Chapter 406

Chapter 406

As soon as Leroy left, Joseph couldn't hold back his anger. "What kind of person is he? It's bad enough they made us risk our lives exploring the attic, but now they're using such heavy-handed tactics to make us do it again."

"Exactly," Andrew chimed in. "I've never met someone so unreasonable. It's infuriating."

"If they were reasonable, they wouldn't have forced Alex in the first place," William said, still calm. "People can be treacherous. We're on their turf now, so we have no choice but to play along for now."

Lily nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we have to go along with it for now. Otherwise, surviving in Atlantis will be nearly impossible."

"It's so unfair," Emily fumed. "There are so many of them and only thirteen of us. Why can't they send their people? What if we run away?"

"Emily, you said it yourself," I said, tapping her forehead lightly. "Their people are more important to them. With us as guinea pigs, they won't risk their own."

Only a fool would send their people to find a way out when they have others to do it for them. Leroy would never risk his people unless necessary.

Sending us to explore had two benefits for them. If there was danger, we wouldn't come back, and they could decide whether to proceed based on that. If we returned safely, they could keep sending us to explore further.

Either way, the Atlanteans win. They had settled here for a long time. If they could return to the old Atlantis, that would be great. If not, they wouldn't force it.

Emily pouted. "It's so heartless. Don't they have any conscience?"

Andy, seeing everyone's grim faces, laughed. "You don't really think Leroy is using us, do you?"

Carl added, "Quite the opposite."

Lisa blinked, asking for everyone, "What do you mean? Did Alex plan for Leroy to use us as guinea pigs?"

I nodded. "Yes. Instead of staying here as captives, we need to make Leroy send us out. Once we're out of Atlantis, we can avoid their control. Whether we act as guinea pigs can be decided after we're safe."

"Exactly," Andy said. "On our way back, we were already thinking about how to make Leroy send us to the other side of the attic. Alex cleverly used this to make Leroy decide to send us without suspicion."

Everyone's expressions relaxed a bit.

I clapped my hands to refocus them. "We can't predict what will happen next, but for now, we need to get out of the Atlanteans' control. Otherwise, our safety is in their hands. We've faced danger step by step; maybe a bright future awaits us."

My words calmed everyone down.

For now, we needed to eat and drink at the priest's residence while waiting for Leroy to observe the celestial phenomena.

Sure enough, Leroy brought some good news.

The Atlanteans had settled on this island for over a thousand years and had historical records related to celestial phenomena. Centennial changes, like the overlapping of the sun and moon, were well documented.

Leroy had people search through the Atlanteans' historical records and found that when they first arrived on the island, they encountered extreme weather changes—storms, sudden snowfalls, and reversed seasons. Many Atlanteans died because they couldn't withstand the strange weather.

At the same time, Amelia was born, and the Atlanteans attributed the strange weather to her birth, laying the foundation for her to be seen as the reincarnation of Lana's soul.

Based on the timing of their arrival, it was now time for the centennial cycle.

After hearing Leroy's theory, I forced a smile. "Just our luck. I thought we had more time before the centennial cycle, but it seems we hit it right on."

Leroy laughed too. "Alex, if that time tunnel really appears, you could go back, right?"

Lily retorted coldly, "If we can make it back, that is. Otherwise, it's a death sentence!"

Leroy waved his hand dismissively. "Don't overthink it. If we Atlanteans can predict this, it means we have solid clues. I believe you can use the centennial time tunnel to return home."

I smiled and played along. "Thanks for the good wishes, High Priest."

Then I voiced my doubts. "High Priest, I wonder if the deaths of the Atlanteans after arriving here were really related to Amelia's birth. Could it have been due to the harsh weather and unfamiliar environment?"

"Maybe," Leroy said, also doubtful but unwilling to discuss further. "Anyway, the next few days are the best time for the centennial cycle. We'll prepare everything for you."

With that, Leroy left again.

Just because he didn't want to discuss it didn't mean we wouldn't.

Lily asked, "Alex, why do you think the disaster wasn't related to Amelia?"

Since we were bored, I explained my thoughts.

"The High Priest said the weather was erratic—heavy rain, sudden snow, extreme heat. No one could survive such frequent changes, Atlanteans or otherwise."

"True," William agreed. "Humans can easily suffer from environmental changes. The Atlanteans arrived unprepared and faced harsh weather. As more people died, bodies would spread bacteria and viruses, leading to an epidemic."

"The Atlanteans might not have died from the weather or a curse from Amelia's birth but from a viral outbreak."

"In a fledgling Atlantis, they couldn't manage a large-scale epidemic."

"Of course, we can't prove any of this, and it doesn't really concern us."