Chapter 856: A Small Portion of Gratitude
...
A few moments later...
A brilliant ray of light shone down at the entrance into the Celestial. And, from this light emerged Izroth, Sychia, and Hakros.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that weird sensation," Hakros groaned as he rubbed the back of his head in discomfort.
"The method of transportation is convenient. I wonder if they employ the use of something similar to magic formations." Sychia commented.
Woosh! Bang!
Out of nowhere, someone crashed into the ground a couple of meters away from Izroth and his group.
"I welcome the young heroes!" The person declared in a respectful voice.
The one who appeared before Izroth and his group was the Celestial Warrior Frous. However, unlike last time, he treated Izroth and the others with the utmost respect.
Though this was not due to his group's relationship with Astratis or Illioreas. Instead, Frous heard of their accomplishments during the fight inside the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, more importantly, even though Frous was on a different battlefield, he considered them comrades who fought together toward the same goal.
Once one fought together, be it mortal, ancient race, or celestial—Frous would see them as a reliable companion.
Izroth gave a small nod and said, "Has he awakened yet?"
"You have come at a perfect time. He awakened just recently and has informed me to escort you to the Inner Sanctuary upon your return to the Celestial Abode." Frous stated.
"Oh? Then, lead the way." Izroth replied calmly.
...
Izroth came to the Celestial Abode to speak with Astratis; however, he never expected Astratis would also be looking to speak with him.
'Is he still curious about the Mortal Realm?'
Although Izroth told Astratis some basic things about the Mortal Realm, now that everything settled down, he could explain things properly.
'Well, it's fine. Now that I have a Realm Key, I should reinforce my alliance with the celestials so that those I send in the future will have another form of protection.'
In the end, this place was not the Mortal Realm. And, now that the pillars were out of the picture, who knew what kind of chaotic power struggle would take place?
That's why Izroth had plans to form a long-term alliance with the celestials. It may even be possible to begin an item exchange of sorts. After all, just like how they were only certain items in this Secret Realm, perhaps some of the items from the Mortal Realm would pique their interest.
Of course, such a thing would require some infrastructure to be set in place, and Izroth already had the perfect people in mind to handle this potentially monumental task.
"Yes. Since you are ready, we can depart with haste." Frous said as he moved to the front of Izroth and his group.
The next moment, the Guiding Ray descended and encompassed the group in light as they disappeared from sight.
...
A brilliant light shone down into the front of a magnificent pathway. This pathway was made of a marble-like material and had tapestries of fierce warriors on its walls.
Frous lead Izroth and his group down the pathway and came before a thick metallic door.
"Celestial Warrior Frous has brought the respected guests at your request!" Frous announced in front of the door.
At first, there was only silence. However, a few seconds later, the large metallic door opened as a powerful yet soothing breeze pushed out from within the room.
"This is as far as I guide you. May the celestial way guide your steps, young heroes." Frous said before he walked back to the direction he came from as the Guiding Ray encompassed him.
After Frous took his leave, Izroth, Sychia, and Hakros walked into the room as the door closed behind them.
"This place... How serene." Sychia said to herself as he observed her surroundings.
The Inner Sanctuary was a spacious garden with a quiet stream flowing through its center. Despite its enclosed state, somehow, there was sunlight spread to every corner of the room, which made one feel refreshed.
Near the center of the garden, located not too far from the stream, were two individuals—a man and a woman.
"Foolish husband! What nonsense are you speaking?! Do you even understand what it is that you are saying?!" Ierosni's voice echoed throughout the garden.
At the moment, she seemed extremely displeased.
"I have already made my decision. It is final." Astratis stated calmly.
"Just look at you. You have not yet fully recovered, yet you want to tread the ropes of fate once more? Must you always tempt fate so?!" Ierosni said with a saddened look in her eyes.
Despite her anger, beneath it all, one could tell that she was merely worried about Astratis.
After his battle in the Fourth Heart of the World, Astratis managed to recover from his more severe wounds; however, there were still visible veins of cerulean energy circulating throughout his body. This was the result of overusing his Ordinance of Execution against Kyvernos.
