Re:Library

Chapter 773: Aivar Redleaf

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

Beneath the Aivar tree I pace – will you be here today?

My thoughts ever a mirror, constantly reflecting the anxiety and anticipation I feel…

The winds blow through its fiery red leaves, like a swirling dance of ups and downs -just like my beating heart.

You come, waltzing through the leaves, their crackling like a joyous herald. Once more you sit upon that branch we shared.

Even though your face mirrors your worries, you remain ever radiant.

My eyes fill with tears as I stand before you. A scant two days have passed, I reach forth to touch your sallow face, but my hands find no purchase…

Only the red of the Aivar can bear you tight…

From <> ————-

The autumn’s Aivar tree boasted a red hue akin to fire. As they blew in the wind, their vibrant colour danced like flames. Of the numerous legends the Nature Elves had of this beautiful sight, most had to do with love.

The Nature Elves had always put the pursuit of love foremost in their lives, partially because they were afforded the luxury to do so. Unlike humans and their fraught lives, they spent their days in freedom, sensitive to the emotions of those around them. They were a race of romance.

Under the leadership of Andassis the Seventh, I was treated to a tour of the royal gardens, where all sorts of strange flowers awaited me at every turn, each more breathtaking than the other.

However, they weren’t just for show either.

Some were medicinal. Some were edible… a very strange word to be associated with the royal garden, but they were definitely edible, though not often consumed.

Finally, the king brought me to a tree that resembled a maple tree from Earth. The season was just right for admiring it; its leaves red like the flames of passion. As I stepped on the crimson carpet of leaves beneath, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm flow over me.

Andassis the Seventh pointed proudly at the beautiful tree and said, “This is the Aivar tree. In this world, only the Nature Elves know the method of growing them. It’s known as the Tree of Love, because it was said that those who made a wish under it would forever be wed together. I hear it’s very effective.”

So you say… but has anyone ever told you how weird it is for a monarch to be waxing on about love… and why are you winking at me like that…

The king had finished his introduction, yet he continued looking at me with expectant eyes. I flatly ignored him, electing to devote every ounce of my attention to that lovely sway of the tree before me.

Seeing me so unmoved, the previously silent-like-a-shadow prince breathed a sigh of relief mentally, though he quickly resumed his silent vigil.

Awkward…

At this point, I was about ready to bring up the matter of the Apocalypse and the corresponding plan to produce those magitek armors. Yet before I could even speak, a most surprising person showed up.

It was a long-eared, blonde female nature elf with a mature, yet beautiful, bearing. She wore a green dress, tailored for ease of travel within a forest. Upon closer inspection, one would realise that it was laced with intricate gold embroidery. Her flowing hair was neatly crowned with an equally golden tiara, sporting an eye-catching red jewel as its centerpiece.

“Andassis the Seventh?” The female elf greeted the king in a slightly confused tone. Her tone was casual as a normal person’s, lacking in any sort of formality or respect. “What are you doing here?”

“Lady Redleaf, I was just taking a stroll when I decided to have a look at the Aivar tree.” The king didn’t seem to mind her disrespectful behavior. In fact, he smiled at her as if all was normal. “I see the royal gardens have flourished under your long labours–”

“Right,” she cut off the king curtly. “Well, you’re free to have as much of a look you like at the gardens I’ve tended so well, but don’t make it a habit of coming.”

“Impudence!” Finally, the king’s scarred bodyguard could no longer stand idly by and watch his master get insulted.

Chest puffed up, he took a couple of steps in front of his liege, his right hand poised to draw the sword on his waist. Yet why was he sneaking glances my way…

“I’m surprised your short lives are even capable of comprehending a word of such prodigious length.”

Short lives? Is she calling him short-lived? That guard has to at least be an Eight-star, judging by his aura. Humans have a lifespan of about a couple hundred to three hundred years at that point. The variance, mostly to do with how well they look after their lives. That doesn’t seem very short to me?

But, I guess, when compared to the average lifespan of five hundred of a normal nature elf, three hundred isn’t much. A powerful nature elf can even live up to a thousand easily. Calling him short-lived must be how they flaunt their pride as a long-lived race…

Still, that was just toxic… Seems like that lady is trouble, in a number of ways.

“Baku, you mustn’t be rude to the lady.” Before the situation escalated any further, Andassis the Seventh finally stepped in to break the two up. Faced with a direct order from his liege, the scarred bodyguard had no choice but to swallow his anger and retreat behind his liege.

However, that didn’t stop the female elf from showing her disdain even further. And to my great surprise, the king did not seem to mind at all… this definitely wasn’t just any old elf.

After placating his irate bodyguard, Andassis the Seventh exchanged a few more words with the female elf, though she did not care very much for his words.

At that point, the almost-masochistic king turned around and smiled sheepishly in my direction.

“Lady Mo Na, let me introduce you. This is Lady Redleaf, the tender of this garden.”

“Greetings, my name is Mo Na.” I was more than ready to be insulted as I unflinchingly gave out my daughter’s name. It wasn’t like my gender being mistaken was anything new at this point. Why fight the inevitable?

Yet to my surprise…

“Greetings, I’m Aivar Redleaf.” Her eyes practically shone as she proclaimed, “What a beautiful girl! Even amongst us Nature Elves, you wouldn’t easily find such a pure and beautiful girl…”

Eh? Did I miss something?

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 772: The First Morning in Andassis

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

The first rays of the morning sun creeped through the window, waking me up from my slumber with its warm caress -the sheer bliss of being alive.

Doris, the maidservant, had already prepared an exquisite platter of morning delights even before I had awoken. All I did was wash up, and I had breakfast already laid out on my table with Doris waiting nearby.

Even if I did not fancy this well-prepared meal in the style of Andassis, I still ate it with care, all in a bid to appear more human. After all, I could very much live without ever taking food.

I took a sip of the coffee in my porcelain cup – it was sweet, clawingly so.

Thus, I took a stab at a plump strawberry nearby. However, any tartness it could possibly have was overwhelmed by the sheer sweetness of the coffee I just had.

Next were the cupcakes, which turned out to be tasteless anyway, all thanks to that coffee.

I lowered my fork, creased my brows and declared, “I’m full.”

“My apologies, Lady Mo Na.” Doris fidgeted as she stood by me. “You don’t seem too pleased… Was the cooking not to your taste?”

“It was too sweet.”

“Hmm?”

“It was too sweet, I prefer something more bitter.” I pointed at the coffee with what must have been a deep frown on my face, given how troubled Doris looked.

“My apologies, I had the kitchen specially prepare it so… The sugar used by the palace is the finest created by our alchemists. I thought Lady Mo Na would like it…”

“Forget it, I wasn’t all that hungry to begin with.”

Before sleeping last night, I told Doris my name was Mo Na, seeing as I would most likely be in the kingdom till Ferti’nier plan was complete.

“It’s fine to clear up, I wish to have a walk in the garden.” I paused at that point. “That’s fine, right?”

My concern was that I was under some informal house arrest. Thankfully, that notion was quickly dispelled.

“Definitely, His Highness has already given the word that you have free rein to wander as you please.”

It was just about when we had decided what was next on the agenda, and Doris had started clearing the dishes, when we heard a knocking on the door.

“Lady Mo Na, it’s Sersan, may I enter?”

Prince Sersan politely awaited my answer outside. Technically, this was his home…

Judging by how much time had passed, the prince must have rushed over right after his own breakfast.

I nodded towards Doris who was quietly seeking my permission, after which she promptly put down the platter and hastened to open the door.

A while later, the prince stepped through the door, his attire neatly pressed like his well-combed hair. Nary was there a flaw to be found on his beaming face, nor in his dressing, which had clearly gone through painstaking effort to plan. His gait spoke of long hours spent in high society, commanding both an air of elegance and authority. This was a man on hunt, and he wasn’t to be denied.

Unfortunately, I was a man, and I did not swing that way, so tough luck.

Upon entering the room, Sersan first noticed my unfinished breakfast.

“Has Lady Mo Na not had a chance to finish her breakfast?”

“I did, I just wasn’t very hungry – I was about to go out for a walk, would Your Highness like to accompany me?”

“Please, Lady Mo Na, do not call me Your Highness, my name is fine. As friends, I would prefer it if you address me as Sersan.”

“In that case, Sersan, would you like to accompany me for a walk?”

“My pleasure.” Sersan smiled, nodded and extended a hand to me.

Wait… is he actually expecting me to hold his hands?

I duly ignored him.

Seeing me ignore him, the prince’s smile went a little stiff, but he smoothly changed that extended hand to a wave. “Then allow me to show you the way, Lady Mo Na.”

