บท 50: Hidden temple (part 2)
"My Diary… March 27, year 1920.
I remember what happened in my world before I was dragged to this foriegn world. I must write in this book what I remember, or else I will forget. I remember that we won the war, but such chaos affected the world… you're a hero." Will realized that the skeleton in front of him was that of a hero from 100 years ago. It was something he did not expect at all.
Will knew what he meant by 'war' there was one war he could think of at that time, world war I.
He continued reading what was written in this diary.8
"I was 14 years old when it started, in 1914. I was 18 years old when it ended. And I was 20 years old when I got dragged to this world. My parents died during the war…"
Will skimmed through the pages. He gets it, there was a war, people died, it was terrible.
"Yada yada, suffered, pain, boring history stuff, blah, blah. Damn, there's like 20 pages in here about his pain and suffering on Earth… Now that I think about it, does that mean that the heroes before us were world war I survivors? Most definitely." Will realized an important fact but didn't think too much about it anymore.
"Let's see… 1924, the northern lands are abandoned by all, there is no water there, no crop that can withstand the heat, and no animal daring enough to live there. And also there are those scorpions that easily tower over men, especially those queen scorpions whose tails could pierce through steel, and their claws that can crush groups of men at once with ease.
I thought of making a change in these lands, vanquishing the scorpions from the lands, changing the topography for the better so we could live safely. It won't be easy. But if I learned anything from this world, is that anything is possible."
Will skipped through the pages once more. Most of the pages had stuff written down like 'we made some progress' 'I managed to kill many scorpions and their queens' and so on.
"Now it's 1932, it took me 8 years, but I figured it out, I managed to find out why the northern lands were so hot and desolate, it's because while I was hunting for scorpions, I found their temple, which is weird since this is the first time I've found a temple of any kind, it laid deep underground. It was then I found out something shocking, the scorpions had one true leader, a mutated scorpion queen, I call her or him 'the scorpion king' not only was it bigger, stronger, faster, but it's intelligence was not something to laugh at.
The temple which the scorpions guarded, inside it contained a magical item that could control the weather. I don't know how it got there or who made it, but it was the sole reason that the northern lands were like this. By the time I am writing this I had no idea about the magical item yet. I am writing this AFTER I successfully killed the scorpion king. I asked my companions, the heroes, for their help, but they rejected my plea since I wasn't sure if we could kill it before it kills us. What a bunch of weaklings! Shaun Quincy was the only one who offered to help me, but I ignored him since his hero ability was the weakest among us, and I feared that he would die even though he had proper military training in the past.
After killing the scorpion king, and obtaining the magical item that controlled the weather I used it to change these lands for the better, I was glad no one else knew about it. This kind of power can change the lands, it could make the kingdom into a literal freezing hell, or the eastern lands, which is home to the lizards, it could destroy their natural habitat and cause chaos.
I hid this information from everyone, and somehow even managed to fool the Great Sage for many, many years. Sometimes I think that he knew, but never said anything. I am not too sure, but I did not afk him in fear that if he really didn't know I would have accidentally let him know about it. I could not trust anyone with this information at all."
Will was amazed by this story. A magical item that can control the weather. Now that is something he didn't expect.
"It is now 1935, I did it, I finally goddamn did what nobody else dared to do, I created a tropical paradise for people to live in. Water, food, homes, it was perfect. Many people have started to migrate to the northern lands, including some of the heroes. The first one to migrate to the northern lands was a woman, Katy, who is only 1 year younger than me, but I knew that when I first saw her, it was love at first sight. Best part is that she was single. We started seeing each other many times since that day.
One day, I gave her an enchanted, crystal rose, that worked like a hair pin, it was like a bridal gift, to convince her parents to let me marry her. And the gods must have been on my side that day, because they agreed to let me marry their daughter. In return, they gave me a copper shield. It was an ordinary copper shield, but it is a family heirloom that has been in their family for many generations. They were poor to begin with, but I paid no mind to it. I only wanted Katy's love."
Will tried to skim through a few more pages, but it went directly to the year 1942 in the next page this person had not written for 7 years.
