Chapter 223: Chapter 225

Jonathan pondered for a while and said, “I think I know what's going on. Let me start from the beginning with my hypothesis, and you can tell me if it's possible or not.”

“Go ahead,” Lailah said.

“First, the Holy Chest of Hathar is capable of creating a five-dimensional space and materializing time.

Meaning, it makes time travel possible, correct?”

“That's correct.”

“Assume that we found the Holy Chest and the Sinai Bible. However, we encountered a problem after that. Maybe we were trapped somewhere after we found what we wanted and missed the deadline for handing in the mission item. At that moment, we still have the Holy Chest and the Sinai Bible. But, because of the mission's rules, we couldn't escape the fate of being sealed off.” Jonathan paused and continued, “What do you think we would do in that scenario?”

Lailah's eyes glimmered. “We would use the Holy Chest to travel back in time, before the deadline was up, like right now. When we travel back in time, we would've already known where the Holy Chest and the Sinai Bible are located. We'll go and find those two items as fast as possible before completing the mission. Everything will be perfect in that scenario.”

“That's right.”

Suddenly, Lailah felt as though she had been enlightened.

“Future us traveled back in time, but then they encountered their first problem. We still exist in the time period they traveled back to. Thus, spacetime was mixed up. The moment they traveled back in time, there would be two Jonathans and two Lailahs.”

“I see! Since spacetime wouldn't allow that to happen, it would explain why they tried to kill us. Once we die, there will only be one Jonathan and one Lailah, and everything will return to normal.”

“That's right. And do you know why they tried to kill us separately instead of working together?”

“They technically shouldn't have existed alongside us, which was why their magnetic field was all wrong. It explained why you felt dizzy when you met your future self while your future self exploded into flames.”

Snapping his finger, Jonathan replied, “Bingo! You're smart.”

“So, technically, we did find the Sinai Bible and the Holy Chest.” Lailah couldn't help but be impressed by Jonathan's intelligence. I can't believe he figured out the solution to this complicated question.

“We need to be quick, or we'll end up like our future selves.”

Lailah furrowed her brows. “But we still don't have any clues at the moment.”

Just as Jonathan was thinking about their next step, his phone suddenly rang.

He answered it without hesitation. However, the voice he heard from the other end made him uncomfortable because it was Gabriel's voice.

“We meet again, Jonathan,” Gabriel uttered plainly.

With a sneer, Jonathan replied, “How do you like hiding at Isaac's place? Do you really think I don't know where you're hiding?”

Gabriel was slightly taken aback. “I have underestimated you.”

“All right, let's just cut to the chase. I don't think you're calling me to reminisce about the past.”

“Indeed. I'm calling you because I need your help.”

“Help?”

“I know what happened to you two earlier.”

Jonathan was shocked. “How do you know?”

“Because future me came back to this time period as well with your future selves. Earlier, future me came looking for me and told me a few important things. He said if we don't work together, we'll be trapped in an unending loop. Soon, you'll realize your future selves will keep coming back to kill you after a certain period passes.”

“How can I trust you?” Gabriel's words were starting to sway Jonathan, but the latter still kept his guard up.

“Both you and Lailah have fairly high cultivation while I'm just a cripple with no cultivation. Why are you asking me that question if I have the guts to meet with you two?”

“Aren't you afraid we'll kill you?”

“If you kill me, you two will be stuck in a stalemate and fail to find the Holy Chest and the Sinai Bible in time. So, consider this my bargaining chip. We may hate each other, but that doesn't mean we have to take revenge right now. After all, we have to stay alive, don't we?”

Following a brief silence, Jonathan replied, “Okay, we'll come and find you.” Then he hung up the call.

“Was it Gabriel?” Lailah promptly asked.

Jonathan nodded and revved up the engine. “Gabriel said his future self visited him and told him how to find the Sinai Bible and the Holy Chest.”

Joy flashed past Lailah's eyes. This feels like we just hit a jackpot!

Earlier, despair had taken hold of her heart. To her pleasant surprise, things had taken a major turn for the better.

Seeing how happy she was, Jonathan couldn't help but remind, “Gabriel is an extremely cunning man, Lailah. We need to be one hundred and twenty percent more careful when we're dealing with him.”

