NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: Totems of the Evil God
The Hunter’s Spring was a large human-made garden with a huge fountain in the middle.
Around the fountain were various bathing pools and smaller fountains that would continuously gush out water.
Upon arrival, many wild games could be seen drinking at the large fountain and immediately fled when it noticed the Hunters. It was the first time that Dyne saw something very different than what was presented in the game.
Various wooden towers were erected.
The Hunter Springs looked like a well-guarded fort on the outside and had a beautiful garden inside. There were fruits and plants of all sorts in various parts of the garden. Tall trees could be seen all over the garden.
With one look, Dyne could understand that these plants were first planted by the Hunters and have been using the fruits here to grow. But what was shocking was how lush the trees looked. The trees had even borne fruit.
“Drake water is this amazing!” Dyne was stunned.
It was then that Dyne recalled an in-game explanation of what Drake Water is. It is very nutritious that people can actually survive with Drake Water alone. If used on farming, it would quickly develop excellent yields. It was one of Drake Castle’s most luxurious, precious, yet very abundant resource.
What was strange was that this place, which was a natural fortress and a place that had lots of food, was devoid of any animals or monsters living in it.
“Why aren’t there Gobu Gobu staying here? This place looks well-guarded!” Dyne asked Juno.
“Ah. You see, the Gobu Gobu can’t stay here for long because if the Mist reaches this place, the Seru monsters will attack. They don’t usually stay in places like this because I don’t think they can tell when the wind blows strong enough to move to this place. When the wind starts blowing, we immediately move to get to this place. But the Gobu Gobu’s aren’t that smart. Er... No offense Bertugo.”
Bertugo turned at Juno but couldn’t understand what Juno said.
“This used to be a place where the Gobu Gobu’s would stay. But the Serus would go here and attack. So they couldn’t hold it and eventually withdraw to the mountains. They didn’t know of the significance of this spring and how it receives a small blessing from Drake Water up north.”
“I get it. This place is a natural hunting spot for the Serus.” Dyne nodded, but his mind was immediately elsewhere.
“What’s up with this Drake Water? I better check it out soon.” Dyne spoke to himself. He knew that Strafe wouldn’t explain what is creating the miraculous Drake Water.
The Hunters settled in and were starting to drink the water to refresh themselves.
“With the Springwater from the hunters, we can actually hunt non-stop. The water has a small portion of Drake Waters and has refreshing properties. You should try it. The water we bring home is already left out, but water freshly drank here is better.” Juno explained.
Dyne moved and noticed that many hunters had already begun to dive through the large fountain that they erected.
Dyne noticed the small drinking fountain that he recalled in-game and began to drink its waters.
Dyne felt a refreshing sensation that caused even his stamina to be restored.
“Amazing!” Dyne exclaimed.
“Why wasn’t there a place like this in Drake Castle? Is it because of the Mist? I guess I’ll have to look for the source in Drake Castle.” Dyne pondered.
The night slowly passed. Dyne soon went to sleep as many of the hunters continued to guard.
The sun hasn’t even risen yet when Dyne woke up. The effects of the spring water had revitalized most of his weariness.
He went towards Bertugo and called him and met with Juno and Val. Vahn was still asleep, and the two had just woken up.
“You’re leaving now?” Val asked.
“Yes. I’ll be leaving three Slimeys here with you and will bring one. After testing it, I realized that Slimey has his soul divided into four parts. It looks like if I communicate to one, it can pass on whatever messages or orders I have to the rest. Although I’m not sure if this will remain, if I go a bit further, I think it will allow us to communicate even if I am a bit far away.” Dyne smiled.
“Oh? There’s such a thing? Then it looks like we won’t worry too much!” Juno laughed.
“Yeah. I’ll go now. You guys take care. Of course, with Val here, I'm sure you guys can easily tell if the Mist is coming.”
“Where do you plan to go?” Val asked.
“Further north. I want to see the other Gobu Gobu tribes. Hopefully, I can communicate with them. I wonder if they speak the same language that Bertugo has!” Dyne laughed.
Val and Juno nodded as they heard of Dyne’s plan.
