Zeke startled as he saw the Sage turn transparent.
'Is the clone disappearing?'
As an avatar, the Sage seemed unable to remain in the Phenomenal World any longer now that his main body had awakened, and he faded away.
The Sage looked down at his own form and nodded as if he understood.
"This concludes all my duties."
With a benevolent expression, the Sage gazed at Zeke and said,
"Immortal, once I am gone, please help the nagas of this city venture out into the world." "Are you saying to open the city?" Zeke asked.
The Sage nodded in response.
"With the divine body of the Divine Dragon sealed, this forest has gradually lost its power. At the same time, the nagas lost their place in the world. To protect them, I turned this place into a secure zone."
The southern jungle was indeed a harsh environment compared to other forests, which made survival there difficult.
Zeke had thought it was simply the nature of the jungle, but he realized it had become so unforgiving because the seal on the Divine Dragon had weakened the forest.
The Sage looked at Zeke and continued,
"I claimed it was for their sake that I didn't open the city, but in truth, I was afraid. As the power of my main body, the Divine Dragon, waned, I worried that outsiders might enter and I wouldn't be able to stop them. My desire to protect them may have instead blocked the nagas' opportunities..."
Zeke shook his head at those words.
"That's not true. Thanks to your wise decision, this city has endured until now."
He glanced around the city and added,
"It's a magnificent place that rivals any city on the Central Continent. If it can exchange with the other southern cities connected to me, it will benefit both humans and nagas greatly."
At Zeke's words, the Sage's face took on a wistful expression, as if he recalled a distant past.
The Sage's body grew even more transparent than before.
Sensing that he would vanish completely soon, Zeke asked,
"Is there anything else you'd like to leave behind?" The Sage shook his head.
"I've left everything necessary. There's no need for more. Even without me, they'll manage on their own."
He looked at Zeke and said,
"Immortal. May peace and safety accompany you on the arduous journey ahead." With that, a green halo of light emanated from the Sage's body.
The light swirled toward Zeke's hand, and something formed in his palm.
[The Sage of the Silent Forest transmits the 'Seal of Chronos' to the administrator.]
[The Sage of the Silent Forest transmits a portion of the 'Philosopherʼs Stone' to the administrator.]
'Philosopherʼs Stone?'
Before Zeke could ask, the Sage's body dissolved into light and vanished.
At the same time, a message appeared.
[You have acquired Seal of the Kingdom of Chronos 2/4.]
[Once all seals are found, the treasury coordinates of the Kingdom of Chronos will activate.]
—Main Quest Mission (Linked)—
[Take the sacred relics containing primordial power to the Forgotten Primordial Temple. (No time limit / Coordinates to the temple will automatically activate once all three sacred relics are acquired.)]
[Find the scattered seals of the Kingdom of Chronos and restore them to their original form. (No time limit / 2 seals remaining)]
[Activate the treasury coordinates of the Kingdom of Chronos using the restored kingdom seals.]
[Main Quest Mission Reward: ???]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title - Heir of the Kingdom of Chronos] Two seals remained to activate the coordinates.
'One in the Northern Continent and one in the Central Continent.'
Once all the seals were collected and the title Heir of the Kingdom of Chronos was obtained, the path to the Forgotten Primordial Temple would open.
Zeke suspected that going there would reveal a way to stop the Demon King.
'Finding the one in the Northern Continent should be possible somehow... but the last one in the Central Continent is in the Rom Empire.'
With Arthur Draker having already declared war against Abel, who was aiming for the throne, conflict with the empire had begun.
'I'll have to clash with the Rom Empire anyway to stop Narak and Siemens. I can search for the seal while striking at their bases.'
Zeke set aside thoughts of the final seal for now and looked at the red stone left by the Sage, who had been the avatar of the Divine Dragon.
'Philosopherʼs Stone.'
The stone glowed red and emanated considerable warmth.
Zeke examined the information on the Philosopherʼs Stone.
—Philosopherʼs Stone Information—
The most mysterious substance containing the origin of all things. It harbors power that transcends causality.
'Power that transcends causality.'
Transcending causality meant escaping the sanctions of karma.
For now, with no immediate use for the Philosopherʼs Stone, Zeke stored it in his inventory.
At that moment, Kueshi and the other nagas rushed over to him.
"Z-Zeke! Where is the Sage...?"
Zeke explained what had just happened to Kueshi.
Upon hearing the story from Zeke, Kueshi and the other nagas' expressions turned solemn.
Kueshi nodded soon after.
"The Sage always predicted this day would come. I thought it inevitable, but facing it now fills me with fear all the same."
Zeke said to Kueshi,
"The Sage wished for the city to open, allowing its people to step out and discover greater possibilities."
Kueshi bit his lip and looked at Zeke.
"It was always the Sage's words. We've prepared for this, but figuring out where to start feels overwhelming."
The other nagas reacted similarly to Kueshi.
Zeke looked at them and said,
"Don't worry about that. I'll introduce you to trustworthy people to facilitate exchanges with other southern cities."
Kueshi's face brightened at Zeke's words.
"Is that true?"
"Of course. First... do you have communication equipment here to contact the outside?"
Fortunately, even in this nearly sealed city, emergency communication devices for external contact were available.
However, connections only reached as far as the Kingdom of Cusco, not the Central Continent.
It didn't matter to Zeke, who, with Kueshi's help, contacted the Kingdom of Cusco.
