Chapter 20: A Turning Point?
Su Xiao did not leave this dark continent. Instead, he headed toward the location of Abyss Sprawl Zone 0. The distance from here to the Beast Arena was only a few thousand kilometers. At the speed of the Lord's Train, it didn't take long to arrive.
Reshma had not left this place, seemingly waiting for Su Xiao to come here. Su Xiao was not surprised by this.
Beside the train.
"Well, well, well~ this is~"
The Demon clan girl, Mi'erwei, chose not to court death by trying to turn Reshma into a small animal. She asked with a smile:
"Brother Bai Ye, where are you going after this? Can I come along?"
"You can."
"Oh? Really? I love adventures. Where to?"
"The Sea of Life."
There was no need to hide this matter. After all, several mortal enemies already knew about it. Not only did they know, they would later share a giant ship with Su Xiao.
"Brother Bai Ye, I'm still young. I don't want to go meet my ancestors so soon. Bye bye~"
The Demon clan girl, Mi'erwei, finished speaking and jumped off the train. She had only run a few steps before being blocked by Reshma's hounds.
"You can leave. I permit it."
Reshma's eyes, devoid of any pupil light, were full of smiles as she looked at the Demon clan girl, Mi'erwei.
Just then, Reshma suddenly turned her head, looking at the train. Through the window, she saw the Law Destroyer inside, who was turning his head to look at her, a red light gleaming in his eyes. This gaze indicated: if you dare continue threatening my friend's little sister, right now, this instant, I'll make you, an Outer Realm Anomaly, have a permanent 'home' along with six amiable neighbors.
"Alright. Your departure is your own choice. It has nothing to do with... me."
After uttering the last word, Reshma stepped onto the metal steps of the Lord's Train. Only after she boarded did the Demon clan girl, Mi'erwei, dare to take a deep breath. She was about to turn and flee when she suddenly thought of something. Wiping the grin off her face, she faced the direction of the now one-way window, extended one hand naturally to her side, and bowed in salute. This was a Demon clan custom.
"You clever little rascal, leave this world as soon as possible."
Baha landed on Amu's shoulder.
"Woof."
The mechanical arm on Bubu Wang's back swung, tossing a metal Rubik's cube to the Demon clan girl, Mi'erwei. This was a life-saving item invented by Bubu Wang. It was useless for someone of Su Xiao's strength tier, but for someone of Mi'erwei's level, it was a divine-grade life-saving item.
"Thank you, Demon Hawk, Bull Bro, Dog Bro."
"Hahaha, what the hell is 'Dog Bro'? This clever little rascal."
Baha finished speaking, flapped his wing in a gesture for Mi'erwei to leave quickly, then turned his eagle eye to the dozen or so Strange Eye Hounds. Su Xiao had Bubu Wang and Amu get off the train together precisely to guard against these dozen Strange Eye Hounds.
On the train, Su Xiao took a small sip of the maple tea poured by the Alchemy Maid and gestured for Reshma across from him to help herself.
"The last time I saw a Law Destroyer, he was a very, very nasty bastard."
Reshma spoke with a smile, her elbow resting on the table, her hand supporting her cheek, a few strands of hair naturally hanging down.
"Reshma?"
"Is it important? A name doesn't seem necessary to me. If you like, you can call me Kitten, Hound, Earthworm? Whatever you like."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He hadn't encountered many Outer Realm Anomalies, but one like Reshma, who had almost no weaknesses, was a first for him.
One thing to remember: for all intelligent races' powerhouses, the things they care about—face, dignity, prestige—were, for the Outer Realm Anomaly Reshma, like a peeled ice cream wrapper, something to be discarded at will.
"As long as I can leave this cage, nothing else matters to me."
"Oh?"
"You doubt me."
"Since nothing matters, why did you come here with those three old immortals in the first place?"
As soon as Su Xiao said this, Reshma casually bit the nail of her little finger, gently pulled her head back, tore the nail off, and spat it into her teacup. The black tea turned redder. She picked up the sugar cube porcelain jar, took out a few sugar cubes, and added them to the cup of black tea. Finally, she picked up the teaspoon and slowly stirred it.
After taking a sip, a hint of a smile appeared on Reshma's face.
"What you see doesn't necessarily mean it happened."
Reshma raised her hand. The little finger that had just been bloody and mangled was now completely intact.
"If we can talk, we talk. If not, get lost."
Su Xiao was as straightforward as ever. Seeing Reshma start to spout nonsense, he made his stance clear.
"A rude man, but not unpleasant. Alright, I can board the ship with you."
"..."
Su Xiao looked at Reshma suspiciously.
"What, any other questions?"
"If you want to board the ship, pay me. I'm not inviting you."
