Death… And Me

Chapter 4476: Arrangements Concluded

Well, Rean didn’t actually need to hear very much. Sister Orb’s quest description had already given them a surprisingly detailed overview of what they could potentially find inside the Ancient Prison City of Woster. The only reason he kept asking questions was because he wanted to know how the Thousand-Script Race, a race originating from a Great Void, was connected to all of this.

”Try to tell me more about your race’s involvement,” Rean said. ”I’m much more interested in that part.”

Thery nodded before beginning his explanation.

-What we know comes from the records left behind by the ancestors of the Thousand-Script Race in the Glogau Great Void and our investigations here. Unfortunately, those records are incomplete. We know very little with certainty, but one thing is clear. Long ago, our race possessed connections to several locations within the Celestial Plane.-

He paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts.

-Due to the characteristics of our race, we were highly valued after ascension. You already know that experts who ascend from different places in the same Great Void will appear in completely different locations throughout the Celestial Plane, right?-

Rean obviously knew that. ”Yes. It is the same in my Vinx Great Void.”

-Good. Normally, the place of ascension depends on many factors, including the Great Void itself. However, our race is different. For reasons we still don’t understand, every member of the Thousand-Script Race ends up in the Natak Region Hub regardless of where they ascended from within our Glogau Great Void.-

Rean immediately understood the significance of that statement.

”That means the entire Great Void is connected to only one region?”

-Exactly,- Thery confirmed. -Two experts could ascend from opposite ends of the Glogau Great Void, separated by unimaginable distances, and they would still appear in the same place. We have spent countless generations trying to understand why that happens, and all of our investigations eventually pointed us toward this area of the Celestial Plane. More specifically, they led us to the ancient civilizations that once existed here and the arrays they left behind.-

Rean’s curiosity increased even further.

-I mentioned earlier that you wouldn’t find members of our race being born in the Celestial Plane unless two ascenders decided to have children here. However, our discoveries suggest something much more interesting. There is a possibility that our race did not originate in the Glogau Great Void at all. Instead, the Thousand-Script Race may have been born in the Celestial Plane itself before somehow making its way into the lower planes.-

Rean’s eyes widened slightly.

”Oh! In other words, your race may have originated here, only to flee to the Glogau Great Void later. That certainly would explain the connection.”

-That is our current theory,- Thery replied. -Of course, we still lack the evidence to prove it. However, throughout countless years of research, the name of the Ancient Prison City of Woster appeared repeatedly in fragments of ancient records. According to what little information remains, a considerable number of our ancestors were once imprisoned there. As for why they were imprisoned or what eventually happened to them, we still don’t know.-

Clasou crossed his arms.

-It is incredibly difficult to gather information about those ancient civilizations,- Clasou added. -Anything that wasn’t destroyed by time itself usually lies deep inside the Godly Creatures’ Territories. That’s why the exchange of information between regions is so important. Every newly charted area could reveal another fragment of history that would otherwise remain buried forever.-

Thery nodded in agreement.

-Precisely. Over the years, our region examined countless records gathered by explorers from different territories. Eventually, we even found another teleport array that should have been connected to Woster. Unfortunately, it was completely ruined by the passage of time. Even if it had remained somewhat repairable, our understanding of those ancient arrays is still far too limited for us to do such repairs.-

His expression then brightened considerably.

-You can imagine our surprise when Besgol transmitted information regarding the fortress your group discovered. More specifically, we were interested in the vacuum-sealed chamber that contained the teleportation array. According to everything we know, that array should still be functional. Even if some parts have deteriorated, they should still be within our ability to repair using adapted runes, much like the methods employed with the Sacred Relics themselves.-

”That’s certainly quite a story,” Rean admitted. The more he heard, the more convinced he became that Sister Orb had not created that quest by coincidence. Everything seemed to point toward the same destination.

Finally, he nodded.

”Very well. My group will accompany you.”

Thery’s eyes immediately lit up.

-We are deeply grateful, Friend Rean.-

”However,” Rean continued, his expression becoming much more serious, ”there are a few things that must be made perfectly clear from the beginning. The more cultivators travel together, the greater the disturbance they create. The deeper we venture into the Godly Creatures’ Territories, the more dangerous that problem becomes.”

He folded his arms as he spoke.

”If the situation becomes impossible to control, we will leave immediately. I understand that uncovering the truth about your race is extremely important to you, but my companions and I have our own objectives. We’ll do everything we reasonably can, but we won’t sacrifice ourselves for this mission.”

Rean left the remainder of his thoughts unspoken, but Thery was intelligent enough to understand exactly what he meant.

-Naturally,- the envoy answered. -This mission is important to my race, and we have no intention of asking you to risk yourselves for nothing. The elders of the Thousand-Script Race authorized me to offer compensation in the form of Godly Predator Crystals. Once we reach the fortress, your group will receive ten Godly Predator Crystals as payment for your assistance.-

Thery believed the offer to be extremely generous, and under ordinary circumstances, he would have been absolutely correct. The problem was that he had no idea the twins’ group had already consumed well over one hundred Godly Predator Crystals just to advance a single stage.

Clasou glanced at Rean, fully expecting him to reject the offer.

-Rean...-

”It’s fine,” Rean interrupted before Clasou could continue. He understood that the circumstances surrounding his group were unusual and that Thery’s payment was perfectly fair. There was no reason to create unnecessary difficulties for either of them.

”Ten Godly Predator Crystals it is. We accept.”

Thery appeared slightly confused by the exchange, but he quickly decided not to dwell on the matter.

-Excellent. In that case, I would like to depart tomorrow. To be honest, I’ve already spent two months waiting here. Friend Clasou was very reluctant to allow me to contact you while your group remained in seclusion.-

That was understandable. After everything the twins’ group had contributed to Besgol, nobody wished to disturb them unnecessarily.

”That’s fine by me,” Rean replied.

-There won’t be any problems on our side either,- Clasou added.

-Good. Then I’ll head toward Jufafner Country immediately. I look forward to meeting all of you tomorrow.-

The communication ended soon afterward, leaving Rean staring thoughtfully into the distance.

”Well then,” he said while turning toward Clasou, ”who exactly is going with us, Senior Clasou?”

Clasou opened his mouth before suddenly stopping.

-You’ll find out tomorrow... No, forget it. Who am I trying to fool? I have absolutely no idea. We’ll have a group assembled by then, though, so try not to worry too much about it.-

”Hahaha!” Rean laughed. ”Fair enough.”

A few moments later, the call finally came to an end. With everything already decided, all that remained was to wait for the following day and discover what kind of expedition Besgol intended to send toward the Ancient Prison City of Woster.

Meanwhile, the little fox sleeping on Rean’s shoulder yawned lazily, completely unaware that yet another troublesome journey was about to begin.