It was a long time before Ed finally found his voice, and cried out in horror:

“...... Byee?!"

He had hopefully thought he would meet Sean here...... I never thought I'd run into this fallen paladin!Did the god of luck leave him because he chose Nio?!Shouldn't you be so cautious as a god......

He struggled and thought wildly, and his chest suddenly relaxed.

"Sage. Bye let go of him and responded coldly.

Ignoring the obvious sarcasm in his tone, Ed rolled as far as he could, as soon as he was free, until his forehead hit something that looked like the base of a statue.

He shrank up, didn't bother to touch his head, and reached out to touch the dagger in his boot. He'd been learning from Narya since he was on his dragon hunt to keep this good habit, after all, maybe it would come in handy at some point...... The murderous look he had when he rushed at him a few days ago is still fresh in his memory.

"You don't have to run that far. If I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have needed to save you just now. Baie's voice was cold and tired in the dark.

“...... You saved me?" Ed asked quizzerically, still pulling out his dagger and clenching it in his hand.

Baie snorted, "Maybe I'm doing it too much?"

Although he was a little farther away, Ed could still feel an indescribable power in the darkness where he had almost crashed straight into it—not evil, not death, but involuntarily terrifying...... He didn't know why Wayfinding had brought him here, maybe it was an exit?...... But he doubted that he would ever make it out alive.

"What the hell is that?" he couldn't help but ask. "Why are you here?"

"How do I know what the hell that hell is?!" Suddenly flared up, Bye ignored the latter question, "You're the 'Sage' who should know everything, aren't you?"

The anger in his tone made Ed keep his mouth shut. Try to move a little further.

If he was careful not to touch anything, he might be able to ...... quietly Escape?

The thought made Ed's face burn for a while, and he spit on himself fiercely in the bottom of his heart - no matter what, finding Baie was a reward, and he couldn't run away without figuring out anything!

"You...... Have you seen 'it'?" he cautiously asked, a less dangerous question.

It was a long silence before he was answered.

"Nope. Baie's anger seemed to fade quickly. There was a hint of desperation in his dry voice, "No, I saw it...... But there was nothing there. But I know it's there, it can devour magic, maybe even devouring this place......"

Despite being friend or foe, Ed instinctively believed that Baie wouldn't lie—even if he was arrogant and paranoid.

"How do you know?" he blurted out. "You can't use it...... Magical ......"

The voice involuntarily got lower and lower. As soon as he spoke, he realized that this was bound to poke Beye's sore spot...... Let's hope he won't come and give him a sword......

"It's none of your business!" Bye became furious again, "If you want to try and see if what I'm saying is true, please!, but if you are swallowed with your magic, don't expect me to pull you back!"

Ed smirked and shut his mouth.

He searched his mind for something like that—if only Iss were here, he would know what it was, and Felicity would certainly know, and maybe Icabold would have told him in his same tone. What are the possibilities......

But he scratched his scalp and could only barely come to the conclusion: "That sounds like some kind of ...... Energy?"

Even if you can't see anything. He could also feel Beye's contemptuous gaze coming down to him like an arrow.

“...... Maybe we'd better go find an exit?" he suggested awkwardly, "I know you probably don't want to be locked up in a dungeon again...... But wouldn't it be worse to stay in this place full of coffins......"

"You think we're still in the tomb?" Bye interrupted him dismissively.

Ed was stunned for a moment, he hadn't thought about it, even though the tomb seemed a bit ridiculously large...... But he could still smell the damp and rotting smell, and the cold, hard thing he was leaning against behind still felt like a sarcophagus......

As soon as his scalp was numb, he quickly moved away a little, and whispered nervously, "Isn't it?"

All he got was a contemptuous snort.

Ed was suspicious of Baie and wasn't sure if they were still in the tomb, but if he had been here since the day he disappeared......

"You...... Have you seen any other paladins here?" he cautiously tested.

“...... You're trying to ask if I've ever met Sean Fletche?" Bye sneered.

Ed wiped his face in frustration - could he be so easily seen?