"Don't you think this is absurd?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He manipulated the train door to open, and all the one-way glass reverted to two-way. The meaning was clear: see the guest out.
"You need an ally."
Reshma showed no sign of leaving.
"Mm, so I contacted an old friend who has life-and-death ties with me."
Hearing this, Reshma was left speechless. She could see through the truth of others' words, and this statement was one hundred percent true. This puzzled Reshma.
Clearly, Reshma didn't understand that what Su Xiao meant by 'life-and-death ties' was that he had killed the other party a few times.
"Fine, you win."
Reshma took off the rabbit wristwatch from her hand and tossed it to Su Xiao.
"Contact me before departure. I'll continue using this communicator."
Reshma walked off the train. Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha boarded. The train started.
After the train had been traveling for over half an hour, Su Xiao asked, "Vinia, how much did you use?"
"?"
The Alchemy Maid, Vinia, gave Su Xiao a puzzled look, then returned to the train kitchen and brought back a light red, translucent empty bottle. There was still a pure, faint scent of black tea inside.
"All of it?"
Su Xiao took the empty bottle as he spoke. Bubu Wang and Baha simultaneously slapped their foreheads with their paw and claw.
"Mm. The black tea I brew is much more fragrant than this. Mixing them would create a strange result."
The Alchemy Maid, Vinia, looked out the window. Clearly, this was the first time she had poisoned someone, and she wasn't as calm as usual.
That's right. Su Xiao would never harbor any unrealistic hopes towards an Outer Realm Anomaly, such as a pleasant cooperation or a peaceful alliance. When it came time to eliminate other powerful enemies, the one to strike first would always be Su Xiao. This was a conclusion drawn from his experiences in the Soul Library and his knowledge of Advanced Abyss Studies.
To put it more directly: Su Xiao, the Clock Tower Master, the Primordial Origin, and the Ancient Clan Leader were indeed enemies. However, the goals of all four parties were actually the same: anyone who stands in the way of my gain dies! Whether that gain was freedom, power, or rare resources.
Reshma was different. She was likely acting according to some rule of her own, and this rule could change subtly and imperceptibly. One second, this self-imposed rule might be to shatter the Causal Lock Ring; the next, for some reason, it might become to kill Su Xiao.
If that was the case, why did Su Xiao bring Reshma onto the ship? Partly due to coincidence, but also because he now had three layers of insurance: 1. The Book of Original Sin, 2. Contract Banishment, 3. Trigger-type Alchemy Poison.
Su Xiao got off the train and dismissed the Lord's Train. As the train entered an alternate space, he walked towards the former site of Abyss Passage 0. The darkness here was still dense.
As he walked, he checked his current World Source, which had reached 191.24%. It could only be said that the amount of World Source obtainable in a Supreme-tier world was incomparable to before.
When he arrived near the ruins of Abyss Passage 0, Su Xiao detected spatial fluctuations. Reshma had indeed borrowed the ability to close the Abyss Passage, but the method was too crude. Moreover, since it was only a temporary borrowing, even if Su Xiao didn't actively reclaim it, the ability to close the Abyss Passage would automatically cease after 20 days due to the contract's power.
This place was not the pitch-black, barren wasteland one might imagine. Instead, a thousand-meter-tall giant palace had been built here. The palace was made of black iron, but it was now half-melted, like a half-melted candle. A large pile of dissolved material had accumulated on the left side of the structure.
The main gate was half-melted but still wide and towering. Su Xiao took the instrument handed to him by Amu, held it level, and gently touched the main gate. It was about to activate. This was a sensing device made by Bubu Wang. The reason for coming to the Abyss Passage 0 site was not only to meet Reshma but also because this sensor had detected a signal source here.
Su Xiao walked into the half-melted metal giant hall. The interior was actually made of wood-like structures. After a preliminary observation, he determined that this was woodification caused by the Abyss. This metal giant hall was likely some kind of giant creature.
This was very interesting. Such a giant creature was most likely created by the gods. And the only one in this world capable of creating a giant metal lifeform that could contain Abyss Passage 0, besides the Leader of the Gods, Primordial Origin, Harrota, was unimaginable.
This place was the territory of the Ancient Clan Leader, Hatu. Were these two old immortals so trusting of each other? That was simply impossible.
It seemed that the Leader of the Gods, Primordial Origin, Harrota, had ultimately failed to resist the temptation of the Abyss. After enduring for three eras, now imprisoned and fallen to this state, he could no longer suppress his desire to probe the Abyss's power.
And the Ancient Clan Leader, Hatu, was happy to see this happen, even willing to go so far as to take the Ancestral Clan Emblem from the Abyss's near zone connected to Abyss Passage 0, or rather, to store it in some unknown place within the Abyss.
