Conqueror Of The Dark Soul

Chapter 6 - Conversation

"Yeah, I have some," Alden says.

Gall pulls a chair and sits next to Alden. "You know, I need Nest Cores right now, but Gates have been rare lately." Wrapping his arm around Alden's shoulders, Gall begins his move.

"Okay, and?"

"Would you give me some?"

Alden smiles slightly, his face appearing a bit tipsy. Without answering, Gall seems to be waiting.

On the other hand, Black Orb starts speaking again, "Alden, something is coming."

"This aura... maybe one of the emperors like me."

Alden furrows his brow, "You said there are no emperors in this city!" His voice is not muffled, and Gall seems to misunderstand now.

"What are you talking about?" Gall looks at him with a puzzled face. Certainly, besides that, there is a hint of annoyance on his face due to Alden's threatening tone.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Alden pushes the wooden glass toward Gall and stands up. Wearing his short coat, he decides to leave immediately.

However, Gall seems to interpret it as an insult. "Hey, are you leaving after threatening me?"

While holding Alden's shoulder, Gall also stands up. His body is clearly much larger than Alden's. People around might see this as bullying.

"Hurry, it's coming." Black Orb warns.

…

A girl walks leisurely towards a bar.

She is quite short for the residents of the Devon Empire. She has silver braided hair, her smile looks very gentle with her sweeping blue eyes.

At that moment, she feels something turbulent within her as she sees a young man exiting the bar casually. Their eyes meet for a moment, but in the next moment, the young man suddenly runs into the crowd and disappears.

The little girl tilts her head in confusion, "Hmm."

The bar door opens, and she quickly enters with a radiant smile, "Grandpa! I brought the herbs!"

Soon, she finds the chaotic scene inside the bar.

A burly man sits on the floor, looking at his hands in confusion. Others also furrow their brows.

"What just happened?" Gall is confused. He can't remember what happened before.

"I think I got drunk... and passed out?" He mutters to himself.

"Hey, did something just happen?" Someone at another table starts chatting.

"Mmm. Not really, everything seems normal to me."

"I mean, look at this, the tables are overturned, and there are signs of a fight. Also, that guy is lying on the floor..."

The girl walks past overturned tables, stepping into puddles, and shifts her eyes to the slightly burnt wall.

"Tom, where's grandpa?" The girl asks.

Tom is the bartender who served drinks to customers.

"I think inside." He answers, also confused.

…

Away from the previous bar, Alden is now in the city lobby. The shield-shaped fountain in the middle serves as a marker for his position.

In the midst of the bustling crowd, he sighs. "Okay, I'll leave this city soon." Alden decides.

"No, you can't!" Black Orb lights up.

"Not before you find the Key," adds Black Orb.

"And surrender my life to the Dark Soul Emperor for that Key?" Alden smiles bitterly.

"No. Thank you." He continues, shaking his head.

"Besides, the Key isn't only in this city, right?" Alden asks.

"Yes. But, the key in this city will send you to the Dark Dimension floor one."

"Of course, there are keys in other places, but you don't have enough power to survive on higher floors."

"Meaning, it's a dead end now?"

"All your actions won't have an effect on the world; your presence in the world has been erased. I know you see it as a curse, but trust me, it will benefit you this time."

"You just need to move in the shadows; even if one of the Emperors is here, as long as they don't realize your presence, everything will go smoothly." Black Orb tries to reassure.

Silence for a moment.

Then he takes a deep breath, "The silver-haired girl is an emperor, right?" He asks.

"Yes. At least, I sensed the same aura as one of the emperors."

"Dorm The Savage."

"..." Alden waits for a moment. But there is no continuation.

"Okay, can you be more specific?"

"... Dorm is the ruler of the frozen continent on the seventh floor of the Dark Dimension."

"Last time I met him, of course, He was weaker than me. But, He is also a cruel person. Just like me, He was also brought down by the Party Guardian."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. You won't meet him if you follow my words, so it won't be important."

…

Another night arrives.

Alden returns to the forest on the west side of the city. The same place where he opened the Goblin Nest Gate.

A rusty dagger is stuck in the middle of the grass, just like the candle before.

Reaching into his pocket behind his coat, he takes out three different crystals. The first is something green, a Goblin Nest Core he obtained before crossing to this continent.

The other two are silver and purple crystals. Skeleton Nest Core and Slime Nest Core. The Skeleton Nest Core he obtained from helping a priest to cleanse the Dark Soul. The other was when he first arrived on this continent.

"The first floor has nine Nest Cores. I've gotten three of them," he murmurs, looking carefully at the dagger in the middle of the grass.

According to Black Orb, the dagger will create a Gate in a few hours.

"Don't fall asleep again." Black Orb warns.

"I know." Alden replies in annoyance.

"Without a drink, this is very boring." Alden complains.

"What about Lifue tree roots? It has the same effect as a drink, right?" Black Orb suggests.

"Yesterday was the last. I've never seen a Lifue tree on this continent; maybe it only grows in the southern continent."

…

"How you talk about this Emperor, Dorm. I thought he should be a man, right? But why does that girl have his aura?" Alden asks, masking his boredom while waiting for the Gate to open.

"I think that's a good way to disguise," said Black Orb casually. "Disguises like those of the Dark Soul Emperor can only be discerned by fellow Dark Souls. Humans cannot see the aura of the Dark Soul."

"Disguise..." Alden repeated the word. His eyes slightly dimmed, as if recalling something from the past.

"Makes sense. There's no room for half-measures in disguises. Just like what you did, deceiving and marrying my mother to live among humans, right?"

"Alden. Don't talk nonsense."

"Oh, am I wrong?" Alden smiles bitterly.

"Do you think I've never told your mother the truth about me? No, not just your mother, I always told you about me. You were just too small to understand it back then," When Black Orb says that, Alden recalls his father telling strange stories.

He falls silent.

"Anyway, your mother knows what I'm doing. She was a little against it when I told her about what I would do to you, but it's all for your own good."

"What happened to Virshire was just the beginning. Chaos of the same scale will happen elsewhere too. I have a contract with the Dark Lord and cannot betray him directly, but you don't."

"Know that I'm now betraying my kind just to keep you both safe."

"… And I also know that it won't change your view of me."

Alden now begins to stand. In front of him, the Gate starts to open.

A swirl of dark blue smoke spews droplets of lava from within. Alden furrows his brow, "This is different from the three Nests before..." he thinks.

"It's Blaze, one of the nine nesting monsters," Black Orb confirms.