Murphy set out at dawn, leaving the Locust Great Wall through a Starrealm portal operated by Tritan Logistics. He didn't alert the others stationed there; his departure made even less of a fuss than the Chaser as it crossed the wall and sailed toward the Gray Desert.
But that was exactly what Murphy wanted.
He didn't want to make a big scene at a time like this. He wanted to avoid Shani being affected by the blood pact, so she'd been assigned to accompany the Venerable One. Thus, the only ones leaving with him were two adorable girls, Triss and Adele, along with a select group of players.
There weren't many of them, only two thousand. The Gray Expedition had selected five thousand elites, but unfortunately, many veteran players had died in the brutal battle at Abyss City and would need another two days to revive.
The good news was that Murphy's special status allowed him to serve as a mobile "respawn point." In two days, those little nutjobs would be able to revive beside him and continue contributing to the great plan of the aspiring Creator.
"I say, couldn't you send us straight into the Eternal Rift?"
As the stream of light from the Starrealm portal faded and they landed, Murphy was still complaining.
"You old turtle have been getting cocky ever since you monopolized the continent's teleportation business. Now you're even taking advantage of your customers? Careful, I'll report you to your Celestial Venerable!"
"Your words make this old turtle's liver tremble, sir. How could I ever slight you, even if I did neglect everyone else?"
Tritan answered at once, as meek as could be.
"It's not that I'm being lazy. There's just been a strange psionic tide inside the Eternal Rift these past few days. It's completely