Considering that I hadn’t actually told the prince my name, I would wager that Doris was the one who informed him of this fact.

But that was all to be expected, seeing as she was his servant; some communication was par for the course. Besides, I had every intention of making her my intermediary, that way I wouldn’t have to do it myself.

Yet just as the both of us were about to leave, three sets of footsteps could be heard rushing down the hallway.

The ones to bar our way were His Majesty, a middle-aged, guardsmen-looking man, dressed in magical armor, face sporting a blade scar across his left face, followed by a beautiful maidservant.

“Good morning, Father.”

“Mhm.”

Andassis the Seventh nodded at his son in an offhand manner, as if the boy wasn’t someone he knew at all.

Oh? Did they quarrel? I thought they were getting along just fine last night.

As I was mulling over that juicy bit of supposition, Andassis the Seventh turned towards me and beamed in a harmless manner, completely different from how he treated Sersan.

“Lady Mo Na, are you planning to head out for a walk? What a coincidence, I was just about to invite milady for one myself. How about the palace gardens? The air is crisp and the environment lush. You will find hundreds of never-before-seen plantlife, including the elvish Aivar tree.”

“I’ll be in your care then, Your Majesty.”

Having said that, I snuck a look towards Sersan. His face was as black as my coffee was sweet.

Seems like the two of them had a falling out in just the span of one night… as for why… who knows…

However, this tense atmosphere only lasted a second before Sersan smartly chose to back down.

He lowered his head and quietly stepped behind me to avoid his father’s gaze.

For a second there, I thought the king was going to order his guard to kill his son.

Really… What happened to these two?

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 771: A Conversation with Ferti’nier (2)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

Wait… did Ferti’nier bring those mobile armors over from Gaia? No way, we share the same body, even if she did so stealthily, there’s no way I wouldn’t know… Or not… I guess if she really wants to do so without my knowledge, I couldn’t do much either…

Alright, no more beating about the bush -what are you planning, exactly?

“Well, since my little brother is being so direct, I guess I will have to respond in kind. Your big sis is actually planning to create her own mobile armors.”

Create? Isn’t that just magic armor then? Are you sure? When did you even become our resident scientist?

“In the words of a cultivation light novel, strength, regardless of its source, draws from the same roots. Science is strong in its own rights. Even Magic has its own limits, whether we are talking about its adaptability or accessibility. While not everyone can be a scientist, their inventions are made available to the race as a whole. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this.”

That’s true, both science and magic look to understand the mysteries of the world and its laws. The combination of these two forces would only be an enhancement, perhaps even multiplicatively. The two are equal branches of development.

“Honestly, your big sis learned quite a fair bit on Gaia. Like the knowledge Lixiang possesses has already been completely assimilated by your big sis. Whatever she knows, your big sis knows as well. In fact, your big sis has already come up with a rather interesting concept, combining both alchemy and mechanical engineering, to create a whole new breed of exosuits. Perhaps calling it an exosuit is no longer suitable, given that elemental magicks have been imbued into it. Calling it a “magitek” exosuit would be more appropriate.”

So you’re saying what Lixiang and her family have spent decades learning has already been assimilated and replicated by you?

“That’s right. Not hard, really. Do you want a copy as well? But take care not to overwork your tiny brain, or you will have hell to pay later.”

Are you calling me dumb? Actually, don’t answer that… And, you know what, I will take back what I said earlier.

“You mean the bit about magic and science being equal?”

That’s right.. The fact that you can replicate decades of hard work with just a simple spell is just… unfair…

“It’s actually not as bad as you make it out to be. The two branches are fundamentally different, but the same outcomes can be achieved. Memories can eventually be replicated, albeit with some additional steps. And immortality isn’t a dream, once healthcare has progressed to a certain point. The process would just take longer, that’s all.”

Just from those words alone, I could tell Ferti’nier had gained a fondness for science, and had even done well in it. Now that we were back in the Western Human Realms, it was time to show her results. Namely, by getting this kingdom to create some exosuits for us.

“Not exosuits. “Magitek” exosuits. The “magitek” is important since they combine both alchemy and science. You need to be more sensitive to the locality you’re in.”

As if a devil king like you needs to be sensitive. Enough sidetracking, why does it have to be done in this kingdom?

“Well. The materials required are many and varied, so your big sis plans to use the resources of a kingdom to overcome that problem. Besides…”

“This is your big sis’s first attempt at creating such a magitek exosuit. The chances of failure are high… There’s no heart pain if the materials aren’t ours to begin with.”

What a cheapskate.

“That’s only because you don’t know how truly difficult these materials are to obtain.”

Start by telling me what they are.

“In order to have the best effect, I would first require the skeleton of a pure, Overlord-class dragon. Next, we need large quantities of mithril, three psychic meditation gemstones…”

Say no more… I approve of this plan… Just the first two alone are enough to bankrupt me… But why an entire set of dragon bones? Are you sure this won’t end up being mistaken for necromancy?

“Not at all, the bones of a creature is one of the basic ingredients of alchemy. Dark alchemy is only forbidden because it uses materials such as human bones and flesh. In other words, every other creature is fine.

So that’s why… I learnt something new today.

“For the time being, we have to be patient, at least till your big sis is done creating those magitek exosuits. At that point, we can just hand over the method of creating these weapons to the Kingdom of Andassis, along with every other human kingdom. Once the humans are able to mass-produce these weapons, the Apocalypse should roughly be upon us as well. See, Little Brother, your wish to protect the humans is going to be fulfilled as well.”

What you said… makes sense, but why does it feel like something is off?

“Not at all. Just get some rest first, you will need it when you turn your charms onto that king and prince. Only when they are obedient can we…”

Stop, right there! I don’t swing that way!

“Whatever. Just improvise.”

You can forget about me ever charming some guy! But I approve of this magitek exosuit plan, though, the details will have to be worked out tomorrow. I just hope they won’t say no.

“They won’t. Your big sis guarantees it.”

And that’s precisely why I’m worried.

Overall, my little chat with Ferti’nier was enlightening. In a massive war for the world, small fries like me barely had an impact at all. But since Ferti’nier was the one who personally came up with this plan, it was worth a shot. At the very least, increasing the overall strength of the humans would mean that they won’t get overrun by a tidal wave of devils…

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 770: A Conversation with Ferti’nier (1)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

Ferti’nier’s protestations gave me a start -she was right!

Well, what do we do then?

“That’s a question for you to answer, my dear little brother.”

What? So you’re okay with me just dictating the terms?

“But of course. Since the day we were bound together, has it not been you who has decided where we go? Your big sis is just the kind old grandpa doing her job assisting you, that’s all.”

I mean… if you’re going to put it that way, big sis… I just didn’t expect you to treat me so well…

“You are my favourite little brother, after all.”

Since I’m your little brother, about that pee pee…

“If you don’t mind being exposed, your big sis is more than ready to return it to you. But if that prince and his father were to ever find out you lied to them… heheheh…”

I… I didn’t mean to. And even if my identity is exposed, they were the ones who didn’t believe me when I told them I was a guy! That’s not my fault!

“There are many things in this world that can’t be explained with logic. Just like how a drunkard bumps into a person, but not only does he not apologise, he even tries to stab the guy and gets stabbed to death by his own knife instead. Somehow the blame gets laid on the person defending himself instead by some self-righteous moron. See, there are plenty of examples of people acting without regard for others and the facts.”

I knew what she was referring to, it was a famous case on Gaia about how a drunk driver turned off his self-driving on purpose and almost knocked a pedestrian down. The driver and the pedestrian ended up in an argument, at which point the driver got so mad he pulled a knife. Unfortunately, his grip wasn’t tight enough due to his inebriated state. The knife ended up being snatched away, and the fight ended with the driver being stabbed to death.

But… that wasn’t the main story now.

How do I leave this kingdom, was the question of the day. I still planned on visiting my daughter in Purgatory, and if possible, visit the girls near Plateau Village. Jezsere, too… Maybe Nicole… so many people I had to see.

“Oh, our little brother wishes to return to Sable Radiance, correct?”

Mhm, I want to look for Mo Na. Sis, you have a plan?

“Well that won’t do at all. Have you forgotten about Lucifer’s seal? We have no way to enter freely.”

I remember, but I thought we didn’t have any trouble last time?

“That’s because you were summoned while inside Sable Radiance. It’s easy to leave that place, hard to enter. Even if your big sis has a dimensional marker there, it doesn’t change the fact that the seal was created by the clone of Lucifer, and your big sis hasn’t reached the stage where she can do as she pleases.”

