Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 252: Deliberation

Some time ago, when Yumo left the palace in extreme annoyance and headed towards the Dungeon to meet Kalina, Xiao, the Duke of the Black Rose, established contact with Yumo using a communication magic stone. In an attempt to appease Yumo, Xiao presented a proposal. Upon hearing Xiao’s words, Yumo, who was halfway through her journey, froze in astonishment, her footsteps coming to a sudden halt. With mixed emotions, she gazed at the communication magic stone emitting a blue light in the palm of her hand. After a brief silence, Yumo spoke with complexity in her expression.

"Xiao, are you suggesting... that Abyssal demons attack the Skye Dome?"

Not only Yumo but also the members of the Black Rose family present, except for a certain butler who always wore a meaningful expression, showed signs of surprise. Faced with Yumo’s words full of shock, Xiao sighed helplessly. Soon, his voice resonated once again through the communication magic stone, reaching Lady Yumo’s ears.

"Lady Yumo, I believe this is the most suitable approach at present. As you know, in recent years, due to the rapid decline in the frequency of Abyssal demon invasions, the major powers on the Ancita Continent have gradually weakened their defenses against the Abyssal demons. Many forces in the southern regions have even forgotten about their existence. We originally planned to seize the Galrose Fortress to sound the alarm for these major powers, reminding them not to forget the threat from the north, to remain vigilant, and to focus on self-improvement rather than engaging in internal conflicts. But what happened? With the emergence of the Mana Fusion Bombs, almost no one paid attention to the Abyssal demons. Everyone ran to focus on the new weapons of Xue Tianao. These new weapons have ironically made humans underestimate the presence of Abyssal demons."

Listening to Xiao’s words, Yumo fell into temporary silence, while the Black Rose knights standing beside her, under Sebastian’s gaze, echoed in agreement.

"Yes, Lady Yumo, the news from Sadik is mostly about the Mana Fusion Bombs and the genius inventor Xue Tianao."

"Most countries are more concerned about weapons and the threat from the Snow Night Empire."

"Yes, My lady, in the Sadik Empire, many people believe that if dozens more Mana Fusion Bombs are launched, they can turn the Great Winter Forest into ruins and completely eliminate the threat of the Abyssal demons..."

After the knights finished speaking, Xiao seized the opportune moment to speak again.

"Lady Yumo, if things continue like this, human forces will remain divided and unable to unite for the next several decades. Take, for example, the current situation where the Red Lotus Leaf and Sadik Empires are both gathering forces in the central region, preparing to seize the Mana Fusion Bomb deposits."

"What? Another war?"

"Yes, it’s for the sake of competing for the raw materials of the Mana Fusion Bombs. And the conflicts don’t stop there... Sigh. From your conversation with Xue Tianao earlier, it’s evident how inflated this Chosen One has become after repelling Lady Kalina and possessing so many new weapons. If he continues with such arrogance, when he leads his army to attack the Great Winter Forest, the only outcome awaiting him will be a devastating failure. Not only will he die, but also those who come with him. If even the Chosen One fails, no one on the continent will dare to set foot in the Great Winter Forest. Lady Yumo, I believe you don’t want to see such a situation, right?"

"No..."

’In that case, the trial would be a failure... ’

Yumo silently added to her mind.

"So, you’re suggesting an attack on the Skye Dome..."

"Yes, to reunite the people on the continent, we need to give them a sufficient sense of crisis. They must realize that without unity to resist the Abyssal demons, their fate is only destruction! To achieve this, wiping out a small nation is far from enough. We need to defeat a major power! Currently, countless people on the continent are watching the Skye Dome, observing the Chosen One’s coronation ceremony. It’s a perfect opportunity. By destroying the Skye Dome, the people will once again remember the terror of the Abyssal demons and become aware of their own powerlessness. In the face of a huge existential crisis, they might finally unite and put an end to the endless and meaningless internal conflicts. Additionally, the destruction of the Skye Dome would also benefit the Chosen One."

"Benefit him?"

"Yes. Lady Yumo, the current Chosen One is too arrogant. He thinks highly of himself just because he possesses some new weapons. He disrespects his comrades, disregards human lives, and forcibly manipulates their will. Such a Chosen One cannot lead the humans on the continent to victory; he will only lead them to their own demise. He needs to change. And I believe that the way to change him is to let him experience a painful failure amidst his otherwise smooth life, to completely shatter his self-confidence and make him realize his true worth."