"1942, I am now 42 years old. Happily married to the woman of my dreams. Our son, Cain, named after my late father, is now 5 years old. I haven't been writing anything since I was busier than any of the other heroes. Not one of them helped me make this tropical paradise that I created, and they expect me to implant taxes on these people, especially that one annoying hero bitch who had healing powers, she overcharges people and they become in debt to her, and those heroes expect some sort of payment despite having done none of the work. I told them to piss off! Their brains are starting to fall apart because they can take down powerful dragons and monsters. They forget that I too can take down those monsters.
Morons, the lot of them. They were all banging each other since they were summoned, and producing many children left and right like wild rabbits. Makes me think I am the only sane one out of the group, and also Shaun is the only decent guy in our hero, never gave me any trouble. Luckily for those children, although most of their parents didn't want them, the kingdom took them in, mostly because of their hero heritage, they were all given the statuses of 'nobles' or 'half nobles' from birth. And luckily for me, the kingdom has never tried to claim these lands as their own. I do not know why that is, but I am grateful it hasn't happened."
"1950, one of the heroes, Paul Blimond, died after being defeated by a dragon. He was younger than me, but his old age has started to affect his performance in battle. There is a notable difference between a 47 year old man and a 20 year old. That same year, that greedy, old bitch got what she deserved, she died in the hands of sorcerers and nobles after stealing gold and valuable items from the kingdom's vault. As it turns out, her healing powers were outshined by a man who created the very first 'potions' nobody wanted to pay her anymore, which is why she was desperate for money. I can tell those potions will have a huge effect in the future. I have much respect for the man who created the potions."
"1968, my wife died… her heart was weak. I buried her corpse as deep as I could so no one could mess with her tomb. I created her a temple with the help of a friend who is good at keeping secrets. It was the first time I've ever dug that deep, but it was worth it, for her. I miss her to this day, and I will continue to love her till my deathbed."
"1977. My son, my only son, Cain, died in the hands of a lone scorpion that dug itself out… somehow I missed to step on that bug and it killed my son... Cain died protecting a young girl, he took the scorpion with him. I could not sense it coming… I could not protect my son… I buried him next to my wife."
"1981. Rumors say that there is an empire being built in the east. But I don't believe it."
"1982. This is the last time I will be writing in my diary. I cannot go on like this. My heart aches to join my dead family, I am weak, I have lived and seen everything there is to life. I have no regrets but one, failing to protect my son. Some hero I am. I can feel my end nearing, death itself is coming for me. I must prepare…
I took that magical item and hid it from the world, nobody will know where it is, I took the information I knew to my grave. In the wrong hands it will be deadly. Not even the Great Sage, the strongest hero, can alter the weather to his own desire, there had not been another hero or magical item that could have controlled the weather, but I could. I came to this temple, and sat down in a chair, waiting for death to come. I destroyed the entrance to the temple and the passage, no one can find it. The other bodies are from my in-laws, and my best friend, who also died.
It wasn't long until I realized I was truly all alone in this world.
If you've read this, I don't know how many years it's been since I have died. A few years? Decades? Centuries? All I ask is that if you respect this tomb, do not touch the remains of my family. There is nothing here valuable to steal. The magical item that you seek is not here. I purposefully changed the weather back to how it used to be, scorching hot. I did it because I fear that other heroes, or other powers in the future would do whatever it takes to conquer the northern lands, and they would find out about this magical item that I possessed for so long. I hope you can understand why I had to do this.
Signed, Hero Christopher Lawrence."
There were many more pages after that book, but they were all blank. That page was truly the last thing he wrote.
"Christopher Lawrence…" Will said his name while looking at the skeleton in front of him.
Beside him is the copper shield, the same one that was mentioned in the book.
"I never would have guessed that you found a magical item that can control the weather. I'll respect your wish, but I realize that I need to find the magical item. I promised Adaline I would find a way to make it up to her, and that magical is the only way I can think of."
Controlling the weather is something he needs, and wants. Something told him that being in control of this magical item is important to him.
