Chapter 1763: A Reminder of the Future (Part 1)

Adam knew that Zin would reach the Lord Level very soon. Zin had told him so himself. However, Adam had no idea it would happen so soon.

There were still a few minutes left before he reached the barrier of the Hollow Lands. Daar’ax’s speed was impressive. They moved through the vast lands like black lightning, gradually getting faster and faster.

"Zin... If only you knew how hard it was for me to refuse you," Adam thought, sitting cross-legged on Daar’ax’s head. "But I can’t waste time. I have to move forward, and if I see you become stronger than me, that will become an additional barrier for me.’

Daar’ax narrowed his amber eyes. "There’s not much left, boy. When you reach the barrier, it’ll be your job. First, you’ll force the barrier to let you out of the Hollow Lands, and then we’ll continue straight to the nearest Spire."

Adam nodded.

"Sure, I understand how the Hollow Lands work. But before we reach the barrier, can I ask you something?"

"Argh? If I don’t like the question, I’ll just ignore you. We’re not friends, human. I’m just doing my job."

Adam smiled bitterly.

"I know. But, for me, two years ago, that would have been a real miracle. I just want to know why you stay in your monster form and why you serve Kaerno?"

"Well, maybe you think it’s humiliating for a monster like me to be his pet. But if you knew what he’s capable of, you’d stop thinking that. Among all the Hollow Lands, where several hundred Lords dwell, only two of them stand out."

Adam raised an eyebrow, curiosity lighting up in his eyes.

Daar’ax continued: "Kaerno is the strongest among all the Lords and Fingers in the Hollow Lands. The only monster equal in power is Es’aha. I assume you’re familiar with her."

"Yeah, technically she’s Zin’s boss since he belongs to her pillar, right?"

He tossed his head. "Something like that. Although Zin’s situation is special, overall, you’re right. So, only Es’aha can match Kaerno in terms of power level, but there’s one secret known only to the highest echelons of the Hollow Lands."

For a moment, Daar’ax fell silent as his gaze darkened.

"It would be better if this never happened, but if these two were to fight each other to the death, Kaerno would surely win. He is cunning and treacherous, cruel and clever. He isn’t afraid to break the rules or make significant sacrifices for the sake of victory. Es’aha isn’t like that. For every one of Kaerno’s strengths, she has just as many weaknesses."

Adam touched his chin thoughtfully.

"I see. One of them is the better ruler, and the other is the better warrior."

"Yes. But, just as with monsters and humans alike, how good a ruler or politician you are only matters in times of peace. For times of peace to begin, times of war must first end, and then only strength matters." Daar’ax’s voice was harsh, as if he himself had gone through this process many times and knew what he was talking about.

An ironic smile spread across Adam’s face.

"Well, well, even though the Hollow Lands have such an unusual power structure and only two factions, which are merely rivals rather than enemies, at the deepest level, things here are just the same as everywhere else."

Daar’ax wanted to say something, but Adam beat him to it, shaking his head.

"No, things are even simpler here. I mean, after what you’ve told me, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that your strongest warrior is Kaerno, would it?"

Without a flicker of hesitation in his gaze, Daar’ax nodded.

"There’s no doubt about that. If the Hollow Lands were threatened, everyone would believe in victory as long as Kaerno was alive. So, I’m proud to be working alongside him."

Then, Daar’ax’s eyes softened. The next topic wasn’t as important to him as Kaerno’s status.

"As for the first part of your question. The thing is, there is a great deal of ancient energy in my body. Judging by your aura, you were in the Primal Lands, right?"

Adam nodded.

"So you must have noticed that only a few monsters exist in human form. Most remain in their true forms. This is directly influenced by the distribution of energy within their bodies. The more ancient energy you have, the harder it is for you to take on a human form and maintain it for a long time.

"Moreover, because monsters like me have more ancient energy in our bodies than others, this also affects our power. If the opponent is suitable, then I and others will be stronger in our monster forms rather than in our human ones, as is usually the case."

He fell silent for a moment. It was true that in the Primal Lands, there were almost no monsters that took human form. Vaarh was one of the few exceptions to this rule.

At the same time, in the Tarnished Lands, Hollow Lands, and Dark Shore, the situation was different. Most powerful monsters remained in their human forms, as this allowed them to condense their power into a smaller size and gain greater mobility, making them stronger in battle.

The only difference between these territories and the Primal Lands was the quantity of ancient energy.

"Got it. Now everything is clear to me. Thank you."

"Huh," Daar’ax chuckled. "You’re welcome. It’s always nice to see that the young ones are still interested in knowledge and not just in power."

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"You should."

Whoooooosh!

Daar’ax sped up, and after a while, the gray lands grew darker. Now, it wasn’t gray sand covering the surface, but something resembling soot.

A line ran across the ground, stretching for tens of kilometers to the left and right.

It seemed as though there was an invisible wall here, and in fact, that was exactly the case.

Adam had finally reached the barrier separating the Hollow Lands from the rest of the world.

This was his final step before returning to the Citadel.