Chapter 121: Map

We made camp inside one of the chambers after we sealed the entrances.

I decided to use the time I had to check how much biomass I had.

[Biomass: 46,000]

This certainly wasn’t a small amount. With this much biomass, I could make several more evolutions to my body and possibly push myself into the T100-ranked players.

[Rank: 107]

I’ve been stuck outside this rank for so long. It is said that players doubled or even tripled their strength, and still they couldn’t break through into the top 100.

Watching Amanda fight made me understand why this was. The strength of those ranked in the top 100 was on another level.

"So what’s the verdict? Are you getting everything you need so far?" Amanda asked as she sat down on the ground besides me.

"So far so good," I responded casually as I dismissed the screen before me.

Amanda hugged her knee closer to her with a complicated look on her face.

"This whole thing has turned out way different than I thought. I thought I would be the one taking care of you."

"This place is hell. Especially if you already have trauma that can be exploited.

Amanda didn’t say a word and only continued to stare up at the ceiling as she was looking at the stars, but down here in the middle of the ant nest there was nothing to look up at.

But the way she was looking up, you would’ve thought that there was something there.

"Are you thinking about your guild members?"

She shook her head.

"Before, I thought that I could have saved them if I weren’t helping you. But I can’t even save myself, and frankly with all we’ve been through, what are the chances of them still being alive?"

I was thinking the same, but there was something I still didn’t get.

"What were they doing down here in the first place?"

A bitter smile appeared on her face.

"My father sent them down here as a way of punishing me." She paused. "It was because I sided with you when you went to save Amelia."

"Oh right, that ability you used when she teleported your father away from us, giving me the chance to face blood."

She nodded.

"That ability is actually from a member of my party. They helped me too, which is part of the reason they got punished. My father sent them down here with the map, knowing they would most likely die in the process."

"Map?"

Wait, could they somehow possess a map of the Void lands?

That would explain why she thought they would’ve survived in the first place.

Amanda nodded and stretched before lying back on the cold hard ground.

"Yes. We obtained it by clearing a small village on the outskirts of Heaven’s Plain. The village wasn’t a part of any kingdom, and they were very poor, so when monsters from a nearby dungeon invaded them, they didn’t have anyone to help them. It was all a coincidence. My party and I were in the area, so we decided to help them. They were so touched that they gave us their village’s most prized possession.

"Let me guess, it was a map of the Void."

"The map detailed the exact location you should go when climbing down the cliff. Then from that specific location it spoke about the quest you would need to complete on each stratum until you get to the fourth stratum where the lost city was. Apparently, the people of the village came from the lost city centuries ago, but they kept a map in case they ever wanted to go back.

That sounds like the typical game setup. You help some strange mysterious village, and in return they give you a simple gift that turns out to be a hidden treasure or the map to a hidden treasure.

"I don’t really remember the map. All I know is that the city is located on the fourth strata," Amanda continued.

But there was something that still didn’t make sense.

"After obtaining something so valuable. Why would your father throw it all away just to punish you?"

"That’s because he still has the original map. Since we’re all a part of his guild, we had no choice but to hand over the map the moment we found it. The one he gave back to my guild members was a fake."

"He did all of this behind my back. I only found out that he sent my party members away when I tried to steal the original map. He was already waiting for me. Somehow he knew what I was planning to do. He also must’ve been the one that told the other guild masters that a scenario was in the Void without telling them where exactly it was."

I was slowly getting an idea of who Cassius Veymont really was. He was smart and manipulative.

He used his own daughter to fulfill his own ambitions.

Things were looking a lot more complicated.

"Still, even after we get to the fourth strata, wouldn’t we still have to search for the lost city?"

Each stratum was massive, with hundreds or thousands of secret quests to get to the next stratum.

Which is why the map was needed in the first place to show where to enter the Void and which quest to take.

Without a map we were essentially just running blind. Even with my spy centipedes, it would still be difficult.

"I know what you’re thinking. Finding a map in a place like this is nearly hopeless. Which is why I didn’t tell you before. The best place for Amelia is as far away from our father as possible. It doesn’t matter if we have to scour an entire strata looking for a Terra-shard." Amanda stared me in the eyes, tears lining the corners of her eyes.

"As long as we can keep the two of you together and away from him, then it’s all worth it. So please... don’t give up hope, no matter how impossible it seems."

So that’s why she has been keeping me in the dark this entire time. She didn’t want me to find out just how bad our odds are in fear that I would give up on gaining a terra-shard.

If I gave up, Cassius would see no value in me and take back Amelia, and who knows what would happen to our children then?

Of course I wouldn’t give up. I was determined to find that shard even if it killed me, but Amanda didn’t know that.

Does that mean her telling me this meant she trusts me, even a little?

I crawled towards her and used my antennae to wipe away the salty tears lining her eyelid.

"Don’t worry. I intend to find that city no matter how difficult it will be."

"Thank you. My sister is really lucky to have you. Right before she died, my mother wanted me to protect Amelia. Now with you by her side I’m confident she’ll be..."

"I want you to join my guild."

Amanda stared at me with wide eyes and blinked.

"Huh?"

"Having you won’t only benefit us, but you’ll be a lot safer."

"No, I can’t, my father..."

"I already stole one of Cassius’s daughters; what’s another? "

"You—"

Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, as if it was stuck in her throat.

Suddenly her once pale face turned rosy as if the dark clouds that once covered her mind parted, revealing a clear sky.

She instinctively turned her face away.

"You don’t know what you’re saying."

"Both you and your party members will be welcomed to join," I continued.

"Huh? Weren’t you listening"

"I was, and I decided on something."

Amanda looked at me with confusion evident on her face.

"What is it?"

"An easier way to find the lost city would be to find your party members and use their map."

Her expression grew even more troubled.

"We don’t even know if they’re alive. They could already be at the lost city, for all we know.

"True, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye out considering they are the only lead we have. Looking for the lost city is like searching the ocean for a single boat without knowing which direction to head to. With my and your knowledge, I’m sure we can come up with a way to find them."

Amanda sat quietly, deep in thought. More than anyone else, she wanted to find her party, but she also wanted to make sure we got where we needed to go.

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"Alright, let’s do it," she said, and even though she tried to hide it, I could hear the excitement in her voice. "And about your offer of me joining your guild..."

"Take your time and think about it."

This was one of those situations where the person needed to save themselves and make the decision right for them.

If she decided to join my guild, then I would do everything in my power to protect her from the backlash.

If not, then I would let it go, seeing as it was her choice.