I Can't Come Back? I Don't Understand!

"I'll go alone."

"No!"

Cartethyia grabbed Rover.

"Only this way is there a chance of saving Imperator. I'm willing to take that gamble."

Rover's expression was resolute. He had already made up his mind, and no one could sway him.

"But this guy is our enemy. He definitely won't tell the truth. This so-called Gate of Truth might just be a trap, a road of no return!"

"And right now we have the absolute advantage. If you enter the circle yourself, you'll be handing him the initiative."

"How hurtful..."

Xiutake laughed from the sidelines. "Everything I've said is true. Edward III can vouch for me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a stone tablet rose behind him.

The Truth Stone.

It wasn't triggered.

His words just now had not been false.

"Even so, it's far too dangerous!"

Cartethyia gripped his wrist tightly, with no intention of letting go.

"When I first met you, I thought I was looking at a god. You were so powerful, selfless, and resolute. I always thought you could guide all living beings and lead us out of the Threnodian's cage..."

"But later I realized that you're not just a savior. You're one of us, too. You suffer, lose your way, and feel confused and afraid. That's why I want to protect you too, and share the burden on your shoulders."

"So you have no obligation to set foot alone on a road you can never come back from. Do you understand?"

"Never come back?"

Rover put away his sword and placed a hand on Cartethyia's wrist, gently freeing himself from her grip.

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

"I don't understand!"

At that moment, Cartethyia finally understood that all she could do was pray for this man and give him her blessing!

"You have to come back! Everyone is waiting for you!"

Rover nodded gently and stepped onto the Human Transmutation Circle.

"Hahaha... Such admirable courage. I take back what I said. You truly are an unquestionable savior. Good luck..."

Xiutake's face flushed red, his excitement at its peak.

"Cartethyia, protecting Rinascita is your responsibility. If I haven't returned within two hours, kill him, then raze this stronghold to the ground!"

In an instant, the smile vanished from Xiutake's face.

"Human Transmutation Circle, activate!"

Suddenly, the circle emitted a blinding light.

A gate abruptly opened beneath Rover's feet. Looking down, he saw a wide vertical pupil staring unblinkingly at him.

Immediately afterward, countless black hands reached out from the pupil and seized Rover's entire body.

"This feeling... I've never felt anything like it!"

Rover gritted his teeth. In an instant, he felt every inch of his body being analyzed and recorded. Then the data converged into a torrent of information that swept back into the Gate of Truth.

At the same time, his body was being broken down bit by bit, gradually turning into scattered motes of light that entered the gate.

"Righteous one!!"

Cartethyia cried out and reached for him, but in the space between them, nothing remained.

The gate closed, and Rover was gone!

"Hahaha... Someone capable of entering the Gate of Truth, one in a million, has finally appeared again. Now Father's great undertaking is about to be accomplished!"

Xiutake was like a madman, leaping and dancing in a frenzy.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Cartethyia raised her sword and pointed it at him, her gaze sharp.

"This has nothing to do with you anymore. I'm doing this for your own good too. Forget him. He's not coming back. Even if his body does return, he'll no longer be the person you knew!"

Xiutake abruptly regained his composure and stared at Cartethyia with a sinister expression.

"So you were playing tricks after all. I won't let you get away with this..."

Killing intent spilled out, making the space around them rustle.

"You won't let me get away with this? Hmph, it's me who won't let you get away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiutake's clothes burst apart and his body swelled rapidly. Then more than a hundred human faces and countless arms and legs emerged across his enormous body!

This was a fused monster, sinister and terrifying, with immense power contained within it!

"You're of no use anymore. Now it's time to take out the trash!"

Behind the Gate of Truth, Rover drifted with the current.

In an instant, a vast amount of information was forcibly poured into his mind, detailed and comprehensive.

Alchemy, the Philosopher’s Stone, human transmutation, knowledge...

The most fundamental law of alchemy was equivalent exchange.

Through different circles, existing matter was broken down, then reforged and transformed into other forms.

The entire process followed the law of conservation of mass!

Only one thing was an exception.

The Philosopher’s Stone was the ruby obtained after slaying the Fractsidus Overseer.

Using it as a foundation, one could create anything out of thin air through a specific circle.

The prerequisite was having the "knowledge" to construct everything!

Suddenly, alarm rose in his heart, and he reached into his clothes.

He took out the Philosopher’s Stone. It was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It's being consumed..."

Rover froze, recalling what Xiutake had just said.

To obtain knowledge, one had to pay a small "price."

That explained it.

He had just gained a vast amount of theoretical knowledge. Sure enough, it hadn't come free.

The Philosopher’s Stone could not only create all things, but also serve as the price for obtaining knowledge.

As he was thinking, the Philosopher’s Stone grew even smaller, and was about to be used up.

"If the Philosopher’s Stone is used up, what will be consumed next?"

A bad feeling welled up in his heart.

His instincts told him it was time to leave, but his feet remained rooted to the spot as he gazed into the distance.

He still hadn't found the knowledge to reforge Imperator's soul. He couldn't leave.

"So you noticed after all?"

A voice rang out abruptly amid the torrent of endless knowledge, sounding extraordinarily eerie.

"Who's there?!"

A snow-white human figure appeared before Rover. It had only an outline, with no facial features.

"Don't be nervous..."

"I am what you call the world, the universe, fate, and a god. I am also one, and all. And I am you!"

"Welcome, welcome, you fool who doesn't know his own limits!!"

As the words fell, the Philosopher’s Stone was completely consumed.

"Your external source of payment is insufficient. From now on, any knowledge you wish to obtain will consume The Yourself!"

Rover remained silent, simply staring at the figure.

"Haha... Very clever. You didn't ask a question, or the transaction would have been considered to have begun."

"I like you very much. I'll allow you to ask me three questions. I swear by truth, my promises are never false!"

Hearing this, Rover finally spoke.

"What kind of price will I pay?"