Returning What Was Lent

In City of Silver, a team gathers at the city gate, ready to depart.

This is the team heading to Afternoon Town, preparing to explore the "Giant King’s Court".

The group was led by two elders: Elder Lovia, the "Shepherd," and Chief Colin Iliad.

As they finished regrouping, Elder Lovia, the "Shepherd," suddenly looked up as if sensing something. At the same time, Chief Colin Iliad drew the two greatswords from his back and shouted sharply, "Who!"

What appeared first were not human figures, but Frost climbing the ground. It grew rapidly and invaded the crowd from the ground, startling those at the front of the line into instinctively retreating and causing the formation to break up for no more than a second.

Then, the brief panic vanished, and as if they had rehearsed countless times, they orderly dispersed and retreated. But it was to no avail; the frost spread extremely quickly. They soon discovered that the frost seemed to have a mind of its own, spontaneously hooking onto Chief Colin Iliad, condensing a thin layer of white on the surface of his body and sword.

The Frost on the ground slowly receded and condensed, forming a line of text written in the Jotun: "Guess who I am?"

This actually relaxed Colin Iliad. He still held his sword, but seemed to have some idea about the visitor's identity, and tentatively asked, "Miss ' Pure White '?"

You got it right!

After the light, melodious girl's voice, the Frost receded like the tide, gathering on the ground before them into a white figure. Then, clothing and facial features were outlined on the figure, and vivid colors were added, and a person appeared.

She was still wearing the same white robe and pointed soft hat, her eyes reflecting a riot of colors. The only two differences were that her hat now had a blue-green feather Hat Ornament and a brass pendant with vertical diamonds hanging from her waist.

"Long time no see," she greeted with a smile.

Colin Iliad's gaze fell on Lovia. Lovia's pale gray eyes remained expressionless as she shook her head slightly, her long, slightly wavy silver-gray hair swaying with her movement.

Colin Iliad then looked at the young Derrick Berg, who was still a child and much easier to understand. Colin could see a clear sense of confusion in him, so he looked away and asked Neph, "What brings you here today?"

Neph reached out her hand, and a verdigris Cross appeared in her palm. Before Colin could examine it closely, she raised her hand, Cross flew through the air in a perfect arc before landing in Derrick's hand, which he instinctively reached out to catch.

Colin Iliad's unwavering gaze fell upon Derrick, causing Derrick to feel a strange sense of panic. He instinctively exerted force, and the spikes on the Cross pierced his hand. Then, the patina faded, revealing a soft, warm light.

The light spread outwards at a visible speed, reaching the surroundings and spreading in the somewhat dazed eyes of the crowd. It was incredibly bright, covering an area with no less than a shadow, but it did not hesitate. Lovia stared at the dry-shaped frame, and her eyes suddenly felt a little Sourness.

There was something about it that both evoked and made her uneasy. She didn't believe it was from the Purification light, so she looked at Neph and asked in a low voice, "What is that?"

Neph exhaled and replied, "When the Lord fell, a drop of His blood fell on the Cross He wore, forming this Cross."

The crowd's expressions changed instantly. Some of them had never seen this "Pure White" lady before, but after Chief Colin Iliad announced her name, they knew who she was. The food that Silver City ate daily was provided by her, and she was said to claim to be the Holy Spirit by the Lord's side.

Thus, it was self-evident who the "Master" she spoke of was. Upon suddenly hearing the news of the Master's fall, the members of the Exploration Team were horrified and began to discuss amongst themselves. Neph shook her head and continued, "I once used it to communicate with the Master of the past. After the conversation, I asked the Master where it should be sent, and the Master said I could handle it myself. That's why I thought of you all."

This is true, but the "Lord" in the statement does not only refer to the "True Creator," and even including Adam would not be entirely accurate, because she also asked Klein.

