Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1220 - 1220: Negotiation

Arel was asking numerous questions, showing a keen interest in Rain and his teammates. While she refrained from disclosing much about whatever they were, the questions about them seemed to be piling up. Rain, despite feeling a sense of gratitude for being rescued from the ambush, began to grow troubled by the one-sided nature of the interaction.

The debt owed to Arel for providing assistance didn't mean they were obligated to divulge every detail of their lives.

Still, Rain had no idea how far away they were from their initial location, and they could only count on Arel to bring the others there until they had high enough numbers to fight back the enemies…

"I guess we have to stay on your good side, huh?" Rain asked. "Since it is very likely that we don't have anything else to offer you."

"I am sorry if you feel forced to talk to me, but you don't have to," Arel said. "I just wanted to kill some time. There is no need to stay here for long, even though you could obtain some knowledge about the circumstances while you stay."

"Whatever, it is cool," Rain said. "You guys can rest and watch the surroundings in turns, all right? I am going to close my eyes for a bit."

Rain expanded his domain, enveloping the entire cave in the protective aura of his power. As the familiar sensation of his domain spread, he found himself transported back to the mental landscape that he shared with Elisabetha and the king in the shadows. Simultaneously, he noticed a peculiar sphere of energy spiraling in the air within the cave.

It became evident that this was Arel's spiritual body, a weird sight, if anything.

It struck Rain as odd because spiritual bodies were generally expected to mirror the physical forms of their counterparts. However, in Arel's case, it seemed that she had refrained from using her true body for an extended period, leading to the loss of that form.

Despite the lack of a physical representation, Rain assumed Arel's gender through her voice, a subtle indicator that spoke volumes about her true nature.

"Wow, you are so much like them that it is starting to scare me," Arel said. "The territory leaders can also create magic workshops like this to enhance their abilities and give the upperhand to their troops. Yours is a bit weaker if compared to them."

"That so?" Rain asked.

The mental landscape provided a momentary respite, a place for Rain to gather his thoughts and reassess the situation. The interaction with Arel had been both enlightening and unsettling, and Rain couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye.

"Elisabetha, you are up," Rain said. "I bet you two will become good friends in no time."

It was hard to see Elisabetha's expression changing thanks to the ominous aura covering her whole body, but Rain could tell that she raised her eyebrows. Regardless, she moved to talk with Arel, but she didn't know what to say… one in front of the other looked really weird. One looked like a corrupt entity, and the other looked like a pure spirit.

"I am going to talk with you for a while, but it would be better if you tried to be less cryptic," Elisabetha said. "You don't have to tell me your biography, but I would like to hear everything you know about this zone."

"Of course, despite your aura, you seem like a good person, so I wouldn't mind helping you," Arel said.

"Hmm, I wonder," Rain said.

"You are the one who unlocked all the sins path, remember?" Elisabetha asked.

"In the tapestry of human souls, the sins are but echoes, copying the labyrinth of desires and fears. Like shadows cast upon the walls of consciousness, they weave a dance that is intricate and perplexing. As the vessels of flesh traverse the realms of ambition and folly, the sins arise, intertwined with the very essence of being," Rain said.

"Are they the architects of fate or mere spectators in the grand theater of existence? The answer, my dear, lies in the whispers of forgotten dreams and the echoes of untold secrets."

"The hell are you even saying?" Elisabetha asked.

"Just some food for thought," Rain said while smiling. "Well then… what should I do with you? Rest easy. Whatever happens here, nothing major will happen. You are only a portion of the real moron in the shadows."

"... I will reveal everything I know if you manage to bring my other part here," The king of the previous zone said.

"Why should I try to do that?" Rain asked. "That will only break the rules of the enemies and give them more reason to kill me. I would rather wait and build my strength until I can break their necks with my bare hands."

"Combine my power with your knowledge, and her teleporting technique is the only way to face the rulers of this place," The former king said. "I can tell that you have endless potential and that you can achieve that.

People in this hellhole have been trying to destroy this place and free themselves for too long, but those who reach this point are too stupid to think of working with others since they think that they will be backstabbed at the very last moment."

"That level of cautiousness seems healthy enough," Rain said while furrowing his eyebrows.

Rain considered the king's words, acknowledging the validity of the point made. The arsenal of knowledge he possessed, coupled with the relics that had existed for one hundred thousand years, the shadow magic of the king in the shadows, and Arel's teleportation abilities, appeared to be the most potent tools at their disposal in that insane zone.

The prospect of combining these elements to confront the rulers of the zone held potential, but Rain couldn't ignore the inherent risks and the complexities involved.

Breaking the rules of the enemies, who had demonstrated a ruthless approach, could result in severe consequences...