The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 182 - 181. Two Options to save Astrid

Chapter 182: 181. Two Options to save Astrid

"We actually found a way to save Astrid, but we need your help. Find us in the part of the Labyrinth where it snows." Tyler used the Labyrinth Communication Charm he had acquired from the Room of Fortune to send a message to Lutz. The charm only worked inside the Labyrinth; the receiver didn’t need any device to receive the message. The sender just needed to think about the person inside the Labyrinth.

An hour later, Tyler White, little Mathilda, and Lily Gomes found Lutz waiting for them outside.

"As expected, you seem to have some sort of map of the Labyrinth," Tyler said, noticing how easily Lutz had found them.

"No, it’s more like a compass for the Labyrinth. It points to where the abnormal weather is," Lutz explained, tossing a compass to Tyler.

Tyler caught it and examined it. The compass didn’t have traditional directions. Instead, it had four needles, each labeled with different environments: desert, snow, sky, and forest. With this, Lutz was able to navigate the Labyrinth effortlessly.

"Alright, mini Mathilda will explain the plan," Tyler said, pointing to Mathilda.

"Don’t give me weird names," Mathilda pouted, then turned to Lutz.

Lutz, focused on saving Astrid, adopted a serious expression and listened intently.

Meanwhile, Tyler subtly placed the compass into his Copper Pot, and created a perfect copy without anyone noticing—except for Lily. She wanted to turn around and call him out but refrained. After all, she’d promised not to pry. Still, her intuition told her Tyler was being sneaky.

"This Labyrinth was created by Angels who once served a certain god," Mathilda began. "They tried to replicate the god’s power and immortality, conducting countless experiments here. That’s why the Labyrinth required Astrid’s angelic blood to emerge."

She explained further that the angels were researchers who had come up with various methods to extend life spans. One of those methods was going to be their key to saving Astrid.

"We’re going to use one of their experiments to break Astrid free," Mathilda said.

Lutz, visibly troubled by guilt, nodded. "I’m glad Astrid was able to meet friends like you. Tell me what I need to do—I’ll do anything. Because of my mother, Evergreen’s greed, and my own foolishness, Astrid is suffering. It’s my responsibility to help her."

Mathilda nodded, appreciating his sincerity. "It’s quite simple. First, we need to find Astrid and capture her safely. Once we have her, we’ll bring her to the Procreation Temple within the Labyrinth."

Lutz frowned. "The Procreation Temple? What exactly are we planning to do there?"

Mathilda explained the temple’s ancient purpose. "The temple was designed to strengthen souls and expand lifespans by channeling immense life force. We believe that if Astrid consumes a life-force orb there, it’ll not only restore her strength but will also reinforce her soul, allowing her to break free of Evergreen’s control."

"But won’t that also strengthen Evergreen’s soul inside her?" Lutz asked, concerned.

"I also had the same question. That’s the tricky part" Tyler chimed in. "Strengthening Astrid might also empower Evergreen’s influence over her. But we think there’s a way to prevent that."

Tyler then tossed the compass back to Lutz. He already has a copy.

Mathilda elaborated. "Actually, there are two ways to do it."

"The first option is soul sacrifice," she explained. "Someone would need to sacrifice their lifespan and soul to strengthen Astrid’s. Even if Evergreen’s soul grows stronger in the process, Astrid’s soul would become strong enough to devour it."

Everyone listened intently, absorbing the gravity of the situation.

"Next option is to Force her in sexual intercourse" Little Mathilda said with serious tone.

Lutz was dumbfounded.

"Yeah, The second option is through sexual intercourse," Mathilda continued with a straight face. "There is an array in that same pleasure church where it stimulates sexual interaction to the highest by directing to the soul. We can set it up so that all the pleasure will be directed toward Evergreen’s soul, distracting her while Astrid absorbs the Life Orb. Because she’ll be too distracted, Evergreen’s soul won’t have the chance to strengthen."

Lutz frowned deeply and shouted, "Absolutely not!"

"Why? Don’t you two love each other?" Mathilda asked, confused. She recalled how Astrid often spoke fondly of Lutz—always mentioning him, always worrying about him.

