Chapter 239: It Is Pointing At You

A figure slowly walked out of the stone house, and Elias furrowed his brows as he examined the person.

At first glance, the man looked like an ordinary citizen, wearing a worn shirt and dusty trousers that had been common among Kilmir’s residents. However, unlike everyone else who had been thrown into this dreadful situation, he did not appear frightened by the ruined streets or the monsters lurking nearby.

His expression was vacant, and his movements were slightly stiff, as though he were a wooden puppet being controlled by someone else.

"What are you?" he asked.

The citizen stopped a few steps away. His lips parted, and a series of incomprehensible words escaped his mouth.

Elias narrowed his eyes, unable to understand what he was saying. The man continued speaking, his voice low and strangely uneven, but the sounds gradually shifted into something Elias could recognize.

"Bring her..."

Elias frowned.

"Who?" he asked, stepping closer. "Who do you want me to bring?"

The citizen’s mouth moved again, yet no more words came out. His body suddenly went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Elias immediately approached him and crouched beside his body. He checked the man’s breathing and felt for a pulse, but there was nothing.

"Dead," he mumbled.

He examined the citizen briefly, finding no obvious wounds that could explain his sudden death. The man had simply collapsed after delivering that strange message.

’Who do they want me to bring?’ Elias wondered, his brows knitting together.

He glanced back at the stone house, but there was nothing. Since the System had identified a possessed nearby, he could only assume that the man had been controlled by something within the dungeon.

Elias rose to his feet and returned to the settlement, keeping the strange encounter in mind.

As he entered, a familiar group of people approached him and bowed deeply.

"My Lord," they greeted him.

Elias smiled faintly upon seeing Benjamin, Sermus, and Lena standing together. Their presence eased some of the tension that had been building inside him.

"Get up," he said.

The three straightened, and Elias looked over them carefully. Benjamin appeared tired but unharmed, while Sermus seemed to have endured a difficult journey. Lena, however, looked pale, and her eyes were already red.

A few steps away stood Olide, Greta, and the merchant’s guards. There were four of them now, just as there had been before.

Elias’s expression soon turned serious.

"Where is Sara?"

Lena’s shoulders trembled, and tears gathered in her eyes. She lowered her head, struggling to answer.

"S-She died."

Elias remained silent for a moment then he gently patted Lena’s shoulder.

"Take some rest," he said.

Lena nodded, wiping her tears as she stepped aside.

Elias then turned toward Olide.

"Follow me."

The merchant nodded, and Greta followed behind him without asking any questions.

They walked into a separate room away from the others. Once they entered, Elias faced them and explained what he intended to do.

"I’m going deeper into the dungeon to find Monica," he said.

Olide’s expression grew solemn, while Greta listened quietly.

"I want you to keep Natasha and Stella safe," Elias continued. "Make sure no harm comes to them."

"We will protect them," Olide said firmly.

Greta nodded. "You can leave them to us."

Elias looked between them, then gave a small nod.

He opened his Inventory and took out the lantern he had obtained from Mekah. Its metal frame was dark and weathered, while a spiritual talisman sealed its glass chamber. A faint white wisp floated inside, barely visible through the cloudy surface.

Elias handed it to Olide.

"Can you check this?"

Olide accepted the lantern and examined it with curiosity. He turned it over, studying the spiritual talisman and the intricate markings around its frame.

"I cannot really tell while it is sealed by this spiritual talisman," he said after a moment.

"Take it off," Elias replied.

Olide chuckled and glanced toward Greta.

"Cut the strings."

Greta drew her dagger and stepped closer. With a single swing, she severed the thin silver strings binding the talisman to the lantern.

The moment the strings were cut, the white wisp inside brightened. It shifted slightly within the glass chamber, turning toward Elias as though it had sensed his presence.

Elias watched it closely.

"What about now?"

"Let me see," Olide said.

He held the lantern before his face and focused his Mind’s Eye on the wisp. For a while, he remained silent, carefully examining it.

After some time, his expression changed.

"The wisp inside this is made using a person’s soul or spiritual scent," he explained. "That allows it to find that person."

"I see," Elias replied.

Olide turned his head toward him, then furrowed his brows as he looked between Elias and the lantern.

Elias noticed his expression.

"What?"

Olide glanced down at the lantern again.

"Can you hold it?"

"Why?" Elias asked, but he took the lantern from him.

