Kyran marked Shiloh and Uilleam before creating an automa part to replace their missing limbs. He did this because they could become a liability if they were to encounter another one of the tower's challenges or an ambush from another group.
Then again, now that the tower recognizes Kyran's identity, he might be able to effortlessly navigate through the tower and its challenges and even transfer to other levels at will. He would not do that, however, because he was sure the tower would only allow him to do that and not the people with him.
After resolving the matter with Shiloh and Uilleam, Kyran took them and returned with the others.
Cyneah, who already sensed their arrival could not help but wear a perplexed expression.
"I've marked them. They will not pose a threat for now."
"Yes, I can see that," Cyneah replied, looking at Shiloh and Uilleam's lights, which were now mixed with a black hole-like mark in the middle.
The black hole was directly placed at the center of their lights, so Cyneah guessed that if they ever thought of betraying Kyran, it would consume their lights in a heartbeat.
Shiloh and Uilleam were shocked to see Cyneah.
Back at the platform, when all the other clan representatives were waiting for the tower to open, Shiloh and Uilleam were among several representatives who were mesmerized by Cynean's beauty and presence.
As an unknown figure from the Dragon Clan, she already drew a lot of attention, and her appearance, which was pleasing to the eyes, made her stand out even more.
"But don't you think your... hobby is getting a little out of hand recently?"
"Hobby—?" Kyran stopped short before letting out a muffled groan. "I did not kidnap them."
"So you admit kidnapping is your hobby," Cyneah teased in amusement.
"..."
Kyran knew she was only teasing. Nonetheless, he felt wronged whenever his hobby was mentioned. They were his hostages, okay? It was not like he took them with a ransom in mind.
Wait.
Now that he thought of it, Uilleam's treatment of Shiloh suggested the latter was someone important. Maybe Kyran could extort the Blade Dancer Clan for his release. He was in dire need of resources, after all.
[What are you even thinking? Aren't you going to the Dragon plane after leaving this place? Why would you need to extort others? Besides, the Tower has recognized you, and there are plenty of hidden resources and treasures here. Just say the word, and I'm sure it will surrender everything to you.]
'...'
Kyran was rendered speechless once more. Extorting the Blade Dancer Clan for Shiloh was just a passing thought. Couldn't Shaiha take a hint? Did she have to give side comments at every thought that crossed his mind?
Meanwhile, Shiloh and Uilleam wore grave expressions after witnessing the light exchange between Cyneah and Kyran. Now that they were aware of the latter's identity, apart from him being the same one that Atla encountered in the unnamed plane, he already posed a huge threat to them.
But it seemed they had merely seen the tip of the iceberg of how huge of a threat he really posed, especially when he was already on good terms with the Dragon Clan.
Kyran sensed Shiloh and Uilleam's change in demeanor upon seeing his interaction with Cyneah. He belatedly realized that in their eyes, Cyneah looked like a true Dragon Clan member.
"Are we not going to wait for those two?" Diara asked Kyran curiously.
"No need," Kyran replied.
"Hm... I don't think these two you kidnap can replace those two in terms of battle prowess."
"..."
Kyran did not think Diara and the others heard his and Cyneah's conversation earlier. So, why did they think he kidnapped Shiloh and Uilleam?
Cyneah laughed softly but did not say anything.
Meanwhile, Kyran ignored Diara's comment altogether and had Auto-one lead the way to the next area.
"There are a few people coming this way, master," Auto-one warned him.
Kyran did sense more presence approaching the intersection. Initially, those presences appeared to be observing them. They were likely weighing up whether to go to the left or right side.
In the end, one group decided not to cross Ladon and Thorn and went to their side. The other groups were still a distance away, so it was unknown if they would go to the left or right side.
"We'll deal with them once they arrive," Kyran replied. Inwardly, however, he preferred not to deal with them.
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the presence of the group coming after them disappeared.
Aki, Cyneah, Shiloh, and Uilleam were perplexed at what happened just then. They wondered if that group triggered a challenge along that path without them knowing. If this was the case, did it not mean that Ladon and Thorn might also encounter a new challenge after dealing with the right side?
Auto-one, Diara, and the rest of the Ancients were unfazed at what happened, however.
With a snort, Diara looked at Kyran and said, "Looks like you're starting to understand how to take advantage of your privilege."
Kyran's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, his mind reeled at this revelation.
Did this mean that he could simply think what he wanted, and the tower would comply?
But if this was all, how come the automatons did not respond when he wanted them to?
Or could it be that he could only command the tower to a certain degree?
Regardless, Kyran could not experiment with it at the moment. He'd just have to observe how the tower would react to his thoughts as they proceeded.
With that in mind, they went to the next area.
The next area was a white circular room. Because they had only been in a dimly lit area, the sudden brightness stung their eyes a bit. It did not take long for them to adjust however, and observe the whole area.
The room was spacious, with faint rune writings flashing at every corner. At the center of the room was a hovering gold sphere.