While Gabriel was on his way back, he soon reached the Outer Zone of the Shadow Garden.
On the way back, he came across other teams as well. However, none of them could see him on the way, which granted him an additional advantage.
Along the way, he killed almost everyone from other Clans. If anything, he intentionally found people to take them out. They had seen him destroy the Skyler Clan and he didn't want a headache.
It was also because of that, he also thought about killing the girl from the Northern Dragon Clan, but in the end, he didn't. She was supposed to be his witness that he didn't find anything.
Moreover, she also wanted him to do her a favor. That made him believe that she probably wasn't going to betray him as soon as they came out. And even if she tried to betray them, he could still protect himself now that Karyk sent him help.
Gabriel soon reached the Outer Zone of the Shadow Garden and placed the girl down. From here on, there were no restrictions on her vision. She could freely move around.
The girl landed on her feet, feeling somewhat relieved that she was able to see again. However, she was quite disappointed that she wasn't able to enter the core region of the Shadow Garden.
She was really curious why Gabriel was the only one who was able to enter that place. Why did the barrier stop her, and not Gabriel? Somewhere deep inside, she was also thinking if Gabriel had lied to her about not finding anything inside.
Unfortunately, she had no way to find the truth. She wasn't even sure if she could defeat him or not. And even if she had an overpowering strength that was able to defeat him, could still be able to stop him if he wanted to escape?
Killing a person was much easier than stopping them. In the end, she knew it wasn't easy.
As for the legacy, she really didn't care about it much. The legacy was useless for her clan. However, her clan still wanted to know who received that legacy, if any, because that could change the landscape of the entire Northern Realm.
"What are you thinking about?" Gabriel asked, walking in the lead. He didn't even need to look back to know that the girl was lost in some thought.
"I'm just pondering about the legacy," she replied, still lost in thought. "It's strange that someone would go to such lengths to ensure no one found it."
Gabriel slowed his pace, giving her a curious glance. "Perhaps it contains something valuable or dangerous."
"Maybe," she said, shrugging. "But I really wonder who that legacy belongs to. Where did it come from?"
"There are some mysteries in the world that are almost impossible to resolve. It's better if you stop thinking about it," Gabriel replied, shaking his head lightly.
Even he didn't know the exact reality behind this legacy, even after receiving it. What was that small gem that he received from that mysterious place? Who exactly was that woman? What did she want from him? There were so many questions in his head.
If even he wasn't sure about the reality, he was convinced that the woman had no chance of finding the truth.
If there was one person in the Upper Realm who knew the truth, then it was probably the King of the Upper Realm. The reason he never came to the Shadow Garden was probably because he knew something that the others didn't.
'I need to solve this mess as soon as possible...'
****
In another place in the Northern World, there existed a black market.
It was a place where many artifacts were sold, without the information. No one knew just who owned this place, but one thing was certain. The Black Market was strong.
Even though it dealt in some shady stuff, the Generals didn't bother with it. There were also some rumors that the person who ran the Black Market was close to the Northern General.
Since the Northern Realm was the richest, many artifacts from the other worlds that were discovered by various people ended up in the Northern World, to be sold here.
Today, one such artifact was brought to the Black Market, which came straight from. The Southern Realm.
The seller claimed that the artifact was mysterious. It didn't look much out of ordinary, but it was the only artifact that was left in the place which was completely destroyed by a mysterious force.
In that place, everyone was killed and everything was destroyed. However, only that one statue was left intact.
Almost no one knew just what was special about that strange statue. However, whoever glanced at it once, found it hard to take their eyes off.
It was also said that the statue was connected to the new Disciple of the Four Generals. It was found where that disciple's clan used to be.
The statue was brought to the Owner of the Black Market, who personally came to see it and decide its value.
The Owner of the Black Market had covered his face with a black mask. However, his eyes revealed astonishment at the statue's intricate design and rare materials.
It didn't appear to be something that belonged to this world. It was his first time seeing these materials after all.
The statue appeared fragile, as if it was going to break by just a light touch. However, at the same time, it seemed unbreakable, as if even if the world was destroyed, this statue was going to remain intact.
The Black Market owner knew that it would fetch a high price from collectors around the world. This was probably the most expensive and mysterious item that he had received.
However, for some reason, his eyes revealed greed. It was as if he didn't want to sell this at all. He wanted to keep it... Keep it for himself.
There was some mysterious voice calling out to him, within the statue, as if slowly eroding his mind.
