Chapter 375: The Great Spring Games

Kong had endured the hot springs for nearly an hour before he decided that something was terribly wrong.

Everyone was relaxing.

Arthur sat on a flat stone near the water, enjoying the warmth while Star bounced between his shoulder and a dry patch of rock. Vedas had found a comfortable place in the pool and was doing an excellent job pretending he wasn’t enjoying himself. Melo and Athy were talking with Luna near the waterfall, while the professors reviewed their notes from the previous evening.

Even Sun had stopped boasting long enough to soak his feet.

Kong stared at them all.

Then he stood on a nearby stone and announced, "I have a complaint."

Arthur opened one eye. "Already?"

"We came all this way to explore a legendary hot spring, and all anyone has done is sit in the water!"

"That’s generally what people do at hot springs," Athy pointed out.

"Then people are wasting a perfectly good opportunity!"

Sun immediately rose from the pool, water streaming down his arms. "For once, I agree with the monkey. A gathering of capable individuals deserves a proper test of skill. We cannot simply spend the day sitting around."

Mithra tilted her head. "You mean a contest where you can announce yourself the winner?"

Sun’s expression stiffened. "I refuse to dignify that accusation with a response."

"You just did."

"Silence, Mithra."

Melo laughed and clapped her hands. "Then let’s have actual games. Several of them. Nothing dangerous, no abilities that could damage the springs, and no turning a friendly contest into a battle for supremacy."

Her gaze lingered on Sun.

He crossed his arms. "I have never done such a thing."

"Of course not," Vedas replied. "Your last three arguments about who was the strongest were merely educational discussions."

Arthur sat up, grinning. "I’m in. Athena can record the results, and we’ll have an official winner."

Athena looked up from her notes. "I can record the scores, but I won’t be responsible for resolving arguments about the rules."

Athy smiled faintly. "Excellent. That means Sun won’t be able to rewrite history afterward."

Sun stared at them as though his closest companions had betrayed him.

"Arthur. I expected better from you."

"I’m giving you a chance to prove yourself."

"Then prepare to witness greatness."

Kong raised both hands. "And prizes! There should be prizes!"

"What do you want?" Arthur asked.

Kong considered the question with the seriousness of a royal advisor. "First choice at lunch."

"Approved," Melo said.

"Second choice at lunch," Kong added quickly.

"Rejected," Vedas replied.

The games began.

The Floating-Stone Challenge

The first course crossed a shallow pool surrounded by smooth rocks and low stone platforms. Several broad stones floated on the surface, held in place by faintly glowing runes. They were designed to support a person’s weight, but they shifted slightly whenever someone stepped on them.

Professor Scolding explained the rules. Contestants had to cross the pool using the marked stones without falling into the water. No flying, teleporting, or using abilities to force the stones into place.

"If I see anyone attempting to destroy the course to improve their time," Scolding warned, "you will be disqualified."

His eyes settled on Sun.

"Why are you looking at me?" Sun demanded.

"Experience."

Athena started the timer.

Arthur went first. Rather than rushing, he studied the spacing between the stones and watched how they shifted when the water moved. He waited for two stones to drift into alignment, stepped across them, and used the next one’s gentle rotation to carry himself toward the opposite bank.

He reached the end without getting his feet wet.

"Efficient," Vedas commented.

"That’s one word for it," Sun said. "Personally, I would have made it more impressive."

"Then show us," Arthur replied.

Sun charged forward with a confident grin. He planted one foot on the first stone, launched himself toward the next, and attempted a spectacular leap over two platforms.

For one glorious second, he looked magnificent.

Then his landing stone tilted.

Sun windmilled his arms, tried to recover his balance, and plunged into the pool with a tremendous splash.

Water drenched the nearby spectators.

Kong doubled over laughing. Even Professor Roland failed to hide his smile.

Sun emerged with wet hair plastered to his forehead. "The stone moved!"

"That’s the point of the challenge," Athena reminded him as she recorded his time.

"I demand a recount."

"You haven’t finished the course."

Sun looked toward the opposite bank, then at the water surrounding him.

"I demand a new course."

Mithra crossed the stones with steady, controlled steps. At the final platform, she glanced back at Sun.

"You missed the stable stone on your left."

"I saw it."

"Then why didn’t you use it?"

"Because my strategy was more ambitious."

"Your strategy is currently underwater."

Melo took a different approach. She moved lightly between the floating stones, occasionally pausing to wave at Kong, who was trying to concentrate on his own crossing.

"Look out!" Melo called cheerfully.

Kong turned his head.

His foot slipped.

He landed in the water with a startled squeak, sending another wave across the pool.

Melo reached the other side and bowed. "Thank you for your assistance."

"That was sabotage!" Kong protested, paddling toward the bank.

"It was a distraction. You could have ignored me."

