After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 29.2

At the beginning, she had suggested an approach of viewing the Abyss Lords as “siblings”, which provided a perspective to understand the conflicts and clashes between Abyss Lords as daily quarrels between siblings.

More specifically, it could be understood as quarrels between “family members”.

This explanation was fundamentally different from previous ones, and the conclusions drawn from this explanation were completely different.

Speaking of this, Helen couldn’t help but smile and said, “I think Your Majesty’s approach is very correct. The logic is being organized very smoothly.”

Anna asked in surprise, “For example?”

Helen said, “Let me give a few reasons for quarrels between Abyss Lords: ‘Why isn’t the sky green?’, ‘Why isn’t the sea green?’, ‘Why is the Ephili Great Forest light green instead of dark green?’, and so on. Your Majesty, don’t you think these reasons are… trivial?”

It was just like family members arguing over different opinions on certain matters.

Not at all like some deep-seated grudge, a matter of life and death.

Amazingly, after their quarrels, they might reconcile a few hundred years later, although there was a good chance they would fall out again. But the conflicts between them would never be life-and-death matters where one had to die.

Previously, because they were Abyss Lords, not much thought was given to the reasons behind their quarrels, or why they quarreled in this way. Now, thinking carefully, it became clear – many things didn’t add up.

Their relationships were not as many historians had speculated – extremely poor, fighting whenever they were together.

Instead…

Anna seemed to understand something and suddenly said, “Actually, they have very good relationships, don’t they?”

Helen nodded and said directly, “Most of them do.”

Anna asked curiously, “Most?”

Helen nodded and said, “Most have good relationships, but there are always a few with bigger conflicts.”

Anna was silent for a few seconds, then asked, “But the logic can always be sorted out, successfully fulfilling Aelioge’s hope, right?”

Helen smiled, seeming very confident, and said, “It’s possible. After all, history is a study of recording and interpreting. Facts can’t be changed, but there can be many ways of interpretation. Also, I feel… although we initially set out to ‘alter history’, what we end up with might actually be the true history.”

It was a convoluted statement, but completely understandable.

Anna understood, feeling somewhat incredulous, as if she was getting to know the Abyss Lords for the first time today.

Helen continued, “Your Majesty, I believe the power of the Abyss Lords is not impossible to win over. As long as we can understand what they truly care about, we might be able to communicate with them.”

Anna nodded, her tone serious, “But we must be mindful of our attitude. We are seeking their help.”

The key was not what the other party could bring to us, but what we could do for them.

Helen strongly agreed, “Yes.”

Regardless, the Aust Empire currently needed to actively seek power, especially the power of the Abyss Lords.

Whether it would succeed or not was unknown, but for the sake of the country and its citizens, they had to try.

“Let’s hope everything goes smoothly.”

As the words fell, Anna walked to the window and looked up at the sky.

The nights were becoming dangerous. If not for Eilinson strengthening the magical defenses every day, this peace would have long been lost.

“A country is a machine that exists to protect its citizens.”

Anna suddenly muttered to herself, her gaze deep and complex.

Meanwhile.

In the second largest city of the Aust Empire.

A series of “gatherings” unfolded beyond the eyes and ears of the empire. The missing Duke Feman declared himself the high priest, an apostle of the impending otherworldly god.

“Those who don’t want to die must obey me.”

“This country is beyond salvation. Only my god can save you.”

“Think of yourselves, think of your families and friends. Do you really want to perish with this foolish and incompetent empire?”

“No, you can absolutely live. You don’t have to leave your homes, you don’t have to abandon your ancestral land. You can continue to live on this beautiful soil!”

Duke Feman passionately delivered his speech, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the believers. “Humans are powerless. Before the subspace, humans and the land they inhabit are so fragile. But don’t be afraid. Learn to rely, learn to submit, know that choice is above all else!”

The people at the foot of the altar gazed at him eagerly, driven by either survival instinct or other desires. They knew that the otherworldly god was immensely generous, and would surely selflessly grant them whatever they wanted.

Be it power, wealth, or more.

Everything they craved lay in the chaos that would follow the overthrow of order.

