Chapter 126: Another World

Klein Continent.

This is a wondrous world. From the sky, vast stretches of vibrant green spread out like a carpet, while towering mountain ranges curve like a crescent, dividing the entire landmass into three parts. The dazzling blue seas gently ripple, as if singing a hymn to life itself. This land has endured countless trials—wars and devastation. It has borne the wrath of demonic gods and faced the shadow of annihilation. Yet, when all was said and done, this continent remained brimming with vitality and vigor.

Before the passage of time, all things are but fleeting illusions.

Jaen closed the heavy tome before him, exhaling deeply. He turned his gaze toward the window. What met his eyes was no longer the dark, oppressive rock and stone walls of the Underworld. Outside, emerald leaves swayed gently in the breeze, and the night sky was bathed in soft, luminous moonlight that cast a serene tranquility over the land. From afar came the chirping of insects, blending harmoniously with the rustling of the leaves, composing an exquisitely beautiful nocturne.

Leaving the Valkyrie Principality proved easier than expected—the portal’s exit was located in a sparsely inhabited mountainous border region. For convenience, the principality stationed most of its troops deep within the Underworld. After all, the surface mountain areas were subject to drastic temperature changes between day and night, as well as harsh weather. Within the Underworld, temperatures remained constant, and thick rock layers shielded them from the elements. Thus, the principality’s forces were mostly stationed on the other side of the portal, leaving only a symbolic patrol at the surface exit to keep watch.

Under ordinary circumstances, this arrangement posed no issue. If trouble arose, Pend could immediately alert the patrol to contact the principality. But Jaen had outwitted those soldiers thoroughly—he dug a tunnel connecting to Brandon Stone City, luring the Valkyrie troops inside, only for them to be mercilessly cut down by the gray dwarves.

If that were all, it would have been one thing. But Jaen had the foresight to seal off their retreat with a secret door—a sophisticated trap born of the dungeon system. To the casual eye, it resembled an ordinary smooth stone wall, but only those linked to the dungeon could silently open it, revealing a passage. The Valkyrie soldiers were certainly not members of the dungeon system, so they found themselves trapped with no escape, slaughtered cleanly by the gray dwarves. Even the occasional escapee was doomed never to get far.

In truth, Jaen had not expected such smooth success. He had held onto the Statue of the Saint as a precaution, intending to summon the War God’s Temple as backup should the Valkyrie Principality cause trouble. Yet things had gone far better than anticipated. Pend had hurriedly assembled a large force to catch Jaen off guard but forgot to notify the rear. One misstep led to another; his soldiers were swiftly slain beneath the dwarves’ axes, while those outside remained clueless. When Jaen and his group emerged, the patrol mistook it for a routine shift change and were promptly overwhelmed by Lox and his paladins—no survivors remained, their bodies discarded to the wilderness to keep company with bears.

Having secured the Statue of the Saint, Lox had no intention of prolonging the conflict with the principality. With the War God’s Temple’s objective achieved, lingering within Valkyrie lands was unwise. Fortunately, the portal’s exit was in a remote border area. After passing through, Lox led everyone on a forced march. After a grueling day and night, they left Valkyrie territory behind and arrived at Cardiff, the neutral city in the northern wilderness. Even before this adventure, due to tense relations with Valkyrie, the War God’s Temple had relocated its headquarters here—a wise decision in hindsight.

Upon entering Cardiff, Jaen handed the Statue of the Saint to Lox and Archbishop Bosen, who had come to greet him. The two were naturally grateful and hurriedly returned to the temple to begin prayers. The mercenaries who had accompanied them were paid off and sent on their way—content with the spoils of battle against the Underworld’s foul creatures and the treasures unearthed beneath the earth. The temple’s generous payment left them thoroughly satisfied.

