Chương 58: An Unfamiliar Ceiling

In a dark basement, two cloaked figures knelt before a statue of a nine-headed serpent, praying devoutly. The statue started glowing blood-red, faint at first, then brighter, until its light swallowed the entire basement. A moment later, a red beam of light struck the forehead of one of the kneeling figures. His perception twisted. He seemed to see another world entirely. Apocalyptic, vast, ominous...

The ground cracked as far as he could see; dark-red magma oozed through the fissures, dyeing everything the color of an open wound. Giant meteors fell in the distance, each impact shaking the world and leaving behind massive craters the size of cities. The ground wouldn't stop shaking. In this apocalyptic world, a giant mountain range filled his sight. No, it wasn't a mountain range. As his field of view rose, the true shape of the mountain range was revealed. It was neither stone nor earth; it was scales.

Endless overlapping scales, each one the size of a hill. It was a giant serpent of astronomical size. It had nine heads, each bigger than entire mountain ranges. Its dark red pupils alone were the size of a city. Even though his vision could take in mountains and lava lakes thousands of kilometers away, he still couldn't see the full picture of the serpent. The serpent opened its giant mouth. The next moment, a majestic, serpentine-like hiss sounded in the mind of the cloaked figure.

[The fifth Otherworldly One has descended. Find him, and bring him to me!] The cloaked figure's perception distorted again. He was back in the basement. The crimson light receded, restoring the basement's dark state. After what felt like a century, the cloaked figure slowly regained consciousness. He pressed his forehead down on the floor.

"As you command, my lord." ….. On the other side, Luke and Kyle had already walked out of the black market.

"Here you go." Kyle gave back the mask and cloak to Luke as they walked through several alleys, throwing off any possible trackers before stepping back onto the main streets. The two didn't visit any other place. It was very late, and both were tired. As they continued walking, Kyle couldn't help but glance around. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Is your house still far? How about we take some public transport?" Kyle felt his head ringing. He didn't feel much before, but after his curiosity about Velkaris was fulfilled, his excitement wore off, and the exhaustion from the journey, the conflict with Kael, and the late Velkaris exploration hit him all at once. Now he just wanted to lie down and sleep.

"No need for public transport; we're near." Luke shook his head. After another 10 minutes of walking, they finally reached Luke's house. It was a simple but cozy 2-story house. Luke unlocked the door and lit up the lamp at the entrance. Taking off his shoes and exposing his travel-weary feet to fresh air, Kyle couldn't help but squint in comfort.

"If you want to take a bath, the shower room is there." Luke pointed at a door not far from the entrance. He pointed at the stairs.

"The guest room is the one on the left. It's fully furnished with new quilts and everything. You can just lie down there and sleep. Have a good night." Luke yawned, then walked upstairs.

"Good night." Kyle slipped on a pair of sandals, then walked to the shower room and took a quick bath. As he dried himself with a new towel, Kyle couldn't help but groan comfortably.

"Hooo… Taking a comfortable shower after such a long journey really hits the spot." He muttered before placing his palm over his sweat and dust-filled clothes.

"Cleanse." He muttered. A second later, the dust and sweat were condensed into a tiny ball of waste, which he promptly threw into the garbage. Looking at his squeaky clean clothes, Kyle nodded with satisfaction. [Cleanse] was truly useful.

"I still need to buy new pairs again." He said as he looked at the torn edge of his pants.

'Clothes and equipment are truly some of the biggest expenditures for adventurers.' Kyle shook his head before putting on his clothes and walking upstairs. He followed Luke's prompts and entered the guest room. He didn't even bother checking it, lying face down and soon falling into a deep sleep. The next day. As the sun's rays slipped through the window's curtains, shining onto his face, Kyle's eyelids flickered. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up dazedly.

"An unfamiliar ceiling," he muttered. He slowly sat up, then stretched. Looking around, he was lying on a bed in a medium-sized room. A simple wooden desk sat against the wall, its surface clean but worn smooth from years of use. A small mirror hung above it, slightly tilted. The floorboards were bare but well-swept, and a modest wardrobe stood in the corner. The bed itself was the room's best feature, a proper wooden frame with a real mattress.

Kyle ran his hand over the quilt and found that it was made of high-quality cotton. This was certainly a good residence for a man living alone. Kyle suddenly felt curious about Luke's background. He never talked about it during their journey. He folded the quilt and placed it at the end of the bed before walking out of the room.

"Clang!" The sound of an iron utensil colliding with stone sounded from below, attracting Kyle's attention. He curiously walked down, just in time to see Luke struggling to make breakfast in the kitchen.

"Morning." Luke looked back as he heard footsteps. Seeing that it was Kyle, he greeted him before focusing on cooking.

"Morning." Kyle greeted him back and looked curiously at what he was doing.

"Do you need help?" Kyle cautiously asked, feeling that the guy didn't seem to know what he was doing.

"No, it's fine. I'm close to finishing," Luke said as he focused on the pan in front of him. He looked even more solemn than the time they fought the abomination.

"Haha. Take your time, man." Kyle chuckled and then walked to the living room. He sat on the soft sofa, sinking into it. A quiet sense of comfort settled over him.

'I really need a place of my own.' Kyle thought as he pressed on the soft sofa, his palm sinking in.

'Judging by the sounds in the kitchen, Luke might not finish in a while,' Kyle thought as he listened to the clanging noises. A bit bored, he looked around for something to pass the time. from the corner of his eyes, he noticed a small bookshelf hanging on the wall, on which a book caught his attention. [The fourth Era: The Rise of the Emperor]