Chapter 368: If It’s Tangled, Just Cut It (6)

Joyray had a mountain of questions he wanted to ask if he ever saw Keter again—things like whether everything outside had been resolved safely, or why he had returned to Liqueur and come looking for him. However, when he actually faced Keter, those questions no longer felt necessary. Keter had not changed, not on the outside or the inside.

Joyray knew this didn’t mean that nothing had happened. To him, he could clearly see Keter desperately trying to hold on to who he was.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Joyray gently patted Keter’s shoulder. As the adult and his mentor, it was the first thing he felt he should do.

“Since when did you start acting like this?”

Keter awkwardly pushed Joyray’s hand away. Seeing that, Joyray smiled faintly.

“So you do change after all. The old you would’ve punched me for being creepy.”

“Haven’t I always said? I’m a kind person by nature.”

“That’s not something a man who burns someone’s bare flesh with fire should say.”

Even as he said that, Joyray knew the truth. What Keter had done had been the most appropriate treatment for his wound. Of course, it had hurt like hell, but pain was something he could endure. Anything that could be endured was trivial.

“So... why did you come looking for me?”

Like a mercenary who knew time was money, Joyray skipped the small talk and went straight to the point. Keter did the same.

“I’m just a son looking for his runaway father. How could I not be curious about what you were doing after abandoning the mercenary guild? And while I’m here, there are a few things I want to ask too.”

“You sure took a long way to say you came because you were worried.”

“Can’t you just play along even if you know? Honestly, you’re such an old man.” Scratching the back of his head, Keter casually asked, “The mercenaries in the hideout said you came to the arena to obtain an Authority. That’s not true, right?”

“That’s right. What I want isn’t an Authority; it’s lives.”

“The lives of the mercenaries, obviously.”

Joyray nodded. Keter could understand the entire situation now. Even though it was a mercenary hideout, there had been far too few mercenaries inside.

Mercenaries didn’t consider dying in battle honorable like knights did. They believed survival was everything. Those stubborn, cockroach-like survivors couldn’t all have died, so they had most likely been captured and dragged to this arena. They were probably playthings for the monsters, or merchandise.

Joyray had entered the arena voluntarily to save them. That was Keter’s deduction and the truth.

“That’s exactly what happened. So what was it you wanted to ask me?”

For some reason, Joyray seemed to be drawing a line, telling Keter that this was his problem and that Keter shouldn’t interfere. Keter ignored that and asked his question anyway.

“Everyone knows that you can get strong very quickly in Liqueur’s underground world due to the extremely high concentration of mana, and that it’s full of treasures. But even Transcendentals who don’t need those things still head underground, as if they know that what they’re searching for is definitely there.”

“...So you’re planning to go underground as well.”

“I don’t think Transcendentals would waste their time chasing a mere rumor. There must be a reason. Do you know what that reason is, and where it can be found?”

“Ha...”

Joyray let out a deep sigh and drank the strong liquor sitting on the table. He clearly knew the answer but didn’t want to say it.

Without a word, Keter pulled out a strip of dried jerky and handed it to him. Joyray accepted it immediately and started eating.

Between the two of them, persuasion was unnecessary. They both knew persuasion wouldn’t work anyway.

“Give me another piece of jerky.”

“You already swallowed that tough jerky? Try chewing it first.”

“You’re about to hear top-tier information, and you’re worried about one piece of jerky? You should be giving me the whole bag.”

“In the desert, water is more precious than gold.”

“To an adventurer, a map is more precious than gold.”

Joyray was just as stubborn as Keter. Neither of them would back down. In the past, they might have continued like this for a week or even a year, seeing whose patience would run out first, but...

“...Damn it. I’m the one who needs the favor right now.”

In the end, Keter sighed and handed him another strip of jerky.

* * *

True to someone who represented tens of millions of mercenaries, Joyray’s explanation was brief and precise.

“Transcendentals head to Liqueur’s underground because there are places and objects there that can provide answers to everything. The first of them is the Nippur's Library on the fifth floor.”

Keter was familiar with Nippur.

“Nippur, the Observer of All Things? Don’t tell me that bastard is on the fifth floor?”

“You know about him? Unfortunately, Nippur himself isn’t there right now, but the library remains. A library containing books close to infinite in number. It exists somewhere on the fifth floor. Records say it takes at least two years just to find the library, and for the unlucky, as long as twenty-seven years.”

“So that library can give you any information you want.”

“Yes, but there is no librarian there. You must find the book containing the information you want yourself. As I said, the number of books is nearly infinite.”

“So it exists, but you can’t find it...”

“And even if you read countless books there, you are only allowed to keep one. All other knowledge and information you read will be forgotten.”

“Has anyone actually found what they were looking for there?”

“As far as I know, only one person did, after ninety-two years. He discovered who had truly killed his parents.”

“Ninety-two years? The culprit would’ve died of old age by then.”

“No. The one who killed his parents was himself. After telling me that information, he took his own life.”

“What if it was false information?”

“A god swore on its own existence that every piece of information there is true.”

“Hmm.”

Nippur was a god who granted information in exchange for sacrifices—that was the Nippur Keter knew. However, there was a place where you could obtain Nippur’s knowledge for free. Of course, without Nippur’s help, actually finding the desired information seemed almost impossible.

Though a Transcendental could live a thousand years... with nearly infinite books, even a thousand years might not be enough.

Finding the answer in Nippur’s library might be harder than simply finding Nippur himself.

Keter had considered that option—bringing an appropriate sacrifice and asking Nippur directly—but that wouldn’t work.

