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As Shade and Nepheline talked with the couple and their child, they learned a bit about the past and how things existed. When there weren't dungeons, or wild monsters like everyone knows them, when the world was, in fact, more peaceful.
Unlike the other races, the Molluskians were somehow able to escape the entire invasion through the power of "An Artifact of Prime Magic" that their King possessed, the Rainbow Shell.
With the Artifact containing this immense quantity of Magic Power, he was able to wield the forbidden Time Magic, allowing him to not only move to the future, but bring everyone else and his city along.
Then why was there a ruined city right above theirs though? What did that mean? Was that an old city they abandoned, even though it looked exactly the same as the one in here?
There were many questions, but the couple didn't know about that either and were unable to offer a satisfactory answer.
And yet, it was time for them to also ask some questions too.
"We've heard our city is protected by a powerful guardian made of divine metal," Said Submarinus. "Could you have met him?"
Submarinus and his wife recalled a certain Guardian that the King and the townsfolk sometimes talk about, when someone seems afraid an invader could arrive, they're always told the "Golden Guardian" will protect them.
"Guardian, huh?" Nepheline wondered, rubbing her chin. "Ah…!
Although she didn't know what he was talking about, the moment she remembered her last little fight, her eyes widened for a bit.
She quickly remembered the Orichalcum Golem she killed with a single punch.
"W-Was that their Guardian? Ah shit… Does this mean the city is unprotected now? It's my fault and- Wait."
Nepheline was very worried, thinking that she had ruined it this time for real. For a moment she had considered creating a new golem using her magic, and the materials of the Orichalcum Golem she killed. But then, another question arose in her mind, a question she couldn't help but ask.
"Hey, wait a second, aren't Orichalcum Golems the creations of Gods? Then why was one of them protecting this city? Didn't you run away from these "Humans" which were most likely the Gods?" Nepheline asked. "Wait a minute, are the Gods humans?"
"The King has told us, and we've heard from townsfolk that was present in the exchange, that they were indeed Humans," explained Elmephie. "And about the Guardian… Was he made of Orichalcum then? If he's a creation of the Gods I… don't know."
"…"
Shade remained in silence while thinking. Although there were sometimes things that made sense, the more he thought about it, the weirder this place felt.
Especially because the Gods had been here, that tablet talked about another test subject, a failure, and some other incident.
Could these things be truly unrelated?
Based in what he faced in the Cloudia Continent with these failed experiments of the Gods scattered everywhere, mostly because that continent was where they were the most active, he didn't think it could be a mere coincidence.
And there was also something weird that was making Shade think a lot about… The Oasis Spirit that the people that lived near it worshipped.
A being of her caliber and strength, capable of granting spiritual blessings was no normal spirit at all, it was almost as if she were a Demigoddess.
However, they were mostly conjectures, guesses, and theories, he would be able to confirm what she was once he saw her.
"So you don't know huh? Well, that's that I suppose…" Nepheline said. "I think we've spent a lot of time talking, should we go back to the surface, honey?"
"…!" Shade quickly noticed something, his eyes glowing bright red as he glanced towards his left.
He stood up and looked through the window, noticing several presences glancing at them.
"They're watching us…"
He quickly closed his eyes, as they returned to their normal blue color.
"Yeah, let's go." Shade nodded. "Of course, not without leaving a gift at least. Right?"
"Oh yeah! We hunted a lot of monsters in the dungeon, I think they're all edible," said Nepheline. "Here, do you want some to eat?"
"Oh, what are they like?" Submarinus wondered.
"Are they big and scary? I wanna see! I wanna seeee!" Ephiatta constantly jumped in excitement.
"Mostly mollusks and crustaceans," explained Nepheline. "Here."
She placed the body of a huge lobster there, with crystals shining brightly and a metallic exoskeleton.
"Oh, that's a Big Lobstracean! We raise their lesser kind," explained Submarinus. "Haha, they aren't monsters, they're just animals of the sea."
"Not monsters?" Nepheline wondered. "I see…"
The two quickly realized that the dungeon might've been also populated by ancient fauna from the planet, before it was fully terraformed by the gods.
Due to the Mana and the Miasma that Dungeons produce and process, the animals mutated into gigantic monsters.
That might also explain why they're so strong compared to other monsters at their Tier, and why they have so much power too.
Perhaps another of the reasons why the Gods invaded this world was the riches of the sea, Molluskians and now the Lobstracean, they were all full of Magic Power of immense quantities.
Above all, their shells and exoskeletons were covered with spirit crystals, which constantly grew on them, and that's without even considering the rest of the fauna and flora, how many beings of this caliber existed everywhere…
"Well, these are like ten times the size of the ones we raise as cattle though," Submarinus said.
"It'll last for days!" Elmephie said with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much!"
"Looks yummy! I want to eat it roasted!" Ephiatta was already ready to have a feast. "Please stay to eat with us! Auntie! Uncle!"
"We can't, we have a kid to take care of as well," Shade said.
"Oh, so you are parents too! I see!" Submarinus nodded. "Makes sense now, we could feel there was some maturity within you only parents have."
"Hahaha, you flatter us too much!" Nepheline laughed. "Well, we're on our way. We might return one day but thank you for everything."
"No problem! We'll receive you with open arms!"
The couple waved their hand as Shade and Nepheline left, below the gaze of many eyes.
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