CHAPTER 81: HIDDEN RIVER

After hearing Chelsie’s words from up ahead, Shaan quickly ran out from the cluster of trees near the Tansel Swamp. But the moment he stepped forward, he froze in place. Right in front of him stood a wall, a towering formation of large, grayish-black stones stacked in precise order, like a fortress barrier. It was so tall that Shaan had to tilt his head back to see the entire structure. So tall was it that Shaan had to tilt his head back to see the entire wall.

"Goodness, what’s this wall for?"

"Shaan, what are you doing?" The courier furrowed his brow, seeing Shaan standing motionless in front of the wall. "Hurry up, we need to head to the gate connected to the stone stairs."

"Alright, Mr. Courier," Shaan and Chelsie said in unison.

***

They walked for quite some time, following Mr. Courier, but something felt off. Shaan still hadn’t seen any sign of the gate he mentioned earlier. The same endless stone wall stretched beside them, its end nowhere in sight.

’Strange... Where is this gate Mr. Courier talks about?’

"Mr. Courier, uhm... how much farther until we reach the gate you mentioned?" Chelsie asked, glancing around nervously. "I don’t see anything out here."

"She’s right. I haven’t seen anything besides this wall either," said Nalira, scanning the entire area.

"Calm down, ladies. We’ll be there soon," said Mr. Courier without stopping his pace. "Just be patient, everyone, and—ah, there it is." He pointed ahead. "That’s the gate I mentioned. Come on, we’re nearly there."

They quickly picked up their pace until they finally reached the large gate just as Mr. Courier had described earlier. The appearance of the gate was indeed quite sturdy, starting with the gate itself, made of thick black iron plates, which were surely designed to withstand attacks from any dark creatures trying to enter this place.

"Oh, damn. We’re too late." Mr. Courier slowly stopped in his tracks. "The gate is closed, and we’ll have to wait until tomorrow for it to open again."

"Wait, what?" Shaan widened his eyes. "No, no, this can’t be. We’ve come all this way, but why is the gate closed?"

"... We can’t wait here either. Those giant lizards still have a chance to catch up to us here."

"Uhm... yes, I agree with what Shaan and Lira said," Chelsie said, turning her gaze toward the courier. "Mr. Courier, is it possible for us to speak with the guards watching over this gate? Surely if we speak nicely to them, they’ll be happy to open the gate for us, right?"

"No. That’s impossible." Mr courier shook his head. "The gatekeeper is not someone easy to compromise with, and he is not like you."

"Huh? I don’t understand what you’re saying at all."

"The gatekeeper is also a type of artificial being just like me," Mr. Courier explained. "However, they don’t look anything like humans and were created to guard the gate against threats from dark beings and other dangers that could endanger the Twilight Sanctum itself."

Nalira fell silent for a moment after hearing the courier’s explanation. "Alright, we understand."

"So, if you try to force your way in or sneak through the gate without the gatekeeper’s permission, it will consider you a threat. And without hesitation, they will eliminate you."

’Crazy. I never expected the consequences to be that terrifying.’ Shaan sighed deeply. ’Good thing I didn’t try to break down this door.’

"Uhmm... so, where should we go now?"

"I have a place we can use to rest. If you don’t mind, I can take you there."

"Chelsie, Nalira, what do you think?"

"Uhm... I don’t mind at all." Chelsie looked at Nalira. "What about you, Lira?"

"Same. I don’t mind either."

"All right, if everyone agrees, Mr. Courier, please show us the place you mentioned earlier."

"I understand."

After walking for a few minutes, they finally arrived at the location Mr. Courier had mentioned earlier. It turned out that the location the courier was referring to was a small forest located near a stone wall. At first glance, the forest looked like any other forest. Only a few clusters of tall trees reminded Shaan of the trees in the dark swamp.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Chelsie suddenly stopped in her tracks. "That sounds like... sound of trickling water."

"Yes, I hear it too." Nalira slowly pointed her finger forward. "The sound is coming from behind the tall trees in front of us."

"Mr. Courier, what is behind these trees? Could there be a river there?"

"Yes, what you said is correct." Mr. Courier nodded his head. "Behind these trees is indeed a small river called the Eralune River. This river has a clear spring that explorers often use to bathe and rest for a moment," he said, walking along the trees. "Follow me, I’ll show you the river."

Shaan was speechless when he saw the Eralune River that Mr. Courier had mentioned earlier. Honestly, he didn’t expect to find such a clear, hidden stream behind the dense trees. The water was so pure, he could see the riverbed clearly

through its surface. Not only that, around the river, he could smell a fragrant and soothing aroma. It instantly reminded him of the scent of lavender flowers he used to smell when helping Grandma Isabel at the flower shop.

"Mr. Courier, where is this fragrant scent coming from?" Chelsie asked curiously. "For some reason, it instantly relaxes me and... I feel so calm now."

"This scent comes from the plants around the river," said the courier, placing his bag on the ground. "Alright, we’ll rest here."

"Mr. Courier, but are you sure there won’t be any dark creatures attacking us here?"

"I’m sure. I can guarantee it." The courier nodded. "The flower scent you’re smelling is one of the scents that dark creatures dislike. Therefore, dark creatures will never approach this place."

"Thank goodness, I’m glad to know that." Chelsie rubbed her chest.

"I’ll set up a tent for us to rest tonight. If you want to take a bath, you can use the water from this river."

"Umm... But, but..."

"Relax, you can take a bath at the upper part of this river. There are large rocks and several tree trunks surrounding the river, so it will be quite difficult for people to peek at you."

"Oh, okay. We understand."

"Uhm... In that case, Nalira and I will go check out the situation at the upper part of the river first," said Chelsie, pulling Nalira’s hand. "Come on, let’s go there."

"Alright."

"I’ll help Mr. Courier set up the tent first."

"Uhm... Alright."

Shortly after, the two women left, and Shaan began working with Mr. Courier to set up the tents. However, while they were setting up the tents, Mr. Courier suddenly paused.

"Shaan, there’s something I need to do first. Can you finish this by yourself?"

"Of course. I don’t mind at all."

"I’ll be back in a moment."

A few minutes passed. Shaan finished setting up the two tents they would use for the night. Thankfully, he had started to get the hang of it, and it wasn’t as difficult as he had initially thought.

’That’s odd. I’ve finished setting up the tents, but where is Mr. Courier? Shaan looked around. ’I better go find him now.’

Shaan then walked around the river to look for Mr. Courier. Eventually, he heard him talking to someone. Strange, who is he talking to?