"But it looks like he hid it. And he never gave any details on its appearance. It could be a rock, a weapon, anything. But if he managed to hide it, it must have been small, and light. That doesn't help my case at all."
After thinking about it, Will left the book beside the skeleton. After searching around the tomb he left the temple and resumed mining.
"Where could it be… hmm…"
Will took out his communication stone and messaged Jack.
Jack was lazing behind the counter, selling weapons and buying materials to make weapons and armor.
"Slow day today." Jack told himself.
Then, his right pocket started to glow. Will sent him a message.
{Jack, is there a way to find or identify magical items?} Asked Will.
In this world, magical items have no distinct features that can tell them apart from other regular items.
You could have 2 iron swords, made from the same blacksmith, look the same, but one of them is a magical item. But no one can tell from a single look which one is which.
Will thinks that there has to be a magical item, or something that can find or identify other magical items.
{Find or identify… hmm… I remember my uncle saying something about that. I'll tell him, just give me a minute.}
{Thanks, Jack.}
{Hey Will, what do you think about the 'rumors' of the 100th hero?} Jack asked. He was trying to be vague since Jasmine could read their messages.
{Annoying. But I think it's dying down, I hope. If you hear any more rumors about the 100th hero, let me know.}
{I will.}
{Hey, Will, it's me, Jasmine.}
The writing style changed, it was Jasmine's handwriting.
[Oh, hello. Have you become a king's guard yet?} Will asked.
{No. You never told me how it went when you collected the dragon's bodies.}
{It went better than I expected. I didn't expect that the one who completed the missions turned out to be a hero.}
{A hero? Must've been Josh Jones, he was the only hero who was outside of the kingdom that day. It actually makes sense now that I think about it.}
{YOU MET A HERO?!?!} Jack responded quickly.
{I did.}
{You never told me.}
{I was busy.}
{Oh, yes, right. Anything else happened?}
{Nothing much.} Will couldn't tell them that the Great Sage found out his identity, and that he found the temple of a dead hero who was summoned before them.
{And Jasmine, what do you mean that Josh Jones was the only one who was outside of the kingdom that day? Does that mean that there are other heroes who left the kingdom?}
In this world, when heroes are first summoned, they are to be trained in order to give them a better chance to protect themselves from danger. It's why only a few heroes have left the kingdom of Reyes until now.
{Yes, two more heroes have left the kingdom to venture out into the world. To my understanding, one is a red headed female hero, accompanying her is a man wearing a weird outfit. I don't know their names.}
"Redhead… Sandra." There was only one red headed girl who was summoned in this world, his ex, Cassandra.
"So she's actually… hm." Will fell into a deep thought. Mixed emotions flooded his mind when he thought about her.
{Will, I just asked my uncle, and yes there is a method to find magical items.}
{How?} Will asked.
{According to my uncle, it's a magical type of item that finds and locates other magical items. However, there is only one in the kingdom, and it's in the possession of the Great Sage.}
"Great… so much for that plan." Will cannot ask the Great Sage about this. He didn't want anyone else to know what he was planning on using it. Sure, they'll guess that he'll be looking for a magical item since that is it's only use, but he didn't want people to know that he is looking for one.
{But, he also said that the Empire has a few of those. They're very resourceful and have many powerful magical items.}
{The empire is too far. Are there no other ways?}
{There is one, making a magical item on your own. But according to my uncle, one needs the essence of Apex monsters to create such a magical item. Even then the chances of making one is very low.}
In this world, using the essence of a monster is the only way to make magical items. But, the stronger that monster's essence is, the more likely and powerful an item will become.
When using the essence to craft a magical item, there is a large chance that the item could break apart into tiny little pieces.
"So… the Empire. Even when riding on Adaline that's at most a week of non-stop riding to arrive there. And not to mention riding back also takes a week. It'll take me half a month to accomplish my goal. I cannot leave my base alone for that long."
There is a small chance someone could stumble upon his base, and find the rare items he has worked hard to keep hidden from the world. The item he fears someone would find is the exotic seed.
"I also don't know the method to make magical items. I need to find a way. Right after those rumors about me die down."