"I can tell you the truth, I came to this hellish place just to find out what the hell he was up to, but alas, I couldn't find him. There was no disrespect for Sean in Beye's tone, "It's obviously just a trap here...... I'd love to know, Sage...... You weren't going to be tricked by him into coming here, were you?"

“...... Of course not!" Ed jumped up and shouted.

It's probably hard for anyone to use the word "like" for Sean...... But he respected and trusted the Paladin Master, and Beyer's unfounded suspicions made him furious.

"Then why are you here?" asked Baie coldly,

"I ...... It's none of your business!" Ed replied angrily, a little flustered at the realization that he had indeed come in because he had heard that Sean was in and out of the tomb from time to time......

"If I remember correctly, today is May Day...... Aren't you supposed to ride on the neck of that ice dragon and receive the cheers of all in Collins Square?" Bye continued sarcastically, "and who are you here now, standing in the square? Do you really think you are the chosen one? The Staff of Eternity responds only to your bloodline...... What else have you done with it besides using it as a torch?"

Ed couldn't help but clench the Staff of Eternity. He didn't find it strange that Baie had mistaken the time, it was difficult to judge the passage of time in the dark. But there are some of those malicious sentences that he can't deny......

"Blood?" he grasped the "reason" he had never heard of.

"The blood of the Ancient Sage flows through you...... Why do you think Sean is so persistent in finding Scott, just because he's his nephew? If it weren't for the fact that he thought Scott was dead, you think he would let you hold the Staff of Eternity?!"

Ed pressed the corner of his forehead, and he didn't know if it had just hit him too hard, and his whole head was throbbing and throbbing - why did it happen to Scott again? Ancient Sage blood...... Was the blood of the Chrysers family so special? He had never heard of it......

He wanted to ask more clearly, but Baie seemed to be getting more and more agitated, and he couldn't interject at all.

"Poor fellow...... You're just a pawn in Sean's hand, just like me...... Like every fool here who believes in him and fears him!...... even the ice dragon's voice is high and low, more like talking to himself, "who knows how long ago he began to plan all this...... The Stonebug guys were right, he was much more dangerous than any necromancer...... I'll find proof, everybody will know! Sean Fletcher...... He's not a hero at all, he's just a sinister fallen knight! he's the real degenerate......"

Ed listened in a daze, his heart sinking a little. It was not impossible for the plausible conspiracy to happen, but he was more worried about the people who claimed to be trying to stop it—what did they want, what would they do?

Tim...... In fact, he just died innocently in a power struggle that had nothing to do with him?

Sean may not be perfect, or he may be hiding a lot of things...... But those who can only hide in the shadows cannot be decent men and gentlemen.

He remembered Llewellyn's so-called "divine judgment" -- how many other crimes were committed in the name of God, and whether it was true or not, it was impossible for him, who was given the name of "the Holy One", to stay out of it......

In his mind, it was as if the rainstorm of the Vinz River had raged in July, and the waves crashed one after another, making him almost breathless. He should have understood that he was in the whirlpool, but he chose to turn a blind eye to the black river under his feet, and kept his head up, naively believing that as long as the small dark cloud above his head drifted past, he could see the bright sky.

That's not "naïve" at all. That's just...... Cowardice that he did not want to admit.

"Who told you this?" he interrupted, clenching the Staff of Eternity, which had never responded, suddenly unusually calm. It doesn't matter at all whether he is a true Sage or not, as Vala says...... At least he was himself. Ed Singhal may not be so powerful, but he won't see someone die innocently.

Tim is dead...... Someone should pay for it.

Baie chuckled lowly, "What, did I get it right?"

Ed bowed his head and remained silent for a long time before speaking.

"If we can get out of here...... he carefully chose his words, "will I go and meet your friend......? And I hate being cheated on, and I hate being taken advantage of. ”

"Those guys aren't my 'friends.'" Baie replied coldly, "Let's not say if we can escape...... I have to warn you that when dealing with those people, you are only being used. ”

“...... At least I can choose who to take advantage of. Ed tried to have the same coldness and resentment in his tone.

Baie was silent for a long time.

Ed waited patiently. In the darkness, he saw for the first time what he had to face...... He had to walk the thorny road.

(To be continued......)