Published at 23rd of July 2024 6:47 am

Chapter 1789 Land of Nothingness [5]

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How long did it take Damien to traverse the island on foot?

That was a good question, and he was on a quest to find out.

He used the roads at first to get to the eastern city. The two locations were never given names because their entire existence was impermanent. He was only planning to pass through to get to the very easternmost coast, but he wanted to at least see how others were living.

The island told him that the cities were filled with people showcasing their own forms of Nonexistence as they worked on their creations. Was that not something he'd want to see?

Damien followed the road on his own two feet for a decent distance.

There were a lot of travelers like him. Not many had forms of transportation. Those who did were obviously using them to earn money.

The currency of this place was energy. To gain convenience, one was forced to sacrifice the fruits of one's efforts.

Naturally, ninety percent of the population refused to fork over their hard-earned energy. They would rather walk the long distances, even if it took months or years to get from one side of the island to the other.

It didn't matter at the end of the day. Without time, they could spend as much as they wanted without having to worry about when they'd return home.

Damien was the same.

The Dark God had no influence here. He couldn't change whether Damien came back at the same time he left or too late. The other Damien was still in the Heavenly World leading things. Even if the timeline wasn't frozen, everything would be fine.

He would arrive right then and there, just a few months into the war. And he would return as an entirely different person.

He smiled as he thought of this as another vacation, but it definitely wouldn't take as long as Arulion did.

Regardless of how safe he was here, he couldn't just leave the Dark God behind. He needed to get rid of that threat as soon as possible so he could live happily in the real future.

This was not a place where he wanted to get used to being.

Nevertheless, Damien spent the next few "years" traversing the second island. He didn't build anything, but he became familiar with its situation in general. Many people saw him and acknowledged him. He was the only new person here in millions of years as well, so he stood out a lot.

As he was not trying to do anything at all, people assumed that he'd given up and was trying to find a way to accept that this world was his new home.

Many of them sympathized with that feeling, so Damien was treated well. Whenever he went places, people often helped him out and gave him free meals or lodging. Of course, that treatment would change when he started building, but he didn't mind it. Everyone here was talented. It was worth making friends with the ones who didn't change.

By the time his few-year-long journey was over, Damien found himself back in the same place he started, sighing.

'I mean, it exists.'

There was indeed a piece of land unclaimed by anyone.

'The problem is that I'll start a war if I take it.'

That land was in the northwest of the island. It took Damien quite a while to reach.

It was one of the most nature-filled areas that even had its own ecosystem of "living beings."

They were just manifestations of nothingness. They were also the reason the territory remained unclaimed.

That place, Death's Hold, was exactly as it was named. Anyone who tried to use that land to build was forced out. Those who refused to leave would have their existences erased.

Damien visited it himself during his travels. The beings there were curious, but they did not meaninglessly attack anyone.

He didn't try exerting his power, but he assumed that was the key to their aggression.

'It'll be difficult to build there even if there's no opposition. The problem lies with the fact that Death's Hold is extremely desirable, all things considered.'

The people who had been here the longest, the Lords who lived in the many castles strewn across this land, had been eyeing the land for eons.

They were never able to conquer it, so it had been disregarded, but what would happen if Damien randomly arrived and succeeded where they'd failed?

'Still, it's really the only option. They'll all come after me eventually, so it's not like it's worth anything to delay it.'

At least if he chose Death's Hold, he would have a decent amount of time before anyone discovered what he was up to.

'And if I can actually make use of the environment…'

If Death's Hold properly became his territory, then he would no longer have to worry about opposition.

Would anyone be brave enough to intrude on a land guarded by beasts that antithesize their existence? 'No. They won't.'

In fact, Damien was already back in Death's Hold by the time he finished thinking about it.

There were conveniences within Nonexistence as well. If he just negated the distance he traveled, then with time and change being nonexistent, he could teleport himself back to a location he'd already been.

The forest was dark. It was filled with a purple mist and even the trees all had dark purple or black colors making up their form. The beasts didn't stand out. They were made of the same colors as if to blend into the environment and catch their prey off-guard.

Damien could tell that he was being watched by many. They would not move unless they were provoked.

'How do I start building without pissing them off?'

There had to be some sort of secret in Death's Hold.

Death's Hold existed. That was enough proof. In a landscape filled with emptiness and nothingness, a unique area meant the world.

Why were the highest authorities obsessed with it? What value did a land of nothingness have?

Nobody knew, but everyone could assume.

Whether it was treasure or comprehension, it was worth finding. Many adventurers were attracted to the location when it was first discovered. They'd only stopped because so much time had passed and the number of new people was nil.

Damien sat down amidst the eerie scenery.

He closed his eyes and tried to connect his senses with the environment.

Once again, he was attempting something that others failed at time and time again.

Only, he didn't necessarily have any advantages here. The only thing he could rely on was his unique thought process. That was the same thing everyone relied on when they came to this place.

As he closed his eyes, all Damien felt was darkness.

A deep darkness beyond even what the Sea of Nothingness contained. 'Is this…really supposed to be on the second island?'

Damien glanced into it and immediately felt himself getting overwhelmed.

His prior thoughts were confirmed.

The Nonexistence he contained now was meager in front of the real thing.

The people on the third, fourth, and fifth islands would slowly show him forms similar to or more powerful than this…?

Damien's brow furrowed.

He needed to put in real-time on the second island.

He couldn't just skip past it like the first.

If he tried…

…then he would probably be screwed, right?

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