After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 59.1

The little ragdoll lost itself in the moment, nuzzling for quite a while before noticing that Xiu Si’s gaze was a bit strange.

“What’s wrong, Father, meow?”

“Buer, did you… suddenly gain ten levels?”

Xiu Si was still dumbfounded. Children in the family leveling up quickly wasn’t unusual before, but gaining ten levels without warning was?

“Meow!”

Buer realized something was amiss and immediately blinked her eyes. Then her level deflated like a balloon, changing to only a one-level increase.

Xiu Si was even more amazed. He lifted the little ragdoll high, observing closely. “How did the level shrink back?”

The little ragdoll was sweating profusely, meowing repeatedly, not daring to speak human language anymore.

Xiu Si was both puzzled and disappointed. “Was it just a bug?”

The little ragdoll nodded vigorously, also seeming to curse this wretched bug, as if saying: Give me back my levels right now!

Seeing its intense reaction, Xiu Si’s doubts began to dissipate somewhat.

He looked at the little ragdoll a few more times, worried that something might be wrong with his child’s constitution. After all, such large fluctuations didn’t seem like a good thing.

But a few seconds later, Xiu Si suddenly realized something else.

“So I can see specific levels now?”

Previously, his system had malfunctioned, and he couldn’t clearly see other people’s or creatures’ levels. The level indicators above his children’s heads had remained at the levels he last saw before he died. For example, Buer’s had always shown level 28. If Buer hadn’t told him upon returning that it was level 35, he wouldn’t have known the children’s exact levels.

Just now, it seemed the system had successfully updated their levels?!

Xiu Si looked closely again and saw a level 36 indicator clearly floating above the little ragdoll’s head.

The brief spike to level 45 had shocked him, but now it seemed to have returned to normal.

It really did seem like a system bug.

He himself was only level 35, and theoretically shouldn’t be able to see levels higher than his own. But after all, he had the hero system, which allowed for some flexibility up and down, enabling him to see higher levels. Although he wasn’t sure of the exact situation, having level indicators would make judging some things more convenient.

The system was recovering, and he believed it would return to normal soon. Then he’d be able to know all their stats.

Hmm, no need to rush.

Xiu Si smiled slightly, seeming to have turned the page on the little ragdoll’s sudden level increase, but actually keeping it in mind, categorizing it as an unusual event involving his child.

He didn’t know that at this moment, the little ragdoll was thinking: Thank goodness Father didn’t find out, otherwise the others would definitely give me trouble when they come back, meow!

Having just promised Aelioge “leave it to me,” how could she fail in less than a day!

The little ragdoll’s inner resolve ignited – she absolutely had to protect her secret identity!

Father, meow, watch me, meow!

****

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Levin had been guarding the door for quite some time when he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening behind him.

He immediately turned his head to see the Prime Minister walking out, smiling at him, and saying calmly.

“That friend has left. Your Majesty need not be too concerned.”

Levin was startled. Although he didn’t know what had happened, he could tell that the Prime Minister actually knew the Cat God!

Well, well, the Prime Minister with his bushy eyebrows and big eyes actually had such a connection.

Levin thought to himself that it was a good thing he hadn’t offended the Prime Minister before.

Prime Minister: “Your Majesty, you’ve truly met an extraordinary figure.”

Levin was taken aback. “I… just got lucky.”

Hearing this, the Prime Minister shook his head. “Your Majesty knows about the Goddess of Fortune, right?”

“Yes, I suppose everyone on this continent knows about the Goddess of Fortune?”

“Fortune is capricious, or so people say. Have you heard that before?”

“Yes, isn’t that what the history books say? The Goddess of Fortune is capricious, often helping humans on a whim.”

Levin thought to himself that although he wasn’t well-read, he shouldn’t have remembered this wrong.

The Prime Minister nodded, saying meaningfully, “Actually, fortune isn’t capricious. Her divine nature has preferences.”

Levin didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

The Prime Minister smiled, suddenly taking a few steps forward, brushing past Levin. He raised his head to look at the blood-red dusk, saying mysteriously, “She likes three types of people, one of which is sincere people.”

Levin paused, still not immediately understanding.

The Prime Minister didn’t explain further, but said, “To make a country last, one must either become strong or establish good relationships with the strong. Your Majesty’s strength is visible at a glance, so the remaining path is clear. Try to establish a good relationship with that person as much as possible. It might become the most correct and important decision for the Oedipus Empire in the past few thousand years.”

Levin’s eyes widened, unable to react immediately. It took him a few minutes to digest this before slowly nodding.

“I will establish good relations with Mr. Yi Xiusi and his children.”

The Prime Minister glanced at him without comment, then turned his head and said, “It’s almost nightfall. Your Majesty should return to the palace.”

Levin looked down at the time and was startled himself. “How did time pass so quickly!”

With the fall of the Jupius family, although the downfall of the tyrants was satisfying to many, they were after all the largest family in the country, and their void needed to be filled somehow.

