Chapter 62: Who Lives, Who Dies?

Chapter 62: Who Lives, Who Dies?

The planar passageway was bustling with people, a massive crowd. Multicolored lights flickered and flowed along the walls of the passage.

Linley and Bebe were among the crowd, flying together towards the end.

“Almost there!” Linley felt his heart trembling.

“Dixie, Yale, George… and, and Father!” Though he had reached the pinnacle of divine power, Linley was extremely nervous at this moment. “I hope they’re all still alive!” The Netherworld was a place of endless slaughter, and his father and the others had died nearly three thousand years ago, almost three millennia. The chances of them still being alive were high.

Linley turned his head to glance at Bebe. Bebe was clearly nervous too.

“Bebe, it’ll be fine. Everyone will be alive and well,” Linley sent a mental message.

“Mm.” Bebe nodded quickly. As they spoke, a passageway exit shimmering with dark light appeared ahead.

One after another, following the flow of people, Linley and Bebe flew out of the passageway and arrived at a spacious hall.

Inside the hall at the passageway exit of Flamebone Mountain.

When Linley and the others had arrived, there were very few people here, but now the entire hall was packed. A voice barked out: “Everyone, come here to hand over your badges and record your military merits! Soldiers, line up one by one and go to the other receptionists! Commanders, come to me to record!”

Linley and Bebe looked over. The one shouting was the Sovereign’s emissary, the silver-haired old man, Gaulen.

The entire hall was filled with tables, each one occupied by a recorder holding a pen and constantly writing. Long lines had formed from the passageway. Only those who had handed over their badges and been recorded were allowed to leave. In front of the Sovereign’s emissary Gaulen, it was empty.

After all, there were very few commanders.

“Mr. Gaulen,” Linley called out with a light laugh, flying over.

“Lord Linley, congratulations on making it out alive,” Gaulen said with a smile when he saw Linley and the other. He had been frowning and shouting at the ordinary soldiers earlier, but he was friendly towards commanders of the same rank.

“How was it? Did you earn enough military merits this time?” Gaulen asked cheerfully.

“Enough,” Linley nodded.

Gaulen looked at Linley in surprise. Exchanging for a single Sovereign artifact required a full ten enemy commander badges: “I didn’t expect that. Impressive! Mr. Linley, first give me your own commander badge. Your companion here can also handle his business with me. If you go to my subordinates, you’ll have to wait in line for a long time.”

Linley turned his head and glanced. Indeed, the line had already formed a circle within the hall, and many people were queuing up in mid-air.

Linley and Bebe each took out their blood-colored badge and black badge and handed them over.

The rules were very strict. If someone couldn’t produce their own badge, they would be executed.

“Since you’ve gathered enough military merits, you don’t need to record here. Go directly to see the Sovereign and have the Sovereign forge your Sovereign artifact,” Gaulen said with a smile. “In every planar war, the Sovereigns keep a record of the commanders’ military merits. You just need to present the enemy commander badges you’ve obtained, and the Sovereign will know.”

As he spoke, Gaulen pointed to a secret passage that was open behind him.

“Go through this secret passage, and you’ll meet the Sovereign,” Gaulen said with a laugh.

“Meet the Sovereign? The Sovereign’s true body?” Bebe asked in surprise.

Gaulen laughed and said, “Of course not. The Sovereign doesn’t have time to waste here. The Sovereign you’ll meet is just an energy projection. The Sovereign’s true body is far away in some other part of the Netherworld.”

“Mr. Linley!” A warm greeting sounded. Linley and Bebe couldn’t help but turn to look. The speaker was a burly man with short black hair in a purple robe.

“Wassent!” Linley nodded slightly. He had seen this commander before and had a vague impression of him.

When Gaulen saw the newcomer, he immediately laughed and said, “Oh, Lord Wassent, congratulations.” Anyone who made it out alive was worth congratulating. Gaulen continued, “Lord Wassent, did you earn enough military merits this time? Lord Linley earned enough, and he entered over a hundred years later than you.”

“I’m still short. Here are three commander badges. Please record them for me,” Wassent said, taking out three golden badges and his own blood-colored badge. At the same time, he said cheerfully, “Gaulen, it’s only natural that Mr. Linley earned enough military merits. How could I compare to Mr. Linley? After all, Mr. Linley is a Paragon.”

Gaulen’s expression instantly froze in shock. He turned to look at Linley.

“Paragon?” Gaulen was very astonished.

“Of course,” Wassent laughed heartily. “Mr. Linley even fought a battle with that Paragon, Magnus, on the Stellar River passage in the planar battlefield, forcing the commanders and countless soldiers to stop! Magnus was banished into the spatial turbulence by Mr. Linley.”

Gaulen couldn’t believe it.

“You two chat. I’m going to see the Sovereign first,” Linley said briefly, then headed with Bebe towards the secret passage behind Gaulen. Linley could still faintly hear the conversation behind him—

“Linley becoming a Paragon—what exactly happened? Tell me in detail.”

“I’ll tell you later. You just said Mr. Linley is a Lord—what’s that about? Isn’t he an elder of the Azure Dragon clan?”

