Hidden inside the oasis, Atlas lived quite peacefully the following days.
His soul kept growing, improving his endurance and capability step by step. Enhancing one soul brought great benefits, and one of those was incredibly advantageous to the five senses.
In the last few days, the young man's hearing and vision had improved significantly, granting him a better view of the world. In particular, he could partially distinguish the vague form of a creature hidden inside the second sun, almost confirming Deus' words.
Besides that, his resistance against those annoying and malevolent energies had significantly improved, and he could finally stay above the water's surface for an extended period.
On the tenth day of their crossing, another creature stood on their road, and this time, Atlas saw with his own eyes its true semblance.
Kurmanus was a mighty giant who could scare most of the monsters stupid enough to find trouble with him. Still, things were completely different this time because what was standing in front of them was another kind of being.
Seeing that the new opponent didn't intend to move away, Kurmanus halted his track and growled arrogantly: "Fuck off ant!!"
His voice could shake even mountains, yet the tiny creature before them merely smirked at his curse.
"Great Kurmanus... I'm only a poor wanderer looking for a cup of fresh water and a friendly chat. I'm not here with bad intentions..."
Kurmanus narrowed his eyes, hearing his response, but didn't act aggressively like before: "You seem to know me, but who might you be? And why are you hiding your visage below a hood?"
Atlas and Deus could hear their conversation and stood alert, waiting for the strange being to take the following action.
"Oh... pardon me..." A hand covered in grey scales, utterly different from those of Deus, emerged from below the long dirty gown and pulled down the hood, revealing the mysterious creature's true appearance.
"My name is Jasper, bringer of fortunes and a vagabond from a distant place."
Kurmanus clearly had never heard of his name. Yet, his appearance gave him a huge surprise because the race before him was something that, even in his long years, he had never encountered.
Atlas and Deus had the same response and couldn't help but stare at the strange creature in wonder. Especially the young man, who was greatly intrigued by him.
The creature called Jasper was undoubtedly a wonder. In fact, his head, the only visible part of his body other than his hands, resembled a bit that of a humanoid creature, but a few essential parts were missing.
His mouth was quite broad, and his nose was more prominent than average, with two narrow and pinched nostrils. The ears were entirely missing, replaced by two long, deep scars barely discernable. As for his eyes, there were two pairs of the same size, but one located a little higher and farther from the nose and the other.
His appearance was undoubtedly devious. In particular, it is for those sharp teeth partially hidden by his thin lips.
Furthermore, the strangeness continued because his head was bald but not entirely empty. After all, for some strange reason, there were nine strange-looking crystals of different forms and colors deeply rooted in his skin.
'Truly a unique wonder...' Atlas thought, looking at the creature.
And he wasn't the only one thing the same. In fact, Kurmanus didn't hold back anymore and asked: "What the hell are you?"
"Hehehe... I know my appearance is a bit too eye-catching, but I swear on my name that I'm not here with bad intentions." Jasper declared with a serious expression: "As I told you before, I'm a bringer of fortune, and fate sent me here for a reason."
It was clear as the days that Jasper had no intention of telling him of his true origins, so he didn't bother anymore about it and said: "So fate sent you here for me? I'm glad to hear that..."
"Not for you... but for the human hiding on top of your sh..."
Jasper couldn't finish his speech because a virulent sandstorm hit his body before he could do it.
Clearly, this wasn't a natural event but the result of the impact of Kurmanus' pawn with the ground.
"Little thing... your eyes and movement are way above what I had expected!" Kurmanus bellowed, seeing Jasper standing in the same spot unharmed.
"Please... calm down!" Jasper repeated calmly, not even bothered by his aggression.
Kurmanus wanted to test this stranger more, yet Deus's voice interrupted his actions before he could act again: "Let him come... you are simply wasting your time, old turtle!"
"Oh... the Eternal Nine-Horned Dragon, Deus. It's a pleasure to meet you right here..." Jasper bowed lightly on his back, giving the dragon some respect, and continued: "As I already told you before, I'm not your enemy. Actually, I'm here for a good reason."
Deus felt an immense power coming from the creature, who had appeared like a ghost a few steps from him and Atlas without alerting his instinct. He knew that the one standing in front of them was someone who couldn't be handled easily.
Turning closer to the young man, Deus looked at Jasper cautiously: "What's your real purpose? What do you need from a puny human?"
"We both know that he is more complex than he looked... In fact, he is a treasure trove of secrets that even someone like me desires."
Feeling the greedy gaze fixed on his body, Atlas couldn't help but take out his loyal companion, Astra. Even before death, he wouldn't crawl back like a coward.
"Geez... little boy, calm down. I was only joking." Jasper smiled, changing his expression: "I'm here to propose a simple trade... between you and me."
"What kind of trade? Treasures? Artifacts?" Atlas asked cautiously.
"Nope. Only information... Any kind of information." Jasper stated, looking directly into his eyes: "If you promise me a safe passage across your Nihility Dimension, I will answer some of your questions. The number will depend on the effective value of that fated question. After all, just like your protector had told you, breaking the balance of this world is a bit tricky and dangerous sometimes."
Deus looked at the young man's expression attentively. After all, it was clear that he wasn't the one Jasper had called protector.
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Atlas' group wasn't the only one witnessing this fated encounter. In fact, on a different plane of existence, Nihilir was looking through the pond with an aghast expression.
"How is that possible? We didn't..."