Looking at her defiant expression, Lu Luo felt she must have already composed herself. So he beca serious.
"Yes, many n must be pursuing you. Why hang all your hopes on ? Besides, I have a family now. This trip back, we must pass through the Nether River, and whether we live or die is uncertain. I might not even return, so... you shouldn’t invest too much of yourself in ."
Lu Luo spoke very earnestly, but Lu Xiaotian frowned. "What are you talking about? Lu Luo, stop joking. You won’t fall at a ti like this. iqi’s power might be very strong, but it’s definitely not as strong as you imagine. Don’t be scared by her. She may control the seal, but the seal itself still exists. Rember that, and don’t be afraid of her!"
Suddenly, Lu Xiaotian stepped forward, hugged Lu Luo, and then reiterated, "Don’t be afraid of her!"
Hearing Lu Xiaotian’s admonishnt, Lu Luo nodded heavily. "Thank you for the reminder. I’ll keep this in mind."
"Take care."
The two finally parted, and not much else happened between them. Perhaps Lu Xiaotian genuinely liked Lu Luo; otherwise, with her proud nature, she wouldn’t have made such gestures. But Lu Luo still felt they weren’t suited for each other. And just as he himself had said, facing iqi this ti, even he wasn’t sure he could survive. Why drag a young woman into his troubles?
...
With this thought, Lu Luo once again arrived at the Fifth High Wall. He calmly looked at the river beneath him—the city’s protective moat, the very Nether River where iqi resided. If he went down, iqi would inevitably discover him.
He had two choices.
The first was to cross the Nether River as quickly as possible and find a way to evade iqi. The advantage of this thod was not having to confront iqi directly. The disadvantage, however, was also clear: it would completely alert iqi, letting her know he had realized he’d broken free from her and Convex’s ntal control. They would then be at a complete impasse, and his people would no longer be able to enter Imperial territory for smuggling and trade.
The second option was to enter the Nether River’s Upside-Down Sea normally and et with iqi. This approach carried certain risks because Lu Luo couldn’t be sure what iqi would do to him next. If iqi decided to flip the table at this mont, whether he could oppose her was also a serious question. The crux of the second choice hinged on whether iqi would detect anything amiss about him. If she did, he had to be able to deal with her.
Lu Luo fell silent for a while, recalling what Lu Xiaotian had told him. Don’t be afraid! The Angel Envoy isn’t actually that frightening! Although Lu Xiaotian’s legs would turn to jelly before an Angel Envoy, her words weren’t very persuasive. But Lu Luo still felt she wouldn’t say this without reason.
Is this sentence just to encourage , or did she really discover sothing? If she really found sothing, why didn’t she explain it to in detail? Could it be that if she spoke of it, iqi would sense sothing?
Lu Luo seriously considered this possibility but ultimately shook his head. There are too many possibilities. No matter what, it’s not a wise choice to break with iqi at this ti, because I also don’t know the relationship between Convex, the Angel Envoy staying in the Imperial, and iqi.
Lu Luo wouldn’t naively assu that Angel Envoys were necessarily hostile to each other. After his visit to the Floating City, he was even more convinced of this. Each Angel Envoy likely had so special connection, enabling them to sense one another. While they might not actively cooperate, they certainly weren’t oblivious to each other’s presence. So, rashly escaping into the Imperial was not a foolproof plan.
Therefore... Lu Luo still took a dive into the water.
SPLASH!
The Nether River’s currents seed to welco their master’s return, purple flas igniting cheerfully around Lu Luo. They seed not to notice Lu Luo’s abnormality; it was just unclear whether it was the Netherfla that hadn’t noticed, or iqi, who was behind the Netherfla.
When Lu Luo passed through the Netherfla and reached the deep sea, schools of fish naturally scattered as if they had seen so terrifying creature. Lu Luo hadn’t dived far when the deep-sea behemoth appeared in his field of view.
SWISH!
