyShirone’s brief words contained all the conclusions he had reached after spending several days and nights investigating Loop and examining the information market.psKqx
lURo1Za“Tsk! What an incredible brain this brat had. Any more questions?”o6EFS
rB9hrJ“No, that’s all. Now, let’s go down and check.”aIsL13
5OrPOznThe archer smiled bitterly. He guessed why Shirone wasn’t asking. Probably, he noticed that no matter what he asked, he had nothing more to say.EMXA6I
arDbShirone and the others descended for 20 minutes. Although it spiraled, it still had great depth.BEBb
Lm22WUdWhen they reached the end of the stairs, a one-way corridor continued. Two natives stood at an iron door installed 10 meters ahead.Ao3
LGbxvVUnlike the natives outside, they were bare-chested and barefoot beneath their pants.qOX6hg
a1WThe tattoo, starting at the navel, branched out to their faces and looked intimidating even from a distance.ZoxEiV
1detwShirone didn’t believe that place was an autonomous district. They would have to walk at least a few kilometers to delve into the Toa Mountain jungle.HQqZA
dGfThe mercenaries also showed signs of tension. The archer acting as an interpreter shifted his position to the leader’s side.XDCbeQJ
Sic5OKMAfter exchanging some coded words in the Kerugo language, the native pressed the switch.aqXGf
R9dlWhen the iron wheel turned, the door opened sideways.iHMVwab
Fv6Cquc“Wow…”ebpBzOQ
9DEShirone’s eyes lit up as if he had landed in a strange world.kUZ8m
FbYMIt was an octagonal room carved in stone walls. On the other side of the entrance, they could see an iron door, and three men were standing guard there.xzj
6ncIn the center was an octagonal altar, identical to the shape of the room, flat, and floating above each of its eight corners were spheres about 30 centimeters in diameter.Qbloc3c
tAV1rShirone’s eyes lit up as if he had landed in a strange world.SMxLUL
31VIt was an octagonal room carved in stone walls. On the other side of the entrance, they could see an iron door, and three men were guarding it.EhxULc
NCsvmzlIn the center was an octagonal altar, identical in shape to the room, flat, and floating over each of its eight corners were spheres about 30 centimeters in diameter.eQx
LlGEShirone recalled from his memory. It was a sphere he had certainly seen somewhere before.PVV9
ls6TsW“Hey, what’s that?”OhVz
0M8pUNThe archer looked at Shirone with a puzzled look. He didn’t even know what it was until they arrived here, and the chances of anything being familiar to him were extremely slim.xtCFO68
VDiW3GZ“Why, do you know what that is?”eMM
ohV“That, it’s definitely from Miro…”TUtq7jv
iBuawThe leader moistened his lips.59nB
KCP“Hey, who do you think you are pretending to know? Do you think you remembered some bells hanging from your behind?”eR0XAwv
KPcGThe leader didn’t like Shirone from the tavern. He despised men who lacked the courage to fight but were boastful in front of women. Because he had no woman to impress.FqIfQ
anKe“Miro? Did you just say Miro?”RHo
tJ4eAsked a native guarding the entrance. Even Shirone, who didn’t know the native language, could understand the word Miro.jLGH
fwjThe archer, curious about the situation, reluctantly translated further.iNr58b
V2X“Is he asking if you know Miro?”QuZgWG
9IIHA“Yes. I met her once.”ZYKRCG
Ar1AkUNWhen the archer said that, the eyes of the native distorted. When the tattoo twisted, it was like seeing a creature from a legend.HVj
wdYHYvH“You met? There can’t be such a thing. That’s a lie.”7ULVdY
4jeHe“No, it’s not. I really met her.”EavmG
yhzdVG5The native sank into deep thought. However, as if he had reached a simple conclusion, he quickly returned to having an empty look.G0p
hQGygi“I judge nothing. Only the eyes of the angel will watch over you.”ktM
giNe2After leaving behind incomprehensible words and closing the iron door, Shirone put aside his regret and turned around. He thought the beginning was from now on anyway.S27KM
9pStnAs the mercenaries walked towards the center, a native arrived from the other side of the iron door.QPVuTPX
yUsmYJApparently, of the three natives, two were gatekeepers, and only the man approaching seemed to have a different role.IgQ
4ejIt was clear just from the color of the tattoo. While common people in Kerugo have red tattoos, this man’s tattoo was white.lBT5Gn
WbIDc“This is a room of achievements and sacrifices. The eight eyes of an angel will judge you. To enter Kerugo, you must traverse the labyrinth of time and space.”FdIJ
rTUzytUpon hearing the word labyrinth, Shirone quickly turned his head. But the archer kept his mouth shut, as if he had no intention of interpreting further.Vmd
PYa0lht“Labyrinth? Did he just say labyrinth? What did that man say?”x8zDX8t
aUOVZ“Hey, don’t misunderstand. I’m not your interpreter, why should I explain everything to you?”4Vx6yj
2ZzaCAO“You’re going to tell your colleagues anyway. Tell me quickly.”AQj
tkrp“I don’t want to. From now on, let’s not worry about others. We came here with something to do as well.”YlEH
