Chapter 639: The New Adam (Part 1)
Interrogation and Discovery
In a gorge several hundred kilometers southeast of Dragonhold.
Luke carried the half-dead Akorn into a cave and erected a barrier to shield them from outside view.
The Half-Dragon's constitution was truly remarkable. Even with severed limbs, he had survived this long, and astonishingly, his wounds were already healing and sprouting new flesh. At this rate, Akorn would be fully recovered in five days at most.
"Mr. City Lord, it's time we had a talk."
"First, let me introduce myself. My last name is Shaw. You can call me Mr. Shaw. And what should I call you?"
"Just call me Akorn."
Fear filled the Half-Dragon's eyes. He would do anything to live. "I can tell you anything you want to know, as long as you don't kill me."
"Don't worry, I won't kill you—provided you tell me the truth. If you dare to lie..." Green flame erupted from Luke's palm. "...I'll use this to burn you to ashes. As a friendly reminder, my green-skinned friend has psychic abilities and can easily tell if you're lying. Be prepared for immediate death, understood?"
Akorn was chilled to the core. He immediately dropped to the ground.
"I promise you, I will not lie. I will tell you whatever you ask, I guarantee it."
"Don't be nervous. I'm very easy to talk to."
Luke's lips curled into a gentle, amiable smile, but to Akorn, he was a demon incarnate. In his presence, Akorn felt the presence of death at every moment.
"Alright, let's start with the first question: How do we remove the remaining curse fog from my friends' bodies?"
"The Three-Eyed Imps know how to do that. I'm not skilled in dark magic."
Luke stared at him expressionlessly. "Are you certain?"
"Really, I'm not lying!" Akorn broke out in a cold sweat. "The Imps have always been in charge of the curses."
Luke fixed his gaze on him, then slowly looked away.
"Second question..." As he spoke, he took out the gauntlet and the disc. "What are these two pieces of equipment?"
A complex look flashed in Akorn's eyes. He whispered,
"I acquired the gauntlet accidentally. It should be an artifact for defense. The disc is equipment specially developed by the Three-Eyed Imp race; it can greatly amplify the power of dark magic."
An artifact?
Luke's interest was piqued. He picked up the gauntlet for a closer look. The black armor was forged from an unknown material, shimmering with a dark luster. Upon closer inspection, fine, tiny lines could be seen beneath the dark sheen.
The fact that this thing stopped Diana's Sword of Hephaestus suggested they were likely in the same class of equipment.
Interesting! He had stumbled upon an artifact.
Luke put it away. Artifacts were rare finds, and since he encountered it, it was naturally a war trophy.
Akorn opened his mouth but remained silent.
"Alright, now for the third question, and the last one."
Luke lowered his gaze and asked, emphasizing every word, "Where is the Valley of No Return?"
The Valley of No Return?
Akorn froze. "Why are you asking about that?"
"So you've heard of it." Luke suppressed the rising emotion in his heart. "Tell me its location."
"I... I don't know. Truly, I'm not lying. The Valley of No Return is a legend. The rumor is that passing through it leads to another world. Then, for unknown reasons, a great battle took place, and it was sealed."
"Sealed? What seal? Who sealed it?"
Akorn shook his head repeatedly. "I've only heard the story; I don't know anything else."
The atmosphere grew serious. Akorn squirmed restlessly and finally blurted out,
"Perhaps His Majesty knows what happened. He has lived for tens of thousands of years; he must know about that time."
Luke glanced at him and turned to leave the cave.
Seeing him emerge, Diana quickly stepped forward.
"Well?"
Luke shook his head. "Not bad, not good. The Valley of No Return does exist. A war happened there long ago, and then, for some reason, it was sealed."
"Do you have a precise location?"
"No."
The group's disappointment was palpable. They hated the Underworld and desperately wanted to return to Earth, but their way back had vanished, leaving the Valley of No Return as their only option.
"How did things go on your side?"
"Same as you. That rat was incredibly cowardly. The moment he heard J'onn was going to kill him, he confessed everything. He even voluntarily removed the curse fog for us. As for the Valley of No Return... nothing."
Luke reached out and touched Diana's wrist, then checked Clark and J'onn. The three were in good condition; their vital signs were strong.
"It seems he didn't pull any tricks. The curse fog inside you has genuinely vanished."
Hearing this, the heroes finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Luke, what do we do next?"
"We can only start with Dragonhold."
Diana frowned slightly. "You want to confront the Underworld Dragon?"
"Not confront, but cooperate. Based on what Akorn said earlier, that Dragon seems to know who we are, which is why it went to such lengths to capture us."
"This is a major problem, but it also reveals one thing: Avogadro has had contact with Earth. Conflict or cooperation, it's a lead."
Clark sighed lightly. "More fighting, then."
Luke threw his hands up.
"This is the Underworld. There are no laws, no politics. If we want a say, we have to fight for it with our fists."
Betrayal and Escape
Half an hour later, the terrified Akorn and the Three-Eyed Imp slowly made their way out. They couldn't help but look back every few steps, terrified the heroes would renege on their promise. However, they left the gorge without the expected attack.
Those people actually kept their word and let them go!
Akorn thought he was dreaming, and the Imp felt the same way. They looked at each other, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
In the Underworld, prisoners of war were not only used for labor but also as food. Killing captives was normal; not killing them was strange.
Akorn didn't know what the heroes were planning. Once out of the gorge, he frantically crawled away, stopping only when he was over a dozen kilometers away and completely exhausted.
The Three-Eyed Imp followed breathlessly.
"You're going the wrong way. This isn't the road back to Dragonhold."
"I'm not going back! Going back is death!"
Akorn's face was strained with intense unwillingness, but he finally collapsed like a deflated balloon.
"Avogadro won't spare me. He'll eat me without hesitation. The same goes for you. If we want to live, we must run. Escape Dragonhold and hide somewhere no one can find us."
"Stop dreaming. How are you going to run like that?" the Imp scoffed. "You have no hands, no feet, and no food. Where are you going to go?"
Akorn fell silent, instinctively looking at the "rat" beside him.
"You want to eat me!"
The Three-Eyed Imp let out a strange cackle. "Funnily enough, I was thinking the same thing."
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