Chapter 254: Coming
"!!!" Auric felt a chill down his spine. He thought he had been found out, so he instinctively lowered his head to check whether he was still holding a phone or not.
Once he regained his composure, he realized that this voice belonged to Ellia rather than Eva.
"Oh!" Auric hurriedly turned around. "It’s Ellia."
"You’re not going to sleep? You’ve been talking for a while. Get some rest so that we can hunt a lot of beasts tomorrow."
"Actually, there’s a change in plan." Auric whispered the new plan to her as well as a bit of information about Eva.
Ellia’s expression turned grim. On the one hand, she wanted to eliminate Eva immediately. On the other hand, fighting her would be quite a hurdle. It would be best to follow Auric’s plan first and then confront Eva.
Besides, fighting Eva while the organization was still a threat wasn’t exactly a wise plan. They’d better use Eva first before confronting her.
Ellia agreed with Auric’s adjustment. "I understand. I will play along."
"Very good." Auric smiled, relieved.
As soon as they returned to the room, Auric gathered everyone to give an announcement.
"This will be a shocking announcement, but I’d like you guys to calm down and listen to me. Tomorrow, we will cross the Alps and head to the space-element ruins to help Ellia evolve as quickly as possible."
"Hmm? Why is that? Our original plan was to circle around this place, right?"
"Yes, but with your evolution, I realize that having Ellia evolve will improve the group’s strength tremendously. Besides, we don’t have to worry about the restrictions in the ruins because of me."
"This is a bit reckless, but it’s not like I can’t understand the idea." Vera could feel her new strength after evolving her avatar. If Ellia could evolve her avatar, the team would become extremely powerful.
The trip should be much safer.
"I don’t have any objections." Katarina nodded. "But since we’re going to cross the Alps directly, it will be a harsh journey."
"I know." Auric had calculated the risk.
"Very well. Let’s go to the space-element ruins tomorrow. Judging from the distance and the terrain, we may need to camp in the middle of the Alps for a night." Katarina supported the idea.
"I don’t care where we’re going. If you want to do it, just do it." Eric shrugged. "However, make sure you give me more portions when it comes to fighting."
Those who knew him realized that there might be another reason why Auric thought this idea was good.
On the other hand, Eva couldn’t help but say, "I still think that going in a clockwise direction will be quite beneficial. Besides, there is a problem with the plan. It depends on how much Ellia needs to evolve."
Eva expressed her opinion, which was enough to show that she was capable, but not to the point where she could see through Auric.
It was enough to show that she had become a powerful person at such a young age.
Auric explained, "You don’t have to worry about that. Ellia is already pretty close to evolution. Just like how I helped Vera, I intend to let her absorb the artifact. Once it reaches 100%, I will help her evolve."
"Yeah. It’s not that I doubt your ability. It’s just that there’s no unique-element evolution master in the entire world. Absorbing artifacts is the main way for unique-element users to evolve their avatars, so it’s only natural that you want to use them. If Ellia doesn’t have a problem with you being the one monitoring her while she absorbs the artifact, I don’t really have a problem."
Ellia stepped forward. "Your concern is valid. Since there’s no unique-element evolution master, my future will be ruined if he makes a mistake. However, I have no doubt about his ability."
Someone like Ellia would most likely invite at least a diamond-grade evolution master to watch over her.
So, it was quite surprising that Ellia entrusted this task to Auric. Still, it showed Auric’s skill.
"I understand. In that case, how are we going to cross the Alps? It’s a very complex mountain range, so the terrain is going to be difficult to cross."
"Should we just go in a straight line?" Vera asked. "I can use my wind element to fly and carry you guys if necessary."
"Even without your help, I can still use my power to elevate us up." Katarina snapped her fingers.
Auric raised two fingers. "I don’t have the plan yet, but if there’s an easier place to cross, we’ll use that. If not, we will go in a straight line."
Eva thought for a moment. "We have three problems. First, the terrain. We will have a hard time crossing the Alps, but we can still use our elements to somehow push through. The second problem is the route. Since it’s complex, the route will be filled with dangers, not only beasts but also natural accidents.
"Lastly, the humans. We will probably encounter humans here. They might create trouble for us. In such a situation, what is our priority?"
Auric understood her concern, so he answered, "The problem about the terrain has been explained earlier. Regarding the route, we will proceed cautiously. I will catch all the incoming beasts. However, I will need some help regarding natural incidents. I can probably help us avoid a few, but not all."
"I can fly in case someone falls," added Vera.
"Well, I can also fly..." Eva raised her hand, although she was a bit unsure unlike Vera.
"I can bring people back with my teleportation." Ellia smiled, reassuring them.
"That should be enough for the time being." Katarina interjected. "The problem is humans. Sometimes, humans are worse than beasts. They may cause incidents that won’t be favorable for us."
Auric stated, "My motto is equivalent exchange. If you treat me well, I will treat you well. If you want to kill me, I will kill you. So, if they intend to kill us and it isn’t merely a coincidence, I will kill them. However, our priority is everyone’s safety. Try not to get injured if possible."
