Seed of Titan-Chapter 173: Truth Be Untold

At the edge of the Strip, a well-built man was running with all his might, heading toward the inner part of the wet, barren land. His speeding figure was a blur, and his face was visibly frantic.

"Damn it, Drai! Why must you deny this old man’s wish!?" Max furiously remarked amidst his running. "I even told you my will, you rascal! How could I face my grand-niece if I let her future husband die like this?!"

Although Max knew Drai wouldn’t necessarily die—since the enforcer’s goal was likely to capture him alive for interrogation—he was pretty sure the lad would never willingly comply. Instead, Drai would rather risk his life and fight back than endanger his companions and Madeleine by allowing himself to be captured.

However, as in certain cases, dying might actually be better than becoming a captive. That was why Max desperatedly tried getting back to Drai—he found both outcomes equally horrifying.

"Shit! If I knew it would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have suggested splitting up! We could’ve ganged up on that guy and raised our chance of winning!"

What Max didn’t know was that his absence there had actually turned advantageous for Drai, as he became the sole target of the enforcer who lacked the firepower to finish him in one strike, resulting in a battle of attrition that led to Stuart’s demise. Had Max been there too, he could’ve been held hostage by the fully-geared and empowered enforcer, preventing Drai from duking it out without care. Besides, Horsie would’ve also been an easy hostage if the enforcer somehow realized that the foal wasn’t merely a disposable mount.

Therefore, whether by chance, luck, or fate, Drai’s spur-of-the-moment decision to launch his companions toward the horizon had presented him with arguably the best circumstances to fight Stuart.

As Max was about to grumble more, he suddenly saw a tiny white light ahead, akin to a beacon feebly hanging amidst the churning dark sky. The light rapidly grew larger as Max and the light sped toward each other.

Grinning in excitement, Max immediately clapped his hands, conjuring a giant earth spike that swiftly carried him several meters up before flinging him high into the air. He then waved his hand, releasing swirls of flames that fanned out, forming a giant arrowhead that signaled his position.

The white light veered slightly, heading straight toward Max. It then swerved down, seemingly slamming into the falling Max before bringing him away.

"Try fooling me again, lad, and the entire world will get to hear a detailed description of your charred dick in my interviews," Max threatened as he lay in Drai’s arms, held bridal-style. Not a bit of his previous worry was even shown.

Drai chuckled before replying, "Nice to see you too, Max. Where’s Horsie?"

"I left him near our crash site, just outside the Strip. Like you said, his wounds aren’t that deep. He’ll be fine."

"Good to hear that."

Glancing at Drai’s damaged clothes, Max asked, "Tough fight?"

"Not really. That enforcer guy turned out to be a feisty blockhead. After I damaged his suit, he couldn’t really fly around anymore, so we ended up bashing each other in a melee—though he did most of the bashing with some kind of electric pole. I only managed to land a single clean hit, but it was a decisive one that pretty much ended the fight. I didn’t expect him to be that weak, though. I’m sure you could’ve defeated him pretty easily too, Max."

Hearing this, Max fell silent. Recently, whenever he thought of Drai’s progress, he had a feeling that the lad might have come close to surpassing him or had even surpassed him already, despite how absurd that might sound. Max was even quite intimidated by his companion’s future prospects, especially in regards to the lad’s powerup after each evolution.

This was part of the reason why Max really wanted Drai to join the Velles. He feared that one or more of his family members would accidentally offend Drai and make an enemy out of the overpowered lad. If Drai had taken up the family name at that point, then a peaceful resolution would be more likely than a violent one.

"You okay, Max?" Drai suddenly asked upon noticing Max’s prolonged silence, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah. Sorry, I was blanking out. Are we out of the Strip yet?"

"I think we’re close. I can vaguely see the treeline there," Drai replied while gesturing ahead with his chin. Just then, he remembered something that he was unsure of, so he decided to hear Max’s opinion on it.

"Max, about the truth of the Strip, should we publish it to the whole country? Or do you think we should just inform the government and let them deal with the info? I reckon we’d get a hefty reward for it."

