Lady Evergreen said with some melancholy, "We don't even know if the person who gave them that goal is still alive. But every leader of the sect bears the responsibility to complete the mission, and they have the curse to encourage them too."
Her tone was soothing and her demeanor gentle as she said, "We have had many people with special talents, so we had a good chance of fusing the two elements. But they either couldn't fuse them, or they died trying."
"A few centuries ago, the sect found a certain genius with a special body. The leaders of the sect at that time had great hopes for that genius. But the boy squandered his talents and even nearly died."
"If you ask me, I say it was a pity that the boy didn't die. But the boy survived his selfish attempt and even went ahead to become someone renowned. It is such a shame."
She was clearly referring to Sword Flash, but he didn't bother to acknowledge what she was saying. The golem had also become still and quiet as if it were dead.
Lady Evergreen glanced briefly at the golem ignoring her and continued. "Fortunately, you came along. You are the first person that I know who has attributeless mana affinity."
"Your mana affinity sounds lackluster and boring at first glance, but it turned out to be the solution to the problem. It is a thing worthy of celebration."
The second door opened, so the silver platform passed through it. But they had to stop again because there was a third door blocking their way.
While they waited, Lady Evergreen finished what she was.
"That is the summary of the murals on the wall. I added a little bit about the current affairs, but the history I told you was unadulterated. I guess it won't matter for long because today will mark the end of the story."
Arthur was a little afraid, but he still summoned his courage to ask. "Please, if I may ask. What exactly does all of this have to do with me? What do I need to do? And what is the curse?"
She chuckled and said, "You have nothing to be worried about. All you need to do is prove that you have created a foundation that fuses the two elements. Once you've done that, you are free to go. We will handle the rest."
"As for the curse, it is just something that binds us to this part of the world. We won't be able to leave unless we die or find a replacement to take our place."
"The leaders of the sect don't tell their successors about the curse, though. They keep that information to themselves until their replacement takes their place. Only when the curse has transferred to the next person do they tell their replacement about the curse and their responsibility."
She laughed after saying that. Then she continued speaking with an amused tone. "I was also tricked by my mentor. I was very angry when it happened."
Then she sighed and said, "Fortunately, an end is about to come to that tradition. We can finally be free."
She paused after saying that. It was as if she were reminiscing about something.
While she was silent, the world was still roaring as the stone door scraped against the stone gate in the process of opening.
When she finally began to speak, she said, "The curse is mostly harmless. But it stops being so when there is something we can do to achieve the goal of finding someone who can fuse the two elements."
"Like in your case. When you appeared, we had to do the best we could to help you succeed. We had to get the best teacher for you, and we had to monitor you every day to make sure that you were safe."
"We also had to give you the rank 6 blood essence to transcend the first mortal coil. And we always had someone follow you in secret when you went out for the intersect competitions. So yes, we were there when you were playing the fishing game."
Arthur's face changed many times as he listened to what he was saying. He didn't know what to think and feel about them spying on him and stalking him all this while.
His reaction only made Lady Evergreen smile. She said, "No matter what you think of what we did, just know that if we hadn't done those things, we would have been in unbearable pain. So if there is someone you should blame, it is the person who started this whole thing."
"But everything isn't all bad though. Because of that great person, the founders gained a new purpose in life and the resources to achieve something greater than what they could have ever imagined."
"We too have enjoyed the benefits of this mission. And aside from the curse, there is also the promise of a benefit if we succeed in finding someone that can fuse the Divine Lightning Armament and the Everlasting Wood Art."
"Many people will die for that benefit. That is if it exists, of course. But if it does, we will be able to expand our reach and avenue for resources."
With that said, the third door finally opened up. What appeared before them was a large circular gate.
The circular gate appeared to be made of stone and was empty in the middle. The hall was about a hundred meters tall, but the gate filled up the whole place nonetheless.
Patriarch Sword Flash finally spoke. He said to Arthur, "According to the records, all you need is to touch that gate and input your internal energy into it."
Lady Evergreen said to encourage him, "Go on. It should be quick and easy."
Arthur nodded and flew over to the gate. There was no change in the situation as he flew over to the gate. The air was still as stale and dry as when they first entered the underground temple.