Indeed, many damaged planks were scattered about; many of them pieced together into sothing resembling furniture. Soone had been here before.
In the middle of the cave, there were still remains of a campfire. From its size and the surrounding traces, it was evident that a small but not insignificant number of people had lived here before, perhaps six or seven of them.
Alka continued a few steps further inside and saw the far wall. Several skeletons lay before him. They were huddled together tightly, with remnants of blackened cloth strips clinging to them. Judging by their postures, these individuals had likely foreseen their deaths, gathered together, and awaited the inevitable. Or perhaps they were keeping each other warm when they suddenly died?
Alka carefully examined the area around the skeletons. No obvious injuries were found on them, though all had so fractures, mostly concentrated in the arms and legs.
Finally, between two skeletons, beneath a long strip of cloth, he saw sothing resembling a manual. Alka gently pulled aside the cloth and picked up the booklet. Uncertain of its age, he handled it with extre care, afraid of damaging it. He gently turned the pages. Fortunately, the material used for the pages inside wasn’t ordinary paper but sothing akin to treated cloth or leather, making it less fragile. But at least it held so information.
He examined it. He could still read the script. It was the script used in the northern region of the Holand Sea. It was almost certain that these skeletons belonged to people from the Holand Sea.
He opened the booklet and began to read seriously.
The entry began: "Day 13... blazing sun. We are preparing to leave the Holand Sea, already know... move."
Much of the writing had long since been blurred by ti and was illegible. However, he could still deduce so of its aning from the characters that remained clear.
Alka patiently continued to read. anwhile, Julia, behind him, also began to look around the cave, occasionally waving her hand as if testing for sothing.
After patiently reading all the information recorded in the small booklet, Akka had a general understanding. From the legible parts, he surmised that these were people who had departed the Holand Sea a long ti ago. Like many others, their understanding of the outside world was insufficient.
This was a team without any Treasure. However, everyone in it had reached the Two Spirals level, and their captain was a Three Spirals—a strong team, at least by Holand Sea standards. They had been aboard a fairly sturdy Spell Ship and had survived the initial storm, though the vessel itself was severely damaged. Then, as they were exiting the storm, they were attacked by a Sea Beast, and their ship was destroyed. Fortunately, they had a lifeboat. Using it, they barely managed to drift to this island, following the ship’s wreckage.
Without a ship, their only option was to find a place to rest. Fortunately, the other ships that had set out with them had also suffered heavy losses, and a considerable amount of supplies had washed ashore, enabling them to get through the most difficult period. They then began to recuperate at the cave entrance. However, as their supplies dwindled, they knew they couldn’t just sit idly by and wait for death, especially since fish were scarce in the surrounding waters.
The survivors split into two factions. One faction, consisting of those who had been severely injured during the ordeal at sea, planned to remain on the island and wait for another ship to pass by. This explained why those skeletons had fractures in their legs or arms. Lacking dical supplies, their recovery was arduous, and their conditions deteriorated until they were beyond help.
The other faction, understandably, planned to use the wreckage on the island to construct a makeshift, barely seaworthy vessel. Even though they knew this was a desperate gamble with little chance of survival, they were unwilling to resign themselves to dying on the island.
So, each group proceeded according to their respective plans. That group departed. This group remained in the cave. As their food supply dwindled to nothing, they refused to resort to cannibalism and, one by one, took their own lives inside the cave, leaving this booklet behind.
This was the gist of what Alka deduced. It might not be entirely accurate, but it was very likely close to the truth—a simple and straightforward account.
Alka put the booklet away and glanced at a pile of rotten wood nearby. He walked over and pushed aside the pieces of wood, revealing a wooden box beneath them. Opening the wooden box, he found sothing wrapped in a layer of oilcloth-like material. When he unwrapped the cloth, the blue silhouette of the contents was revealed. Based on his experience, only the most valuable Magic Items showed such a blue silhouette; other items did not. These items were caked in thick gri.
The question arose. Where is the giant?
Alka had been vigilant for the entity marked with ’Difficulty’ on his map. It was supposed to be a giant creature with strength at the Four Spirals level. Yet, neither the manual’s records nor the contents of the box offered any clues about this monster.
Could it be the sa as last ti with the volcano? Do you have to take the items to alert the monster guarding the Treasure?
Alka couldn’t be certain, but it was the only explanation that ca to mind.
Looking at the items in the box, Alka packed them all directly into his ring. Still, nothing happened.
Strange. After so thought, Alka buried the skeletons where they lay; after all, this was the burial site they had chosen for themselves. He then nodded to Julia, who was behind him. The two silently slipped back into the water through the passage they had entered and began to retrace their route.
But the guardian was nowhere to be found.
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