NOVPUB
Chapter 57: Hypothesis
"These stones," he murmured, "they’re the source of the mist, aren’t they?"
Elara nodded from behind Lila. "Papa said they felt cold, and he saw the mist coming from them too."
Riku carefully ran a gloved hand over the stone. It was indeed unnaturally cold. He picked up another stone and used it to chip off a small fragment from the first stone.
Lila leaned closer, peering at the broken piece in Riku’s palm. "What is it?"
"Well, it doesn’t seem like natural rock," Riku said, brow furrowed. He held the fragment up to a sliver of sunlight penetrating the canopy. Embedded within the dark, almost glassy matrix were countless tiny specks, pulsing with a faint, sickly crimson luminescence.
"See these?" Riku pointed. "These little red things? They’re not part of the stone itself. They feel separate—almost like tiny parasites within the rock. The coldness, the mist, the red particles... I think these stones act as vessels, or incubators, for whatever this blight is."
"So the stones themselves aren’t the curse, but they carry it?" Lila asked, trying to understand.
"Precisely," Riku affirmed. "And look around." He gestured to the clearing. "There are at least twenty or thirty of these scattered here. Some larger, some smaller. They seem almost... discarded. Just dumped here. This much mist is enough to contaminate the area, affect the wildlife, and anyone unlucky enough to stumble in here—like Elara and her father."
Elara looked at the ground. "So... we were just unlucky?"
"That seems to be the case," Riku said gently. "Your father was probably a victim, just like you. It seems someone else is responsible for these stones being here. But how your father disappeared, leaving you alone, is still a mystery." 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Let us look around for more clues."Riku, Lila and Elara started looking around. Very soon, Lila’s voice was heard.
"Riku, I found some faint cart tracks."
"Cart tracks? Did you and your father reach here with a cart, Elara?"
"No, we came by foot."
"Hmm, then these could have been left behind by the perpetrator. Let me have a look."
Riku walked over briskly. Near the far edge, partially hidden by overgrown ferns, were clear indentations in the soft earth. He knelt down carefully to avoid disturbing the traces.Lila knelt beside him. "It looks like someone brought these stones here?"
Riku examined the ruts closely. "The wheels were wide," he observed, tracing a finger along an impression. "Iron-banded, by the look of it. Not a simple farmer’s cart." He pointed to another indentation. "The ground is compressed here—it looks like they were carrying something heavy when they arrived. These leading out are shallower; they left with a lighter load."
"Meaning someone dumped these cursed stones here?" Lila asked, her face visibly darkening.
"It’s starting to look that way," Riku mused, his expression grim. "Someone transported a heavy load of these vessels here and then left with an emptier cart. This site was chosen deliberately."
He stood, brushing dirt from his knees, and his gaze swept the area. His eyes then fixed on a series of hoofprints alongside the wheel ruts.
"The horseshoes," he said, pointing. "Notice the mark—three small crescents stamped near the inner edge."
"I’ve never seen that," Lila said, peering closer.
Elara squinted, then gasped. "I’ve think I might have seen that mark before... on some of the fancier carriages in Luxia—the ones wealthy folks use."
"Exactly," Riku confirmed. "It’s a Luxian farrier’s mark. Not common, but distinctive—used by the wealthier merchant guilds and a few minor noble houses in Luxia."
Elara looked up, eyes wide. "Luxia? So... the people who left these cursed stones... they came from the capital?"
"All the evidence points that way," Riku said grimly. "Someone in Luxia is connected to these stones and their disposal here."
"What should we do next, then?" Lila asked.
"We will follow our original plan to visit Luxia. I have a strong hunch that at least some of the people I saw earlier near the village are involved," Riku replied.
"You mean Thalien and the Chamberlain?" Lila asked.
"Yea, but we still need some evidence. Right now, everything is just conjecture and theory."
"But what do we do with these stones?" Elara asked, concerned. "We can’t leave them here, knowing they might harm someone else."
"You’re right. But magic seems ineffective on whatever this thing is. Hmm... looks like I have to isolate them with a barrier."
Waving his hands, Riku slowly formed an invisible barrier, covering the stones and preventing the mist from flowing out. Soon, even the metallic smell disappeared from the air.
"Done. Now no one can interact with the stones. This should render them harmless until we find a permanent solution," Riku said with a sigh of relief.
"What about Elowen? There were infected animals there as well. Should we go back to check?" Lila asked, concerned.
"Unnecessary. I already spent two days looking for clues around Elowen. Those animals might have been infected here and wandered to the outskirts before dying."
"However, if someone dumps more cursed stones near Elowen later, it could be a problem. How about this: I gave your father a few stones that work for communication. Here—take this one and speak about what we found. Chief Barou should get the message on the other end." Riku handed her another stone from his satchel.
"What? Such a thing is possible?" Elara asked, shocked. Long-distance communication was among the highest-tier magic spells in the kingdom, yet the two before her seemed to use it easily.
"Well, you can’t underestimate Riku’s stones. They can even summon deities." Lila gave Riku a knowing grin as she took the stone.
"Ahaha... about that..." Riku gave an evasive laugh, reminded of the system’s earlier warnings. His eyes then turned toward Elara, who seemed much better now but was still in some visible discomfort. The crimson manifestations on her arms and face were particularly glaring.
Looks like I’ll have to have another chat with the system tonight. I don’t want to live a life where I’m unable to help people.
