Chapter 393

393 – The Jungle Island, Ideope’s Tears #5

“There’s no one else but Hassan!”

Luna, sitting on a cushion, tightly hugged my neck and jumped around.

I’m not sure why Luna is so happy about seeing the ingredients for nectar, but anyway, since Luna is happy, I feel good too.

Being wrapped in Luna’s warm, soft, and tender arms while catching a whiff of her unique sweet scent—makes me reminisce.

It feels as though I’ve finally returned to the times we spent living together in that little cabin, and my heart feels warm.

Glang-. Teng, Tulgluk.

However, behind that cheerful Luna, there was a loud sound of something falling.

I turned my gaze to see an elder standing behind a corner of the corridor, trembling after dropping a plate.

“Miss Noxdotty! For a girl who is supposed to become an elder, embracing a man like this is completely unacceptable!”

“A-ah, Elder…!”

With that, Luna suddenly jumped away from me as if startled. The elder then quickly approached and grabbed Luna’s ear, pulling it upwards.

“Hyaauu-!”

“Noxdotty, didn’t you know that a virtuous woman of Ideope, let alone the one who inherits this skull mask, should not casually make physical contact with men?”

“Hyaad! My ear, my ear is falling off—!”

“Noxdotty, as punishment, I assign you the task of cleaning the warehouse! Clean and organize it with Doris! And after you’re done, Doris will also supervise you with salt-rock mining!”

“Ugh…”

With a rustling sound, the elder finally released Luna’s ear, and Luna began rubbing her cheek and ear while making a pitiful face. Luna’s ear had turned bright red, which looked quite pitiable.

Though I thought I should intervene, the elder of the Nox Child Tribe is someone who has cared for Luna ever since she was a little girl—like her adoptive parent.

I didn’t think it was appropriate to challenge parental discipline like that.

But cleaning?

Luna may be fairly resourceful, but when it comes to organizing or cleaning, she lacks skill. Though she could probably do it well if she wanted, she seems strangely averse to cleaning—despite being meticulous about keeping her own body pristine.

It’s hard to imagine her enjoying the punishment of cleaning, which she clearly dislikes so much.

Was hugging me really such a big sin?

“Perh-, maybe instead of cleaning…”

“Sssyeop-! Do you want a spanking?”

With the elder making a snake-like, threatening sound, Luna’s shoulders shuddered and she quickly ran somewhere.

She must have gone to tidy up and clean the warehouse, wherever it is.

“Whose influence is this? She’s getting more and more disobedient with each passing day.”

After Luna disappeared, the elder let out a small sigh and murmured in disappointment. Looking down at the floor, though I couldn’t see their expression or eyes behind the eerie mask, it seemed they were staring at the dessert tray they had tried to bring.

The elder clicked their tongue.

“Receiving guests like this is embarrassing. In times like these, when even food is precious, how can we waste potions and fruits? Alas, I have nothing left to offer you.”

“That’s all right.”

I wasn’t particularly hungry or thirsty anyway. Still, an elder implies authority, right?

I had met church elders before, and they always carried themselves with a sense of pride and power.

In this hierarchy-conscious Gaia Continent, let alone in villages and tribal communities like Ideope, the elder holds tremendous influence. But seeing this elder being concerned over a few fruits was slightly perplexing.

I inquired.

“Is there a food shortage in the village?”

“…”

The elder, sitting casually cross-legged on the floor, fell silent for a moment. After all, silence sometimes speaks louder than words.

I wondered if confessing weakness before an outsider was troubling the elder’s pride as someone in a high position here.

Was my question too direct?

As the elder finally broke the silence and responded.

“Not just the village, but the entire island is struggling with food shortages. The crops are not bearing fruit, the fish in the nearby waters have decreased, and the livestock are no longer giving birth.”

“Is that so?”

If true, this was undoubtedly a severe problem—it’s well-known how hunger erodes a person’s patience and strength.

Addressing the elder, Elpride glanced around and commented.

“Looking at it, there seems to be plenty of gold and obsidian. You could sell ornaments or minerals to buy food?”

But at Elpride’s suggestion, the elder let out a mocking laugh from behind the mask, as if it were an unheard-of idea.

“To whom should we sell, and from whom should we buy food, I ask? I’ve already said it—this island itself is starving. Now, no one desires gold.”

