Chapter 130: The Origin of the White Bones (Part One)

"That is amazing!" Shun exclaimed, stunned.

He had originally thought the Jamir clan was merely gifted with innate talent, but it turned out they had actually forged all eighty-eight Cloths for the Goddess.

"Of course it is!" Little Kiki puffed out his small chest, looking smug. "This is the secret inheritance of our Jamir clan!"

"When I grow up and master the knowledge and techniques passed down by Mr. Mu, I will be able to repair Cloths for you all too!"

"That will depend on how much you can learn from Mr. Mu," Yin Shiqi said, giving the little boy a deep, searching look.

The day of the Holy War was drawing near, and the future was destined to be chaotic. In such tumultuous times, there might not be enough time left for little Kiki to study in peace; it was not impossible that the inheritance of the Jamir clan could be severed forever.

"Hmph!" Kiki snorted, dissatisfied. "I am the most gifted boy in our clan! I will definitely learn everything Mr. Mu has to teach!"

Yin Shiqi smiled without arguing further and changed the subject. "Very well, I am satisfied with the reward you offered. Now, it is time for me to solve the mystery of these countless bones!"

"Wait!" Kiki suddenly stopped him.

"What, are you having second thoughts?" Yin Shiqi asked, casting a look of feigned contempt at the little boy. He knew full well that children of Kiki's age were most susceptible to being provoked.

"I am not! I, Kiki, always keep my word!" Feeling the disdain in his gaze, the little boy turned bright red with urgency.

"Then what else do you want?" Yin Shiqi asked with a smile.

"You get a benefit if you win, but I get nothing if I win—that's not fair!" Kiki grumbled indignantly.

"That is indeed unfair," Yin Shiqi agreed, nodding. He asked earnestly, "Then what would you like? As long as it is within my power, I will do my best to satisfy you!"

"Hmm..." Kiki retreated slightly while eyeing him up and down, his gaze finally locking onto the ring on Yin Shiqi’s left hand. "If you lose and can't answer, you have to lend me your Cloth to play with for a few days, how about that?" the little boy said excitedly.

Although he was learning the art of Cloth repair from Mr. Mu and had opportunities to be around them, Mr. Mu was a stern man who forbade him from touching the Cloths outside of study hours. He had warned Kiki that a Cloth possessed its own life and must never be toyed with or desecrated. Thus, Kiki usually only got to play with the scraps left over from repairs.

But scraps were, after all, a different matter entirely from a complete Cloth. The more Mr. Mu forbade him, the more he longed to observe a real one up close.

"This..." Yin Shiqi feigned hesitation, pondering for a long moment before finally nodding "reluctantly" under Kiki's expectant gaze. "Fine... if I answer incorrectly, I will lend you my Cloth to play with for a few days!"

Shun, following behind, felt that something was not quite right, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Alright, now you can take your guess as to the origin of these bones!" Kiki said, his face full of confidence.

Yin Shiqi glanced at the bones scattered throughout the forest of stalagmites and began to walk. "The Jamir plateau is rarely visited; one rarely sees travelers here throughout the entire year. Furthermore, the environment is so hidden that it is nearly impossible for ordinary people to find their way here. Therefore, the number of travelers who could have accidentally fallen to their deaths here is virtually zero."

Kiki nodded, adding seriously, "That is correct. Any common travelers who occasionally wander in are secretly guided out by us. None of the bones beneath us belong to ordinary people who fell by accident."

Shun, feeling confused, asked, "But with so many bones, they couldn't have just grown out of the ground, could they? Did you move them here from somewhere else?"

Of course, there was another possibility: that a vast number of living people had been killed here, leaving the forest of stalagmites covered in remains. But kind-hearted Shun did not want to think in that direction. He preferred to believe they had been transported from elsewhere.

"I won't tell you! Blehh!" Kiki stuck his tongue out at Shun behind him.

Watching the boy’s mischievous display, Yin Shiqi shook his head helplessly. "Because of the Jamir clan’s unique gifts, they possess exceptional aptitude for cultivation, which is why members of the Jamir clan are often seen among the ranks of the Saints throughout history."

"In particular, the Aries Gold Saint is designated by the Goddess Athena to be passed down through the Jamir line, and they are responsible for repairing the Cloths of their comrades in the Sanctuary. Consequently, the Jamir plateau is not only the residence of Mr. Mu but also the sanctuary for generations of Aries Gold Saints. Based on this, every time a Holy War breaks out, many Specters and Mariners come to harass this place."

"As for the bones beneath us..." Yin Shiqi paused, smiling, "A portion of them, of course, belongs to the enemies who were killed here!"

"So that's it!" Shun realized.

"Congratulations, you got it wrong! Hand over the Cloth!" Kiki laughed happily, holding out his small hands in front of Yin Shiqi.

"Eh? Eh? Eh???"

Hearing Kiki's words, Shun was stunned at first, then shocked. "Is Senior Yin Shiqi's explanation wrong?" He looked at the little boy with doubt, as he personally found Yin Shiqi’s explanation to be perfectly logical.

Noticing his confusion, Kiki pointed at Yin Shiqi and said triumphantly, "This guy only got a small part right, but it isn't entirely correct!"

"Why?" Shun asked hurriedly.

Kiki gestured to the surrounding stalagmite forest. "This is a high-altitude, frigid region; bodies do not decay easily. But even if these bones were the accumulated remains of enemies killed from the Mythological Era until now, could they really be preserved to this day?"

Shun was left speechless. The Mythological Era was too long ago—too long to count—and over such a vast expanse of time, those remains could never have survived until now.

Kiki continued, "Besides, these bones only date back to the previous Holy War; they have only gone through two Holy Wars. There are over half a million bones here, but even if you added up all the Specters and Mariners, there wouldn't be that many people!"

Even though the Underworld and the Marine Realm had many nameless soldiers, one had to at least possess the ability to ignite their Cosmo to qualify as a combatant. Ordinary people did not even have the right to serve as cannon fodder. While there were many such soldiers, they did not number in the hundreds of thousands. Only a small fraction of these bones actually belonged to enemies.

Shun was completely at a loss for words.

"Alright, a deal is a deal! Hurry up and give me the Cloth!" Kiki blinked, urging Yin Shiqi.

"Little brat, what’s the rush? I haven't finished speaking yet!" A playful glint appeared in Yin Shiqi’s eyes.

"Are you trying to back out?" Kiki said, growing anxious.

"No, no, no! I wouldn't lie to a child!" Yin Shiqi shook his head, his tone profound. "Did you not notice that I specifically said, 'A portion of them belongs to the enemies who were killed'?" He placed heavy emphasis on the word 'portion'.