Germain left behind a teleportation lantern deep within the dragon's volcanic lair, making it easier for them to return in the future.
Technically, he could've used six of the teleportation lanterns right then and there to bring all six of them back in one go, straight to the teleportation point behind the Gate of the Deep Sea.
But doing that would burn through almost all of his stock—leaving him with just one lantern out of the original eight.
Since it wasn't an emergency, there was no need to take that risk.
He decided against it.
Besides, both of their objectives on this trip had already been completed.
The first goal: capture or eliminate any remaining members of Beyond's exploration team, and escort any surviving prisoners back to the New Continent for judgment.
The second: retrieve the exquisite crystal formed deep in the volcano's magma—said to surpass even the Seven Great Beauties in brilliance.
With those missions accomplished, there was no reason to linger.
So they began their journey home.
This time, there was no rush.
They chose to travel on foot, taking their time to mark the path, carve symbols into the stone, and snap photographs—ensuring future travelers could follow the route safely.
Pariston, as usual, didn't lift a finger.
He didn't speak, didn't act—just followed the group like a lifeless puppet.
Saiyu, on the other hand, helped out here and there.
And so, step by step, it took them nearly a week to make it back to the familiar terrain of Siren Gorge.
They had set out as a group of four.
But now, approaching the coastline of the Siren Gorge, their numbers had grown to six.
Germain handed a large conch shell to Morel, whose lung capacity far surpassed the rest.
It had been given to them by the local guide—meant to be used when they were ready to be picked up.
Morel blew the conch once every hour, just in case the guide—wherever they were in the vast sea—could hear it.
The others set up camp along the coast, patiently waiting.
Bisky would occasionally cradle a crystal in her hands, gently stroking its surface, which gave Germain the odd feeling that he was watching Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.
But unlike Gollum, Bisky eventually handed the most beautiful crystal she had chosen to Germain, asking him to take it back and have it crafted into a gift for Shizuku.
For Bisky, parting with her most beautiful crystal was no easy task.
However, whether it was Germain or Shizuku, both were now people she regarded as important—on par with Chairman Netero in her heart.
She knew it was worth it.
Of course, that didn't stop her from complaining about it.
She would often cast wistful glances toward Germain, so much so that Morel once misunderstood, thinking she was about to rob the cradle and snatch someone else's love.
Shizuku, on the other hand, remained completely oblivious to all of this.
More than half a day passed before the ghost ferry finally roared out of the sea, sailing across the strait and gliding into the bay where they waited.
The guide—its captain—didn't even ask why they had returned so soon, whether their mission had succeeded, or why they were now mixed with a different group of people.
He didn't ask anything at all.
He only urged everyone to get on board. Hurry. Get on now, so he could take them back to the Gate of the Deep Sea as fast as possible.
After all, he was just the boatman.
He didn't care what the passengers had done in the Dark Continent.
There was only one thing the captain cared about: the promise made by the Gatekeeper.
As long as he and his crew faithfully fulfilled their duty of "guiding the voyage" for a hundred years, they would regain their freedom.
When that day came, a new batch of guides would take their place, beginning the next cycle.
None of the guides liked this job.
But they had no choice but to carry on.
What kept them going was the belief that the Gatekeeper would keep their promise.
After another full day and night, the Ferry Ghost Ship returned to the back of the Deep Sea Gate.
The guide, the ferry captain, let Germain and his group off at the gate, then silently watched as the ghost ship slowly sank into the sea, disappearing from sight.
With a deep rumble, the massive doors of the Deep Sea Gate began to open.
Standing before them was the Gatekeeper—his towering figure blocked the entire path like a wall, his gaze fixed on the returning group.
"I didn't expect you to be back so soon," the Gatekeeper said, his chin tentacles squirming as he spoke, like a thick, moving beard.
Germain replied, "Our mission is complete, so we returned."
The Gatekeeper's eyes scanned each of them one by one before he spoke again.
"I have a feeling… this won't be the last time I see you. And soon, things will get much busier around here, won't they?"
"Yes," Germain said calmly. "More and more humans will be traveling to the Dark Continent—through the Boundary Gate, the Deep Sea Gate, and on the Ferry Ghost Ship."
There was no reason to hide such an obvious truth.
"Hahaha…" The Gatekeeper chuckled.
"Doesn't matter to me."
"I've said it before—as long as at least two people among them can pass my trial, they're allowed through."
"I've forgotten how many years ago it was, but I remember over a thousand humans like you came here."
"Two among them passed my trial, so I let the entire group go."
"But the funny part?"
"In the end, only seven of them made it back alive."
He looked at them with a serious, almost warning gaze.
"I hope you won't make the same arrogant and foolish mistake."
"We won't," Germain replied firmly.
With that, they stepped beyond the Deep Sea Gate, leaving the Gatekeeper behind.
Before long, they arrived at the Sphinx's courtyard.
The Sphinx was clearly surprised to see them.
Germain and his team had returned faster than any human group before them.
Could it be that they had failed so quickly?
Or maybe… the moment they set foot on the Dark Continent, they got so terrified that they turned back the same way they came?
But after reading the memory fragments of every member except for Germain, Sphinx was even more shocked to discover the truth.
They weren't losers.
Quite the opposite—
They had brought back a batch of rare crystals guarded by a giant dragon.
These were victors.
Sphinx stood there, stunned for a moment, and eventually let out a silent sigh.
It seemed that Germain was far more unpredictable than even Don Freecss.
He nodded politely to everyone, said nothing more, and allowed them to leave without interference.
Germain and his team exited the Boundary Gate and descended the mountain.
Soon, they reached the shoreline where two research vessels were docked.
It didn't take long for the mercenaries aboard the ships to come down and greet them.
Muherr and the other mercenaries were completely stunned.
Sure, Germain had said he'd be back within half a month.
But no one had taken that deadline seriously—delays on a mission like this were practically expected.
No one imagined that they'd enter the Gate on December 16th and emerge again on December 28th.
Only twelve days had passed.
It was within half a month...
And what's more, Germain brought back Pariston and Saiyu—two people Muherr and the mercenaries knew very well.
Their presence alone said enough about the fate of the rest of the Beyond exploration team.
All the mercenaries couldn't help but feel a mix of sorrow and relief.
Muherr had expected that seeing Pariston and Saiyu again would feel awkward.
But when he noticed they were both captives too, he relaxed considerably.
He didn't even need an explanation.
He simply shrugged—
"We're all prisoners. No point dragging up ugly stories."
Nothing needed to be said.
The fastest and cheapest way to return to the New Continent from the Boundary Gate was, of course, to use the special teleportation point beyond the Deep Sea Gate.
That portal led directly to the stronghold on the New Continent.
But Germain had no intention of revealing these teleportation routes in front of the gatekeepers, Pariston, or Saiyu.
And besides, there was no urgent need to hurry.
So once again, Germain and his team chose to return the long way—by research vessel, sailing back across the sea.
And thus began another two-month-long ocean voyage.
*******
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