Mold Stains

Hana looked stunned. "Shells? Of course not. Why would a human body grow shells?"

Sifa said somewhat awkwardly, "When I was traveling at sea, I once came across a shipwreck. The people aboard had been contaminated by something, and shells grew on their bodies. Even after sea cockroaches hollowed out their heads, they could still think and speak."

"So when you mentioned something growing on your companion's body, that incident came to mind."

After hearing that, Hana said happily, "You really are someone with extensive experience. You can definitely help me."

Sifa did not respond. Smiling, he picked up a dessert and took a bite, nearly spitting it out.

It's fucking sweet!

Hana continued her story. "What grew on Jorik wasn't shells, but mold stains."

Sifa froze for a moment. "He stayed underground so long that his body grew mold?"

Before Hana could answer, he dismissed the idea himself. "That's obviously impossible. So he was contaminated?"

Hana shook her head. "I don't know either. But at the time, mold stains really did grow on Jorik's hand, just like mold growing on a damp wall. At first, Jorik didn't feel anything. Bert was the one who noticed it. In the beginning, we just thought he had gotten his hand dirty."

"But when we couldn't wipe away those damned mold stains and discovered that they could spread and grow, we knew this was no simple matter."

"Jorik was still fairly calm at the time. He immediately decided to leave the temple, and we agreed. Treasure was valuable, but what did any of it matter if we lost our lives?"

"But we had clearly already come out through the temple gates and were running through the passage leading to the surface. Yet when we saw light and thought the exit was within reach,