462 Communication stone (1/2)

As soon as people realised who was trying to squeeze in-between them in order to reach the central square, the crowd itself loosened up, allowing their missing leader to approach me and instantly fall to his knees.

”This humble subject report to the master!”

Just a single look at his face, and then his entire body told me quite a lot about what this poor man had to go through to reach this place. When I left this dimension the last time, his age was barely showing due to the positive influence of this place on all my subjects, with their own energy efficiently nourishing them and keeping them healthy, yet despite all that influence, right now, he was nothing more than just a wreck of a human.

From all the wrinkles of his face that reappeared in the time that I was away, I could tell that he was living in constant worry, while his malnourished body gave the evidence to how painful time he had ever since he left.

”Raise, my loyal subject. Before I even ask how did you get there in such opportune timing, would you mind elaborate on what you said just a moment ago?”

Just thinking about what he told, was enough to put me back on the track. If his words were true and meant what I could guess they did, then not only did this princess managed to successfully manipulate me into following her flow, but all her actions were actually aimed for this very moment, as if she expected that at some point, not only I would return but judge her actions sternly as well!

”Sir, while I didn't hear everything that was said here with how late I was to the event, I managed to hear this traitor claiming that I simply left this place without relaying any further orders. And that is a complete and utter lie!”

With his agitation shooting through the roof, Gabriel raised his head and looked at the princess with his eyes filled with hate. Considering how calm and composed he always was, even when he had to imagine that I was taking him as the sacrifice for the sea monsters so that my own passage would be undisturbed, seeing him so full of the negative emotion as he cast his eyes on the princess, my mind shifted once again, returning to its initial state of blaming the princess for all the evil that happened.

”While it's true that I set on a journey in order to complete a detailed map of this entire place so that your lordship, upon return, could decide how to make the best use of it, I left my trusted helper, one I recruited for my help as soon as I was appointed the position of the overseer of those lands and people, to pass the orders to all the other retainers that helped me fulfil my duties to the best of their capabilities. And guess what? He was killed by this princess herself!”

”Gabriel, while I do not wish to put your words into doubt if you left this place right away, how could you know that she killed him? If you saw it with your own eyes, I doubt you would just leave the place and continue on your journeys!”

As I said those words, rather than his face turning blank with a surprise and fear of being discovered, Gabriel looked at me with a stunned look on his face, but rather than being fearful, it looked like I managed to actually surprise him!

”My lord… Could it be that you don't know about the communication stone?”

What? I knew that all sorts of spiritual stones existed and could be used to either power the magical tools or simply refill one's magic reserves, yet communication stone? Considering how even the cultivation realm didn't have such thing available for the masses, how could I ever expect that this backward society of the refugees could have access to such complicated and expensive tool?

”Would you like to elaborate on the topic of this communication stone? And most importantly, how could it make you see what happened to your helper?”