Will put away the communication stone and resumed mining for cobalt.
So far now he has created a mental list of goals he needs to accomplish.
First goal: Get enough cobalt to unlock {inventory}
Second goal: Find that magical item that alters the weather.
Third goal: Find a better mode of transportation.
Ultimate goal: Figure out the real reason he was sent to this world.
He mined and ignored the ores that dropped on the ground behind him. In order not to waste too much time, he decided to collect all the ores he dropped after he was done mining. There is no way he will ever ignore valuables on the ground after working hard to obtain them.
2 days later…
Will, after mining non-stop, dropped all the cobalt ore he found on the ground. The amount exceeded over 100.
"Finally. After two days of endless grinding. If it weren't for these enchantments that I applied on my pickaxe, it would've taken me weeks to gather 100 cobalt."
During his mining spree, he had found over 100 cobalt, and a hell of a lot of stone, granite, and ores.
"I needed 500 gold ores and 100 cobalt ores to craft the {inventory} and I finally have enough."
Will gathered the necessary materials, went on his {Exclusive crafts} and bought the {inventory} at last.
"Oh, thank god. That makes me feel that all my hard work was actually worth it. Inventory."
A blue blue box appeared in front of him, but there were also 10 darker, smaller boxes inside the box.
"If I remember correctly, this is {Inventory I} meaning that there is bound to be an {Inventory II} which means that I can place more stuff inside, but for some reason I haven't unlocked it yet. Either way, I am okay with this."
Will messed around with the inventory first, testing it out how it works. The best thing about the inventory is that whatever is inside it, it cannot drop upon death.
First he tested it by placing his magical bracelet inside, but it was rejected unexpectedly.
{Cannot place items carrying items inside the inventory}
Will then tried placing an iron chest full of stuff in his inventory, but it also failed and the same message popped up in front of him.
{Cannot place items carrying items inside the inventory}
And lastly, Will placed another iron chest inside, but this time it was empty. However this time it worked.
"I was just making sure. So I cannot place items that carry items. But can I stack them?"
Will placed more iron chests inside the same slot, and it actually stacked.
"So, I can place 10 different types of items, but I can put a bunch of the same item in one slot. Just like in every sandbox game."
"Now, what to do, what to do."
Will started to think about his next course of actions. But nothing came to mind.
"Adaline, what do you think we should do?"
"Hiss." Adaline responded.
"That could work. Problem is I can't because even after a few days have passed, people are still looking for me. Do they have nothing better to do!" Will was also angry. He wanted to build a castle, but was forced to retreat underground.
"This is like quarantine all over again."
Will looked at his HP.
{HP: 1825/1825}
It was slowly rising. Every day Adaline produced 2-3 exotic flowers. And his exotic flower seed produced a single flower when it felt like it. Regardless, this was way better than his measly 50 HP when he first started.
Just right outside of his base, 2 people and a horse had arrived. These two were Clement and the Princess, Harmony.
"Good girl, Esmeralda. Just a little bit longer." Clement gave his horse some water to keep her hydrated.
"This place is really hot." Harmony took Clement's cowboy hat and wore it over her head to provide her some shade from the sun.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Clement sarcastically and angrily said. As if it wasn't obvious.
"I don't like sarcastic people, Clement." Harmony pouted.
"Why do you think I'm trying to be sarcastic?"
"In that case, every time you say something sarcastic, I'll give you a kiss."
Clement didn't respond and took out some thick tape from his bag.
"I'm kidding. I was just kidding." Harmony backed away slowly.
"You better be."
"Do you really think the 100th hero is here? No one knows if he even exists."
"He exists. Trust me." Clement said confidently. He knew because he was the first person Will met, and also the first one to discover his hero identity.
"I remember I read a book about a hero, it was a story about a hero who made the deserted lands into a tropical paradise. Back then they used to call it the 'northern lands' neat, right?"
"I read it, and it wasn't a story. Christopher Lawrence was the only hero to make it happen, until he died 40 years ago, and after that the tropical paradise turned back into a scorching, deserted land."
