As we start to walk, my gaze catches the massive black axe stuck in the ground, one that didn't dissolve with the Goblin King's avatar.
Many memories of this Lord using a system storage rush through my mind, but training to replicate that ability without avatar commands seems far too time-consuming right now.
I turn to Ava and yell out, pointing to it.
"Bring that axe along with us. I want to save it for later."
With the rapid increase in my adaptation to this environment, I estimate I'll eventually be able to walk around without my purple barrier. When that time comes, I'd like to feed my Soul Sword every bit of loot I can get my hands on.
Ava's confused look makes it clear she doesn't understand why I'd want this worthless chunk of black, dead soul weapon material, but after what she just witnessed, she decides not to question my intentions. However, she has a different concern.
"My avatar doesn't come pre-loaded with storage space-"
I reply quickly, as more memories of the Goblin King piece together in my mind.
"Check your shop function. There should be a small storage feature for 10 Ether. I'll pay you back, but we have to go..."
The middle ring, which I ventured near a few times with Ava watching near the border, is filled with 4th Class Ether Stones. The central peak—the steep mountain land right below the access point—is where fortunes can be made. It's privately owned land not available for rent, where 3rd Class and above Ether Stones are said to be mined.
Between certain Exile zones, there are pathways that are common ground—neutral zones where Lords can venture to and from the Citadel access point.
The Goblin King took his time making his way over, and this was the last zone it visited.
I've wasted a long time healing after the battle, and even if I book it with everything I have, taking the winding neutral path between Exile zones isn't going to get me to the access point in time.
A blurry map of certain zones in the Hollow District and Middle Ring floats in my mind. Memories of the Goblin King's past pair these random zones with faces of all kinds of illegal avatar dealers, slave traders, and shady Lords.
Once I recover after granting the two goblins their worlds back, I see a clear path I can take to make it to the access point in time if I run now.
It isn't exactly going to be a legal route, and it may stir up some chaos in the city above, but I already unknowingly committed to this path when I killed the Lord renting this plot.
I look up to Ava as I stand to my feet.
"Alright, the access point to the Citadel is closing. If we don't run now, it's going to take at least another month before we'll get another chance."
I look back to the goblins, watching even more of the small green lords hold their heads while standing to their feet behind Rain and Troy.
"We can't bring them, but I promise we'll come back..."
In the back of my mind, memories of the Black Market District on the edge of the Citadel flash through my thoughts. I know exactly who owns these plots, and for the right price, any deal can be agreed upon. I just hope I don't meet with them until after I leave this place, as they often come down here to survey their more valuable plots in the Middle Ring.
Ava looks saddened by my words, but my urgency and confidence in my decisions over the last few minutes make her believe every word I've said.
She turns to the two and holds their hands, saying a few words to them while I turn my gaze into the green fog, straight in the direction we'll be headed next.
After half a minute passes, the goblins scurry away and start helping their fellow lords.
Many of them look very injured and fatigued. It makes me wish Abby was here. She could've healed them all in an instant...
With this train of thought, another memory floats to the front of my mind—a time the Goblin King entered a shop in a high-end store in the Ashen Blue District, right near the center of the Citadel. This is where he purchased the ability to send a signal down to the Lower Realm, contacting the Kings of the Golden City back on his homeworld.
Vague imagery of the possibility of sending and receiving items and energy between realms comes to mind, but I push them back to my subconscious as I focus on the present.
Ava and I run forward, powering our footsteps with ether, leaving the mining base behind us, straight toward the barrier we had been walking along for days.
As we near it, Ava's face shows hesitation, but her actions don't falter as she runs straight through.
Her eyes widen with surprise, and I grin as my theory that my Rising Emperor's buff would override an exile contract is confirmed.
In my internal interface, I see her status clearly now.
She is level 4521, with a [Hobgoblin Transformation] buff, a [Lone Warrior's Energy Form] buff, and a single skill that has never been upgraded called [First Instinct].