"Brother, sorry to bother you."
He said to the stone:
"A few days ago, an old man ran past here. Do you know which direction he came from?"
The stone did not respond.
[Nameless Pebble: Favorability 0 (Stranger)]
[It doesn't want to talk to you.]
Hikaru didn't give up.
He poured a little water from his canteen and gave the stone a bath.
Then he found a sunny spot for it and placed it down carefully.
"That feels much better, right? If you have any news, let me know. I'll come see you again if I get the chance."
[Nameless Pebble: Favorability +1]
[Current Favorability: 1 (Goodwill)]
[It thinks you're an okay person, but it really hasn't seen any big bones.]
[However, it tells you: That old man was running very fast at the time, coming from that mountain path to the east.]
Hikaru stood up and clapped his hands.
"East, down the mountain path—that's where he came from."
Kikyo looked at him.
"The stone spoke again?"
"Yeah."
"..."
Kikyo was silent for two seconds.
"This ability of yours,"
She said.
"Is very strange."
"But, it's also very useful."
Does that count as a compliment?
Hikaru smiled.
"Then let's keep looking."
He stepped forward towards the east.
"Hiraikotsu is so big, it can't just vanish into thin air. It must have been dropped somewhere on the road."
Kikyo followed behind him.
The two walked down the mountain path.
Along the way, Hikaru stopped from time to time to chat with a stone or a tree root.
He didn't farm much favorability, but he gathered quite a bit of information.
[A stone indicates the old man ran that way.]
[A pine tree indicates a giant centipede was chasing him.]
[There was a fight over there; the ground is covered in blood.]
A complete route gradually became clear.
Although there was still no news of Hiraikotsu's whereabouts, they at least had a direction to search in.
"Could it have been picked up by a demon?"
Hikaru asked.
Kikyo frowned.
"It's possible."
"Hiraikotsu is a weapon made from demon bones. To demons, it's also a kind of supplement. If discovered by a powerful demon, it's very likely to be swallowed."
Hikaru's heart sank.
If it really was eaten, then there was nothing to be done.
However—
"Maybe it hasn't been eaten yet."
He said: "After all, that thing sounds like it should be very hard. Digesting it would take some effort."
Kikyo glanced at him.
"You are very interested in Hiraikotsu?"
"It's a good item."
Hikaru didn't deny it: "Who wouldn't be interested in a weapon that can slay demons?"
Kikyo didn't ask further.
The two continued forward.
The sun gradually dipped towards the west.
They had already walked out of that mountainous area, and ahead was an open plain.
At the end of the plain, kitchen smoke could be faintly seen rising.
That was a human settlement.
"Let's find a place to stay there first,"
Kikyo said.
"And continue searching tomorrow."
Hikaru nodded.
They walked towards the direction of the smoke.
After walking for about half an hour,
A dilapidated village appeared before their eyes, even more run-down than Hikaru had expected.
The thatched roofs were incomplete, the earthen walls were full of cracks, and even the wooden fence at the village entrance was half-collapsed.
It looked as if it had been trampled by something.
"This place..." Hikaru frowned.
Something was not quite right.
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