Abyssal Chronicles

Xiao’s illustration is finished, and I have posted it in Chapter 00. Kalina and Youlan’s illustration will come after him soon.

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"So, what is the content of the contract? Do we have to offer our souls or something?"

After moments of contemplation, Xiumu asked cautiously.

At this, the black-haired girl smiled slightly. While interacting with Yuan’er, she replied,

"It’s not that kind of contract. In fact, it’s very simple. You just need to continue living peacefully with the people of the North near Wind City. Also, you want to hide Yuan’er’s abyssal demon identity, right? It would be easier to hide and deal with the people in the relatively remote city under your control. And also~"

Saying this, the black-haired girl affectionately pinched Yuan’er’s soft and tender face,

"This child probably likes staying in her hometown."

Yuan’er, who was being stroked, cooperated by nodding slightly.

This made Xiumu blink in surprise.

He still couldn’t understand why Yuan’er was so attached to the black-haired girl, even though she was an abyssal demon with terrifying power.

Well,

Though Yuan’er is now also an abyssal demon...

However, upon hearing the black-haired girl’s words, Xiumu couldn’t help but show a puzzled expression,

"This, what kind of request is this? Continue to stay in the North? Don’t you know that the Northern defense line has been destroyed? To let my people continue to stay in that dangerous place? Do you want us to become foods for abyssal demons?"

"Hehe, don’t worry about that. If you accept my proposal, I guarantee that Your City will no longer be attacked by abyssal demons. The abyssal demon horde will not consider your people as food either."

"!?

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Xiumu’s eyes shrunk. After a brief shock, he quickly showed a suspicious expression,

"Why should I believe you? Even Demon Kings cannot control so many abyssal demons..."

A Demon King indeed has the ability to command regular abyssal demons.

Xiumu was well aware of this.

But according to hundreds of years of human investigation into abyssal demons, even a Demon King can only command the demons within its power range. And the North is so vast, it’s obviously not something a Demon King can control.

And She?

On what grounds does she claim to ensure that the abyssal demons won’t attack the City?

Regarding Xiumu’s doubts, the black-haired girl smiled non-committally,

"Why should you believe me? Hmm, Marquis, you can think about it."

"Think about what?"

"The group of abyssal demons that attacked SkyeDome today, if they attacked Wind City, could you defend it?"

"This... no, we couldn’t..."

"Then tell me, why hasn’t there been such a large-scale attack in hundreds of years? Also, why wasn’t Wind City attacked this time?"

The girl smiled with a hint of meaning.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Xiumu held his breath, watching the black-haired girl in front of him with an incredibly serious gaze.

Xiumu was not foolish.

The meaning of the girl’s words was clear.

At the same time, he glanced at the bloody-red butterflies hovering around her, Xiumu couldn’t help but recall the overwhelming aura he felt from the bloody butterflies near Galrose fortress...

Even today, Xiumu still had lingering fears.

"You, you’re probably not some newly born Demon King, are you?"

"Indeed, I’m not. In fact, strictly speaking, I’m not even considered a Demon King Existence."

"Are you a higher being?"

"I guess you could say that."

The girl tilted her head and placed a finger against her lips as she answered slowly.

It seemed that she was somewhat unsure about her own status. Upon seeing her reaction, Xiumu fell silent and pondered, gazing toward the north.

After several seconds of contemplation, Xiumu asked with some helplessness,

"Are we just supposed to stay in the North? You must need us to do something more, right?"

"Mm, there are some things. Besides living normally, you also need to act as border guards. Under the leadership of Your Peak 8th Level guardian beast, Thundercat, you have to ’repel’ waves of abyssal demons that are invading."

" Thundercat?"

Upon hearing this, Xiumu furrowed his brows:

"Our family’s guardian beast is only close to the middle stage of 8th Level..."

"That’s not a problem. It just needs to act as if it’s at the Peak-Eighth Level. As for how? Someone will teach it when the time comes."

"… And you, why are you doing this? What do you mean by ’repel’? Why should we ’repel’ the abyssal demons?"

"Well, it’s a bit complicated. Anyway, uh... It seems like those kids have gone a bit overboard this time, mostly crushing the opposition... causing some negative feelings... umm... how to say it, I just plan to restore some confidence in humans..."

"Confidence... what are you talking about?"

’Why?’

