Chapter 286 Trash And Treasure (1/2)
Arran looked at Karanos in astonishment ”Worthless rocks?”
He almost felt offended at the words His most prized possession was his starle one of the hills that surrounded them
To hear such treasure dismissed so casually caused him no small amount of shock If starmetal was mere trash, then his own possessions were little more than the trinkets of a child
But he knew that Karanos was neither bragging norhim From the matter-of-factly way in which the man had spoken, it was clear he considered it a simple truth And if that was the case, then thefar more valuable
”The people who built the city,” Arran began, ”ere they looking for, if not staraunt an to walk toward the far end of the cavern ”But first, where do you think starmetal comes from?”
”The remains of fallen stars?” Arran said in a hesitant voice
That hat the shopkeeper who had sold hiiven the story an to wonder whether it was just a tall tale
Yet Karanos nodded ”Burning rocks sometimes fall from the heavens,” he said ”Those are what people call fallen stars — though I doubt that they are actually stars Most of these rocks are unremarkable, but a rare few of thee, such rocks are the only source of starlance at the nu the look on his face
”Indeed,” Karanos said ”The rock that fell here must have been a trueAnd when it fell, its outerems and metals After that, the core must have lain buried for countless eons”
”Until the people who built the city came to mine it,” Arran said He wasn't certain whether he believed the story — much of it sounded quite far-fetched — but he certainly didn't have anything better to offer
”If they were indeed people,” Karanos said ”Which is so I have some doubts about But yes, eventually, they arrived and built thesefor starmetal, ere they after?” Arran asked
It was obvious that Karanos had spoken the truth about the star discarded as trash In just a few h the cavern, they had already passed hundreds of starmetal hills, spaced out evenly ide roads between thee replied ”It will be easier to explain once you have seen what lies at the center of this rock”
Arran responded with a hesitant nod Even though he was curious about their destination — and the treasures they would find there — he felt more concern than excitement While he did not believe Karanos intended hier ahead
They continued on through the cavern for over twothe way, each consisting of neatly piled stacks of starreatest treasury the world had ever seen — endless aold many thousands of times
And yet, with some bewilderment, he realized that the miners would have probably have destroyed the starmetal, had they been able to do so It was only because the h indestructible that they had chosen to pile it up where it could be ignored, instead
Finally, they reached the far end of a cavern, where a tunnel led deeper into the ground Although it was about fifty feet across, the vastness of the cavern before itwhen they stepped inside
The unease he felt about their surroundings was soon forgotten, however, when he realized that the tunnel's walls were made of pure star surface, curious just how the h the h,” Karanos replied when Arran asked him the matter ”We've now entered the core, and from here, it's just a few ht, as Arran had expected Rather, it wound its way through the star for no apparent reason
At a guess, Arran thought the h the thick layer of starh it had not been easy even for theh the impenetrable ed into a large, dark space
Karanos uided their way suddenly expanded in size, presenting Arran with a view that once o ith astonishment