The water currents before Lu Luo began to twist; the behemoth’s way of expressing excitent still made him a bit uncomfortable. Every ti this creature sees , it gets excessively excited. What exactly is it so excited about? Did iqi give it so promise, or can it sense the Devourer’s power within my body?
ROAR!
The behemoth roared at Lu Luo, seemingly questioning why Lu Luo was ignoring it, signifying its displeasure. But Lu Luo had no intention of paying it any attention; he was generally very good at controlling his emotions. But this behemoth before him... well. From the very beginning, Lu Luo had felt a strong aversion to this creature.
"Get lost!" Lu Luo snapped.
The behemoth could only obediently move aside. When Lu Luo was angry with it, it dared not touch him.
Arriving at the Upside-Down Sea, iqi was already waiting. She was like a mother awaiting her child’s return, waiting for Lu Luo.
"Little Lu Luo, you’ve finally co. Last ti you bypassed this place, it really upset ."
"Er, sorry, Lady iqi. Last ti, I was truly pressed for ti. I only managed to squeeze in so ti for this visit as well."
"Oh, are Imperial matters keeping you busy?"
iqi bringing up the Imperial unprompted made Lu Luo sowhat vigilant. He briefly considered how to respond. Lie? There’s no need. My knowledge of the Imperial might not even match iqi’s. So, such aningless lying would only be foolish. Rather than lying, responding naturally is the best choice.
"Yes, one thing after another in the Imperial has left quite overwheld. This ti... the Imperial Family has actually summoned . Over in the Imperial, it’s sothing I cannot refuse."
iqi looked at Lu Luo with profound eyes, as if trying to see through his thoughts. She stared at him for over a minute without speaking. After a while, she finally smiled and nodded, saying, "The Imperial summons must indeed be troubleso for you. So, what are you planning to do now?"
"Of course, I have to go; they’ve given a month. I wasn’t confident I could face the Imperial Family without giving myself away, so I hurried back to gather the weapons and equipnt I’d left in the Inner Ring to prepare to deal with them."
"Gather the weapons and equipnt you left behind? If that were truly your only goal, there’d be no need to turn the Inner Ring upside down! Little Lu Luo, you’ve been a bit naughty lately. If you keep mixing with the Nightmare Demon, you might be confused by her chaotic will."
Hearing iqi say this, Lu Luo felt a knot of tension in his chest. Has she discovered sothing? Or did she know all along but kept silent because she wasn’t sure about my current state? Regarding the Nightmare Demon...
"Don’t worry, Lady iqi, I know what I need to do. All these are but stepping stones for ."
When Lu Luo said this, he deliberately turned and looked into the depths of the Upside-Down Sea. The way he clenched his fist perhaps gave him an air of burgeoning authority. This also made iqi’s beautiful eyes, watching from behind him, sparkle with a peculiar light.
"It’s good you think this way," she said. "No matter what, rember that ti has no aning for us. In any situation, your own safety is paramount. This is absolutely crucial; with this in mind, everything else can be set aside. Do you understand?"
Hearing iqi say this, Lu Luo breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seed he had passed her test, and it had been easier than he imagined.
"Thank you for the reminder, Lady iqi. I’ll be careful. But I’m not too worried. After all, this ti I’m going back with the chanical Heart; it’s a trump card. Humans wouldn’t dare try anything against ."
In front of iqi, Lu Luo took out the chanical Heart that Noah had left behind. iqi’s eyes clearly flickered when she saw it, and soon after, an excited expression appeared on her face.
"This thing... Lu Luo, you’re truly a genius! To think of using Noah’s creation to threaten humans—truly brilliant."
"Heh," Lu Luo chuckled. "Lady iqi, there’s no need for such praise. I’m just trying to protect myself. If those foolish humans really want to try sothing, I don’t mind letting them experience the price of a robotic crisis."
iqi looked satisfied by Lu Luo’s resolute deanor. It seed only this kind of Lu Luo matched the image she had in mind.