And these were precisely the matters that Levin had to deal with.

“There’s no time left, I must hurry back to the palace!”

****

At this time, twilight enveloped the Imperial City, with the sun gradually setting in the west.

Many people were still walking back and forth on the streets, discussing incessantly.

Some believed that losing the Jupius family was like cutting off an arm for the Oedipus Empire.

It shouldn’t be like this.

However, others retorted that they had committed too many evil deeds and got what they deserved. Those people deserved to die, why mourn them?

“But our strength has definitely weakened, hasn’t it?”

“Out with the old, in with the new. Is it possible that the reason our Oedipus Empire has always failed to attract stronger individuals is because they despise the atmosphere here? Without removing the Jupius family, the country cannot progress! His Majesty the King has made the wisest decision. He’s not wrong, he’s not useless. This must be the final victory he’s achieved after years of enduring humiliation and fighting with wisdom and courage!”

“…That actually makes sense.”

“And I dare say the reason the King was able to stand up to the Jupius family is surely because he has an even stronger backer. The Jupius family is gone, but we may have gained an even stronger supporter.”

Discussions about the national situation could be heard in every street and alley. Some people had an even broader perspective, discussing more distant matters, even talking about the affairs of the neighboring Hammurabi Empire.

“By the way, have they captured the God of Ranking?”

“Not yet, I haven’t heard any news.”

“I understand their urgency to find the number one ranked human, but shouldn’t the immediate priority be destroying the divine kingdom?”

“Yes, but do you think the Hammurabi Empire has a chance of winning?”

“It depends on the Divine Kingdom of Destruction, doesn’t it? If it were at its peak from back then, even three Hammurabi Empires wouldn’t be enough to defeat it.”

“That’s right, so the key is to prevent the Divine Kingdom of Destruction from recovering. I wonder how they’re doing on that front.”

Although it wasn’t their own country’s affair, it concerned the God of Destruction after all, and as humans, they couldn’t help but worry.

****

In the evening, Xiu Si focused on modeling, striving to complete the reconstruction of the little light body within the day.

His proficiency in the creation skill had already reached 75%, meaning he only needed to increase his proficiency by another 25% to upgrade it to a silver skill.

“Good.”

Xiu Si encouraged himself, thinking that slow and steady wins the race. Take it slow, he would definitely finish today!

He looked at the little light body on the system workbench, concentrating intently for about half an hour. The results exceeded his expectations, with the majority completed ahead of schedule!

At the same time, his skill proficiency increased to 76%. Such solid progress was truly delightful!

Xiu Si observed the little light body for a while, feeling very satisfied. He somewhat recalled the state of the otherworld god’s large light body.

He later learned that when Otherworld God Number 007 manifested in this world, time all over the world had slowed down.

In other words, the authority that otherworld god possessed was probably [Time].

Not to mention, anyone with a bit of chuunibyou experience would know how powerful “time authority” is, right? There are many bosses who play with time, like Lord DIO, the Priest, Octopus Head, and so on.

As a child of the otherworld god, the little light body should have inherited the otherworld god’s authority.

So, does that mean when the little light body grows up, it can use ‘Za Warudo’?

(TL: 砸瓦爾多 (zá wǎ ěr duō) is a phonetic transliteration of “Za Warudo,” which is DIO’s iconic ability in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. It’s a stand power that allows him to stop time.)

Xiu Si couldn’t quite imagine that scene. If a fight broke out,  ‘Ora Ora’, ‘Muda Muda’… what then?

(TL: 欧拉欧拉 (ōu lā ōu lā) refers to the battle cry “Ora Ora” used by Jotaro Kujo when he unleashes a barrage of punches in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

木大木大 (mù dà mù dà) refers to “Muda Muda” (meaning “useless, useless”), which is DIO’s iconic battle cry in the same series.)

Surely it wouldn’t come to that.

Xiu Si watched the slowly awakening little light body, his mind wandering to various thoughts.

While reconstructing the little light body, he inevitably saw its memories, learning about its interactions and conflicts with its birth father.

The little light body had its faults, which needed to be corrected.

So Xiu Si talked to it while adjusting its physical form.

“So you were making a fuss in your father’s mind for several hundred years. It’s understandable that your birth father would get angry.”

The little light body shrank back. Although still an infant, it instinctively knew that its dark history had been discovered, and couldn’t help but let out a whimper.

Xiu Si noticed its reaction and comforted it. “All babies are like this, right? It’s just because you’re a god, so the crying period lasted too long.”

The time scale for gods must be different from humans. But the key point was still—

Xiu Si stated directly. “He made you feel insecure.”

Adults’ emotional states easily affect children, and it’s the same at the divine level. It’s only natural for a newborn to fear an imposing father.

From the little light body’s perspective, the otherworld god was not just imposing, but also capricious, violent, and fierce, frightening it into endless crying. However, the more it cried, the more irritated the otherworld god became, creating a vicious cycle that eventually led to a deadlock, ultimately causing that accident to occur.