However, unlike the mercenaries who dispersed with their rewards, Jaen’s group had to bide their time. According to Archbishop Bosen, they first needed to return the statue to the temple, then report to the Holy Order, and only afterward could Jaen receive the noble title he sought. Thus, Jaen had no choice but to remain at an inn near the temple, waiting for these formalities to conclude—fortunately, he need not pay for his lodging.

No one knew how much longer those ceremonious charades would last.

Lost in thought, Jaen shifted his gaze toward the temple’s soaring tower. Since the statue’s recovery, everyone—including Archbishop Bosen and Paladin Commander Lox—had secluded themselves within the temple, supposedly to perform some ritual of communion with the gods. Although intrigued, Jaen ultimately chose to abstain. The entire affair felt suspicious, and if it truly involved the celestial deities of the Sky Kingdom, there was a risk they might discover his disguise during the ritual. Any unexpected complications would spell disaster. So Jaen resolved to keep a low profile and secure his gains first.

Yet…

Jaen turned his head and caught sight of Iris and Bix standing by the window, peering curiously outside. A mocking smile curled his lips.

Any ordinary person would believe that creatures who had escaped the Underworld would be enraptured by the surface world’s beauty—the warm sun, gentle night skies, clear streams, and verdant meadows, all of which the Underworld could never offer. Compared to the oppressive darkness and deathly atmosphere below, the surface was an entirely different realm. They would assume that simply escaping that dreadful Underworld was a victory in itself.

But in fact, before Jaen stood the true reactions of those born beneath the earth.

“Master, when are we going home? I want to go home…” Bix whimpered, clutching the windowsill with trembling hands, her pale face fixed on the sky beyond. A rope was tied around her waist, the other end secured to the bedside table. According to her, this was to prevent her from falling into the sky—she simply could not fathom how anyone could live in such an environment. There was no solid rock overhead; how did they not fear plummeting into the void, never to return?

It wasn’t only Bix. Iris, too, appeared equally despondent and forlorn. As a resident of Black Onyx Stone City, Iris had at least heard tales of the surface from her elders. As a perfect specimen of a dhampir, she was immune to the sunlight fears her father suffered. Yet she still dreaded the terrible great fireball that sailed the skies. Iris believed that this ball of flame must be held aloft by some powerful magic, and when it touched the earth, it burned everything in its path. The daily temperature shifts confounded her as well—how could the same fire that seared the land vanish, leaving the world bitterly cold? Such absurdities were unheard of in the Underworld. What baffled her most was that surface dwellers seemed indifferent to this danger. Did they never worry that one day the fireball would burn them and the earth to ashes?

Clearly, the romantic notions of surface bards were foolish. They presumed dark-dwelling monsters naturally yearned for light, freedom, and salvation. Yet no one considered that for Underworld natives, setting foot above ground was the beginning of unbearable torment—even for those not truly undead or afraid of sunlight.

Only Patilina maintained a composed expression. Like Jaen, she was not a native of the Underworld and had some experience with the surface world. Unlike these two, she was not trembling so badly she could barely remember her own name.

“Rest easy. We still have a long way before returning to the Underworld,” Jaen said with a cold snort, hearing Bix’s tearful plea. Since arriving on the surface, Iris and Bix had fallen into a silent panic. Thankfully, their fear of Jaen kept their emotions in check. Coupled with the forced march, no one suspected their odd behavior—otherwise, they might have been exposed long ago.

Jaen’s journey to the surface was no sightseeing trip. It was a necessary part of his plan. Yet he was still missing the final step—and that step…

“Boom—!”

Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, the darkened sky blazed brilliantly. Jaen looked up in surprise toward the source of the sound. From the heart of the War God’s Temple, a pillar of light soared heavenward, piercing the clouds. A powerful energy ripple radiated outward, causing the ground itself to tremble slightly.

Before long, the pillar vanished, dissolving into motes of light scattered in the air. At the same time, people emerged from their homes, gazing toward the temple in amazement, whispering among themselves.

But Jaen knew well: the time to leave this city was drawing ever nearer.

(To be continued.)