Realm Wars

Chapter 102: Riches

Ryu wasn't idiotic to rely on his non-working nose to find his way to the others if he got lost. His sense of smell didn't work underwater, but dropping pieces of stones and shells every twenty meters or so was another way to ensure that he wouldn't get lost.

He wasn't tired, and he wasn't hungry. His beast side had enough stamina to last him a week without food and rest. Instead, he was afraid that if he rested, his mind would wander to Cecily and Ferris. If that happened, he'd be restless, and he still couldn't rest even if he wanted to. 

Ryu needed to move and do something. Where it be finding the lost Jewel or treasures or Cecily and the others.

"Ryu, wait up." 

Seraphina swam to his side, and Ryu had to wonder why she wasn't the least bit exhausted? Was she really a mortal?

"What's wrong?" Ryu asked.

"I'll go with you since I'm worried that you'll get lost. And besides, I'm not tired and want to explore as well."

Ryu didn't see anything wrong with Seraphina's behavior, nor did he feel any underlying motive behind her actions and words. She was just overly friendly, and Ryu didn't know if that was a good thing.

"Suit yourself."

Seraphina beamed. "Two is better than one."

Ryu didn't know why he was comfortable around Seraphina, though. He felt at ease around her, like something was calming about her.

Ryu and Seraphina went on the desolate part of the seafloor with nothing but sand and few rocks on their path. No one attempted to look in that direction since who would hide a treasure in a perfectly open, barren land?

"Huh?" with his sight ahead, Ryu tripped against a protruding shell. He quickly regained his footing and snatched a look at the object that tripped him.

It was an ordinary Clam, and the sand covered half its body. They were common on the seafloor, but Ryu was sure that it wasn't there before.

Was it alive?

Ryu squatted and poked the clamp, and he was startled when it moved. Just a tiny bit, though, like it was about to open its mouth.

"Oh! Is it a Clam?" Seraphina asked and said, "I heard that live Clams have pearls inside."

"Is it expensive?" 

Seraphina put a finger on her chin. "Hmm. .. depending on the quality of the pearl, it might fetch from five hundred silver to one gold coin."

Ryu nodded and decided to collect the pearl. It was better than nothing. Pulling the Clam from the sand, Ryu was confused about why it was so hard to pull out.

Seraphina gasped. "Could it be. . .?"

Ryu went on his feet, and using his strength, he pulled the Clam with all his force.

Ryu almost stumbled when he finally pulled the Clam, but to his astonishment, the tiny Clam was gone and in its place was a giant rocky crystal. Little Clams in different shapes and colors decorated its outer shell that was made of translucent crystals that sparkled like rainbows. 

It was beautiful. Minus the protruding Clams from here and there that seemed like puss.

"Ryu!" Seraphina exclaimed in excitement, "That's a Mother Clam Shell!"

Ryu just tilted his head. "Is it expensive?" or rather, can he eat it? Is it delicious?

Seraphina giggled. "Open it, and you'll see."

Ryu observed the giant crystal-like rock. He didn't know how to open it. He couldn't even find its mouth.

"Just brush its crystals. Usually, it eats anything when something grazed it or those tiny protruding clams on its outer shell."

"Eat." Ryu didn't want to be swallowed by a gigantic rock.

Seraphina waved a hand. "It's not what you think. It'll just open its mouth, and unless you touch its body inside, it won't close."

Ryu was curious at what Seraphina said, and he tested it out. Rubbing the rocky outer crystals, the giant Clam shook a little, and bubbles burst before it opened and revealed a slimy, mucus-like thing at the base of its toothless mouth.

But what drew Ryu's attention was the many stones stuck above its upper mouth.

"Wow, Ryu!" Seraphina clapped her hands. "Your luck is great! Look at all those precious stones and jewels! There's a Moonstone. Onyx. Quartz. Sardonyx. Zircon and even a very rare Chrysoberyl!"

"Can I buy a house and property with it?" Ryu asked with a stoic face and tone.

Seraphina laughed. "Are you kidding me? You could already buy a village with that amount of Jewels, much less a house and property."

Ryu's stoic face cracked, and his face brightened. "How do I get those stones?"

"You can just pluck it like normal," said Seraphina with a smile, "Just don't touch that slimy thing on the bottom of its mouth, or it'll close with your hand inside."

Ryu nodded, and one by one, he plucked the stones on the upper mouth of the Clam. It wasn't hard. It was like picking fruits, and in less than a minute, Ryu already harvested the stones.

"What's wrong?" Seraphina asked when Ryu's face crumpled.

"I have to tell everybody." Ryu hadn't forgotten about the dice roll. Whatever treasures and items they find, they'd roll the dice.

Seraphina wanted to laugh out loud but restrain herself. "I think that rule doesn't apply here. If you kill or defeat a monster, its loot belongs to you, if I remember correctly. And since this is a monster and you're the one who found it, you get to keep all the jewels."

"Then I'll give you half since you're the one who told me how to open and harvest the jewels."

".. ." Seraphina didn't know what to do at Ryu's sincerity. She smiled, eyes turning crescent. "It's fine. I have plenty of those. You keep it."

".. ." Ryu look at the precious stones in his arms. It was more than his two hands could carry. That was how many it was. Storing all the jewels in his traveler's ring, he only kept a single jewel in his hands.

"Here, I'll give you this." Ryu grabbed Seraphina's hand and placed the Jewel on her palm.

It was a moonstone, a translucent white gemstone with a pale blue glow.

Seraphina blinked and looked at Ryu, who was now busy looking at the sands for more clams. 

"Why this, though?" Seraphina couldn't help but ask. 

Ryu briefly looked at her before turning away and searched another barren area. 

"It's the color of your eyes."