Klein had a very clear understanding of himself. When Neph brought it up, Klein told her, "Actually, given the circumstances, it should have belonged to you. It's just that you didn't take it. If you have other ideas about it, I have no objection."

So Neph brought it here, but this seemed somewhat puzzling to the members of the Exploration Team. One of them asked, "Didn't you say the Lord had fallen?"

"Yes," Neph said, "But I didn't say it couldn't be resurrected, did I?"

They looked at each other, no one spoke. Neph shrugged, then told Derrick, "It's called the Cross of Darkness. I actually think the name is pretty unoriginal, but the Lord didn't have any ideas for a name, and it was Mr. Fool who came up with it, so let's leave it at that. Although I think 'Relic' would actually be more fitting."

"Ahem, when you advance to Demigod status, you can come to me, and I'll shatter it for you. Of course, if you can get other Angel to help, I have no objection. Hmm—by the way..."

Neph stopped speaking, and with a slight lift of her hand, Derrick felt a flood of information being poured into her brain. Before she could examine it closely, Neph exhaled and said, "This is its effect."

The Fool's Name—A Relic of the Lord— Colin Iliad withdrew his gaze from the Cross and respectfully inquired, "What should we give in return?"

"Do you think you can get what I give you in return for something?" Neph retorted.

Colin Iliad fell silent. He knew it was true. The new food, though not a necessity, had undeniably changed the spirit of City of Silver, giving them more hope for survival and the outside world. The Cross was even more significant. The meaning behind these two items was something they simply couldn't afford.

But the equation can't be settled that way. Colin Iliad said respectfully, "We certainly can't afford the price of your gift, but please allow us to do our part to help you."

Neph thought for a moment and said, "You seem to have a Sealed Artifact called the Life Staff?"

Colin Iliad paused slightly, then nodded.

This is one of the Saint-level Sealed Artifact of City of Silver, ranking among the top four Saint-level Sealed Artifact that Colin Iliad most wanted to get rid of.

The "Life Staff's " core ability to Accelerated Growth is useless on this land. While its healing ability can be used, the mutation rate is too high, making it a losing proposition. They have more efficient alternatives. As for using mutations to attack Monster in the darkness? That's even more ridiculous. After all, those Monster are products of mutation and are not afraid of continuing to mutate. They might even become stronger through such mutations.

Chapter 40 Return

Therefore, in City of Silver, it was mostly a veritable "Sealed Artifact." Colin Iliad rarely took out this Sealed Artifact, so he seemed somewhat surprised that it was suddenly brought up now.

Neph shrugged slightly. She had heard about the "Life Staff"Life Staff from the story, of course, but she brought it up now because of Frank Lee.

She guessed that Adam wouldn't refuse her request for the Potion recipe; after all, the fact that he directly showed her the "Blasphemy Slate" was already quite telling, but the Beyonder Characteristic were a problem.

Beyonder Characteristic beyond Demigod are not easy to acquire and are mostly restricted by the Church. Although Neph was afraid of Frank's experiments, she was already Angel and did not mind if he advanced to Demigod.

The exact Sequence of the "Life Staff" is unknown, but it's either 4 or 3, so there's bound to be something he needs. Moreover, its Beyonder Characteristic that even if it's a mixed item, he can still extract half of the materials.

Observing that Neph showed no sign of backing down and confirming that she wasn't just saying it casually, Colin Iliad finally spoke, "As you wish."

But I am about to lead my team to explore the "Giant King’s Court"—

"Then let's talk about it when you get back," Neph waved her hand with a smile. "Oh, by the way, the Giant King’s Court— "

Neph smiled and reminded them, "When you see a long table with a group of people having a meeting, never read Exit the names of the attendees."

"Some of them have become God, and they were also participants in that blasphemous war, leaving behind a legacy of power and chaos on this land."

"When you utter these names, the corresponding power will respond to you, and then you will be punished by the gods."

