8mi Chapter 129 The Origin of Outsiders and the Completion of the Trade
Chapter 129 The Origin of Outsiders and the Completion of the Trade
Chapter 130 The Origin of Outsiders and the Completion of the Trade
The air inside the cave seemed to have suddenly dropped to freezing point, becoming so thick it was almost stagnant. Every breath was accompanied by a cold, sluggish sensation, pressing heavily on the chest.
Lilith and Hughes' expressions froze completely, the color draining from their faces like a receding tide, leaving only a deathly pallor of shock and disbelief.
Hick's question was too sharp, too deadly, like a poisoned ice pick, directly piercing their rules that forbade outsiders to pry into their lives, and even private conversations were considered a provocation!
"you----"
Hughes's voice was dry, like sandpaper rubbing against a rusty piece of iron, carrying obvious panic and a hint of anger at being deeply offended.
"Do you know what you're asking? This isn't something you can trade! This is—this is an absolute taboo!"
His voice unconsciously rose, and even cracked slightly with excitement.
Lilith's reaction was more intense and direct; the dangerous glint in her eyes almost materialized into sharp thorns.
The pink spiritual energy field surrounding her fluctuated violently and uncontrollably, emanating a sharp and intimidating aura that distorted the air around her: "Lord Hick! Some boundaries, once crossed, offer no turning back! Excessive curiosity can sometimes lead to unbearable destruction! This is not a threat, this is a warning!"
Inside the cave, the crimson light in Qaboos's eyes, hidden in the shadows, suddenly intensified, like two bloody lanterns that had been suddenly lit!
A heavy, mountain-like, and bone-chilling pressure of death surged toward Lilith and Hughes like an invisible tide, causing them to gasp for breath!
The protective force field around them hummed under the strain, forcing them to immediately mobilize most of their power to resist the terrifying oppressive feeling that seemed ready to burn them both to ashes at any moment.
Several ravens perched on the box also turned their heads silently in unison, their empty eye sockets "staring" at them. A tense sense of crisis filled the air, as if a devastating conflict would erupt at any moment.
However, faced with this tense situation that was almost on the verge of conflict, Hick simply raised his hand slightly as if nothing had happened.
The pervasive, despairing pressure of death subsided somewhat, like an obedient pet.
Although the weight still weighed heavily on Lilith and Hughes's hearts, preventing them from relaxing even slightly, it was at least kept at a level that was extremely uncomfortable but not so bad that they would immediately resort to violence and tear each other apart.
Hick's expression remained calm and composed, with even a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips, as if he had long anticipated their intense reaction.
"Looks like I guessed right."
He spoke slowly, his fingers tapping rhythmically and gently on the cold stone tabletop once more. The soft tapping sound was exceptionally clear in the silent cave, as if it were striking the rhythm of their heartbeats.
"The secrets this thing involves are far greater than its intrinsic value! So great that—simply telling me what it is—is enough to make you so nervous and flustered, even to the point of threatening me to my face again?"
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping across their pale faces like a scalpel, with a sharp, all-knowing intensity.
"The more you resist, the more it proves that my demands are not excessive. After all, what I'm trading now is not just this useless corpse; I may also be unintentionally preventing you—"
Or perhaps your hidden organization, due to severe information asymmetry, might have made some irreparable, foolish mistakes?
His words carried a subtle, condescending implication, causing Lilith's heart to sink into an icy abyss.
What did he know? How much did he actually guess? Or was he merely bluffing and playing psychological warfare based on the information he had?
"We don't have the authority to disclose this information! Nobody does!"
Hughes practically roared, cold sweat beading on his forehead from extreme tension and resistance, and veins throbbing slightly.
"This is etched into our souls! It's the highest rule!"
"Power can be fought for, and rules are often meant to be broken, especially when faced with sufficient benefits, or when there is irresistible pressure."
Hick's voice remained calm and even, yet it carried an undeniable, penetrating power.
"or----"
He watched them with a leisurely air, like a hunter looking at prey that had fallen into a trap, and added.
"Could you try contacting the person behind you—the one who can make decisions? I believe that, given your positions, you must have some way to contact your superiors in an emergency, right?"
He gestured for him to proceed, speaking in a relaxed tone as if he were discussing the weather.
"I can wait. After all, judging from your performance just now, time—it seems to be more pressing for you two, doesn't it?"
These words were like the last straw, precisely pressing down on Lilith's already taut nerves.
Lilith stared intently at Hick, her naturally alluring eyes now filled with icy killing intent and deep apprehension, as if she wanted to see right through him, from skin to bone, from soul to mind.
After a long while, she took a deep, extremely difficult breath of the cold air, her clenched fist turning white at the knuckles and trembling slightly.
She glanced at Hughes, who was barely able to contain himself, then at the box guarded by those eerie ravens, and finally her gaze swept over the skeleton in the shadows that exuded an immense threat.
Finally, as if forced to the edge of a cliff, she had no choice but to squeeze out a sentence with extreme difficulty, each word seemingly weighing a ton: "—Fine. I—will try to make contact. But Lord Hick, if what you ultimately hear far exceeds your expectations, and even brings you unimaginable scrutiny—I hope you are prepared to bear all the consequences!"
