I stepped back onto the crystal pathway and returned toward the old man, the drifting galaxies of the treasury slowly moving around me while the three selected treasures rested quietly within my soul space. The moment I crossed back onto the central platform, Knight immediately looked toward me.
"Well?" he asked.
"You look alive," Lyrate added. "So I assume you didn’t pick something suicidal."
"Only partially suicidal," I replied.
Knight nodded seriously. "Reasonable."
The old man simply watched me with the same calm smile as before, his dark green eyes locking briefly on me before drifting toward the treasury behind.
For a moment I remained silent, recalling the conversation I had back before entering Oriel. I had been waiting for an opportunity when I will be away from my system’s influence.
"Billion... are you really going to trust him? What if it’s not what he says it is?" North had asked me.
’If what he said about the Monarch and the Crimson Zone is true, then this will be the first time I step outside the system’s and his influence. That alone makes it worth it. It gives us a chance to prepare... to secure something that can help us if the system or Amun ever turns against us.’
Back then it had only been caution. Now I actually possessed things capable of mattering.
I looked back toward the old man.
"You’ve been very helpful," I said. "I have a few questions if you’re willing to answer them."
The old man’s smile deepened slightly.
"If you are worried about your treasures being stolen," he said before I could continue, "then you need not concern yourself."
I blinked once.
"They are bound directly to your soul," he continued calmly. "Only a God-ranked being could extract them from you now. Neither the Prime Universe system nor Amun possesses the capability to take them."
That actually surprised me.
"You know Amun?"
The old man simply nodded once.
Then after a brief pause he added calmly, "Amun is not a god."
His gaze shifted slightly afterward.
"And he can never become one."
I almost gave a relaxed sigh loudly. That man was still a mystery. Knight looked toward me slowly while Lyrate narrowed her eyes slightly, but neither interrupted.
I looked back at the old man. "Then what do you think about the treasures I selected?"
"I have no opinion," he replied immediately.
The drifting galaxies around us continued spinning quietly while he spoke.
"Treasures only gain meaning through the desires of the one who carries them. What matters is not whether they are considered good or bad, but whether they align with what you truly seek."
His eyes settled on me again.
"And judging from your expression... you obtained what you wanted."
I exhaled quietly after that before asking the question that had remained in the back of my mind since entering Oriel.
"Is there anything that can be used against the system?" I asked. "Or something that can protect us from it?"
The old man rubbed his beard thoughtfully for a few moments.
Then he spoke.
"I believe," he said calmly, "that you already possess such things."
I frowned slightly.
"One is your talent," he continued. "And the other is the fragment you just acquired."
The black rune resting dormant inside my soul pulsed faintly the moment he mentioned it. The old man’s expression became slightly more serious afterward.
"Do not underestimate the fragment of a God-ranked being’s foundation," he said quietly. "Its value exists far beyond your current imagination."
The old man’s dark green eyes settled on me steadily as the drifting galaxies of the treasury continued moving behind him.
"The Prime Universe system you fear so much," he continued calmly, "was itself created by a God-ranked existence. And the fragment you now possess..." his gaze deepened slightly, "is something capable of carrying you beyond systems such as those."
I remained silent while listening carefully.
"When you eventually reach Saint rank," he added, "make sure you refine that fragment properly and overwrite it with your own signature. Right now it still carries traces of the dead god it once belonged to. Make it yours completely."
"Once you do," the old man continued, "you will not need to concern yourself with the Prime Universe system taking control of you, nor similar external influences."
Then the old man smiled faintly.
"Of course," he added casually, "if you die, all of these treasures will simply return to the treasury again."
I looked down at my hand quietly.
’Beyond the system.’
The old man smiled faintly again afterward.
"That fragment alone is enough insurance against almost anyone you are likely to encounter for a very long time."
Then he clapped his hands softly once.
"Now then," he said pleasantly, "that is enough questioning from you."
The treasury around us began shifting slowly afterward, the drifting orbs retreating deeper into the cosmic void while the crystal pathways dimmed.
"I will send you back now," the old man continued. "You will return directly to the Terminal."
Before any of us could reply, the world folded away.
The treasury vanished.
Something pulled me back into awareness again, similar to waking from deep sleep, my senses returning gradually until my vision cleared completely.
The Terminal.
I found myself standing before the same massive arch gate once more with the words The Terminal written clearly across the top.
Beyond it stretched the narrow stone bridge over the calm blue river while endless white fog surrounded the entire place, swallowing the distance and making it feel detached from reality itself.
But this time we weren’t alone.
At the center of the open area beyond the bridge sat a large circular fountain made from pale white stone, crystal-clear water flowing softly through it while glowing blue fish drifted lazily beneath the surface.
And sitting comfortably on the edge of the fountain was the same cat.
A small black-and-white cat with golden eyes. The moment we appeared, the cat looked toward us lazily before raising one paw casually.
A scroll appeared out of thin air.
The cat caught it neatly, unfurled it, and began reading. Then suddenly its eyes widened.
The golden pupils practically started shining as it reread the scroll again before slowly looking back up toward us.
"...Oh," the cat said softly.
Then after another glance at the scroll "...You three are trouble."
The cat continued staring at the scroll for several more seconds before slowly rolling it back up with one paw.
Then it floated upward.
The small body rose calmly from the edge of the fountain until it stopped directly in front of me at eye level, its golden eyes studying my face carefully while its tail swayed lazily behind it.
"Show me the back of your hand."
I raised an eyebrow slightly but still lifted my right hand toward it, the golden throne mark of the conquered empires was gone now.
The cat extended one small paw slowly. Then gently placed it against the back of my hand.
The moment contact happened, I felt a slight prick, almost like a needle barely touching the skin, and a faint warmth spread through the area for a brief second before the cat pulled its paw away again.
I looked down immediately.
A new mark had appeared there. It was tiny. Only about the size of a nail. A small circular tattoo with several paw prints resting inside it.
Lyrate leaned closer. "That is adorable. What exactly did you just do?"
The cat floated backward slightly before sitting comfortably in the air itself.
"This," it said calmly, "is the reward for your hard work in saving the world of Oriel."
I looked at the mark again before asking, "And what exactly is it?"
The cat’s golden eyes narrowed slightly in what almost looked like amusement.
"You will know," it replied, "when the time comes."