While he would eventually recover with time and rest, his overall power would be temporarily hindered. However, there was another reason why Ierosni was so against him leaving the safety Inner Sanctuary.
An awkward silence filled the Inner Sanctuary as Izroth, and the others observed quietly from a distance.
Ierosni released a small sigh and said, "Since you have already made up your mind, so be it. I know that you will not change it so easily. Just promise me that you will not forget the promise we made on that day? No matter what happens, you must always return to my side—without fail."
"I will never forget, my love," Astratis replied warmly.
"Good, because if you do, then I will come to find you myself and drag you back if I have to," Ierosni said with a loving smile; however, her words and the terrifying aura around her did not match her expression.
She then turned and continued, "Now, we have kept our guests waiting long enough."
...
Ierosni walked over and properly greeted Izroth, Sychia, and Hakros before leading them over to Astratis, who was currently resting upright on a strange cloud-like material.
"Izroth, young heroes—it is good to see you!" Astratis stated joyfully.
"You seem to be doing well. You are more energized than when I last saw you." Izroth commented.
"Hahaha! My body is quite tough, you know? I can take a few hundred beatings and still get back up!" Astratis proudly boasted.
"It would be more suitable if you simply did not receive the beatings in the first place. Would it not, dear husband?" Ierosni said with a heartwarming smile that, again, did not match the aura she was giving off.
"Right, right. Of course, my wife has the right idea. Hahaha!" Astratis chuckled.
The next moment, Astratis cleared his throat and said with a serious look on his face, "Izroth, Sychia, Hakros, and although she is no longer with us, Tal'Nis—these four names will never be forgotten in our world. I may be a little late, but please, allow me to properly express a small portion of my gratitude."
Astratis gave a meaningful glance to Ierosni, who removed four small pouches from a spatial storage within the Inner Sanctuary.
"It is not nearly enough to thank you for all that you have done; however, I hope that it will at least serve as a small reward," Astratis stated.
Ierosni gave a single pouch to each of those present, except for Izroth, who received two in Tal'Nis' place.
'Hm?'
Izroth had already received the quest rewards from the system. He did not think Astratis would prepare them a separate reward completely unrelated to the quest.
'He said a small reward, but... How can this be considered as showing a portion of one's gratitude?'
Name: Unique Item Bag(Soulbound)w
Rank: Unique
Usage: Contains a single Unique item inside.
Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold.
It was actually a unique item bag! And, Izroth received not one, but two of said item bags!
Unique-ranked items were only one step below divine-ranked. At the moment, in RML, it was practically impossible to acquire one even if one threw their entire wealth at it!
That's because unique-ranked items could not be obtained through ordinary methods. There was also the fact that the pool of unique-ranked items was simply too small. Even if one had the money necessary to purchase one, finding one that was actually for sale was just as challenging.
"Here," Hakros said as he tossed his item bag to Izroth, who caught it without trouble.
He then continued, "You like treasure, right? Then, consider that a downpayment. Whenever you're about to do something interesting in the future, you better call me first, got it?!"
Izroth inwardly smiled at Hakros' actions. Even though he did not express it properly with his words, it seems he was still grateful to Izroth for his experience inside the Secret Realm.
The following moment, Sychia held his item bag out toward Izroth and dropped it in his hands.
"If not for your aid in clearing my poison, I would have never had the opportunity to receive this reward in the first place. It should rightfully belong to you. Besides, since you promised to help heal my master, consider this a token of my gratitude." Sychia commented.
Seeing the sincere attitudes of those present, a smile could not help but find its way onto Astratis' and Ierosni's faces.
"You two—I can't accept this," Izroth said with a light sigh.
"Hah, what nonsense are you saying? If we decide to give it to you, then you should just take it." Hakros growled.
"Yes, we cannot accept that which we have already given away." Sychia chimed in.
"No, I mean, I really can't accept it. My inventory—it's already full. Do you mind holding a few things?" Izroth stated with a carefree smile.
"..."
"..."