After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 22.2

However, Philip sighed inwardly, glanced around, and thought, should I tell you that it’s because Archangel Achilles went mad and randomly attacked someone, but unfortunately, that someone was the Lord of the Abyss? Such an absurd story could be made into a tale.

However, Philip thought for a moment and then suddenly said, “Maybe it’s because of the debuff caused by violating the Harmonious Rules.”

“Debuff?”

Several staff members looked puzzled.

As everyone knew, violating the Harmonious Rules could result in random debuffs of varying severity. Some were serious, some were mild, but no matter how severe, a debuff wouldn’t directly cause the fall of a divine kingdom. Otherwise, the Goddess of Harmony could have ruled the Gods Era directly.

Philip said, “There’s one kind of debuff that could.”

The staff members asked in unison, “What debuff?”

Philip said seriously, “Misfortune.”

The staff members: “…”

The staff members: “Legion Commander Philip is joking too.”

Philip shook his head and sighed again.

Before this, on the other side.

Morax was fixing the spatial rift with his claws.

Xiu Si had been sent back to the antique shop by Inpos but still maintained the gesture of touching the crystal ball, seemingly lost in thought. In reality, he had once again fallen into the previous dream space.

This time, it wasn’t a sky scene but a specific setting.

It was a memory from long ago. In a forest at night, several people were quietly discussing around a fire.

“Do we really have to go to the Abyss?”

“We should. The Abyss is a relatively stable subspace, and leveling up will be faster there. The gods are fighting on the continent, and the divine rules suppress us, making it hard to level up. To grow safely, we need to avoid the gods’ attention.”

“But the Abyss is still a subspace. What if it suddenly becomes unstable?”

This was a discussion between Wang Changer and Ye Qingyi.

Both of them looked serious, worried about the dangers of venturing into the Abyss.

Wang Changer was a Berserker, known for his explosive power and quick leveling. In just a few months, he had reached over level fifty, setting a record at the time. However, his personality was not like a typical Berserker; he was a rational person. In reality, he was a recently graduated graphic designer, calm and mature, and he had a lot in common with Xiu Si.

After a while, the conversation fell into silence.

Then, the healer, Justin, broke the silence, “I understand everyone’s concerns, but don’t worry, as long as I’m here, I’ll protect everyone.”

Actually, the healer was the one who needed the most protection. His defense was only three points higher than the weakest person present, Xiu Si.

After Justin spoke, everyone looked at him, hesitant to speak. Wang Changer sighed.

The ranger, Ming Jie, smiled, leaning against a tree and playing with some leaves, “Don’t be so serious. We’re going to check it out anyway, right?”

Ye Qingyi admitted, “I’m interested in the Abyss monsters. I want to understand their existence and structure.”

Magicians loved to seek the truth. Ye Qingyi wasn’t just a magician in the game; she was passionate about learning and truth-seeking in real life too. Among everyone present, she was probably the only one who didn’t mind coming to the other world. Compared to the boring, frustrating reality filled with insurmountable obstacles, the chaotic other world might be better suited for her ambitions.

At the end of the discussion, Xiu Si, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, smiling, “Let’s go and see. It might be an opportunity.”

Everyone looked at him simultaneously, and the air fell silent.

In the firelight, Wang Changer smiled faintly, “Since even you said so.”

Ye Qingyi said, “If Brother Xiu approves, there’s no need to hesitate.”

Chen Lingxi, the tank with heavy armor, turned to look at Xiu Si, confidently saying, “Alright, Brother Xiu, you should hide behind me when the time comes.”

Heroes must act together, only then can they save humanity from peril, or so the sage said.

So, even though he was of little use back then, he had to follow everyone on their adventures.

But that wasn’t a bad thing because being beside the heroes was much safer than being anywhere else.

The past memories flickered, and Xiu Si almost forgot that night.

Upon reflection, that night was the last time they met.

The scene of the memory shattered like glass, revealing a vast black sun behind all the memories.

Calling it black might not be accurate. It had no color, only absorbing everything madly.

After who knew how long, Xiu Si finally opened his eyes and found himself not in the Magic Association but back at the antique shop, sitting at the front desk.

Looking down, he saw that his magic power value on the panel had doubled.

Why was this?

Xiu Si was bewildered and looked down to see two cats watching him worriedly.

Their differently colored emerald eyes glowed faintly, weak and innocent, evoking pity.

Xiu Si was stunned, “Did I walk back on my own? Is the registration over?”

