Once I heard that, I glanced at Richard and said to him, "Should I say I told you so?"
Richard sighed and admitted, "Alright, you win."
"Was it really that hard to admit defeat?" I smirked, but Richard ignored me.
Suddenly, he looked as if he remembered something and handed me a black-colored necklace and a silver-colored pendant in the shape of a dragon head. The eyes of the dragon looked like they were a gateway to an infinite dimension of darkness. He handed it to me and said, "Here, I forgot to give you this."
"Odin's beard...!" Thor mumbled when he saw the darkness, and he was about to reach out for it when he suddenly remembered where he was.
I only glanced at him as he kept his eyes on the necklace, or rather, on the stone itself. I put the necklace around my neck, while saying to Richard, "Is that…?"
"Yes, this is the stone that Orcus created based on the Edicts of Death. Use it to trespass into the Underworld, for it is the key, of sorts."
"The very same stone created by Orcus is the key?" I replied with a question. I raised one eyebrow, questioning the thought process behind this decision.
"The Darkvoid Emerald is not a key in the traditional sense. Moreover, I purged it from Orcus's influence. All you have to do is fill it with your energy to make it yours."
I closed my eyes to guide my energy to the stone. The Darkvoid Emerald flashed with a grey glow and established a connection with me. It felt like it was part of my body that opened the whole world of the Laws of Darkness.
Richard made sure the connection was stable before walking back to the Mansion. Merlin looked at his disappearing figure and sighed, "He's going to be in a mood for a while."
"Why?" I asked.
"He needs to figure out the solution to reseal the Underworld. And you proved him wrong about the cracks in the seal. He hates being wrong."
With another sigh, Merlin followed Richard. I told the basilisk, "Take us to the Underworld."
It lowered its head and replied, "Your wish is my command."
I looked at Thor and was surprised to see his eyes glued on the Darkvoid Emerald. I rolled my eyes and hit him on the head while saying, "Snap out of it!"
Thor looked as if he woke up from a trance and asked, "What happened just now?"
"You mean you don't remember?"
Thor shook his head but didn't continue asking. I glanced at the stone on my finger and thought, 'It seems that this stone has some sort of effect on people. Only those of strong wills can resist that effect.'
Then I said, "Alright, we're heading back now."
Thor nodded and touched my shoulder, while I touched the basilisk and Zi. And then we disappeared.
Back in my country, we appeared in the other location that I still hadn't searched. I looked at the basilisk and asked, "Is this the place?"
The beast nodded its head and said, "It is near."
"Good, lead the way. And if you can, reduce your size; there are still mortals living here."
The snake's size quickly decreased, and it started walking into the deep canyon that was located in the north of the country. The canyon was filled with ancient trees. Every once in a while, we would see an ancient church.
Thor looked at this and frowned, "Why are there so many churches here?"
"I once read that this place was the haven the priests took after they fled from the various injustices that happened to them. To mortals ages ago, it is actually a very good hiding place."
"The lord Dragon knows the history of this place well," the basilisk praised.
"I know the history of my country well."
"I see," Thor replied.
After walking for some time in silence, the snake announced, "Lord Dragon, we are here!"
-----------------
Updated on 15/6/2026