__________ POV Ashton__________
I flew in the distance and above the clouds. I flew as high as I could, I don't really want to attract much attention, but the higher I am, the easier it will be for me to flee later.
I looked at the small chest in my hands, it was more the size of a lockbox now that I think about it. But it does look similar to my circlet chest.
This one also had a slot for a circlet, but it's much smaller, and I don't plan on actually looking for it. This continent is like 100 times the size of Lake Mobius, finding a small circlet is almost impossible.
Who knows how long I'd have to look to find it? I'd much rather just break the lock and continue with my day.
So, how exactly should I even go about breaking this lock? Actually breaking the chest itself might both damage the insides and be a bit too draining.
The best option is to imbue the lock mechanism with my explosive Hatsu and only detonate small parts of the lock repeatedly until a part of it gives.
So, I did just that, I started by using it slowly and carefully. The explosions on the lock mechanism slowly got stronger as my patience also started running out.
The lock was still not budging, at least not visibly. The material that made the outside of the box is incredibly tough, but the mechanism inside seemed to be a bit flimsier.
So, I turned my attention to it entirely. Creating small explosions until the chest's mechanism gave out.
I didn't open the chest instantly, I only opened my void storage and threw it inside. It's already been 3 minutes of constantly using my Nen, something is bound to go wrong(it usually does).
I started fleeing in the opposite direction of the hideout. Not wanting to lead anything there. After around 30 minutes of flying, I noticed that there weren't any flying beasts looking for me.
Rather, there was nothing of the sort. The situation left me quite confused. I mean, I wasn't about to start complaining. But I still find it weird about it.
I don't think they have a set range in which they should be able to detect me. As long as I am in the territory of the dark continent then it should be fair game.
Maybe there were no beasts nearby and my use of Nen wasn't enough to attract any either? Oh well, I'll just fly back towards the cave and look at the contents of that chest.
There's nothing else to do at this point. The trip towards Ai's cave won't take that long, after all, they were also on the shore southeast of Lake Mobius.
Well, at least they were relatively closer to the shore than the swamp area of the Hellbells. It shouldn't really be dangerous. Although, I am a bit curious whether or not the Ais are still there.
They are parasitic entities, so they shouldn't have stayed there for too long. They don't have that much control over the host, so the cave is most likely deserted.
Still, I hope to at least find something in there. If not, I'll have to make a trip back to Lake Mobius to find Alluka, the little girl that happens to be a host for an Ai.
I won't capture her though, I'll just make a wish. The problem here is, that I don't know how highly the knowledge I want is valued in Ai's eyes.
If that is even the condition for this one. I know that the members of the species don't set the same conditions for their wish-granting. I learned it the first time I encountered them.
While deep in thought, I managed to make my way back to the cave. Where the Earth Screecher was still just sleeping around. Not really caring about my presence.
It's a bit odd, but I don't really plan on taking it with me, so this might be for the better. Pitou, on the other hand, is also not reacting all that much to my reappearance.
She's just reading her books in peace, ignoring me like I did something wrong... Is she already at that age? I mean, I guess Chimera Ants grow differently from humans.
I didn't really bring it up right now, I still have a lot of stuff to deal with. First off, let's see what's inside this random chest.
A small click is all I heard as I opened it, the hinges sounding like they were mostly made out of rust.
Inside the small chest, was a simple ornamental knife. It didn't look all that sharp, and it certainly didn't look special.
But, the small page that it had underneath it told a different story.
'The Sacrificial Dagger'. A relic used in tandem with the 'Crown of Thorns' it's meant to be the only way to complete the ritual to awaken that thing.
The ritual itself is extremely simplistic and completely barbaric.
Simply put, you grab a 'fair maiden', force her to wear the crown of thorns, then bring her to this temple and use the knife to pierce their heart while putting them over the altar.
There is seemingly some more preparation to make, and I guess I won't be getting any more informational clues from now on.
It seems most of what I gain is objects related to this stupid ritual. I don't plan on doing the ritual at all. But I will visit that temple at some point. Only after finishing my journey here.
I placed the 'Sacrificial Dagger' in my void space without thinking much about it. It's pretty much a useless item.
But, who knows, maybe I will need it one day. Even if I don't plan on completing the ritual any time soon.
Well, that about settles it... I guess I will rest here for a week or two before resuming my journey.
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