After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 84.1

Francis carefully pushed the wheelchair, bringing Duke Luo Ke into the bedroom.

Although Duke Luo Ke’s complexion still appeared haggard, compared to yesterday, he had clearly regained a glimmer of vitality.

As far as Xiu Si knew, Duke Luo Ke was now 42 years old, right in the prime of human life. As a battle-hardened warrior, this age should have been his golden period for great achievements.

Saving him was the right thing to do, Xiu Si thought contentedly.

Just as Francis was about to speak, his pupils suddenly trembled, his gaze falling on the large orange cat Xiu Si was holding in his arms.

Was this cat here yesterday? No, when did it appear? Is it also one of Yi Xiusi’s children?

Several doubts flashed through Francis’s eyes, but he didn’t ask, because he felt it wasn’t something he could inquire about.

Come to think of it, there were now three cats in this room. Just how much did Mr. Yi Xiusi love cats? And all three cats looked far from ordinary, seeming even smarter than humans.

Duke Luo Ke was unaware of Francis’s confusion. He entered the room for only one purpose.

He said solemnly to Xiu Si. “Thank you, Mr. Yi Xiusi. My curse has caused you trouble.”

Xiu Si shook his head and said, “No need for formalities. You are a hero who protects a country; you don’t need to use humble language with me.”

Francis, standing nearby, couldn’t help but feel a trace of surprise, as he keenly caught the subtle details in the other’s words. Usually, people would use phrases like “You are a duke of a country” as a reason for not needing to be polite. However, Mr. Yi Xiusi never mentioned this. This point was enough to show that in Mr. Yi Xiusi’s eyes, contributions and dedication to human society far outweighed personal glory and status.

In other words, in his value system, what truly mattered were practical actions and contributions to society, rather than empty titles and positions.

Although Francis had vaguely sensed Mr. Yi Xiusi’s extraordinariness when they first met, he still felt a bit shocked from time to time after truly engaging in deeper conversations.

Francis wasn’t someone who valued status either. He always thought that the distinction between noble and lowly status was ridiculous, although he had to admit that the current social system of the Roman Kingdom still needed to be maintained through status differences.

Duke Luo Ke seemed to understand, as if he had grasped Xiu Si’s character in just a few sentences. He spoke in a calm tone. “Mr. Yi Xiusi, they said you collapsed from exhaustion yesterday. Are you feeling better now?”

Xiu Si replied calmly. “It’s nothing, I was just a bit tired. I recovered after sleeping for a night.”

Duke Luo Ke nodded and smiled. “If you need anything, whether it’s items or assistance, please don’t hesitate to tell us. As long as it’s something we can provide, we will do our utmost to meet your needs.”

Xiu Si thought for a moment and replied. “I don’t have anything particular that I want.”

Francis suddenly remembered something and said to Xiu Si. “Mr. Yi Xiusi, we have prepared the alchemy-related books. Whenever you have time, we can arrange for you to meet and exchange ideas with the nation’s great alchemist.”

This was the purpose of Xiu Si’s visit, but he had almost forgotten after taking a nap.

Xiu Si turned his head to look at Francis, not being overly polite, as it was a fair exchange.

Come to think of it, in the morning he had heard the sounds of songs and music from afar in the imperial city district, and had also become interested in the wandering poets’ gathering, feeling it was an event not to be missed.

So he thought for a moment and replied, “Thank you. I hope to stay in your country for a few more days, listen to the poetry gathering, and exchange learning experiences. However, I may need to return once every day, so I’ll need the help of a spatial magician.”

Francis’s eyes curved slightly, revealing a very infectious smile, “Alright, that’s completely fine. I’ll go make arrangements shortly.”

Watching their conversation, Duke Luo Ke smiled faintly and asked, “Is there anything else you need?”

Xiu Si shook his head. “Not for now.”

Duke Luo Ke smiled and said, “It’s fine if you can’t think of anything at the moment. If you have any ideas later, just let me know. Mr. Yi Xiusi, you are a rare talent among humans. I express my gratitude to you not just for saving my life, but more for my admiration and appreciation of your outstanding abilities.”

Xiu Si was flattered and slightly embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I’m just doing what I can. Duke, you are the shield of humanity, an unparalleled talent of the kingdom.”

Once two polite people start being courteous, it can be hard to stop.

Fortunately, Francis was also present.

Francis said. “It’s no trouble at all. I will have someone arrange everything. Please rest assured, Mr. Yi Xiusi.”

Xiu Si: “Thank you very much.”

At this point, Duke Luo Ke’s expression slightly darkened, unsure whether to bring up a certain topic.

Mr. Yi Xiusi had definitely caught the attention of a god-level being. The other party was cunning and treacherous, harboring terrifying murderous intent and malice towards Mr. Yi Xiusi.

Should he tell Mr. Yi Xiusi about this? Theoretically, Mr. Yi Xiusi himself should already know.

As Duke Luo Ke was hesitating, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him. He looked up and realized it was the orange cat in Mr. Yi Xiusi’s arms staring at him.

