Chapter 375: The Throne and the Oath

“The Pure White Throne?” Monroe looked bewildered. He hadn’t found any kind of throne in the palace.

So he turned to the others, only to find every single face clouded with complex expressions, their thoughts unreadable.

“I didn’t see any so-called Pure White Throne. And if sitting on it really means controlling the Elven Valley, then why didn’t you sit on it yourself?” Kasila sneered immediately.

She clearly didn’t believe it.

Saul remained unruffled.

As long as the liar sounds confident and sincere, it’s hard for listeners not to waver.

Besides, he wasn’t completely lying.

He had only placed one hand on the throne and had already seen the planet he was on. If he actually sat on it, he might see even more.

At the time, Saul had been wondering what was on the other side of the planet when it instantly rotated to show him its reverse. Clearly, he held some level of access then.

Whether that access was good or bad, much or little, Saul wasn’t sure, but that didn’t stop him from using it to paint a tempting picture.

“Because I’m not staying here. I only came to collect a bit of this.”

Saul raised his arm. Suddenly, his skin split open, and something invisible began to slowly squeeze out from under his flesh.

He looked at Kongsha. “Kongsha can vouch for that much.”

Kongsha narrowed her eyes. “That’s true. But if you don’t want to stay, who else would want to?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Saul flexed his muscles slightly, guiding the translucent Veiled Crystal Essence back along his bones, letting it settle into place. “If none of you are willing to sit on the Pure White Throne…”

He shoved Agu forward. “Then I’ll just sacrifice one of my subordinates. We’ve already lost one anyway.”

The people who were just saying they had no intention of staying all shifted their gazes now, falling into silence.

Saul went on, “At that point, we just have the one on the throne open a passage out of the valley. The rest of us can leave safely.”

Then he spread his hands. “Of course, you’re free not to believe me. I only came back to find my two subordinates, and while I’m at it, I’m selling this information for a price. Whether you join or not, I’ll be heading over to open the passage tomorrow.”

“But what if that strange presence in the palace comes asking for the stolen treasure again?” Monroe asked.

Saul replied indifferently, “It wasn’t me who took it. If I get in once, I can get in again. As for whether the rest of you can come with me, pay up or if you’d rather look for the throne yourself, go alone… I won’t stop you.”

“As for that stolen treasure… if you’ve got the power, take it out. If not, die in there.” He acted as though the treasure meant nothing to him.

Saul’s calm, direct manner made those secretly plotting to seek the throne on their own start hesitating.

“…As much as I hate going back to that palace,” Kongsha finally said after a long pause, “We’ve been trapped here for over half a year. Maybe what Saul found really is our last chance to escape.”

The remaining three spoke up in turn.

“Stay here any longer and I’ll go insane,” Monroe said, looking at Kasila.

“Alright,” Mark nodded. “Maybe this is why Kongsha brought you here. You always find something new.”

Kasila stood in a daze. Then she suddenly murmured, “If we can’t get out this time, let’s all die in there together. I’d rather become a lamp than a chair.”

Having reached an agreement, Saul brought his three soul guards and casually entered a nearby house to rest.

Once he sat down, he suddenly looked up at Agu. “Everything should be in order now. So let me ask you again—”

“What else did you encounter in the palace?”

Agu’s stiff face stretched into a smile. “Master, after you went upstairs, I too was forcibly pulled into a strange space.”

Morden and Herman looked at Agu in surprise. They had no idea Agu had such an experience—he hadn’t mentioned it at all when they reunited in the forest.

“I was sent up a normal staircase. But when I reached the second floor, I entered a pitch-black space. Voices were speaking all around me. I listened for a long time before I finally understood…”

Agu trembled as he faced Saul.

“They gave me something and made me swear to carry it out of the valley and deliver it to a half-elf. In return, they promised not to harm me.”

Everyone was shocked.

Saul immediately asked, “What did they give you?”

Agu crouched before Saul and pointed to his own head. “They shoved it into my brain. They said if I failed to fulfill the vow, the item would turn me into a chair or a blade of grass. My human thoughts trapped in a lifeless, immobile form forever.”

“And those two pieces of Veiled Crystal Essence… they were given to me by them. They said that if you doubted me, I should hand the crystals over to earn your trust. They also said that if I needed more Veiled Crystal Essence, I could simply kill any of my companions. The valley would quickly grind their souls and flesh into new crystals.”

“Veiled Crystal Essence is made from people?” Herman gasped, then quickly clamped his mouth shut, afraid his voice had been too loud.

Saul wasn’t all that surprised. In fact, he felt a kind of confirmation.

He’d suspected as much ever since picking up Veiled Crystal Essence at the spot where Leon vanished.

“The two you gave me were probably made from those who died in the palace.” Saul leaned forward slightly, hand on his chin. “Why didn’t they come to me? Clearly, with you guarding me, I was the more likely candidate to escape the valley.”

Morden spoke up hesitantly, “Maybe it’s because you made a different choice first, Master, so they couldn’t choose you.”

Agu offered another theory. “I think it’s also possible your mental aptitude is too high, it’s high enough to resist the binding power of their oath.”

Saul thought both made sense. But he had his own thoughts too.

“Actually, I was the first to make a choice. But the reason I even had a choice was because my mental state was stable enough to withstand the nine-room trial.”

He didn’t elaborate on what exactly he’d gone through on that bizarre, twisted staircase, so the others remained unaware of the criteria for climbing it.

“The Pure White Throne isn’t hard to find. Just walk to the final circular hall, climb the twisted stairs to the top, and you’ll see it. But judging by today’s reactions, at least two of them didn’t even know it existed.”

Agu nodded rapidly. “So not everyone can see the twisted staircase. Maybe I could only see it because I was with you at the time.”

“Not necessarily,” Saul smiled faintly. “Your mental state has been reinforced. Even on your own, you might have seen the staircase.”

Then his smile faded.

“That staircase is strange — and it calls to you faintly. Anyone who enters the palace with some sort of goal in mind would most likely try it.”

Saul gently stroked his chin. “Here’s what I’m wondering. If the first person to enter chooses the staircase, does that mean no one afterward can see or choose it? If so, then only one person at most would ever know about the Pure White Throne.”

“But according to you, without sufficient mental stability, one can’t ascend that staircase,” Herman said doubtfully.

“Exactly,” Saul nodded. “But none of those people are ordinary Second Rank apprentices. Anyone Kongsha invited here would be powerful yet hopeless in their advancement.”

He paused, then added, “And Kongsha, when I first entered the tower, was already famous for the stability of her mental state. Three years ago, she could cast four or five First Rank spells in a row without worrying about backlash.”

Saul looked toward his projections. “So I believe Kongsha… definitely had what it took to step onto the twisted staircase. Which means it was her. She was the one who took the Elven King’s head from the Pure White Throne!”

He clenched his fists. “She took the Elves’ treasure, and no one else even knew!”

Morden nodded in agreement. “Right. And that treasure probably helps obscure others’ perception. So she could wear it on her head boldly, and no one would suspect a thing.”

Agu rubbed his head hesitantly. “Then Master, do you think I’m the only one forced to swear an oath in that dark space?”

“Of course not!” Saul laughed. “I’m sure you’ve got plenty of companions.”

(End of Chapter)

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