Chapter 122: we’ll be waiting for you on the surface
"This will be your home for a long while. Cultivate the land and grow more food, be on your best behavior, and you remain here, or I’ll end your lives...is that understood?" Julian said lightly, but the dangerous edge in his tone snapped everyone to reality, and they quickly nodded in agreement, fearing that if they were a second late, they would be thrown out of this fairyland.
"Come with me to see the section you’ll be living in." Julian took charge of arranging them; he and Ethan had already gone into her space earlier and made preparations.
They passed through the crops he planted, which were already tall and mature, just two days from ripening. He was surprised at how quickly they grew, taking only two weeks for the crop to mature for harvest.
He pointed to the far end of the east side, where there weren’t many trees, and there was enough clearing for them to set up camp or build houses.
After issuing a final stern warning, he left them to their own devices but motioned for Blaine to follow him.
"Your master doesn’t worry, I’ll supervise them and make sure they don’t cause trouble in Madam’s space," Blaine promised earnestly—he was stronger than this group and could easily control them.
"And also make sure they don’t slack off and start planting, and choose a good potion maker from those in charge of planting herbs. We’ll need a constant supply of potions, both for our use and others." Julian ordered, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Ethan return with a sack filled with soil.
"You can go." Julian waved him off, then turned to Ethan with a raised brow, his expression questioning—why did he need to collect soil when they were already standing on countless hectares of it?
"It’s for dad," Ethan replied curtly, his eyes fixed on the figures scattered across the clearing.
"Do you want to go back and say your goodbyes before we leave?" Ethan suddenly asked with a bland tone; his lowered gaze hid the emotions in his eyes.
Julian was surprised for a moment before he realized who Ethan was talking about. A frown immediately formed on his face.
"I’m not a masochist. Back then, I saved your sister from that father of yours, yet she almost turned me into a mindless puppet. Tsk. And now you expect me to go back so your sister can finish her work? No—absolutely not." Julian shook his head like a rattle before giving Ethan a suspicious glare, wondering if he wanted to throw him to his sister just to be alone with Eva.
"When did that happen? I thought you and her were close friends." Ethan looked at Julian, a hint of disbelief flickering in his eyes. Julian almost wanted to end their friendship right then and there.
"So when I was signaling for you to save me from her clutches, you thought I was playing house with her? What part of my expression made you come up with such baseless assumptions?" His voice trembled with anger, and for a moment, he nearly wanted to strangle Ethan to death.
There was a rare flash of guilt in Ethan’s eyes; he wasn’t aware Alexa would use her mind powers on Julian, after all, he had saved her.
"Cough... sorry, let’s go back and pack for our journey." Ethan quickly changed the subject, carried the sack with him, and left in long strides before Julian could respond.
Julian rubbed between his brows and exhaled deeply. Just the thought of Ethan’s sister made him cringe, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn’t bother asking if Ethan planned to return—he already knew he wanted nothing to do with that family after his father’s last stunt had nearly cost them their lives.
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Eva stayed with her parents during the little time she had, fully aware of the deep worry in their hearts about her and Aaron venturing into the unknown with no certainty of returning alive.
"Be extremely cautious. If you don’t understand something, ask your husbands or your brother. You’ll have to travel apart from the others because of the people living in your space." Grace patted her shoulder with a worried look, while Leo handed her every poison and life-saving potion in his arsenal.
Eva hugged her and kept humming in agreement with their caring words and advice.
"Aaron, take care of your sister and stay safe until we come to the surface." Leo patted his son’s back, then paused when he remembered something.
He searched through his space bag and pulled out four blue seashells. "Both of you should drop a bit of blood on this, both of you, too." Leo motioned for Julian and Ethan, who looked at the shells curiously. Each took a shell and dropped a few drops of blood.
The shell absorbed the blood to their surprise and pulsed like it was alive.
"This is a homing shell. In case you’re separated, you can use this shell to find each other. It remains cold when you’re far apart but heats up when the other person is close by," Leo explained the use of the shell, glad he hadn’t thrown it away since it wasn’t useful then.
They carefully placed the shells into their rings—the shells would be very helpful to them.
"Alright, let’s have a banquet today. Eat and drink as much as you like—I asked the chef to make all your favorites. Let’s go." Grace called out with a smile, masking the fear and worry in her heart.
Eva cheered and tugged Ethan toward the dining room, while Leo followed behind with a sad smile, knowing the house would soon lose Eva’s cheerfulness.
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Today was the day they were leaving—tight hugs filled with tears and heartfelt goodbyes echoing all around.
Grace didn’t hurry them along; she had already said her goodbyes and needed to stay composed while seeing them off.
Leo brought out bags of rations that would last each of them a year before they set out to hunt for their own meals.
The rations included potions, food, water, and many necessities—each with a suit on top.
Once everyone said their goodbyes, Grace nodded toward the bags of rations neatly placed on the ground. "Each person should take a bag and follow me down to the dungeon. Put on your oxygen masks—we’re about to head out."
At her words, everyone started to pick up the nearest bag and store it in their space bags or rings.
Eva hugged Leo one last time before she put on her oxygen mask with reddened eyes. Leo’s eyes stung a bit, but he quickly fought back his tears and smiled, unwilling to make her sad.
Patting Aaron on the back, "Be safe, both of you."
These were the final words they heard before following others through the warp gate.
Each looked back one last time to wave goodbye to their friends and family, and finally, the warp gate closed.
Inside the dungeon, Grace issued them a final warning since she couldn’t stay here past the time limit, or she would be ejected to the surface like them.
"Once the dungeon reaches its time limit and ejects you, hold on to each other. Take this warning seriously unless you want to be separated from the others," Grace cautioned, her tone firm. Only Eva and her group would not go with the crowd, due to her secrets.
"Use this time to replenish your energy. I wish you all a safe journey ahead." Grace ended with a sincere smile before walking over to Eva and the rest, who were sitting in the corner.
Ethan and Julian excused themselves so Grace could have some time alone with them.
Eva hugged her mother, soaking in the familiar warmth. Although her time with them had been short, she had felt their genuine love and care, and she silently vowed to protect them and return their feelings.
Eva hugged her mother, feeling the familiar warmth, though she hadn’t spent enough time with them. The little she had spent, she felt their genuine love and care for her, and she promised to take care of them in this life.
"Be careful and stay with Julian and Ethan," Grace said softly as she hugged her two children tightly.
"Mum, we’ll be waiting for you on the surface," Eva promised with a tearful smile before burying her face in her mother’s chest.
After a while, Grace waved goodbye and left. Twenty minutes later, they heeded her warnings, forming groups of five or six and holding tightly to one another. Suddenly, their surroundings spun as if they were being hurled at inhuman speed.
The place where they had stood was now empty.