Chapter 261
“Do all land people have such trust issues? To be this incapable of trust… Well, then, lend me your ears. I’ll prove to you that I’m not lying about the Jewel of Truth.”
“Sure, sure.”
“First off, the Jewel of Truth isn’t just some fantastical entity from a myth.”
“Sure. And?”
“It truly existed.”
“Sure. But?”
“Well, to be precise, up until the era of the second mythology, when only spring and summer existed in the world, the Jewel of Truth definitely was in the sea.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes, truly.”
“Uh-huh, and?”
“It really did exist.”
“Um, but?”
“Ugh, but then it disappeared. No, it was destroyed!”
“Hmm, is that so?”
…
I’m this close to punching that land dweller just once.
As Lotolua passionately explained, his face turned beet red.
Involuntarily, his fists clenched.
If only he could.
If it were acceptable.
He would’ve loved nothing more than to deliver a single, satisfying hammer blow to the smug back of that annoying human’s head.
But he mustered an incredible amount of patience.
He recalled the teachings from his distant childhood.
“Patience. Just patience. Even a clam must be patient to nurture and produce a pearl. So, I must endure now.”
Apart from himself, this human, Lloyd, was the first person he had met who showed interest in the Jewel of Truth.
He couldn’t ruin this precious meeting over a moment of irritation.
Lotolua tried to calm the surge of blood pressure shooting up his carotid artery and said,
“…Phew. Let’s cut to the chase. The Jewel of Truth isn’t a mere object.”
“It’s not an object?”
“It was a building.”
Lotolua continued,
“The most luminous pearl and treasure among buildings constructed underwater, that’s what the Jewel of Truth was. It was magnificent, grand, and splendid. Though it crumbled as the era of mythology ended.”
“Hmm.”
“So, can you believe me now?”
“Hmm, I wonder?”
…
“The Jewel wasn’t an object but a building. Well, that sounds like a story anyone could concoct with a bit of thought, doesn’t it?”
“I haven’t lied. It’s the truth. Based on the partial records excavated by my ancestors, along with interpretations and inferences from various artifacts, the Jewel of Truth was indeed a building. And not just any building. It wasn’t merely decorative or useless.”
“Then what was it?”
“It was a magical array.”
“A magical array?”
“Every element of the building, from the foundation to the floor, pillars, and ceiling, each part formed a gigantic magical array comprising a magical structure.”
“Hmm, so to summarize, the Jewel of Truth was a massive building and in itself, one big magical array, is that correct?”
“Exactly.”
He believes me.
That human, he’s showing interest in what I’m saying!
A hopeful (?) smile bloomed on Lotolua’s lips.
It seemed his story was finally getting through.
For the first time, it seemed like the human trusted him.
He was happy.
Excited.
From that moment, Lotolua’s tongue fluttered like an inflatable tube man in a storm.
“From the foundation to the materials of the floor and pillars, beams, and roof, every component was designed and built according to the flow of magical power. The entire building appeared almost as a sentient being.”
“A sentient being?”
“A being endowed with magical intelligence, capable of thinking, deducing, and producing logical answers on its own.”
“Hmm?”
Hearing this, Lloyd’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
He immediately thought of a concept familiar back in South Korea.
“Is that like, an AI or artificial intelligence he’s talking about?”
Then, could it be that the building known as the Jewel of Truth,
A building that was essentially a magical array,
Its true nature was…
“A giant supercomputer powered by magic?”
The building itself was a supercomputer.
Its operating system based not on science, but on magical power.
With that thought, Lloyd grasped the essence of what the Jewel of Truth was.
Continuing to listen to Lotolua’s explanation only cemented his understanding of the Jewel of Truth.
“Indeed, the Jewel of Truth was a building with magical intelligence. It was wise and knowledgeable. It could provide clear answers to any complex question, from personal dilemmas to monumental conundrums affecting the fate of the world, truly illuminating the truth and facts, a grand being offering the most accurate and wise counsel.”
“And then one day, it collapsed and vanished?”
“Exactly.”
Lotolua nodded, his gaze turning somber.
