Chapter 979: That’s not true, right?
After the kids left, silence settled over the whole scene. Jian lowered his head. Had he... really overreacted? No, he didn’t think so. Hearing such harsh rumors about Kyle—especially that it was ’good’ he was dead—had made it hard for him to stay in control.
He had wanted to scold Amon, to tell him that without Kyle, none of them would even be alive. How could he call Kyle heartless?
Kyle had saved everyone. He had only left them behind to ensure Azazeal, that man, would not return to fulfill his words of one day coming back to destroy their universe.
But that boy, Amon, had said everything he wanted and run off, leaving no chance for Jian or anyone else to scold him. Rascal!
Unlike Jian and those with him, who were distressed, the Celestials who had earlier spoken nonsense about Kyle now fell eerily silent. After digesting what Amon had said, they finally realized they might have been wrong. Jian and the others weren’t simply followers of Kyle who appeared from time to time to deny the vile rumors about him—they were all from that Ice Devil Universe!
For some reason, that realization sent a chill through them, making them sweat as though they had just made a big mistake.
It was the owner of the damaged building who broke the silence. Well, he didn’t really know why these people had fought, nor did he care. He just wanted compensation!
Still, after being suddenly interrupted by Amon, his anger had somewhat faded.
"What was wrong with that boy?"
He muttered, then glared at the kneeling group of people as he brushed his clothes.
"Anyway, cough up 100 thousand natural crystals if you all want to leave here alive!"
The moment the amount was mentioned, those who knew the true value of so many natural crystals almost fainted on the spot.
Jian, however, was still unfazed.
As one of the richest person in their universe, he was confident in his wealth.
Without hesitation, Jian hurled the storage ring he had taken out from his mind space earlier straight toward the floating Celestial.
"Here. Now let us go."
He snorted at the people he had beaten.
"I have realized that these pieces of garbage aren’t worth my attention."
However, the people Jian mocked had no attention to spare for him. They were too busy counting the natural crystals they all had on them, despair gradually creeping in as they realized just how little they had.
Jian soon came to the same conclusion—his days of being the wealthiest were over. After the floating man examined the ring Jian had thrown at him earlier, he abruptly hurled it back at him, shouting furiously.
"Are you kidding me right now? You think these divine and supreme-rank treasures are worth anything here?!"
Jian was dumbfounded, staring at the storage ring he had just caught in shock.
"What? These aren’t enough?"
The middle-aged man snapped.
"Are you new here? Everyone here is a Celestial. Why would Celestials need treasures that offer them no benefit?"
He swept his finger across the crowd.
"Everyone involved in the fight stays here. No one is leaving—no one! You will all be sent to work until the amount is repaid!"
Now even Asher, Nine, Regius, and the others were shocked. If even Jian—who held far greater wealth than any of them—couldn’t settle the cost, how could they, with so much less, possibly hope to?
A heavy silence settled over the group as the reality of their situation finally sank in.
In the end, everyone involved in the fight was dragged away by the owner, who was already secretly calculating the benefits of his unexpected gain. Rather than just fury, there was satisfaction in his expression—after all, he had just acquired a new set of laborers without spending a single coin!
He had recently obtained a good dungeon where people could mine natural crystals—and these people were perfect for the job.
Fresh, able-bodied, and some even looked new to the realm with not much knowledge, they would save him countless resources!
The owner curled his lips into a smile.
Nox, seeing the middle-aged man’s eerie smile, cried out to Bia, grabbing her sleeve.
"I told you not to fight! But no, you dragged me into it too! Look—now we’re in trouble!"
Bia gave him a cold stare, and he instantly shut his mouth, quietly trailing behind her.
In the end, only the female members of the group remained at the scene—Yue, Elli, Lara, Elizabeth, and Mia. They had not taken part in the fight and were standing at a distance, so the owner hadn’t paid them much mind.
Elizabeth watched as everyone was taken away, rubbing her temples in frustration.
"These people..."
She muttered in exasperation.
"I’ll follow and see where they’re being taken. You all go find somewhere to stay for now. Also, check on the youngsters."
Her eyes shifted to Yue.
"Amom left too hastily. Leon and Caria followed him. This is a higher realm—it’s different here. We’re not the strongest. It would be better if an adult stayed with the kids, so one of you should go after them."
Lara patted Yue’s shoulder gently.
"Whatever Amon said was out of anger. This is the first time we have seen him act like that—it only shows he’s still just a kid. Don’t take anything he said seriously."
Elli agreed with her words.
"Yeah... you know, when he was little, the only time he ever cried was whenever we told him his father was far away. He even once disappeared, saying he would search the universe if he had to, just to find him."
She paused for a moment.
"And now, after finally reaching the higher realm his father was said to have gone to, he heard so many harsh things about him. He probably couldn’t accept it, and all his frustration just came out the wrong way."
Yue closed her eyes for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and nodded.
"I know. I’ll go after the three."
With that, they all separated.
Elli, Lara, and Mia left together.
Yue followed Amon’s location using the tracking device she had. Elizabeth, on the other hand, headed in the direction where the owner had taken Alec and the others.
It was only after they separated that they heard another rumor about Kyle—one that wasn’t spread as widely as the vile ones.
In that rumor, people called him a savior: someone who had killed a calamity that emerged from the Layer of Ancients and saved the entire Celestial Realm. The only unfortunate part was that many powerful Rulers of the realm feared his power, and when he fell to his lowest point, they killed him so he wouldn’t threaten their authority.
Yue was the first to hear of it when she paused at an inn after learning about the Rulers and the territories in the sky. She nearly crushed the water cup in her hand, her eyes trembling with a hint of unease.
"Why... why do even these rumors say you’re gone? That’s not true, right?"