Chapter 347: This is a gift.
"This is a Gift"
"You've misunderstood something. I am indeed a powerful being from another world, but I'm not a powerhouse of this world. I'm just a hired worker. My employer only told me to deal with this city. I don't care what happens to this world... and it's not much safer outside than it is here anyway."
What happened to this world was irrelevant to Lin Ye. Besides, those soldiers outside were not to be trifled with.
"...Are you a Survivor of the system?"
The old man stared at Lin Ye, discerning the truth.
"Correct. This is my battlefield mission. If you know what a battlefield mission is, you can probably guess my current status."
Lin Ye liked smart people;
it meant he could waste less time talking.
The old man fell silent. The surrounding spiritual energy grew heavy. He was preparing to make a move.
Lin Ye took out the Cross Scepter and pushed Xiya behind him. Although the old man was merely a ninth-tier remnant, he seemed to have reached a certain balance with the Giant Eyeball behind him, allowing him to borrow its power.
This, of course, was not free. "Wait! Why are you fighting? You're both human!"
Ferrando looked at them with incomprehension, shouting out the question in his heart.
"He is the core of everything. Whether it's that layer of spiritual energy shield outside or teleporting the city here. As long as we kill him, you can return to your own world. I said I would send you back."
Lin Ye stated bluntly.
"They can go back, on the condition that you summon the powerful beings of this world to help me clear the anomalies from the city. Then I will send them back."
The old man offered a rare explanation. He didn't want to fight Lin Ye. Leaving aside whether he could win, even if he could kill Lin Ye, once the balance was broken, he wouldn't last long.
"Impossible. Why should the people of this world deal with your mess? Clearing this city isn't something that can be solved by just a few deaths."
Although Lin Ye felt those soldiers would help, that was because Lin Ye had dealt with the war fortress. Those soldiers might die here because of Lin Ye's request.
That was something he couldn't accept.
"...Earlier, you told me to talk to her. Is there another solution?"
The old man glanced at the Cross Scepter. From the moment Lin Ye took out this relic, it had been accumulating a certain power, a force that made him hesitant to act rashly.
"I am a believer of an Abyssal Evil God. From the moment I entered this city, I have been praying to the deity. Perhaps when the prayer concludes, I can offer a suitable sacrifice to the deity... such as this city.
But my teammates want to return to their homeland. So, only they can decide this matter. If they want to go home, I will deal with you and send them home. If they give up on returning, I can hand them over to this world's military, and then send this city into the Abyss.
So, you should talk to them."
Lin Ye had already thought of two outcomes on that staircase. He originally intended to make the choice for Xiya and send them back, but they insisted on coming up.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this. But for the sake of our world, could you stay in this world?"
The old man didn't hesitate at all. He directly bowed his head in apology to Xiya, completely devoid of the arrogance of a high-tier spiritual energy user or the stubbornness of an old man.
Xiya bit her lip and said nothing. She truly wanted to return to her hometown, but the weight of the entire world was simply too heavy. She couldn't make such a selfish choice.
"I can make the choice for you, as thanks for stopping me earlier. Wanting to go home isn't something evil. No one can blame you for it. I will go back with you. Even if the world is destroyed, it will be my doing. You don't need to think too much about it."
As Lin Ye spoke, the Cross Scepter shone even brighter. In essence, Lin Ye wasn't a good person. He only did what he wanted to do, even if it meant destroying a world.
"...No. I'll stay here. But I also need to go back and ask the opinions of the others."