I'm Really Not the Lord of the Abyss - Chapter 14

The young man who came to apply for the cleaning job and ended up startling Sikes was none other than Alonfus.

Alonfus’s entry into the branch was the result of Lu Mi’s careful consideration.

Even if the demon didn’t speak, he could tell that it had no intention of returning to the abyss rift.

In this case, he couldn’t always let the demon hide in his shadow, which felt…strange?

Moreover, there were only a few people in the K8 branch, living together day and night, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn’t discover any abnormalities. Rather than having some bizarre rumors about hauntings appear later, it was better to let the demon openly disguise itself as a human.

For this reason, Lu Mi even gave it a piece of refined blue steel that he had cut— This blue steel came from a mysterious blue stone he had picked up from the man in the small garden.

After studying it, Lu Mi found out that the stone was actually a crystal refined from countless blue steels, which had an astonishing effect on blocking aura.

What caught Lu Mi’s attention was that this refining technology was something that the current Blue Steel Empire itself could not achieve in terms of purity. Later, through indirect inquiries, he got a surprising answer from Sikes.

“…You’re talking about refining ore?” Sikes looked up in surprise, seemingly puzzled as to why the silver-eyed young man would be interested in this kind of thing, but after thinking for a moment, he answered, “As far as I know, the one who can take this kind of technology to the extreme is the General Science Academy.”

Lu Mi: “The General Science Academy? You mean the headquarters of the Extraordinary Guild?”

Sikes nodded, his eyes filled with emotion, “The pinnacle of world technology, the paradise of scholars, the pilgrimage site that all seekers of knowledge dream of… It gathers all the world’s scientific research elites, allowing geniuses to find their kind. Those who go there either continue to shine and go to the next level, or they become ordinary, only able to be an assistant.”

Lu Mi: “Sounds like the competition is fierce and cruel.”

“Because it’s the headquarters, the General Science Academy, the General Combat Department, the General Assault Troops, the General Medical Department, even the Tartaros Prison…The world’s top extraordinaries gather there, like droplets into the sea, only the strongest and most talented can make a splash there.”

As Sikes spoke, he paused, and said earnestly, “If you have an intention towards the headquarters, it’s best to keep a calm mind. When you have accumulated enough qualifications and experience, I will try to write a recommendation letter for you…Where are you going?”

Before he had finished speaking, the figure in front of him had already disappeared.

The silver-eyed young man who had walked away lazily waved his hand, still looking relaxed and leisurely, leaving Sikes standing in place, frustrated.

“One after another, all making people worry!” Sikes rubbed his forehead, looking back at the half-person-high pile of documents on the desk. He thought he could breathe a sigh of relief when he returned to the branch, but there was still so much headache-inducing work.

Who can save this corporate slave!

As Lu Mi walked into the hall, he thought about what Sikes had just mentioned.

He couldn’t be completely sure that the refined blue steel came from the General Science Academy, but at least he had a direction. Later, he would go to the archives to look up some information, and it would be nice if he could find a market for this kind of ore.

“Hey, Lu Mi, you’re here! I was just looking for you.” Donald’s eyes lit up when he saw the young man appear in his field of vision, and he came over to greet him.

Lu Mi paused, looked up at him unhurriedly, “Have you arranged everything for Alon… the new employee?”

Just like when Lu Mi was hired, the task of leading the new person to settle in fell on Donald.

“Oh, that’s no problem!” Donald said here, dragging out his tone with a helpless sigh, “This new person is quite worry-free, ah–another one just like you were, so reliable that I can’t find any sense of accomplishment, you two wouldn’t be in cahoots, would you?”

Lu Mi: “…”

“Hahahaha, I’m just kidding!”

Lu Mi looked at the other’s carefree and radiant smile, and couldn’t help but fall silent.

Don’t say it, they really were in cahoots.

“Oh, right.” Donald scratched the back of his head, “The new guy wants to live next to you, I told him there are a lot of empty rooms here, but he seems to like the light in that area…”

“It’s okay, the empty rooms are there to be chosen anyway.” Lu Mi, for some reason, wasn’t surprised at all, and asked, “You came to find me because?”

Donald quickly replied, “Isn’t it because of the raise? I remembered that the first meal you had here was a self-heating fast food, I’ve always felt guilty about it, so I wanted to invite you to my favorite restaurant! I’m super familiar with the owner of that restaurant, she’s a really nice person and the food she makes is super delicious! I originally wanted to bring the new guy along, but he said he wanted to tidy up his room, so he refused.”

That wasn’t surprising. Lu Mi knew that although the demon could perfectly disguise itself as a human, it probably wasn’t keen on truly integrating into human society.

Looking at the young man in front of him who was eagerly waiting for his reply, Lu Mi remembered that he hadn’t really explored the surrounding area yet, so he immediately agreed.

