Chapter 509: The Golden City (1)

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Editor: Tseirp

In the dense jungle, food is abundant.

Fruits and meat are practically unlimited.

And water too.

“I’m glad I’m a water-attribute magician.”

“Indeed. Traveling without worrying about water is a bigger advantage than one might imagine.”

Abel agreed as Ryo proudly declared.

Man does not live by bread alone… water is equally essential.

“The Free City… no, it’s the Autonomous City of Kwebasa now, isn’t it? The spices we bought there have been incredibly useful.”

Ryo remarked, praising the condiments stored in frost jars that he carried in his bag.

“You’re meticulous when it comes to things like that, Ryo.”

“Things like that?”

“Spices. When we traveled from Rondo Forest to Rune, you had salt and pepper with you, didn’t you? Thanks to that, we enjoyed some delicious meals.”

“Ah, yes. Spices enhance the flavor of food with just a small amount. They’re not tasty on their own, but they bring out the essence of the ingredients. They’re unsung heroes, really. Compact yet enriching—it’s why I hold them in high regard.”

Ryo said, extolling the virtues of his spices, while Abel commended him.

Currently, Ryo’s frost jar contained salt, pepper, something resembling soy sauce, and a few unidentifiable spicy items.

They were primarily seasonings for meat or fish dishes.

After all, fruits and vegetables could be eaten raw.

However, Abel’s gaze occasionally wandered behind Ryo.

From behind him trailed a small, ice-made cart-like object.

It was a product of Ryo’s magic, .

This time, it was a compact box-sized creation, just large enough to fit a soccer ball.

Inside were two bags.

“Hey, Ryo.”

“Yes, Abel?”

“That thing behind you… that’s , right?”

“Impressive memory! It’s the spell you’re most familiar with… oh, never mind.”

Ryo abruptly stopped himself.

Recalling the time he had used to carry Abel back home after finding him collapsed on the beach near Rondo Forest.

He had never told Abel about it.

Feeling awkward… as he had handled him rather carelessly back then.

“The contents of that cart are…?”

“Ah, yes. Our money. The currency we earned in places like the Komakyuta Principality and Suje Kingdom, which we exchanged into Free City coins.”

“I remember loading it onto the Grand Duchy’s ship, but I’m impressed you managed to salvage it from that sinking vessel.”

“I used the rear manipulator to grab it and push it onto the Neil Andersen’s stern. We could only hold onto our bags and swords ourselves, after all. Better safe than sorry.”

Ryo said proudly, while Abel nodded in admiration.

“Money can drive people mad. Too much or too little—it doesn’t matter. People have even killed over mere pennies… It’s wise to keep a reasonable amount on hand.”

“Indeed.”

Both Ryo and Abel were realists.

The followed them as they continued along a path leveled by Ryo’s magic.

At night, when they rested, Ryo would create an ice shelter where they could sleep without needing a guard.

While Ryo appreciated the beauty of taking turns to be on watch… he chose to be practical.

He understood the practicality of prioritizing rest for their journey.

Even Ryo knew that much.

“If you’re insistent on keeping watch, Abel, I won’t stop you…”

“I’d rather sleep.”

“Understood…”

Some things couldn’t be helped.

“Though, Abel, when you’re at the castle doing kingly duties, you’re buried in paperwork from dawn till dusk, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Then, even if you stayed up late to keep watch…”

“I’d rather not do unnecessary things.”

“Ah…right…”

Kingly duties were necessary; keeping watch wasn’t.

“This jungle… how far does it stretch, I wonder?”

“Good question. We’ve been walking for… five days now? With Ryo’s help, we’ve made good time heading north, but we’ve covered quite a distance.”

“Yes, we have. We should still be on a straight northern course, but… ah…”

Ryo trailed off awkwardly.

Which usually meant he had realized something inconvenient.

“Just tell me, I won’t get mad.”

“Uh, no… I’ll check from above tomorrow.”

“…Yeah. Why didn’t we think of that over the past five days?”

“Wh-why are you looking at me like that? Sure, I forgot, but you didn’t mention it either!”

“I didn’t say anything, and I’m not giving you a weird look, am I?”

“Liar! That’s a judgmental look! Magicians always end up taking the blame for swordsmen…”

“Please, don’t stir up class-based conflicts.”

Perhaps they had simply been too caught up in the journey…

To think of such a simple solution as scouting from above.

Let’s just go with that.

The next morning.

They set off again.

Without checking from above.

Apparently, they both forgot overnight.

They remembered just before noon.

But it was too late.

The jungle had already ended.

“It’s cleared…”

“The forest ends here.”

And in front of them lay…

“A golden city…”

“Is it… all… gold?”

A dazzling golden metropolis.

The two of them had traveled north.

And now it was lunchtime.

The sunlight, striking from behind them at midday, only amplified its brilliance.

A splendidly shining golden city had appeared.

“A golden city in the middle of the jungle…”

“How do they balance supply and demand here?”

While Abel marveled, Ryo pondered.

An isolated city like this.

It could evoke awe in one person and curiosity in another.

Humans are such complex creatures.

Ryo gazed at Abel beside him.

Staring long enough, Abel inevitably noticed.

“What is it, Ryo?”

“Abel… please don’t let the sight of gold blind you into thinking of making this city a colony of the Kingdom of Knightley.”

“What are you saying? Of course not.”

Abel frowned slightly in confusion.

Ryo’s mind wandered to Earth’s history and Spain’s conquest of the Inca Empire.

In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors invaded the Inca Empire in what is now Peru.

The cities of the Inca Empire weren’t literally glittering with gold.

But they possessed a significant amount of both gold and silver.

Francisco Pizarro, one of the conquistadors, captured the Inca emperor, Atahualpa.

Atahualpa negotiated for his release and to also leave his empire, offering a room filled with gold and twice as much silver, which he delivered.

Which he delivered, and was thus released.

However… Pizarro broke his promise and executed Atahualpa anyway.

Such a tragic tale.

“Gold has the power to corrupt hearts. Abel, please stay strong!”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me.”

“Of course, if you wanted to shower your vassals with gold as wages, I wouldn’t complain!”

“Ryo, I think you’re the one already being corrupted by gold…”

The human heart is fragile…

As the two stepped out of the jungle and into the golden city…

Thud.

“Whoa?”

“An invisible… wall?”

They couldn’t enter.

But then, a voice resonated in their minds.

>

The moment the voice spoke, they realized the transparent barrier blocking their entry had vanished.

“Abel, did you hear that?”

“Yeah. It said we could enter.”

Ryo hesitantly confirmed with Abel, who nodded.

The two exchanged glances before stepping cautiously into the city…

The city shone brilliantly with gold.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t exactly a city…

“A temple?”

Ryo murmured.

The architecture and layout reminded him more of Angkor Wat or the Borobudur temple.

“There’s no sign of people here.”

Abel muttered.

Ryo nodded beside him.

Yes, there was no sign of people.

Emphasis on ‘people’.

Instead, ‘something’ descended from the sky.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

It landed before them, in what appeared to be a plaza.

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