The One Moving the Wires of Fate

"Hmm... " Elisabeth was left without words and a bit intimidated, but Rose was sure of her judgment and spoke confidently: "Grandpa Mold... what would Atlas do if he found out that you scared us? Look at her..."

The room became incredibly silent as if those words were the prelude to something terrible. Still, thunderous laughter shook that tense atmosphere.

"HAHAHA... Old Mold, this little girl is right. What will you do about this? It's not a simple matter since Old River is here."

"Right..."

"Hmph..." Old Mold snorted arrogantly in response to their joke and then looked back at Rose with a severe expression: "Little girl... that brat never spoke about you, but you seem to be quite... confident in your relationship."

"Of course... We went through life and death more than one time... It's enough to show you that he cares about me." Rose replied, showing them a radiant smile.

"Right?! So Obscurium was quite a dangerous place if so much happened... good... very good... I can't wait to see that idiot again. We have so much to talk about!"

Even if Old Mold was the roughest between them, he cared a lot for Atlas, and his anger was genuine.

"Okay... Old Mold, stop blabbering like an idiot."

Since the situation was calm again, Marigold resumed the previous speech: "So you asked Atlas if he could help save Rose... and I can understand why you did it. She was in such a dangerous place, and you thought that with this so-called blessing, he could do it... but what I want to know is why he accepted this request..."

Rose's group was left speechless by her comment.

Indeed, every single word made sense. So why did Atlas accept this unreasonable request?

He could have just said yes and then left. After all, who was so stupid to risk their lives for some stranger?

The more they thought about that, the more they felt something was wrong.

Even Aurora, the quietest of the group, thought about a reason.

A few minutes passed, but confusion was the only thing on their face.

"Well... at least now, you realize that something strange is happening with Atlas..."

Since none of them knew what to say, Marigold sighed disappointedly.

"August... what do you think about that?"

"Hmm... I don't know, but I'm sure he was fine last time."

"Me too... Maybe he went there for that reason, but why didn't he tell us about it?"

"We must know the truth..."

Marigold's group started discussing how to handle this matter, ignoring Rose and her friends.

They talked for a while until Rose's voice was heard: "Actually... something strange happened to me... and thinking about all this matter, it's probably related to Atlas."

Even the smallest detail could help them understand, so Marigold reassured her: "Little Rose... Don't worry and just speak..."

"Well... it's about how I ended up in the middle of Obscurium..."

Rose started telling again why she went there and how she ended up in that place, skipping only some minor details to save up some face with Atlas.

Even Elisabeth was shocked hearing her story and angered since there was evidently someone behind all this story: "So... there is the hand of some powerful being behind all this mess... But who could be so powerful to hold you there?"

"Hmm... that's a bit too coincidental, indeed... ..." Marigold commented.

With Rose's explanation, new possibilities popped into everyone's mind, but most were even more impossible.

"That's not so strange for a Greater Teleportation Talisman to break through even the toughest places, but surely it can't create a barrier and hide your presence for days... Even, with my knowledge, it will be impossible to create such an absurd talisman... But why will someone so powerful have time to waste with his life?"

"Could it be someone from the Scalis Family? After all, that fellow used even his daughter to catch Atlas's powers..."

"No... That shouldn't be the case. Indeed, some strong cultivators exist there, but I don't think they can put on such a dangerous farce."

Another wave of discussion started between the old people, but when the issue of the Scalis Family was brought up, the two young women's expressions changed.

This matter about using her daughter to rob Atlas's heart was troubling them, and differently from Aurora's calm posture, Rose couldn't stop herself from asking a question to the person closest to her in a low voice: "Mmm... Grandpa Mold... Grandpa Mold..."

The old dwarf was so intensely concentrated in his thoughts that he responded only when Rose shook his arm.

"Hmm... What's going on, little girl?"

"Well... I was wondering... hmm..." Rose was a bit embarrassed asking such a question, so it took her a while to find the correct way to express her feelings: "What is this story about Atlas? What were you talking about?"

"Oh... you are curious about that matter..." Old Mold found a good opportunity in her question and answered with an innocent smile hidden behind his beard: "Well, nothing much, really. The Lord of the City of the Inflamed Chalice wants to marry off his precious daughter to Atlas... and..."

The old dwarf didn't finish his speech and instead took a long pause with a clear objective in his head.

He waited patiently with a thoughtful expression as if trying to remember something, and sure enough, what was waiting for finally came.

"And... what? What happened? And who the hell is this girl now?"

Old Mold's dirty trick worked well and made Rose show her true self. Even though her expression was different, she didn't realize it.

Old Mold couldn't help but chuckle lightly seeing Rose so agitated, yet it was only a short victory because a brutal slap slammed his head into the table just when he wanted to add more oil to the fire.

BOOM!

"Old Bastard... stop playing with that poor girl's emotions!"

Old River was so taken by Atlas's matter that she noticed Old Mold's trick only when it was too late. So, she slapped him with all her strength.

"Little Rose... don't listen to that idiot. That story is a bit complicated, but it's different from what you think it is. Anyway, you should ask Atlas about this matter in the future."

Old River and the others knew what Rose was thinking because they discovered the truth when she monitored her residence in the city.

Probably, they knew more than that poor little girl, who was still ignorant concerning matters of love.

The slap certainly stopped the stupid old dwarf from doing more damage, but it also attracted everyone's attention.

Rose was the first to react and recognize his actions for what they truly were, a little revenge for what happened before. She looked at old Mold with crimson cheeks and enjoyed the sight of his bruised face.

As for the others, only Aurora was acting differently from everyone else.

Indeed, she looked calm outside, but her thoughts were wandering elsewhere.

"Geez... Old Mold, stop messing around with that poor girl..."

Even August couldn't help but shake his head, astounded by his friend's foolishness.

"Ohi... Ohi... I was just joking with her..." Old Mold sighed, a bit annoyed that his little game ended so fast: "Anyway... it's pointless spouting nonsense here. We should ask him directly and see how he will react. But I don't think he is in any kind of danger."

The other three agreed with his statement, and Marigold declared: "Since that's the case, I will go to the south with Rose's group while August and Old Mold will keep the village safe from those stupid bandits."

Everyone agreed with her proposal since this was the best choice, considering that Old River had to visit Scarlett periodically, who was trapped in the Ancient Site on the eastern side.

Also, Rose's group had nothing to say about their plan, so after talking about something else for a while, they resumed their search for Atlas.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that their trip would be longer than anticipated, because the one they were looking for was undergoing a legendary transformation...