Chapter 467 - 456-

As soon as Grey’s fingers touched the Cloth Doll, an extremely overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon the surroundings.

The pressure was so immense that even Violet’s eyes widened slightly, while Grey’s face contorted into a deep frown.

This was the pressure of divinity.

It radiated heavily from the small piece of cloth Grey held in his hands, spreading through the surrounding space like an invisible tide.

The divinity contained within it far surpassed that of the small piece of flesh the captain was holding.

In fact, the difference was so enormous that when compared to the Cloth Doll, the piece of flesh in Violet’s hands looked almost like an ordinary piece of flesh that had never contained divinity in the first place.

The realization left Violet completely stunned.

The captain had clearly been amazed by the divinity contained within her piece of flesh before this, and she had even felt a trace of pride because of it. However, that pride had now completely disappeared.

It had vanished like dust blown away by the wind.

Her eyes remained fixed on the Cloth Doll in Grey’s hands, and after staring at it for several seconds, she finally couldn’t hold herself back.

"Little Grey, where did you get that from?" she asked loudly, her voice filled with unconcealed curiosity. "Would you mind sharing it with me?"

There was even an expectant expression on her face.

Clearly, she had already forgotten about the piece of flesh in her own possession.

Grey, however, didn’t respond.

He merely tightened his grip around the Cloth Doll slightly.

From Violet’s perspective, Grey had remained completely silent. But in reality, a conversation was already taking place within his mind.

"Finally! You kept me in that box for so long that I was beginning to think I was never going to come out again. Now, where the heck are we?!"

A childish voice echoed inside Grey’s mind.

Despite the sudden voice, Grey didn’t flinch.

His expression remained calm and level-headed as he stared into the distance.

"I need your help with something. So, I want you to cooperate with us."

Grey spoke directly within his mind.

He was certain that the Cloth Doll would be able to hear him.

There was silence for a few seconds.

Then the childish voice sounded again, this time carrying a clear hint of dissatisfaction.

"What help do you want again? Haven’t we already gone through this?"

The Cloth Doll sounded genuinely annoyed.

"You hide me away while I occasionally offer you assistance. Barely a few weeks have passed, and you’re already bringing me out again for something else. When exactly am I supposed to rest?"

Grey’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

At this point, he realized that the Cloth Doll had matured quite a bit.

It was no longer as easy to deceive as it had been before.

If the Cloth Doll were still as naive as it had been in the past, it wouldn’t have questioned Grey’s intentions. It would have simply accepted whatever excuse he gave and willingly offered its assistance.

But things were different now.

’I think this is because of the interactions it has had with the outside world during these past few weeks.’

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Although the Cloth Doll couldn’t leave his body without his permission, that didn’t mean it was completely isolated from the outside world.

’It should have its own way of sensing what is happening outside. After all, it has been exposed to the outside world through me for quite some time now. Those experiences must have gradually affected its intelligence.’

Grey came to a quick conclusion.

However, he didn’t bother explaining himself.

Instead, he completely ignored the Cloth Doll’s complaints.

"Look at that thing in the distance," Grey said in a languid tone. "Tell me what it is."

The Cloth Doll fell silent.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then, to Violet’s amazement, the small Cloth Doll suddenly moved.

Its head slowly turned toward the towering Heavenly Vine in the distance.

Violet’s eyes widened even further.

She hadn’t expected the Cloth Doll to actually move on its own.

More importantly, the Cloth Doll had seemingly only noticed the Heavenly Vine after Grey mentioned it.

The childish voice soon sounded again within Grey’s mind.

"What about it?"

There was a trace of confusion in its voice.

"That’s an incomplete divine existence that’s barely capable of containing its own divine domain. There’s nothing particularly special about it compared to me or the divine entity I came from."

Despite its childish voice, there was an unmistakable trace of pride in its words.

It sounded as though the Heavenly Vine was nothing more than an insignificant object in its eyes.

Grey’s gaze flickered.

Divine existence.

Divine domain.

Divine entity.

There were far too many questions hidden within those words.

Unfortunately, this was not the time to ask them.

He could tell that the Heavenly Vine was undergoing some kind of transformation, and the longer they remained here, the more dangerous the situation would become.

"If it’s so small and insignificant to you, then I want you to help us obtain it," Grey said calmly.

His gaze shifted toward the treasure that remained stuck to the side of the Heavenly Vine.

"And that treasure as well."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"After that, we’ll leave this place, and I won’t bother you again for a while."

"Hmph! Why should I help you at all?"

The childish voice immediately became displeased.

At the same time, the Cloth Doll’s tiny limbs went limp once again, and its body hung awkwardly from Grey’s hand.

It no longer seemed interested in the Heavenly Vine.

Grey didn’t become annoyed.

Instead, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Because if I die, the seal that’s keeping you hidden from the divine entity you came from will surely sense your presence."

His voice remained calm.

"But once it does, it’ll track you here."

Grey’s smile widened slightly.

"And once it finds you..."

He deliberately paused.

"It’s only a matter of time before you become its food."

Silence.

The childish voice disappeared completely.

Grey could almost imagine the expression on the Cloth Doll’s face.

"You..."

The voice finally returned, but this time it sounded far less confident.

It seemed to have been completely stumped by Grey’s words.

The Cloth Doll clearly understood what he was implying.

As long as Grey remained alive, he could continue hiding it. But if Grey died, the situation would become completely different.

The seal that prevented the divine entity from sensing the Cloth Doll’s existence might no longer remain effective.

And once that happened, there was nowhere for it to hide.

Grey didn’t give it time to think too deeply about the matter.

"So, we have a deal, then."

His tone suddenly became decisive.

"I’ll use you according to the plan, and once we’re done, we’ll leave this place."

Before the Cloth Doll could object, Grey had already shifted his attention away from the conversation.

He immediately turned toward Violet. The captain was still staring at the Cloth Doll.

Her eyes remained fixed on it, and for a moment, she seemed to have completely forgotten about the piece of flesh containing divinity in her own hands.

Grey’s lips twitched.

It seemed that the difference between the two sources of divinity had affected her more than he had expected.

"Are you ready?"

Grey’s voice suddenly rang out. Violet’s body trembled slightly. The sound snapped her out of the strange reverie she had unknowingly fallen into.

She blinked several times before finally looking toward Grey.

"Yes-s."

Her voice dragged slightly. She glanced at the Cloth Doll once more before turning her attention toward the Heavenly Vine.

"Your divinity may be stronger than mine, but it definitely cannot do the things I’ve trained mine to do."

A strange confidence returned to her voice. She had clearly regained her composure.

After all, there was a reason she had been able to survive for so long despite possessing such a strange and deathly abilities.

"Stay close to me, Little Grey."

Her voice carried a faint trace of anxiety. However, because of her deathly appearance, the anxious expression on her face didn’t look reassuring in the slightest.

Instead, it made her look even more terrifying. Grey narrowed his eyes as he stared toward the Heavenly Vine.

The atmosphere around them had already begun to change.

The divinity radiating from the Heavenly Vine was becoming increasingly intense, and the mutated creatures surrounding it were beginning to react to the pressure.

Whatever was about to happen... it was clear that they were already running out of time.