Nash stood before the carving in silence for several minutes, his face showing a serious frown that he had quite a long time ago.
Reaching the Second Rank, opening the Jade Door, acquiring the unknown treasures inside before traveling to Planet Gaia, a planet he has never heard before, and getting his hands on something he didn't even know what it was or how it looked like!
All in all, except for the first two requests he has gotten from Aruer, Nash had no fricking clue at all how he should proceed once he obtained the treasures from behind the Jade Door.
'I should ask Erys for help. She must have some knowledge about this planet called Gaia and how we can get the-"
Suddenly, Nash's thought process was abruptly halted with an immediate realization, something he did not notice until this very moment.
'...Wait for a second. Why do I even think about going there? I don't recall any reasons why I should accept his request and risk my and everyone else's life. Besides, he didn't even tell me what benefits I would get in exchange if I do decide to help him and succeed!'
Indeed, all those things were crucial for Nash as he was not crazy enough to risk his and everyone else's life under his wings just for something he didn't even know if it was worth it or not.
Except for the first two requests, which Nash would have done even without a request, Nash found the rest way too dangerous with too many unpredictable outcomes to count, thus Aruer should have told him a solid reason why he should help him, and maybe only then would have he helped, but like this... The chances now were incredibly small.
'What a pity... And here I thought things will become interesting, but alas...' Nash just shook his head helplessly together with a regretful sigh, but his eyes clearly showed the confusion he was truly feeling at the moment.
Just now, he almost followed someone's request he didn't even know and almost walked straight into hell itself, bringing chaos and despair again not only onto himself but the rest of the humans he has saved!
As he thought about this, Nash couldn't help but tremble slightly, feeling slightly scared just how easily Aruer manipulated his actions and feelings without using any special power or techniques!
"Next time, I must act with greater caution." mumbling those words Nash took a final glance at the monument on the wall before walking away with slow but steady steps.
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Meanwhile, back on the spaceship, all the people were in the same cabin, neither of them talking or doing anything, seemingly too nervous to do so.
Naturally, it was only understandable as all of them held fear from the unknown future that awaits them shortly. For them, Nash was something akin to a pillar that they could use as support, and without him, their lives were bound to collapse completely. They all knew that if he won't come back, they will only die in a short amount of time, especially on a planet like this, and with their Legacy sealed; they will become like pigs, waiting to be slain by creatures if not by other races!
The whole room was filled with a heavy silence, and the only thing one could hear if entered was the quiet breathings with the occasional feet tapping sounds on that further indicated just how anxious everyone was.
Time ticked deliberately. Seconds became minutes which gradually turned into a full hour, yet even after that, there was no sign of Nash's return. This caused many's complexions to become whiter and heavier while the hope in their eyes began to fade away slowly but surely.
Well, it was the case for many except for one individual, Uncle Ben. Despite his complexion that held slight distress and bothers, the confidence and faith in his eyes still lingered, like magical flames burning in the deep and cold ocean!
However, just like how magical flames can get extinguished if they had no source of energy, the beliefs and emotions in one's heart such as confidence and hope could easily evaporate into thin air if one's will was not strong enough; and unfortunately, after so many years of downfalls and slavery where their will was basically destroyed to almost to their very core, it was simply impossible for the humans present to keep their ambitions alive for a long time.
'Just make sure you come back safely.' was what Uncle Ben thought as he sighed before closing his eyes to get some rest.
Again, time began to flow silently and in a blink, two more hours have passed. At that time, everyone's complexion looked rather white while the flickering light in their eyes began to fade away; it was apparent that soon, all of them will lose their last string of hope as all of them understood that without Nash, they had no chance to survive at all.
However, just when all things seemed to collapse and fall, a slight tremor suddenly shook the spaceship before a figure with an emerald green sword attached to his back walked through the door on the side, his face calm and indifferent.
"Huh? What happened here?" Nash raised a brow when he saw and felt the gloomy atmosphere in the room, giving him the feeling he just walked into a burial ceremony all of a sudden.
"H-He... He is back! Haha! He is truly back!"
"Thank the lord!"
"Am I hallucinating or... Hey, please hit m-!"
Slap~!
"H-Hey! What the fuck man!? That fricking hurt!"
Everyone in the room expressed their happiness differently, some sighing with relief, some jumping up and down from pure joy while others even asked the ones closest to them to slap them in the face just in case they were seeing things.
"Haha! I knew you won't die that easily! Haha!" Uncle Ben walked up to Nash among joyous laughter and put his palm atop his nephew's shoulder before he began to pat him firmly.
Nash watched everyone with a rather confused expression, but as he somewhat understood why they acted the way they did, almost like people who have won the dimensional lottery on a whim, he showed a slight smile and shook his head helplessly.
"You guys..." looking at every one of them and watching as their level of sadness decreased at a rapid rate while their happiness skyrocketed into the nineties, Nash let out a slight chuckle before turning around and waving his hand.
"Come, we have things to do."