One Punch Man: Neutral Grounds

Chapter 178

"And...there...!" Zenchu said when he placed a shell piece in a top corner of the cavern. The cave system he and Garou were in was a bit deeper down so the chamber chosen couldn't be seen right away. "I want them to have tons of room to grow out in various angles without being approached too quickly from the entrance. We want the crystals 'discovered' by us in a month or two."

"Even the shells from your kids, right?" Garou asked when he wedged a piece into a deep crevice.

"Yep. Same with Starlight's shell," Zenchu nodded. "Of course, that's if they make crystals, too. I'm kinda hoping that Fire Flight still has a shell piece lying around somewhere. Deep Sea Prince said he'd have his people search underwater for us later."

"Garou?" he heard Lily's voice in the distance.

"Lily?! What?!" Garou blinked and found her rushing over to hug him. He noticed she was in a short blouse and skirt when she came over, and he found himself smiling at first before going back into worry mode.

"I'm sorry. I had Cold Snap bring me here. I just...really wanted to be with you..." she winced. He frowned and hugged her close.

"It's okay. Are you okay?" he asked and studied her. He placed a hand on her belly to see her blush and she nodded.

"I am now. I mean...I know you told me to stay home, but..." she frowned.

"Looks like I need to book it early," Garou sighed.

"Fuck that! Let her piggyback on you. There's nothing wrong with that," Zenchu nodded. "Or, hell, change your shape so she can ride on your back. Or something. Right?"

"Not that simple," Garou rolled his yellow eyes. "I can shift my main shape. I can't shift my ass into a horse's ass. For all that, you could turn into that big, cute kitty and let her ride your back..."

"Shut up," Zenchu said and got Lily snickering with laughter. "I will only let Wind Crane ride me in various ways. And I will carry Lady Mitsumi away if all hell breaks loose."

"I was also asked by Stable Rock to have you both go through three chambers east of us. So, it's not only because I missed Garou, but he wanted us to check something for him to get some feedback on a chamber," Lily smiled. Garou blinked and looked at Zenchu. The shadow monster nodded, flicked his tail and started to lead the others there.

The three of them moved into the requested chamber and paused at the sparkling, silvery waterfall spilling into a pool of crystal clear water. The walls and ceiling sparkled with thousands of faceted crystals and gems of all types. There was even light moss growing around the pool with tiny, fragrant white flowers all over. On looking into the pool, there were tiny, multi-faceted gems that shimmered along the small floor of the pool. All of it was mystical, enchanting and clearly enhanced the value of the mine in full.

"This place had to have been made for Lady Mitsumi," Zenchu said with awe. At Lily's nod, he looked at Garou with a raised brow.

"We're gonna have to keep a clear path to this room," Garou mused. He looked at Lily again and asked, "Seriously, though. Are you good?"

"I just started to really miss you," she frowned. He nodded and hugged her close to show he was there.

"Okay, I'll get the rest of the shells in place. Just stay here for a bit," Zenchu chuckled and shadow phased off.

"We were almost done here. I just wanted to find a nice gem before heading back. Want to help me with that?" Garou smiled.

"I could. But..." Lily mused and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I think...I found something better to do..."