Reincarnated With A Glitched System: Why Is My MP Not Running Out?-Chapter 1618: A Conversation With People From Ancient Times
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Ephiatta's parents were truly works of art, they were simply beautiful. Despite being five hundred years old, they looked so young, their skin was silky and shiny, and their shells much bigger than their child, with several shiny jewels growing everywhere, beautifully decorated. This ability to live for hundreds of years without being affected by time elevated them to the level of long-lived elves, even more with their shells which powered them with great magical and spiritual power.
Shade and Nepheline also quickly noticed something; it seemed they sculpted their own jewels into different shapes. Yes, the jewels growing over their shells themselves! If the art, statues, and aesthetics of the entire city and the interior of their house wasn't clear enough, Molluskians seemed to be passionate about art, even their child had already painted three beautiful paintings, whose level of talent almost made them photo realistic.
However, it was quite clear their own bodies were like art as well, and the jewels growing out of their shells were treated as such. The father, who was slightly bulkier than the mother, and had a slightly more manly, handsome face with short tentacle hair, purple and black skin, and yellow eyes, had his shell's crystals shaped as fish swimming together in pairs.
And the mother, someone that seemed to have a large pair of breasts similar mammals did such as humans or elves, long tentacle hair, and a beautiful and graceful appearance, with yellow and green skin and pink eyes, had sculpted her shell's crystals into coral shapes.
Based on this, it seemed that once the Molluskians choose a gender their body appearance also changes, probably they're born "hermaphroditic" like various species of snails, and they chose a gender once they hit adulthood, Ephiatta had also mentioned they could go for both if they weren't sure, but they had yet to see someone that had both.
After glancing at Ephiatta's parents, Shade and Nepheline were left in awe due to the beauty of these people, looking at them was like looking at a beautiful piece of art with so many details everywhere you could stand there staring and admiring them for hours without end, seeking every little detail they had made their bodies into.
"It might be the first time we ever meet humans…"
"So please forgive us if we don't know much about your customs."
They seemed very friendly as well, as they apologized the moment they saw them because they didn't know how to treat humans and all…
"It's fine, you've been kind enough to invite us to your home, I think that's good enough," Nepheline said.
"I agree…" Shade said. "Thank you for your hospitality, and your child has been really kind with us, we feel already indebted."
"A-Ah, please, don't mind them, Ephiatta is still growing up and they like going everywhere making a fuss…" The mother muttered. "My name is Elmephie."
"And I am Submarinus," said the father. "We would like to know your names first…"
"I am Nepheline!"
"And I am Shade, nice to meet you."
"Shade and Nepheline, how unusual, those names must be from the humans then," nodded the mother. "It is our first time ever talking with your kind, so we are quite excited."
"Yes your appearances already are so surprising, your… those strands of cloth over your head are very beautiful, and your clothes as well! Let alone your physiques, how distinction you are of us!" the father said.
The two started ogling the heroes, moving around them while analyzing every single thing about them. Shade and Nepheline were instantly hit with a culture shock.
Anywhere else doing something like this would be deemed very rude, but it seemed Molluskians loved analyzing things and pointing out the beauty in that, which mostly revolved around looking and commenting on each other's physical features.
"A-Ah, I see…" Nepheline muttered, forcing a smile, her mouth twitching. "Are you done?"
"Oh!"
"Ah!"
The two quickly stepped back, as they glanced at the two heroes.
"W-We apologize, was that weird for you?"
"We didn't know…"
Shade and Nepheline smiled with a slight sigh.
"It's alright," said Shade. "Well, we wanted to talk about a few things, we're new here after all, if you would be so kind…"
"We will reward you with valuable materials and shiny objects if you could help us, we know that nothing is free out there," said Nepheline.
"Shiny objects? Perhaps from the surface?" the mother asked.
"Yes, yes, that," Shade nodded.
"Hmm, then it is a good offer!" said the father. "Although we would've done it anyways, thanks."
"We'll bring something to eat and drink, so please wait here!" the mother said. "Oh right, you have legs… I suppose you could sit on those small furniture pieces."
Shade and Nepheline glanced at what resembled large oval-shaped furniture made out of purple-colored corals.
They tried to sit down but the structure was too frail, they almost broke it.
"Let's just bring our own chairs…"
"Yeah…"
The two quickly summoned chairs out of their magic. Shade manifested a chair made of crystalized abyssal energy, resembling a chair made of black crystals. Meanwhile Nepheline summoned a small boulder and transformed it into a stone chair.
Once they sat down, Ephiatta and their parents came back, bringing snacks. The snacks themselves seemed to be dried and salted algae chips, and also some kind of beverage made out of algae, an algae tea that had a very citric, acid flavor, with a hint of sweetness.
They were surely unique!
"Very well, first of all we would like to ask you something first, how were you able to get here?" wondered Elmephie. "Our child said you came from stairs, right?"
"Yeah I saw them, the stairs were there, and they walked from them!" Ephiatta nodded, as she was eating algae chips.
"Yes we came from the stairs that led to the surface," explained Nepheline. "Were you not aware of them?"
"We've heard that there was a surface above us from some people, but about the stairs themselves, not at all…" Submarinus said.
"That's… weird," Nepheline muttered, rubbing her chin. "I have a question for you… Are you not aware your entire city is inside a dungeon right now?"
"Huh?"
"What's a dungeon?"
Neither of them had any idea what that word meant.
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