The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 449. A plethora of unanswered questions

Chapter 449: 449. A plethora of unanswered questions

"You must have lost something precious," Darla said softly, her voice calm but firm. "The scars from that loss must still linger in your hearts. The world of cultivation is ruthless—cold and unforgiving. Your circumstances are truly unfortunate, but I must tell you this: you’re not alone. Countless others have faced bitter experiences, and yet... they chose to live."

She paused for a moment, letting her words settle among the crowd of battered survivors.

"Live," she repeated gently. "That’s all I can say. Survive, endure, and find the strength to start again."

Darla’s eyes swept over the weary faces before her—men, women, even children—many of them too stunned or exhausted to speak. Their clothes were torn, their eyes hollow, and their spirits battered. The weight of their losses hung in the salty sea air like a shadow.

"Our White Merchant Group is expanding," Darla continued, her tone turning more practical. "New branches are opening across upcoming territories, and we need trained employees—people who can learn, adapt, and grow. If you’re willing, we’ll train you. We’ll feed you, house you, and give you purpose. In return, we ask for loyalty and hard work."

She held up a leather-bound folder. "Those who wish to join us—step forward and sign the contract. For those who choose otherwise, we’ll ensure you’re safely dropped off at the next island. The choice is yours."

The silence was heavy. Then, slowly, one man stepped forward. Then a woman. Then a child holding their grandmother’s hand. One by one, they began to move.

In total, only 121 survivors had been rescued from the island. According to those who had lived there, their population had once been close to 8,000. Though small, the island had been thriving—until the Sea Beast Waves hit.

It wasn’t just the beasts that killed. It was the panic. The stampedes. The desperate escape attempts. The betrayal of neighbors. Some people fled and left behind their families, their friends, their communities. Others were simply caught in the devastation.

Many of those who survived had lost everything—their homes, their children, their hopes. They had nothing left but the clothes on their backs and the pain in their hearts.

And so, all 121 of them signed.

They didn’t ask questions. They didn’t negotiate terms. Where would they go if they refused? Who would take them in?

For them, the White Merchant Group wasn’t just a merchant company. It was a lifeline.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Su Fei glanced at each of Tyler, Lily and Mana who just released the survivors on the deck, her fox ears twitching, along with her three gracefully swaying tails.

"I knew it. There’s a remnant of Temporal Aura on all three of you," Su Fei said with a serious tone, her golden eyes narrowing slightly.

Without saying anything further, she took the fishing rod from Taka, then calmly walked back to her place on the deck and sat down, legs crossed and started fishing again.

Taka left immediately he still has works to do.

Tyler stepped forward, confused. "What do you mean by Time Remnants?"

Su Fei casually leaned back and pointed one of her tails toward Lily. "I can sense traces of temporal disturbance —right on her neck. It’s faint, but it’s there."

Her second tail then motioned toward Mana. "She barely has any, just a few lingering strands of it... like someone brushed against her a little.."

And finally, her third tail pointed toward Tyler. "But you... you have the strongest remnants. It’s all over your body— and your lips, especially, it’s a little dense over there ."

Tyler blinked. "My lips?"

Su Fei tilted her head slightly, curious now. "Hers too," she said, glancing back at Lily. "A small trace."

Lily cleared her throat loudly. "Aren’t your hair strands turning fully bluish-white now?" she deflected, changing the subject.

Tyler caught on quickly and played along, brushing his hair back. "Just as a farmer’s skin darkens from years under the sun, or a blacksmith’s arms thicken from hammering iron, changes in appearance are natural side effects. This is just the result of prolonged use of Mystic Ice Arts. Fortunately, that’s the only flaw in the technique."

The two of them walked away casually as if nothing had been said. Su Fei just watched them coldly. Whatever secrets they were hiding, she decided it wasn’t her problem—at least for now. Though she is interested in the Temporal Aura on them, it’s probably they were near a Time Traveler for few minutes.

Tyler glanced back and called out, "Mana, go with Lily and start sketching a route for Nox Pass. We need a path that avoids the Federation patrols."