Linley didn’t catch the rest, as he had already entered the depths of the secret passage. The passage was very wide, a full five meters across and nearly four meters high. The walls of the passage faintly emitted a hazy green light, making the entire passage seem so dreamlike. After walking for a while—

In front of Linley, a four-way fork appeared.

“Which way do we go now?” Bebe was a bit confused.

Linley carefully examined the area. There was no one else in the secret passage. Suddenly, a voice echoed in Linley’s mind: “Linley, you two, enter the leftmost passage. You’ll see me shortly.”

“The Sovereign of Death!” Linley’s eyes lit up.

“Bebe, this way.” Linley immediately advanced along the leftmost fork with Bebe. After walking only a hundred meters, they exited the passage and arrived at a spacious, bright hall.

Linley swept his gaze around. There was no one on the throne at the head of the hall. Instead, by the side of the hall stood a graceful figure in a purple robe, with blood-red long hair cascading down. Suddenly, the figure turned, and her gaze shot towards Linley’s eyes, making Linley’s heart tremble involuntarily.

“Sovereign,” Linley said with a slight bow.

This person was the Sovereign of Death, but Linley also sensed that although the Sovereign of Death exuded a sense of pressure, her aura wasn’t strong. Linley judged—the one before him was likely an energy projection formed by the Sovereign of Death.

“Impressive,” the Sovereign of Death said, looking at Linley with a slight curl of her lips. “Linley, I rarely admire anyone. But… right now, I admire you. After all, even though I am the Sovereign of Death, I haven’t reached Paragon status in terms of the laws. Yet you have reached Paragon—impressive!”

Linley was taken aback.

From his conversations with Reisgem, Linley had learned that becoming a Sovereign had nothing to do with being a Paragon. Many Sovereigns hadn’t reached Paragon, but Linley hadn’t expected… that even the most powerful Sovereign of Death hadn’t reached Paragon.

However, Linley himself wasn’t a Paragon either; he was just a soul mutant.

But for now, Linley didn’t want to reveal that. He would just let them assume he was a Paragon. After all, a four-way soul mutation was too shocking.

“In less than a thousand years, you’ve reached such a level,” the Sovereign of Death said with admiration.

“Sovereign,” Linley said with a slight bow, respectfully, “According to our previous agreement, for each enemy commander badge I obtain, you will find one person and restore their past life memories. I’m here now to fulfill that agreement with you.” Linley got straight to the point!

The Sovereign of Death glanced at Linley, naturally exuding an air of superiority and overlooking all living beings.

“Become my emissary,” the Sovereign of Death said casually.

Linley was momentarily stunned?

Linley didn’t want to become a Sovereign’s emissary, but this was said by the Sovereign of Death. If the Sovereign of Death threatened to use saving Linley’s family as leverage, Linley would have no choice.

“Sovereign,” Bebe said indignantly, “Are you threatening my boss?”

The Sovereign of Death glanced at Bebe, and that cold gaze made Bebe’s heart tremble. The Sovereign of Death said indifferently, “Of course not! As a Sovereign, my word is my bond. I won’t change it. One enemy commander badge, and I will find one of your family members and restore their memories. As for inviting you to be my emissary, that’s an extra offer. You can choose to refuse.”

Linley slightly bowed and declined, “Sorry, Sovereign, I’m not prepared to become an emissary right now.”

“Very well,” the Sovereign of Death said, her voice turning cold. “As per our previous agreement, show me the commander badges you’ve obtained. Let me warn you in advance—the mortality rate in the Netherworld is high… If the person you’re looking for is dead, don’t blame me. I am only responsible for finding them and restoring their memories.”

“Of course.” Linley took a deep breath, then flipped his hand and produced four commander badges. Bebe also took out two.

“Six?” The Sovereign of Death raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, who are you looking for.”

“First, find my brother, also from the material plane of the Yulan Continent, Yale Dawson!” Linley said quickly.

The Sovereign of Death nodded slightly: “Wait a moment. My true body is searching through the Netherworld Heart.” Even for a Sovereign, relying solely on a name to find a specific person who had become an undead was impossible. But the Netherworld Heart was different. It was the physical manifestation of the natural laws governing the Netherworld’s operation, an object.

It was the core of the Netherworld!

Through the Netherworld Heart, one could easily investigate anyone who had died and become an undead.

“I hope Yale is still alive,” Linley thought anxiously. Bebe couldn’t help but grab Linley’s hand.

“Found him,” the Sovereign of Death nodded. “Hmm? Strange, he’s a Blood Ghost.”

“Blood Ghost?” Linley asked in surprise.

“Yes, there are many races among the undead. Generally, mortals who become Blood Ghosts after death harbor great resentment and murderous intent, which is why they become Blood Ghosts. Naturally, Blood Ghosts are a relatively powerful race among the undead.” The Sovereign of Death glanced at Linley. “Lucky for you, he’s alive and is a Saint-level undead. Next.”

Linley took another deep breath and continued: “My second brother, George.”

“Hmm?” The Sovereign of Death had a hint of a smile on her lips.

Linley stared intently at the Sovereign of Death. “Your second brother, George, is also alive. And he’s already a Demigod. He doesn’t need me to restore his memories.”