They looked at each other. There was no medicine or person who could heal them.
Ellia and Eric knew Auric had a healing ability, but he hadn’t shown it, so he must have intended to hide it unless it was necessary. It was something they couldn’t rely on, so it was better to avoid injuries whenever possible.
"Does anyone have a problem with this arrangement?" Auric asked.
...
"Director! We have made our preparations. Our people are on standby, but they haven’t located Auric Elfe yet."
The Director, looking through the report, said coldly, "Locate him. I couldn’t care less how many people die because of it. If you find Auric Elfe, that’s enough. Therefore, you need to locate him first and create that accident. Take advantage of the chaos and capture him."
"Still, according to our information, Auric Elfe is being guarded by one rank 3 and one rank 4. The rest of the group are rank 2, but they can’t be underestimated."
"Is what I’ve sent you not enough?" The Director gave a cold gaze.
"I-It’s enough, sir. However, I’m just worried because the situation is not looking good. Chief Adjudicator Arnie has arrived."
"General Marcel must have stopped him. He is a buffoon. He is the dumbest person when it comes to rules, which is why he will stop that annoying adjudicator."
"But the general might change his mind."
"He might, especially if that’s the order from the higher-ups. We can stall for time, but not for too long. That’s why you need to find Auric Elfe within three days and execute the plan, or we will have to abandon our plan."
"Three days..." The man hesitated. It was a very strict time limit, especially since they had to look around the Alps. However, it was an understandable time limit.
Arnie was an adjudicator who would be willing to do anything if it could help him finish his mission.
"It doesn’t matter. Go get him."
"Yes, sir."
The Director harrumphed and stood up. "Just a bit more, and I will be able to save you..."
He couldn’t help but remember the time he fought the government because of that incident.
After the Elemental Turbulence occurred, he lost all hope. Miraculously, his daughter survived.
However, the problem didn’t stop there.
"Why? Why is there no justice? Those people were the ones fighting in the ruins! If they hadn’t sneaked into the ruins, such an incident wouldn’t have happened. My daughter would still be alive. Why would you not want to capture them?"
"I sympathize with your situation, but I’m sorry. The culprits are dead, so we can’t catch anyone."
"Bullshit! I know you know that’s not true. You know that the culprits are many people. They locked the place up. All those people were also considered guilty!"
"I’m sorry, but that’s reality."
"Is it because they’re very wealthy? Just because they have a lot of money, can they avoid responsibility?"
The Director remembered the time he used to protest for justice. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Every day, he visited his daughter who was lying on the hospital bed. However, the more he protested, the more difficult his life became.
"What? What do you mean? I have money. I can still pay for the hospital treatment."
"Just look around you. I don’t think anyone in this place wants to treat your daughter. You should know your place and not make a big deal out of it."
The hospital wasn’t the only thing breaking his heart.
"Evicted? How can that be? This is my property!"
"You can’t live here anymore, or else the people living with you will face danger. Please leave... We don’t want to die."
He ended up getting kicked out of his house, but that wasn’t the end of his suffering. Because no one wanted to treat his daughter, he had to pay even more money to somehow get a hospital bed. The money was quickly running out, but he managed to handle it because he had a high-paying job.
Yet, even his workplace did the same thing.
"You’re going to fire me? Fine, if that’s what you want to do... Give me my severance pay."
Unfortunately, the moment he received it, he couldn’t keep it for long. He got mugged. The next thing he knew, he had lost everything without being able to do anything.
Because his money disappeared, he couldn’t pay for the treatment anymore.
He looked at his daughter while resting under the bridge. The bags under his eyes were so deep they looked like they could hold a gallon of water. Losing all hope, he was apologetic to his daughter.
"I’m sorry... Dad... can’t give you the justice you want. Dad can’t even give you any treatment..."
He felt helpless because he couldn’t save his daughter. Since there was no effective treatment, his daughter would soon die.
He thought about following his daughter afterward. He had promised his wife, who died from giving birth to their daughter, to always take care of their daughter.
Unfortunately, he failed to do it.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry..."
It was at this moment that he received an invitation.
"We think highly of your skill, Professor. How about working with us? Your enemies... they might be powerful, but they’re not as powerful as us. If you follow me, I will give you the chance not only to avenge your daughter but also to get her treated. Rather than leaving it in other people’s hands, you should be the one to find the cure for your own daughter, Professor."
He fell silent, understanding the harsh truth of this world. That was right. Why should he rely on other people?
He might not have developed it yet, but as long as his daughter continued to receive treatment, there would come a day when he found the cure.
He would also take revenge on those who had harmed him.
"Fine. Even if you were a demon, I’m willing to follow you. However, even a demon fulfills one’s wish, even if the price is the person’s soul."
"Of course. We will fulfill your wish first. After that, you will be ours, Professor."
"Fine, the world belongs to the rich. Since the world has thrown me away, I shall abandon this world."