Mana gave a mock salute. "On it."

As they prepared to leave, Tyler added, "Also, try to gather information about Masha and the Manhunter. We need them before we reach the Nox Pass."

"Oh? So we’re looking for Lily’s girlfriend now?" Mana said teasingly with a sly grin.

"Who’s my girlfriend?" Lily shot back, jabbing her finger at Mana.

"Hey, Mana don’t Judge," Mana chuckled. "It’s just ManHunter is very close to Temptress."

The two disappeared down the ramp, trading playful remarks as they went.

Tyler stayed back for a moment, glancing at his hands. The mention of temporal aura reminded him of Adam and the Others who were ascended to this world together with him.

"It’s time to find them. They were not in Ixalaria Continent. They were not in south. Which means..." Tyler then looked at the endless Ocean.

---

Darla then reached into her storage device and pulled out a stack of soul contracts. Each one shimmered faintly with a pale blue glow, bound by magic that connected directly to the signee’s soul. These were no ordinary papers— soul contracts were rare and costly, enchanted to ensure loyalty and protect both sides from betrayal. Once signed, a person’s word could not be broken without severe consequences.

"Isn’t these type of contracts are expensive?" One of the survivor asked.

Each soul contract could easily fetch a small fortune on the open market. Yet Darla didn’t flinch.

"Expensive?" she said with a smirk. "In the White Pearl, nothing is considered too expensive—not if it’s worth investing in."

She flipped through the documents quickly, her eyes scanning for any flaws. Then she suddenly paused. "Oops..." Darla blinked and tilted the stack in her hands. "Looks like we’re almost out of soul contracts."

Only three were left.

Mana who left with Lily appeared. Took one Contract paper and disappeared. Tyler’s copper pot also disappeared.

Then Mana appeared again after a minute.

The survivors watched with wide eyes. But none of them hesitated.

They stepped forward, one after another. They made their mark on the contract not out of ambition, but out of survival.

And from that moment, their new journey began.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

"The Nox Pass is far away from here. It will take a few years to reach it," Mana said, studying the glowing 3D map projected before her. The intricate terrain hovered midair, rotating slowly as markers blinked faintly across distant regions.

On the other side of the room, Lily lay lazily on a soft cushion, sipping hot tea while gazing up at the carved wooden ceiling.

She sighed placed the Tea on the table and crossed her arms. "Why the heck did my future self just say ’a few years’ instead of giving an exact date? That’s so vague! No... wait..." Her brows furrowed as she leaned in closer to the map, eyes scanning. "She probably knew we’d cross paths with the Orion Cube..."

Lily’s expression darkened as she stood up and began pacing. "If she really wanted to protect Tyler, she could’ve just said, ’Don’t go near the Orion Cube if Tyler’s in danger.’ But instead, she told us it would appear in a few years, told us to find two girls, and... Vaguely said ’not to trust angels’."

She stopped and rubbed her temples. "Which means... we have to go to the Orion Cube. There’s something important there —something we need. And what’s this about me being a Loose Immortal? If that’s true, then the future me must be from tens of thousands of years ahead... maybe even longer."

"There are no rumors about Orion Cube Fragments in the Northern Nexus. If we want anything useful, we’ll need to find some seasoned voyagers and dig around for information..." Mana said

But Lily thoughts spiraled deeper. "Still, why hide the date? Why not just say it clearly?" She bit her lip. "Maybe she wanted us to figure it out on our own... but why?"

"Can you stop repeating yourself?" Mana groaned, throwing her arms in the air.

"I’m analyzing," Lily replied without missing a beat. "Think about it. Maybe the reason my future self didn’t reveal everything is that she wanted to us to find it ourselves."

Then she paused and narrowed her eyes slightly. "There’s still one thing that’s bothering me... That plant the future me dug out. Mathilda is Analysing it."

"There she goes again," Mana muttered, slouching onto a nearby pillow. "You’re worse than Mathilda when she gets obsessed with Potion Experiments."

"Seriously... all of a sudden, it’s just foreshadowing after foreshadowing..." Lily muttered with a sigh.