Chapter 2879: Chapter 2879: Hint

The three-eyed boy hesitated for barely a second, but Zen caught it immediately.

'He poured all efforts into arranging the three huts and this wooden bridge—clearly, he didn't want to get nothing.'

“If you let them go, Elvinia and I will work for you! No complaints! I promise they won't dare tell anyone what they've seen here.” Zen looked at the boy in earnest, showing his sincerity.

To that, Dorothy stared at Zen blankly.

She had stayed by Zen's side for a long time on the Other Shore. He had always managed to get rid of the obstacles before him and marched forward as an invincible soldier. But when he did meet someone he knew he couldn't defeat, he chose to sacrifice himself to make a feasible compromise. It was something that never would've even occurred to Dorothy.

The three-eyed boy gave it a thought for a moment before sneering. “I don't care if they tell anyone else. So long as you two stay!”

With that, the eye on his forehead closed shut, making the green light that strung the Souls of Light together disappear. Everyone was then released from the hold of manipulation.

“Get out of here!” He pointed toward the wooden bridge.

With him and the giant ape there, no other creatures of the Dark Region dared to approach the wooden bridge. It was a safe route for them to return to the Grand Sky Temple.

“Dorothy,” Zen suddenly started, “I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to meet Elvinia…your best friend… again.”

This statement had Elvinia feeling confused. Dorothy was by no means her best friend. She had no clue as to what Zen was planning.

But Dorothy, clever as she was, understood the situation immediately. She turned around and gave Elvinia a hug. “Elvinia, my dear, I'm sorry that you must stay behind. If you get the chance to leave someday, I swear we will meet again!”

As she spoke lovingly, she grabbed Elvinia's right hand and entwined it with hers behind the latter's back. Simultaneously, Dorothy activated her space ring.

Elvinia could tell that both Zen and Dorothy were implying a course of action through their words. When she felt Dorothy activating her space ring, she activated hers as well, assuming that perhaps Dorothy was going to hand her something.

When the Sumeru Spaces collided with each other, Dorothy stuffed the candles into Elvinia's space ring.

It was done in a mere blink of an eye. Dorothy then turned around and put on a pained expression. Covering her face, she followed her companions as the warriors rushed onto the bridge and began their return journey to the temple.

Dorothy's little act was so flawless that the three-eyed boy suspected nothing.

Not wanting to waste any more time on these Souls of Light, he turned to Zen and Elvinia. “Follow me!”

The two didn't dare show any signs of disobedience. They followed behind him quietly up along the fork.

The boy glanced at the first hut and said, “You've already been in this one. Do you know how to use the stuff inside?”

“Seems to be some kind of ore,” Zen responded thoughtfully.

Zen's judgment satisfied the three-eyed boy. He then nodded and reached out, a candle appearing in his hand. With a flick of his finger, the candle was lit with a green flame. Ŗáℕộ𝔟Ɛ𝓢

“In the Dark Region, these candles are in high demand,” he explained calmly. “The ores are called Burning Crystal—they are the candle's main ingredient. Your task is to make these candles in there.”

This strange task stunned Elvinia, but Zen showed no sign of surprise.

Since No. 9527 told him of the materials' origin, he already had a good idea of what the boy was going to have them do. “You're very strong—strong enough that making these candles would be a mundane task for you,” Zen remarked. “Why did you go to such lengths to lure people here from Stage Thirteen?”

If he wasn't satisfied with the Souls of Light this time around, would he have killed them all?

“The Dark Region is not as simple as you think. I still have to deal with the black monkeys… Besides, we can't stay in the light for too long.” Something like yearning flashed across the boy's eyes as he spoke.

While he was, indeed, very strong, so were the rest of the creatures that filled the Dark Region.

But being strong had a price—they were trapped in the darkness forever.

Many places of the Other Shore were filled with light, but it was something they could only long for in the dark.

While they could obtain light from the candles, this was a shortlived pleasure. Even with a mild candle, bathing themselves in light for too long could be fatal.

Then, the boy led the two to the largest and tallest hut.

“Whoosh!”

With a light breath, he blew out the flame of the candle in his hand.

The third hut's light wasn't connected to the other two. Without candlelight, Zen and Elvinia had no way to escape.

“Crack!”

As the boy waved his hand, the door swung open on its own. “You two have to figure out how to make the candles yourselves. Make sure they're ready before I return or I'll make sure you regret it.”

The boy believed he was being kind enough. Previously, he never would've let the Souls of Light go. But if they didn't prove to be capable of honest work, he had many means at his disposal to make their lives a living prison.

On that note, he turned around, jumped away and into the darkness. Once he fell into the candlelight again, he landed on the giant ape's hand firmly.

“Buzz! Buzz!”

Two spots of blue light appeared in the darkness again.

“Boom... Boom... Boom...”

The giant ape's heavy steps had the entire Dark Region shaking, as well as the wooden bridge and even the Grand Sky Temple.

“He's gone!” Now filled with excitement, Dorothy started, “I… I want to go back!”

But Chaim shook his head firmly. “Dorothy, quit daydreaming. Our survival is already a great blessing. Even Thad would scold you for being stupid enough to return to that place!”

They couldn't quite perceive what special restriction was arranged by the powerful boy in the Dark Region. Going back there meant courting death.

“But...” She was still filled with reluctance.

“Fate will bless Thad. If anyone can get through this, it would be him,” Hutton reassured her.

While the Nine Li people failed to gain much from their journey to the Grand Sky Temple, they had obtained something else—the strong man with a physical body just so happened to be of their royal bloodline.

At this point, everyone was concerned about Zen's life. They knew they had to report this to the race elders the moment they returned to the Source World.

Still gathered outside the temple were many Souls of Light. They had no chance of entering the temple, let alone knowing what had happened in the Dark Region. Instead, they pointed to the Blue Twin Stars and discussed amongst themselves.