Nippur understands the fundamentals of trade. The value of information changes in real time, depending on how badly the other party wants it.

This meant that even if Keter offered something like the Terra Ring, one of the Five Element Relics, Nippur might still refuse to give him the information he wanted. Beyond that, Keter simply disliked Nippur.

Not someone I want to see twice.

Keter handed Joyray another strip of jerky. Joyray accepted it naturally and continued.

“The next one is the Mirror of Truth on the sixth floor. It’s a tool—a small bronze hand mirror. Ask it a question, and it will answer yes or no.”

“Convenient, which probably means it’s a nightmare to obtain.”

“You can receive it from the Ruler of the sixth floor, Thanatos.”

“That explanation is awfully short. If you ask for it, does he just give it to you?”

“Surprisingly, yes. If you ask, he’ll give it to you, but only if you can find him.”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Each floor’s Ruler had a different personality. Sphinx, the Ruler of the first floor, was relatively easy to find. It stayed in one place, and the location itself was open enough that spotting it wasn’t difficult. However, the Rulers of other floors were different. Even if they had designated territories, they weren’t always there. Some witnesses even claimed to have seen them wandering around randomly.

“And how do you find him?”

“If such a method existed, I would’ve already challenged the sixth floor myself. The sixth floor itself rejects life—boiling lava, poisonous fumes seeping from the ground, and endless acid rain. Even Transcendentals can barely survive there for an hour.”

Keter shook his head. He had expected it, but there was no such thing as a free reward in this world. Every option required risking one’s life a hundred times over.

“Anything else?”

“That depends on whether you give me more jerky.”

“Greedy old man.”

Grumbling, Keter handed him another piece, but Joyray held out his palm.

“One isn’t enough. Give me more.”

“Just take it all.”

Keter tossed him the entire bag of jerky. He had another bag anyway, but more importantly, seeing Joyray so thin made him feel a bit sorry.

Taking the bag, Joyray spoke with a slightly apologetic tone.

“The last piece of information isn’t confirmed. It’s just a rumor, and since you’re the type to charge ahead and verify things yourself, I really shouldn’t tell you...” Joyray glanced cautiously at Keter.

When Keter reached for the jerky bag again, Joyray quickly continued.

“The eighth floor is the Forest of Souls. They say you can meet the souls of everyone who has ever died there. Unlike Nippur’s Library, you don’t have to search—just call them, and they will come. However, as I said, this is only a rumor. Nippur's Library and the Mirror of Truth both have multiple witnesses, but only one person has ever returned alive from the eighth floor, so the story cannot be verified.”

Even the sixth floor was an environment that Transcendentals could barely survive. Then, there was no telling how dangerous the seventh floor would be. Plus, moving between floors wasn’t simple either since one had to find the passageways. Some passages were permanent but extremely dangerous. Others appeared randomly, and no one knew where they would appear.

The eighth floor was undoubtedly a place where even a Transcendental couldn’t guarantee survival.

“Is that all?”

“That’s all.”

“Who was the person who returned alive from the eighth floor?”

“Franken.”

“...!”

Keter hadn’t expected to hear Franken’s name here. Apparently, she had gone as far as the eighth floor and still returned to the surface alive.

Impressive. Well, someone like that would have to be capable of planting her soul inside someone else’s mind world.

Franken had disappeared together with the dragon in Keter’s mind world to protect him, but she had said that she had not truly died.

Did she succeed in modifying his soul beyond the body? If so, isn’t Franken essentially a god now?

Smack, smack.

Keter slapped his own cheeks, pushing away the stray thoughts, and continued.

“Do you know where Master Franken went?”

“I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead. One day, she simply disappeared.”

“That does sound like her.”

Keter stroked his chin, lost in thought. He briefly considered going to look for Franken, but it wasn’t a thought worth dwelling on. If Joyray, who had close ties to the Godfather ruling Liqueur, didn’t know, then the only one who might know would be the Godfather himself.

“If you have nothing else to ask, then you should leave. Focus on recovering.”

Joyray was essentially dismissing him. He felt cold, but in reality, he didn’t want Keter to get dragged into trouble because of the mercenaries.

“You’re staying here? Come with me,” Keter said.

“You want me to guide you? I refuse. I still want to live.”

Going into Liqueur’s underground now was basically suicide, and that was Joyray’s warning to Keter. However, Keter only shrugged.

“If you don’t come, you’re the one losing out.”

Then he simply turned around and left.

Joyray was dumbfounded. Keter’s footsteps were light and cheerful, like a child heading off to receive a present.

I acted cold, but he really left without hesitation.

Joyray was startled to realize he felt disappointed. Deep down, he had hoped Keter might help him.

No. That wouldn’t be right. How could I ask Keter for help?

Keter was a free spirit. Becoming the head of the Liqueur Mercenary Guild had only been for amusement. He was not someone who would take responsibility for it.

This is the mercenaries’ problem. Keter isn’t a mercenary—he’s a Solver. As a councilman, it’s my responsibility.

He had to win ten consecutive matches and save the five hundred mercenaries captured in the arena. Joyray lay down on the bed to prepare for tomorrow’s fight. It was terribly uncomfortable—hard and uneven. The stench around him stabbed at his nose, and the sound of insects crawling scraped at his ears. However, he had to close his eyes and rest.

He pushed aside his worries about tomorrow’s opponent. He pushed aside even his lingering disappointment about Keter. Just as he was about to slowly drift into sleep...

Kwahhhh!!!!

Rumble! Crash!

The massive explosion and collapsing ceiling forced Joyray to leap to his feet.