But… When are we able to return then?

“When the seal comes undone.”

And…

“When the time for the final battle arrives, the seal will undo itself.”

So, I have to wait till then to see my daughter? But isn’t one of the prerequisites for the Apocalypse the destruction of Gaia?

“Not at all. From the moment we got swept away into that dimensional rift, Lucifer should have sensed what was going on in Gaia. Given that the Undead have proved unreliable, there’s a high chance he might push forward the plans for the Apocalypse.”

Huh. So he’s just going to go at it alone? Hold on… how does he know about the situation on Gaia? Don’t tell me…

“Have you finally realised? That’s right. Ever since you fused with that feather, you are basically His flesh and blood. Because of that, every move you make is under His watchful eyes. Why else would the Spider Queen suddenly show favour to you? She sensed the link between you and Him.”

The plot thickens… in fact, my whole life is rife with plots…

Then…

“Worry not, your big sis has managed to learn a great deal about the laws of the world while on Gaia. If nothing goes wrong, a few more years on Gaia and your big sis should be able to ascend to divinity. That is why your big sis pulled a little trick while we were in the dimensional void. She hid you away from His eyes. He might even still think that you are stuck in the void somewhere.”

That’s a relief… Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone who enjoys being watched 24/7, barring perverts. But if I can’t go back to Sable Radiance, I guess I’ll start with finding Ancarin, then we can talk about the Apocalypse. Hopefully, I will be on the Human side.

The Western Human Realms was home not just to humans, there were other races as well. The Nature Elves. The Dark Elves. The Dwarves. The Halflings.. And a whole bunch of other races like the Beastmen.

Those Dark Elves, especially, were basically stuck on the same boat as I was. As for the Nature Elves, I liked them too, pretty faces, and all that…

That was why I had to do something for this world, if not for them then for Nicole!

“Speaking of the Apocalypse, your big sis has an interesting proposition.”

What kind?

“The Apocalypse restricts actual divinities from participating, meaning demigods are the highest combat strength possible. In order to survive this massive tidal wave, our side has to have the goods to deliver. And that’s where your big sis got an idea. We will need a lot of resources… but you see, since we are already in this kingdom, and that king and his son won’t let you leave, why not use them?”

Use them? How?

I had to admit, “using” someone still did not sit well with me, even as a devil. I wanted to be the good guy, though, “good guy” as a devil was a little confusing…

“It’s not really “using” them. Little brother, have you already forgotten where you just came from?”

Gaia, of course, it’s not like I lost my memories.

“That’s right. And what strikes you deepest about your time there?”

Zombies?

No… More like science, or rather, exosuits and mobile armors!

If we can bring those two technologies back here, then our odds in the upcoming battle will improve significantly!

Even if those weapons are easily damaged by magicks, we just have to alter the designs to better fit our fantasy setting. The odds of victory would surely tilt in our favour then!

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 769: An Explanation?

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

Since the day this she-devil made herself known to me, nay, even before that, I had always been made to play to her whims. Her slyness made her unpredictable. The only constant was that when she winked, someone was going to get scammed.

Now, this scheming she-devil said she wanted to replenish herself. With what? Souls? But I did not want to start a massacre, that was my red line.

I never condoned killing people, not good people, anway.

That was something I made abundantly clear, right now, before she could even make any unreasonable demands of me.

“No killing, no killing. We are good people, after all. Why would we kill people?”

Hmph.

That was all the response she was getting. She knew I wasn’t going to bite this time, thus she changed tact entirely.

“Ah, but little brother, do you know how much your big sis has suffered all for your safety? Do you know how hard it is to pierce through that tiny crack in the dimensional barriers? I bet you do not, all you know is to faint. Faint. And faint. What else are you even good for…”

Well, it’s not like my uselessness is anything new, my dear big sis.

Hmph.

Same as before. However, I had to admit that I was a little caught off-guard by her airing her grievances like that. And her grievances weren’t without merit.

BUT! It’s not like she wasn’t trying to stir up a storm. I knew her better than anyone else -that was the kind of devil she was.

In fact, me fainting probably helped her… seeing as she couldn’t actually beat me in a battle for control over my body. If it wasn’t for that, I would be relegated to being a mere spectator in my own body by now.

Just like… Hold on… why is my pee pee missing again?

Don’t tell me just because I was in a different world, I was a man, but now that I’m back in this world, my little elephant trunk is gone?

That can’t be right, I’ve never heard of a dimensional rift performing a gender swap.

It must be Ferti’nier’s doing!

All right, come clean.

This time, I was very clear I wasn’t going anywhere till I got my answers,

“Well… the truth is… your big sis just repossessed your little toy, that’s all.”

Repossessed? So it was her!

Why?

“Because you happened to meet a human prince when you fell down from that tree.”

Huh? Speak clearly.

“If you had encountered a princess instead, your big sis would have left it there. Get it?”

Get… it… so you’re playing to his tastes…

Basically… this was the gist of my current situation.

Because of Karlston’s spell, the dimensional barriers tore open, and I was exiled to the void between dimensions.

Being a demigod living within the Chaos Crystal, she was able to survive this dimensional travel. That was also how she managed to transport me safe and sound, twice, without preparation, as she penetrated…

Thus, she brought me back to the Western Human Realms.

In her own words, the situation was so abrupt that she couldn’t find the opportunity to drag Karlston down with us.

My first entry into the Western Human Realms was what the dear prince remembered…

As for their warm welcome, that was just par for the course for a lust demon.

Initially, Ferti’nier did not retract my pee pee, keeping it in its complete state. The tipping point was when the Prince mistook me for a girl, and with that in mind, had his maid, Doris, give me a bath…

It was at that exact moment that I became a “girl”… apparently that was to better make use of my natural advantages.

How absolutely kind of her…

But there wasn’t much choice except to take her words, for now…

So that’s why Prince Sersan looked at me with such pity… because Ferti’nier had my pee pee taken away, thus I really did not have anything down there… To Doris, I couldn’t be any more of a woman… and she dutifully told Sersan. It all makes sense now.

I guess this is for my self-protection again…

I swear… sometimes it feels like things are proceeding so fast I can’t keep up… like a speeding train… choo choo…

And is it really all right for me to be travelling through worlds like this?

The situation in Southern Plains hasn’t been resolved yet and I’m already back here… I’m happy about it, but I have people I care about over there…

“Don’t worry, that side will be fine for now. Even though Karlston isn’t completely dead, he shouldn’t have the ability to stir up more trouble. We should handle our current situation first.”

What do you mean?

“Little brother, don’t tell me you wish to stay here forever? To become his consort? Your big sis doesn’t mind helping you. It’s just making a hole, after all…”

No thank you! I’m still a man, so I’ll have to pass on being a consort.

But if what you’ve said is true, and Karlston isn’t an issue for now, then I guess the first priority would be to search for my companions.

My daughter should still be in Purgatory. But Nicole’s situation is a little special… Looking for her would be problematic, however, yet I can’t just give up either.

Hmm… I wouldn’t mind dropping by Plateau Village if things turn out well. Ancarin, Regine, and their daughters are all there…

And Jezsere too. I wonder if our resident tsundere, Aishael, has finished building up her settlement. Or that fanatical Zurnalin who is always out to bear my child, is she okay?

Since I have Ferti’nier’s help this time, I might even be able to take some time off to visit Abaddon to find Numilia and the others…

There’s really so much to do, huh.

“One step at a time. One step at a time. Before all that, however, let’s talk about your big sis.”

You? What’s up?

“Your big sis is hungry.”

What do you mean “hungry”? Haven’t I been feeding you always?

All those “points”… all that faith, where did you stash them all?

“Into the void, of course. You really think traversing the void is so simple? Those are two separate worlds!”

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 768: I’m Not a Girl

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

“Honorable Andassis the Seventh…”

“Please, my fair lady…” The man interrupted me before I could continue. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony here, you may call me Kasinsan, that is my name. It is my wish that we interact more as friends, let not such petty things as social standing come between us.”

He kept going on without a care, finally ending with a smile and a wink… I won’t lie… that was a very charming smile, and probably would have won over any girl, but I’m not one…

“…”

Really… I’m at a loss for words right now. But he’s still my savior, after a fashion. Even if I’m not planning to repay him, I shouldn’t go overboard either.

But he’s really getting on my nerves… he’s just so pushy… so pompous… Anyway, there’s just so many parts about him I want to criticize.

“Right, my fair lady, may I have the honor of knowing your name? I believe a steadfast friendship begins with an introduction.”

