Chapter 238:Decision.
"The multicolored Awakening Stone."
"Come again?"
He sighed.
"You heard me the first time. I’m not repeating it. It’s in the valley... you really think I would have pulled you into something so dangerous just for the sake of it. I’m not that tactless Ravenna, I know it’s dangerous, I’m not forcing you to go with me but I will still be going."
Ravenna looked back at the mission.
"You don’t have to get defensive, okay... you think it’s really there?"
"I know it is."
She studied his expression. Silver rarely spoke with that level of certainty about the future.
"I’m not lying to you. I know those stones are rare but believe me, I’m telling you the truth."
Ravenna sighed.
"I believe you Silver, it’s just..." She looked at the mission again. "There’s always something dangerous attached to the valuable things, I have a right to be atleast skeptical about it, it doesn’t mean I’m discrediting your claims."
Silver smiled faintly.
"I’m sorry about the little outburst but it still remains, I’m going regardless."
Ravenna didn’t smile back. She was studying the mission details carefully.
"What happens if we join?"
"We go with the expedition."
"And the reward?"
"We get paid for participating, I believe. They’re quite vague about it but I believe the pay will be a lot."
"And the stone?"
"If we find it..." Silver paused. "Then we keep it to ourselves."
Ravenna looked at him.
"You’re already planning to take it."
"I’m planning to find it first."
"That’s different?"
"Very. We can find it but become unable to take it."
She shook her head.
"You’ve become greedy."
Silver smiled.
"It’s a multicolored Awakening Stone, who wouldn’t be greedy."
"I know."
"Then you understand."
"I do."
Ravenna sighed.
She couldn’t really argue. The stone could potentially change both of their futures, and Silver had already seen what opportunities such things could provide, but there was still a problem.
"The mission is dangerous."
"I know."
"It’s practically at the Red Zone, Silver. I don’t really think you get it."
"No, I understand the consequences."
"And we’re only Rank Two, we’re really not even prepared for the deeper parts of the Yellow zones and then this. This is us speed running to our demise."
Silver nodded.
"I know."
Ravenna looked at him.
"Then why do you look so excited? You should be worried."
Silver couldn’t help smiling.
"Because this is one of the best opportunities we’ve encountered."
Ravenna stared at him. For several seconds, she said nothing, then she sighed.
"You’re serious."
"Very."
She looked back at the screen.
"Fine, we’ll investigate."
"Really?"
"I didn’t say I liked it." She crossed her arms. "But I trust you and I know nothing will happen with you there... I hope."
Silver’s expression softened.
"Thank you."
Ravenna looked at the mission again.
"But we’re going to be careful."
"Of course."
"If I think something is wrong, we leave."
Silver nodded.
"Agreed."
They stood there for several more moments. Silver’s mind was already racing. The future was moving faster than he expected.
Dillain had been supposed to find this opportunity; instead, Silver and Ravenna were standing here. And this time, he wasn’t going to let fate decide who got the stone, not when he had already changed so much, and he knew what was waiting.
Silver reached for the recruitment information, then he noticed something else.
A phone number.
He stared at it.
Ravenna noticed.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling."
"Now?"
"Before someone else takes the opportunity."
Ravenna sighed.
"Of course."
Silver dialed the number. The call connected after several rings. A rough male voice answered.
"Hello?"
Silver straightened.
"I’m calling about the Death Row Valley expedition."
There was a brief silence, then the man’s voice came again.
"You interested?"
"Yes."
"Rank?"
Silver answered honestly.
"Rank Two."
Another pause.
"Are you one?"
Silver looked at Ravenna.
"Two."
The man grunted.
"Fine, we need two people anyways."
Silver frowned.
"Where do we meet?"
The man gave him the location.
"Be there before five."
"We will."
"Good."
The call ended. Silver lowered the phone, while Ravenna stared at him.
"Five in the morning?"
"Yes."
She sighed.
"We’re really doing this."
Silver smiled.
"Apparently."