It was really…

Xiu Si didn’t know how to describe it. Putting himself in the otherworld god’s position, if he had been disturbed by his own child for hundreds of years, he might not have been able to endure it either.

Although he knew the little light body might not understand, Xiu Si still educated it. “Next time, you need to learn to behave, okay? Learning to be patient is very important, whether in subspace or here.”

“Whimper.”

The little light body seemed to take the lesson seriously, even though it couldn’t fully understand yet.

Xiu Si: “Next time you meet your birth father, you should apologize properly. Abandoning you was wrong of him, but you also had your issues, you understand?”

The little light body nodded obediently.

Xiu Si continued. “You can’t be too willful. Willful children don’t grow up; they get eaten by the monsters in subspace.”

He slightly “scared” the little light body.

Hearing this, the little light body’s eyes reddened, biting its lower lip and trembling, clearly traumatized by the word “eat”.

Xiu Si felt he had gone too far and quickly retracted, saying softly, “But as long as you’re obedient, you can grow up safely and peacefully, witnessing all the beauty in the world.”

“Whimper whimper.”

The little light body’s squinted eyes opened a crack, emitting a faint golden light. Its pupils were sacred and solemn, yet as fragile as glass.

It seemed curious about what “beauty” meant, although it lacked the ability to understand abstract concepts at this time.

“Blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, deep seas, flocks of birds wandering between chaos and order, vast schools of fish gathering and dispersing – there are so many things you haven’t seen. When you grow up, you can come to the human world to witness them one by one. The world is vast, full of colorful wonders.”

Xiu Si gave specific examples, speaking skillfully and naturally, having comforted many children this way before. He had said similar things to Agares when it hadn’t opened its eyes yet. Back then, Agares’s form was unstable, often melting, even liquefying or vaporizing, and it didn’t like light, so it loved to hide under his collar.

At that time, Agares probably already knew about the hero, although the hero might not have recognized it, only knowing he had created a changeable little thing on his body. Agares had been quiet and observant since childhood, probably secretly watching the world a lot, otherwise how could it know so much magic?

Behind observation is always learning. Of course, each child’s personality is different, and Xiu Si didn’t have a unified education method, but educated them according to their specific situations.

What’s that saying? Teach students in accordance with their aptitude? That’s an exaggeration; the key point should be to implement love!

You have to love your children to take good care of them, right? Love-based education is natural and right.

Cough, Xiu Si got carried away by his own chuunibyou thoughts again. It’s really hard to contain his middle-aged chuunibyou disease.

Look, even the divine infant was giving him a confused and puzzled look.

The little light body was trying hard to open its eyes, as if wanting to see his appearance clearly, to know what he was thinking.

Its tiny form was incredibly adorable.

Whether human or divine, aren’t cubs always the cutest?

“Haha, it’s nothing, don’t mind me.”

Xiu Si put away his memories and casually said, “Anyway, this is something you need to experience gradually. You’re still a baby, don’t rush. You’ll naturally understand when you grow up.”

“Whimper.”

The little light body didn’t understand but nodded, believing everything the human father said was right.

About half an hour later.

Xiu Si was almost finished, looking at the little light body with increasing satisfaction.

Previously, the little light body had only a thread of consciousness left, equivalent to humans having only a bit of genetic information. Now, after his reshaping, it had regained full consciousness and possessed a healthy body.

It seemed that as long as there were no problems, it should be able to grow up healthily.

Xiu Si sighed in relief, only then realizing his face was covered in sweat. Although he hadn’t moved a step, he was already exhausted, really wanting to soak in a hot spring to relieve his fatigue.

At the same time, his skill proficiency increased again, this time generously rising to 80%, the fastest skill improvement in his life. Along with it, his career experience also increased significantly, jumping up 2 levels to reach level 37!

Xiu Si had once thought he would never reach this level before dying, today’s achievement was too amazing!

Even more miraculously, the system announced an additional 100 achievement points. He was training his own level, not expecting to receive achievement point rewards.

It was unbelievable. Xiu Si continued to allocate points, huffing and puffing, and his level increased again, reaching 38! It was truly one good thing after another.

Perhaps sensing his joy, the little light body, though sleeping, smiled, showing faint dimples on its cheeks.

Even the sleeping appearance of a divine baby was adorable.

Xiu Si checked the little light body’s status one more time, confirming there were no issues before shifting his gaze from the system panel.

“Looks like I don’t need to worry anymore.”

Xiu Si felt relieved. However, he also had some thoughts. This child was separated from the otherworld god’s flesh and blood. From a human perspective, would this relationship be considered a father-son relationship?

Your flesh and blood develops consciousness, yet it’s your child… This ethical relationship was beyond Xiu Si’s human brain’s understanding.

It felt somehow wrong, but he couldn’t describe it.

****