"I was checking whether you were in danger!"

"Of course you were."

Kong climbed out and shook water from his fur. "My tail threw off my center of gravity. The rules are unfair to monkeys."

"You’re welcome to submit a formal complaint," Athena said.

"I will. After lunch."

Vedas crossed next. He chose a plain, direct route, adjusted his footing whenever a stone shifted, and finished without a splash or a flourish.

Sun watched him suspiciously.

"You could have gone faster."

"I could have fallen faster, too."

Arthur laughed. "That might be the most Vedas answer possible."

Athena announced the results, awarding points for speed and clean crossings. Sun demanded that his dramatic leap receive a bonus for artistic merit.

It did not.

The Water-Carrying Contest

The second game required teams to carry water from a spring-fed basin to a marked container several dozen paces away. The containers were light, but the path included uneven stones and a narrow section where contestants had to pass their loads to teammates.

The team that delivered the most water without exceeding the allowed spills would win.

Arthur quickly gathered his group.

"We need one person to fill the containers, two people to carry them, and someone to manage the handoffs. Running won’t help if half the water ends up on the ground."

Kong raised his hand. "I volunteer to carry the largest container."

"No," Arthur said.

"You didn’t even consider it!"

"I considered it very carefully."

Melo patted Kong’s head. "You can be our official morale officer."

"That sounds like a position with no actual responsibility."

"Exactly. You’ll be excellent at it."

Arthur arranged his team with Luna helping coordinate the villagers. Rather than letting the students take over, she asked several villagers to join the contest and divided them into pairs according to their comfort with the path.

At first, some of the villagers hesitated. They had spent so long recovering from the village’s ordeal that a silly competition with visiting students felt almost unfamiliar.

Luna smiled at an older woman who had volunteered to carry a small container.

"You don’t have to be the fastest. Just have fun."

The woman laughed. "I remember when you were little. You used to race your friends down the village paths and insist that you had won even when you arrived last."

"Grandpa told you that?"

"He told everyone."

Luna covered her face while Melo burst out laughing.

"Now I understand where your stubbornness comes from," Melo said.

"I am not stubborn!"

"You sound exactly like Sun when he loses."

Across the course, Sun had taken charge of his team’s carrying strategy. He insisted that his strength would make the contest easy, so he grabbed two containers at once.

Kong, eager to prove his earlier proposal had been unfairly rejected, decided to do the same.

"Watch and learn!" Kong declared.

He took two containers, hurried around the first turn, and stumbled when one handle slipped from his grip.

One container tipped.

A generous wave of spring water landed directly on Sun’s head.

Sun froze.

Water trickled down his face, dripped from his nose, and ran off his chin.

Kong slowly lowered the remaining container.

"I can explain."

Melo leaned toward Athy and whispered, "A warrior’s greatest enemy: a bucket."

Athy nodded solemnly. "A formidable opponent. It strikes without warning and leaves no survivors."

Sun wiped his face.

"Kong."

"Yes?"

"Run."

Kong ran.

Fortunately, Professor Scolding intervened before the chase could become a second competition. Sun was ordered to return to his assigned position, Kong was told to carry only one container, and the rest of the teams were reminded that the contest involved water delivery rather than revenge.

Arthur’s team won by a comfortable margin. Their careful handoffs prevented unnecessary spills, while Luna’s team came a close second after the villagers developed a rhythm of their own.

The villagers cheered when Athena announced their score. Luna clapped along, visibly pleased that they were participating instead of merely watching from the sidelines.

Arthur gave her a nod.

She returned it with a small, satisfied smile.

The Hidden Spring Tokens

By late morning, the professors had prepared the final game.

They had placed several marked tokens along the safe outer paths around the basin. Each token bore a simple symbol, and participants had to locate them without entering restricted areas or disturbing the ancient roots.

"This is an observation challenge," Professor Roland explained. "The tokens are all within the marked paths. Anyone who leaves those paths is disqualified. Do not touch the old carvings unless instructed."

"And no digging," Scolding added, looking pointedly at Kong.

Kong looked offended. "I wasn’t going to dig."

"You asked whether the spring contained buried treasure."

"That was a reasonable question!"

The teams spread out.

Athy quickly noticed that several tokens were positioned near changes in the surrounding vegetation. The plants grew more densely where warm water flowed beneath the stones, and the token locations seemed to follow the same pattern.

"They aren’t placed randomly," she told Athena. "Look at the moss along the edges. Each token is near a point where the water changes direction."

Athena examined the arrangement and checked it against the markings she had recorded the previous evening.

"You’re right. The placement follows the same general pattern as the mana circulation around the largest pool."

"So either the professors are very clever," Athy said, "or they want us to discover something."

A short distance away, Athena found a token tucked beside a low stone marker. Its carving resembled a branching line with three smaller marks extending from it.