"Yeah, and his remains were never found. Many people looked through the deserted lands, but no such luck. People say he didn't even die in the deserted lands, but was eaten by something."
Far ahead, they see several distant, dark figures slowly walking towards them.
"Cover your face." Clement said as he covered his own face with a mask, so did the Princess.
The dark figures were merely ordinary people trying to find the 100th hero. But like everyone else, they had failed to find him.
"And here we thought it would've been nice to live here. But who would have known that all the greenery would have died." A man said while a woman clung tightly onto his arm. It was the same couple from last time.
They saw Clement and Harmony riding a horse while hiding behind a mask.
"Hey, hey you two." The man called out to Clement and Harmony, "It would be wiser to head back. There is no point in coming here. There is no hero here. The green here is already dead or dying."
Clement tipped his hat down a bit to avoid eye contact.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." Clement and Harmony continued on their way.
"Well, we tried." The couple continued walking back to their homes.
"The green is dead or dying?" Clement repeated what that man said. Then, he noticed strands of dried up grass poking out of the cracks of the ground. He examined the grass carefully.
"Something wrong?" Harmony asked.
Clement played around with a fistful of dried grass.
"Isn't it strange? These blades of grass looked like they recently dried up."
"Well, that's common sense. Of course they would dry up with this intense heat."
"What I am saying is, why is there grass here? There hasn't been a speck of green in these lands for 40 years. And now, there's a bunch of it, and they had recently dried out not too long ago. Meaning that the grass has started growing here for quite some time now."
"It sure seems that way."
"He must be here. Will Connor." Clement remembered Will's name perfectly.
"It's just grass, right? Nothing too important."
"Oh, no, little princess, this is evidence, evidence that the 100th hero is here. There has never been any form of grass or green in these parts, and now there is. And now the grass is drying up, on the same day that the rumors of the hero began. Isn't that a lovely coincidence?"
"It could mean a lot of things."
"Tell me one time that there has ever been green in these parts of the lands, that a hero had nothing to do with it."
Harmony opened her mouth, but didn't say anything because she couldn't think of anything. It's true what he said. The only time this place had any grass growing in it was when the hero, Christopher, somehow made it possible.
"Good point. But still, if this hero does exist, then it'll be near impossible to find him. The deserted land spans for millions of kilometers. How are we going to find him?"
"We're not. We're gonna wait for him. Let's go, Esmeralda." Clement took his horse and the princess back.
"Wait, aren't we going to find him?" Harmony asked.
"You're right, it would be a waste of time to search for him in the deserted lands. So I will wait for him to come out. He cannot stay there forever. He's bound to come out eventually. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. So, we're gonna be smart about it and use a magnet to find it, instead of looking for it straw by straw."
Clement had no choice but to wait for Will. They had no magical item that could track him down. And searching for him on the deserted lands is suicide and dumb. Their only option was to wait for him to come out.
"That's smart. As expected of the man I-"
Harmony got her mouth shut by Clement's mouth.
"We'll wait at the nearest village from here. It's only logical that if he lives here, he'd go to the nearest village for some food or water, since he can't grow or have that in this place for too long."
It would've been a smart move on Clement's part, but he did not know Will's system, which can grow food, and he had an endless water supply. He's not going anywhere any time soon.
"I thought you also said that it's not wise to stay in the same spot for too long." Harmony said after rubbing her lips, Clement was squeezing them too hard.
"Indeed, but I need the gun that he stole from me."
"It's just a magical gun."
"It's more than that."
"Oh, right, I remember that you lost… oh." Harmony understood why Clement wanted that gun back.
The rest of the way was silent. No one spoke or uttered a word.
Clement took out a pocket watch that was on his pocket that opened and closed by pressing a button on the top of it. The watch was cracked and broken. But in the case, was a picture of him, a woman who was his wife, who had long, black hair, and in front of them was their son, who was about 10 years old. This picture was taken many years ago, and by now his son would've been a grown man.
He closed the pocket watch and kept it safely in his pocket.
"Someday, I will avenge your death, son. By taking, no, destroying everything that the king holds dear, and I'll make him watch it all and make him understand my pain."
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