"..."

Seeing Yumo’s silence, Xiao persisted in his persuasion.

"Lady Yumo, by attacking the Skye Dome, we could also seize the opportunity to rescue Marquis and Marchioness, allowing them a chance to clear their names. We can save the children who are being used to create the ’Soul Gems’ as well. Moreover, during the attack, we can eliminate those who are aware of your ’Bloody Butterfly’ identity. Afterward, we can educate the Chosen One and even manipulate his memories..."

Continuing in this manner, Xiao presented the advantages of his proposal to Yumo, receiving agreement from those around, including Sebastian. Yumo gradually began considering and agreeing with the idea. However, she still hesitated when it came to directly sending Abyssal demons to attack the capital where the Chosen One resided.

Hence, the young girl did not immediately accept Xiao’s proposal.

"I’ll need some more time to think it over."

After giving this response, Yumo ended the call and continued walking towards the prison where Inferno was held, accompanied by Sebastian.

--

Observing Yumo’s lack of immediate agreement from a remote cave thousands of miles away, Xiao wasn’t bothered; in fact, he had a contingency plan.

"She didn’t agree right away?"

Mother must have concerns about the forces within the Skye Dome. Over the years, she has been devoted to strengthening the human forces. Now, the Royal Knights and Imperial Guards in the Skye Dome have finally gained some power.

It’s only natural for Mother to hesitate to cause severe damage or even destruction. Besides, there are other factions and the presence of the Chosen One in the city, and Yumo probably wishes to avoid involving them.

’Well,’

’If Lady Yumo was a bit more ruthless, things would be much easier.’

With these thoughts, Xiao couldn’t help but shake his head, feeling a tinge of helplessness.

Hmm,

’Forget it, this is for the best. We prefer Mother just as she is now.’

Mother’s current hesitation is only temporary.

"Mother, sooner or later, You will agree," Xiao said confidently, revealing a smile.

Unlike Xue Tianao’s arrogant confidence, Xiao’s confidence was based on something. Ever since his father was killed by the former Emperor of the Sadik Empire due to carelessness, Xiao had engraved the word "caution" into his DNA.

Since he dared to propose this plan to Yumo, Xiao had made thorough preparations. Regardless, Xue Tianao was the Chosen One, the existence Yumo had been waiting for hundreds of years. To convince Yumo to act against him, they needed to completely destroy Xue Tianao’s favorability in Yumo’s eyes and reduce it as much as possible.

For this reason, Xiao deliberately arranged for Xizhi to collect evidence of Xue Tianao’s crimes. They embellished and exaggerated everything he truly did, while any bad events that occurred in the Snow Night Empire were pinned on Xue Tianao’s head. As for evidence, there was no need to worry; forging evidence was Nightingale’s specialty.

In addition to preparing various pieces of incriminating evidence, Xiao did many things to ensure nothing would go wrong.

This included but was not limited to blackmailing Mo Xiao, having him deliver false information to Xue Tianao, gradually diminishing Yumo’s favorability toward him with every word and action.

They also orchestrated the capture of Duke Xiumu and his wife in the Skye Dome, guided \\ Yumo to encounter the young boy who was nearly turned into a ’Soul Gem,’ deliberately spread rumors about the relationship between Mengxi and Xue Tianao among the common people, as well as the romantic affairs between Xue Tianao and the five concubines, making Yumo feel displeased...

...

Aside from all that, the most important thing was, of course, having Kalina pretend to be defeated and imprisoned in the dungeon. With Yumo’s temperament, even if she had high expectations for Xue Tianao, she would never give him a good face once she learned that he harmed her daughter.

And when Yumo saw the ’miserable state’ of Kalina with her own eyes, she would undoubtedly agree to his plan.

In fact, just as Xiao expected, when Yumo heard Kalina’s pitiful crying, the powder keg in her heart exploded completely.

After a moment,

The communication magic stone in Xiao’s palm emitted a pale blue light as expected, followed by the familiar yet slightly cold voice that came from within the magic stone.

"Xiao."

"Yes, Lady Yumo?"

"I agree to your plan."

Upon hearing these words, a faint smile formed at the corner of Xiao’s mouth.