I knew he had completely mistaken my gender, that couldn’t be more obvious at this point. Yet I could have just kept quiet, arguably that would be more advantageous to me, but I decided to speak up. “Actually… I’m not a girl at all, there’s been a mistake here…”

“…”

For the briefest of moments, I could see a hint of pity flash across the prince’s eyes. The king, however, chuckled, but even that was quickly hidden so as not to offend.

“My lady, you jest.” The king straightened his face. “We are all good men here, no one will try to harm you.”

“That’s not what I mean… I just…”

He probably thought I was hiding my gender to protect myself… but I really was just a man…

“Father, perhaps it would be better if we leave the lady to rest now. She just awoke from a spell of dizziness, feeling wary is only to be expected. I feel a little time for everyone would be best, we can reconvene again when she’s calmer.”

“Hmm, then we will continue tomorrow morning.” The king nodded my way before turning around to leave. However, he only took a couple of steps when he turned around and said, “This is my palace, you may rest easy and recuperate.”

“Yes, no one here will hurt you. I promise, my lady.” The prince basically said something in the same vein as his father before leaving as well.

The remaining followers all did a cursory round of introductions before bidding farewell not long after.

The heck was that? What’s with those strange looks they gave me? They clearly thought I was out of it, and do I really look so pitiful?

And he didn’t even give me time to explain myself fully… Bah…

Yet just when I thought it was all over, the prince stopped at the doorway, turned around, then said with longing in his voice, “Doris, I’ll leave her care in your hands, I will return tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The lady who I first encountered when I woke up curtsied in response.

Now that my visitors were well and truly gone, Doris, the maidservant, turned to face me. “Milady, is there anything Doris can help you with?”

“Nothing, for now.” I subconsciously reached to scratch my hair in frustration.

“Milady has been unconscious for a day, perhaps Doris can get some refreshments?”

“No, I’m fine.” I shook my head firmly. “I’m not hungry.”

“But milady hasn’t eaten for so long…”

“I’m not hungry, thank you. I just wish to be alone right now.”

“Milady, are you alright?”

More like am I sane… Of course, I am.

“I’m fine, you may leave.”

“In that case, Doris will take her leave… may you have a good rest.”

Under my withering gaze, even Doris knew that her continued presence would only serve to worsen my mood, thus she left without a fuss.

A short while later…

Doris came into the room once more bearing a platter of fruits and desserts, except she was decidedly stealthy about it… and that was when she saw it…

I was currently in the midst of inspecting my body… inspecting, in the literal sense of the word… Thankfully, I hadn’t taken off my pants yet…

“My–apologies! I forgot to knock…” In a panicked flurry, she slammed the platter of fruits down onto the nearest table, then without even looking, fled without ever closing the door…

“My–apologies! I forgot to close the door…”

Then with an equally loud bang, she slammed the door shut… I guess she did close the door…

But more importantly… I really was just inspecting my body… And even more important than that… why is it missing?!

Ferti’nier!!

Get out here this instant!

Why is my pee pee missing again? I demand an explanation! Do you know how much grief this is causing me, as a man. I’m better off dead, if I have to live life without it!

“Yahoo~~ Little brother, I see you’re awake, at last. And here your big sis was, thinking she could get a few more winks of sleep.”

As always, her silky smooth voice echoed melodically in my head. Caressed in its warm embrace, it was akin to bathing in the warmest of hot springs in the coldest of winters. Thank the stars… she’s still here…

“As if. Do you know how much your big sis had to suffer just to get us all back here?”

Hmm? Are you okay?

“At least you have the decency to ask. Don’t worry, your big sis is fine, just a little weakened. A round of nourishment and your big sis will be right as rain.”

The moment I heard her say that, I immediately went on high alert. Knowing what kind of devil she was, that was just a precursor to her demands.

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 767: An Unknown Ceiling

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

An unknown ceiling…

An ornately decorated room, a bed lined with the softest of pillows, attended to by a beautiful maidservant…

I could feel the air brimming with pure magical energies…

I’m no longer in Gaia, I take it… After all, Gaia doesn’t have this sort of decor.

So, where am I then?

What happened after Karlston fired off his forbidden spell?

Even though I couldn’t be sure if this was the case, but I vaguely remembered Ferti’nier mentioning that she had a marker set in the Western Human Realms.

The Western Human Realms? But what about Karlston? He doesn’t seem to be the type of villain to just croak from a simple spell. Is he still in Southern Plains? Or has he returned to the Western Human Realms as well?

“Milady, you’ve awoken? I will inform His Highness, right away.” Just as I began mulling over the multitudes of questions I had, the maidservant before me greeted me with a jovial smile. “I’m sure His Highness would be delighted by the news of your awakening.”

Having said that, she left before I could even respond.

However, she did not leave for long before the sounds of an argument filled my ears from outside my door.

Said door wasn’t soundproof. An odd choice, but probably deliberate, given there was magic to set a room’s soundproofing from soundproof to non-soundproof.

Naturally, the twenty-odd year old maidservant was privy to that argument. She turned around and gave me a cheeky wink. “Don’t worry, it will be over soon.”

From the sound of things, such an occurrence wasn’t rare, and it often took place outside a door; she seemed more than accustomed to chuckling at the heated argument.

“Father, I’m already 25, I know what I’m doing! She is my future Queen! I know it!” A youthful voice shouted.

“I will never acknowledge some strange woman from god-knows-where!” A stern voice replied.

“She’s not some unknown woman, I’ve made sure to have her checked, I checked everything…”

“Oh? And what was the result?”

“She must be an angel!”

“My child, perhaps Bishop Rokla should have a look at you, have you been under a great deal of stress recently… Perhaps I’ve been too harsh on you…”

“I’m fine, father! She is an angel, I saw her fall from the heavens!”

“I heard she fell from a tree.”

“She fell from the heavens first, then fell from a tree.”

That logic… you just can’t win…

“Fine, fine, your father doesn’t wish to argue with you on this matter. But you have to know, not every girl who falls from a tree is an angel.”

“But she’s so beautiful, and I’ve already used her likeness to search the entire realm, there’s nothing to suggest she even exists. Father, do you know what that means? She’s not of our kingdom, perhaps not even of our world! She is an angel, my angel…”

“Oh… my child, are you sure you’re alright? I think you’ve been a little under the weather recently.”

“No, I’m fine, father.”

“Regardless, I need to have a look at this girl, first… You’re my only heir, your candidate for Queen must never be chosen so haphazardly!”

“I know what you’re planning, father. But I do not want to marry the daughter of some prominent noble. They are just so fake, they give me goosebumps.”

“Barbara has the blood of the imperial family in her. Not only that, she is perfect in every other way, you should reconsider. Rather than devote your attention to some unknown woman. I don’t even know what she looks like. How do you know she’s not some spy from another country?”

“How could she be a spy?! She’s too beautiful for that! Father, you’re reading too much into this, I’m sure you will agree with me once you’ve seen her. I guarantee it!”

“I just hope so…”

Following those few minutes of heated debating, the door finally opened.
A group of three men and two women stepped through the doorway. Their elegant gait spoke of their long hours of practise, giving each an aura of nobility. The two men at the head were clearly influential, based on their exquisite finery. The older of the two was the very definition of authority.

The maidservant beside me bowed deeply, no longer frivolous as she was before.

However, the man’s aura did not bother me in the slightest. Absolutely not… I was just a little put off by having five people barge into the room all of a sudden. That’s why I wrapped myself in the blanket.

That was actually more of an instinct, on my part. Upon awakening, I immediately checked my being, and found that I was wearing a skirt… Still in shock from my appalling state, that bunch marched right in… Judging by that exchange just now, the middle-aged, well-dressed man was probably the “father”.

“You woke up! Great!” Seeing my confused state, the handsome blonde youth standing behind the middle-aged man quickly stepped forward to comfort me. “Be at ease, you’re safe here, I will protect you.”

“Hold on a moment, Sersan, my dear son. I will have you step aside first, I need to have a few words with this lady.” The middle-aged but still handsome man eyed me for a second. His eyes narrowed and his face jumped a little, but he quickly hid that.

Still, that expression was all too familiar to me… and it left me with even more goosebumps than before…

All I have to say is: no thanks…

“Ahem.” The middle-aged man brought a hand up to cough before revealing a warm smile. “Greetings, fair lady, I’m the king of Andassis, King Andassis the Seventh. You’re in my palace right now, it was my beloved son, Sersan, who brought you here. It was said you were comatose when we brought you in. How about we start with some self-introductions? Oh, right, this is my son, Sersan.”

