#1181 In Search of the Spirit King

Thus, we ended up taking on this massive crisis threatening the world.

We decided to seek out the Spirit King, supposedly the big villain behind all of this.

Spirits are beings that directly influence this world’s workings.
And at the head of all those spirits is the Spirit King.

Apparently, that transcendent being is somewhere in this world.

But where exactly are they?
How do we go about requesting an audience with them?

We have to start by figuring out the answers to those questions.

First off, I tried the simplest approach: I asked the earth spirits right here on the farm.

“Hey, so... where’s this Spirit King of yours?”
“Spi! Wit! King!!!”
“Yeahh!!!”

Er... yelling it like “Heave-ho!” doesn’t really help.

“The Spiwit King does not exist anywhere in this world.”
“And yet is evewywhere in this world!”

And they just have to go and get all riddle-like on me.
Then again, these are spirits; most of the time, I can’t even tell what they’re saying in the first place.

Seeing I’m getting nowhere, Sensei offers another idea.

“This is precisely when we should consult the gods, is it not?”

Ah, the gods!
Ever since I found out about the Spirit King, it’s made those gods even more suspicious, like... what are they even doing for this world?
But they do call themselves the world’s admins, so maybe they’ll at least help us when things get serious!

We wasted no time—I asked Sensei to open a dialogue with them.

“Summoning! Nyam-nyam-nyam!”

As usual, Sensei’s incantation is as random as ever.

And that’s how we summoned Hades, God of the Underworld.

“Gwooooaaahh! At such a moment, thou summonest me? Mine own turn should not come until the next of the next of the next, and yet...!”

For some reason, Hades is in total chaos the moment he showed up.
Were you in the middle of something?

“My yearly revenues stand upon the brink, yet I alone might still emerge uppermost! Had I but a little more time to fasten yon King Bomby upon that knave Odin...!  But lo, if the Saint summoneth me, I must obey. Pray, keep thy business short; if it be a meal thou requirest, I shall bolt it in haste!!!”

We didn’t summon you for dinner.
You gods, always letting your desires run the show...

Anyway, I tell him the reason we summoned him as fast as we could.

“Come again? The Spirit King?”

Hades looks surprised, like I caught him off guard...

“That fellow, eh? The Spirit King lieth altogether outside our jurisdiction, though we be alike transcendent. I hold no direct line unto him... Nay, ’tis not that he loathes us gods, verily.”

Hearing him insist that so much only makes me more suspicious, but okay.

“Better to seek counsel of his own kindred than of us. Thou possess mine own blessing, whereby ye commune with the spirits, dost thou not?”

Sure, we went straight to the earth spirits first thing, but it was a bust...

“Spiwit King maaappingggg!!!”
“Spirit King oceeean vieeew!”

As you can see.

Watching their exchange, Hades speaks:

“Earth spirits alone make not a full company. Spirits art the very numina of all creation, as countless in hue as nature’s own faces. If thou wouldst stand before the Spirit King, the lord of all spirits, then to parley solely with earth spirits sufficeth not, nay?”

He’s not wrong.
There’s some good in his advice after all. Kinda like a divine revelation, in a way.

“Therefore, press the spirits further, and leave me to mine own strife! Woooooorgh!  Every holding in Atami shall be mine, I swear!”

And with that dramatic scream, Hades disappears back to the divine realm.

So we’re back to asking spirits, huh?
But we’ve already confirmed that our beloved little earth spirits aren’t gonna be much help...

“Spiwit pyoi!”
“Zukyun dokyun, wun fowth spiwit!”

Yup, that’s the situation.

But Hades said it himself.
Earth spirits are only one part of nature’s grand design. They’re not enough to lead us all the way to the Spirit King, who rules over every spirit.

“From ancient times, it’s been said there are four prime elements that describe the nature of the world.”

So says Sensei.
Oh, you mean that chant! Rin, Pyo, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!

“That’s a different system.”

Right. Earth, water, fire, and wind!
In games, the elemental spirits always come as a set of four!

Our own earth spirits obviously fall under the earth element!

And who says the earth element is lame?!
The bounty of the land is absolutely vital for us humans!!!

“So that means we need to figure out some way to communicate with the other three elements?”

Fire, water, and wind.
If we can gather clues from each of those spirits, piece them all together, we might finally discover the Spirit King’s location, or at least how to reach them.

Just like a quest in a game!
Quest Start!

And on that note, we’ve already cleared one of the four conditions. That’s actually a decent start!

“Indeed, we already have a line of communication with one of the four.”
“Wecipwocal communication!” “Because earth is all about communicating with nature!”

So, how do we talk to the rest?

I mean, is there a chance they’ll show up physically like the earth spirits? Maybe we can use the leftover weird blessing Hades left here or something.

“This land is indeed special thanks to Hades’s divine blessing, but because it’s originally power from an earth-based god, it’s less effective on other elements. That doesn’t mean it’s useless. The area’s still more receptive to hearing spirits’ voices than most places.”

Huh.
So, there is a possibility.
And all we can do is try different ways to reach out to the other elements!

I turn to Sensei for more ideas.

“In order for humans to communicate with spirits, their hearts must be close to nature. Only with a shared mindset can you truly connect.”

A heart close to nature, huh...
So basically, “La la la, la la la laaan,” that kind of Ghibli vibe?
I’m not sure if anyone here at the farm qualifies...

“I volunteer! I’ll do it!!!”

Whoa, where’d that come from?!

Oh, it’s Aileron, the elf.

Weren’t you done with work for the day?

“Having a heart in tune with nature is exactly what elves are all about! We live among the forests, side by side with the natural world. We’re practically the definition of communing with nature!!!”

That may be true of elves in general, but didn't you use to be a thief?
You lived in the city, an urban elf through and through.

Are you sure you can really talk to nature?

“I’m telling you, it’s fine! We’ve been on this farm for ages now, constantly working the land. By now, I’m probably more nature-savvy than most full-time forest elves!!!”

But normal elves have been in the forest literally from birth, you know...

“There’s another problem,” Sensei points out. “It’s correct that elves, as forest dwellers, are closer to nature than most. That part makes sense.”
“See, Sensei knows what he’s talking about!”
“But if we analyze it further, elves are intimately connected to forests, which in the four-element system still leans toward earth.”

Exactly.
The forest grows on top of the earth and thrives on its nutrients.

The closest attribute to the elves living in the forest is the earth attribute.
As for the earth element in question, well...

“Gwound attwiiiibute is not just for show!”
“Wet the earth be tested!”

They’re already physically manifest. No need to jump through hoops to talk to them at this point...

...So, that’s basically a nonstarter...!

“I-It’s fine! We elves are ecologically minded! If we really concentrate, I’m sure we can talk to water and wind spirits too! We’re one with nature, after all!!!”

Aileron then starts chanting dramatically.

“Fwooooooohhhh! O spirits of nature, commune with meeeee!!!”

That level of intensity sounds more like you’re about to contact some ancient evil god, but okay...

Still, Aileron's earnest feelings must have worked.
Because suddenly, something started forming—a mass of energy congealing into a solid shape.

Something is appearing before our eyes.

“That would be the fire spirit.”
“Huh?”