System's POV

"Do you think the Ratmen will listen to this suggestion?" Drazzat asked.

"That will depend on your persuasion skills," Thirteen replied. "Kesari told me that the Leader of the Ratmen is facing off against the Mainforce of the Lizardmen. At his side, there are four Goblin Shamans who report to the Goblin Emperor in real time.

"If you and the other Ratmen could come to an agreement, it will buy us some time to get their Origin Shard. So do your best to convince them."

Drazzat sighed. "How long will it take you to get their Origin Shard?"

"Maybe a month," Thirteen answered. "The Goblin Emperor will always have the Shard in a well-protected place, so it will take some time to find it. However, once I secure it, the Ratmen will immediately stop fighting, so do your best to buy me some time."

The distance between the West to the East of Fractured Heaven was long, so Thirteen needed at least a month to accomplish his mission.

He understood that he had given Drazzat a difficult mission, but there was nothing he could do about it.

As long as the Ratmen's advance was stalled, fewer sacrifices would be made. If what he was thinking was right, then he would need both the Lizardmen and the Ratmen to join hands in order to fight a bigger war over the horizon.

Drazzat nodded. "I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything."

"Make sure to keep my people safe." Thirteen reached out to shake hands with the Lizardmen Commander.

"You are the most demanding human I've ever come across, Zion." Drazzat shook his head helplessly before taking the teenage boy's hand. "May the Goddess of the Rivers and Lake watch over you."

The teenage boy then bid his goodbye and left the camp with Sherry and Erica.

He mounted the Blade Panther, followed by Sherry who sat behind him, with Erica and Blacky trailing behind them.

Once he was certain that he was no longer within sight of the Lizardmen, he dismounted and asked the two girls to do the same.

"The reason why I took the two of you to come with me is because I trust you," Thirteen said in a serious tone. "I just hope that my trust isn't misguided."

"Of course, you can trust me, Zion." Erica patted her chest. "I'm technically one of your disciples, right?"

The Sorceress then glanced at Sherry, who was standing beside the teenage boy.

"But can you trust her?" Erica inquired as she pointed at Sherry.

"I trust her just as much as I trust you," Thirteen replied. "I believe that the two of you will not betray me."

"Rest assured," Sherry commented. "I will not betray you, Zion."

The teenage boy smiled faintly before snapping his fingers.

A moment later, something rose from behind him, which made Erica and Sherry take a step back in surprise.

The Blade Panther immediately took a defensive stance to protect Sherry despite the fact that it was facing a monster with a rank higher than it.

"Relax, Mors," Thirteen said. "This is my friend, Rocky."

The Magma Bal-Boa nodded its head as if confirming that the teenage boy's words were true.

"R-Rank 7 Sovereign," Erica muttered. "Is he really your friend?"

"Yes," Thirteen answered. "I met him a while ago and fed him some rocks. We hit it off, and now we're good friends."

The two girls gave Thirteen the "do you really think that we'll believe you?" gaze, but he only smirked at their dumbfounded reactions. ᎷƲᏞΕМҎΥЯ.ϲՕƜ

"Okay. I know that both of you have a lot of questions, but we can't stay here." Thirteen then made a gesture for Rocky to open his mouth. "Let's go inside to talk."

He then walked into the Magma Bal-Boa's mouth and disappeared completely.

Erica and Sherry stared at the place where Zion disappeared before glancing at each other.

"Ladies first," Erica said with a smile.

"We're both ladies," Sherry replied. "You go first, Auntie."

"… Did you just call me Auntie?"

"Yes, Auntie. Is there a problem?"

"Why you!" Erica was about to give Sherry a piece of her mind.

But Rocky, seeing that the two girls had no intention of getting eaten peacefully, decided to just swallow both of them whole.

The two girls screamed at the same time as they fell into the darkness.

But, a second later, they found themselves sitting on solid ground, which surprised them.

"W-Where?" Erica glanced at her surroundings because he thought that she would find herself inside the Magma Bal-Boa's stomach.

However, the scenery around her reminded her of a lakeside that she had seen back in Pangea.

"This is?" Sherry, who was just as surprised as Erica, looked around and saw Zion standing several meters behind her, being hugged by a skunk-like monster that was at least three meters tall.

"Yes, I miss you too, Giga," Thirteen said. "Have you been well?"

Giga made skunk-like noises, which the boy replied to.

The two ladies then noticed two Ogres who were busy roasting a few boars over a campfire while chatting with some Trolls.

A glance was enough to make the two teenagers understand that the monsters around them were very strong monsters.

"Oh, the two of you are finally here," Thirteen said. "Come, let me introduce you girls to my friends. This is Giga, a Blaze Skunk."

Giga then raised his claws and waved at the two girls, making the two reluctantly wave back at him.

"This is O1 and O2," Thirteen stated. "If you can't tell them apart, just look at the armband they are wearing on their right arm. As you can see, they have their numbers placed there."

As if making sure that the two girls see them, the two Ogres turned to the side and showed the armbands that signified their names.

"Likewise, this is T1," Thirteen said as he patted the leader of the Trolls. "He is a Troll Warlord and the leader of all the other Trolls. Don't worry, they won't be trolling you girls anytime soon."

The other Trolls gave the girls a bow, which the two girls reciprocated as well.

Although they were still trying to comprehend their current situation, they at least understood that the Monsters with Zion weren't hostile toward them.

'So he still has this kind of secret,' Erica thought. 'I wonder if Shana knew about this?'

Erica had seen how close the two were, but she could instinctively tell that Thirteen didn't look at the Saintess the way Roland looked at Shana.