Having said that, he gestured towards the blonde youth beside him.

Prince Sersan immediately nodded in my direction. Of note was the undisguised affection he showed in his eyes as he stared at me. Honestly speaking, I was a little creeped out… Can I just get out of here already?

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

Volume 16

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Devil Evolution Catalogue Chapters 755 to 766

January 13, 2022 CatatoPatch 1 Comment

755 to 766 are out!

Chapter 766: Epilogue (12)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

Because Mo Ke thought that this would be his last fight with Karlston, he changed his usual format to a livestream instead.

When Mo Ke came riding on a majestic lioness of flames, millions went wild at the scene. The comments flying across the screen was more than enough to cover the screen thrice over.

The Goddess is pulling out her ultimate skills!

Why can’t the Goddess ride me instead?

Goddess Ke is the best!

Get rid of those awful skeletons!!

Great was their excitement. Had there not been a holographic screen separating them, they would have probably leapt into battle themselves.

Naturally, the cult of the Goddess Ke was hard at work, praising the majesty of their goddess to all who would listen. Righteousness, generosity, etc… there was no praise they did not heap on her.

Honestly, their efforts were redundant at this point. Footage of Mo Ke rescuing civilians over the past month had already spread throughout the net. His position in this new world was akin to a saint… or maybe, a saintess…

There was no one who did not know him, and everyone had nothing but praise for his work.

And even if there were any criticisms, they were swiftly buried in an avalanche of praise. But not fast enough that they weren’t noticed. After all, blasphemers like them had to be whipped to death.

Basically, only those with nefarious reasons had cause to hate him. This was one of the specialties of humans. Against a common, formidable foe, everyone was more than willing to rally together, especially when they had a focal point of worship. It didn’t hurt that this focal point was pleasant on the eyes and had a great personality.

At this point of the livestream, Mo Ke had already barged into the underground room, Karlston had just exiled Mo Ke to another world with his forbidden spell…

Everything was captured live on screen, and just like before, the viewers would have wanted nothing more than to rush in and help their goddess.

However, the impact of that forbidden magic was too great. A massive dimensional rift opened up beneath the skyscraper, and under their watchful but horrified eyes, the towering construct began sinking. Floor by painful floor, till nothing was left except for a giant pit half a kilometer in radius. Words failed them as they stared red-eyed at the screen before them…

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the first comment of “my goddess!” broke the silence, opening up the floodgates for a tidal wave of “return my goddess to me!” comments. Picture the scene of hundreds of millions of civilians yelling at the military through their screens to send in the troops. But it was all too late, even if they were to march in now, there was no Mo Ke to save -he was no longer in the same dimension.

At the same time that Mo Ke disappeared, Duanmu Xinqing, Duanmu Bitong, Lixiang, Qiaoqiao and her aunt all received a strange notification.

“Main Quest: activated. Objectives: expand the cult of Goddess Ke. Accumulate the power of faith.”

“Side Quest: refreshed. Combine the arcane arts and technology to create a new mobile armor. Relevant details can be purchased off the Marketplace…”

“Marketplace update: addition of tomes regarding arcane constructs… points can be spent to directly learn these tomes…”

A string of instructions popped up in each of their heads. But to each of them, these instructions were more like pillars of support. Just a second ago, their grief-filled hearts were on the verge of ceasing… Now, there was actually a chance that Mo Ke would return!

There was no way the system would lie to them. The girls could attest to that. After all, the system itself was tied to Mo Ke.

It was fortunate then that the system’s notification was so timely, given that the girls were all happily watching Mo Ke live stream his last battle while munching on some snacks when tragedy struck. They nearly fainted on the spot, and would have, had it not been for that familiar ding.

A quick look around, and the girls realised that they had all the same expression; that was when they realised what had happened.

“This one can start work on the arcane armor, the Goddess of Hope. This one’s mortal ancestor was the Youqin Patriarch; there is nothing this one does not know about arcane construction.”

In layman’s terms, the Youqin family were versed in mobile armor research.

Duanmu Bitong looked at the girl briefly, then nodded in acknowledgement. “Leave the magical array to me.”

“Then Qiaoqiao will paint the talismans!” Qiaoqiao pumped her fist into the air. “Just you wait, big brother, Qiaoqiao is going to give you the biggest surprise of your life!”

Elsewhere, Duanmu Xinqing and Qiaoqiao’s aunt were in a video call with each other. Both of them weren’t aware that the other party had received the same message when they first started, but it did not take long before they came to an alliance about the following plan of action.

Duanmu Xinqing would handle the official channels, while Qiaoqiao’s aunt would provide the financial backing. The goal was to expand the cult as soon as possible.

It was then that the seeds sowed by Ferti’nier truly started to sprout.

—– Change of Scene—–

Western Human Realms: The Kingdom of Andassis, Outskirts of the Capital…

The twenty five year old prince of Andassis, and sole heir of the kingdom, Prince Sersan, was out partaking in his favourite pastime: hunting.

He was your typical noble youth, adventure-seeking, romantic and artsy. His greatest wish wasn’t to be king but rather to be wandering minstrel.

If we were being perfectly honest, that was the dream of every noble scion. After all, everything came to them on a silver spoon, thus they did not have to suffer for their wealth, merely wallowing in boredom as the days passed by uneventfully. An epic adventure was something they craved from the bottom of their hearts.

The only reason they thought that way was because no one was there to teach about the harsh realities of life.

In fact, Prince Sersan did not actually hunt at all, at least, not alone. Never was he ever in any danger, or placed in a survival situation. His hunts were always accompanied by a veritable army by his side. A carriage. A luxurious tent prepared and pitched on his behalf. In short, his hunting trips were the very definition of luxury. And there was no way someone like him would survive in the wild for more than a day!

Naturally, all that exposition was not to wealth-shame the young prince, rather, it was to set a backdrop for the Prince’s newest obsession. A couple days back, he watched a stage play, one where the male and female leads met in an oft unheard of manner. The female lead was climbing a tree when she slipped on a branch, following which the male lead happened to be passing by at the right time to catch her. From that point on, a wonderful tale of young romance blossomed.

That was the Prince’s new obsession.

“Ahh… when can I enjoy such a beautiful romance as well? Gods above, please bless me with a girl that will leave breathless, I offer up…”

Just as he was about to make his wish, he was rudely interrupted… interrupted by a strangely dressed girl with purple hair who, just like in the play, fell from a nearby tree…

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 765: Epilogue (11)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

From across the holographic screen, Duanmu Xinqing’s beaming smile greeted me. “Yahoo~ Now, this is a rare sight. Ke, you actually called your aunty Xinqing – are flowers going to bloom on palm trees now?”

She teased me ruefully.

“A– Xinqing, I’ve been really busy lately… you know why…”

“Yes, yes. But, Ke, it’s rude of you to address your aunty by her name like that. Remember to add on the “aunty” next time.” Duanmu Xinqing gave me her signature teasing smile. “But your aunty is a little happy that you addressed her by her name. Right, Ke, when are you coming home? Your aunty misses you so, and my precious daughter, too, of course.”

“I’ve already located the mastermind behind this virus. I will go back when I’m finished dealing with him.” I avoided answering her directly.

However, she could already see that something was up, especially given that I had deliberately kept a distance from her this past month.

“Ke, are you trying to avoid us?”

“No… not at all.”

“There’s no need to repeat yourself. Your aunty might always have her head buried in some research, but she still has eyes.” Duanmu Xinqing did not press the issue, but a sigh escaped her lips. “Ke, your aunty does not know what is troubling you, but she hopes that you understand that we will always be behind you.”

“Mhm.”

Her decision not to pursue the matter relieved me greatly, but seeing as there wasn’t much to say at that point, I quickly cut off the feed, spread my wings, then took off towards the skyscraper.

After a full month of stewing, the city was a giant graveyard, if said graveyard did not bother to bury the dead. Technically, I had a special method of blocking out this stench, else I would have gone mad from the smell.

I zipped through the dead city, the streets somehow felt even quieter than usual. Barring the usual mindless zombie straggler, there weren’t any other undead, like those skeletal beasts, to be found anywhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if Karlston had just decided to recall any undead that showed any modicum of power. But that also meant that he had been monitoring me, and knew that I was about to knock on his door.

As expected, I spotted a horde of skeletal beasts waiting for me at the doorstep of the former Life Unbound Biotech’s headquarters. Flying skeletons, crawling skeletons, even tunnelling skeletons. They were all there.

“Nether flame lioness.”

