Upon meeting Gehrman Sparrow again, he discovered that there wasn’t much of a change to him. However, his every action had the indescribable air of a powerhouse, and the profundity he exuded left him apprehensive.
He slowly walked over with lantern in hand. When he saw Gehrman Sparrow, he deliberately probed, “The traces you left behind might not vanish for the next few centuries or even millennia.”
He was trying to confirm if the mountain’s collapse had anything to do with Gehrman Sparrow.
Klein shot a glance at the modified terrain as he released his grip on his top hat and smiled in a gentlemanly manner.
“The one who contributed the most in causing this damage was Sea King.”
He didn’t express his shock and surprise, nor did he dare to probe further. Instead, he asked, “Do you plan on heading to that primitive island now?”
“Of course,” Klein answered calmly.
It was late at night, a period when Dwayne Dantès was asleep. No one would disturb him, but he had to show himself once it was daytime.
Of course, to prevent any unexpected circumstances, Klein had summoned Arrodes to monitor the mirror illusion and provide a response.
Alger observed himself and discovered that he wasn’t able to obtain any mystical item in such a short span of time. He then took out an iron-black ring that protruded out like a thorn and wore it on his left thumb.
Bearing with the excruciating headache, he nodded slightly.
“I hope for a pleasant partnership.”
Then, he saw Gehrman Sparrow walk over with a stoic expression, reach out his hand, and grab his shoulder.
At that instant, Alger’s first reaction was that Gehrman Sparrow was attacking him. He instinctively wanted to turn to the side to dodge his attack, only to recall his previous guess. Amidst his racing thoughts, he withheld his subconscious reaction and allowed the crazy adventurer to place his palm on his left shoulder.
Right on the heels of that, he noticed Gehrman Sparrow’s left hand turn transparent as though it was bearing the shadows of the spirit world. Then, the blacks before his eyes grew darker, and the crimson moon turned brighter. All kinds of colors seemed to layer upon one another.
Countless nearly formless figures receded “backwards” as Alger tore through the spirit world with Gehrman Sparrow’s help.
This time, when he left the spirit world, he was in midair with undulating waves beneath him.
Although Alger had never worked with Gehrman Sparrow in actual combat before, the experienced him immediately created a spiraling wind and allowed them to float. It was a tacit display of teamwork.
Hence, the Teleportation triggered successfully once again as Alger’s and Gehrman Sparrow’s figures rapidly phased away.
When the surroundings were restored again, the two had arrived at the periphery of a gigantic island. There was a heavy mist in midair that the crimson moonlight was unable to fully penetrate. This not only failed to disperse the darkness in the forest and mountain, but it also added an eerie charm to it.
“We’re here,” Alger said as he looked around.
Klein wore an indifferent expression, but in fact, he was cautiously observing his surroundings. He found the place extremely quiet. There weren’t any birds tweeting, wolves howling, or bugs chirping. It exuded a deathly silence.
As though guessing his feelings, Alger raised the lantern and illuminated the shrubs ahead where there was a natural trail made up of beast-type footprints. He said, “If you come in the day, it will be quite a lively sight. You will even see birds that only exists in myths fly in the forest.
“But at night, the ‘power’ that rules this place will change. Many Beyonder creatures will hide as they await daybreak.”
Alger thought for two seconds and pointed ahead.
“If we follow this trail and enter the dark forest all the way to the end, we will arrive at that ancient ruins of unknown age.
“On the way, we can hunt the Beyonder creatures that we encounter and are able to deal with. If it’s killed independently, the corresponding ingredients will belong to the killer. Those we jointly killed will be held in your custody. When we leave this place, we can take turns to choose. We will determine the owner based on our contribution, to decide who has the priority to choose, as well as the number of priority choices.”
Instead of being in a rush to take action, he first made clear the route and the plan to split the loot. It was to prevent any conflict that would result from the exploration.
“No problem.”
Alger heaved a sigh of relief and continued, “Our main goal is to explore that ancient ruins. The spoils we obtain along the way are supplementary. Once we finish the exploration, it’s best we leave immediately without heading to the other zones or taking other paths.
“As for anything in the future, it’s up to you to decide when and where you would like to explore.”
Alger emphasized this matter because he was afraid of Gehrman Sparrow’s greed. After all, Beyonders were not perpetual machines. There was bound to be a point when they were exhausted. After a round of explorations, they were bound to be close to their limits. If they were to force themselves to hunt Beyonder creatures in other zones, perhaps the identities of hunter and prey would switch. Even if the crazy adventurer was very powerful and unafraid of such danger, to be in a state of drained spirituality would trigger signs of losing control.
The corners of Klein’s mouth curled as his expression turned darker in the darkness.
“When visiting someone’s place for the first time, overstaying would be impolite.”
“Let’s set off.”
Klein allowed his hands to naturally droop down as he walked beside Alger like he was on a hike.
The two quickly entered the dark forest that had nearly zero moonlight shining in. They saw that the trees were thick and tall with luxuriant leaves. Even the smallest trees were thicker than the span of a person’s arm.
And the trait they all had in common was that the bark appeared scaly. They were densely packed together as though they would come to life or squirm at any moment.
None of them spoke as they maintained a state of abnormal silence. They didn’t wish to say anything to eliminate the awkwardness just because it was too quiet.
As they walked, the duo saw the distribution of trees ahead turn sparser thanks to the lantern’s light.
A dull knocking sound echoed through the area. As Alger and Gehrman approached, it became clearer and more obvious.
When the duo entered the sparse area, the lantern’s light finally revealed hunched or prostrate figures.
Amongst these figures were humans, baboons, goats, and tigers. They were either holding rocks or using their claws and teeth to constantly burnish the stacked trees and rocks as though they were building a palace.
Without the obstruction from the luxuriant leaves, the crimson moonlight that penetrated the heavy mist cloaked these figures, dyeing them with a faint blood-red layer.
Suddenly, the figures seemed to sense something as they stopped their actions in unison before uniformly turning around to look at the two outsiders.
They either had pale faces, withered skin, or festering bodies. None of them looked alive.
At that moment, Alger, who had carefully observed for a while, hesitated for two seconds before suggesting, “I’ve never seen such a situation before. I’m not sure of the level of the Beyonder creature. Why don’t we circle around it and choose a target which we have more confidence in?”
His instincts told him that something extremely dangerous was hiding in the dark underground cave.
“Will this be impolite?”
Just as he said that, the land quaked as though a creature beneath them was rolling over in its bed!
