A Journey That Changed The World.

Chapter 722 The Deep Ones

Once Archer healed the other woman, he saw about two dozen survivors huddled together. He walked over to them and freed the captured woman. As the blonde witch commented, that's when Aeris and Lucrezia appeared. ''So they were necromancers, and we got in the middle of some internal politics.''

''Oh well,'' Archer responded before walking to the other survivors. ''I know one of them and will send them to the domain to rest and recover.''

Aeris nodded while Lucrezia grew curious but chose to wait as she knew he would show her when the time was right. While waiting, Archer sent a message to the girls, who were angry because he hadn't contacted them but also relieved.

Archer quickly explained that the Swarm had poisoned and marked him, so he couldn't risk contacting them due to a Demi-God hunting him. They were understanding but still scolded him for making them worry, but they accepted helping the necromancers recover while he headed back to the empire.

Once they agreed, he promised to take all of them on dates after the festival. Ella informed him that the Arcane Magic Tournament had been reorganized and would now be held in Avalon, as all the leaders agreed the city would be the best defended against the creatures.

Afterward, Archer opened a portal and sent the injured women into the domain so his girls could comfort them. As the last woman passed through the portal, he heard the blonde witch's voice behind him. ''What are you hiding, dragon?''

Lucrezia got right behind him and whispered into his ear. ''You have this barrier around your mind blocking something that greatly affects and hinders your growth.''

When hearing this, Archer stiffened before replying with a growl, ''Don't go there, witch. I do not care if you're a Demi-God. Don't invade my mind.''

Aeris's eyes narrowed as she heard his warning, but Lucrezia didn't let up as she spoke with a smirk. ''Scary, but let's unlock it so you can gain everything you deserve.''

Before he could move, the Death Witch reached into his mind, and a surge of pain tore through him, shattering the barriers he unconsciously erected. In an instant, memories flooded back to him.

Archer remembered their confession, his murder, and the fact that he left her behind. A beautiful girl with navy blue hair and green eyes popped into his mind, causing him to remember every moment they spent together.

He finally realized he had been suppressing her memories as a distraction because he truly missed her. Archer had loved her since childhood but had never fully acknowledged it until it was too late.

''Now accept that pain,'' Lucrezia said. ''Once you do, you can move on and use the pain to strengthen yourself because, now that chaos has arrived, you will be attacked by stronger enemies.''

Archer turned to the blonde witch, who knowingly smiled at him. At that moment, he knew the truth of her words. While shaking his head, he remembered his goal of one day returning to Earth so he could reunite with her.

With that in mind, Archer tried to open a Gate, and to his surprise, one flickered into existence but was cut off. Exhaustion washed over him as it drained him, but he felt the world's mana rush into him, fueled by his identity as a White Dragon.

After Archer recovered, the trio left the ruins and stood outside as the sun vanished beyond the horizon. He looked around, wondering if any treasures remained, and cast Stone Wardens before ordering them to hunt for anything valuable.

Lucrezia approached as the Stone Men rushed off. ''I'm sorry for getting involved,'' she said. Archer turned to her as she continued. ''It was blocking your progression, and Mother always told me it's bad for a person not to accept their feelings as they fester.''

He nodded in agreement before summoning a Tressym to find a safe place to camp, which the flying cat agreed to. The cat flew off, and Aeris commented, ''What are we doing, Arch?''

''We can camp out or enter the domain,'' he smiled at the women. ''It's up to you two.''

Lucrezia quickly answered, causing the black-haired girl to giggle at her reaction. ''We should camp!''

Aeris agreed with a nod before approaching him and wrapping her arms around his body in a comforting hug, which Archer appreciated. But soon, the Tressym appeared. The flying cat quickly informed him of a perfect cave to camp in that wasn't far from their current position.

Once the cat was returned to the domain, the trio checked out the cave and soon encountered a vast hole just outside their spot. Archer stepped forward, completely bewildered by what he was witnessing.

His gaze fell to the sides, where large scrap marks looked menacing.?'Whatever monster that did that must be massive.'

As he watched the strange scene before him, Aeris appeared next to him and spoke, ''I wonder what creatures did this. It looks like it would be bigger than your dragon form.''