That familiar gate of flames appeared on command; a blackish-red lioness rushed out a second later in a shower of dancing flames. And as I started to descend, the lioness caught me on its back, but its nether flames did not hurt me in the slightest. In fact, it protected me from any potential danger I could face.

“Dive into them.”

The lioness acknowledged the command, opening up with a blistering barrage of nether flame spheres, following which it dove right into the horde.

Any undead that dared to take a hit from these flame balls were instantly dealt a severe blow, often having their limbs vaporised in the process. The shockwave from the impact alone was enough to blow away countless lesser skeletons in the vicinity. The skies above darkened from the sheer rain of bones falling down upon the pavement, heralding my climatic entrance.

Yet before I could step through the door, a surge of mana came emanating from deep beneath the ground.

Another enemy? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Karlston would have an undead hideout beneath me. Typical villain.

Before that, however, there was still this horde to deal with. Even so, these undead were nothing but leaves to the hurricane that was my nether flame lioness.

I quickly made my way to the focal point of this mana emanation. It was a pitch-black room, spacious, and bearing an odd-smelling black pool in the center. A blood pool would have been the more appropriate term, given that there was no way an undead villain like Karlston would soak in water. Plus, there was a faint outline of a corpse floating in that pool. The room itself was airtight, creating that pungent smell that hit me like a truck.

My nether flame lioness wasn’t one for entering through the front door, thus we smashed through the floorboards, landing in a similarly dramatic fashion as before.

Towards my explosive entry, Karlston was less than impressed. He was seated on a bony throne in the middle of that blood pool, left hand wielding a bony staff that seemed to almost quiver at my presence… Seems like our undead boss is a little tense.

Or maybe it’s just my overwhelming presence -more like Ferti’nier’s…

I jumped off the comfy back of the nether flame lioness and glared quietly at the black-robed skeleton. “It’s time we settle this debt.”

“That we should.” His staff shook a little as he slowly raised it in preparation for what seemed like a spell. “But it will be your debt that we collect on.”

Even though I was incensed by the mere existence of this nemesis of mine, I actually had something to ask him. A pity he wasn’t in the mood for talking at all.

I mustn’t let him cast his spell so easily…

Against a mage, the tried and tested method was always to just charge him and give him a good beating. Which I did. I flipped onto my lioness once more and broke into a blistering charge.

“Land of the dead… overturn the wheel of reincarnation… feast of the souls…”

“That’s a forced teleportation spell, Exile. It can throw another person into a separate dimension. Useful, but the side effects are severe, thus its categorization as a forbidden spell. In all likelihood, he’s trying to kick you out of Gaia, that greedy ******* is planning to keep this treasure trove all for himself.”

A forced teleportation?! No! I can’t let him get this spell off.

Karlston quickly finished his chant as I rode my nether flame lioness swiftly into him.

However, my desperate attack was suddenly interrupted when countless bone spears pierced through the ceiling and ground in a pincer attack.

My first instinct was to dodge, but with my nether flame lioness protecting me, I came to the conclusion that even that was unnecessary.

Yet all it took was that single second of hesitation as Karlston managed to cast his spell. There was only a meter separating us. Our eyes met in a storm of murderous intent…

But amidst that overbearing emotion, there was calmness. His spell had been completed, and this whole sequence of events seemed to have been planned by him. All that was needed now was that final chant…

“Tear down the void of space… Exile!”

“It’s too late… we messed up…”

At that point, everything went black. All I could remember was Karlston finishing his chant, at which point the black pool of blood gushed upwards into a massive array.

“Don’t worry, little brother, your Big Sis will protect you…”

Those were the last words I heard…

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 764: Epilogue (10)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

“I’ve gained the strength to lead everyone out of here…”

I turned to look out at the night sky, my heart filled with a myriad of lamentations.

Sima Junmo and Ouyang Huiren exchanged a look with each other. Both of them could see that something was up, but they stayed silent.

Next came the actual details of how we were to evacuate. Once that was done, the two of them left the room. They still had patrol duty tonight, though, Floater left without saying a word either.

Bright and early next morning, the survivors had a hasty breakfast before preparing to leave. Some were excited about the prospect, some euphoric, and there were those who were a little doubtful.

Our pre-departure meeting wasn’t so much a meeting as it was a declaration of intent. I did not say much, but I did impress upon everyone that I would bring them all out of the city.

My three fire elementals took the lead in the caravan. The soldiers guarded our flanks while Floater covered our rear. Any supplies we had were basically abandoned in favour of lighter gear; everything was for the sake of leaving this forsaken dump.

As the soldiers herded the uneasy masses towards the outskirts of the city, any undead that dared show their ugly head were summarily trampled over.

A kilometer later, we arrived at the same outskirts surrounded by soldiers. The appearance of such a force only served to spur the survivors on in this final leg of their journey.

On the other side, the stationed troops had also noticed us. One of them contacted Sima Junmo on his comms channel and began discussing a plan of action.

Now… a plan of action might have been a little hyperbolic, seeing as they couldn’t be counted on to aid us from the other side. Sima Junmo understood this as well, but he couldn’t resist the urge to contact someone on the outside after so long. Southern Plains, as it was now, was no better than a giant prison. We were the ones trying to break out of this prison, though, we weren’t inmates.

Because the underground of the city was still guarded by several powerful undead, the soldiers on the outside couldn’t enter. Their multiple attempts had ended in heavy losses, thus did their plans finally cease.

Yet it could be said that the true reason why they gave up was because the majority of the civilians within the city were already dead. That, and the fact that I was on the inside deflecting any criticism for them.

The hot topic of the day was no longer that the army was incompetent, but rather about me…

For the people of this new world, Gaia, or maybe just the entire dimension, I was more famous than any idol or president.

A disaster of this scale was practically unheard of in modern Earth times. Gaia was no different. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that there was no one who didn’t know of me at this point.

That was what Duanmu Xinqing told me. Honestly, this suited me just fine. After all, collecting faith had a lot to do with being well-known.

I had long pondered how we could leave this city, but I did not possess the strength to do so then. Things were different now…

I’m going to have my nether flame lioness do a round around the outskirts, let’s see if any undead dares show itself!

True to my word, I commanded my lioness to patrol the area.

When it first appeared, all the surrounding ghosts were drawn to it like flies to a flame. However, none of them dared venture closer than twenty meters. Their faces twisted into ghastly shapes, their ethereal hands morphed into horrific claws, yet none of them dared cross that line.

The nether flame lioness merely roared out of boredom and those ghosts who weren’t all too keen about approaching in the first place promptly retreated.

With such a powerful summon leading the way, the ghosts did not even try to block our path.

This scene was duly captured and uploaded on the net, turning it into a viral legend.

Throughout this final leg, I was on guard at all times, worried that some giant undead would just claw its way out of the ground and ambush us. Fortunately, this never happened -Karlston’s doing?

The survivors were safely delivered into the hands of the soldiers, at which I turned towards Southern Plains once more.

Naturally, the girls couldn’t bear to be left alone like that, but I had already discussed this with them last night. They knew their strength was lacking, so none of them said a word, though they desperately wanted to.

There were actually a bunch of reasons I had to return to Southern Plains, not least of which was to deal with the loose ends. Karlston had to be dealt with. More survivors needed to be saved. And I needed more faith. Also… this was also for my own humanity.

Ever since becoming a devil, I took extra pains in reminding myself that I had a human’s heart.

This was my personal fight to retain my human compassion!

In the following month, I scoured the entire city, saving thousands in the process. Unfortunately, this number did not cross the ten thousand mark. For a city that once boasted a population in the millions, this was just…

While doing so, I managed to locate Karlston’s hideout. It was a skyscraper owned by Life Unbound Biotech Private Limited. This was their headquarters. Former headquarters.

Karlston did not interfere at all during this entire process. In all likelihood, he had a plan of his own. If I had to hazard a guess, he was making ready for our final showdown.

Now that I had confirmed the rescue of all the survivors, I opened up a comms channel with Duanmu Xinqing.

Up till now, I did not contact anyone on my own, not since I recovered my memories. There was always this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I had deceived them.

In fact, this was even worse than deception.

Thanks to me, Duanmu Xinqing, Duanmu Bitong, Qiaoqiao, her aunty… they weren’t the only ones, too… a whole bunch of people were brainwashed to fit in this false identity of mine.

Ferti’nier shared this body with me, meaning her transgressions were mine to bear.

How was I to face them in light of all that? It felt like I had wronged them, but I couldn’t tell them the truth…

Truly, a difficult dilemma. I almost did not wish for my memories to return.

However, that thought was quickly banished. I was no longer that coward that only hid in the corner of his mind, unable to face reality.

