Chapter 322: Recovery

Zich gazed at Nadia, sinking into a silence that lasted several seconds. Then, in a flat tone, as if he were reading a shopping list, he slowly repeated, "The Locke family’s territory."

Nadia gave a slight nod. Her cascading silver hair fell over both shoulders, and a faint solemnity flickered in her deep purple eyes. She explained softly, "The Falling Thunder Abyss is located within the forbidden zone in the northwest of the First Layer. If we depart from the Players Association and take the shortest route, we will inevitably have to pass through three medium sized outposts heavily guarded by the Locke family."

"How many people do they station there?"

"There aren’t many permanent personnel, but the Locke family has long since deployed tight aerial patrol routes and warning arrays throughout the entire region. Any flying vehicle that enters without authorization will be intercepted immediately."

Zich leaned back against the pillow, his gaze resting quietly on the ceiling as the name of the Locke family surfaced in his mind.

He had personally killed Kane Locke. Although the Voss family had stepped in to help cover up the truth, the other side clearly had not given up investigating in secret.

He still clearly remembered that Locke family member in golden armor who had come to his door with a sub disc of the Soul Seeking Compass, leaving behind that chilling threat.

Once you leave the shelter, no one will be there to protect you.

And fate played tricks on people. Now his Second Layer Ascension Quest was actually going to send him straight to the doorstep of these enemies.

"I understand. There’s no need to rush this for now," Zich responded calmly.

Nadia raised an eyebrow slightly.

Zich looked at her and shifted the topic elsewhere. "What about the ancient tomb?"

"We’re still missing some materials. I’ve already sent people to look for them. At most, we’ll only need to wait another five to seven days."

Five to seven days.

Zich calculated silently in his heart.

The thirty day deadline, minus the time needed to explore the ancient tomb, plus the journey to the Falling Thunder Abyss.

This amount of time could not be called generous. But it was not exactly urgent either.

"Then let’s wait a while," Zich said. "I’ll use these next few days to rest and prepare."

Nadia gave him a deep look, as if she still wanted to remind him of something, but in the end, she only nodded.

"You really do need to rest well. There’s no need to rush the Locke family matter."

She stood up and walked to the door. Just as she was about to leave, she stopped.

"As for the Locke family matter, we’ll discuss it once you’re ready. The Voss family has no influence in that region at all. I’m afraid they won’t be able to help you much."

"I never expected to rely on others’ help in the first place."

Nadia did not turn back. She only gave a soft "Mm," then pushed the door open and left.

...

Less than three minutes after the door closed, knocking sounded again from outside.

"Come in."

Helen entered carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming soup and two slices of bread.

"I ran into Nadia in the hallway just now."

She placed the tray on the bedside table. Her tone seemed casual, but her gaze lingered on his face for an extra second.

"She came to discuss the tomb."

"Oh." Helen handed him a spoon. "So you two finished talking?"

"We finished."

"Then hurry up and drink the soup."

Zich glanced at her and took the spoon.

The soup had been brewed with spirit ginseng. It tasted slightly bitter, but after swallowing it, a warm current of energy slowly spread through his limbs and bones.

Helen sat down in the chair beside him, resting her chin on both hands as she looked at him.

"You’re not allowed to go to the training ground."

"When did I ever say I was going to the training ground?"

"It’s written all over your face."

Zich: "..."

He lowered his head and continued drinking the soup, deciding not to argue with her anymore.

Helen was quiet for a while, then suddenly spoke again.

"Those three people, the ones who attacked you."

"They’ve already been dealt with."

"I know."

Helen’s voice became softer.

"I mean, will more people like that come looking for you in the future?"

Zich’s hand holding the spoon paused slightly.

"Possibly."

Helen pressed her lips together and did not ask further. She only pushed the bread a little closer to him.

"Then just focus on resting for now. Everything else can be put aside for later."

Zich nodded.

...

Late at night.

After Arthur sent someone to tell Helen to go back and rest, the room finally fell into complete silence.

Zich did not feel sleepy at all.

He leaned against the headboard and slowly closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the soul space.

When he appeared in the graveyard, he was greeted by the familiar, threadlike black raindrops falling silently onto the black soil. Rows of tombstones stood quietly beneath the dim sky, motionless.

His gaze swept over the familiar epitaphs.

Tiamant’s tombstone stood quietly in the deepest part of the graveyard, with a line carved on its surface:

Here lies the Mother of All Dragons, Tiamant.

A faint dark gold luster shrouded the tombstone, showing that her soul was slowly recovering.

Beside it, the tombstone of the Myriad Beast Chimera was also much more stable than when he had first entered.

The summons did not need the traditional healing methods used by players. By staying in the graveyard, they could slowly recover from their injuries.

Before Iron’s tombstone, the phantom of its sunken chestplate was still clearly visible.

Its recovery speed was noticeably slower than that of the other summoned beasts. After all, the wounds it had suffered were too severe.

As for Slimy’s tombstone, it was almost overflowing with abundant energy.

From time to time, a tiny blue bubble would surface from its face and burst with a soft "pop."

Watching that bubble, the corner of Zich’s mouth could not help but twitch slightly.

After confirming that all the summoned beasts were recovering smoothly, he left the graveyard.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside the window had already turned the pale white of dawn.