Duke Feman’s lips curled into a smile, his expression animated. Like a music conductor, he elegantly proclaimed, “Yes, you will get everything you desire, with our great god as witness!”

His voice carried a strong cognitive pollution. Anyone listening to him, with even the slightest weakness in their consciousness, would be contaminated, manipulated, and altered!

A wave of excitement swept through the crowd at the foot of the altar, with almost everyone showing eager looks.

Ah, hurry, hurry, let the great otherworldly god descend quickly!

That night, the Aust Empire’s military searched everywhere but couldn’t find the gathering place of the cult followers.

Philip had an extremely ominous feeling and couldn’t sleep at all. After much consideration, he couldn’t help but try to summon Aelioge.

However, he failed. Aelioge not only refused but didn’t even give an answer this time.

Philip felt heavy-hearted, inevitably thinking of that person, the mysterious existence who was the only one who could influence the Abyss Lord.

The next day.

Xiu Si woke up early, only feeling at ease after confirming all his children were safely by his side, not one missing.

“Well, it should be about time.”

After finishing other tasks, he carried the two cats out of the bedroom, placing them on the table as usual.

Then, he glanced at the guidebook.

Both the little white bird and the little black bird were still asleep.

The little white bird was sleeping soundly, but it was unclear about the little black bird.

Xiu Si worried it might be due to consciousness transplant incompatibility, murmuring, “Has the consciousness not recovered yet?”

That guy is just oversleeping, right? The gray cat gazed at its father pensively.

They never imagined that the God of Darkness would actually sneak in.

Aelioge and Beelzebub would definitely be furious when they returned.

If Vassago, sleeping next door, woke up, he would probably pluck all the bird’s feathers. Who knew that just by taking a nap, inexplicably another sibling had appeared.

If the other siblings who hadn’t been found yet knew, they would surely be shocked, gritting their teeth, exclaiming that there couldn’t be any more, as there was no room left around Father!

It could only be said that, fortunately, those who had come so far were relatively emotionally stable. If it were the 17th-ranked Botis, these two birds would definitely already be cooking in a pot. Botis was genuinely dark, willing to eliminate rivals even at the risk of being discovered by Father.

Compared to Botis, Aelioge’s actions were even considered mild.

Really, thinking carefully, none of their siblings were easy to deal with.

If all were present, that scene would be unimaginable. It would be impossible to maintain peace without Baal or Agares keeping order.

The gray cat shook its head, somewhat afraid to imagine what scene would unfold if the two little birds faced their full sibling lineup.

However, on the other side, Morax didn’t have as many thoughts as Inpos. He yawned, feeling that no matter what, the most important thing at this moment was to get close to Father before the other guys discovered him!

A few minutes later.

“I’m going out for a while.”

Xiu Si went to the Magician’s Association again, this time bringing the red cat. The reason was that it had rushed over first.

The magicians on the road noticed he had brought a different cat and all looked at him curiously.

Someone couldn’t help but ask, and received Xiu Si’s answer – he had raised not just one or two, but many, it was a big family.

Everyone was shocked.

It was normal for a magician to keep a few pets, but keeping dozens was extraordinary, not something an ordinary person could do.

They were greatly astonished, suddenly understanding Great Mentor Matros’s choice.

This young man seemed ordinary in power, currently only at level 27, very average among magicians of his age. But he definitely had something unusual about him, only they lacked the discernment to see it.

In fact, Xiu Si had come to borrow books this time, heading straight to the library upon arrival.

He still remembered that strange “hallucination” and wanted to see if there were any related records. Secondly, he wanted to find a book about system magic.

As is widely known, the system is a type of magic, originally researched to accompany summoned heroes. Later it was popularized so many magicians could use it, but the popularized version wasn’t the original version used by heroes. It was a low-end version. The version used by heroes had been lost and couldn’t be replicated.

In the magic world’s understanding, only the systems used by heroes were true systems. The later ones were just inferior imitations, incomparable to the original in terms of functionality and other aspects, which was indeed the case.

However, even so, many magicians were equipped with the low-end system magic.

Xiu Si pondered as he walked to the front of the library.

The library is a country’s knowledge treasury, generally not accessible to non-citizens, but Xiu Si’s special status gave him convenience.