The orange cat’s gaze was gentle, yet carried an undeniable assertiveness.

It seemed to be warning him not to pursue the matter, as it wasn’t something he should interfere with.

As a high-level human powerhouse, how could Duke Luo Ke not sense that the orange cat’s status far exceeded his own?

Duke Luo Ke had no choice but to take the hint.

A few minutes later, the greetings were almost over.

Francis wanted to assign someone to take care of Xiu Si daily and serve as a tour guide, but Xiu Si politely declined.

The reason was that his orange kitten seemed very familiar with the Roman Kingdom, so there was no need to trouble others.

After they left, Xiu Si asked his little sun, the orange cat.

“Beleth, do you live in the Roman Kingdom?”

The orange cat nodded, though due to its chubby neck, the nod wasn’t very noticeable.

Xiu Si glanced at the sunlight outside and turned to ask. “Shall we go out for a walk later?”

Xiu Si had a habit of taking walks in modern times, but changed it after coming to this other world because those years were too dangerous. A person out for a walk could easily disappear, leaving no room for relaxation and leisure.

Now it was an era of peace. As the saying goes, work and rest should be balanced, and appropriate relaxation was necessary.

The orange cat meowed and lifted its face, its emerald eyes clear and transparent.

“Oh? You say you’ve lived here for over a hundred years?”

A trace of shock flashed through Xiu Si’s eyes. He couldn’t help but be shocked – a hundred years was enough for him to die, yet his child had stayed here for over a hundred years just living.

As time passed, there was an indescribable sense of bitterness.

Xiu Si lowered his gaze and stroked the orange cat’s head.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window, sparsely falling and enveloping the orange cat in a layer of golden radiance.

The child was warm, like a soft little sun.

Sensing his gaze, It curiously raised its head, still the same as before, as if the thousands of years of time gap didn’t exist.

It hadn’t grown up or changed, still the good child in his memory.

Xiu Si was silent for a moment, then smiled and said. “Let’s go, take Father and your brothers out for a stroll.”

“Meow!”

The big orange cat was overjoyed, pushing off with both feet and nimbly leaping to the ground.

The red cat hadn’t yet reacted.

The short-legged cat tilted its head.

Are we going out, meow?

Xiu Si turned and took out the cat carrier, but then he thought, his children had grown up. Although they looked small, they weren’t little anymore.

As a parent, he shouldn’t be overprotective. Moreover, on such a nice day with brilliant sunshine outside, it would be a waste to have the children crouched in the cat carrier during their rare outing.

After a night, Xiu Si’s mindset had changed somewhat.

He asked the children. “Do you want to walk on your own or stay in the carrier?”

Both cats didn’t mind, answering with meows, indicating that whatever father preferred was fine.

Xiu Si really couldn’t do anything about them, “I feel like I’m the one being taken care of by you.”

Hearing this, the short-legged cat thought of something and walked over with soft steps, its fluffy face nuzzling against his arm.

If cuteness could kill, Xiu Si didn’t know how many times he’d been killed by his children.

He thought that since the short-legged cat was small after all, when walking in crowded places, it might accidentally get stepped on. It would be better to stay in the cat carrier.

Oh well. He crouched down to stroke the cat’s paws, thinking that the streets of the Roman Kingdom weren’t very clean, and it wouldn’t be good to dirty the little one’s paws.

However, his big orange cat’s size… it wouldn’t fit in the cat carrier.

Xiu Si looked at the orange cat.

The orange cat nodded confidently, as if saying: Father meow, I can stroll on my own meow.

Xiu Si smiled again, seeming to think of something, and extended his hand towards the orange cat.

The orange cat blinked, lowered its head, and quickly seemed to realize something, so it stretched out its paw.

Xiu Si gently squeezed the cat’s paw, as if feeling the size of the paw.

He lowered his head and pondered. “Should we put on shoes?”

The orange cat’s eyes lit up.

Half a minute later, Xiu Si really made custom-sized fluffy shoes, and they were orange-colored. After putting them on, it looked like the cat wasn’t wearing shoes at all.

The orange cat looked at its own paws in amazement, lifting them up to look left and right, then satisfiedly meowed and nuzzled Xiu Si’s hand with its face.

The other two cats widened their eyes, unable to hide their envious looks.

How could Xiu Si forget about them? He made fluffy shoes for them too.

As a modeler by profession, he couldn’t help but create small things, being somewhat of a detail-oriented person.

Facing his adorable little cats, his thoughts were even more uncontrollable. By the time he came to his senses, he had already dressed up his children.

He worried that they might not like these things, causing them discomfort or affecting their movement, but surprisingly, they all seemed to like them very much.

He didn’t have much he could do for his children, and recently he had been focusing on his own upgrades, seemingly neglecting the children.

He needed to spend more time with them, Xiu Si reflected inwardly.

After about half an hour of preparation, he first found the mansion’s steward, obtained cutting-edge books related to alchemy, and received special recommendation letters from several national alchemists.

Before leaving, Francis rushed to the door to see him off, telling him about the best tourist routes in the imperial city.