Ravenna looked at the mission again.
Death Row Valley.
Yellow Zone.
Red Zone boundary.
And somewhere within that dangerous place was a multicolored Awakening Stone that was never supposed to belong to them.
Silver looked at Ravenna. This time, fate had given them the opportunity first, and he wasn’t going to waste it.
.
.
.
For several seconds after the call ended, neither Silver nor Ravenna spoke. The noise of the Association continued around them, yet Silver barely heard any of it.
His mind was still fixed on one thing.
Death Row Valley.
Ravenna was the first to break the silence.
"We shout start preparing, five will be on us soon."
"Yeah, morning comes faster when you have something do the next day."
Silver nodded.
"Yeah, it’s technically still into the night really."
Ravenna laughed.
"You’ve become very particular about time."
"I’m particular about not dying."
"That’s reasonable."
She looked back at the mission board.
The words RED ZONE BOUNDARY were still visible in the description. Her expression became more serious.
"Silver."
"Hm?"
"Are you really absolutely certain?"
"About the stone?"
"Yes, we’re not going on a wild goose chase are we."
He nodded.
"We aren’t."
Ravenna stared at him for a moment. She also knew that Silver’s knowledge wasn’t perfect; there were things he remembered clearly, others he only vaguely remembered, and those that had already changed beyond recognition.
But when Silver said he was certain about something, she had learned to take it seriously.
"What happens in Death Row Valley in the original story?"
Silver leaned against the wall.
"Dillain’s group joined an expedition."
"At this exact time?"
"Not necessarily." He shook his head. "I don’t remember the exact date, but I remember the location."
Ravenna listened.
"They were looking for materials. During the expedition, they entered an area deeper into the valley than they originally intended, encountered several dangerous beasts, and eventually..." Silver paused. "They found the stone."
Ravenna’s eyes narrowed.
"How? That is just too vague."
"I don’t remember every detail." He frowned. "I remember that the expedition was forced to take a different route, something about the original path being blocked. They ended up near an abandoned structure, and that’s where Dillain found it."
Ravenna looked at the mission again.
"So we’re taking the same expedition."
"Probably or not."
"But if Dillain isn’t with them..."
Silver smiled faintly. "Then the future is already different."
Ravenna sighed.
"You say that like it makes things easier."
"It doesn’t." Silver pushed away from the wall. "It just means we can’t rely on the story going exactly the way I remember. We’re not even sure if Dillain has arrived in the sanctuary or has already gone to the expedition. We left DeltaFour at almost the same time."
Ravenna nodded.
That was one of the most important things they had learned since arriving in this world. Silver’s knowledge was powerful, but it wasn’t absolute.
Every change they made created another difference, and every difference could eventually produce consequences Silver had never seen coming.
Ravenna crossed her arms.
"Then we need to be careful."
"We will." She looked at him. "Especially because this expedition is going toward the Red Zone."
Silver nodded.
"That’s the biggest concern."
The Yellow Zone was already dangerous, but the Red Zone was something else entirely. The creatures there were stronger, the environment was more hostile, and the likelihood of encountering something far beyond their current strength increased dramatically.
Death Row Valley was dangerous precisely because it sat along the boundary. The border wasn’t a physical wall, and there was no line in the ground that separated one zone from another.
The danger simply increased as they moved deeper. Sometimes a beast from the Red Zone wandered into the Yellow Zone. Sometimes the environment itself became dangerous enough that the distinction barely mattered.
Ravenna looked at Silver.
"Do you think we’re strong enough?"
Silver considered the question honestly.
"Strong enough to survive?"
"Yes."
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"I don’t want to lie to you."
Ravenna nodded.
"Good."
Silver looked at the mission.
"There will be stronger people with us."
"That’s another thing bothering me."
"What?"
"Why are they recruiting people like us? Forget the body count and all, put that thought aside."
She pointed at the mission requirements.
"There’s no minimum rank even with the increase danger. I know the Association restrictions might have made them desperate but...."