Compromise!

After seeing that the blood contract for Kirana and Legia had been successfully executed, Cien felt relieved. The knowledge he studied was not in vain.

Observing Kirana and Legia, who were now impatient to test the new abilities of their weapons, Cien allowed them to venture into the forest.

Similarly, seeing both of them want to leave, Fenrir expressed that he could finally rest for a while.

Well, Cien wasn't certain if Legia could test her newfound strength.

First, her dragon wasn't willing to be disturbed, and second, it would be a waste to use it carelessly, as the skills had its long cooldown time.

Cien shook his head softly and sighed as he watched the two women display sharp eyes, seemingly eager to hunt their prey within the woods.

Quite far from the notion of elegance for women. Yet, their appearances were truly beautiful, a genuine pity.

As they vanished from sight, Cien bid farewell to Fenrir and resumed his tasks.

Now, Cien could focus on fulfilling various orders that had started to pile up.

Not only the antidotes from Lusting, but he also had several requests from Shiwa. Different weapons and different kinds of potions.

"Hmm, it seems my schedule has become packed due to yesterday's expedition. And, I've only received orders from two places. If other merchants come, I might not be able to fulfill those orders by myself anymore. Maybe, it's time to hire another craftsman for the shop."

Cien mumbled to himself as he walked back to his shop. He planned to add more criteria for the individuals Mia was searching for as new residents.

This time, he wanted to ask Mia to find him some craftsmans or blacksmiths who were looking for new employment.

Given that his location was in Death Valley, this would undoubtedly be challenging. But, at least with the reputation of Mia or Sravati, he hoped to attract one or two people.

With that thought in mind, Cien returned to his daily routine.

About five days passed.

Cien and Mia had already sent several people to Blackwinter to find new residents.

The construction of Fenrir's house had been completed, and now the workers were focusing on building new houses. Hopefully, these houses would stand tall before the new residents arrived.

For those who went to Blackwinter, Cien sent Balmut and three other villagers, while Mia dispatched Ian and two other knights to protect them. Simultaneously, Mia entrusted a message to Ian to be conveyed to Princess Sravati.

The message concerned Cien's proposal to exchange the Eternal Ice and the Heart of Ice.

In the past few days, Kirana and Legia continued their training as usual.

From morning until noon, they would venture into the forest for hunting. After lunchtime, they would proceed to Fenrir's place to practice Elemental Manipulation. Upon finishing their evening meal, they would return to their respective homes.

Kirana would then spend the remaining part of the day with her father, sharing jokes and stories at the dinner table.

Time was slipping away for both of them as their vacation period was soon coming to an end.

Cien could already see the melancholic expression on his daughter's face every night before sleeping. It was as if she was reluctant to embrace the changing days and the impending departure.

Kirana knew she had to leave. She bore significant responsibilities as a commander.

Nevertheless, she dreaded the idea of leaving her father and losing the opportunity to see Cien as she had ten years ago.

Cien had to reassure Kirana every time this happened.

He would declare that he would always be in Death Valley, waiting for Kirana to visit whenever she had time off from work.

Farewell was an inevitable part of life.

Today, as usual, Cien was busy in his alchemy room concocting the Lusting antidotes.

He had already produced around twelve thousand of these potions. Considering the promised quantity to Halima, he only needed to make eight thousand more. The materials he currently possessed were sufficient for this amount.

"Sigh…"

Cien let out a long breath after he finished pouring the antidote solution from the pitcher into the final tube for the current batch.

He only needed to store them in the storage room and then gather materials for the next batch.

"Ughhh, this work has become so monotonous and boring. Another eight thousand, huh… hm, speaking of which, where is Niles now? Last I checked, he had entered Farnodt. He should be in Marina by now."

Cien mumbled as he placed the tubes in a box.

He then grabbed his phone to check Niles' whereabouts by eavesdropping on his conversations. But something unexpected happened.

When Cien opened his friend list and saw Niles' name, his heart momentarily seemed to stop. The column next to Niles' name appeared red, indicating low life points.

'He's critically injured! What happened?!'

Cien felt a sense of foreboding. He quickly searched for another name in his friend list. The name of Jamie, as he was the guide of Niles and Ethel's group, appeared on Cien's friend list.

Similarly, he is also looking for the name of Cherry.

Unfortunately for Casey, Cien had not added her to his friend list yet, as their encounter had been during an emergency, causing Cien to forget to add her.

After searching, he found Jamie's name with his life bar reduced by a quarter. Jamie seemed to be quite injured at the moment. Cherry's life bar had only slightly decreased.

From this, Cien realized that something was amiss with the group.

'Have they already reached Death Valley?'

Cien shook his head. That was highly unlikely. So, what was happening?

Growing anxious, Cien tries to call out to Niles. Unlike usual, this time Cien listened to the ringing tone continuously, the connection not reaching Niles' mind.

"Something is wrong, could Niles be unconscious?"

Quickly, he shifted to another name. This time, he saw Jamie's name, with his life bar slightly decreased from one minute ago.

