"Ah, finally, some breakfast," Eryndor said, stretching his arms and yawning as he opened the door to find Krog standing in the hallway with a tray of food.
"Good morning, Boss," Krog said with a smile. "I brought you some breakfast. I hope you're feeling better."
Eryndor chuckled and took the tray from Krog. "Thanks, Krog. I appreciate it. Say, do you have any idea how someone might... travel to the living worlds from this place?"
Krog's expression turned serious. "I'm afraid it's impossible, sir. The Netherworld is a separate realm, and there's no known way to travel to the living worlds. At least, not that I've heard of."
Eryndor raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Krog's response. "Impossible, you say? I'm not so sure about that. I've heard rumors of... unusual occurrences. Perhaps there's a way to exploit those."
Krog looked at Eryndor with a puzzled expression. "I'm not sure what you're getting at, sir. But if you're looking for a way to escape the Netherworld, I'm afraid it's not possible. At least, not without powerful magic or... other means."
Eryndor smiled, his mind racing with possibilities. "I see. Well, thank you for your honesty, Krog. You're a valuable asset to our... organization."
Meanwhile, outside the motel, Advanced Lich Xaren was staring at the motel with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
"What is my brother Xandros doing living in a place like this?" Xaren wondered to himself. "Does he not know that he's a wanted Lich? If Vylonia ever finds him, she'll... well, let's just say she won't hesitate to boil his bones into soup."
Just then, a window opened, and a horned woman looked outside. Xaren's eyes narrowed, and he activated his stealth skill, hiding himself from view.
"Vylonia? What is she doing here?" Xaren thought to himself. "This is getting more and more interesting by the minute."
As he watched, a man and a goblin walked out of the motel. The red dot on Xaren's dark orb began blinking rapidly, and he looked at the man with newfound interest.
"Ah, that sword... it's Xandros' sword. What is it doing with this... rascal? Perhaps Vylonia sensed Xandros's energy and came here to find him. I must find out what's going on."
As Eryndor and Krog left the motel, the Demoness Vylonia watched them from the window, her eyes narrowing with interest. She whispered to her familiar crow, Noir, "Follow them, and keep a close eye on their movements."
Noir flew off, hiding himself in the sky as he kept a watchful eye on the duo. Eryndor and Krog made their way to the Shadowed Quill, a place Eryndor hoped would hold some answers to his questions.
As they approached the entrance, the old gatekeeper looked up and smiled. "Ah, young master Eryndor! It's been a while. I see you're still in one piece."
Eryndor chuckled and clapped the old man on the back. "Thanks to you, my friend. I owe you one for saving me previously."
The gatekeeper waved his hand. "Nonsense, nonsense. Just be careful, okay? The Netherworld can be a treacherous place."
Eryndor nodded and entered the Shadowed Quill, leaving Krog to wait outside. As he stepped into the dimly lit room, the same shadow behind the black curtain greeted him.
"Welcome, Eryndor. What information are you seeking today?" the voice asked, sounding neither male nor female.
Eryndor got straight to the point. "I need to know how to escape the Netherworld and return to the living world. Can you help me?"
The shadow remained silent for a moment, and then spoke up. "It'll be quite expensive."
Eryndor reassured the shadow, "Money is not the problem. I just need the information."
The shadow named a price: "A million gold coins."
Eryndor reached into his underwear and pulled out his magic ring. The shadow's expression turned green for a moment, and it looked like it was about to vomit. "Ugh, really? You had to take it out from... there?"
Eryndor just shrugged and opened the ring, spilling a million gold coins onto the floor. The shadow's expression changed to one of interest, and it began to write in a book. As it finished, it threw the book towards Eryndor.
Eryndor caught the book and looked at the pages. The shadow had written down three possible ways to escape the Netherworld:
1. Become a god
2. Become an angel
3. An ancient teleportation spell created by Angel's blood
Eryndor's jaw dropped as he read the list. "Become a god? Become an angel? Are you kidding me? I'm just an intermediate level swordsman and a beginner level mage. How am I supposed to achieve that?"
He looked at the third option and his eyes widened. "An ancient teleportation spell created by Angel's blood... that sounds familiar. I remember the red pattern spell that brought me here from the living world. It must be the same kind of spell."