"There’s no need to sound so final; things are not as bad as you imagine. The Imperial Family, after all, is just a collection of decaying roots. Power and profit have made these humans lose their way; they’re not as formidable as you think. And even within the Imperial, there will be people who offer you additional help. Do not fear, the Imperial is not so frightening!"
iqi finally shared so information about the Imperial Capital. As Lu Luo had expected, iqi had certain channels within the Imperial. Or rather, she possessed thods to influence so decisions of the Imperial Family—a fact as outrageous as it was true. The Angel Envoys had been silent for a millennium, but they certainly hadn’t been idle.
"Does Lady iqi have arrangents in the Imperial Capital too? If so, I can rest assured."
"Heh, you don’t need to worry about the specific arrangents," iqi replied. "Just focus on your tasks. When it’s ti to et, you will et."
"Yes, I understand."
Lu Luo then went on to embellish his recent experiences. He spoke at length, his stories mostly true with only a sprinkle of falsehood—sotis, even less than that. Only the truth is easily believed—Lu Luo had always believed this.
iqi listened to his recounting and nodded repeatedly. She never comnted on Lu Luo’s various judgnts, nor did she care if they were right or wrong. Only when Lu Luo had finished speaking did she slowly comnt, "Hmm, very good. You said quite a lot, but you’re also hiding so things."
"Uh..." Lu Luo was startled, not knowing what iqi ant.
"Don’t be so nervous, little Lu Luo. Everyone has secrets; that’s perfectly normal. Those without secrets are weak. Only by guarding your own secrets can you be called truly strong. What do you think?"
"I... I agree. Thank you for your guidance, Lady iqi." Lu Luo nodded to iqi again, his deanor respectful.
But iqi seed not to favor such deference; she shook her head and said, "Don’t always nod to , Lu Luo. You are growing quickly. In the future, we will be equals. Perhaps you will even surpass . You have your own mission. Grasp it, and you won’t need to bow to anyone."
iqi said so things Lu Luo didn’t quite understand, leaving him sowhat confused. What exactly were the Angel Envoys’ expectations of him? Was it not to restore the Second Angel Envoy, the World Devourer? If it wasn’t to beco the Second Angel Envoy, then what was the point of his existence, or rather, what was iqi and the others’ purpose in nurturing him? And what was his mission?
Lu Luo really wanted to gloss over the topic, but seeing iqi’s serious expression, he understood one thing: iqi might let other things slide or be muddled through, but this matter was different. He needed to show a clear stance; he needed to get closer to the truth.
"Lady iqi, what do you an by my mission?"
"Your mission? It’s too early to tell you now. You are still far from the day you fulfill your mission. For now, focus on your developnt. When all this is over, you will likely understand your mission."
Lu Luo disliked such vague words, but his own power was too weak. He couldn’t press iqi for answers at this mont. So all he could do was nod. "I understand."
"Well, since you’re busy, I won’t take up too much more of your ti. Is there anything else? If there is, feel free to speak up. You don’t have to suppress yourself."
iqi’s words were like a lure. Lu Luo didn’t even notice that as she spoke, the Netherfla within his body began to burn in sync with her tone. Facing such a strange enticent, Lu Luo nodded involuntarily, "Lady iqi, if I must say, there is indeed sothing I want to tell you."
"Heh, go ahead. We’re at this point; what is there that can’t be said?"
"This matter concerns and the deep-sea behemoth."
"Mhm, go on, I’m listening."
Lu Luo’s vision started to blur, but his Non-Believer trait activated, quickly freeing him from the dazed state. But by then, there was no turning back.
To be ensnared so silently! Do I really have to speak?
After hesitating for so ti, Lu Luo finally spoke, "Lady iqi, I truly detest that behemoth. Every ti I see it, I’m overco with an uncontrollable loathing. This loathing even makes it impossible for to control my emotions. I don’t know what this is all about, so I hope to get an answer from you."
Reviews
All reviews (0)