Following the sensing device in his hand, Su Xiao moved through the great hall. From the main hall, he went inward to a giant altar. The top of the altar was empty. Abyss Passage 0 had originally been here. The stitching marks on the world rift were still very clear.
Going around the giant altar from the side, Su Xiao entered a side hall. Continuing further in, he reached the rear hall. The signal grew stronger here. He quickened his pace and arrived at a wooden wall at the back of the rear hall. He wrapped his left hand in a crystal layer and tried to probe forward. His hand easily passed through. This was a hidden secret room.
Passing through the hidden doorway, Su Xiao entered a secret room of about eighty square meters. The room was empty except for tree roots coiled in the corner. These roots covered the left, right, and back walls, leaving only the doorway and the wall he had just entered through.
This was a very flat rock wall. One-third of it was pitch black, and the rest was pale white. It was evident that some power had tried to assimilate this wall but had gotten tired before it was even half done, finally giving up in a pitiful manner.
Beep, beep, beep!
The sensing device in his hand emitted a rapid sound. Su Xiao turned it off.
He took out an energy extraction device and gradually extracted a pitch-black but tranquil power from the black wall in front of him. This was the gentlest dark power he had ever seen, like a midsummer night.
Su Xiao didn't know the origin of this power or how it was produced. He only needed to know one thing: as long as this power hadn't become inactive due to age, it would have a certain degree of self-derivativeness. This was true for all powers. Some were simply highly aggressive.
Su Xiao took out over a dozen solutions. After trying six, he successfully nurtured it. It was Bayer's Solution, a solvent that combined dilution and nurturing. Truly one of the greatest inventions in pharmacology.
Su Xiao had brought a lot of Bayer's Solution. He took out a large jar from the team storage space and injected the extracted Tranquil Dark Power into a cultivation device filled with Bayer's Solution.
Time passed minute by minute. Three hours later, the secret room was filled with over a dozen containers, each over a person tall, filled with liquid Tranquil Dark Power. The next step was simple. This stone wall was like a draft. Injecting enough Tranquil Dark Power would complete it.
As the input technique activated, the dark area on the front wall, which covered one-third, began to spread. When it was completely dark, a black stone disc gradually formed in the middle of the wall, about 1.2 meters above the ground. After the black stone disc was constructed, a straight, thumb-thick wooden stick landed on it with a clatter.
Su Xiao had Amu clear out all the discarded containers in the secret room. The room was empty again. A crystal seat formed, and Su Xiao sat down to wait.
Soon, a cold feeling, no, a slightly cool feeling appeared. The black stone wall in front became somewhat different. The little guy that had moved inside seemed a bit incredulous. Among its many nests, it had never built one this good.
"Dudu, gugu."
A clear, childlike voice came from within the wall. It was clear that Dudu Gugu was very happy.
Su Xiao walked to the stone disc and tapped it with the wooden stick in his hand.
Wave~
A strange wave spread. He hadn't sensed this wave before. After advancing to Supreme, many things he had seen before looked completely different when he saw them again.
[Prompt: You have successfully awakened 'Dudu Gugu'. You can conduct friendly transactions with 'Dudu Gugu'. 'Dudu Gugu' is a friendly unit certified by the Void Tree.]
[Prompt: Due to your Charm attribute being too low, at -35 points, this Charm attribute severely exceeds 'Dudu Gugu's' cognition. 'Dudu Gugu' is greatly shocked by this. This Charm attribute does not meet the minimum requirement for trading with 'Dudu Gugu'. However, due to 'Dudu Gugu's' friendship with you, 'Dudu Gugu' has ignored the Void Tree's warning prompt and will continue trading with you.]
"Dudu."
A clear voice came from within the wall.
"Gugu."
Several small, fluorescent white bone hands reached out from the wall. These bone hands were very small, about the size of a baby's hand.
"Stone, stone, stone."
Dudu Gugu spoke. This was the rule for trading with Dudu Gugu. Each side took a turn. First was the content of Dudu Gugu's peculiar transaction. What it proposed this time was clearly an old task:
[Special Task: Dudu Gugu's Secret Task (Single Ring Only).]
Su Xiao had already obtained the Black Stone Block. He took out the [Black Stone Block] that was 'dark yet warm, heavy yet light'. Although he didn't know if this was what Dudu Gugu wanted, it was the remnant from destroying the 'Dukain Family Ancestral Clan Emblem'.
Su Xiao placed the [Black Stone Block] on the black stone disc. One of Dudu Gugu's small, white bone hands hesitantly poked the [Black Stone Block] with its slender index finger.
"Dudu?"
Dudu Gugu was still confused.
After a while, Dudu Gugu grasped the [Black Stone Block] in its hand. A warm white light bloomed slightly, and then all of Dudu Gugu's small bone hands froze.