Archer agreed, but Lucrezia told the two the truth, ''They are The Deep Ones,'' she said. ''Mountain-sized monsters that roam the tunnels below the world's surface.''

When hearing this, his eyes widened, but the blonde woman continued, ''Before you ask, yes, they are much bigger than you can and are powerful in their own right.''

''How powerful?'' Archer said.

''No one knows, '' Lucrezia shrugged. ''The only ones people have seen are ranked above Demi-Gods. A group of Nightshade Elites were wiped out when they found one in a mine their empire discovered.''

''How did they stop it?'' Aeris commented when she tore her gaze away from the gaping maw.

Lucrezia answered as the two stared at her with expecting expressions, causing her to smile, ''Well, the guardian of their empire managed to send it back into the hole it came from but had to collapse the whole mine to save the empire.''

''Interesting,'' Archer said as he looked into the hole. ''Why did they burrow up here?''

''I don't know,'' Lucrezia answered.

Once they had finished speaking, the three walked toward the cave and started setting up. Lucrezia offered to create a shelter for them, which Archer accepted. He took a seat as he watched the two women work.

It took them half an hour to set up, but a large shelter had a few comfortable-looking sofas circled by a roaring fire. Archer smiled before speaking, '' You two have done well. '' He sat down while continuing, ''Let's eat.''

Archer pulled some meat wraps and handed some to the two women, who happily accepted. The group started eating and chatting before settling for the night, and Lucrezia appeared next to him just as Aeris fell asleep.

He was shocked, but when she leaned into his ear and sweetly spoke, ''Thank you for letting me join Archer.'' She planted a kiss on his cheek before heading towards her sofa.

After she drifted off into slumber, he settled down, making himself comfortable. Soon enough, sleep claimed him, wrapping him in its peaceful embrace. As the night passed without disturbance, he slept soundly.

With dawn's arrival, he stirred from his restful repose, only to be jolted awake by a deafening roar reverberating through the cave walls. Archer instantly woke up before bolting upright in alarm.

Archer quickly activated his Aura Detector and scanned the surrounding area. He found nothing, so he sat back down and yawned. While waiting for the others to wake up, he checked his status, as he hadn't done it in a while.

'Status.'

[Experience: 1325000>1600000]

[Mana: 689000>700000]

[Strength: 36000>38000]

[Constitution: 34500>36500]

[Stamina: 35500>37500]

[Charisma: 26000>28000]

[Intelligence: 32000>34000]

[SP: 0>1000]

He was impressed by the upgrade in his status and decided to save his Status Points until there was a lot more. After doing that, the Stone Men appeared outside the cave while holding piles of treasures.

When Archer saw this, his eyes widened with greed. He rushed out and ordered them to drop it as he checked everything. Hundreds of chests were full of unknown gold and silver coins he didn't recognize.

After looking at the coins, he saw countless barrels full of metal ingots and started to inspect his new treasures. He first noticed the Adamantine, which was dark silver and gave off a dark, lustrous sheen as he picked it up.

'This is heavy.' Archer thought to himself.

The metal was smooth and seemed to ripple as he ran his hand across it. After studying it, Archer stored all the Adamantine in his Item Box before turning to the next metal. The next of his newly acquired wealth was a silvery-white-colored ingot that weighed next to nothing.

Archer knew this metal was called Mithril and was sought after by the Avalon Empire. It rippled like the first one, but Archer knew it was perfect for weapons and armor. He used it to equip his armies with better weapons or build his new navy.

'I could use all this to help the dwarves build my ships. When I visit Draconia, I'll have to speak to Aisha and Prime Minister Meera, ' hemused while storing the Mithril.

''Oh, what's this beautiful metal,'' he spoke to himself as he picked up a pitch-black ingot, and when he did, a glimmer washed across its surface.

It reminded Archer of the cosmos, as the patterns reminded him of the constellations above. He quickly realized that the metal was lighter than Mithril and that it would be good for constructing his cannons and other war machines.

Archer was lucky as their hundreds of barrels of each metal would save him a lot of gold and time sourcing materials he needed for the kingdom. While looking at the beautiful black ingot, he named it Starmetal before storing it away.

[Please let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will edit them. Thank you]