BXBX NOVEL Chapter 121: Land of Eternal Night
"Is this the temporary refuge the deity found for us?"
Master Bard stammered as he addressed Jeremy, his voice betraying a rare calmness despite the circumstances.
The fact that he could even ask this question indicated his relative composure. Heber, Bonnie, and Nina, on the other hand, were too shocked to utter a single word.
Jeremy's expression was equally grim.
Nonetheless, he understood that the class change goddess Janna had likely teleported them here out of sheer necessity.
Just as Jeremy was about to respond to Master Bard's query, he suddenly received a prompt from The Eye of Omniscience.
[Note: Energy crystals found in the Land of Eternal Night can bestow greater divinity upon their user.]
With this note from The Eye of Omniscience, Jeremy finally learned the name of their current location.
Moreover, if the energy crystals could indeed enhance the user's divinity, Jeremy's previously acquired Divine Consciousness might see a significant boost in a short period.
After all, to return to the real world, he had no choice but to search for energy crystals within the Land of Eternal Night and offer them to the class change goddess Janna.
"Yes, this is the temporary refuge the deity has found for us."
Jeremy replied calmly.
Master Bard, still incredulous, pressed on, "How are we supposed to find refuge here? It's pitch black all around us. We can barely discern our surroundings by the lightning strikes."
"We just need to use illumination spells. Master Bard, as a high-level alchemist, you should be able to craft illumination scrolls, right? If you can't, I'll conjure some lanterns with a spell." Jeremy responded.
Without delay, Jeremy used his magic to create several lanterns, distributing them among the other members of the caravan.
"Let's not stand around here any longer. We need to find a safe place quickly. Who knows what kind of creatures might be lurking in the darkness." Jeremy urged.
His words only served to heighten the anxiety among the caravan members.
Who had no choice but to follow him deeper into the Land of Eternal Night.
In reality, their fears were somewhat unfounded, as the power of the [Sun] was suppressed in the Land of Eternal Night. It was precisely this suppression that rendered the place shrouded in perpetual darkness.
In the Land of Eternal Night, the dangers they might encounter would be limited to the creatures lurking in the darkness.
However, even if such creatures existed, their strength would not be formidable, as the Land of Eternal Night was so barren that even powerful monsters would seek ways to escape from it.
Jeremy and his companions had been advancing through the Land of Eternal Night for roughly half a day.
The frequency of lightning strikes from the sky diminished, plunging their surroundings into near-total darkness.
Progressing through such an utterly dark environment dampened everyone's spirits and heightened their sensitivity to every sound around them.
The ordinary members of the caravan could sense the presence of some furtive entities nearby. These could be magical beasts or perhaps just small animals.
"There's no need to worry, everyone. The creatures around us are just some of the animals native to the Land of Eternal Night. They pose no threat to us, in fact, we can consider them as potential food." Jeremy reassured them.
Despite his words, the caravan members could not entirely shake off their apprehensions.
Master Bard couldn't help but quip, "Well, I suppose that's good news. At least we no longer have to worry about starving to death in the Land of Eternal Night."
Master Bard had hoped his words would lift everyone's spirits, but to his surprise, no one responded as he had anticipated.
"You really have no sense of humor at all. Even in such dire circumstances, we should maintain an optimistic attitude."
He said, attempting to motivate the others.
Heber, standing next to Master Bard, sighed and said, "Alright, enough with the chatter. Can you be a bit quieter?"
Master Bard was visibly displeased by Heber's remark.
Just as the two were about to argue, Jeremy suddenly raised his voice while staring ahead.
"We've found a place where we can take temporary shelter. There's a fairly large cave up ahead. Let me inspect it first, and then you can follow." Jeremy announced.
Jeremy's information lifted everyone's spirits somewhat.
Master Bard immediately abandoned any thoughts of arguing with Heber.
"Finding a cave is good news. I'm quite tired from all this walking and could use a rest." Master Bard said, plopping down on a nearby rock.
Following his lead, the others also sat down on the ground, awaiting Jeremy's return.
Before entering the cave, Jeremy used his Divine Consciousness to conduct a preliminary inspection. After confirming there were no formidable creatures inside, he ventured into the cave.
The cave turned out to be much larger than Jeremy had initially anticipated.
Not only could it accommodate all the members of the caravan, but it also had ample space for storing a significant number of energy crystals.
With this discovery, Jeremy no longer had to worry about the storage issues for the energy crystals.
After thoroughly inspecting the cave and confirming there were no creatures lurking inside, Jeremy swiftly returned to the group.
"I've checked the cave. There's no danger, and it has plenty of space. Let's move quickly." he urged.
Under Jeremy's guidance, the group soon reached the cave.
The day's numerous events had left everyone exhausted, and most of them fell asleep almost immediately upon arrival.
Only Bonnie, Nina, and Jeremy remained awake.
Jeremy stayed up because he needed to prepare for the next day's tasks.
He was determined to gather enough energy crystals within the next day. He urgently needed to have the Class Change Goddess Janna return him to the real world.
Bonnie sat quietly beside Jeremy, watching him intently.
"Why aren't you resting? Why are you just sitting there watching me?" Jeremy asked as he continued his preparations.
"I can't sleep. I'd rather keep an eye on you. Who knows, you might try to run off while we're all asleep." Bonnie replied.
Though Bonnie deeply trusted and relied on Jeremy, she was not willing to let her guard down in her words.
Jeremy chuckled and then turned his gaze toward Nina.
"What about you? Why aren't you resting? Are you worried I'll escape too?"
Nina shook her head.
"I am not worried that you would run away. I believe that whatever you choose to do, you will definitely take me with you." Nina's words brought a radiant smile to Jeremy's face.
At that moment, Bonnie also turned her gaze towards Nina, feeling that Nina was far more complex than she had initially thought.
"You both should get some rest. I have no intention of running away. Once I have completed my preparations, I will head to the Land of Eternal Night to gather energy crystals."
Jeremy reassured them as he finished organizing his gear.
He stood up and walked to the entrance of the cave.
"When the others wake up, inform them of my estimated return time. If you need to cook, go ahead without waiting for me."
With those words, Jeremy cast a sealing spell, sealing off the cave.
Then vanished into the endless darkness of the Land of Eternal Night.
Bonnie and Nina watched Jeremy leave. After his figure completely disappeared into the darkness, Bonnie turned to Nina and asked.
"Are you really not worried that he might abandon you? You should know that he doesn't belong to our world. One day, he will return to his own."
Nina nodded.
"I am well aware that Lord Jeremy is not from our world. But my mother once entrusted him with taking care of me, and he promised her. I believe he will definitely keep his word."
Bonnie smiled. "How can you be so sure that he will keep his promise?"
"Because that is the kind of person Lord Jeremy is. Although I haven't known him for long, I can tell that he is someone who honors every promise he makes."
Nina replied with a simple yet compelling conviction.
Bonnie found herself at a loss for words.
She recalled the numerous incidents that had occurred between her and Jeremy. She had to admit that Jeremy had never broken a promise or deceived her.
"It seems I have misunderstood Jeremy far too much. I shouldn't have been so guarded against him. I shouldn't have assumed he was a bad person from the start." Bonnie conceded.
Bonnie finally had the time to reflect on what had gone wrong in her interactions with Jeremy. She realized that her biggest issue was her lack of trust in him.
Had she trusted Jeremy earlier, their current situation might have been much better.
Sighing to herself, Bonnie murmured, "I hope I still have a chance to make things right. Jeremy, you must return safely. Please, don't let anything happen to you!"