Chapter 184 Mystery In Stone Valley Part 14

Hajime and Bong wonder if the lava tube they chose this time is the right one that will lead them to an opening somewhere or lead to some place where people had explored before so they can get out. The two continued walking and found that they could no longer hear waves and the surrounding air became warmer. 

"Your Highness, is the weather getting warmer, or is it just my imagination?" Hajime asked. 

Bong turned to look at Hajime and wiped his own forehead. "I think ... we're probably not near any openings, so the air is thicker here," he said. "What do you want to do? Should we continue or go back?" 

Hajime said, "You know this better than me, so I let you decide for us." 

Bong said, "If I make a wrong decision, don't blame me in the end." Bong thought for a moment, weighing the risks they faced. "We should continue. Even though the air is thick here, there's still air, so there must be an opening somewhere to let the outside air in." Bong looked at Hajime's pale face and felt worried. "You don't look too good; can you still continue?" 

Hajime nodded. "Maybe it's because I haven't eaten in three days." 

Bong smiled at Hajime, and when he saw Hajime's pale face, he wanted to put a smile on Hajime's face. He joked, "You can't die, right? After wild animals eat my flesh, you must collect my bones and bury me properly. If you don't, I will turn into a ghost and haunt you for the rest of your life." 

Hajime said, "Then you will see Abrafo every day."

The corners of Bong's mouth dropped, and after a long time he finally said, "In that case, I will haunt you during nighttime when you are asleep." He raised his arms and waved towards Hajime. "Hajime, you must bury me properly. Hajime... you must bury me properly..." He looked at Hajime and found that Hajime was giggling. He chuckled and lowered his arms. "You won't sleep in the same bed with him at night, right?"

Hajime chuckled, shook his head and said, "If there are wild animals here to eat your flesh, we will not starve to death."

Bong asked, "How?" 

Hajime said, "We will eat him instead." 

Bong laughed, his voice echoing in the lava tube. "Yes, that's right. We will eat him... you are absolutely right." 

The two continued to talk, trying to help each other push beyond their physical capabilities as they continued walking down the lava tube. 

When hours passed and they still hadn't found any openings, Hajime, who was following Bong, felt dizzy because he knew he hadn't eaten for days. He felt that his body was getting weaker and weaker, and his vision of Bong walking in front of him became blurry. To avoid passing out, he found a small boulder and sat on it. 

"Your Highness..." Hajime said. 

Bong turned around and found Hajime sitting far away from him. If it weren't for the echo in the lava tube, Bong wouldn't be able to hear Hajime's voice. Seeing that Hajime was struggling to keep up with him, he walked back to where Hajime was sitting. 

"We have to keep walking and look for a lower exit. If we run out of sunlight... we may not be able to escape and it will be another day of starvation," Bong said, reaching out his hand to pull Hajime up. 

Hajime grabbed Bong's hand and pulled himself up. "I think I can't keep up with you. How about you leave me here and keep walking?" Hajime said. 

Bong said, "Although we have not known each other for a long time, I will not abandon you. You have saved me before, and I will try my best to save you this time." He turned his back to Hajime. "Climb up and I'll carry you."

Hajime exhaled and said, "Let me walk for now. I will tell you when I can't walk anymore." 

Bong grabbed Hajime's left side and they supported each other as they continued down the lava tube.

Around noon, Hajime and Bong approached an opening large enough for a man to pass through, but there was no rope or anything to hold on to and they were unable to climb up. Hajime and Bong knew that if they tried to climb and slipped, they would probably die. The lava tube they are in has merged with other lava tubes and the path ahead were getting narrower and narrower, and soon they could no longer walk or even crawl. So, in order to avoid going back and starting over in another lava tube, climbing was their best option at the moment, but the risk was too great, and the pair decided not to attempt the climb. 

With another block path ahead of them, and the loss of hope won Bong's determination to escape, so he began to feel the effects of the lack of food and exhaustion. He also felt thirsty and dizzy. Staring at the opening above him only made Bong more frustrated and angrier. He screamed angrily, "Help! Help Us! We are here!" After shouting several times but no one responded, Bong finally gave up. He looked at Hajime. "Let's take a break before continuing. I think I'm starting to feel dizzy." He sat on the ground. 