****

The restaurant Donald mentioned was not far from the branch. After passing through the forest in front of the branch and driving a flying vehicle for more than ten minutes, they arrived at a somewhat lively street. The restaurant at the very end of the street was the one.

It was a quiet and rustic little shop.

At a glance, the shop was empty, with no one at any of the dozen or so wooden tables.

Although the population of the K8 Sector was indeed small and the consumption level was not high, it was still somewhat rare to see such a quiet place.

Especially when Donald used to come and go, the shop was always bustling. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but call out in the direction of the kitchen, “Boss lady, are you there?”

The blue curtain that separated the kitchen from the small shop swayed, and a few seconds later, a woman in her thirties, dressed in light blue cloth, came out from behind the curtain.

She was first surprised at Donald’s arrival, then hurriedly greeted, “Busy man, it’s not easy to see you. Did you bring a friend this time? Sit wherever you like, just say what you want to eat.”

After asking Lu Mi’s opinion, Donald skillfully ordered a few signature dishes. After sitting down, he casually said, “Why are there so few people today?”

“Who knows what’s going on.” The boss lady sighed, “There was a big fog last night, maybe the old people thought it was a bad omen, so they didn’t want to go out today.”

Fog?

Donald and Lu Mi looked at each other, they hadn’t seen it.

After a quiet moment, the only sound in the shop was the boss lady’s stir-frying.

Then, Donald looked around and didn’t see the small figure from the past, so he asked, “Why isn’t your daughter here today?”

Because he came here often, almost every time Donald could see a five or six-year-old girl. After a few times, he learned that the little girl was the boss lady’s daughter. The boss lady’s husband died early, and she had no other relatives. After she moved to this small town alone with her daughter, the boss lady usually let the girl stay in the shop so she could look after her.

“Daughter?” The boss lady paused in her stir-frying, and couldn’t help but laugh, “You must have remembered wrong, where do I have a daughter?”

“..…” Hearing her words, Donald suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He seemed to want to show a surprised expression, but his cheeks were stiff.

No daughter? How could that be? Clearly——!

At this time, the boss lady had already finished stir-frying the first dish. It was a home-style dish of stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork, but it looked very appetizing, and the smell alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.

Donald subconsciously stared at the dish, while Lu Mi had already picked up his chopsticks.

“Wait a minute…” He didn’t have time to say anything.

Then, Donald saw Lu Mi put the food into his mouth, paused slightly, and then put his chopsticks back on the table.

“…Are you okay?” Donald stared at him nervously.

Lu Mi glanced at him indifferently and commented, “It tastes bad.”

“What?” Donald looked over, hesitated for a moment and also took a bite, the next second, he immediately jumped up looking for water, “Pooh pooh pooh! So salty, why is it so salty! Did they pour the whole bag of salt in?!”

When Donald came back awkwardly gulping down a whole glass of water, he couldn’t help but admire Lu Mi’s calmness.

And just as he sat down, before he could speak, he saw Lu Mi suddenly look out the window and say in an unclear tone, “It’s foggy.”

!

Donald was taken aback and looked out as well.

White fog rose from nowhere, swirling and spreading.

A wisp of it floated lightly from outside the door to his side, and Donald couldn’t help but be entranced, as if something was slowly being drawn out of his body, and then…

When Donald came to his senses again, he was sitting at the dining table, and the boss lady was anxiously calling him in front of him.

“You finally woke up, you’ve been in a daze just now, I thought you were having a nightmare!” The boss lady sighed with relief.

Donald blinked, quickly sobered up, looked around, and found that only the two of them were left in the shop, and all the doors and windows were closed, even the door cracks were blocked with wooden boards.

“Where’s Lu Mi?”

“Who?”

“The companion who came with me!”

“Oh, the one with silver eyes…He couldn’t wake you up just now, so he asked me to watch over you here, and told me to block the doors and windows so that the fog wouldn’t drift in. Then he rushed into the fog by himself!”

“What!?”

Donald’s pupils contracted sharply, he quickly got up, grabbed the transparent window next to him, but could only see the sea-like gathering fog outside, covering everything.

He took a few quick breaths, clumsily took out his terminal, and immediately dialed, “Hello, Sikes? This is Donald! In the small town outside the branch, there seems to be an unidentified abyss creature!”

No one knew what was happening behind this fog.

On the other side, Lu Mi was slowly walking in the fog.

He could see that many “fogs” wanted to drift onto him, but the protections placed on him kept them at bay, firmly protecting the young man.

Even some invisible forces spread from his side, directly dispersing the fog.

Over time, these fogs formed a vacuum zone around Lu Mi, daring only to stagnate a few meters away.

Lu Mi looked at it, or them, and remarked, “It’s really an old acquaintance.”

That’s right, Lu Mi knew what these creatures were. Compared to the previously unfamiliar Snake-headed Winged Dragons, this time he happened to encounter one he had met in the abyss.

