Chapter 2640: Chapter 2640: An Enormous Deal

Zen hadn't consumed much of his soul power even after crossing the fourth line.

Dorothy suspected that he was gathering his soul power and was about to use it for his next move.

Slightly furrowing her brows, she gently pressed on the Necklace of Mystic Soul that dangled from her chest. The jewel began to emit a strong soul aura.

The three warriors were surprised upon feeling the aura from Dorothy's Necklace of Mystic Soul. Realizing that Zen and Dorothy were not the types of people to be dealt with lightly, they turned around and ran away.

“You're here now. Do you still wish to retreat?” Zen demanded an answer to his question coldly as he attempted to control the Truth Boat to catch up to those warriors.

However, Dorothy was one step ahead of Zen and blocked him.

The two Truth Boats bumped into each other lightly with a stifled sound.

“Why did you stop me?” Zen demanded callously.

Dorothy silently gazed at Zen's silhouette with a gentle look in her eyes.

Although he couldn't see her face, Zen could still feel Dorothy's calmness through her Soul of Light. This managed to soothe him as well.

“The Dragon City has affected you...” Dorothy realized with a chuckle.

“Affected?” Zen was stunned.

“Yes,” she replied. “You're not from the Source World, so you're unaware of how venomous the Dragon City can be.”

“The Dragon City is a venomous place,” Zen repeated, chewing her words over.

“Yes. Think of Dragon City as a tempting, yet highly malicious place that constantly attracts people from all over the world to join it—like a honey pot that attracts bugs. It may be easy to enter but it's quite the opposite when it comes to living in it. Only those who survive within the city are eligible to become the best Oneness Guards. Some may start with mediocre talent but after becoming a Oneness Guard, they grow even stronger than the members of our Origin Mountain and the Oneness Mountain...” Dorothy explained calmly.

Upon entering the Bloom Divine Province, Zen was disappointed. He realized that the actual Oneness Sky Palace was drastically different from what he had heard from others. His state of mind became more irritable along with the sadness and aggravation he felt.

Even Dorothy's explanation couldn't bring him any relief. He sneered, “So you're telling me that I was treated as a lowly bug that was thrown to the Dragon City to be tested?”

Dorothy meant that once several venomous bugs were gathered together to fight, only one would emerge as a true survivor. She had made it clear, so Zen could make such an assumption.

“But they don't wish to be constantly hostile towards you or let you die. Perhaps they just want to help you improve,” Dorothy suggested.

“You mean...to sharpen me? To train me?” Zen asked with a smile on his lips.

He completely understood their acts. After all, Athemar and Winchell knew nothing about his background.

If he was in their shoes, Zen would've probably made the same choice if he was presented with a mysterious yet talented warrior.

They weren't expecting such action to cause such an unpleasant effect. In the end, they had no choice and ordered Monica to appease him.

“No matter the outcome, choosing the Oneness Sky Palace will be a decision you won't regret. Moreover, I'll be helping you,” Dorothy assured softly.

Hearing the sincerity in her words, Zen sighed and then nodded. “Yes, I see that.”

As they continued talking, the Truth Boats floated forward at a slow pace. Right then and there, Zen noticed a yellow-tinged portion of the sea in front of them. Ｒ𝐚𝐍Ȱ𐌱Ě𐌔

Zen narrowed his eyes and also discovered that the yellow seawater was slowly rotating. He asked, “Is this a large whirlpool?”

Dorothy had mentioned earlier that whenever a huge whirlpool formed in a certain sea area, various races did whatever they could to dye the water within the whirlpool.

“I believe so. Let's get a closer look, shall we?” Dorothy suggested with a smile.

This was Dorothy's first time to see an enormous dyed whirlpool.

A few Truth Boats were roaming the sea. The warriors on the boats took care to distance themselves from the whirlpool.

They were left confused and shocked upon seeing Zen and Dorothy get closer to it. One false move would lead to more danger and, ultimately, their deaths.

What these people didn't know was that Zen and Dorothy had experienced escaping a huge whirlpool like this one before. Hence, they were fearless.

However, this whirlpool had been around for a long time. Those who fell into it were dragged into its center and didn't dare return to the Sea of Truth ever since. At its edge, they saw no one.

But then suddenly, the shadow of a small boat appeared at the whirlpool's edge just as Zen and Dorothy were about to bypass it.

“Squeak... Hey! You two. Wait a minute...”

The Truth Boat was only half as high as a person. Within it stood a short mouse.

“What is that?”

“It's an Ear Mouse.”

Dorothy was stunned and Zen stopped rowing the Truth Boat.

“Help! Squeak...” the Ear Mouse cried in an awkward tone.

“If one falls into this whirlpool, it will be impossible to escape. How can we save you?” Dorothy asked as she glanced at the mouse.

Although she was sure Zen could save it, she was uncertain if he would be in trouble if the candle was taken away. The Sea of Truth was so large that Zen couldn't save everyone who was trapped by the whirlpools.

“Squeak... I've heard that there's a human who could stop this whirlpool... Are you that person?” the Ear Mouse asked with hope.

Zen and Dorothy smiled upon hearing this.

The members of the Ear Mouse race were quite updated and well-informed.

After Zen managed to stop the huge whirlpool, he managed to save not only Dorothy but numerous humans and individuals from other races. The news that someone could break the whirlpool had spread fast.

In the Source World, the Ear Mouse race proved to be very knowledgeable about a lot of information and was successful in divulging and transmitting many messages everywhere.

The Ear Mouse was trapped in the whirlpool for several years and rarely entered the Sea of Truth. Thus it wasn't sucked into its center after all this time.

Upon hearing the news that someone could destroy the whirlpool, the Ear Mouse entered the Sea of Truth more often to ask the passersby of the person with such ability in the hopes of meeting him. It was highly likely that Zen would encounter the Ear Mouse along his path moving forward.

The Ear Mouse's anticipation was so palpable that Zen could feel it even from a distance.

Dorothy remained silent. Only Zen could destroy the whirlpool and so she left him to his thoughts.

Zen stared at the Ear Mouse and asked, “What do I get in return for saving you?”

Upon hearing the offer, the Ear Mouse squeaked loudly in relief and asked, “Squeak... Can you really save me?”

“Yes, I can. But I need to know if you deserve my help,” Zen retorted.

“Squeak... I will pay you 15 million divine crystals! In addition to an Other Shore Key!” the Ear Mouse offered.

Dorothy was just as stunned as Zen upon hearing what the Ear Mouse had said.

A few powerful clans in the Bloom Divine Province could only offer at most around 200 thousand divine crystals. Those who intended to cross over the Sword Wall would bring a bottle of Sword-reading Liquid, using up all the wealth they had. It was surprising to hear the Ear Mouse offer a reward that was even considered a big sum in the Origin Mountain.

Chiyou left Zen with a large sum of money. However, this sum was only intended for critical emergencies. Now that he led his fellow disciples to erect a flag, he certainly required that money.

Casting aside the risk of being discovered by the Other Shore Realm creatures, Zen could easily stop the whirlpool once and for all. He then faced the Ear Mouse to inquire it further. “How do you give me so many divine crystals? And what is the Other Shore Key?”