“Are there no trade ships or merchant guilds around?”

“At this point, I don’t know how you strangers got here, but the sea beast Scylla lurks before the shores of Ideope. Do you expect a ship to come through that?”

“So, because of geographical conditions, trading with the mainland isn’t easy, is it?”

At this, Elpride finally nodded as if her curiosity was satisfied.

I also understood that the Ideope Archipelago was in a situation where it was difficult to seek help from external sources to resolve the food shortage.

Then the elder added a few more words.

“Of course, there were ships from the Great Lands destined for here. They had a settlement at the port of the Dark Isle, trading with the Great Land. But, that was seized by the wicked Tatari Tribe. Desecrators of the Deep Hollows—.”

The Deep Hollows Tribe?

I had heard about them from Chief Garuru.

Garuru’s tribe was actually a branch of the Deep Hollows Tribe that centered around the Hill Isle.

The Deep Hollows Tribe was based on the Hill Isle, known as one of the most barren, dark, and humid places in Ideope, consisting of some pink-haired brutes.

Now that I recall, the zombies and the voodoo priest Somnia we battled in the underground of Sodomora were also said to belong to the Deep Hollows Tribe.

Indeed, it sounds like they’re a dangerous bunch—a horde of creatures like Somnia, zombies, and cursed totems, attacking with grotesquely twisted idols, would certainly be terrifying.

As these thoughts came to my mind, a chill ran down my spine.

The elder spoke.

“The Hill Islanders broke a long-standing agreement. They even buried alive one of my spies stationed at the Dark Isle port. Their aim is to drag this land back to the purgatory of a hundred years ago, a time drenched in bl**d and skulls.”

“So, the purgatory you mention—was there really a war here?”

“Yes. We had experienced such a time. A war that lasted over a decade. As a result, all the men died, and we were cursed by their bl**d, making it difficult for fruit or livestock to produce offspring…”

The elder left the statement hanging ambiguously, choosing not to elaborate further.

I had more questions I wanted to ask, but the air behind the mask felt oppressively heavy, so I kept silent.

But Elpride continued, seemingly unperturbed, wringing out her damp hair as she spoke.

“We came here to take that kid, no—Luna. Wars or such matters are not our concern. Once we take her, we’ll quickly leave without causing any trouble.”

At this, the elder’s skull mask shook suspiciously side to side.

“Taking Luna? That’s unacceptable. As I’ve just said, all the islands are enduring a harsh winter, even willing to engage in war. Luna is currently our significant asset and cannot leave.”

Luna being an asset?

I recalled Luna, having been rid of the curse of stunted growth, had reached near Level 30 abilities, almost matching the Silver Tier.

I remembered how her traps and voodoo magic were quite effective when fighting Gloria.

Thinking about it, Luna really was an invaluable asset in her own way.

“For now, since you’re guests, spend the day resting in the quarters I’ve prepared for you. We can discuss this further tomorrow.”

Clearly, the elder had no more desire to speak with us.

Subsequently, Elfride and I were shown to our respective rooms by the elder. Except for the dry straw mattresses laid out on the floor, the accommodations were quite plain, only fit for a single night’s stay.

True outsiders, I see.

Is this a man? His palm is incredibly large.

Although his face is obscure, his soul seems unusually special.

That’s all?

The issue was that people outside peeped into the room through the broken window, constantly staring at me.

*

As evening approached, someone knocked gently on my door.

“Who is it? Is it Elfride? Don’t disturb me; I’m in the middle of reading a spell scroll.”

I called out casually, and the door opened to reveal Luna with a large bump on her forehead. She looked quite miffed.

“Hmph, sorry, I’m not Elfride!”

“Wait, Luna, what’s wrong? Why does your forehead have a bump?”

Casually deflecting the awkward moment, I asked, prompting Luna to look at me with narrow eyes before giving in.

“It’s from the elder’s spanking. Anyway, Hassan, let’s have dinner. It’s barley porridge. The taste may be bland, but it’ll fill your stomach. This is all we have.”

Luna held a small bowl filled with something that looked like thin porridge or soup.

Steam wafted up.

It actually looked appetizing. Though I was starting to feel hungry, I noticed Luna’s eyes coveting my dinner.

“If you’re hungry, Luna, you should have this.”