Olide watched the wisp for a few moments, then reached out and took the lantern back.

"Strange," he mumbled.

He examined it again, shifting its position slightly before looking toward Elias.

"It really is strange."

Elias and Greta stared at him in confusion.

"What is strange?" Elias asked.

Olide pointed at the lantern.

"This wisp..." He paused, then looked directly at Elias. "It is pointing toward you."

"What?" Elias muttered.

He took the lantern back from Olide, and the moment he held it closer to himself, the wisp shifted toward him again. Its pale glow gathered along the side of the glass chamber facing his body.

Elias’s lips dropped into a frown.

’How is this possible?’

He carefully examined the lantern, focusing on the inscriptions near its base. The unfamiliar letters twisted and rearranged before his eyes, revealing their meaning through the Mystical Eyes of True Revelation.

Unlike Berlic, who had been unable to understand the writing, Elias could now read it.

He stared at the inscription, then mumbled in a barely audible voice, "Bring her to me..."

His expression darkened.

At first, he had suspected that the lantern might have collected his spiritual scent when he first entered the rift. However, it had been designed to search for a woman, and the wisp was now clearly pointing toward him.

’As far as I know, I am a man. So why the hell is this lantern pointing at me?’

Elias looked toward Olide and Greta.

"You two can leave."

They glanced at each other before turning toward the door.

"Wait," Elias suddenly said.

Both of them turned back with puzzled expressions.

Elias removed Lastbane from his waist and lifted it toward Greta.

"Protect my wives."

Greta looked at the sword, then at him. After a brief pause, she nodded and accepted it, grabbing the sheath rather than the handle.

Olide smiled faintly at her, and the two left the room.

Elias watched their backs as they departed.

’Now I can find them anytime I want.’

Now, he needed to focus on Monica and make sure the others were safe.

He stored the lantern in his Inventory and walked to the place where Natasha and Stella were resting. Natasha remained asleep, while Young Stella sat beside her, keeping watch as promised.

Elias glanced at them for a moment before leaving the settlement.

Then he began rushing toward the dungeon’s barrier.

The ruined streets stretched around him, with broken walls and collapsed buildings marking the path he had taken earlier. He avoided unnecessary encounters and moved as quickly as he could, using his Aura to deal with any monsters that obstructed his way.

Once he reached the border, he searched the surrounding ruins and collected every Riftstone he could find. He needed enough for the people gathered at the settlement, and he already had the monster blood required to imprint them.

After securing the stones, Elias returned.

When he arrived, he noticed that more people had gathered at the settlement. The growing number of survivors was a good sign, since a larger group would make it harder for monsters to harm his wives while he was away.

He quickly went to the room where they had first held their meeting and dumped the Riftstones from his Inventory onto the floor.

The stones clattered against one another, forming a sizeable pile.

Elias examined them briefly and nodded to himself.

After some time, Marcus entered the room with the other knights, guards, and Exalted swordsmen. The group had grown considerably since their first meeting.

There were now three Exalted swordsmen, eight knights, and thirteen guards.

Among them was a familiar face.

The moment Trons saw Elias, the color drained from his face. His body trembled, and he instinctively lowered his head, unable to hide the fear that seized him.

Elias glanced at him briefly but said nothing.

Instead, he gestured toward the pile of Riftstones.

"We now have enough Riftstones for everyone here to exit the dungeon," he said. "I have also prepared the blood needed to imprint them."

The knights exchanged relieved looks, while some of the guards stared at the stones with renewed hope.

However, one of the knights soon raised a question.

"What about the other citizens?"

Several others appeared to share his concern, and the room grew quiet as they waited for Elias’s answer.

Elias looked at the knight.

"I understand how you feel," he said. "But your foolishness in wanting to save everyone can lead to us saving no one."

The knight lowered his head, while the others remained silent.

"Once you leave the hideout, you can enter it again," Elias continued. "We can return later, better prepared, and rescue the remaining citizens without putting everyone here at risk."

His words were firm, but he did not dismiss their concern. He understood that they wanted to save the people still trapped in the ruins, yet they needed to survive first if they hoped to help anyone else.

After a brief silence, the gathered knights and guards began nodding in agreement.

Elias looked around the room.

"Get the people ready."

They nodded and began leaving to prepare the survivors for their departure.

Elias watched them go, then turned toward the exit.

"Wait for me, Monica."