"Dudu, gugu!!"
Dudu Gugu seemed a bit flustered. In its excitement, the [Black Stone Block] slipped from its hand. Several small hands scrambled to catch it, like a child who had obtained a beloved treasure. Two hands held it, while the other small bone hands moved about excitedly and aimlessly.
[Prompt: You have submitted a 'Black Stone Block' that far exceeds Dudu Gugu's expectations and cognition. Your 'Special Task' has changed.]
[Special Task: Dudu Gugu's Secret Task (Single Ring Only).]
Difficulty Level: Depends on the Hunter's choice.
Task Brief: Find the Red Stone Block, the Black Stone Block (Delivered), and the Blue Stone Block, and give all three stone blocks to Dudu Gugu. You may decide the category of the three stone blocks yourself.
Red Stone Block: Scorching yet cold, smooth yet rough.
Black Stone Block: Dark yet warm, heavy yet light (Delivered).
Blue Stone Block: Hard yet fragile, gorgeous yet dim.
Task Duration: 850 natural days (Not restricted to the current world).
Task Reward: Dudu Gugu's most cherished treasure.
Task Penalty: Dudu Gugu secretly sulks for a day.
...
Completing the first round of the transaction, it was Su Xiao's turn to propose a trade request. He took out an Abyss Heart and placed it on the black stone disc.
"Dudu."
One of Dudu Gugu's small bone hands took out a peanut-sized vial. Clearly, it wasn't very satisfied with the grade of this Abyss Heart. It could only be exchanged for less than one percent of a [Stellar Source Matter]. The Tuanzhang's information was accurate. Abyss Hearts could be exchanged for [Stellar Source Matter] from Dudu Gugu.
However, this wasn't a heart taken from killing the Beast, Morak, outright. It was a heart farmed from its repeated deaths and resurrections.
Just like farming World Source before, he had farmed less than 80%, but the risk was extremely high. If not for the World Consciousness of this world going mad, he would have been expelled from this world on the spot. Plus, Su Xiao and Kaisa had been receiving constant prompts about Void Tree Reputation deductions throughout the process. In terms of risk/reward, this kind of thing wasn't worth doing again.
Su Xiao placed all 45 Abyss Hearts he had obtained this time onto the black stone tray. He also placed the [Pitch Black Heart] he had obtained through Abyss Sacrifice on top of the pile.
"Gugu."
Dudu Gugu's small bone hands clasped together, taking all the hearts away. It also took back the previously offered ultra-small portion of [Stellar Source Matter]. Soon, three of its small bone hands each held a [Stellar Source Matter] container. A total of three portions of [Stellar Source Matter] were obtained.
"Book, book, book."
The books Su Xiao currently had were either the Book of Gates or the Origin Codex. He couldn't give away the Origin Codex. If he refused, the transaction would be interrupted. He took out the Book of Original Sin and made a move to place it on the black stone disc.
"Kiss, kiss, kiss! Kiss, kiss, kiss!"
Every small bone hand of Dudu Gugu waved in refusal, trying to awaken the Law Destroyer's meager conscience. One of its small bone hands even started making a heart shape. Who knows where it learned that.
This round of the transaction was skipped.
Su Xiao did have something Dudu Gugu might like. He took out a treasure chest, but this chest was very special.
[Cursed Treasure Chest (Upon opening, there is a 1% chance to gain benefits, 99% chance to suffer a curse).]
Su Xiao had never opened this chest. Not only was the risk of operating on the chest too high, but this was also a chest rewarded by a hidden task from the Reincarnation Paradise. There was no option to manipulate it. As for opening it...
Forget a 1% chance of gaining benefits and a 99% chance of suffering a curse. Even if the probabilities were reversed, Su Xiao was very confident he would still get the curse.
"Dudu."
One of Dudu Gugu's small bone hands touched the chest with its fingertip. Seeming to sense the curse energy inside, it immediately put it away. As expected, this little guy liked curses. Perhaps it even fed on them?
Besides this Cursed Treasure Chest, Dudu Gugu had also received the unexpected [Black Stone Block], which made it very happy. So, after thinking for a while, it reluctantly took out an item as a return gift for receiving the [Cursed Treasure Chest] + [Black Stone Block].
Plop~
A tree seed landed on the black stone disc.
[You have obtained World Tree Seed (World-Class · Curio).]
[World Tree Seed (World-Class · Curio): Depending on the planting environment, a different World Tree will grow. For each 'Friendly Sequence' World Tree you plant, you will increase your 'Void Tree Reputation' by a certain amount.]
[Prompt: The growth of the World Tree will be completed in a short time, depending on the environment of the world it is in, and will be permanently fixed to this state. The World Tree has a total of four specifications.]