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Chapter 390: The Spirits that I’ve met

「They don’t have cinnamon in these whirlpools, huh. 」
「No way it’s here. 」
We ate our lunch while gazing at the waterfall lake and listening to the sound of water.

River Es was expansive with a gentle current, with only the occasional splashes against the boats and the shore, and very rarely did the powerful rushing sound of water resounded from this waterform. It was different from the island and my 【House】 where the water constantly bubbled on.

「Is this ‘sinamon’ thing referring to cassia? 」
「Indeed, although it’s slightly different. Cinnamon might be one of the species of cassia, but the variety currently circulating in the market is somewhat different. 」
Hauron answered Doggy.

Me, me, I also researched things about cinnamon…! To begin with, there are at least two types of goods identified as cinnamon.

The first one has a sweet aroma and it’s the cinnamon that I know. The other one’s leaves are used to make spices.

Another one is cassia, the one that Doggy mentioned. It’s slightly spicy and used more as an antiseptic and flavoring, and it’s so expensive, worth far more than gold, that it only appears in literature.

Japanese nikki is also commonly grouped with cinnamon. They both came from the same family, with different variations coming out. I don’t have nikki, but maybe I can make some cinnamon-seasoned cookies called yatsuhashi.

「Hm. If it’s cassia, then you can get them from the Mirror Palisade located at the remarkably precipitous cliff of the Moon Mountain Range, where the colossal birds make their nests. One of the materials they use is cassia. 」

「So the rumor about getting it on a cliff is true… 」
Retze muttered under his breath.

「Cassia was offered to us deities and to royalty up to the middle of the Fire Era, but it stopped when the ginormous eagle, which was actually one of the sacred beasts, turned into a monster, and their entire species became extinct. 」
Doggy gazed at the sky while recounting those. Maybe he is trying to recall that memory?

「You’re so knowledgeable, Doggy. 」
「Hmpf. I, this Doggy, has existed throughout eternity. 」
Doggy shook his chest fur.

I can’t rub him all over, can I?

I’m planning to visit the Moon Mountain Range at night. Does that monsterfied eagle sleep at night? Alright, let’s check out the bird nest with cinnamon while keeping an eye on the situation.

「You’re going, right? 」
「You’re going, huh. 」
Hauron and Retze’s voices overlapped.

「Sigh… Now I know how you go around places and meet spirits. I’m curious, what’s the nastiest monster that you’ve ever encountered, other than the pill bugs? 」
Dinosso heaved a sigh and asked.

「It should be the spirit in the jungle, the one with a nature that I can’t identify. That spirit must be something primordial, something that’s very distant to humans. It’s different from the black spirits. 」

I keenly felt that humans like me shouldn’t be setting foot on a place like that. If someone decides to enter that place, then they have to be aware how different it is, and should tread with care not to apply human logic in whatever they do and end up disturbing the laws of the jungle they don’t want to meet a terrible fate.

「And what’s the strongest spirit you’ve met so far? 」
「Hmm. It’s the Slumber Spirit that I met at the Hipopios Temple, I think? It’s just that it was a very peaceful encounter so it wasn’t scary at all. 」

「Slumber Spirit… No, no way are you talking about Hipopios himself, right? Did you also make a pact with that spirit? 」
Hauron was on the verge of tears as he questioned me.

「Nope, I already knew that my mana won’t be enough just by facing him, so I didn’t. 」
It’s a spirit that existed since the time when Ruf’s village still existed.

He was a colossal and mighty spirit that controls the sleep of animals and humans alike. There’s nothing scary about sleeping at night and I wasn’t afraid of him, but I’m positive that I’d collapse if I made a contract with him. Plus, my mana would probably completely run out even before the contract is made, I think?

Well, my mana capacity has already increased a lot, but nope, it’s still impossible.

「So you won’t deny that he was Hipopios… 」
Hauron’s strength left him.

「So it’s the first and original sleep spirit, huh… It’s fortunate that nothing else happened when you met him. 」
Khan commented.

「Hipopios…! If he really is the one that deals with slumber, then he can even influence spirits, you know. He’s far more ancient than Goddess Es, and he’s existence encompasses the entire world, and it’s said that he appears in the Realm of Night and the Inner World. 」
Doggy looked bewildered.

「Did you know, the deity will appear to give an oracle if you sleep in the temple of Hipopios. 」
「That’s the Dream Spirit, a kin of Hipopios, you know… 」
Hauron weakly pointed out.

「Really? 」
「Hipopios appears wherever there is sleep, so he kind of exists anywhere and everywhere at the same time. Unexpectedly, he himself might be the one who gives the oracle. 」
Doggy’s tone was somewhat mocking.

「He told me to call his name once my mana increases enough to make a contract with him. 」
Daifuku is Hipopios’ kin too.

「…! Oy! 」
Hauron’s hanging head was about to kiss the ground, so Dinosso flusteredly grabbed him.

「Really, learn to hold back a little, will you. 」
「Will it be better to hide it then? 」
「… The problem is how much you’re spilling all at once. Your daily life is anything but ordinary, no matter how we look at it. 」
「Nah, it’s normal, it’s normal I say. 」
「You should recognize that it isn’t. 」

Retze and I chatted while looking after the trio that seemed exhausted from all the damage they received today.

「Oh well, we also want to know the extent of your contracts with spirits, and I guess even if you kept your mouth shut, we’d still get a huge blow afterward, Jean. 」
Retze waved his hand in resignation.

So that means I can just blurt out my thoughts as is, right?