Roy's eyebrows raised as he wondered whether it was as she said. Was the lava so hot that no one could go through it?
Casually inspecting the cervixes had helped him realize that they were doorways to the Spiritual Lava Sea.
This wasn't mentioned in the book. He found it on his own.
The truth is, because of reading the book, he knew some things about the summer land, but not a lot. His knowledge could only be said to be partially useful. However, he was coming up with the rest by using his information-gathering skill and connecting the dots.
Earlier, he had overlooked the content inside of the cervixes, but after being reminded by Delilah, he glanced at it scrutinizingly.
With one look, he found out everything there was to know about it.
It was ten times hotter than level-9 magic fire.
At some points, it was as hot as the sun.
Anyone below the aura master realm would be instantly burned to ashes if they dropped into it. Aura masters and grandmasters that have learned a defensive-type force might be able to struggle in it for a while, but they would meet the same fate if they remained inside it for more than a minute. As he had the same power level as them, Roy didn't doubt that.
"It's as you said." Roy said to Delilah, "People like us can't enter it. Its depth is a few hundred miles, and it's so hot that it will melt away all sorts of defense, even full-body armor made of Defensive Force, in minutes. That means Aura masters, aura monsters, and grandmasters will fail to cross it too. Maybe only a Realm Lord can bypass it."
Roy wasn't anywhere near the level of a Realm Lord, so it was right for him not to be confident about being immune to the lava, even though he had high-level fire control skills.
It only worked if he was dealing with fire. It can't help him control lava.
"Though it's uninhabitable for us, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's deserted," he added after a moment.
Delilah tilted her head toward him, "What are you trying to say?"
"The lord of this realm and the clan he came from lives in the Spiritual Lava Sea." Roy could sense the terrifying monsters in the lava from the energy fluctuations they released. The contact was only one-way. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they sensed him too. "That's their birthplace."
Delilah was amazed to find out that there were creatures who had built their homes in a sea of lava right under their feet. She looked down, silently staring at the gurgling dark red and yellow sea. One could see a pensive expression on her face.
'What's she pondering about?' Roy wondered after catching a glance at her face.
Delilah was feeling jealous of these monsters. They were born with incredible immunity against lava and high temperatures. She, on the other hand, was lethargic to the sun. She would feel tired after being in the sun for 5 minutes. It was why she usually worked at night and hated going outside in the daytime.
Delilah clicked her tongue and said, "If you think about it, it's kinda unfair how they are all immune to the lava of such high temperatures and can swim in it as freely as a fish in the water while we humans can't afford to touch it."
Roy could hear the jealousy in her tone. Her voice was tinged with venom.
"It's not as good as you think. They are immune to lava. But their resistance against water and cold is almost negligible. They are their greatest weakness." said Roy to Delilah. "As for us, we can adapt to any kind of environment. The world might seem harsh, but we have learned to unite to conquer it and overcome whatever it throws at us. That's what makes us so special. That's what makes us human."
Delilah felt enlightened after hearing his words. What was so bad about being human? Sure, they started out weak and were susceptible to many illnesses, but who was the ruling force of the world? It was humans!
She had experienced it personally, too. The environment she was forced to grow up in was harsh. It was inhumane enough to make any grown man go absolutely bonkers. But she remained sane thanks to her sister. Kids died left and right, their rotten bodies creating a stench so unbearable, but didn't they eat the spoiled leftover they were given even then to survive?! And didn't she survive it till the bitter end, until her shaken was shattered by a mysterious invader? Didn't she escape it when that hell hole, where children were treated worse than beasts, was raided by a man of the empire?!
What made humanity so strong was that they believed there was strength in numbers and put it into action. Alone, they could fall into temptation. But together, they could stand against the devil!
The rest of the journey was met with silence.
"Some of the strongest aura monsters of this realm can be found in the Spiritual Lava Sea, including a Lord of the West. You must keep in mind that anyone from there is a member of the Main Family. You must avoid confronting them, or you will offend multiple lords and hundreds of aura beasts. I don't need to tell you what will happen then, right? They rarely head out, but it's better to be safe than sorry." As they approached closer to their destination, Roy suddenly warned the person behind him,
Delilah gulped and repeatedly nodded her head.
"How do I determine who they are?" she asked.
"They all have a crest somewhere on their body. It might differ in shape, but its color would be red," he answered.
"Just how do you know so much?"
"You really want to know?"
Delilah looked at him earnestly and nodded
"I read a book."
The answer he gave her was disappointing. Her expression fell through the roof.
"My lord, it's either that you are speaking through your nose, or your luck is heaven-defying," she said sarcastically.
"Trust me." Not minding her offensive language, Roy chuckled, "It's the latter."
A few moments later, he raised his head to look ahead.
There were some 1 to 10 years old aura monsters in the outer area. It would have been hard for him to handle them if his physique hadn't been strengthened. But now that he had a Lord-rank physique, he didn't fear them.
What he needed to be careful of was Aura monsters older than ten years.
They lived in the inner area of the volcanic wilderness. There weren't a lot of them, only eight. They were the current and previous generation head of the four of the eight strongest monster tribes of the summer and icy, cold lands. It was rare for them to venture out of their natural habitat.
Because of his recent experience, Roy had come to believe that anything could happen, so he was just mentally preparing himself for such a situation.
Crunch! Crunch!
As he was on alert, he suddenly heard dry leaves slowly being crunched.
And this noise was getting louder and coming closer.
Something was on their trail, and it was sprinting toward them!
