The droplet of guidance, in Val's estimation, was akin to a compass that would point him towards the correct path when certain conditions were t.
It should be noted that the droplet of guidance wasn't the first artifact of its kind that Val had in his possession.
He also possessed the Truth Reflecting Mirror that he got from killing the Dryard not too long ago. It was an item that promised to show him valuable information about the lesser dinsion when the ti was right.
rging the insights derived from both artifacts, an epiphany dawned upon him. By vanquishing the primary elents within the lesser dinsion, he was collecting pivotal tools, akin to keys. These "keys" were instruntal in his quest to seal the dinsion and prevent its unpredictable forces from wreaking havoc on Eldrich, the world that he ca from with Oliver and many others!
Val held a strong belief that there was a connection between the Truth Reflecting Mirror and the Droplet of Guidance. The Mirror would provide answers to his questions about the lesser dinsion in due ti. Once those answers were revealed, it would signify the ergence of the 'way,' and then the Droplet of Guidance could be put to use, showing him where he needed to go and what steps he needed to take to put an end to the lesser dinsion.
'My conclusions mightn't bear any fruits.'
Val was introspective enough to recognize that he might be stretching the realm of possibilities a tad too much and might be wrong altogether as these were, after all, his interpretations and theories, but in the end, to him, even if they seed fictitious, they were the most coherent explanations he could stitch together from the pieces of the puzzle he currently had.
'Only ti will reveal if my assumptions hold any rit,' he thought as he silently led Oliver back to the cave.
Upon reaching their destination, they strategically placed their talismans at the entrance of the cave. Almost imdiately, two overlapping barriers invisible to the eye materialized around the cave, creating a formidable defense against any malevolent force and promising to keep them at bay.
One amulet alone would have sufficed in repelling most threats, but using two added an extra layer of security. As it was always better to be safe than sorry especially when dealing with devils, they didn't think they were being wasteful.
With their defenses securely in place, they settled down, sitting opposite each other with their backs resting against the inner walls of the cave.
Coincidentally, they looked at each other at the sa ti, and their eyes held the sa look. Without saying a word, they knew, it was ti to exchange what they had co to know about the lesser dinsion during the few days they'd spent inside of it.
"Would you like to go first? Or should I?" Oliver asked.
"You can take the lead," Val replied.
Oliver shared insights into the dinsion's day-night cycle with Val, telling him that it consisted of 16 hours of daylight followed by 8 hours of the night. Val, on the other hand, divulged the most unique aspect of the dinsion to Oliver.
Oliver looked thoroughly shocked as if he had been struck by a bolt out of the blue. A world with two sides, like a coin? This was the first ti he had been exposed to such a complex concept. It was hard to take it all in, but when Val worded it in a way that even a prep school student could make sense of it, suddenly it was not so hard, and Oliver clearly understood it.
"Do you still have it?" Oliver asked.
He was talking about the mirror that could change the nature of any type of body of water, and turn them into a two-way portal from which either side of the lesser dinsion could be accessed.
"Yeah, I've kept it with . Felt like it might co in handy down the line," Val responded with a nod.
"Is the other dinsion's side any safer than this?" Oliver questioned.
Val looked thoughtful for a good few monts before replying, "Both sides have their inherent dangers. It's challenging to definitively say which one poses more threats. But during my ti there, I didn't experience any unnatural phenona. So, in that regard, it might be slightly safer than this side."
After that, they fell silent.
Val had deliberately chosen not to disclose the existence of the mirror and the droplet to Oliver. He was concerned that his conclusion would turn out to be the ramblings of a fool and he would embarrass himself in front of Oliver. He had worked extrely hard to establish himself as a dependable character in Oliver's eyes. He didn't want that to go to waste because of one wrong decision, so he kept his conclusions to himself.
'Ah, I am tired.'
'But I can't fall asleep, not in a place like this.'
