Although they were astonished, Jarrod and Garlan, in dread of the power of Linley’s group, behaved extremely properly.
“Hey, Garlan. You two should have been in these Amethyst Mountains for quite some time, right?” Bebe laughed as he asked. Garlan and Jarrod glanced at each other, their eyes revealing a look of resignation.
Garlan let out a sigh. “Right. We have been here a long, long time. At least a hundred million years.”
“Over a hundred million years?” Linley’s group was stunned.
A hundred million!
A simple phrase, but a truly extravagant figure. Linley was only in his second century, and was a very long distance off from a hundred million years.
Jarrod said sourly, “In the past, Garlan and I also encountered the ‘Fog Wave’ situation, and thus we were unwillingly brought into the Amethyst Mountains. That day, the amethyst beasts were also very excited. They killed many people, but the two of us were lucky enough to survive. Back then, I was a God, while Garlan was a Demigod…after so many years, Garlan and I have both reached the Highgod level. But because too much time has passed, the two of us couldn’t be bothered to calculate it exactly. However, the hundred million year mark passed long ago.”
Linley was shocked.
To grow from a Demigod to become a Highgod, for most people, an extremely long period of time would be needed.
“Can it be that you don’t want to leave?” Linley looked at them as he spoke solemnly. “Or can it be that these Amethyst Mountains really are, as the legends have it, a place where one can only enter but not leave.”
When he had heard people speak of this at the edges of the Fog Sea, Linley had only half-believed it.
As Linley saw it, none of the amethyst harvesters had entered the Fog Sea. How could they know what the situation was for the people inside of it? Even though he himself had entered the Amethyst Mountains, Linley still clung to a few shreds of illusory hope.
He believed that he still had a chance to leave.
“Right. Once you come in, you cannot leave.” Jarrod said with great certainty.
“You really can’t leave?” Linley was stunned.
Was he to forever be trapped here?
The nearby Delia glanced at Linley, knowing that Linley wanted to go to the Indigo Prefecture and visit the elders of the Baruch clan. Delia immediately asked, “Jarrod, why are you so certain? The Amethyst Mountains are so enormous. There definitely are many people here. Not a single person has ever left?”
The brown-haired woman, Garlan, said consolingly, “I know you aren’t willing to accept this, but this is the truth.”
“First of all, the gravity in the Amethyst Mountains is very powerful.” Garlan said. “Generally, Highgods aren’t able to resist the gravity at all.”
Delia and Linley both nodded slightly.
Delia was a Highgod, but she was unable to resist this gravity. Although Linley’s body was tough, he still couldn’t resist the gravity and fly outside.
Garlan continued, “The Amethyst Mountains have existed for so long. Many of the people who entered this dangerous area early on have already reached extremely high levels of power, most likely comparable to Five Star Fiends, Six Star Fiends, or even more. There once was an exceedingly powerful Highgod who was actually able to resist the gravity and fly towards the outside.
Linley frowned.
“He was able to resist the gravity, but when he reached the area filled with those strange winds, he was affected and his head went dizzy. Although he was able to maintain his clarity, he stayed in mid-air for decades without being able to find a way out!” Garlan said.
Bebe said in astonishment, “Decades? In that area which made the mind go dizzy?”
“Right. However, that area is very bizarre. It isn’t just a simple confusion; even the soul is affected, and so there’s no way to fly out.” Garlan shook her head as she spoke.
Linley couldn’t help but feel his heart clench.
Even an expert who could resist the gravity couldn’t fly out. What could Linley do?
That Jarrod asked, puzzled, “Afterwards, it was quite strange. That expert abandoned leaving the Amethyst Mountains, but not long after that, he completely disappeared for no reason.”
“Disappeared for no reason?” Linley’s group of four was shocked.
Garlan nodded. “Right. Not just him. Afterwards, everyone who reached an exceedingly high level would suddenly disappear. Nobody knows if they died or fled, or if something else happened.” Garlan and Jarrod were very mystified as well.
Linley frowned. These experts who were at the Six Star Fiend or Seven Star Fiend level of power wanted to leave but had failed. There’s no way they could have left under their own power.
“Whether they died, left, or were controlled, there has to be some sort of mechanism here behind the scenes controlling everything.” Linley said to himself.
Linley stared at the Amethyst Mountains.
Linley kept on having this feeling that the Amethyst Mountains, in and of themselves, were very strange. ‘Soul essence’ was one of the most important components of a soul, but the Amethyst Mountains actually produced amethysts. This was inconceivable.
In addition, there was that white fog which perpetually covered the area, that strange wind sound, that astonishing gravity…
And also, that cave which occasionally suctioned in and occasionally blasted out!
All of these things made him uneasy.
“Garlan, Jarrod.” Bebe suddenly pointed towards the distant crevice. “Do you see that place which constantly blasts out amethysts? What’s going on with the cave in that crevice? Occasionally it blasts things out, and occasionally it stops, and then occasionally it starts swallowing things in. What is that about?”
“Don’t go to that place.” Garlan said hurriedly. “Those places are what we call ‘Demonic Amethyst Lairs’. In total, the entire Amethyst Mountains have 108 of these Demonic Amethyst Lairs.
“108 total?” Bebe stared. “This strange place actually has so many?”
Garlan said hurriedly, “Right. These Demonic Amethyst Lairs is the source for blasting out amethysts. They’ll normally blast out amethysts as well, only in fairly small numbers, unlike today where they blasted them out in extravagant numbers. Also, when the Demonic Amethyst Lairs stop blasting out, don’t be greedy and try to enter the crevice to snatch amethysts.”
“I know.” Bebe snorted. “I personally watched those four be swallowed into the cave. That poor Jenkin…” Bebe’s eyes were filled with a hint of sadness.
“Someone was swallowed in?” The nearby Jarrod let out a surprised sigh, then immediately said, “Those who were swallowed in were definitely newcomers who didn’t know these things. Of the three ‘blasting’, ‘resting’, and ‘swallowing’ stages of the Demonic Amethyst Lairs, the ‘blasting’ stage is the longest, the ‘resting’ stage is the shortest, while the ‘swallowing’ stage is in the middle. Not only is the ‘resting’ stage short, the length of each rest is different. There’s no pattern or regularity at all, and no one who knows how dangerous it is would dare to jump in.
Linley’s group of four nodded slightly.