Chapter 252 Courage Is Not The Absence Of Fear [Part 2]

Chapter 252 Courage Is Not The Absence Of Fear [Part 2]

"I believe I mentioned that..." Raven replied.

Helena cocked her head.

"It's Northern's best bet at leaving this place unharmed."

Helena was silent for a while. She then chuckled deviously and shifted her focus to Northern.

"You know of a safe way out of this cursed continent, and you're going to keep its existence a secret and give it to Northern." She glared at him.

"Revealing the existence of a flying ship could cause a civil war between both strongholds. That is one thing we cannot afford right now."

She paused and continued.

"Moreover, I want to believe there is a cruel reason why the Luinngard Empire is not letting people into their country. It's obvious they know they are our best bet at getting out of this damned place, but yet they do not grant us access. What if they hear about the ship and it becomes a threat to them?"

Helena lingered for a while and nodded subtly.

"Your thinking is sound there... No good will come from revealing it to the public."

Raven turned her eyes to Northern and added:

"Besides, I believe Northern more than anyone deserves a way out of this desolation. He has had it rough, although we have too, but at the very least we had each other to rely on. Who knows what being alone has done to him?" Her eyes turned somber at the end.

Northern seethed inwardly.

'I feel very pissed being pitied by this girl... for some reason, all her words are sounding condescending.'

Helena looked at him, puzzled, but she shrugged and said:

"If you say so... but I'll say this. You see Northern, one thing I hate is that the principal was right about - this hellhole is a furnace that would forge you into your best version... why not get stronger before returning?"

Northern narrowed his eyes.

"Every corner here looms with death. You do know that rifts are also in the Central Plains. I can go back and get stronger safely."

Helena's face became somber.

"I see... that's it, huh?"

A frown creased Northern's face.

But all the while, was he pretending to himself? Thinking that going home was the only way out of this hell?

He wanted to survive. Sure. Yes.

But did it have to be by running away...?

Northern frowned and dropped his head, clenching his fists tightly and saying nothing.

The others stared silently at him.

After a couple of minutes, it was starting to get a bit awkward among the group.

But Helena turned towards the direction of the tall tower that usually served as a compass of sorts for her during her travels.

Her eyes, however, plunged much farther than that.

She pointed forward and said:

"We are going still far, you see those backdrop of mountains marking the horizon we are looking at right now."

She looked back over her shoulder and grinned.

"That will be the beginning of our journey."

She then turned around fully, was silent for a while, and then looked at Northern.

"Look, I'd advise you to go back at this point. You're probably just better off somewhere safe... okay, maybe you don't know how perilous this journey is about to get."

She inhaled and exhaled.

"I'll tell you. You see, the map would have provided us with diverse travel options and ways to choose, since it has every area marked out... our travel would have been relatively safe..." she paused, "at least with the map we would choose and know the danger we are walking into. But without it, we just have to confront whatever hits us."

She looked deeper into his eyes.

"So this could actually be the most dangerous situation you have ever ventured into... perhaps even far more dangerous than you have ever faced. The Sleeping Mountains is the location of the last cardinal rift... and it's a tier IV rift."

She paused for a second and continued.

"I suppose the rift you entered was something around that level... but don't be quick to judge rifts. The tier system is just based on soul essence readings. What you could meet inside could be way more dangerous than anything you've faced. So, you'd be foolish to think you can take it on... just because you have before."

She put her arms akimbo.

"Actually, I think you're better off leaving. What do you say? Wanna crawl back to your hole, flower boy?"