——Forgetful Insect.

Although their appearance gives the illusion of fog, in reality, the true form of these fogs are countless tiny bugs like cotton.

Forgetful Insects do not cause physical harm to people because they are memory-devouring insects. The longer you stay in this “fog”, the more memory you lose, and the more important it is.

From forgetting how to cook a dish, forgetting important people around you, important things. In the end, you might even forget who you are, forget that you need to eat…

When Lu Mi first encountered them in the abyss, he was caught off guard and suffered a loss. But after figuring out the abilities of these creatures, dealing with them became simple.

——Forgetful Insects fear high temperatures.

“Knowledge, flame.” The command flashed through his mind.

A blue-silver spear appeared in his hand, without even needing to be enchanted.

Golden flames erupted from his body.

The silver-eyed young man stood quietly in the thick fog, with flames swirling around him, changing and surging, turning into a sea of fire like molten gold in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, he was like a god born in fire, holding up a golden banner, walking step by step from the flowing flames.

Wherever Lu Mi went, the thick fog was all burned away.

The air was filled with the hard-to-hear wails of insects, turning into unique sound waves, sharply spreading to the distance.

The thick fog began to shrink rapidly, turning into clouds, and rising into the sky.

“Want to escape.” A soft voice sounded, and the golden flame roared away.

At this time, in the one-sided collapse of the thick fog, Lu Mi heard a child’s faint crying sound coming from the other side.

The white fog where the sound came from had not completely dissipated, Lu Mi slightly turned his head, and walked over.

And at this moment in the white fog, a five or six-year-old little girl was tightly tugging at the hem of a brown-haired man’s clothes.

The brown-haired man had a golden watch on his hand, and there was an hourglass emblem on the dial.

He was protecting the little girl in his arms, while vigilantly looking around.

The girl’s panicked crying by his ear made his head ache unbearably.

“Wuwuwu Mom, I want mom——wa!”

Annoying annoying annoying! Why are children so troublesome!! In the man’s pitch-black eyes, a fierce red light faintly emerged, wishing he could just throw the girl here and walk away!

Who the hell wants to care about other people’s lives!!

But——no!

The brown-haired man’s forehead was bulging with veins.

His mind was in chaos at this moment, and it took him a while to remember his own name.

…That’s right, his name was Gaudi.

He was tightly holding a piece of paper in his hand, which was something he had managed to find on himself: Extraordinary K8 Branch Recruitment.

Lost memories were difficult to piece together in his mind.

Gaudi finally remembered two things——

First, he was there to infiltrate the branch undercover, for a lord to whom he had sworn loyalty.

Second, he had to hide his malice and strive to be a good person. (In reality, it was to gain the trust of others.)

That’s why he came to this small town close to the K8 branch, and that’s why he chose to help the little girl crying in the middle of the road.

But before he could help her find her home, this strange and inexplicable fog came.

“Damn it, my head hurts…” Gaudi tried hard to recall the appearance of the lord he was loyal to, but for some reason, he just couldn’t remember.

It seemed to be blond? No, it was gold, golden…

Just as he was deep in thought and in great pain—

Gold appeared.

That moment was like the sun setting, the dawn rising.

The youth who broke out of the fog, carrying a sky full of golden flames, illuminated the world in an instant.

The surging flames surrounded him, perfectly unifying gentleness and ferocity.

He walked in the sea of flying flames, as if the sun in the high sky had descended on the boundless earth.

The high and mighty deity looked down, and although he didn’t say a word, those clear and calm eyes had a strange soothing power.

The little girl who had been crying all the time suddenly quieted down. At an age where she didn’t yet understand awe and reverence, she was the first to see the grandest light in the world, the most flawless beauty.

The golden flames illuminated the child’s panicked eyes, dispelling the helplessness within, as if a brilliant sun had risen in her eyes.

“Are you the lord deity in the storybook who comes to save us in times of crisis?” The child’s naive and innocent words echoed in the air.

Gaudi was completely stunned.

From the moment the thick fog appeared, the feeling of being constantly drained from his body and his mind being constantly pulled abruptly disappeared. His heart, which had been beating rapidly in the fog to the point of suffocation, also suddenly relaxed.

He seemed to fall into a brief, earth-shattering emptiness, and then, a look of both sorrow and joy suddenly appeared on his face, slightly twisted due to the sudden realization.

This was the lord he was loyal to!

The vague image in his mind was completely replaced by the person in front of him.

At that moment, his headache-ridden head was immediately relieved, and he relaxed instantly, as if it should have been this way, with no problems at all!

Yes, it must be to shine in such unprecedented brilliance, that he would abandon the darkness and choose to suppress his nature to be a good person!!

“Lord!” Gaudi ran over on all fours, knelt down with a thud, and said with tears and snot flowing, “This subordinate has fulfilled his duty and finally arrived here!”