“Became a god?” Linley couldn’t help but be overjoyed.

That made sense. George and Dixie had both died at the Saint level. When they formed as undead, they reached the Saint level, so it was indeed possible for them to become gods.

“Third,” the Sovereign of Death said indifferently.

“Third, my wife’s brother, Dixie,” Linley said quickly. Linley had to admit that the Netherworld Heart was truly marvelous. With just simple information, it could find his family and friends. But Linley didn’t know… in reality, the Netherworld Heart could instantly find everyone related to Linley based on him alone.

For the Sovereign of Death, finding one person or ten made no difference. However… the Sovereign of Death wouldn’t tell Linley that.

“Dixie? Huh, he’s also become a god,” the Sovereign of Death said. “But his divine clone died, and his Saint-level true body is hiding in the Netherworld. He doesn’t need me to restore his memories either.”

Linley felt a surge of joy in his heart. Although Dixie had become a god and then his divine clone had died, he was still alive. Now there was only the fourth person left. His father—Hogg!

Father…

“My father, Hogg!” Linley said slowly.

The Sovereign of Death searched for a moment, then nodded: “The four people you’re looking for are all in good shape. Two became gods, and two are Saint-level. Your father is now a Saint-level undead… Hmm, no wonder your father is still alive. He’s also from the Azure Dragon clan, with a strong soul.” The soul had a lot to do with the strength of an undead.

Although Hogg hadn’t awakened, he was still from the Azure Dragon clan, and his soul was much stronger than that of an ordinary undead.

“Father, still alive?” Linley was ecstatic.

He had been very afraid, but the result was so wonderful. All four people he was looking for were alive.

In fact, it was also related to Hogg and the others themselves. The stronger their strength, the higher their survival rate. The two who had become Saint-level undead right away naturally had a higher probability. Yale’s resentment was too great, so he became a Blood Ghost. Plus, he had been quite strong in life. Hogg also had an extremely strong soul.

“There are two more. My brother Bebe’s parents,” Linley said quickly. Linley noticed that, aside from the first person, Yale, which took a bit longer to find, the next three were answered instantly by the Sovereign of Death. It seemed the search was very fast.

“Yes, my father and mother,” Bebe said quickly. “But I don’t know their names.”

“No need for names. But wait a moment longer,” the Sovereign of Death said, glancing at Bebe.

Linley gave Bebe an encouraging look and sent a mental message: “Don’t worry, Bebe. Your father was a level-nine magical beast, strong enough in life. He’s also from the Beirut clan, so his soul should be powerful too. The chances of him being alive are high!”

“Mm.” Bebe took a deep breath and nodded.

Linley could sense that Bebe was very nervous right now. Bebe had never seen his parents before. As they waited, after a moment—

“Very lucky,” the Sovereign of Death said, looking at Bebe in surprise. “Your father is a Saint-level undead, and a fairly powerful Saint-level undead at that.”

“That’s great!” Bebe clenched his fist, his face flushed with excitement.

Linley was happy for Bebe too. Ever since his soul mutation, it seemed his luck had suddenly improved a lot. All the family and friends he had searched for this time were still alive.

Suddenly—

A thought flashed through Linley’s mind: “Bebe’s parents, then… what about my mother?” Bebe had never seen his parents, but Linley also had no memory of his mother. Although he had never seen her, she was still his mother, the one who gave birth to him!

“Sovereign, could you search for one more person for me?” Linley asked nervously.

“No. Six badges, six chances,” the Sovereign of Death said indifferently, leaving no room for negotiation.

Bebe quickly said, “Sovereign, two of the people my boss asked you to find had already become gods and didn’t need you to restore their memories. Shouldn’t that count? Or maybe those two should only count as one chance.”

“Where did you get that idea?” The Sovereign of Death glanced at Bebe. “The six chances are used up.”

Linley couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Of course… if you’re willing to become my Sovereign’s emissary, as a Sovereign, I would be happy to search a few more times for you. For free,” the Sovereign of Death suddenly said.

Linley was stunned.

Did he have to become a Sovereign’s emissary?

“Boss?” Bebe looked at Linley.

“Sovereign,” Linley said with a frown, “In truth, one commander badge isn’t that precious. Given my current status, if I go out now… I could easily borrow a commander badge from another commander. Consider it a favor owed to that person. I believe they would agree to this deal.”

Linley’s favor, in exchange for a commander badge—many commanders would be willing to make that trade with Linley.

“True,” the Sovereign of Death nodded.

“Then, Sovereign… how about this: if you can find this person for me, I will agree to become your Sovereign’s emissary. If you can’t find them, or if she is dead, then the matter of me becoming your emissary is off,” Linley said, looking at the Sovereign of Death.

The Sovereign of Death looked at Linley, thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded: “Alright, I agree.” Searching once was no burden to the Sovereign of Death, and she knew that if she didn’t agree, Linley would probably go borrow a commander badge.

“I want to search for my mother…” Linley said slowly.

PS: Two chapters, nine thousand words, done! A relatively satisfying result—Linley’s father and the others are all still alive…