A few days later, Simon and Kay arrived at the Forest of Lush Stillness with a delegation. "Boss."
Simon bowed his head toward Zeke, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Long time no see, Simon."
As a duke of the Kingdom of Cusco, Zeke held the highest rank below the queen, so Simon's show of respect was natural.
Kay, who had been diligently traveling between the Kingdom of Cusco and the Southern Archipelago, had rushed here upon receiving Zeke's message.
"Really! Do you know how shocked I was when I got your contact?"
Kay had heard that Zeke, who had been defending the Dorta Republic from monsters, had gone missing.
She had mobilized even her old syndicate connections to search for him.
Then, out of nowhere, she received word from him deep in the jungle—it was bewildering, to say the least.
Zeke smiled at Kay, who had genuinely worried about him.
"I'm sorry if I caused you concern. What's the situation in the Dorta Republic?"
Kay shook her head and replied,
"After the high-rank demonkind vanished with you, the monsters lost control and collapsed. Since then, Lord Hades and Yellin have handled the cleanup well, so don't worry."
Zeke nodded in relief upon hearing the follow-up from Kay.
"That's good. I was concerned about whether reinforcements might be needed."
Kay also shared unexpected news.
Omar, upon learning Yellin was a descendant of high elves, had invited her to the Murk Empire to introduce her to the sultan.
And now, having learned through this contact that Zeke was safe, Yellin had headed to the Murk Empire with Hades to meet the sultan.
'I regret not going together, but it can't be helped. Once urgent matters are settled, I should visit later.'
Only after relaying the situation in Dorta did Kay have time to look around the naga city.
"My goodness, a city like this in the jungle. I never imagined."
"I felt the same. Kay, this city has had no contact with the outside for thousands of years.
Do you think smooth exchanges with other cities are possible without friction?" Kay finished surveying the area slowly and nodded.
"Start with the Kingdom of Cusco first and expand gradually. You're planning to fully open the city?"
"Discuss the details with the person in charge here." Zeke introduced Kueshi to Kay.
Though not perfect, Kueshi could speak the continental common tongue to some extent, and he soon began enthusiastically explaining the city-opening plans to Kay.
There were plenty of tradeable goods: local specialties unique to the Forest of Lush
Stillness, intricately patterned fabrics crafted by the nagas, and effective medicines.
Leaving the exchange matters to Kay, Zeke took some time to rest. Then Simon approached him.
"Boss, I have something to report."
Zeke nodded for him to speak.
"Antibiotics and new medicines are being produced at the pharmaceutical factories in the Kingdom of Cusco."
"Yes, I heard from Professor Feynen earlier."
Simon's expression darkened as he continued.
"But there's a problem."
Zeke sat up straight in his chair at those words.
"Did the twins cause trouble again?" Simon shook his head.
"Those two have been well-behaved since meeting you."
"That's fortunate. Then what's the issue?"
"...It might be better if you hear it directly from the twins."
"Did Al and Jeff come too?"
"Yes. They were scared to see you and refused, so I dragged them here." Zeke chuckled in disbelief.
"Bring them."
Soon, Simon went out and hauled in Al and Jeff.
There was no trace of their former mischief.
The two stood rigidly before Zeke, sweating profusely in fear.
"Long time no see. Al, Jeff."
At Zeke's greeting, Al and Jeff gasped in surprise, then awkwardly saluted.
"Uh, gr-great savior kn-knight... Is that right?"
"Bro! Do it properly! We practiced!"
"Shut up! A-anyway. We greet Sir Zeke."
Zeke tilted his head, watching Al and Jeff tremble before him.
He asked Simon,
"What's wrong with them? Did they eat something bad?"
Simon whispered to Zeke,
"They seem terrified because of the prank they tried on you before and the budget misuse."
Zeke was the Draker guardian knight, a black knight, and the renowned savior across the continent.
Realizing the target of their mischief was such a formidable figure, Al and Jeff had been too anxious to sleep properly.
Afterward, Feynen had noticed their weakness and would threaten them with Zeke's name whenever they disobeyed or tried to misuse funds.
As a result, Al and Jeff feared Zeke to the point of neurosis.
Zeke chuckled upon hearing this.
"Al, Jeff. I've long forgotten the prank from before, so no need to be scared." Even after Zeke said that, Al and Jeff remained distrustful and kept shaking.
Seeing this, Zeke realized further words were pointless and got to the main topic.
"I heard the new medicines are ready. Explain what's the problem."
Al and Jeff pushed the explanation to each other, eventually settling on rock-paperscissors, with the loser Al speaking up.
"Um, do you know about the Alchemistsʼ Union...?" Zeke frowned slightly and nodded.
'Those damn money-grubbing bastards.'
The Alchemistsʼ Union had ties to Zeke in his previous life as well.
Most potions and medicines were produced by the Alchemistsʼ Union, and even external productions required their certification for market sale.
This allowed the Alchemistsʼ Union to impose exorbitant certification fees on potions and medicines, reaping unfair profits.
Located in a neutral city, they too were caught in the flames of continental war.
They supported the Northern Continent verbally against the Rom Empire and Draker but focused on selling potions and medicines.
Zeke, who had negotiated with them over supply issues, knew well how petty and despicable they were.
As he recalled the past, Al spoke up.
"Um... the Alchemistsʼ Union is refusing to certify our new medicines."