After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 74.1

“Meow~”

The short-legged cat, innocent and pure, lowered its head to be petted.

Xiu Si hesitated to speak, turning his head to look again.

That sword was snow-white and clear, illuminating the entire room. As the blade was exposed to the air, magic power surged and leaked out, causing the space to tremble. The surrounding bookshelves emitted gentle quivering sounds.

…Was this also picked up in the abyss?

Xiu Si observed carefully, opening his perception to analyze the item.

Then, in an instant, dozens of layers of super-grade magic appeared on the blade, with effects including but not limited to “guaranteed hit” and “guaranteed defense”. If it were to be sold, it might be enough to buy a city or even more.

While Xiu Si was looking, a strong curiosity welled up in his heart.

It wasn’t that he had never seen divine artifacts before. Back then, every hero except him had one. Of course, that wasn’t targeted at him specifically. It was mainly because his profession didn’t have a matching divine artifact. Professions like berserker and magician had existed before, and humans had previously reached the divine realm, leaving behind rich assets. As for him, a creator, an unprecedented bizarre profession – even the sage who presided over the summoning magic for heroes didn’t know how such a profession could appear.

What did that sage say again? He should have been a divine spellcaster, a versatile profession that could engage in close combat, ranged attacks, defense, and healing – very flexible with an extremely high upper limit.

However, unexpectedly, a brand new profession appeared in the end…

Xiu Si’s thoughts had wandered far. He shook his head and said to himself, “Let’s focus on the present.”

Should he first construct an item, then imprint the magic structure into it, making it a magical artifact?

Or should he proceed simultaneously, conceiving both the physical structure and energy structure together, combining the virtual and the real?

The former approach was split, with a sequential order. It was a relatively common sequence.

As far as he knew, divine artifacts of this type were all forged this way.

First, collect superior materials, forge a powerful sword blank, and after the sword takes shape, have a magician carve magic onto it, or have a deity bestow blessings.

He could certainly do it this way too, thinking of a sword in his mind and then imbuing it with magic.

“But…”

Xiu Si frowned, his eyes flashing with thoughts. The protagonists in most overpowered novels and comics don’t follow the usual path. For example, they come up with things ordinary people can’t imagine, taking routes others can’t conceive.

The “create-enchant” path was an ordinary route that anyone could take.

Should he take the ordinary path, or…

Xiu Si’s gaze deepened slightly, as if facing an important decision.

All along, he had placed his mentality within the identity of an ordinary person.

Doing ordinary things as an ordinary person, not pursuing grand dreams, just wanting to survive, live well, and take good care of the children.

He had never questioned this way of living because he had always lived like this.

But was this mentality limiting himself?

Should he conform to the “ordinary”, or bravely challenge the “extraordinary”, entering the unfamiliar realm on the other side, experiencing unfamiliar things, and feeling various unfamiliar experiences?

Xiu Si’s gaze gradually became solemn, his expression turning serious.

This was undoubtedly a life choice.

He could clearly see a white line drawn beneath his feet. He could choose to be conservative, staying in his comfort zone.

Or step across that line, entering the realm of the “extraordinary” and “inhuman”.

Xiu Si fell into hesitation, instinctively cautious about the concept of [inhuman]. He felt that once he stepped over that line, he would be departing from his current self.

He remembered that he had experienced this kind of “dividing line” hesitation once before, right after transmigrating.

Whether to continue treating the other world as a game, or to treat it as a real world.

The choice between these two different attitudes affected his mentality and actions.

He hesitated for more than three days before finally choosing the latter, treating “game characters” as real people, talking to them, and trying to understand them.

He was the first person to do this. At that time, the others were still angry, and people had disappeared to who knows where.

A few days later, when they returned, they found that he had started communicating with the people of the other world and even had some conflicts with them.

There were many frictions back then, but in the end…everyone still recognized the situation and began to seek solutions.

And he served as a bridge connecting the heroes and the human kingdom.

“…Someone always has to take the first step.”

Xiu Si recalled in his heart.

At that time, he didn’t know whether his choice was good or bad. He could only make judgments based on his life experiences and understanding of the world and people.

For him, that was the approach most consistent with his personality.

When living, one should at least not go against one’s own principles, and act according to one’s beliefs, right?

At that time, they were too weak. Outside, there was either a war among gods, destroying heaven and earth, or giants roaming about, crushing mountains and rivers. Falling out with the human kingdom would have been more harmful than beneficial to them, possibly leading to their total annihilation.

And Luo Jie’s outburst of anger almost tore apart the possibility of them joining forces with the human kingdom.

If someone had to bow their head, then he, being the weakest and oldest, should be the first to do so.

Xiu Si rarely recalled some of the situations from those years. If asked now whether his choice was right or wrong,

He… still didn’t know the answer.