Oliver was visibly exhausted. The relentless pursuits by devils, and the nurous traps he'd been ensnared by thereafter, had both ntally and physically drained him. His eyes felt heavier than lead, but fear prevented him from surrendering to what his body desired the most and falling asleep.
Observing this, Val assured him, "Don't worry, I'll be on the lookout for the devils. If they dare to approach and try to tamper with our barriers, I'll deal with them. So for now, you can rest. You seem like you really need it."
"What if there are too many of them, and you can't handle them all by yourself?" Oliver asked.
Val said, "Then I will wake you up and we'll make a run for it."
It sounded like a tease, but he was being absolutely serious. He believed with utmost conviction that if you can't win against sothing, the only other choice you have is to run as far away from it as possible. If you're too ashad to do that, you really deserve to die.
Oliver was at a loss for words. He didn't expect soone as strong as Val would hold the sa beliefs as him.
His words brought a sense of safety to Oliver, who soon succumbed to his exhaustion, drifting into a deep sleep.
Oliver didn't know how long had passed since he had fallen asleep, but he was woken up by gentle nudging. As his eyes fluttered open, the first thing he registered was Val's voice.
"The sun has risen. I'll going out for a while to search for clues and treasures. Wanna tag alone?" Val said to Oliver.
There were primarily two reasons why anyone dared to venture into the lesser dinsion.
The first was to locate and annihilate the dinsion's core of corruption, the prize for which, being offered by Lord Lucious, was invaluable.
The second was the treasure hunt. After all, despite the inherent dangers of the dinsions, they were a hotbed for invaluable items. If one could navigate through it and survive its danger, imnse wealth was no doubt within their grasp!
Initially, Oliver had rely aid to survive within the lesser dinsion, hoping against hope that he might serendipitously stumble upon the dinsion's core of corruption, eradicate it, and achieve widespread recognition throughout the kingdom, thereby honoring his master. Although he wouldn't be able to repay his master even 1-100th of the gratitude he had shown him with this, at least he would take the first step. However, with Val by his side, the prospect of treasure hunting in the lesser dinsion didn't seem impossible or too bad for Oliver.
Thus, he nodded in agreent to Val's suggestion. "Sure, let's go together."
The two young n collected their amulets from the cave's entrance before exiting it and andering through the forest in pursuit of wild magic herbs and similar treasures.
Fortuitously, the forest was teeming with such items, and with the aid of Val's Heavenly Eye skill, discovering and pinpointing these beca significantly easier. Within hours, they amassed dozens of invaluable magic herbs.
"We're going to be rich! Each of these could fetch a thousand contribution points in the frontier!" Oliver exclaid, elated.
Oliver wasn't pricing them wrongly. Items from dangerous places like Dinsions are usually sold for a lot. And these were magic herbs that could be used in alchemy or research purposes. Their value was bound to be astronomical.
Val said, "Let's continue our search for another two hours, then head back to rest. We can cover more ground afterward."
Oliver had no problem in following his lead.
Venturing deeper into the forest under Val's guidance, they encountered higher-grade herbs, which were zealously guarded by formidable monsters. However, with Val leading the charge, they easily subdued these creatures, and swiftly collected the herbs. So of the herbs were shared with Oliver, while the rest Val pocketed. Oliver didn't complain as he got more than what he worked for. Val was the one who did most of the work to collect the herbs, so it was only right for him to keep the majority of the loot.
At one point, a peculiar blend of sweet and tangy aroma wafted towards them. Exchanging glances, they simultaneously arrived at the sa conclusion: "It's the scent of a high-ranked herb."
The duo decided to investigate further. Such treasures typically had robust guardians, prompting Val to caution Oliver, "We must tread carefully when we near it."
"I understand," Oliver replied.
They started heading in the direction of the enticing scent. The further they moved in that direction, the stronger the scent got. Suddenly, their mouths watered as each fiber in their body was screaming at them to devour the source of the scent.
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