Chapter 735: The truth of the legacy world

After perhaps the biggest haul he had ever had, and checking that there was nothing else of note in the vast underworld, at least, in the immediate area, Elion, Kali, and Paladin Althea made their way back up the rift.

Since it was now clear that there was no great monster hiding in these depths, they didn’t bother trying to hide their presence, instead flying up at great speed, taking less than an hour to get back up despite the descent having taken them hours on end.

The entire way up, Elion was grinning like a fool, even laughing occasionally as he imagined himself swimming in riches. After finding numerous pools of liquidized mana in different areas of the underworld, he had filled dozens of waterskins!

Althea was beyond envious! She could only imagine what benefits such a haul would provide to Elion, and she hadn’t even managed to secure a single one for herself and the church yet.

She was not nearly shameless enough to ask him for one, especially since she hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot with Elion. There was no way he would agree to give her a waterskin for free.

So all she could do was offer to buy a few waterskins in advance and secure the supply.

Elion could easily see what she was thinking, and he didn’t feel the least bit sorry about hoarding all the findings. He might have come off as greedy, but such was life.

He wasn’t going to be a doormat simply because he had benefited so much. If she and the church wanted some, they would have to buy it from him, and not for cheap either.

He also had the Triad Alliance to think of. Under normal circumstances, he should have been obliged to hand over all his findings, but there was no way he would do so.

Not like they could force him to give up anything if he didn’t want to, but he wasn’t that shameless.

In a way, he was only here because of them, and he had to bring back something to show for it. He wouldn’t mind giving them a waterskin, or perhaps dividing it into many small bottles to give the impression that he had given them all he had.

And then there were the vampires. His dear in-laws would, of course, have the honor of receiving at least a dozen waterskins.

Some of it would naturally go to the succubi. Then he would sell a few to make a small fortune for himself and his family, and store the rest away for when he actually needed it.

With little ones on the way, he could only imagine how greatly they would benefit from having such resources at their fingertips.

Thinking to this point, it was only natural that he would remember his other in-laws. The Moon family, the Crimson family, and well, perhaps eventually Isolde’s own family.

In any case, the trio made it back to the others, and almost half a day had passed. By the time Elion finished explaining what they had discovered, no one seemed to know what to say.

Maya, Princess Isla, and Solara had listened without interrupting for most of it, though their questions toward the end made it clear how difficult they found it to believe.

The others were no less stunned. Behind Elion, the curtain of mana continued rising from the rift, but even the sight of it seemed less important after what he had told them.

"So, this is the truth of the hidden legacy world," Solara said, voicing what most of them were thinking.

Elion nodded. He couldn’t blame them for their reactions.

Even after witnessing everything himself, he still found it difficult to connect the world they had been exploring with the devastation he had seen in the vision.

They had come here seeking treasure and inheritances, believing they were walking through the remnants of an ancient civilization.

In a way, that was true, but there were still people living among those remnants, bound to something their ancestors had brought upon them.

What they had thought to be simply a legacy world with rich treasures was vastly more than they could comprehend.

It was exhilarating.

"What do you think we should do? Rather, what do you intend to do?" Isla asked.

Elion rubbed his chin. The princess was looking to him for an answer, and judging by the others’ expressions, she wasn’t alone.

He had seen the vision, received the information, and understood the situation better than anyone else present, so it was reasonable for them to expect him to suggest their next move.

It didn’t even seem to occur to her that he might be lying. Considering how absurd some of it sounded, he found that rather flattering.

"We could avoid Albert and his people," he said. "Find somewhere to stay, keep out of their way, and wait until our time here ends."

"And be expelled as usual," Solara added.

"Hopefully."

Maya frowned. "Hopefully?"

Elion sighed. "That would be the simplest option, but there’s a problem. If Albert tries to force his people out of this world, there’s a high chance that his failure will bring the entire place down with them."

"What do you mean?" Isla asked. "You said they would die if they crossed the boundary. How would that destroy the world?"

"Because their souls aren’t simply tethered to the formation," Elion explained. "They’re part of what keeps it running. They’re anchors."

He had only begun to understand that part after the system helped him examine more of the information. At first, he had thought the tethers existed solely to prevent the natives from leaving, but the ancestor had woven them into something far more complicated.

"The formation sustains the world, the world sustains the people, and their souls help sustain the formation," he continued. "It’s a closed cycle. In a way, they’re fuel for it."

Rina looked toward Eva, who was standing beside Nora, finding the conversation far too difficult to follow. She had begun playing with the edge of Nora’s sleeve, unaware that they were discussing something that affected her as well.

"So their existence is helping hold this place together?" Maya asked.

"Yes. But the cycle isn’t recovering everything it uses anymore. It’s losing more energy than it gets back, and the formation has been weakening because of that."

Elion glanced toward the mana rising behind them. What he had first thought of as an unbelievable opportunity was also a sign of how much power this world was losing.

"The world is gradually falling apart," he said. "The formation can’t keep up, and if Albert removes a large number of those anchors at once, it could fail much faster."

Isla pressed her lips together.

"And if their lives are extinguished when they cross?"

"Then those anchors are lost anyway. Whether he manages to pull them free or takes them beyond the boundary while they’re still connected, he risks damaging what’s keeping the rest of us alive."

There was still plenty Elion didn’t understand. He couldn’t explain every part of the formation, nor predict exactly how much damage it could endure before failing. But he understood enough to know that waiting around and hoping for the best was a terrible gamble.

"For all we know, we could still have weeks left before we’re expelled," he said. "If he attempts his escape before then, we might never get the chance to leave."

"And you believe telling him will stop him?" Solara asked.

"I think we should try. He wants his people to survive, doesn’t he? If we explain that his plan could kill them, perhaps he’ll listen."