Lailah was stunned, but quickly, she said, “I know.”

While she didn't argue with him, Jonathan knew she did not really take his advice to heart. Then again, Gabriel is a cripple with no cultivation. While it may not seem like we need to be super careful around him, I can't shake off the feeling that I must be wary of him.

Soon, the duo arrived at where Isaac was staying—Mylers Residences.

Instead of going in, Jonathan gave Gabriel a call. “We've arrived, so come out. Don't play any tricks because if you do, I'll kill you immediately. If you die, your future self will not exist. It'll make this loop even more interesting.”

With a faint smile, Gabriel replied, “I'm sorry. I think I'm probably wrong. I always thought you martial artists were stupid. You certainly surprised me with your shrewdness. That's why I'm in such a passive position right now.”

“Don't give me that, Gabriel. You can't screw with me.”

Laughing heartily, Gabriel said, “You really are quite the character.”

Then he hung up the call.

Moments later, he came out of the building in his wheelchair with the help of two brawny men.

Isaac did not come out. Perhaps he was embarrassed to meet Jonathan.

Jonathan didn't blame him for that since there was nothing he could do about the fact that he met Gabriel.

“I think we should stop wasting time. We have very little left.” That was the first thing Gabriel said once he met Jonathan and Lailah face to face.

“All right. Speak, then,” Jonathan said.

“I wanted to take revenge on you, but it seems impossible at the moment, so let's just make peace for now. We'll complete the mission together and leave the revenge stuff for later.”

“I can kill you very easily right now, so you need to give me a good reason I shouldn't do that. Just because you can't kill me doesn't mean I have to make peace with you.”

With a faint smile, Gabriel informed, “It's simple. Without me, you can't open the gate guarding the treasures.”

“Is that so?”

“I know you won't believe me if I don't show you evidence.” Gabriel paused, then continued, “Let me start by explaining to you. My future self told me the Third Sacred Temple isn't a physical Sacred Temple. It's a space of magnetic field that manifests when the faith of the most devoted Yartranians is gathered together. That is where the Holy Chest and the Sinai Bible are hidden. That discovery was made by you three days from now. You gathered a hundred Yartranians and asked them to start praying. Then you found me and asked me to use my unlimited spiritual energy to open the door to that magnetic field space. It was there where we found the Sinai Bible and the Holy Chest.”

Lailah asked curiously, “We still have enough time to complete the mission three days later. Why didn't we return to Lostaria right after that to complete the mission?”

“Because the three of us were lost in that space. When we came out, ten days had already passed, so we missed the deadline. That's why they tried to use the Holy Chest to travel back in time. My future self has told me how I can dispel the magnetic field maze.”

Staring at Gabriel, Jonathan questioned, “You're not hiding anything, right?”

“You shouldn't let your suspicions cloud your judgment. I've been completely truthful with you. If you still refuse to believe me, then there's nothing I can do. That maze needs the three of us to break through. Otherwise, I would've completed the mission by myself.”

After listening to his words, Jonathan realized he was being too suspicious of Gabriel. So, he just stayed silent and let Gabriel speak. “Right now, we need to focus on finding one hundred Yartranians.”

Jonathan suggested, “We can let Isaac handle that.”

“That's how your future self did it. I've already asked Isaac to do that for us. We'll be able to find the Third Sacred Temple tonight. Once we grab the treasures, we'll head straight back to Lostaria.” Gabriel paused, then said, “There's one more thing I want to talk about.”

“Go ahead.”

“Once we find the treasure, you can be the one to complete the mission. However, you must give one Ninth Immortality Pill.”

“Sure.” Jonathan wasn't a greedy man.

“Wait!” Lailah shouted abruptly, prompting Jonathan and Gabriel to turn to her.

Then she spoke to Gabriel. “I can give you my Ninth Immortality Pill, but I need you to do something for me after you get the Sinai Bible.”

Jonathan was shocked. He knew what she wanted Gabriel to do. What is she thinking? How can she just give up something as valuable as the Ninth Immortality Pill? As if he could say no if she asked him for help. In any case, she has made her decision already. I don't think I should interject.