Nash walked calmly toward the palace while his eyes surveyed the happenings in the distance.
Revio was fighting a few creatures that represented a hybrid between a dog and a lion while the tip of their tails and fur around their necks blazed with green fire. Luckily, all of them were only at the Infant Rank, thus Revio was able to kill them without much difficulty.
The same went for his Souls too. Each of his Souls was fighting many creatures alone, while the one with the six tails slaughtered tens of beasts at the same time as if it was mowing grass!
'Not bad.' Nash complimented the sight he was seeing, as this was the very first time he saw his six-tailed Soul in action.
And what to say... It did not disappoint him at all. Just like how fierce it was against him when it was still alive, its brutal and vicious nature didn't leave and was massacring everything it was seeing like a killing machine!
'Unfortunately, Souls cannot rank up, and sooner or later they will have to be disposed of.' Nash sighed inwardly.
[That is only true for the current you.]
'Huh? You mean if I reach a specific rank, my Souls will be able to rank up just like me?'
[Correct.]
Nash fell silent, but quickly became excited and opened his Domination Quests.
{Domination Quests}
/Kill 20 enemies with your Souls!/
• Killed Enemies: 20/20
~Reward~
• 15 Domination Points
'My Souls have killed 20 creatures already?' Nash was surprised by the speed his Souls were killing the creatures, but shortly after smiled with merry and thought, 'With this 15 Domination Points, I have a total of 40. Now I only need 60 more and this ability will class up.'
As Nash thought about this, he noticed that they were finally standing before the palace, so raised his head and gazed at the words atop the majestic gates.
"Emerald Palace?" Erys read out loud the words and frowned.
"You can read those symbols?" Nash turned his head toward Erys with awe as he was yet to understand what the carvings atop the gate meant.
"Un. There are many languages all around the dimensions, but there is only one that has such a complex form, and that is the..."
"The Archaic Symbols," Nash said in a flash before he continued, "Then does this mean this place is as old as the Ancient Era?"
This time Erys remained silent as she fell into deep thoughts. But soon she glanced at the gate before shaking her head gently.
"I don't have a clue at all. According to my knowledge, beings during the Ancient Era didn't have such developed tools where they could have built all this. What is more, we are currently inside the Human Dimension which had been opened only for a few centuries, so it seems simply impossible."
"Then who do you think built such a magnificent place? Or you think it was made by some secret organization or perhaps was here all along, even before we have opened the Ancient Path?" Nash asked curiously.
However, the answer to that question was quickly disregarded by Erys who shook her head and said, "I think that is impossible. I have read several records from different races, including yours too, and there it was stated while you were capable of traveling in space, your devices were not developed enough for distant travel in space."
"Then how do you explain this place? I am pretty sure it didn't just pop out of thin air here one day." Nash asked.
"I have no clue at all." Erys sighed deeply, shaking her head. She knew quite a lot of stuff about many things, including events in the past and information about races, but something like this made her feel helpless too.
Swish!
As the two talked, the Souls and Revio eventually appeared behind Nash, seemingly finished with their task around the palace.
"Are you sure you have killed all?" Nash asked Revio who as a reply just simply nodded.
"Perfect." Nash then glanced at the gate before he took a deep breath and place both of his hands on it.
"Let's see what this place holds for us." and with a powerful thrust, Nash pushed the gates open, revealing an even grander sight.
Jade white floor shrouded with emerald green carpet as far as the eye could see, while many thick jade pillars decorated with emerald crystals were placed on the sides that supported the ceiling. From there, huge chandeliers, made out of emerald crystals hung one after another, each emitting a faint green light that was pleasant to the eye.
The whole place looked grand and mysterious with the sharp contrast of white and green, making Nash feel like an ant.
"Whoever built this place was the God of Architects!" Nash exclaimed with awe.
After examining the hall with admiration, Nash focused his attention on the surroundings and asked, "Where are the creatures? I don't seem to see any."
"They are all inside the center," Erys replied as her eyes were closed. It was obvious she was using some kind of power to scan their proximity.
"How many?"
"About fifteen, each on the Infant Rank. However..." Erys talked before going completely silent, her delicate brows lowering into a frown.
"What?" Nash immediately noticed her expression and asked.
Erys didn't reply right away but decided to stay silent for a little while longer. Only when she opened her eyes did she turn to glance at Nash and talk.
"Something is not right. I can still feel the powerful presence, but except for those fifteen creatures, I can't seem to find any other."
"You can detect the presence and the area where it is coming from but not the exact source? How is that possible?" Nash frowned by the revelation, finding this rather confusing.
Erys shifted her gaze forward where the center was located, and said, "It seems we have to find it out for ourselves."
Thus, the group proceeded to follow the path before them, and it was not long before they arrived before another huge door, that was bigger than the entrance, and was decorated even better as every inch of it was filled with emerald and white jade crystals.
"What is written up there?" Nash pointed at a few symbols atop the gate that seemed somewhat similar but different than the ones above the main entrance.
Erys raised her head to get a better look and after examining the symbols for a while she said, "It says, Emerald Hall."
"I see." Nash nodded mildly and placed both hands on the entrance with a sharp and resolute expression.
"Here goes nothing!"