42. The Journey South ( Searching for the Royal Bathing Place )

The fair-skinned young man whipped his head around, his almond-shaped eyes widening as he heard the brief answer from the nameless young man. "Bro, are you serious?!" he asked, needing confirmation.

"You realize, right? These deadweights are just going to slow you down later?!" Casildo added, equally baffled.

The person they questioned chose to remain silent, his expression blank. He slowly stepped away to grab his backpack, which had been lying in the corner of the room.

After that, he approached Trisha and spoke to her with the same neutral expression. "We're leaving now," he said, heading toward the door.

"Bro, are you serious?!" Kairav exclaimed, watching him leave. Trisha smirked arrogantly in his direction. Kairav didn't need to hear a word to know she was relishing in her victory.

"Hurry! Let's follow him!" Trisha commanded her crew. The members of the Mystic Plunder Circle began filing out of the room one by one, trailing after the nameless young man.

"Failed Product, why didn't you just let the Asu Baung eat them back there instead of letting them become a burden now?!" Casildo snarled, shooting a sharp look at Kairav.

Kairav returned the glare, clearly annoyed and disgusted. "How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this? If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered saving that bitch in the first place!" he grumbled.

A weary sigh filled the air. "Regret always comes at the end, Bro," Baron said, patting Kairav on the shoulder as he walked ahead.

"Stop complaining," Prince Arkana advised, trying to calm them. "For now, we just need to stick with the nameless young man on this journey. Who knows? The answers our friend's been seeking might actually come from her."

***

As they traveled further south, the towering mountain pines gradually gave way to a steep valley. The sound of a crystal-clear stream accompanied their weary steps, guiding them to the refreshing sight of a small waterfall.

Their hearts raced faster, in sync with the ticking of time. The sun's warmth became more pronounced amidst the cool mountain air. Despite hours of walking, they were still far from their destination.

Breathing heavily, their legs aching, the group decided to rest in a wide meadow surrounded by rugged hills.

Large boulders and the fallen trunks of old pine trees served as makeshift chairs and walls for their exhausted bodies to lean on. They replenished their energy by eating canned food and drinking from their supplies.

Wiping the water from his lips, a restless Gavin voiced his concern, "We're not lost, are we?"

"No way. This compass isn't cheap," Kairav replied, his eyes fixed on the needle in his hand.

"Then why aren't we there yet?" Casildo chimed in with a goofy grin. "Eh, maybe that spirit we met earlier was directionally challenged and gave us the wrong clues?"

"Dairy Cow, stop joking around!" Kairav snapped, glaring at him. "If your brain's useless, you might as well keep your mouth shut."

"I'm just trying to share my thoughts," the burly man defended himself.

"How long are we going to rest here? We're not planning to camp here, are we?" Trisha interjected, tying a fresh bandage around her palm.

Boredom finally pushed her to her feet, and she gazed south toward the towering hill ahead. "How about we walk a little further?" she suggested.

Her men immediately showed their disagreement through their facial expressions. "We have to climb that steep hill again?" Zacky groaned, his face paling as he stared at the massive hill ahead. "Miss, I can't even take three steps forward. My legs are trembling!" he complained.

"If we can find the water source, the place shouldn't be too far. Royal bathing places are usually built near clear water springs," Kairav noted.

Prince Arkana turned to Kairav, who sat beside him. "But we already passed a waterfall and a river earlier, and there wasn't any bathing place there," he said, puzzled.

The curly-haired young man furrowed his brows, his hazel almond eyes reflecting the same confusion.

"I'll go ahead and check it out," the nameless young man suddenly said, breaking the tension.

Upon hearing that, Kairav immediately jumped up from his seat. "I'm coming with you!"

"Me too!" Trisha chimed in.

Kairav shot a glare at her. "Why are you following me, Bitch?!"

"I'm not following you. I'm following my boyfriend," Trisha replied, grabbing her bag and giving a sly grin.

"When did he become your boyfriend?" The hazel-eyed young man snarked.

Ignoring the bickering, Arkana simply said, "In that case, Casildo and I will stay here and keep an eye on the others."

The nameless young man merely nodded and began to walk away.

"Don't go too far, Bro! I'm counting on you to handle those two burdens!" Casildo called out, still chewing his food.

"Bro, are you sure you want to go? Aren't your legs trembling?" Baron teased while massaging his own legs.

Kairav grinned smugly. "I'm not some aging grandpa like you," he mocked as he walked off.

"Curse you!"

***

Tall pine trees stood strong on the peak of a steep hill. Their brown roots dug deep into the ground, offering a solid grip for the three who were struggling to climb the slick, rocky incline.

A long sigh of relief escaped them when their feet finally touched the top, revealing a pine forest with less dense vegetation. They continued walking between the trees, eyes scanning every inch of the woods.

"This forest looks like an ordinary one, not like the Forest of Lost Souls with its eerie atmosphere," Trisha commented to the two young men near her.

Kairav and the nameless young man, sensing the same thing, remained silent, keeping their eyes sharp as they moved forward.

The three continued in silence for several minutes, their eyes gradually noticing that the trees were growing closer together. Sunlight became scarce as the thickening vegetation blocked its rays, and they realized the presence of different kinds of trees and dense underbrush around them.

Focused too long on their surroundings, they unknowingly pushed through the tall, dense grass without caution, and suddenly...

"Watch out!"

Clatter... Clatter...

The nameless young man instinctively grabbed Kairav's arm, freezing him in place.

His breath caught in his throat as he looked down, realizing the rocks he had just stepped on were tumbling into a deep ravine below.

He hadn't expected a trap like that, hidden beneath the tall grass.

"Thanks," Kairav said to the nameless young man.

"Damn it!" Trisha cursed. She was shocked but lucky, managing to avoid the trap without anyone's help due to her agility and balance.

"There!" Kairav exclaimed, pointing to something at the bottom of the ravine: a lush green valley filled with natural stone pools of clear spring water in varying sizes.

In the middle of the valley was what they had been searching for—a sacred stone bathing pool, surrounded by walls covered in dragon serpent reliefs and statues.

Seeing their destination finally within reach, the curly-haired young man quickly opened his backpack. "Grab your ropes! We need to get down—"

"Whoaaa!"

His loud scream echoed through the valley as the nameless young man suddenly grabbed his bag and leapt off the cliff.

Thud!

"Are you insane?!" Kairav yelled as he landed safely beside him.

The nameless young man stared at him blankly. "That wouldn't kill you," he said calmly.

"But I almost had a heart attack!" Kairav grumbled.

"Damn it! You left me behind!" Trisha shouted from above.

The nameless young man looked up and said, "You can use the rope to climb down." He then turned away indifferently, heading toward the bathing place.

Kairav, seeing the annoyance on Trisha's face, put his hands on his hips. "Or, if you want, you could go back and tell the others," he teased with a smug smile.

"You two bastards!!"