Max had thought about this matter too, so he didn’t need to think further before replying, "Honestly, I think we shouldn’t actually disclose the illusion at all."

Drai’s eyes widened upon hearing the totally unexpected answer. Raising a brow, he puzzledly questioned, "Why? Wouldn’t revealing the illusion benefit our country and future explorers? Maybe we’ll end up having to share the land with Gerdatti since it’s right on the border, but wouldn’t it be better than nothing? Besides, there’s also—"

"You don’t have to explain the positive impacts, Drai—I’m completely aware of them," Max cut him off.

"Then why?" Drai pressed further, getting even more confused.

"Simple—it will trouble Madeleine, which in turn, will endanger both of us and possibly our families too. Do you really want that to happen?"

Hearing Max’s answer, Drai gulped hard, frightened by his own short-sightedness. He hadn’t actually thought that far, only focusing on the potential benefits that Siyeun Mountains would bring if it became accessible by many. He had also pictured Christo getting excited upon hearing the news and imagined himself guiding his party members as they explored this wilderness, which amplified his eagerness in sharing this key piece that would open up Siyeun Mountains for good.

Seeing the rare expression on Drai’s face, Max couldn’t help but chuckle. He then asked, "So, do you still want to reveal the truth of the Strip?"

Drai recalled the mysterious organization behind Madeleine—their cryptic symbol, how their personnel could teleport here at a moment’s notice, the unknown script they used, their overarching presence in the abandoned underground jungle, the high-tech equipment that their enforcers were armed with, and how such a sophisticated and powerful lady like Madeleine was merely a remotely-placed asset.

"No—at least not until we find out more about Madeleine’s organization," Drai eventually replied.

"I agree. Until we can figure out her organization’s goals, its scope, how it operates, its overall strength, and what kinds of measures it usually employs upon information leaks, we should keep the truth to ourselves. In fact, we can even use it to blackmail them if they ever discover our identities. I’ll make sure to set up a contingency measure after we return," Max added.

"Wait... What about the news of your return? If they find out about that, they’ll be able to put two and two together, wouldn’t they?"

"Yeah, they wouldn’t be that stupid. They’ll probably investigate me or even kidnap me if they find out I’ve just escaped from Siyeun Mountains. Although they may lack the proof to really pinpoint me as their escapee, I don’t think such a secret organization would care much if they end up capturing or killing an innocent man, especially someone that has been practically dead for thirty years."

Drai nodded in agreement. He recalled the previous enforcer’s policy to attack first, talk later, and thought that the organization was likely the merciless type, which was a bit ironic since he found Madeleine to be quite a sweet old lady, though based on her actions, she likely wasn’t completely in line with her organizations methods, which perhaps had something to do with her being part of the Verdant Order.

Drai then said, "But I guess you’re still gonna return to your family, right? You can probably convince them to hide you and keep your return a secret."

"Yeah, I’ll return to my household for sure. But I won’t be convincing them to do what you said."

"Huh?" Drai remarked, completely puzzled.

"You’ll see later. Just remember not to mention our time in Siyeun Mountains to anyone. Choose another wilderness for your excuse and you can say that you met me there just before your return. Tell them we escaped together from there."

"Oh—okay." Drai then thought about other forbidden wilderness nearby. "How about Shadowfen Caverns? It’s not as famous as Siyeun Mountains and supposedly has a lot of entrances, so people often accidentally venture inside and some even fail to return, which would fit my story of getting stuck there these past two months."

"Hmm, that would probably do. Right, if people ask you to describe the place you were stuck in, just be confident and consistent about the description, though it’s better if you avoid getting questioned about it in the first place," Max suggested.

"Sure, thanks for the tips. So, will you be using a similar story?" Drai asked.

"Not quite. Like I said, you’ll see later. There’s still some risk involved considering my reputation, but it won’t be as jeopardizing as simply telling the truth. Just remember that we supposedly met by chance somewhere inside those caves." Max then glanced down and said, "Alright, we’ve passed the Strip already. Land near the spot where you can see a lot of my usual thread on the trees—Horsie should be around there."