After a month of silence, my first attempt at contact was immediately picked up.

As the all-too-familiar, yet somehow foreign, screen flashed to life, so did a maelstrom of emotions.

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 763: Epilogue (9)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

“Yo~~ I see our little brother has finally remembered his big sister.”

It was that familiar voice, using that familiar tone, laced with that all-too-familiar gaiety… In other words, the so-called “System Lady” was just Ferti’nier having fun!

Or rather, who else could it be except her?

“Is that a compliment, little brother?”

If it will make you happier… but more importantly, what’s going on here?

“Haha, don’t you remember? You were stabbed by a pretty girl, so you ran like a coward into the depths of your mind. At least, you’ve learned to man up now, huzzah.”

Ferti’nier…

“You mean “Big Sis”~~”

…

“If you’re asking for something, you have to be polite, else your Big Sis will just not answer.”

Fine, my ever-generous Big Sis… now can you tell me what’s going on?

“Since you were so sincere about it… For the sake of world peace, love…”

Hey! Don’t give me that nonsense, what’s a devil like you talking about peace and love for?!

Get to the point, already.

“Well, your Big Sis was getting to the point. She was protecting the peace of the world when she fell into this world.”

As if.

“Has our little brother already forgotten that he’s a devil himself? Weren’t you always going on about protecting the Western Human Realms?”

…

Well, she’s not wrong, I did say I wanted to protect the Western Human Realms. The plan hasn’t actually worked yet… I mean, it’s in process, even now!

“Ohoho~~ So you’ve realised? Yes, we’re sitting on a veritable treasure trove. As long as the undead are defeated, the treasure is all ours.”

While I might not have the full story right now, she was right in saying we had to chase away the undead. Then, become the “god” of this world’s humanity, and with an abundance of faith stored up, fight my way back into the Western Human Realms!

Yes, this could work!

“Assuming, of course, the undead are chased away… Before that, your Big Sis feels it’s better if you know what happened after you fled…”

She began explaining the events after my stabbing while I listened with bated breath and a cold sweat running down my spine.

So isn’t Mo Na in danger then?

“Not to that extent. During the invasion, Karlston was very careful in restricting his power below a Demigod’s. Don’t you find that strange? There has to be some reason holding back, and that reason is most likely Lucifer. He must have left behind some backup plan, or mechanism, that would activate if a Demigod was detected.”

I guess that makes sense, the undead leaders probably know about this, so they dare not use the full extent of their abilities.

And I ended up in this world when Ferti’nier fought off Karlston and accidentally stepped into a dimensional rift.

In that case, those undead were probably invading Sable Radiance in search of this very same rift… it all makes sense..

That black-robed skeleton was probably Karlston. If even my nearly invincible Demon King Idol was destroyed during that dimensional transference… I can only imagine what it must have done to him. It’s a miracle he wasn’t obliterated. Guess he isn’t just a Demigod for no reason.

An Overlord would probably be dust…

“So what’s your plan now, little brother?”

My plans?

Can we go back to the Western Human Realms?

“We can, your Big Sis made sure to leave a marker in Sable Radiance. As long as the required materials have all been assembled, teleporting to a marked location is easy. While your Big Sis doesn’t recommend returning now, do you still wish to do it?”

No… not yet…

Even though my first thoughts were to return to the Western Human Realms when I first recovered my memories, I knew there were still loose ends to tie up here. First, I had to escort those survivors out of Southern Plains!

“All right, since our little brother has made his decision.”

Following that exchange, I un-summoned my nether flame lioness and left for the inn.

As I approached the hot spring inns, Ouyang Huiren was the first to spot us, being on patrol duty. Tonight was one fraught with surprises and dangers. The unexpected incursion had left most sleepless. As a precaution, everyone had made preparations to flee at a moment’s notice. Thanks to that, and the appearance of that giant skeleton, the survivors were all a haggard mess.

Within the lobby of the inn itself, everyone was already gathered, and upon the announcement that I had successfully dispatched that skeletal giant, the survivors were all visibly stunned, but that soon turned to cheers of celebration.

“Ke!”

“Big brother!”

“Your Highness!”

Seeing me safely returned, Duanmu Bitong was the first to come rushing towards me, though, Qiaoqiao and Lixiang weren’t that far behind as well.

Yet when I looked at the person I once called “Sis”, Bitong, I couldn’t help but feel a little strange. I wasn’t young anymore, not by any measure of the word, but the fact was that I had been treating her as my older sister while I still did not have my memories.

If I was still amnesiac, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but now it just felt weird.

“I’m back.” I nodded towards the girls, signalling for them to settle down with a gaze. After which, I turned to the survivors. “Everyone, get some rest. The danger has passed, and the patrols will still be on duty. However… Ouyang Huiren, Sima Junmo and Floater, I need you guys to follow me for a second. There’s something important I wish to discuss with everyone.”

With the survivors settled, I led the three soldiers, along with the girls, back to our room.

“Everyone, have a seat. What I’m about to say might shock you…”

Thanks to my memories returning, our previous plan was basically cancelled. This new plan of mine required swift action, namely, to leave!

We pulled up some chairs, the girls and the soldiers sitting neatly in rows as if this was a classroom, while I began to summarise my new plan.

“We can really leave?” Was their stunned response.

Ouyang Huiren and Sima Junmo weren’t as taken aback by this plan, seeing as they had never been to the outskirts of the city before. However, the girls had seen the mass of mobile armors and exosuits stationed there, scattered about as a testament to their defeat at the hands of those ghosts. Clearly, this scene still haunted them.

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 762: Epilogue (8)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

Fer… what was it again? Why can’t I remember the name?

I thought to myself as I listened to that voice which sounded so familiar to me, like it was etched into my very soul.

And aren’t I able to control fire? Not just any old fire, too -a blackish-red flame that no one would ever mistake for anything other than ominous.

That’s right, that flame is called Nether Flame. A flame born from hell itself, a flame of the Apocalypse… my flame!

In the very next instant, that half-dissolved flame lioness suddenly exploded out of the sickly green fog enveloping it, concentrating into a reddish sphere. And from deep within that crackling ball of fire, a change started. A wave of blackish-red flame swiftly consumed the reddish flame, at which point a new lion began to take shape, one with a majestic coat of black and red and a tail alit with motes of fire.

That greenish fog was of a lower ranking than these nether flames, thus when my summon evolved into a nether flame lioness, that corrosive fog instantly burst into flames, turning to smoke a mere moment later.

“Roar!!!”

The nether flame lioness leapt out of the fast-vanishing fog of green, diving into the skeletal giant like a mighty meteor from the heavens, blowing a gaping hole in the skeleton’s skull.

Because the giant was an undead creature stitched together out of multiple smaller ones, the nether flames went unhindered as they scorched a swathe before them. As the seconds ticked by, the giant’s skull steadily disappeared till over half of it was missing!

The black-robed figure launched itself out of the hellscape of black and red that was the giant’s skull. Yet no matter how fast it was, it still caught some of the blackish-red flames.

It landed atop one of the skyscrapers nearby, then with a swish of its sleeves, put out the flames, though those sleeves were still destroyed in the process.

It stared at me with disbelieving eyes, and what counted for a slack jaw in a skeleton. “How did you get so strong all of a sudden?!”

“Because I topped up.”

“Huh?”

“I mean I remembered some stuff, stuff that ought to belong to me.”

As I finished saying that, the nether flame lioness switched targets and leapt at the black-robed skeleton.

The skeleton hastily retreated, throwing out all manner of undead magicks at the ascending lioness, in a bid to avoid touching its deadly flames directly. Whether it was a bone shield, a bone spear, or a bone cage, they were all tossed out to try and slow the fiery summon down.

Unfortunately for it, my nether flame lioness was a creature of pure destruction. There was no way it would ever fear such lowly threats. Head lowered and flames flaring in the air, it charged unabated, not even trying to avoid the projectiles.

Every bony implement that came into contact with its dancing tendrils of flame were summarily burnt to ashes. There was nothing to stop the rampaging lioness, not even that towering skyscraper.

A loud bang shook the air as the dozen or so storey-high building was reduced to rubble by its unstoppable charge.

Even so, the black-robed skeleton managed to evade that attack by the skin of its robes. But try as it might, it couldn’t figure out the source of my sudden increase in strength.

In fact, I did not understand it as well.

“Wraith of Purgatory… you’ve recovered your Territory? No… that’s not a Territory! There’s no way you can possess such strength in your amnesiac state…”

“Heh, your guess is as good as mine.” I commanded my lioness to keep chasing the skeleton while I continued taunting it. “Stil, I finally understand what it means to swipe… No wonder they call it “pay-to-win”!”