DzMuBThe man with white tattoos looked at them with crossed arms. Shirone could tell just from his gestures that he was asking for a translation.hCn
ua6“Is there anyone among you who knows the ancient language?”ShTM
BWsnr“Oh, I know a little.”hT5L8X
EuQ“Then translate. The opportunities are the same for everyone. The eyes of an angel watch over everything in the labyrinth of Time and Space.”fd5
BqtYpEu“Why should I do that? They’re not our companions. I don’t know what you’re judging, but please separate them.”TWxdU
UAcw“No. From the moment you entered the room of achievements and sacrifices, you are one. Will you achieve or sacrifice? That is the only choice you have.”iByyL
HG4ijdK“Damn it! We had bad luck. What are we going to do with these kids?”wmExDJz
LzunMEAs the conversation dragged on, the magician moved forward.69f
BLuwQ3Q“What is he exactly saying? Tell me now.”ORKnS
wLpWith no other choice, the archer conveyed the conversation they had heard so far.zcm
kknPw6The mercenaries who heard everything were irritated. If they knew this was going to happen, they should have gotten rid of Shirone’s party before coming here.CWztT
gWQVJr“Will the Angel’s eyes judge us? Does that mean they assess our abilities? And group us with these brats? Isn’t this too unfair for us?”8igQ
ql6HAmy’s eyes narrowed as the magician complained.FmWO
0BvzSl“Hey, you keep calling us brats, how do you know if we have skills or not?”DrmAp
oPQoLqh“Ho Ho Ho! Ah, so it’s like that? Do you want to cling to us after taking advantage? Just so you know, if we mess things up because of you, you better be prepared.”K5QB3nT
LbUpx“Hmph! Do whatever you want. We never planned to team up with you anyway.”y2n94
5tG0zThe magician smiled coldly. Who did they think they were? She was a novice mage, one of the most promising newcomers in the mercenary world.NwzFsD
Px9hShe didn’t get along with inferior mercenaries, so her colleagues were only formed by people of similar age and level.jHKN1
M9Y1SzOn the other hand, those ignorant children were obviously students who learned swordsmanship and magic somewhere.dkgOVXb
csXzWhat you learn in the academy is a world apart from real combat. For mercenaries who easily risk their lives, she could be sure they wouldn’t hold her back, even compared to a certified mage.tYr
n9WIj‘Ha, just wait and see, brats. I’ll make you cry and beg once we’ve passed through here.wAfJJB
GoVPtS5Thanks to the women’s disputes, they were able to bury petty feelings.ldFwC
iHEoa3KAs the eight awaited further instructions, the man with the white tattoo began to explain.jZG4UhB
NKS“There are two conditions to pass through the door. You can test your ability or send a person through the sacrifice of another.”syOn9E2
vJPAs soon as Shirone heard the translation, he asked a question.k1FIW5
ruu“What do you mean by testing? What do we need to specifically test?”CzW5g
oft“Hey! Stop meddling! I’m not going to translate for you!”8SsUy
vuU“He said we have to do this together. Ask him already.”QKjNORh
KpLY5The archer, who had nothing to say, gritted his teeth and translated. The man with the white tattoo nodded and continued speaking.ohAj
qfK4“Descendant of a warrior, ascend to the altar of judgment and cast your spell on one of the eight orbs. The divine language will respond. If a red light lights up, you have failed. If a white light comes out, you have passed.”06h
bD8ZShirone kept asking questions, as if he had hired the archer as his personal interpreter.RDth
tHWOO“Is there a limit to the number of attempts? For example, can a person try as many times as they want?”0Qy97M
Asr“You can keep trying until you’re exhausted. If a passerby comes out, everyone can go to Kerugo. If no one passes, everyone must return. This is the will of the labyrinth and the mission of the people of Kerugo.”lDZp
GHj“You said achievement and sacrifice. What does ‘sacrifice’ mean?”h1U3pz
EI0VQO“A person can pass with the blood of another.”t2dIRG
B8ESxsp“Do you mean someone has to die?”lOXyfT
bQn“Yes.”FsYlgR
LeBUpon hearing that, Shirone lost himself in his thoughts. It is possible to challenge as many times as one wants, and even if only one person succeeds, everyone can pass.fyF
8p7But what if nobody succeeds? They would have no choice but to pass through the door with the sacrifice of a companion. And it was one life for each passage.KK6AV
SYCjXKX‘Something is strange. Was it necessary to go to Kerugo with such cruelty? It doesn’t make sense to kill a comrade just to get to Loop. There must be something more in Kerugo. The mercenaries must have come here without knowing the true secret of this underground place.0s2ilsK
PBo5Shirone indicated to continue the interpretation. The information gathered so far was useful, so the archer agreed without a word.TdgB
lXju9“Is there any restriction on the sacrifice? Like bringing someone else from outside or using the corpse of a dead person?”HsSTvp
AhtCb“No. From the moment you entered the room, you are one. The door will never open until everyone agrees. Therefore, that question is meaningless.”Mo0yw
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