The gray cat stepped forward, placing a paw on Xiu Si’s arm as if trying to say something.

Xiu Si was even more surprised, “So, I have a memory gap? During that time, I was accepted as a disciple by the Great Mentor Matros?”

The red cat froze, glaring at the gray cat out of the corner of its eye.

Inpos was incredibly deceitful, managing to explain things away. He said that the contact with the crystal ball caused some mental shock, resulting in memory loss for everyone present.

Hmph, don’t flatter yourself! You clearly didn’t anticipate what would happen when touching the crystal ball, got carried away, and were careless, leading to Beelzebub discovering it.

Saying he took Father as a disciple—who do you think you are? Daring to take advantage of Father, I should slap you with a paw!

Morax pouted, feeling even more uneasy. Now, to cover one lie, a bigger lie was created. If Father finds out the truth later, he might have to turn a blind eye.

And ultimately, it was all because of Aelioge’s concealment.

Should I confess to Father now, telling him that we are the Abyss Lords who fought throughout history?

Morax was still hesitating, but looking up, he saw that Inpos had actually convinced his father, who showed a flattered smile.

“Talent? I never thought I had magical talent. According to the system, my talent points are only 5.”

“What? Great Mentor Matros has an extraordinary eye for potential? I see, I was ignorant. But it can’t be that exaggerated, right?”

A person of such great importance valuing him so highly was unbelievable to Xiu Si, and he couldn’t quite grasp it.

“You say he has important matters and will look for me when he’s free? Hmm… that’s good. I want to know if there’s any misunderstanding.”

Seeing his father and Inpos talking back and forth, Morax hesitated, thinking, Father is too easy to placate. Or is it that he trusts us too much and won’t doubt anything we say, no matter what?

Thinking this, Morax, a demon, felt a pang of conscience, dreading what would happen if Father found out the truth.

So, revealing the truth… let’s put it off for now. Morax silently withdrew his paw, and a few minutes later, he surprisingly joined Inpos. Unable to stand Inpos’s bragging, as soon as he approached, he spoke in a dazzling manner, to the point where Xiu Si fell silent.

“That seems a bit much, doesn’t it?”

Xiu Si reached out and grabbed the red cat’s restless paw. “I’m grateful that the great mentor sees potential in me, but I’m also wary of his intentions. I don’t have much power yet, but I do have a somewhat special identity as an ancient relic from the Gods Era. I don’t want to speculate about such a highly esteemed elder, but what if? I’m not concerned about myself, but I worry about you all.”

As he spoke, he used his other hand to stroke the gray cat’s back.

The gray cat and the red cat exchanged glances.

Father is, after all, an adult. He understands the principle of no gains without pains. No matter how much he trusts us, he won’t be easily deceived.

“And besides, such a figure might really be able to see my ‘uniqueness.'”

Xiu Si was worried about this because the human camp wasn’t entirely composed of good people either.

Having been resurrected for only a few days, he had high hopes for humanity. However, after reading some history books and experiencing a few events, he saw many clouds under the sunshine.

He saw the neighboring countries of the Aust Empire turning a blind eye to its plight and the Continental Human Alliance standing by, observing the fall of the Divine Kingdom of Light.

The human camp, with its numerous grudges and grievances, was not a united whole and was unlikely to become one.

Moreover, on his way to the Magic Association this morning, Xiu Si overheard some discussions.

According to information released by the military, the reason the Aust Empire was targeted by the Divine Kingdom of Light was due to the secret machinations of the former king of the Kingdom of Jipu, Ji Xinsen.

If not for Ji Xinsen, the Aust Empire wouldn’t have been suddenly targeted by the Divine Kingdom of Light.

And why did Ji Xinsen do this? Because he was unwilling to be deposed and wanted to drag the Aust Empire down with him.

If the Divine Kingdom of Light hadn’t fallen, even the most powerful intelligence organizations would have struggled to uncover the connection.

Such was the complexity of worldly affairs.

With this in mind, Xiu Si looked at the cats’ eyes.

“Do you understand? Although I don’t want to say this, we need to be cautious with humans too.”

Both cats raised their heads, their big eyes blinking as if they understood perfectly. They nodded obediently.

As expected of siblings born close together, their synchronization was impressive. Looking closely, except for their colors, the two cats were almost identical. The red cat was slightly larger, while the gray cat was more petite.

Hmm, so obedient, but…?

Xiu Si suddenly remembered the other two kittens and stood up abruptly.