“Take care then. We will wait for you here and move towards the south, near the mountains. You can meet us there.”
“No. Go back without me. I have traveled all the way here on my own with Slimey and Bertugo. Now that we’re all stronger, I can do that again.” Dyne answered confidently.
“Your priority is to get back to the village and train. Tetsu gave me a test. You can ask him the details when you get back.”
Juno and Val’s expression had a questioning look but decided to ignore it.
“Just keep yourself safe, Dyne.” Juno reminded.
“Right. Your life is the most important. Remember that your value is even greater than Tetsu, or the Elders.” Val emphasized.
“Don’t worry. With these two, the Golden Compass and Chicken King, I'm confident that I'll be safe.” Dyne answered back.
Dyne took a small jar and filled it with spring water before closing it and giving it to the Slime. And immediately, the three set off before the light of dawn would shine on them.
The trio moved towards the darkness. Bertugo led the way. The Evil God's blessings granted the Gobu Gobu night vision superior to an average human. They moved towards the river that flowed from Drake Castle. Since they knew this river would eventually lead them there, Dyne instructed Bertugo to lead them towards the river.
Along the way, Dyne continued to talk to Bertugo about the Evil God.
Each village of the Gobu Gobu would have a totem of the Evil God. Through a secret art, the Gobu Gobus would craft the Totem according to how they were taught.
Dyne asked who taught them that, and Bertugo explained that this method was passed on from elder to elder. Most tribes of Gobu Gobu would have a way of doing this. And this was why Gobu Gobu villages would be unable to wipe each other out.
But when the Mist came, Bertugo’s tribe was slowly defeated because they could not offer the Evil God Totem sacrifices. The Totem required the sacrifice of Healing Flowers and soul beasts.
Dyne finally understood why Gobu Gobu would have Healing Flowers. Healing flowers is a mid-tier healing item that would be a common commodity later in the game. But the only way to acquire it from a Gobu Gobu was to steal it through the Evil God Icon.
“Healing Flowers... I see. Gobu Gobus expend a lot of effort in planting these items. Does that mean that I can have a Healing Flower farm soon?” Dyne greedily wondered.
Bertugo continued to explain that when the Mist came, their village suffered so much because their healing flower garden was destroyed and burned on the first Seru attacks. The Grimard's attacked it and burned it, and they could no longer sacrifice to the Totem.
Soon, the other Gobu Gobu tribes attacked them, knowing that their Totem was weak. And so, the Gobu Gobu tribe of Bertugo died. Bertugo managed to escape and had been alone ever since.
“Where is your Totem then?” Dyne finally asked. He knew this was a sensitive topic, but as Dyne gave him the powers to become a Gomboo, he knew that Bertugo respected him so much that such a Totem would be given to him if he asked.
Sadly, Bertgo shook his head and explained that he didn’t know. He wasn’t even sure which of the three Gobu Gobu tribes that attacked their village managed to acquire their Totem.
"Oh! Right. Bertugo. Bagak kitgak hingak digak kigak lagak lagak Hunters trigak bogak mogak?” Dyne asked as he recalled how the Hunters were unfamiliar with Bertugo’s particular Gobu Gobu tribe that Bertugo was associated with.
“Agak kogak tagak gagak norgak tegak Drake Castle.”
“What? You lived north of the Drake Castle?!” Dyne was shocked.
Bertugo nodded and started to explain that they lived atop a mountain north of Drake Castle. After several questions, Dyne finally understood where Bertugo lived. Bertugo’s tribe lived on the mountain range east of Mt. Rikuroa. There was a cave on top of those mountain ranges, which became the village of Bertugo’s tribe. When several Gobu Gobu tribes attacked them, Bertugo fell on one of the many cliffs in the dark cave and fell to an underground river. He drifted and woke up south of Drake Castle.
“Wow. I guess that’s what I get for living in an Open-World adaptation of Legend of Legaia. More places to explore!” Dyne cheered happily.
The three continued to move and avoid any monsters that they could avoid and kill any monsters they had to fight.
Soon, Dyne reached level 2.
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