"Speaking of which, Lord, may I ask your name—"

She raised her hand and traced a somewhat informal Cross on her chest. The sudden change of topic caught her off guard. Lovia looked up, her face showing astonishment and fear. Her body trembled slightly involuntarily. After a few breaths, she found herself surrounded by silence. The God who should have been watching all this was completely still.

"Alright," Neph withdrew her hand without any hesitation, "It seems you're unwilling to reveal it."

This was enough to leave everyone speechless; the Exploration Team members didn't even dare to breathe. Derrick kept his head down, a strange question flashing through his mind:

Perhaps Miss "Pure White" asked Mr. Fool's real name?

He certainly wouldn't dare ask, and even if he had the courage, he wouldn't. Such a question was too blasphemous, and clearly not Exit he could say without any psychological burden.

Only Colin Iliad remained relatively calm among the crowd. He spoke as if he hadn't heard the concluding remarks, "Thank you for reminding me. I will keep that in mind."

Neph thought for a moment, then reminded them, "I guess you'll be very excited then, and I'm not sure exactly how you'll conduct the experiment—well, I also need to remind you of something."

"The ocean that leads to the outside world is an illusion. Without permission, without blessing and protection, you cannot cross the ocean. You will only turn into bubbles under the setting sun and disappear into it."

"To reach the outside world, you must push open that door."

So, that's why...

"Even if you do see that sea and want to conduct experiments or try it out, please don't test it on real people."

"The Sea?" Colin Iliad repeated the name, his gaze fixed on Neph.

Neph gently closed her eyes, recalling the golden ocean, and whispered, "When the Lord fell, the last thing He saw became that ocean."

A suffocating feeling enveloped them, and for a moment no one spoke. Neph thought for a moment and then told them, "Alright, it's time to say goodbye."

She disappeared.

Colin Iliad stared at the spot where she had disappeared for a good ten seconds before finally speaking in a deep, powerful voice. "Let's go!"

Since making his decision, Klein has been creating paranormal legends in various places.

Hospitals were his top choice, as such places were often associated with ghost stories. While visiting and helping patients, he would leave behind ghost tales, which neither violated his principles nor hindered his role in the performance.

However, merely focusing on the hospitals in Backlund was not feasible, and even Loen could not cover everything. When Klein turned his gaze beyond the borders, apart from the various islands where pirates and Adventurer gathered, there was only the Southern Continent.

On this day, he appeared in the White Feather Square, a relatively familiar location on the Southern Continent, with Mesangers's mansion in front of him.

But this time was clearly different from his last visit. Klein gazed at the mansion ahead and was struck by a chilling stillness.

What happened? Klein frowned slightly, considering whether to go in and check on the situation. After all, the other party had purchased weapons from Dwayne Dantès, making him a kind of "partner."

Moreover, if he could encounter a formidable enemy, it would be a great opportunity to play the role. Klein had just done a self-assessment and believed that if he could play Saint- level Demigod as the protagonist and create a few terrifying legends, then his "Trickster's Potion" Potion would be almost fully digested.

Of course, everything is predicated on safety, and caution and care must be taken— Klein took out a Gold Coin while transforming the Marionette Qonas Kilgor into the appearance of Dwayne Dantès.

This time, he learned that there was no danger.

Strangely— Klein was not careless. He hid his own body in the well, while another Marionette Enuni, hid a kilometer away. Then he prepared several Rat in a more distant place before controlling Qonas Kilgor to approach the main gate of the mansion.

He activated the Vision of the Spirit Body Threads, and what he saw were chaotic, illusory black lines "growing," seemingly originating from different people, yet each carrying a distinctly similar "aura."

Normal "Spirit Body Threads" do not exist at all.

Is this because Heng has lost control—or mutated? Hmm, I remember someone, that Demigod Luca Rus from the Church of Knowledge, and Heng's relationship with Mesangers Messenger are...

Dwayne Dantès considered for a few seconds, then reached out his right hand and pushed open the front door that wasn't fully closed.