Hajime walked to Bong and sat next to Bong. Hajime said, "I'm sorry for dragging you down." 

Bong laughed and said, "I originally wanted to give up and die here, but your appearance has greatly improved my morale, so I should thank you." 

Hajime looks at Bong and realizes that their situation is worse than Bong made it seen to be. He thought to himself that he should find a way to divert their attention to other things, so they wouldn't think about food, and maybe this diversion could help them survive longer until help arrived. Hajime said, "Your Highness, I know about you and Abrafo." 

Mentioning Abrafo's name angered Bong. "Yeah, everyone knows we hate each other," he said. 

Hajime said, "This is not about the hatred between the two of you." 

Bong looked at Hajime and said, "What then? I have nothing to do with that bastard other than hatred." 

Hajime said, "The night before boarding the ship." 

Bong said angrily, "Never mentioned this to anyone." He breathed slowly and controlled his anger. 

Hajime said, "To be honest, in Tanzang there are many male mistresses. Abrafo's brother also has a male mistress. I believe Shi is a mistress for Lord Lixin." 

Bong scoffed and said indifferently, "As far as I know, the only man Lixin likes is the crown prince, prince Taió." He sighed. "Other kingdoms might proudly proclaim male mistress and find it not taboo, but not here. Not in Misnix. Even if there are some males who practice it, it's kept behind closed doors. That's why I'll never get a chance on the throne. A king without an heir is more useless than stools in the eyes of others." He put his exhausted body on the ground and put his hands under his head.

Hajime said, "You know, there was once a king without an heir, but his legacy was more triumphant than a king with an heir." 

Bong asked, "And who is this sad king?" 

Hajime said, "The Tenth King of Tanzang." 

Bong suddenly sat up and looked at Hajime, because he had heard this name before. "The tenth king?" 

Hajime asked, "Do you know him?" 

Bong shook his head and said, "I don't know anything about him, but Lixin said that someone refused to serve him because he was not as worthy as the Tenth King." He lay down again. "Speaking of worthiness, I am also worthless. I have no family, no friends, and nobody." He chuckled. "To be honest, my twenty years of life, maybe..." He paused and sighed. "Maybe you really are my first friend, if you dare accept it."

Hajime looked at Bong and said with a smile, "I accept."

Bong sighed and said, "Before I die, I finally have at least one friend."

Hajime said, "If His Highness no longer aims at the throne then come with us. With your ability, you will be a great addition to our unknown and dangerous journey." 

Bong said, "I can never walk the same road as that bastard. If he happens to die on one of your missions...send me a message and I will happily consider embarking on this unknown and dangerous journey." 

Hajime chuckled, and when he looked down at his feet, he suddenly realized that he was not completely helpless. "Your Highness, I have an idea." Hajime smiled. 

Bong sat up again and asked excitedly, "Really? Quickly call for help." 

Hajime rubbed his fingers quickly, and a small shiny butterfly slowly appeared on Hajime's fingertips. Hajime places the glowing butterfly on a rock and gives the rock to Bong. 

"Put this in the opening. I hope someone sees this and comes to save us," Hajime said. 

Bong at the glowing butterfly and asked, "Is this your mark in Scattered Forest?" 

Hajime nodded. "But I'm too weak right now, so this is the best I can do," Hajime said. 

Bong smiled and said, "It's better than nothing." He squatted and placed the stone in the middle of the opening hole. "With this, I'm sure someone will find us before tomorrow." He watched the butterfly fly toward the opening at the top of the lava tube. "It's incredible that you would think of something like this at this critical moment." 

Bong turned to look at Hajime, only to find a pair of bright orange eyes staring at Hajime and Bong was too far from where Hajime was sitting to pull Hajime away safely. Not to alarm the one with the bright orange eyes, Bong pretended not to see those bright orange eyes and slowly grabbed a stone with his right hand. Bong acted quickly, throwing the stone in his hand in the direction of the bright orange eyes and shouting, "Run Hajime!"