’Why would abyssal demons want to give humans confidence?’

Hearing this, Marquis Xiumu was perplexed, as was Aurora behind him, both of them showing puzzled expressions. Seeing this, the black-haired girl shook her head a little bitterly, waved her hand, and gave up trying to explain further,

"Forget it, you don’t need to worry about what I said. It’s hard to explain in a short time."

Then,

The girl’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly, looking very solemnly at Xiumu’s deep blue eyes, filled with hesitation. Countless bloody butterflies also fluttered around Marquis Xiumu, giving the old Marquis an indescribable sense of oppression,

"Anyway, for now, I just need your answer. Are you willing to cooperate with us? You continue to stay in the North and cooperate with us as needed. I will ensure the peace of your city, as well as the safety of Yuan’er. Marquis Xiumu, what do you think?"

"…"

"Before I make a decision, can I ask you two questions?"

"You may"

Having received permission, Xiumu’s gaze slowly moved to his granddaughter, who had been interacting with the black-haired girl. Remembering the inexplicable affectionate expression when the black-haired girl was with Yuan’er, Xiumu couldn’t help but ask:

"Why are you so good to Yuan’er?"

"Ah, about that..."

…

--

Back to the present,

"We don’t need to evacuate anymore, we are safe."

After answering, Xiumu didn’t bother with the subsequent questions from Sikta and continued riding his warhorse toward his mansion not far away.

Recalling the conversation he had with the Bloody Butterfly,

A complicated emotion surfaced on the weathered old face of the Marquis.

To be honest,

Until now, Xiumu still held a skeptical attitude toward the words of Bloody Butterfly. The hostility toward abyssal demons accumulated over half a lifetime made it impossible for him to fully trust the unfamiliar black-haired girl.

However, now he feels he has no other choice. Apart from Wind City, where else could accommodate their family? Where else could accept Yuan’er? After all, under the propaganda of Xue Tianao, places outside the North have nearly branded their family as human traitors. What would be their fate if they fled to the South? It’s obvious they would not be welcomed.

Humans despise them, yet the abyssal demons chose to accept them. It’s a truly magical reality.

Moreover, with the Northern defensive line broken, countless abyssal demons roam freely. What would happen if he didn’t accept the other party’s proposal and insisted on evacuating the residents of Wind City? They didn’t have that many rare spatial magic stones. If the other party launched an attack while the people were evacuating, their only fate would be destruction.

Accepting the proposal of the black-haired girl seemed to be his only way out. With a sense of helplessness, Marquis Xiumu finally signed a contract with the black-haired girl. The feeling of seemingly betraying his soul, signing a contract with a demon, and even becoming a so-called ’human traitor’ made Xiumu’s heart heavy.

However...

At least for now, he had no regrets. As the head of the Marquis family, his duty was to protect the North. Now, relying on his own strength, it was impossible to protect the North under the threat of abyssal demons, let alone protecting his people. Therefore, signing the contract with the black-haired girl was another way of protecting the North.

However, if others knew about this, his name might be nailed to the pillar of shame in human history. But, if he didn’t do so, what could he do instead?

Compared to the views of others on the continent, Xiumu cared more about the lives of His People In Wind City and the safety of Yuan’er. If the black-haired girl was willing to protect Yuan’er as she said, then all this would be worth it. At least in his viewpoint, it was indeed the case.

Also, Xiumu’s current depression was partly due to signing this contract with abyssal demon and partly because of Yuan’er’s current situation...

Thinking of this, Xiumu bit his lip, his mood low as he glanced at the little white horse at his side. This horse was what he had prepared for Yuan’er.

But now, the pink-haired girl who should be sitting on the horse was nowhere to be found, which made Him feel rather depressed.

Unexpectedly, halfway through, Yuan’er went back to find the black-haired girl?! As a grandfather, he felt abandoned, and his heart filled with mixed feelings. He couldn’t help but show a tangled expression.

Yuan’er cared so much for a stranger she had only met a few times... Well, it wasn’t entirely true.

’According to the black-haired girl herself, she gave Yuan’er a second life and, in a way, she could be considered Yuan’er’s mother... ’

Upon this thought, he felt a bit of relief.

However, soon, a strange expression appeared on his weather-beaten face.

’But, if she is the mother...’

’Why does this relationship suddenly feel so complicated?’