"Why are you so slow?! It's been days and still no result!"
With her consciousness returning, Alwyn heard the not-so-silent conversation from two individuals near her. The first speaker was a woman and by the tone of her voice, her standing in this world was high.
Alwyn could vividly remember that she was captured by a bunch of Rank 2 Transcendents. Something she hadn't expected. The Battle Array the denizens of this world used to her was also something she hadn't experienced before.
If not for that, as a veteran Exalted of the Dafirae Tribe, she wouldn't let herself be caught in their trap when her enemies were sufficiently weaker than her.
And as her memories continued to return, she remembered how she was put in this dungeon. At first, she was being asked about her origin and her purpose but even if she answered truthfully, what came next was a beating that could only be comparable to that time when she was still being trained.
A few seconds later, Alwyn opened her eyes in difficulty to see what state she was in. As she expected, her limbs were restricted by Energy Restricting Equipment.
Even if she wanted to channel her Source Energy, they're frozen inside her. Moreover, the materials used for the restricting equipment were so tough that even the Strength and Endurance stat of a Rank 3 Transcendent couldn't break. Or it would need more than just a little effort to break through it but considering the pain her body was feeling, she's bruised and battered to the point that it would need a few days for her whole body to heal up
Other than that, Alwyn wasn't feeling anything.
The Necklace Daisuke gave her which contained most of her belongings was gone. What she's wearing was also reduced to tatters.
Fortunately, she wasn't violated in any way.
Alwyn knew that she was at the mercy of this world's denizens. But one question was running in her mind, 'What do they want from me?'
"No, my queen. I'm afraid she's telling the truth. There's no indication that she's from the Invasive World that attacked us before." The man with a scuffed voice answered.
Although there's only a faint light illuminating this dark dungeon, Alwyn could make out the silhouette of the two. One was a bulky and tall man that even if he appeared to be kneeling in front of the woman, he's still taller than her. As for the woman, her body build was too thin and the gown covering her body was tied too tight on her waist resulting in her silhouette looking like a bundle of sticks, squeezed tightly.
"What no indication?! Squeeze her for information! Torture her if possible! We cannot afford another invasion at this time!" the woman addressed the queen frantically shouted.
Even if the man wanted to argue, he was left tongue-tied and was forced to agree with it.
'Queen and a subordinate. This world is being run by a monarch? Or is this just one of the countries?' Alwyn took in all the information she gathered.
Even if the Dark World was ruled by tribes and the Great Ones, she was well-informed about different types of governments given that they were an invasive world and they were regularly attacked by Transcendent Worlds.
Because she decided not to meddle with the denizens of this world, she didn't bother to check the power structure of this world.
And she knew... that's an error on her part. No matter what, she's an Exalted. Someone who could directly be called by a Great One. She got careless and somehow influenced by her emotions. Due to that, she ended up in this situation.
After observing her surroundings and keenly listening to their conversation, Alwyn watched as the woman left the place, leaving the man behind.
From her observation, the woman wasn't being revered but due to unknown circumstances, the man could only do her bidding.
She also didn't appear to be a strong Transcendent to command awe and respect from the man that in her estimate was just someone close to reaching Rank 3 Transcendent.
It all seemed forced. And couple that with her nagging to the man, his sigh was born out of frustration of why he had to obey her when he was the stronger one.
'I have to think of a way to leave this place. Even if Daisuke received my message, he's far away from here...' Alwyn thought as her mind began thinking a way out of the situation. Even if she couldn't use her Source Energy, her mouth wasn't restricted from talking.
In her experience, words could also be a great weapon.
"Do this, do that. What the hell?! Does she want me to fabricate a lie when this woman really knew nothing about anything they're worried about? Should I begin my journey outside this world?"
The frustrated voice of the man filled the dark dungeon as he slowly returned to Alwyn's side. And upon seeing her eyes opened, the man was only a little surprised. "You're awake? You possibly heard that, huh?... I knew you're not someone from that world and you're possibly just passing by. But I have no choice but to produce a result."
As he said that, he went to some corner to pick up tools that he would use to fabricate a truth that would satisfy that woman.
Whatever he was planning to do, Alwyn was sure that it wouldn't do her any good.
That's why before he returned, Alwyn opened her mouth. Her slight chance to escape her predicament lied on this.
"Is she stronger than you? Even if I'm restrained here, I can see that she's no more than an ordinary Transcendent. Are you fine being ruled by someone weaker than you?"
In every world she encountered, Alwyn had always observed that the absolute law of the land was... the strong ones would always command the highest authority while those below them would obey them.
If that's not the case here then there's something wrong in their society.
"What do you know? You're just a foreigner. She's the Heavenly Mistress of our world. The World's Will favors her." Still bearing the frustration in his voice, the man answered.
"That's correct. I'm a foreigner. And I tell you... being ruled by those weaker than you is not just humiliating. It's also idiotic. Capturing a foreigner with unknown origins. You should've killed me from the start."
Not commenting about what she heard about the identity of that woman, Alwyn began to corrupt this Transcendent's mind.
Although she deemed that information important, it wouldn't help her at all.
Someone favored by the World's Will was something of a foreign concept for her. But upon remembering the World's Will that pulled her down to this world, Alwyn had to think about getting out first before confronting someone with that kind of special status.
"What do you mean?" Curious about what she said, the man stopped and hurriedly returned in front of her cell.
"You're all clueless, aren't you? You tortured me but you never thought about something. Let me tell you, in less than a day from now, those following me will be able to track me in this world. My Space Vessel has a tracker and it always sends a log of my current coordinates every hour. It shows that you lot still haven't ventured out of your comfort zone." Alwyn put on a mocking expression before smirking towards the man.
"You... Don't bluff. We didn't find anything from your Space Vessel."
"I have more than one. Inside the Necklace you confiscated." And to seal the fear in his mind, Alwyn confidently declared even if she knew that her pursuers might be the one to reach this world rather than her savior, "I only thought of passing by here but you guys recklessly captured me. You know how strong I am without these cuffs. If I chose to become hostile to you, those who chased after me wouldn't be alive right now."
Upon hearing that, the man who was just frustrated stopped in place and began shaking. Whatever was going on in his mind, Alwyn was sure that her words were working. At least.
'I need to leave and reach that place, Great One Illiana entrusted the task to me... I can't fail her." Alwyn thought as her devotion towards Illiana was still high.
She was aware that waiting for Daisuke was also something she couldn't expect when that guy didn't even know which World Zone this Transcendent World was located. At the moment, she could only rely on herself to escape and continue on her journey
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