Chapter 843 Four Pillars: Mind Games
"Man… now you're making it sound like I've gone on a long journey. It's only been half a day since I disappeared, no?"
Hearing Hal ask that question, Valyr let out a bit of laughter to lighten the mood as he looked at the two in detail.
With how the three of them were dead set on killing the feral humans to improve the authority within the Gates of Awakening, it went without saying that the two before him had done the same thing as well.
With that, the two looked haggard, if not a bit worse for wear.
Nevertheless, from the aura they were exuding, as well as the calm expressions that adorned their faces, the young man was certain that they were fine.
"Imagine heading to your tent to get some rest for the night, only to find out that one of the people in your group disappeared all of a sudden," said Hal in response to Valyr's words as he frowned.
"Of course, our initial thought was that you woke up early to fight against more of the feral humans to increase your authority," said Vera as she continued where Hal left off.
"But then we didn't find any of your traces in the vicinity whatsoever," Hal told Valyr after that, his face now containing a hint of concern. "So, we continued looking."
"We know that you're the strongest out of all of us, but there's so much that one person can do before even they begin faltering."
"In the end, after we scoured the center the entire morning to look for your whereabouts, we eventually returned to fighting against the feral humans."
"You might think we had no regard for you after doing that, but we could say the same for you leaving us out of nowhere." Vera shook her head as she looked at Valyr with concern. "In any case, we were more than sure that you wouldn't succumb to the feral humans. If anything, you'd just leave the inheritance if worst came to worst."
Listening to the two talk about how they scoured the entire center of the city ruins whilst he was attempting to obtain Azure Energy, it would be a lie if Valyr said that he didn't feel guilty.
"I apologize." With that, the young man profusely apologized to the two.
He apologized for the fact that he had basically led the two on a fruitless wild goose chase for him.
But at the same time, he also inwardly apologized to the two that he would have to continue keeping many things about the inheritance a secret from them.
Whether it was the denizens of Ecalos or his conversation with Vaughn regarding Hal and Vera's inability to enter the Gates of Transcendence, though he was certain that the two would react after he shared such information, he was also certain that they would forgive him for it.
Then again, he couldn't be sure if the same thing could be said once they all went their separate ways after the inheritance, considering that they all initially entered the inheritance as strangers.
If Valyr were to specify how deep their relationships went, then it would be that of comrades born out of necessity.
To survive the difficult quest that was the Four Pillars' Inheritance.
But of course, that wouldn't stop him from treating them like they were his good friends, especially with how well they've treated him so far.
As he thought about it a bit more, Valyr wondered if he was just being a bit too paranoid, thinking that the information he kept a secret would probably have no impact once it was shared back outside.
Yet at the same time, he also thought that there was the possibility of the shared information backfiring on him in the end, no matter how useless it seemed on the surface.
'Ignorance truly is bliss,' thought Valyr to himself as he looked at the duo clueless to the myriad thoughts ravaging his mind.
At that moment, it was only then did he realize that his perception of the world had already shifted so many times, all of it thanks to what he'd experienced in the inheritance thus far.
Inwardly taking in a deep breath to compose himself, he then asked the two as to how much progress they've made after they've decided to stop looking for him.
In response, Hal and Vera looked at Valyr with smug grins, letting what had transpired be bygones as they boasted their new authority levels.
However, not long after, their expressions turned glum as they told him that they'd received the quest they were waiting to receive after getting a high enough authority.
But rather than the quest giving them access to the Gates of Transcendence, the two instead obtained a quest that gave them an opportunity to enter a building within the Gates of Awakening called the Hall of Legends and Myths.
"The quest we received also told us that only one person could be chosen to enter the Gates of Transcendence and that they've already been picked." As Hal said these words, the scholar went silent for a bit as the gears in his mind began to turn.
"Don't tell me…" Feeling as if he'd put two and two together, he looked at the young man in front of him with a hint of surprise. "While we were looking for you, did you already enter the Gates of Transcendence?"
Hearing Hal's words, Valyr looked at him dumbfounded as the gears in his mind began to madly turn.
Then, with a hard shake of his head, the excuse he had come up with sprung into action.
"Pfft. As if."
After saying those words, Valyr explained that he had actually obtained the same quest as them, as well as an additional quest that he needed to complete if he wanted to enter the Gates of Transcendence.
With that, he showed them the original quest he had gotten from killing the feral humans that was almost complete, explaining that it was the part of the reason why they couldn't find him for the past half day.
Unsurprisingly, Hal and Vera eventually asked the young man as to who the quest was talking about when it mentioned The One Left Behind.
In response, he told them that it was an identity he had only come to know from entering the Hall of Legends and Myths, only to soon hype up the place to the two on how it contained a great number of inheritances they could inherit for themselves.
While on the topic of the inheritances, he showed them the braided energy he created that was the predecessor of his Azure Sign, causing the two to completely forget about their earlier question as they looked at the energy Valyr conjured in awe.
"Have you… have you tried this out on the feral humans yet?" asked Hal as he let out a slight exhale, sensing the great force contained within the energy.
Valyr shook his head in response. "I just came back, so I didn't have the chance to."
Hearing those words, Hal and Vera looked at each other for a bit before nodding.
"Wanna try it out while we come with you, then?" asked Vera as the two looked back at Valyr, their eyes faintly glistening in expectation.
In response, the young man looked at the two at a slight loss for words, only for a wide grin to adorn his face soon after.
"But of course."
"Prepare to be amazed."
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