Thinking of this, Xiu Si’s mood became complex, his pure black eyes growing even more somber.

The short-legged cat sensed that its Father seemed unhappy and meowed a few times, but Xiu Si was lost in thought and didn’t notice its movements.

The short-legged cat waited for a while, nervous and uneasy, its paws starting to move, scratching and pawing at its Father’s palm.

Xiu Si was still deep in thought.

The short-legged cat became a bit anxious, its voice suddenly growing louder, “Father meow!”

Xiu Si instantly came back to his senses, looking down to find the short-legged cat staring at him with wide eyes, seeming very worried about him.

He only then realized that he had been thinking too much.

“Mm, Father’s fine.”

Xiu Si stroked the short-legged cat’s face, comforting it. “Father was just thinking about… career planning issues?”

This phrase seemed strangely appropriate.

The short-legged cat tilted its head, its paw stroking his hand in return, its forehead nudging his palm, showing clear signs of comfort.

Father, don’t worry meow. All things that worry you, I will deconstruct them meow.

Its adorable appearance healed Xiu Si.

Xiu Si said from the bottom of his heart, “I feel that my choice back then wasn’t wrong, otherwise I wouldn’t have such good children like you.”

The short-legged cat blushed slightly at the praise, though it wasn’t very noticeable under its fur.

Xiu Si thought while speaking, “Come to think of it, Luo Jie and Justin also said that they lived here without regrets, with their only regret being me, and I’ve already returned.”

He seemed to have thought too much, mistaking others’ choices as his own burden.

In fact, isn’t everyone making their own choices?

Isn’t there a saying?

Hesitation leads to defeat.

He gradually felt relieved, his lips curving slightly upwards, as if he had understood something crucial, his mindset changing, his inner self becoming transparent.

Looking again, he saw no “line” that needed to be crossed, wasn’t this the great path open and clear?

Xiu Si casually picked up the sword on the table, finding that while it looked heavy, it was actually very light, like a feather, almost weightless.

He had an idea in mind, wanting it to become heavy, and it really did increase in weight.

A sword that could freely control its mass?

Xiu Si had another idea, imagining it smaller, and it truly gradually shrank, becoming small enough to fit entirely in his palm.

What a free sword!

It happened to perfectly match his current state of mind.

Xiu Si then thought, why should he limit himself to being an ordinary person?

He questioned himself and actually remembered that back then, because others were leveling up so rapidly while he was always slow to level up, in order to balance his psychology, he constantly gave himself mental suggestions.

— They level up quickly because they have good talent, they are extraordinary. I level up slowly because I’m an ordinary person, this is normal.

At that time, this mental suggestion truly alleviated his psychological pressure.

He hadn’t expected that this mental suggestion would continue to affect him until today, to the extent that when it came time to move towards “extraordinariness”, he actually hesitated.

“In fact, is there really any ‘ordinary’ or ‘extraordinary’? Where you should go is where you go, isn’t it?”

Xiu Si suddenly understood, unconsciously cultivating the heart of a strong person.

“So, do I still take the ordinary path?”

Xiu Si silently asked himself, watching the divine sword grow and shrink in his hand, the answer was self-evident.

He wanted to challenge the extraordinary.

Grasping both matter and energy, constructing the virtual and real together!

Once his mind was made up, his actions naturally quickened, immediately setting to work with enthusiasm.

The short-legged cat watched its Father’s transformation, its gaze entranced, nodding slightly.

I like it meow, I like Father like this meow.

It felt a bit giddy, and the next second, the white cat’s big paw smacked its head.

It was instantly terrified, looking foolishly and weakly at the white cat.

The white cat’s eyes were cold as it said, “You actually gave divine equipment to Father.”

The short-legged cat was stunned, seeming to only now realize the problem, shrinking its paws and stammering.

The white cat flicked its forehead, nearly sending it flying, showing the white cat’s anger.

The short-legged cat didn’t dare to cry out, its eyes glistening with tears.

The white cat turned its head to look at Xiu Si, also noticing their Father’s change.

Did this little one accidentally help Father?

Vassago raised an eyebrow.

The short-legged cat trembled.

Vassago looked back. “Nevermind, at least you helped Father.”

Short-legged cat: “Meow?”

Vassago’s tone was a bit heavy. “Father sometimes gives himself mental suggestions to overcome difficulties.”

Vassago knew this because He was born on the continent. When Father created Him, some of his inner thoughts were also transmitted.

From self-doubt to self-overcoming.

Their Father was firm yet gentle, strong inside, always willing to take the first step.

He liked this kind of Father. Really liked him. That’s why He wanted to become this person’s child.

No one else would do, it had to be this person.