She closed her eyes, a resolute glint in her eyes.
She raised her fingers and pressed them against her temples. A faint, almost imperceptible, pale silver mental fluctuation quietly spread out from her center.
This fluctuation is unusually peculiar; it seems not to act on the real space, but rather to blend into the subtle gaps in the surrounding environment and be transmitted to some extremely distant and unknown dimension or coordinate.
The cave fell into a complete, deathly silence, with only the barely perceptible ripples of spiritual energy wafting in the air, exuding a mysterious and dangerous aura.
Hughes watched Lilith, who had entered a special communication state, with extreme tension, and also glared warily at the composed Hick and the shadowy figure of Kabus, who seemed like the embodiment of death. He felt every bone in his body screaming for danger.
Hick stood quietly in place, his face beneath the mask revealing an intense curiosity and yearning for the unknown, which finally overwhelmed all caution and deliberation.
He knew he was taking a high risk to uncover a corner of a huge secret, and that was a temptation he couldn't resist.
A moment later, Lilith's body suddenly trembled violently, as if struck by an invisible electric current. She abruptly opened her eyes and staggered before regaining her balance.
Her face became even paler than before, even showing signs of exhaustion from mental overexertion, and her eyes were filled with an incredibly complex expression.
There is a sense of awe for the person you are communicating with, a fear of revealing secrets, and a deep sense of humiliation that forces you to compromise with reality.
She looked at Hick, her voice hoarse and low, each word seeming to have exhausted all her strength, heavy as a thousand pounds: "—The 'outsider'—is not a being of our world."
"They come from—the rifts beyond the world"—or from an even more distant, unknowable, and strange land. Their primal power, its composition and operating rules, are—completely different from our wizarding system!
According to limited records, most outsiders who crossed the world barrier were inherently weaker than their counterparts in our wizarding world. However—there are a very few exceptionally powerful individuals whose power is likely far beyond our comprehension!
She paused with difficulty, her chest heaving slightly, as if resisting some invisible pressure and pain originating from her soul or a contract. Finally, she continued, her words quickening as if she wanted to end it all as soon as possible: "As for the organization—we belong to—the Sanctuary! An ancient organization. More—I can't say. Knowing this will do neither of us any good!"
After saying all this, Lilith seemed to have completely exhausted all her strength and courage. She was slightly out of breath and no longer looked at Hick.
Instead, he turned his gaze to the box containing Ralph, his eyes filled with complex emotions—a mixture of relief at the imminent completion of the mission and the weight of handing over such an important secret.
A sanctuary? Outsiders? Beyond the world? A completely different power system?
A tidal wave surged through Hick's mind, with countless questions and conjectures exploding forth instantly, almost overturning a part of his understanding of the world!
However, his strong self-control allowed him to maintain his composure on the surface, though a more intense flame of inquiry burned deep within his eyes.
Although this information was still fragmented, it was already astonishing enough, opening a door to a completely new field for him.
A moment of silence enveloped them, with only Lilith's slightly rapid breathing clearly audible.
Hick slowly broke the suffocating silence, his voice calm and unwavering: "The Sanctuary—Outsider—I've remembered. So, based on the value of this information, the deal is done."
He waved casually again.
The ravens that had been gripping the box tightly immediately released their grip, silently slipped into the shadows, and disappeared.
"It's yours now."
Hick announced it calmly, as if he were simply handing over an insignificant trinket.
"Take this, remember the promised payment regarding the meditation method and the experimental manual, and then leave my place."
Lilith and Hughes felt as if they had been granted a pardon, but their faces showed no joy. Instead, they carried an indescribable sense of heaviness and a hasty desire to escape the place.
Hughes immediately stepped forward and, with swift and extreme caution, re-examined and reinforced the seal on the box, as if it contained not a corpse, but an extremely unstable and dangerous explosive.
The two said no more, not even glancing at Hick again. Carrying the heavy box, they turned around quickly, almost fleeing, and hurried away along the passage they had come from. Their footsteps quickly faded into the darkness.
Hick did not stop him, nor did he see him off; he simply stood there quietly, like a silent statue.
As I watched their figures disappear completely into the darkness of the passageway, a storm of thoughts raged deep within my eyes.
The cave returned to its usual coldness and silence, with only the pale green and white crystals on the dome still emitting a constant and cold glow, reflecting on his pensive face.
Hick slowly walked to the corner where the box had been placed, the shadows creeping naturally behind him.
Gathering together, the towering skeleton of Qaboos stood silently behind him, the red light in its eye sockets flickering faintly, faithfully guarding him.
"Visitors from beyond this world—a completely different source of power—the Sanctuary—"
He repeated these keywords in a low voice, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented solemnity.
Unknown territories and astonishing secrets are always the most alluring poisons, and he indulges in them willingly.
Now, he seems to have unexpectedly grasped an unprecedented clue leading to a larger and deeper mystery.
And all of this started with that seemingly ordinary but extraordinary dead boy, Iraf.