"How's the Crystal Melting Zone?" the Scalearmor Lizard asked.
"Uh... when we came over just now, we only saw that the terrain was a bit broken..."
Before he could finish speaking, a rumbling sound came from behind.
Immediately afterwards, the beasts felt the passage they were in shake, and then pieces of rock fell from the rock walls.
They instinctively looked up, then their gaze followed the direction from which the sound came...
The Scalearmor Lizard also gazed in that direction, its eyes filled with despair.
Somewhere in the Erosion Zone.
The One-Horned Lizard lizard limped along the wide white avenue.
The road surface is made of large white stones, spanning several kilometers, and is very flat and open overall.
The One-Horned Lizard was a little curious, and subconsciously used a little more force when its paws landed.
The response was a footstep that immediately became somewhat muffled.
It grinned, about to try a few more times, when it immediately heard a detached voice from the side.
"Behave yourself!"
"Yes, Feather Owl!" The One-Horned Lizard lizard trembled and quickly looked at the figure who had spoken and replied.
It was a figure much larger than itself, with an eagle's head, wings, red feathers, sharp claws, and a human body...
Seeing that Feather Owl didn't seem to blame him, the One-Horned Lizard breathed a sigh of relief, but its gaze shifted and landed on Feather Owl Owl's other side.
There, a Yellow Hair- Calamity Beast with a barbed tail was coldly watching it, its eyes full of disdain.
"Damn it, that bastard! Just wait until I evolve, then you'll see how powerful I am!" the One-Horned Lizard thought angrily to itself.
The barbed Calamity Beast had no idea what it was thinking; it simply turned its gaze to the Feather Owl and asked:
" Feather Owl, which way does this road lead?"
Upon hearing this, the One-Horned Lizard instinctively looked up along the road.
The white path ascended along the massive mountainside and disappeared into the clouds that piled up along the way.
The One-Horned Lizard turned its head curiously to look at the Feather Owl, also wanting to know the answer to this question.
However, the two beasts were met only with indifferent words.
"This is none of your business. Just follow along!" Feather Owl said bluntly.
The barbed Calamity Beast paused for a moment, then looked away.
The One-Horned Lizard grinned slightly to the side.
Ha, you're getting about the same treatment as you!
The One-Horned Lizard was secretly delighted, but having just been scolded, it dared not say anything more and could only continue to follow beside it.
The three Calamity Beast continued their ascent upwards.
Soon, we passed through the clouds.
The One-Horned Lizard immediately looked upwards again.
However, it was this one glance that made it freeze in place.
This is a mountain peak tens of thousands of meters high.
However, at this moment, it seemed as if a section of the mountain peak had been cut off out of thin air.
In its place stands a white palace that appears to be a thousand meters high, supported by thick stone pillars.
The road continued upwards, leading to the location of the palace.
"Keep going!"
A reprimand rang out.
The One-Horned Lizard quickly came to its senses.
It glanced at the barbed Calamity Beast, which was just as dazed as itself, and then quickened its pace to catch up with the figure that had not stopped.
The three Calamity Beast continued upwards, encountering one Calamity Beast after another along the way, seemingly guarding the area.
Having learned from its previous experience, the One-Horned Lizard didn't ask any questions and silently followed.
After a long while, the three Calamity Beast finally stopped on the mountaintop.
The One-Horned Lizard looked ahead and saw a tall figure lying at the entrance of the palace.
It didn't go in; it just lay prone at the entrance, as if it wasn't qualified to go in.
The One-Horned Lizard remained silent and continued to follow the Feather Owl.
Soon, as the distance closed, an overwhelming feeling of insignificance welled up in the One-Horned Lizard's heart.
This feeling doesn't seem to be entirely due to the size of the palace; there's another inexplicable factor at play.
The closer you get, the stronger the feeling becomes.
The One-Horned Lizard could even feel the fluctuations of its own internal Origin Power.
It suppressed its discomfort, averted its gaze from the palace, and only then did it feel somewhat better.
Without saying another word, the One-Horned Lizard followed the One-Horned Lizard until it stopped in front of the palace.
" Lion King!"
Feather Owl knelt down, his forehead touching the ground, and respectfully called out.
Upon hearing this, the One-Horned Lizard and the barbed Calamity Beast followed suit, kneeling down with their foreheads touching the ground.
" Lion King!"
The figures that had been lying prone on the ground seemed to only then realize their arrival, and slowly opened their eyes.
Then, the One-Horned Lizard heard a few noises, seemingly the Lion King sitting up from the ground.
However, it dared not look and remained with its forehead pressed to the ground.
A majestic voice rang in my ears.
" The Eye of Earth Marrow you were in charge of has been destroyed?"
The Eye of Earth Marrow? That shouldn't be directed at me, right?... The One-Horned Lizard thought.
The next moment, it heard Feather Owl Owl's voice in its ear.
However, this time, the voice was different from the previous indifference; it was much more sincere.
"I apologize, Lion King Majesty, it was my mistake. I failed to properly arrange the defenses there while I was away. Please punish me!"
"The branch was killed, right?"
"Yes!"
Branches?... The One-Horned Lizard was somewhat puzzled, but it seemed that the figure of Lord Feather Owl beside it was closer to the ground.
"You should know what kind of branch that is, right?"
"I know, the branches of the Nordrassil seedlings."
Nordrassil seedlings?
The One-Horned Lizard listened intently. This was yet another thing it didn't know, but this time, unlike before, it could guess what it was from the name.
Promise? Oath? Law?
Deshir, what does "world" mean in the Common Language?
Nordrassil, the World Tree that bears oaths or upholds the laws?
The One-Horned Lizard was somewhat unsure and continued listening, but neither the Lion King nor the Feather Owl seemed inclined to delve deeper into the matter or offer any answers.
"Since you know, you should know what this means, right?"
"I know," Feather Owl, pressing his head even closer to the ground. "This means that the Eye of Earth Marrow cannot be repaired for quite some time."
Having said that, it did not hesitate and said:
"This is all my fault. I beg Lion King Majesty to grant me death!"
"Huh? This? Did you come here to die?" The One-Horned Lizard lizard's claws trembled uncontrollably.
It felt a cold gaze sweep over it, but dared not utter a word and could only continue to lie on the ground.
A deathly silence filled the space before the palace.
After a long while, that majestic voice finally rang out again.
"Alright, this has nothing to do with you. I approved the plan; you were just responsible for carrying it out. I just didn't expect..."
The Lion King slowly raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on the distance.
"How could those humans even think of going to your place...?"