"With everything that’s happened... I doubt she feels that way about me anymore." Lutz sighed, shaking his head. "But that’s not the real issue. The problem is that the one inside her is my mother. I can’t do... that with my own mother."

Lutz’s refusal was resolute, his voice heavy with both guilt and disgust.

"But these are the only solutions we’ve found," Mathilda insisted, her small form seemingly weighing down under the burden of the situation.

Lutz stood there, lost in serious thought, before turning sharply to Tyler. His eyes were pleading, desperate. Tyler blinked in surprise, unsure of what Lutz wanted from him.

Lutz took a deep breath and suddenly knelt before Tyler, bowing his head. "Please, Phantom Blackwood or Tyler White, whatever name you go by—please save Astrid. I beg of you."

Tyler, taken aback, quickly raised his hands in protest. "Whoa, whoa! I can’t sacrifice my soul for her! That’s... too much."

"Stop acting dumb. He’s definitely asking about the second option," Lily interjected, rolling her eyes.

"Ah... right." Tyler scratched the back of his head, speechless for a moment. He looked over to Mathilda for confirmation.

Mathilda chimed in, her voice calm and matter-of-fact. "Actually, the first option—the soul sacrifice—was originally part of an experiment for achieving a longer lifespan. According to the research, whoever sacrifices their soul will be reborn as the child of the person whose soul gets strengthened. It’s as if the soul fragments don’t enter reincarnation but stick with the recipient’s soul until they produce an heir."

"So, in short, whoever sacrifices their soul for Astrid would be reborn as her child?" Tyler asked, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Yeah... It’s another way to achieve immortality. But the project was abandoned when they discovered that the reborn person couldn’t remember their past life," Mathilda explained, shrugging as if discussing a scientific anomaly rather than the fate of their friend.

Tyler was still trying to wrap his head around this bizarre piece of information. "So, we’re supposed to choose between soul sacrifice or distracting her soul through... well, a different means." He sighed. "Neither of these is ideal."

"We don’t need to risk the soul sacrifice," Lutz said, his voice breaking the tension. "Mr. Tyler, please. Can you do it? Can you save her?"

Tyler stared at Lutz, bewildered. "You’re asking me like this is some kind of simple favor. That’s your girlfriend, man."

"I know. But there’s no other way. If you don’t do it, I’ll have to sacrifice myself. And I’m ready to do that if it means saving her." Lutz’s voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed the turmoil he was feeling. Deep down, he had already made peace with the idea of sacrificing himself, but a part of him longed to find another way—to stay alive and atone for his past mistakes. He wanted to be there for Astrid in the future, not just in spirit.

Lily stepped in, sensing the mounting tension. "Let’s not decide anything just yet. First, we need to find Astrid. We can figure out the rest after that."

Tyler shot her a thumbs-up. "Exactly. Let’s focus on finding her first. No point in making a decision without her."

He reached into his pouch and handed out a set of Labyrinth Communication Charms to everyone. "Here. Use these to keep in touch. They only work inside the Labyrinth, but they’ll allow us to communicate no matter where we are in this place."

Lutz nodded, pocketing the charm. Without wasting another moment, he rushed off to search for Astrid.

Once Lutz was gone, Tyler discreetly pulled out several copies of the Labyrinth compass from his bag—an exact copy of Lutz’s magical tool. Both Lily and Mathilda knew about Tyler’s mysterious ability to copy objects, but they had agreed not to pry. For now, they accepted the compasses without a word.

"With these compasses and the communication charms, we should be able to cover more ground," Tyler said. He handed one to Lily and another to Mathilda, who both nodded in agreement.

"We’ll split up and search in different parts of the Labyrinth," Lily said, already scanning the surroundings. "Let’s move quickly. The longer we take, the more danger Astrid could be in."

"Also beware of other pirates." Mathilda warned. Both Tyler and Lily nodded.

"I hope I will meet that Manhunter again." Lily gritted her teeth.

The three of them set off in different directions, each armed with their communication charms and compasses. The Labyrinth, a twisting, endless maze of magical traps and strange landscapes, seemed to pulse with an eerie life of its own as they ventured deeper into it.

"Labyrinths, angels, soul sacrifices... I didn’t sign up for this," Tyler muttered to himself.