After a few polite exchanges, around 10:30, Xiu Si successfully arrived in the bustling street district.

The orange cat walked in front, the person behind, with a basket in hand containing two cats.

This scene would be rare in any country, so it immediately attracted the attention of passersby.

“Oh my~ What cute cats, this gentleman is actually taking cats out for a stroll.”

“Never seen that before, is he a visitor from out of town?”

“Little short-legged cat, look over here~ Auntie has some dried fish for you.”

The Roman Kingdom truly lived up to its reputation as a cat-loving country. Xiu Si hadn’t been out for long, but the cat basket was already full of offerings from people.

After about fifteen minutes, he finally found a relatively quiet park.

The sun was high, the sunlight brilliant. He suddenly felt refreshed and found a soft patch of grass, set down the cat basket, and slowly sat down himself.

Pedestrians passed by, chatting about different topics.

Perhaps it was because the sunlight was so good.

Xiu Si felt relaxed and thought of some things from the past.

So he looked into the distance and said. “You know, your big brother was once as small as you are. At that time, Baal was only level 1, just created, and could barely walk. He fell down countless times a day.”

The three demons were suddenly shocked.

Stories of Big Brother when he was little! They couldn’t help but perk up, revealing very curious expressions.

“At that time, uncles and aunts were all around. When I introduced Baal to them, they were all amazed, saying things like ‘How did you really give birth to a child?'”

In Xiu Si’s eyes, that scene seemed to reappear.

That day, the mottled tree shade fell on the grass. He crouched down, placed his hand on the ground, palm up. A flash of lightning appeared, and his palm-sized offspring slowly walked out from his palm, stumbling, looking like it might fall at any moment, yet extremely stubborn, refusing any help.

Adorable, yet inherently strong-willed.

Xiu Si recalled. “Your big brother was independent and strong from a young age. Once, Uncle Mingjie teased Him, and ended up getting beaten by Him so badly that he never dared to tease Him again.”

The three demons were stunned.

Xiu Si added. “Your big brother never liked jokes from a young age.”

Before he finished speaking, the three demons looked at each other, their backs chilling, already feeling phantom pain. Big Brother didn’t like jokes, and they had played such a big joke on Him…

The short-legged cat shrank back a little.

The violent red cat, however, thought that with so many demons, nearly a dozen now, even Big Brother would find it troublesome, right?

Don’t worry, we’ll face whatever comes. If Big Brother comes, we’ll all face Him together!

The orange cat, however, felt it was just a difference between one punch and two punches.

To be honest, it wasn’t too late for It to betray these fellows now.

But It turned to look at Its father.

Xiu Si’s eyes were still reminiscing, his gaze unusually gentle, the corners of his lips slightly lifted in a faint smile.

Looking at Xiu Si like this, the three demons had almost the same thought.

— For Father, Big Brother was the most special.

At any time, Big Brother was always the most prominent legitimate eldest demon among them.

Father trusted Big Brother the most, relied on Big Brother the most.

If Big Brother came back, Father’s eyes might only see Big Brother.

Meow.

The three demons lowered their heads, feelings complicated. They knew Father loved them equally, but Big Brother’s presence was indeed too strong.

Just then, some passersby were discussing a topic rather loudly.

“Have you heard? It seems the Alliance is about to start a big purge.”

“I’ve heard. It’s about the hero-related matters, right?”

“That’s right. The Alliance has been investigating some families’ old accounts recently. I heard that when the heroes stepped forward to resist foreign enemies back then, some families not only failed to provide due support but also secretly hindered the heroes’ actions. After the heroes successfully repelled the enemy, they even betrayed the heroes. Such behavior is truly outrageous. The Alliance is now pursuing these families’ crimes one by one.”

Hearing this, Xiu Si’s expression slightly changed.

They continued talking.

A righteous-looking young man said. “This is really a sensational event. I heard it involves quite a few magic families. These families have deep foundations and influence in the magic field. Even the Alliance doesn’t dare to easily move against them. The interests involved are complex and intertwined. Any misstep could trigger a big storm, leading to the dissolution of the Human Alliance.”

Someone nearby looked worried. “Ah, we’ve finally united. If the Alliance dissolves because of this—”

The righteous youth immediately became angry. “What do you mean? What’s more important, justice or the Alliance? Without the heroes, we would have been extinct long ago! What about magic families? They deserve to die!”

They almost started arguing on the spot. One of them was particularly indignant, burning with anger. The scene became very tense, and they could start fighting at any moment.

The person opposite quickly apologized, “I misspoke, I misspoke. I support the purge, I support finding the heroes missing in subspace. I’m just afraid it might cause bloodshed.”

A third person said. “I know you’re afraid, but don’t be. Norman Til is backing this matter. You know his strength, right? With him there, things will be resolved.”

The righteous youth said, “They should have been dealt with long ago. If I were a child of their family, I’d kill myself right now. Pooh!”

They walked past arguing, and due to their excessive agitation, they hardly noticed the gazes around them.

Xiu Si’s eyes fell on their backs, lost in thought.