The Magician’s Association’s library consisted of several buildings, about the size of ten football fields, with buildings as high as 10 floors and as deep as 3 underground levels.

Someone entering for the first time would definitely get lost.

As Xiu Si reached the entrance, someone handed him a stack of maps.

Yes, a thick stack. Apparently, countless people had gotten lost so far, hence this thick stack of map guides was compiled.

The librarian said that even old magicians who had been in the library for over ten years could still get lost if they carelessly went to an unfamiliar area.

Xiu Si entered the library. Several hours later, he hadn’t found the book related to that hallucination, but he successfully found “Research and Analysis of System Magic”.

Opening the book, he saw it researched ancient system magic, not modern system magic. In other words, it studied the system magic from the hero era.

Xiu Si searched from morning till evening, finally finding the right book. He brought the red cat to the librarian.

“Can I borrow it for a few days?”

“Certainly, Mr. Xiu Si. How many days specifically would you like to borrow it? We’ll register it here.”

“Hmm, three days. If that’s not enough, I’ll come back to renew.”

“Alright, no problem.”

A few minutes later, Xiu Si left with that book, along with a few beginner magic books.

He was going to study magic seriously, not just to recover and restart his system.

On the way back, imperial soldiers were hurrying along with grave expressions, as if something had happened.

Xiu Si took note, pondering. A few minutes later, he walked back to the antique shop.

As soon as the door opened, the gray cat pounced on him.

Xiu Si picked it up. “You two play, I need to read a book first.”

The two cats paused, then obediently nodded.

Inpos secretly said: Father found a book on system magic?

Morax: Yes.

Inpos was a bit worried.

Xiu Si read for a few minutes and indeed couldn’t comprehend it due to it being too advanced, so he had to put it down for now.

Just then, the little black bird woke up, making its presence known in the box.

Xiu Si felt the movement and let it out, placing it between the two cats. After confirming the model was fine, he smiled and said, “You three play first.”

The little black bird was initially happy, but its expression suddenly froze. It thought, “My Father, how can you put a bird between two cats to play…do you mean for them to play with me? Wah!”

But before it could react, Inpos snatched it away with a paw.

The little black bird instinctively struggled.

The gray cat said quietly, “Don’t worry, we won’t do anything to you.”

Little black bird: Really?

Morax snorted, tapping its paws on the ground, exuding authority, “You dare not believe?”

“No, no, I wouldn’t dare.”

The little black bird was flexible and adaptable, its speech nimble, clearly having gained experience from years of mingling with humans.

Inpos gave it a glance, then suddenly said seriously, “Enough of this, go help us do something.”

The little black bird blinked its bean-sized eyes. “What is it?”

Morax: “Go to the room and wake up Vassago, that white fat cat. Aelioge and Beelzebub aren’t here, and there are some things outside we want to ask Vassago about.”

The little black bird didn’t understand, almost saying, “Why don’t you go ask then?”

Inpos tapped it with a paw, “Vassago is gentle-natured, but loves to sleep and often doesn’t wake up. You were severely injured, and Father saved you and created a new body for you. You’ve joined us and are now our sibling. Asking you to wake up a sibling is a test for you, and also a chance to build a relationship with Vassago.”

“Is that so.”

The little black bird was a bit happy, its eyes shining brightly, integrating at an extraordinary speed, clearly a natural at getting along with others.

Morax: “Go on, Vassago will like whoever it sees first when it wakes up.”

The little black bird, flattered by being called “our sibling”, went off happily.

Little did it know that both cats smiled mischievously behind its back.

On the other side.

Vassago couldn’t find Agares in the dream realm and was getting increasingly irritated. Just then, it suddenly heard a noisy sound.

It hated being woken up while sleeping. Which fool was making a ruckus and disturbing it? Looking for death?

Vassago endured for a while, but finally couldn’t bear it anymore and woke up. Its crouching cat body suddenly stood up, and then a chattering little black bird came into view.

What is this thing? Such a fat bird!

No, wait, why does this thing have Father’s aura?!

Vassago’s pupils constricted, and its fur exploded in a puff!