"Retreat!"

Christine gave a light reprimand, warning Roland.

Watching the erupting volcano, she reminded him while stepping back.

Roland was not even really her friend, just a partner; there was only so much she could do.

If Roland insisted on seeking death, she couldn't do anything about it.

Anthony was also retreating, nearly sitting down on the ground in his nervousness.

He felt a bit regretful, thinking maybe he should have tried harder to persuade them.

But he had seen the look in Lisa's eyes, shining as if a blind person had just seen the light.

Everyone will die; perhaps dying in pursuit of progress is also a kind of happiness.

The Lisa of the past might have been content with mediocrity, but not anymore.

Roland's face turned pale as he pulled Sif's long spear and slowly retreated.

He could no longer see Lisa, nor hear any sound, but he could clearly feel Lisa was in there.

She wasn't dead yet!

Retreating back to Christine's side, Roland's throat moved, but he couldn't form any words.

Christine nodded silently, Lisa was still alive, at least for now.

All they could do was pray.

The volcano erupted once more. Poisonous smoke spread across the mountain top, and lava continuously flowed out.

In such a terrifying environment, could Lisa really still be alive?

Roland trembled, being forced back constantly by the lava.

Since they couldn't help, they had no choice but to retreat to a safe area.

The four of them silently watched the increasingly terrifying crater, unable to say a word.

The atmosphere was particularly oppressive.

Three minutes passed, each second torturous for Roland, with those three minutes feeling as long as three complete epochs.

Not seeing Lisa, he realized how important she was to him.

After his parents passed away, Lisa took on the task of taking care of his life, as if it was a matter of course.

Lisa lived in the house left by her father, but with her looks, it wouldn't have been difficult to marry a rich man.

She definitely didn't stay for the material life.

In her heart, Roland had long become her family.

She helped Roland find a job and started looking for a suitable wife for him when he came of age.

She was like a sister, but her concern was a bit overbearing.

While being under Lisa's control, Roland felt somewhat troubled, even thinking she was like a young version of his mother, meddling too much.

Now he realized that Lisa had long been integrated into his world, unable to be severed.

Lying on the carriage pretending to be drunk, he finally understood Lisa's true thoughts.

Even though he was unclear when their non-blood-related affection had changed, none of it mattered.

He needed Lisa to stay by his side, it was that simple.

Flames and smoke blocked him from Lisa, and for the first time, he felt afraid.

He feared this might be the last time they met.

Earlier, when Lisa turned around, he saw that her eyes held three parts reluctance and ninety-seven parts resolve.

Every few seconds Roland would glance at Christine's pale cheek.

As long as the Life Mark still existed, Lisa wasn't dead, there was still hope.

Another torturous three minutes passed, Roland's hand trembled like that of the boxer, Ali.

This was a race against time, with every additional second bringing more danger.

When Roland's nerves were stretched to the limit, Christine suddenly stood up, with a trace of pity in her eyes.

Roland's heart stopped.

Lisa's Life Mark had disappeared.

Christine quietly bowed her head and prayed softly.

"Shut up!"

Sif interrupted her prayer.

"Alive, we need to see her, dead, we need to see her body, why curse her when you haven't seen anything?"

Christine obediently lowered her head and kept silent.

She didn't want to quarrel with Sif, not because she feared this foolish Empress, but because she didn't want to make the atmosphere more uncomfortable.

Sif grabbed Roland's hand and pulled him to the side with effort.

"Roland, Lisa..."

"I know, no need to comfort me."

Tears welled up in the corners of Roland's eyes as he softly said, "Perhaps one day I'll see her in another world, hoping she hasn't forgotten about me."

"Roland! She isn't dead!"

"Not dead? But her Life Mark has already disappeared."

Sif's cheeks were flushed crimson from the scorching heat as she softly asked, "Miss Lisa likes you, right?"

Roland said nothing.

Silence was also a default answer.

Perhaps this would make Sif unhappy, but right now he didn't care about any of that.

Sif bit her lip and said, "I don't want to explain, but believe me, Lisa must have encountered something miraculous, rather than dying."

Roland wanted to ask Sif the reason for her judgment, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Lisa was flesh and blood, a carbon-based life form, her existence couldn't defy physical principles.

A carbon-based life form couldn't survive in such harsh conditions.

At least humans couldn't.

He understood Sif's meaning, as long as no body was found, it meant she was missing.

Legally, Lisa could survive for three more years.

Just like his father, who hadn't yet reached the end of the death verdict period. Even if bones and flesh sank into the muddy ground, legally, it was still just missing.

Just like the Late Emperor, Edward, at least legally, he was still alive.

It was truly self-deception.

Roland didn't break down hysterically like in a romantic drama, nor did he shout at Sif like in a third-rate melodrama, narrating the bond between him and Lisa.

The Path of Transcendence is only an ascent with a beginning and no end.

Either die halfway or continue forward.

Lisa's passing corroborated this point.

He wouldn't be dejected or dispirited; he would continue forward until he ascended to the pinnacle of power alongside the three goddesses.

"Sif, I'm fine. No matter where Lisa's soul has scattered, even if it's the Nether River, Netherworld, or even the Sea of Annihilation, I'll bring her home."

Not just Lisa; there was also the Elf Sylph, now just a wisp of consciousness, trapped in the Flower Sea Dream Realm.

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