Luna stopped when she saw it.

"I know that symbol."

Arthur turned toward her. "From your grandfather’s records?"

"I think so. He used similar marks when he mapped the old root pathways. I can’t be certain without seeing the original records, but this looks familiar."

She carefully examined the stone without touching it.

"This marker might be older than the village’s current paths."

Athena wrote down the location. "We’ll compare it with the records when we return. For now, let’s finish the game without disturbing anything."

The competition continued, drawing more laughter as the teams searched the paths. Even Professor Roland joined in after Scolding accused him of placing one token too obviously.

"I placed it where anyone with functioning eyes could find it," Roland protested.

"And yet you hid yours behind a bush."

"A very educational bush."

Vedas discovered a token beside a dry rock ledge and handed it to Athena without comment.

Melo narrowed her eyes. "You’re suspiciously good at this."

"I looked at the ground."

"An advanced technique."

"It works surprisingly well."

By the final round, only one token remained. Luna’s team had found most of theirs, but Arthur spotted the last token near a bend in the path. He noticed Luna looking toward the wrong side of the marker.

He was about to point it out when she turned and caught him watching.

"You saw it already, didn’t you?"

Arthur paused. "Maybe."

"And you were about to tell me where to look."

"I was considering offering a helpful suggestion."

"Don’t patronize me."

"I wasn’t."

"You looked at the token before you told me where to search."

Arthur held her gaze for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. Next round, no hints."

"Good."

Luna found the token herself, following the water’s direction until she spotted its edge beneath a broad leaf. Her team won the final round, and she raised the token triumphantly.

Arthur applauded with the others.

The smile Luna gave him afterward was small but genuine. She didn’t need him to make things easy for her. She wanted the chance to succeed on her own.

The Channel Beneath the Pool

As the contestants gathered to return the tokens, Kong noticed that one of them had a different symbol carved into its face.

"Hey, this one looks strange."

Athena approached and inspected it. "That’s not one of the markings we used for the game."

The token had been found beside an old stone channel at the edge of a small side pool. Its underside bore the same branching symbol Luna had recognized earlier.

Professor Scolding took it from Athena and compared it with the shallow recess in the channel’s stonework.

"Don’t insert it yet," he warned. "We need to understand what we’re looking at."

Athena crouched beside the channel, studying the carved lines. "The token may belong here. The markings match, and the channel points toward the larger pool."

"May," Vedas repeated. "An important word."

"I’m aware."

After checking the area for obvious hazards, Scolding allowed Athena to place the token into the recess while the others stood well back.

It fitted perfectly.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then the branching lines lit up with a soft golden glow.

A low rumble rolled beneath their feet. The water in the side pool began to drain, not violently but in a steady spiral, exposing a narrow stone opening that had been concealed beneath the surface.

Kong leaned forward.

"Does this mean there’s another pool?"

Vedas looked at Arthur.

"Do not say it."

Arthur’s grin widened. "I wasn’t going to say anything."

Melo folded her arms. "That is somehow more suspicious."

Sun stepped forward, trying to recover some dignity after his earlier defeat. "Whatever lies beyond, we must approach it with courage and discipline."

"You fell into a shallow pool this morning," Mithra reminded him.

"That has no bearing on my courage."

"It has considerable bearing on your discipline."

Professor Scolding raised a hand before the argument could continue. "Everyone stays back. No one enters that opening."

Professor Roland examined the exposed stonework from the safe edge while Athena recorded the changing light. The channel appeared intact, and the water was flowing through a constructed passage rather than disappearing into a collapse. Still, neither professor was willing to declare the route safe without a closer inspection.

Luna watched the golden markings fade to a faint glow.

"The same kind of pattern appeared in my grandfather’s records," she murmured. "If this is connected to the southern root network, then the passage may have been built for a reason."

Athy looked toward the enormous roots arching above the largest pool. "And if the markings are part of the same system Athena found yesterday, this might explain why the mana circulation follows such a deliberate pattern."

Athena nodded, already thinking through the possibilities. "We should compare the channel with the outer markings before we decide what it does."

Scolding finally straightened.

"The opening appears stable from what we can see, but that isn’t the same as being safe to enter. We’ll finish the games, secure the area, and conduct a proper inspection later today. Until then, nobody goes near the opening."

Kong stared into the passage with an expression of profound disappointment.

"So we found another pool, but we can’t use it yet?"

"You found a potentially significant structure," Vedas corrected.

"Can a potentially significant structure be warm?"

"No."

"Then I remain disappointed."

Arthur laughed as Star bounced excitedly on his shoulder, following the faint golden light with curious little movements.

The games had begun as a way to escape boredom. Now they had uncovered something that might connect the hot springs to the ancient network beneath Luna’s homeland.

Arthur looked toward the dark passage.

Their relaxing expedition had just become interesting again.