Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1594: Ice Path (Part 1)

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Sparks flew from the great bonfire before the eyes of four people, two of whom were still young and had seen incredible things that day.

No one could resist the crispy ribs drizzled with spicy sauce, fresh vegetables, and a glass of wine.

Arika was no exception.

Despite her elegant appearance, she ate with the same appetite and speed as fierce Alexia, and it seemed that there was a silent competition between the two girls to see who could eat more.

After Goen revealed who controlled the squad, the World End, their conversation was abruptly interrupted.

Arika and Goen did everything in their power to make Adam and Alexia understand that they would not reveal any more about it.

The fact that Adam and Alexia knew so much at their level was in itself a cause for concern.

There were reasons why the Phantoms learned about this world gradually, and some secrets were not accessible at lower levels.

Perhaps that was why Adam and Alexia did not try to find out more about it. They were the K4-Phantoms, so along the way, they had learned many secrets that would have simply broken them before.

’Hmm, I want to know more, but I understand Arika,’ Adam thought, tearing a piece of meat from the bone. ’At the very beginning, even the fact that you are forever bound to your Operator can be shocking. What can be said in that case about the World Wipe and other things?’

Sure, Adam’s desire to learn as much as possible remained as strong as ever, but he had to take a step back.

’The King?’ Adam closed his eyes for a moment. ’So he really exists and is still alive. What do you think about that?’

Silvana sighed heavily.

’We previously assumed that the King might exist. Now, we know for sure, but... perhaps the King is in the same state as Queen Elisa.’

’Hmm?’ Adam’s eyebrow rose. ’Do you think the King is also in some crystal? Damn, that sounds too despotic. But even if that’s the case, why?’

Silvana narrowed her eyes.

’What do you mean?’

’I mean, we know what Queen Elisa’s task is. I’m not thrilled that our Queen is essentially just a shield against the World Wipe, but we have no other choice. So... If the King is in the same position, what is his task?’

Silvana had no answer, and neither did Adam.

’We can theorize endlessly,’ Silvana muttered. ’Maybe the King is also sitting in some kind of crystal, maybe he’s just a regular person at the Citadel, or maybe he’s in some kind of secret territory.

’In any case, for K4-Phantoms like us, it’s a mystery that was far beyond our reach.’

Adam nodded deeply.

Silvana was right.

No matter how hard they tried, there were secrets they couldn’t learn until they were strong enough. Even the fact that they had seen so much too early didn’t give them knowledge.

All Adam could do was move forward, find the remaining two conditions, and create the Third Grand Star.

"So, what happens next?" Adam asked, looking at Goen.

"Well, isn’t it obvious? You and Alexia will return to the Citadel. I will stay here and continue to live peacefully without the Lords from the Befallen Crown disturbing my peace."

Alexia finished her portion of ribs and looked at Arika.

She was puzzled as she realized something at that moment.

"Wait! Why are you here?"

Arika glanced at her.

"Agh? What do you mean?"

"We spent two days with Goen until those monsters attacked us, and you didn’t show up the whole time! Why are you here now when you weren’t here before?"

Arika blinked several times. She didn’t immediately understand why Alexia was upset.

"Ah, I see, you want to know why I only appeared during the fight, even though I can be in the real world whenever I want?"

"Of course!" Alexia exclaimed with a wave of her hand. "If Louis could be with me in real life, not in spectral form, I would spend all my time with him!"

Strangely enough, Adam nodded as well.

"Yeah, I agree. It’s good that we can communicate mentally and Silvana can appear next to me, but spectral form and voice from a distance is not the same as actual, physical touch."

He glanced at Goen, who continued to eat carefree. He decided to leave this conversation to his Operator.

"Well, there are some things I can’t tell you, but for the most part, Goen and I have been together for many years, many, many years, hundreds of years."

Arika leaned forward, staring at the active flames of the fire.

"No matter how important you are to each other or how strong your love is, sometimes everyone needs a little time to themselves. Just because we’ve been through thousands of battles together doesn’t mean we have to be together every second."

"Yeah..." Goen tossed a bare rib aside and reached for the next one. "But there’s something else, isn’t there? Go ahead, tell them. After everything they’ve seen and learned, it won’t be anything strange."

Adam and Alexia turned to Arika. They braced themselves to learn a great secret on par with the Manifest Nexus, the World End, and the King.

"It’s simple."

Arika’s eyes narrowed.

"I hate being far from the city and infrastructure."

Adam and Alexia’s jaws were ready to drop to the ground. They expected anything but such a silly answer.

"Here, at the Primal Lands, it’s not bad if you consider this place from the point of view of rest, but not as a permanent place to live. Hunting, fishing, roasting meat on a fire, chopping wood, and other things... Well, Goen loves all that much more."

Alexia blinked, unable to believe what she had heard, but Adam...

"Hahahahah! I see."

He shook his head and looked at Goen.

"For some reason, I expected that answer. After all, you are different people with different interests."

Goen shrugged.

"That’s life."

Adam’s expression suddenly became serious.

"Now. How are we going to get back home?"

Goen’s sharp gaze fell on him.

"There are several options. How about the Ice Path?"

Adam was taken aback.

"The Ice Path?"