No matter how battered his body was, Mydei didn't want to show any weakness in front of Phainon.
He crossed his arms and said to Phainon, "The enemies in Suspended Sword City have all been dealt with by us. Let's go. You can turn around and head back to Okhema now."
As Mydei spoke, his arms trembled slightly. It was clear he was still in a weakened state, merely putting on a brave front.
The others didn't share Mydei's desire to feign strength.
Trianne, sitting on the ground, said to Phainon, "Little Phai, do you have any stretchers? Can you carry us back?"
Having expended so much energy, they should have rested longer. But they wanted to quickly return and inform Aglaea about the situation, so they had no choice but to be carried back.
"I have them prepared, Teacher Trianne. Please wait a moment." Phainon immediately had the Okhema soldiers who came with him prepare the stretchers.
Soon, Trianne, Castorice, Derick, and Cipher were all on stretchers. Handling Castorice was also straightforward; a few longer sticks were enough to carry her on a stretcher.
With several people lying on stretchers, only Mydei remained standing.
"Do you need..." Phainon's words were cut short by Mydei.
"I still have stamina. The rest of you should keep an eye on the surroundings so we don't get ambushed by those Black Tide monsters." Mydei crossed his arms and walked forward.
Phainon gave a helpless smile at this and signaled the others to lift the stretchers and follow. Anyway, Mydei was immortal; a little exhaustion would wear off soon enough.
Derick temporarily handed the Blade of Scourge to Phainon. Phainon, holding the Blade of Scourge, listened with a look of amazement as Derick explained that he now possessed Nikador's power.
"I didn't expect you all to have such a fortuitous encounter. It seems we need to hurry back to Okhema and tell Aglaea and Teacher Tribbie about this."
He then ordered his men to speed up and head quickly towards Okhema.
Mydei's immortal body quickly recovered, and Derick, in fact, regained his stamina not much later than Mydei. But Phainon was worried that the energy within Derick might fluctuate with his movements, so he didn't let him get up and had him continue to lie on the stretcher.
Cipher's stamina had mostly recovered halfway through the journey. But she was cunning and continued to feign weakness on the stretcher. If she could sit, she definitely wouldn't stand, and if she could lie down, she definitely wouldn't sit.
After a long journey, the group returned to Okhema.
Before their return, Phainon had already sent swift soldiers back to relay the message. The mobile phones on Amphoreus only worked within Okhema city; there was no signal outside. In Janusopolis, Cipher had been able to contact Caenis using her demigod abilities.
Seeing the bright daylight of Okhema, Derick felt much more comfortable.
Finally back. I've been moving around in the dark for days, I was about to turn into a mushroom. This time back in Okhema, I definitely need to sunbathe properly.
Phainon said to Derick and the others, "Let's go quietly to the Heroes' Bath. Don't let anyone else in Okhema see this, to avoid causing panic."
Derick and Cipher were fine, but Trianne and Castorice lying on stretchers were too conspicuous.
"Yes, yes, Little Phai, let's not let others discover our movements." Trianne strongly agreed with this, also worried they might cause unnecessary alarm among the people of Okhema.
Afterward, the group found a secluded path back to the Marmoreal Palace, and after getting off the stretchers, a few of them returned to the Heroes' Bath.
Derick was also allowed into the Heroes' Bath, so their entry was quite smooth.
Inside the Heroes' Bath, Aglaea, Tribbie, and Trinnon were already waiting for Derick and the others. Seeing them arrive, Tribbie hurried over to Trianne.
"Trianne, are you alright?"
Facing Tribbie's worried inquiry, Trianne nodded emphatically, "Trianne is fine."
Trinnon walked over to Derick and Castorice and said softly, "Little Derick, you two get checked and treated first, then soak in the Heroes' Bath for a while to relieve your fatigue."
"Great, I've been wanting to soak in this Heroes' Bath for a long time." Cipher looked excited. She had been evading her fate for a long time and naturally hadn't had many chances to come here for a bath.
Castorice pursed her lips, looking at her.
Aglaea said, "My master, Castorice, I have already arranged for the physician Hyacine from Twilight Courtyard to come. She will treat your injuries and also check Derick's condition."
"Yes, the Nika-energy in Little Derick's body is indeed a problem."
Tribbie nodded seriously from the side.
"It's not just his physical condition; the trouble from the Elder Council will also be greater. If the energy in Derick's body can be used normally without harming him, or if the impact is minor, then the Elder Council's attention on Derick will increase significantly," Aglaea explained to everyone. "The power of Nikador can reside in someone who isn't of the Golden Lineage. They will pay an even greater price to obtain Derick."
"They won't see Derick as a miracle; they'll only think that since Derick can obtain a Titan's power, they can too. Caenis's methods will become increasingly unscrupulous."
As she said this, everyone's gaze turned to Cipher, who was currently sitting by the edge of the bath, playing with the water. When it came to unscrupulously taking someone away, no one in all of Amphoreus was more skilled than Cipher.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Cipher shrugged.
"Don't look at me. I just stood Caenis up a couple of days ago. She'd have to be crazy to come looking for me now. I took her deposit and didn't do the job; she'd probably pull out a knife the moment she sees me," Cipher said, then looked at Aglaea with an expectant gaze.
"Also, tailor girl, I helped you out this time, and I need to charge for it. When do you think you can settle my payment?"
Cipher rubbed her hands together, a greedy expression on her face.
At the same time, she was secretly hoping Aglaea wouldn't pay. That way, she'd have an excuse to steal someone.
"Rest assured, I won't be stingy with this commission," Aglaea nodded lightly.
"That's more like it." Cipher felt a slight twinge of regret.
Just then, the teleportation device in the Heroes' Bath fluctuated again. A young girl walked out from it.
"It seems Hyacine has arrived. Let her check your bodies first, and then we'll discuss the remaining matters," Aglaea said to Derick and the others, looking at the girl.
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