Vassago’s gaze was profound as He thought, now Father has progressed again.

That’s great.

Vassago looked at Xiu Si, unable to resist pouring out His heart. “Father, one day you will realize your own strength.”

“At that time, we will present you with the best gifts, making you proud of us, so you no longer have to worry and fear.”

“Whether it’s the gods and demons of the continent, or the terrors of subspace, nothing will be able to harm you anymore.”

He made a contract in His heart.

Perhaps noticing His attention, under the lamplight, the black-haired youth turned his head, looking directly at Him.

“Vassago, are you awake and moving around?”

Vassago was stunned for a moment, then took a few steps to pounce in front of Xiu Si, nuzzling his head.

Xiu Si didn’t know His thoughts, but gently stroked His fur.

Vassago had always felt guilty about concealing things from Xiu Si. But ultimately, why did He agree to Aelioge’s proposal?

His cat pupils contracted slightly as He expressed His true thoughts in His heart.

— Because He didn’t want Father to feel that they had grown up, didn’t want Father to feel at a loss due to missing thousands of years.

— He wished they were still in the days of the abyss, even with many family members, even He couldn’t occupy all of Father’s attention.

****

Time went to 8 PM.

Speaking of which, Beelzebub had been observing the battle all night, searching everywhere for Federi without success, and finally thought of his third brother.

So Beelzebub opened a space to return home, transforming into a silver cat and appearing quietly.

And coincidentally, He saw a large and a small cat guarding beside Father.

Hm?

Just as Beelzebub was confused, Vassago turned His head.

The two demons’ gazes met.

The white cat jumped down from the table, facing the silver cat on the ground.

Beelzebub never wasted words, “Do you know where Federi is?”

Vassago raised an eyebrow, “Call me brother.”

Beelzebub paused.

He rarely called them brother, usually addressing them as “you”.

Vassago had never paid attention to this form of address before, what was going on today?

Beelzebub didn’t ask, appropriately bowing His head and saying, “Third brother, do you know where Federi is?”

Vassago glanced at Him and replied. “I know and I don’t know.”

Beelzebub was puzzled, “What does that mean?”

The two cats were behind Xiu Si, so he couldn’t see their movements.

Vassago raised His paw, magic power forming a projection, presenting a starry sky scene.

He said, “During the day, I found out that Norman Til was looking for me to find Federi’s whereabouts, so I checked in advance, this is the answer.”

Beelzebub turned His head.

More than a hundred red dots appeared in the starry sky scene.

These red dots corresponded to a location in subspace.

Vassago explained. “These are the relational points I found using my power, He is in one of these.”

Beelzebub sneered, “Hiding and concealing, what kind of God of Destruction is that?”

Vassago was indifferent. “Anyway, what do you think, should we search them one by one or…”

Beelzebub coldly smiled, “Of course.”

Vassago: “Is one demon enough?”

“Not enough, so I’ll split off a bit.”

Beelzebub said matter-of-factly, “Aren’t humans searching? They have many people, it’s just right.”

“Do as you please.”

Vassago nodded, casually tossing the intelligence to Beelzebub.

Beelzebub received it, pondering for a moment.

Vassago stared at Him, suddenly saying, “When facing the ‘God of Destruction’, don’t forget who you are.”

Beelzebub imagined Aelioge saying this to Him, was silent for a moment, then said coldly and proudly. “I am Father’s child, do I need to say more?”

Vassago didn’t speak again.

Beelzebub took a deep look at Xiu Si under the lamplight, only turning away and disappearing after a few seconds.

****

That night, Norman Til was resting temporarily in an inn, with various magic scrolls spread out on the table in the room.

He stroked his chin, frowning deeply. He had used dozens of methods within an hour, yet still couldn’t locate Federi’s position.

Today, Hammurabi’s Harmonious War had fought the Divine Kingdom of Destruction to a draw, both sides suffering heavy casualties, proving to be evenly matched.

The morale of the human side rose, and their combat power increased accordingly.

It was good news. However, the biggest threat still remained unsolved.

Where exactly was Federi hiding, and how many steps away was He from becoming the God of Destruction?

Norman Til whispered. “He must be in subspace.”

The blue elf beside him heard this and pondered. “Should we capture that dog head?”

The red elf said, “Good idea, the dog head should know some information.”

Norman Til shook his head, “Dog head can’t possibly know. Federi is so good at hiding, how could He let the dog head know His location?”

The blue elf sighed, “I guess that’s true.”

The yellow elf asked curiously. “Federi doesn’t have Hammurabi’s divine body, can He successfully digest the power of the God of Destruction?”

This was a good question, but Norman Til didn’t know the answer either.

Having a divine body would definitely be more beneficial for digestion, and without one… perhaps it would just be more laborious.