“According to the records, on the last day of the mythological era, a tremendous calamity shook the world to its core. In its aftermath, all beings waged a war for survival. The Jewel of Truth got swept up in that war and…”
“Was destroyed?”
“Perhaps. It’s presumed that those who feared the enemy might utilize the Jewel for their advantage orchestrated its destruction.”
“I see.”
Lloyd nodded.
It made sense.
A magical AI supercomputer that could answer any difficult question.
Owning such a being would leave nothing to fear in the world.
Especially in a time of chaos when everyone was fighting for survival, the Jewel of Truth itself would have been an immensely useful and threatening weapon.
‘So, the last one to use it destroyed it. To ensure no one else could have or use it.’
He might have made a similar decision.
As Lloyd pondered this, he felt a sense of emptiness as if his legs could give way.
‘So, in the end, the Jewel of Truth no longer exists.’
Upon reflection, that was indeed the case.
A supercool, kickass AI building from the mythological era.
Sure, it sounded awesome and impressive.
But it had been destroyed in the end.
It used to exist, but now it didn’t.
Meaning…
‘Tch. What a waste of effort.’
He had come all this way to the mermaid kingdom to search for something that no longer existed.
It seemed like a waste of time.
“Understood. Then I guess I’ll be heading back now.”
“…Eh? What do you mean?”
Lotolua, who had been eagerly explaining about the Jewel, suddenly hesitated.
He asked with wide eyes, facing this way.
“Weren’t you skeptical about trusting me? Weren’t we going to search for the Jewel together if you became convinced?”
“Well, yes. But you said it was destroyed.”
“Indeed.”
“So, what’s the point? If the Jewel’s been destroyed, what’s the use of searching for it? It won’t be of any use anyway.”
It was true.
Not just any object, but a magnificent building.
Not just any building, but a sophisticated supercomputer magical array.
And it was destroyed.
Even if they found its remains and excavated them?
It was obvious they wouldn’t be able to use it.
“I was planning to search for the Jewel to actually use it. But if it’s been destroyed, well, such an intricate magical array and building wouldn’t function if not perfectly restored, right?”
“That, that’s true.”
“Right? It’s been thousands of years since it was destroyed. We can’t possibly restore the building exactly as it was just from its remains, can we?”
“Not exactly.”
“…Excuse me?”
Lotolua shook his head firmly.
Lloyd raised an eyebrow at his response.
“Not exactly? So, there’s a way to restore it?”
“Of course.”
“And how can you be so sure?”
“Because we have the blueprints.”
“There are blueprints?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
Lloyd felt his heart pounding.
‘Wow, there were blueprints!’
Then there’s no need to struggle with finding the Jewel.
Just analyze and study the blueprints carefully, and construct the building!
However, his excitement cooled at Lotolua’s next words.
“The site where the Jewel collapsed. The blueprints of the Jewel were engraved right there in the site, according to records.”
“…”
“So, we must excavate the site of the Jewel. That’s what I’ve been hoping for. My ancestors all did the same, clinging to that hope across dozens, hundreds of generations.”
‘So, in the end, we need to find the site of the Jewel.’
Lloyd internally sighed.
‘At least it’s not a complete waste coming here.’
Listening to Lotolua, that seemed to be the case.
The Jewel might have been destroyed.
And it might have disappeared.
But if they find the site of the Jewel, they could obtain the blueprints.
With those blueprints, it seemed they might somehow be able to restore the Jewel.
‘Building and creating things are somewhat familiar tasks for me.’
He saw a glimmer of hope.
On the other hand, he felt it was good to have doubted and tested Lotolua.
‘Due to my suspicion, he, in his frustration, spilled almost everything he knew.’
Literally, he spilled his guts.
Thanks to that, he was able to obtain information about the Jewel quickly and succinctly.
And he got a sense of Lotolua’s true intentions.
‘At least he’s not a scammer, that’s for sure.’
It was evident from his genuine frustration.
Of course, skilled scammers could also display such emotions.
But Lloyd was confident that Lotolua wasn’t one of them.
The reason was simple.
The message popping up before his eyes since a while back.
Dingdong.