"Is he in a fight?"

Feeling less than ideal about the situation, Cien moved to the next target. Cherry.

Tut!

The dial tone sounded once and connected.

Cien wanted to inquire of Cherry immediately, but the sounds from the other end left him stunned.

He could hear shouting, explosions, cries, hysteria, and more. It was as if Cherry was amidst chaos.

'No, could it be... a war?'

The situation seemed worse than Cien had imagined. If it was indeed a war, Cien could consider several scenarios based on his daughter's stories about the condition of the Kingdom of Farnodt.

The worst-case scenario in his mind: an Abyss invasion!

"Cherry, are you there?"

<! This... Grand Master?!>

"Yeah. I'm talking directly into your mind. Explain to me what's happening to you all, your positions, and the condition of Niles and Ethel right now."

<This... Grand Master, sob! We… we… might die!>

"!"

Through tears, Cherry recounted their situation. As Cien had feared, the dire possibility he had in mind was coming true.

The demon race from the Abyss had attacked!

When the group was still in the heart of Farnodt's capital, they planned to rest for one or two days before continuing moving north.

However, out of nowhere, demonic forces had come and attacked the eastern part of the kingdom.

Within just two days, the invasion managed to breach Farnodt's defenses at the eastern gate and began to spread in various directions: west, north, and south.

Trapped in the midst of this chaos, the group decided to swiftly move north to continue their journey.

In a mere day's span, the southern part of the Farnodt Kingdom had fallen to the demons, effectively closing off the route back to Westya.

At that point, their only hope was to escape through the northern gate and head towards Death Valley.

But fate had other plans.

When they reached Marina, they found that demon forces were already outside the northern gate.

The Marina military was struggling to defend themselves against the demon onslaught.

Not only was the north facing danger, but the previously rampaging demons in the south had already managed to topple the palace and the capital of Farnodt.

Only the northern part of the kingdom was left struggling to resist. It was just a matter of time before Farnodt would collapse.

The remaining Farnodt soldiers in the north were vastly outnumbered by the Abyss forces.

Their defeat was also compounded by the absence of a Champion to protect them, allowing the Demon General to ravage their ranks without much resistance.

And now, the group trapped in Marina had to face the invading demon forces that had breached the city.

Their numbers weren't large, as the Marina adventurers managed to push back the demon forces that were outside the gate.

However, the demons that managed to infiltrate the city were not to be underestimated. Around two hundred demons wreaked havoc, destroying and killing anyone in their path.

Niles, unable to bear it, instructed his guards to aid the cornered citizens. Jamie also went to help.

At one point, Niles witnessed a child being captured by a demon just outside his hiding area.

Unable to restrain himself, Niles went out and attacked the demon with the Hellteak spear he had purchased from Cien.

His surprise attack wounded the demon's arm, causing it to release its grip on the child.

Unfortunately, Niles' attack didn't kill the demon. As Niles fled with the child, the demon managed to stab Niles in the abdomen with its trident.

As of now, Niles' condition remained critical. The demon that attacked him was eventually killed by Jamie after he heard hysterical screams coming from the group's hiding location.

Currently, there are still around a hundred demons roaming the city streets.

The army and adventurer forces couldn't provide assistance as they were occupied holding back the waves of attacks in the city gate.

So there are only about twenty people who have to solve problems in the city.

<Sob... Grand Master... are we going to die?>

<Cherry, who are you talking to?>

"!"

Cien heard a voice of a woman he hadn't heard in a long time, 'Ethel.'

<Grand Master, Madam.>

<Cien?>

<Hn, the Grand Master is speaking into my mind. Inquiring about our situations, sob...>

"Cherry, is Ethel with you? Is she okay?"

<Hn.>

"Cherry, tell her. I won't let any of you die!"

<!>

Bzzt–

Cien immediately ended the call. This is not the time for a long-awaited reunion with his wife. He had to focus on finding a way to rescue them.

Crack! Crack!

Cien clenched his two fists so tightly that they produced a cracking sound. His usually warm and relaxed gaze had turned cold. There was only anger swirling within him.

He couldn't leave Death Valley, and he felt the urge to curse himself for it. Cien reopened his phone.

"Aren't you going to give me an Event? There is a war going on! Isn't war the best place to sell weapons?"

Cien began to provoke his own phone. He didn't know if there was a system or deity listening, but at this point, he could only try. He had to find a way to get out from this cursed valley!

However, even after waiting for a while, there was no response from his phone. Cien ground his teeth, frustrated with his situation.

"Damn it! Hela!"

<I can't help you. Once you're cursed, you can't change it, even for me. Right now, that strange artifact you possess that can get you out of Death Valley.>

"Tch, then…"

Cien picked up a knife from one of the room's tables. He glanced at his phone, which was placed on the table.

"I'm sure there's a reason I was brought back to life. So, if you're not willing to compromise now, I'll kill myself!"

[...]

[...]

[...]

*Ding!*

[Event!]