Lynn thought to himself.
"This is Morol City," Lida took the initiative to explain, "Our female tribe has lived here for generations, sheltered by the Divine Tree to avoid the wars outside."
Lynn slightly furrowed his brow.
"Yes." Lida nodded, as if recalling some unpleasant memories, a hint of fear appeared in her eyes: "You must have encountered many demon-like outcasts on your way here."
Those demon-like outcasts were all dealt with by Hillena.
"Actually, they were once our male tribesmen." Lida’s voice suddenly became hushed, her purple eyes shadowed, "But under the erosion of the red mist, they gradually lost their sanity and turned into mindless monsters driven only by killing."
"If not for the protection of the Divine Tree, even us survivors would have fallen into madness."
At this point, Lida’s mood visibly dropped, clearly saddened by her male comrades.
Lynn raised his eyebrows, looking at Lida: "Have you ever thought of finding the source of the red mist to completely resolve this issue?"
This question from Lynn stunned Lida, unsure if she was surprised by Lynn’s boldness or contemplating the feasibility of his approach.
She was silent for a moment, her long eyelashes slightly trembling: "It’s said that in ancient times, members of the Demon Clan angered the many gods by being bloodthirsty and valorous, eventually cursed and banished here, suffering an incredibly prolonged captivity."
"We are a tribe of original sin, with sin-laden blood flowing in our veins, doomed to be cursed by the world..."
Lida’s voice carried a fateful calmness, "This is the punishment we deserve, so the question you posed... we have never dared to imagine it."
"Absurd." Lynn directly interrupted with a cold laugh, "War and slaughter are commonplace in any world plane. I would say the only mistake your ancestors made was being arrogant enough to challenge divine authority, but they lacked the corresponding power."
He thought to himself, this red mist might very well be a punishment from the gods.
However, even the harshest divine punishment would leave a slight chance for survival, otherwise, the survivors in Morol City would not exist.
"But still..." Lynn shifted his tone, "It’s been hundreds of thousands of years, after so many generations of atonement, I think even the most grievous sins should have been washed away."
Lida’s eyes suddenly burst with hope: "So your arrival must be a divine mandate! To lead us in breaking the curse!"
Hearing her words, Lynn also paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "So you want us to help you leave this world? But have you considered that after such a long passage of time, the outside world has undergone immense changes and may not be suitable for your survival."
At this point, Lynn’s gaze swept over Lida’s almost enchanting beauty, "Especially beings such as yourselves could easily become mere playthings or slaves to the powerful, and by then your plight might be worse than in this world."
Hillena uncharacteristically did not refute but silently watched the young priest.
"We know, after such a long wait, we’ve already contemplated countless possibilities." Lida’s voice was as light as a sigh, "But rather than waiting to die in this decaying cage, we would rather exchange freedom for a glimpse of the real world."
After speaking, she raised her head, her stubborn gaze meeting Lynn’s: "Even if it means using life as the price for that glimpse."
The stone house fell into a prolonged silence, but there was no denying that Lida’s words profoundly shook the hearts of Lynn and Hillena.
Lida took a deep breath and showed a sincere smile on her face: "As the savior of prophecy, we are certainly willing to listen to your opinion and offer you two choices."
"If you are unwilling to break the barrier encompassing this world for us, then for the continuity of our tribe, I’m afraid we can’t just let a scarce man like you go. Therefore, your first choice is to stay forever in Morol City, continuously combining with our people to sustain our bloodline until the day your lifespan ends."
As she spoke, her slender fingers twirled around her hair, "The second option..."
"No need to say more, I choose the first." Lynn decisively interrupted, "What is a mere divine curse? If the gods wish to exterminate your race, I shall oppose them, for breaking rules is what I do best!"
A sharp pain shot from his waist—Hillena’s fingers pinching his soft flesh again, speaking coldly, "We choose the second, we’ll help you break the barrier."
This time the pain made Lynn gasp sharply, he couldn’t deny Hillena was being too harsh.
Although memories hadn’t returned yet, some instinct told Hillena she must return to her original world. Yet a voice whispered softly within her: staying here might not be bad, continuing this complicated relationship with Lynn...
She knew clearly, if she returned to the real world and regained her memories, she’d likely regret it immensely. Check latest chapters at NoveI★Fire.net
At this thought, Hillena couldn’t help but glance, curious about Lynn’s thoughts on the matter.
Unlike Hillena’s dilemma, Lida clapped her hands in delight: "But before that, there’s something I’d like to confirm with you."
"In the past month or more, were the terrifying lightning phenomena in the sky related to you?"
Lynn felt slightly awkward, the lightning was indeed caused by him, but it was because he had desecrated Hillena.
He didn’t reveal it, only acting nonchalantly by nodding.
After receiving affirmation, Lida suddenly seemed excited: "Honorable traveler, to summon such terrifying lightning surely requires a huge price, right?"
"Although I know it’s presumptuous to ask, I’d still like to request a live demonstration from you."
Upon hearing this, Hillena seemed to react as well, her ear tips instantly turning crimson, looking away unnaturally.
Because the time the sky thundered before, seemed to be when Lynn touched her...
Lynn was also a bit troubled, he couldn’t possibly touch Hillena in front of Lida.
So he could only pretend to be profound: "Don’t you trust us?"
Lida quickly waved her hands: "Of course not, it’s just following the stone tablets’ guidance, we’ve waited many long years, really not wanting hopes to fall through, so please understand."
With such words, Lynn could only come up with an excuse: "It’s not that I’m unwilling, but the cost is truly too great."
Seeing Lynn’s sincere eyes, Lida nervously nodded: "I understand, so if you have any needs, feel free to mention them, and we’ll do our best to meet them."
"In that case, just like the juice from before, bring ten more barrels."
"This..." Hearing this, Lida looked troubled, biting her lip, "Our tribe currently doesn’t have such stock, I need to consult the Divine Tree."
As Lynn was curious about the Divine Tree she spoke of, an ancient voice echoed in the stone house: "I am but a dying old tree, yet you, little one, I’ve sensed from you an immensely strong resentment and malice from the World Will, very curious how this guy of yours survived until now."
In the next moment, a branch glowing with silver light extended in from the window, gently swaying.
It turned out this conversation had long been overheard by that towering giant tree.