[Mermaid Lotolua feels anxiety and disappointment due to your unwavering skepticism.] [Mermaid Lotolua’s favorability towards you has decreased by -2.] [Current relationship with Mermaid Lotolua: +14] [Though your relationship with a key character has slightly deteriorated, there are no RP deductions.] [Current RP: 2,482]
‘Seeing as the favorability opened up just like that.’
Viewing the message that appeared before his eyes, a faint smile crossed Lloyd’s lips.
From his experiences thus far, he was confident.
The favorability system that provides RP.
It didn’t open up to just anyone.
It only opened up when the other party genuinely decided to be on his side.
Thus, the fact that messages regarding favorability with Lotolua started appearing meant?
‘He’s genuinely decided to be on our side.’
Such a decision doesn’t come from lying.
A person intending to deceive wouldn’t harbor such a decision.
Initially, such individuals wouldn’t even have the favorability system open up with them.
Thanks to this, Lloyd now trusted Lotolua.
‘Suspicion helped confirm something important.’
The smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.
Being able to work together trustfully was crucial.
Especially in a situation like this, where they needed to stop the phenomenon of destiny restoration.
‘With less than three years left, starting with the count, everyone will begin to die one after another. To prevent that, there’s not much time left. We can’t afford to waste time being deceived or duped.’
Thus, it was essential to move forward based on trustworthy people and information alone.
Being deceived by someone.
Foolishly trusting and getting caught in a trap.
Such a waste of time was absolutely unacceptable.
That’s why he purposely doubted Lotolua.
Crossing not just a bridge but a tungsten triple-coated bridge with a sledgehammer, so to speak.
He didn’t hide his suspicions at all.
Instead, he pressed Lotolua with his doubts.
This allowed him to grasp Lotolua’s true feelings.
“So, if what you say is true, we just need to find the site of the Jewel?”
“Exactly. That’s it.”
At this question, Lotolua’s face lit up.
“So, do you trust me now? Will you join the excavation of the Jewel?”
“Um, perhaps?”
“Perhaps?”
“I’d like to hear about how you’ve been conducting the excavation first.”
Lloyd said,
“You mentioned that your family has been dedicated to the excavation of the Jewel for dozens, hundreds of generations, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“But despite such a long-lasting effort over generations, you still haven’t found the site of the Jewel?”
“That, that’s true, but…”
“So, can’t you see why I would have doubts?”
“Doubts?”
“What kind of inefficient method have you been using that even after generations of dedicated excavation, you still haven’t found the Jewel?”
“That’s…”
“That?”
“We just dug.”
“Dug?”
“Yes, really just dug.”
…
Lloyd stared at Lotolua.
Feeling the gaze, Lotolua’s face turned even redder.
“Using clamshell shovels, we’ve been digging through the seabed. Diligently, without missing a single day.”
“You’re not saying you flipped every ocean in the world, are you?”
“Well, my ancestors did that but…”
“And now?”
“After conducting some research, we concluded that the Jewel’s site is likely in the vicinity of the Arctic Sea. So, we stopped turning over every ocean in the world.”
“Instead, you’ve been turning over the seabed of the Arctic Sea. By yourself. Right?”
“Correct.”
…
Lloyd was at a loss for words.
He wondered why they hadn’t found the Jewel despite being dedicated to its excavation.
‘The epitome of inefficiency, truly.’
The oceans of the world.
Or even just the Arctic Sea.
How vast is the area of that seabed?
And he’s been digging through it alone.
So, this was a simple matter of probability.
Lloyd inadvertently clicked his tongue.
“Tch. No wonder you didn’t find it.”
“What?”
“Never mind. For now, let’s go see it together.”
“Go where, you mean?”
“The site you’ve been digging at.”
“Oh, so you’ll join the excavation?”
“No, not joining.”
“Then what?”
“We’ll finish the excavation in no time.”
Urging him to lead the way.
To show him the way.
Lloyd’s smile was filled with confidence.
Digging through the seabed with a shovel to find the site?
It was time to end that inefficiency.
The reason was simple.
‘Surveying.’
Tstsstssts!
Upon arriving at the excavation site led by Lotolua, he activated his surveying skill.
His gaze meticulously scanned all directions.
The seabed within the surveying range,
Including up to 5 meters deep, began to be scanned instantly.