“Really? It’s okay?”

“Sure.”

“Sshh… I’m so hungry. This works perfectly!”

In the end, Luna brought the bowl to her mouth there and gulped down the hot porridge. After she finished, her expression brightened as if she regained some strength.

“Hmm, I feel a bit better now.”

“The island is starving, I assume?”

“Not exactly, but when I told Elder I didn’t want to be their successor, they decided to withhold food from me, making me starve.”

“I see. The elder does seem stricter and scarier than what I’ve heard.”

“Totally a witch! Though she really was one in the past. Anyway, Hassan, you came here after receiving my letter, right?”

“Yeah, thankfully you don’t seem injured.”

I looked over Luna’s body.

Her stomach seemed slightly sunken, and the muscles in her arms had thinned, but otherwise, she didn’t appear to have any serious issues.

A thin frame should easily gain weight if she begins eating well.

“Still, your elder doesn’t want you to leave the island. Do you have any chance of getting out?”

“I guess it’s because I’ve become stronger as an adventurer. I managed to take down a few Tatari Tribe members at the Dark Port, and now they treat me like someone special!”

“Treating you like someone special?”

“I just wanted to learn those special rituals passed down by the elders, but they said I needed to stay on the island to continue serving its needs. It’s such a hassle!”

I thought about the scene when Luna arrived on the ship and got into a conflict with the Tatari Tribe that had occupied the place.

At Level 30, Luna undoubtedly handled the fight smoothly.

An adventurer at Silver Tier level would be considered a formidable force on any part of the continent.

Given such circumstances, it’s unsurprising that the elder and the Nox Child Tribe are hesitant to let Luna go.

It’s like a professor losing a brilliant student to graduate studies, or a corporal too good for promotion being made a sergeant.

Then Luna said.

“But, with the recipe Hassan showed earlier, most of our problems could be solved! I could also leave the island then!”

“Ah, so you mentioned that earlier.”

I handed Luna another note. Her vivid eyes darted around as she read the message.

“So this is the material for nectar. It seems similar to the ingredients for my health beads!”

“That’s correct. So, I thought Luna might be able to help. We’re missing one last ingredient. The page is torn, so we can’t figure out what it is.”

I narrated the past month’s events to Luna.

About my opening of the shrine.

About Bacchus arriving in Sodomora.

And Bacchus’s d*ath, his promises, and the conditions he left behind. At this, Luna’s brow furrowed.

“The god of wine’s d*ath could’ve explained why fermentation of our potions wasn’t working well here recently. We thought it was the curse.”

“For now, I am the temporary god of wine.”

“Shhh…! The seat of the gods of Hypos! Hassan, you’ve really made it big! So, there’s no need to strive for that Gold Tier badge anymore!”

“Mm, probably.”

I tried to suppress a burst of laughter. Meeting Luna brought back the initial goal of acquiring the golden badge of adventurers.

Now, having become a god, perhaps I don’t need to worry about that gold badge to be eligible to marry Luna.

Of course, this is only true if and when Luna can leave the island.

As if reading my thoughts, Luna spoke.

“All the troubles on this island stem from the curse. Since it’s causing the food shortage and shortage of men, to lift it, we need the pomegranate of Lord Nox. However, nectar should suffice as a substitute.”

“So, can you craft it?”

“Hmm-. I’ve dabbled in making wine since I was young, so the materials like tree teeth and clouds aren’t that tough!”

These absurd riddles-like ingredients being called easy baffled me in many ways.

I had come here, expecting Luna’s confident demeanor, but perhaps she’s overly confident.

Luna continued.

“Still, while I think I can manage most of the materials, getting pure spring water might be difficult.”

“Pure spring water?”

“Exactly. There’s a mystical water spring from a rock atop Hill Island. Using it elevates the success rate of making potions and even improves wine.”

Sacred spring water—my father often traveled to famous mineral springs. Evidently, the water used in wine or potions is an essential factor.

“However, the current residents of Hill Island are the highly hostile Tatari Tribe members. They won’t give it away easily, I suspect.”

“The Hill Island’s Tatari Tribe?”

“And, there’s also a rumor that a horrifying entity guards the hill…”

“Horrifying entity?”

Luna paused, seemingly trying to withhold information: “Well, I don’t know much either—”

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