Azrael stared at the clear, dark sky of the ruins, lost in thought.
From where he sat, he could clearly see the boundary of the ruins. Beyond that invisible edge, there was nothing but endless space turbulence, which made him realize that this so-called ruin was merely a confined pocket of space, roughly forty thousand square kilometers in diameter.
’Even though it’s my second day here, I still can’t figure out how the cycle of day and night works here without a sun or a moon...’ Azrael mused as he gazed at the starless sky.
Despite the absence of both moon and stars, a faint, mysterious glow bathed most of the ruins in light, making it seem almost as if the heavens were dusted with invisible stars.
Suddenly, Azrael caught the faint sound of rustling behind him. He turned his head and saw Elyara emerging from what looked like an ordinary camping tent. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novᴇlfire.net
The tent, about three meters in diameter and barely two meters high appeared completely mundane from the outside. Yet, in truth, it was a class level artifact with an interior as spacious as a two-story building, fully equipped with every necessary facility.
Elyara stretched lightly after stepping out and walked toward Azrael, who sat silently on a large boulder.
"You can rest now. I will keep watch," She said softly.
"I am not sleepy," Azrael replied calmly, glancing at her. "You can sleep a little longer. There are still two hours before the ruins light up."
Elyara shook her head and sat down beside him.
"You really don’t trust others to watch your back, huh..." She said with an amused look. "You told us you’d keep watch all night because you don’t trust Luo Bingqing or me to guard you, right?"
Azrael remained silent at her words. Although she was correct that he did not fully trust them with his safety, that was not the reason he had chosen to stay awake all night.
Because of his second consciousness, even if he fell asleep, he could still remain aware of his surroundings without difficulty.
The real reason he wasn’t sleeping was simply that he wasn’t tired. After gaining a surge of power from killing two peak epic-level monsters, his stats had increased significantly.
Because of that, even after several hours, his body remained brimming with energy, making it nearly impossible for him to fall asleep.
Instead of resting, he chose to cultivate his source core while keeping track of the security forces’ movements, using his natural affinity with the wind element to monitor their presence.
When Elyara noticed Azrael’s silence, a curious glint appeared in her eyes.
"Is there a reason you’re so distrustful of others?" She asked.
Azrael did not answer her directly. Instead, he posed a question of his own.
"Is there a reason I should trust others?"
Elyara was momentarily taken aback by his question. She opened her mouth, then closed it, unsure how to respond.
After a brief pause, she finally spoke in a hesitant voice.
"Well... if you don’t trust anyone, you’ll always remain alone, won’t you? Without trust, it’s impossible to find friends or companions."
Azrael gave a faint smile at her words and replied in an amused tone.
"I asked you why I should trust others. I never said I don’t trust anyone. There are a few people I trust with my life. So even if I don’t trust everyone, I won’t be alone."
"That..." Elyara felt that what he said sounded reasonable, yet something about it still felt off.
As she pondered, Azrael turned his gaze toward her.
"Let’s change the question," He said calmly. "Do you trust me?"
Elyara was stunned when she heard his words. She stared at him for a few seconds before slowly shaking her head.
"You know, because of my Trait, it’s very easy for me to win others’ trust and to sense their sincerity. But with you, all I can feel is indifference and coldness, as if nothing in this world truly matters to you..." She paused briefly, then added, "Knowing how indifferent and cold you are toward everything, do you really think I can trust you?"
Azrael showed no sign of surprise at her answer and simply nodded.
"You’re right. In this world, aside from a few people, I truly don’t care about anyone else," He said in a flat tone, shrugging slightly.
"And just as you said, you can’t trust me because you can sense my true nature. The same goes for me."
Elyara frowned at his words.
"You mean you can’t trust Luo Bingqing and me because you know our true selves and think we’re planning something against you?"
Azrael chuckled softly and shook his head.
"That’s where you’re wrong," He said, locking eyes with her. "Do you think I would have come to such a dangerous place with you if I believed you were plotting against me?"
Elyara stared at him in surprise.
"You mean you came here with us because you do trust us?"
"Not exactly," Azrael replied with a faint shake of his head. "Just because you harbor no ill intent toward me doesn’t mean I’ll automatically trust you." He paused for a heartbeat before adding.
"But I am certainly not opposed to working with you and seeing how things develop."
Elyara frowned slightly at his words, then shook her head with a faint sigh.
"I really don’t understand what you mean."
Azrael exhaled softly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he regarded her.
"What do you actually want to know? You’ve been asking all these questions because something is bothering you, isn’t it?"
Elyara hesitated for a moment, then asked in a serious tone.
"Is there a chance you’ll turn against us after we enter the core area?"
Azrael raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question but quickly understood her concern.
"You are worried that I will attack you and Luo Bingqing after we enter the core area because of the treasures hidden there, aren’t you?"
"Yes," Elyara said with a firm nod. "I’m not embarrassed to say it. With your current strength, I honestly don’t believe Luo Bingqing and I would be able to defeat you if you suddenly turned against us."