Death… And Me

Chapter 3613: Follow Me

The green-scaled man was taken aback. Could it be they knew where to go as well? Then, he looked a little behind and saw several shadows swimming underwater, quickly following the twins’ group. Those shadows stopped for a moment, looking at his boat, but they also ignored him and pressed forward. ”Demon Fishes?” He murmured for a moment.

How did the twins’ group know where to go? They didn’t! Rean was just following the flow of time power with his Light Element as he had always done since the start.

But then, not too far from where they found the boat and those experts, another portal appeared. This one was just above the water and had no one near it.

The twins’ group stopped, and soon, Hian and his Bettas came out of the water. ”Another portal?”

”Probably another dud,” Rean commented, throwing a Divine Stone into it.

*Zush!*

Yet, it didn’t get pulverized. It entered the portal straight away, disappearing inside like one would expect to happen in these portals.

”Hey, it is a real one!” Even Grititi couldn’t help but feel happy to see it.

Hian narrowed his eyes. ”Is it really safe? There might be some oth-”

He wasn’t able to finish his words. The twins’ group immediately ran towards it and jumped inside. Hian was finding it harder and harder to understand that group.

”So...” his companions asked again, ”should we follow?”

Hian gave up and nodded. ”Yeah, let’s just follow.”

Hian and the other nine Bettas also jumped inside the portal, being transported somewhere else. This time, they were really sent into a new region. It’s just that they didn’t expect what they would find as soon as they stepped out.

*Zush, zush, zush...*

They appeared on the top of a tower, joining many other beings on the grandstands. At the center, there was a stage, and a big Black and White bird came forward, spreading his wings. ”Are you with me?!”

*WOW!*

The bird repeated again.

”I didn’t listen! Are you with me?!”

*WWWOOOWWW!*

The crowd sheered, and the bird, a very familiar one, accepted their feelings. ”Then I, the Great Kentucky, shall bring you all into the new world!”

Hian’s mouth twitched. ”What the hell is all of this shit?!”

Yet, his companions followed suit. ”All hail the Great Kentucky!”

Hian felt a chill on his back. Nothing here made any sense. Kentucky entered the portal with the twins just a few seconds before his group did. Yet, now he seemed to have become some kind of king, and even his companions were now his subordinates somehow.

*Snap!*

Suddenly, he and his companions heard the sound of someone snapping his fingers. Immediately, everything around transformed. The grandstand disappeared, the Great Kentucky returned to being just Kentucky, and the scenery changed into a hazy yellow plantland.

”Ah!” His companions looked around, completely confused.

Hian, who hadn’t completely lost himself, noticed Rean right in front of him. ”This... what happened?”

”Oh, nothing much,” Rean answered, taking his hand off Hian’s shoulder. ”You just fell for these plants’ hallucination pollen.”

Kentucky quickly looked at Hian’s companions. ”So you liked me that much, uh? Perhaps I judged you wrongly. Don’t worry. The Great Kentucky is a merciful Great Demon Bird. Now, as your first duty as my new followers, you shall massage my wings. They feel a little sore after all the flight I did to watch the surroundings.”

”Go to hell!” Hian’s companions cursed and immediately got away from the Minokawa.

Hian was lost there. They somehow absorbed the polled of the countless yellow plants of this place, and that made them hallucinate pretty much instantly. Even he felt the urge to chant Great Kentucky for a moment, although he still retained a little of his control. Why haven’t Rean and his companions just killed them now? They were completely vulnerable! ”Why did you help us?”

Roan answered straight away. ”You answered my questions back in the first portal we found in the previous region, didn’t you? I hate owing favors. Now, if you let yourself be affected by the pollen again, don’t expect me to ask the idiot to wake you up.”

”Just... that?” Hian and his companions felt like that was far from enough of a reason. ”Don’t think we will give up on the Celestial Realm breakthrough just because of it.”

”Oh, we don’t give a fuck about the Celestial Realm breakthrough,” Rean commented, stepping away. ”The reason for our presence here lies elsewhere.”

Hian’s group wouldn’t just believe that, of course.

Well, that wasn’t entirely a lie. Sure, if they could find information about the Celestial Realm breakthrough, the twins’ group would take it. But above all, they only wanted to complete the system’s quest... and now find the Crystal Pods with Starlight Energy.

Hian looked at Royer. ”I’m surprised you allowed your subordinates to do that.”

Royer didn’t seem to mind. ”You got it wrong. I just don’t consider you to be a risk to me. Besides, if that makes my disciples happy, then so be it. We both know what mental demons can do to one’s cultivation, so I have to make sure they don’t get one.” One lie after another. He, too, felt like Roan’s actions were too naive. But then again, he didn’t have the right to choose here.

Grititi narrowed his eyes. Outsiders like Hian and his group haven’t noticed, but how could he not? The twins’ group played like Royer was their leader. And yet, it felt more and more like it was the white and black-haired young duo who really had the final say. He just couldn’t understand why a Peak Stage Divinity Realm Spirit like Royer would work for them and not the other way around. ’Could they actually be some big power young masters from the Divine Realm I don’t know about?’ Grititi wondered for a moment.

Royer turned around, looking at the expanse of yellow plants. The pollen of the various shaped flowers flew in the air, giving the entire area a yellowed color. Fortunately, he had been here before.

”I little piece of advice,” he spoke to Hian’s group. ”It is always good to have different races in the same group when exploring the Golden Palace. This pollen made all of you hallucinate, but to spirits like me and Elsie here, they are harmless. We are basically cores, after all. We don’t breathe like you do. Well, finding companions outside your race you can trust to such an extent might be hard, though.”

Celis’s interest was piqued. ’So you have been to this place?’ He asked through Divine Sense.

Royer nodded, smiling at the twins’ group and also using Divine Sense to answer. ’I’ve been to the Golden Palace a few times before, remember? There are a few clues inside the medallion about this region as well. In any case, at some point, we would have to enter a region I already knew about. Not only that, but I also know how to traverse it within a few days. Just follow me.’