That’s right, the genius that I was immediately thought of exchanging my points into SP the same instant I realised I could use Nether Flames…

Just based on a star ranking, the lioness was probably between an eight and a seven, but the special characteristics of Nether Flames allowed it to battle even those above it.

Perhaps it was because my words made no sense whatsoever, the black-robed skeleton was actually caught off-guard for a second, allowing my lioness to get a quick swipe in with its flames. The skeleton’s left arm was completely vaporised, but the black flames showed no signs of slowing down as it continued burning its way up its robes!

That robe it wore was clearly no ordinary black robes. The fact it survived so long against my flames was testament to that. But with how much flames were on it right now, it wouldn’t last much longer.

Ripping noises

The black-robed skeleton tore off the robes before the flames had a chance to burn its main body. Its bony white body shone particularly brightly in the light of the moon…

“Blast! You win this time, but you won’t be so fortunate next time!”

After leaving behind the classic villain farewell, that headless skeletal giant suddenly shook and collapsed right over where the unrobed skeleton was.

With how uncanny this timing was, there was no doubt in my mind that the unrobed skeleton had done this on purpose.

The nether flame lioness instinctively knew to duck away from the collapsing pile of bones. A thunderous bang later, the unrobed skeleton was enveloped in a shroud of dust and rubble…

By the time this dust cloud had dissipated, that skeleton was nowhere to be seen. There was only a large hole left in its wake, most likely dug out by some skeletal beast.

Crap, it actually managed to escape… but I guess this means I’ve found our mastermind at least… and I still have some important matters to take care of…

Like the fact that the so-called character I was playing, and so mercilessly made fun of, was actually me!

I’m Mo Ke, unmarried, age… That’s not important now, and not just because I don’t want to be a grand sage – I clearly have several fiancees now! But why am I still a virgin then?!

Wait, wait, now’s not the time for that as well. Why am I even here? And isn’t this Nicole’s sword?

And unless my memory is still lying to me, I was stabbed by this very sword!

So what happened after that? Why am I in this futuristic world?

What happened after Nicole stabbed me? I must have lost my memory of that period, or maybe Ferti’nier was in control of my body….

When I opened my eyes, all I saw was Sis and… Hold on!

I’m already… I mean… I’m clearly older than Bitong, so why do I have to call her “Sis”?

Ferti’nier… you did this, didn’t you?!

Get out here, Ferti’nier! Get out here, right now!

Don’t try to play dumb with me! I know this so-called system lady is you!

Geez, all I did was lose my memory, and you took advantage of this opportunity to sell me my own stuff… I bet you’re all proud of yourself right now, making a killing off my stuff! You despicable merchant!

If you don’t come out this instant… Hmmm… I guess there’s nothing I can do to you… but I can ignore you too.

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.

Chapter 761: Epilogue (7)

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Author: The Sole Survivor	Original Source: SFACG
Translator: CatatoPatch	English Source: Re:Library

“No one is allowed to insult me like that, not even you!” As expected, the black-robed skeleton reacted to my taunting. It raised its hands and clapped them. Beneath him, the giant skeleton mimicked his movements and tried to capture me with a clap as well.

“Smack!”

A massive shockwave, followed by an explosion, shook the surroundings. The air pressure alone would have been enough to send an ordinary man flying away to his death, if the fear it instilled hadn’t already sent the man running.

Unfortunately, none of these worked against me. Beating my wings, I nimbly avoided the strike with a swerve to the side, zipping around in an S-shape to reach the black-robed skeleton for a quick slice!

Cloaked in an aura of fire and ice, the Epic-grade Icy Inferno was sure to split its bony appendages apart with ease.

Yet a mere moment later, a gigantic bone shield appeared before me, blocking my entire field of vision. Blinded, I continued swinging my sword around in hopes of a hit.

The bone shield was immediately destroyed, only to reveal that the black-robed skeleton was no longer on the giant’s head.

Crap!

I realised I had been tricked and tried to fly away, but before I could do so, a gigantic hand clawed out of the otherwise barren skull of the giant skeleton. With fingers that could easily trap an adult-sized human, it reached for me while I hastily performed an overhead chop to hack off one of its fingers before ducking backwards. However, more bone arms sprouted forth from the giant’s skull, creating a forest of bones in the process!

“Enough of these games!” I performed a Revolution Slice, slicing apart the nearest hand, and clearing out a path for me to fly away in the process.

I quickly purchased a large potion of SP recovery, in preparation for summoning an inferno lion.

“O Lion’s Majesty… By my command, bless thy emissary with new life… Come forth… burn all that stands before me to nothingness!”

Once more, the gate of flames opened up, and a lioness made purely out of flames strode forth.

Because it did not die during my previous summon, I only needed a fraction of the SP to call it forth from reserve. A single potion was all it took to finish this summoning.

After finishing the first summon, I called forth the three fire elementals for help. Hopefully, the four of them combined could hold back that skeletal giant while I tried to capture that black-robed skeleton.

Even if it was quite clear, based on its own words, that this skeleton was most likely the mastermind before this tragedy, I still had to capture it to be sure, and ascertain what its motives were at the same time.

The moment my team of fire summons appeared, they promptly launched a withering barrage of attacks on the giant skeleton. The inferno lion galloped on the air, spitting flames at the skeleton from time to time.

Compared to the nimbleness of its majestic strides, the skeleton’s swipes were heavy and lumbering, failing to hit its target.

At the end of the day, this giant skeleton was merely a composite of dead creatures. Its weaknesses were bare for all to see.

On the other hand, my inferno lion was no ordinary creature. It was extremely agile, thanks to its elemental nature. By making use of this advantage, it flew circles around the undead giant, striking at areas it couldn’t react to, all the while dodging the giant’s clumsy flailing.

Because the giant was made up of countless smaller bones pieced together, a swipe of the inferno lion’s claws were enough to break off a sizable chunk, due to its relatively lower defenses.

The three fire elementals acted more like arrows of fire as they dove at the giant, pulling up and circling around the undead creature once they had delivered a severe blow. Had it not been for those smaller bone hands sprouting from the giant’s surface, they could have skipped the latter step entirely.

Just like the giant’s swipes, these grasping hands failed to catch my elementals.

Safely above the battlefield, I silently watched the fight unfold beneath.

The black-robed skeleton was nowhere to be seen. I had no idea as to where it went, but if I had to hazard a guess, it probably hid in the same way as that tri-coloured hoodlum by applying its ability to meld with the giant itself.

So it’s basically a bone version of an exosuit?

As I pondered how to force that skeleton out of its hiding spot, my fire elementals launched another diving volley at the giant. And again… but no matter how many times they tried, they were unable to deal a decisive blow against the giant, though wearing down the giant was still possible.

Yet the next attack had me shivering despite the lack of coldness..

The fire elementals morphed into an arrow-like shape and dove at the giant, weaving through its bony hands like before to strike at the giant’s chest.

But if this was anything like their previous attempts, they would have been able to duck away immediately to avoid a counterattack.

However, they did not back away as I had expected…

Because of my vantage point, I was blocked from seeing what was going on down there. Curious, I changed positions to have a better look, only to be shocked by what I saw.

The fire elementals had successfully hit their target, but the giant was emitting a mysterious green fog that was corroding them with unbelievable speed. The fire elemental desperately tried to break free but were dissolved into nothingness in a few seconds…

Impossible! Those elementals are made of pure fire, how can acid even dissolve fire?

At the same time that the elementals disappeared, my inferno lion leapt into the fray, clawing at the back of the giant’s head, flames bursting to life in a deafening roar.

But just like those elementals, it wasn’t able to retreat in time before that strange green fog gushed out and encircled it…

The inferno lion ducked and weaved to try and avoid getting caught in the fog, but it was only a matter of time before this spiderweb closed in on it. Bit by bit, the fog snuffed out its flames… But how! It’s fire, for crying out loud!

It’s over, that fog is too strong, what am I even supposed to do against that?

Icy Inferno is strong, but that’s 50 meters worth of bones I need to slice through! And there’s still that green fog to contend with. Plus, that black-robed skeleton is probably skulking somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to strike… there’s no way out… unless there’s something in the Marketplace.

That’s right, I still have the Marketplace!

“Sigh…”

Just as I was panicking mentally, a voice sighed within my head. However, this wasn’t the system’s voice, but it still felt familiar to me. It gave me an inexplicable sense of security.

Shameless Self-promotion

I hate this novel.