Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 491 - 492: The Guest [1/2]

In the heart of the capital of the Red Leaf Empire, Anvika, lies the empire’s largest investigative agency, the Secret Investigation Bureau. Inside a dimly lit basement, dozens of guards stand solemnly on both sides of the entrance. The iron door of the basement opens, and the protective magic array is temporarily lifted.

Accompanied by the sound of heavy lifting, several large tree trunks and heavily damaged building debris are slowly carried into the hidden basement by burly men strengthened with battle qi. After the men are done setting up the materials, a gray-haired woman dressed in black and gold work attire walks gracefully to the center of the basement, facing her superior.

The woman bows respectfully yet elegantly and says,

"General Boran, as per Prince Amon’s instructions, we’ve transported all the debris to the capital. The first batch has arrived here, please inspect it."

"Good," a large man with a rugged beard and dressed in crimson armor nods approvingly. Seemingly pleased with the high efficiency, he casts an approving glance and then turns his attention to the newly arrived ’evidence’.

"What are the findings on those items?" he asks.

"General, not only are there remnants of Shadow Power, but there are also traces of magical energy from several members of Black Rose "

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, those members of the Black Rose family registered their magical samples when they entered Anvika. We confirmed that the magical residue on this debris is theirs. Particularly from one named Sebastian. Here’s the investigative report from the Research Department for you to review."

The gray-haired woman hands over a black folder to General Boran. After quickly reading through it, he looks somewhat serious but also impressed.

"Prince Amon’s guess was pretty accurate,"

"His guess?"

"Yes, after entering our territory, the Black Rose family did experience two Abyssal Demon ’attacks.’ However, it seems like they didn’t eliminate those demons... In fact, judging from the spread of magical energy, it appears that they encountered the demons but didn’t actually engage in any combat."

"That’s hard to believe," the gray-haired woman says, visibly shocked.

After all, Abyssal Demons are known for their brutal and bloodthirsty nature. They’ll go nuts and attack any living thing, no matter how strong. And you’re saying they didn’t attack the Black Rose family this time? That’s just weird.

"Could it be like Prince Amon said, that the Black Rose family has a way to control these demons? If so, did they send the demons that attacked Snow Night Empire too? But they’re humans, why would they command demons to attack their own kind? Are they trying to use the demon forces to take over the continent?" The gray-haired woman’s mind was racing with questions.

"Let’s not jump to conclusions," says General Boran, frowning. "We don’t have evidence tying them to any cataclysms yet, but we’re pretty sure they’re connected to the Abyssal Demons, maybe even have some special tech."

He turns his gaze to a young boy standing not too far away. The kid’s in ragged clothes, looking all scared and shaky. Even though the two Secret Investigation Bureau officers have been keeping an eye on him, he still seems pretty jittery.

Feeling the general’s gaze, the boy blurts out, "What is this place? Why am I here? You said you’d pay me for information! I’ve given it, so why am I still here? Why’d you bring me to this place?"

The boy’s words are filled with fear and suspicion, and he keeps looking around as if expecting something bad to happen.

"Don’t worry, kid, we’re keeping you safe."

"Safe?"

"Yeah, you’re an important witness."

"Who is he?"

asks the gray-haired woman, looking confused as she glances at the unkempt boy.

"Is he from one of the border tribes?"

"A witness?"

"Yes," says General Boran, after calming the boy down a bit.

"And a really important one at that. Make sure you keep his existence a secret. We can’t let the Black Rose family find and eliminate him. Even though this is the capital, we’ve got spies from other empires here too."

"Got it, General. But, can I ask, what did the kid see?"

"Well," says the general, his expression turning serious as he looks at the boy again,

"his village, Sase Village, was raided by forest bandits on the border. Then these Abyssal Demons showed up, and nobody survived. The Black Rose family happened to pass by and took out those demons. That’s what we found in our initial investigation. But do you know where those demons came from? No traces of Shadow Power have been found in that area for years."

"I have no idea," says the woman, puzzled.

"According to the kid, those Abyssal Demons were transformed from forest bandits’ spirits"

"Transformed?!"

"Yeah, and it looks like the one who did the transforming was the young lady from the Black Rose"

---

Meanwhile, inside a library in Anvika,

A little girl with big blue butterfly bows and aqua-colored pigtails finishes putting the last few magic books on the shelves. She then walks over to the front desk, where a woman is sitting with a mischievous smile.

"Mom, all done," she says.

At the desk, a glamorous woman in her late teens floats several magic books around her while sitting relaxed. She’s playing with a crystal orb about the size of a soccer ball, and the orb shows live scenes as if it were a TV screen. She looks elegant and mature, dressed in a sexy brown plaid skirt, cream-colored thigh-high stockings, and her platinum blonde hair pinned back in a simple style. She also has fluffy, exotic fox ears on her head, adding to her allure.

As the little girl speaks, this fox lady named Noya looks up and smiles lovingly at her adopted daughter.

"You did a good job, Reina."

"Thanks, Mom," the girl smiles back. Noticing her mom’s slightly amused expression, she asks,

"What’s making you so happy, Mom? Did you find something interesting?"

"You’re observant, just like my daughter should be. Yes, I found something... amusing."

Noya grins as she strokes the crystal orb,

"The Black Rose family, or let’s say people from the Sadik Empire, are buying a lot of military supplies."

"Um, so? Isn’t that normal?"

Reina tilts her head, not fully grasping why this is a big deal.

"After the Abyssal Demons invaded Sky Dome, everyone’s worried they’ll attack again. So, pretty much everyone is boosting their military, increasing their spending. Even if the Black Rose family are Lady Yumo’s people, they still have to put up appearances, right? Otherwise, people might get suspicious."

"Yeah, that’s true. But here’s the thing: the Black Rose guys have been secretly buying a ton of dark steel, magic powder, and pulse stones from the black market, and even from me. We’re talking about tons of this stuff."

At this, Reina’s eyes widen, and she has a ’lightbulb moment.’

"Wait, aren’t those materials for—"

"Exactly" Noya nods, "They’re for the Magic Fusion Bomb, one of Xue Tianao’s ’inventions.’ Its main use is for sieging cities and breaking protective barriers. The Black Rose family must’ve somehow gotten their hands on the blueprints."

"That weapon isn’t meant for fighting demons, is it?"

"Nope, it’s mainly for attacking cities and breaking down human barriers," Noya confirms.

"What are they planning to do then?"

"Hehe, who knows," Noya says with a playful smile. She doesn’t elaborate further but shifts her gaze toward the front door of the bookstore. "Enough about that for now, Reina. Get ready; we have a visitor. And it’s someone unexpected."

"A visitor?"

Reina frowns, broom in hand, and follows her mom’s gaze to the bookstore’s front door. This isn’t an easy place to find. To get here, you’d either have to be invited by Noya or be powerful enough to see through the shop’s disguise. And given her mom’s surprised look, this visitor is likely the latter.

"Who could it be, coming at this time?"

A moment later, under Noya’s amused watch, the doorbell chimes, and the front door slowly opens. A graceful figure dressed in black walks into the bookstore.

"Welcome to Noya’s Secret Bookstore, Miss Yu-Black Rose,"