Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 553 - 554: Brothers are meant to be sold! [4/4]

’Youlan, she...’

’Back then, she had been so heartbroken and angry, even shouting in a frenzy as if she wanted to die with me...’

Although having Yuan’er safe and sound was more important than anything else, Yumo found it hard to comprehend why Youlan had done nothing. If Youlan didn’t intend to delay and consume Yuan’er’s power, why had she sent the mages of Red Moon Tower to attack her, along with that grotesque mud monster?

’Furthermore, didn’t she hate me for inhabiting her mother’s body? Didn’t she despise the children created by me? If she hated them, why had she not harmed Yuan’er and treated her so well? ’

This didn’t seem like the attitude she’d expect from an enemy. It was more like... pampering a child.

’Could it be that Youlan intended to fatten Yuan’er up before doing something to her? But that didn’t make sense...’

The more Yumo thought about it, the more confused she became. At this moment, she suddenly realized a serious problem. When Yuan’er had asked where Youlan was earlier, it implied that Youlan wasn’t inside this independent space.

Yumo had checked the entire Red Moon Tower and its surroundings with her sense, but she hadn’t detected Youlan’s presence anywhere.

Previously, Yumo had assumed that Youlan was hiding in this independent space. She had even prepared herself to confront Youlan if she threatened to harm Yuan’er. But now, it seemed that Yumo had been completely wrong.

’If that was the case, what did Youlan want to do? Where had she gone?’

One question after another flooded Yumo’s mind. As she gently stroked Yuan’er while pondering these questions, a streak of orange-red flames suddenly rushed in from behind and landed beside Yumo in this independent space. As the fire attribute’s Shadow energy dissipated, the fiery and seductive figure of a red-haired woman was revealed.

Due to her exhaustion and slower speed compared to Yumo, Kalina had arrived a bit late. As she entered the pink-themed bedroom and saw Yuan’er safe and sound in Yumo’s arms, Kalina anxiously inquired, "Mother, is Yuan’er alright?"

"Yes, this girl is fine. I’ve examined her with my power, so you don’t need to worry," Yumo replied, nodding slightly as she reassured the concerned daughter.

"Is that so? That’s... that’s good." Kalina let out a sigh of relief.

After receiving this answer, Kalina extinguished the blazing Hellfire in her hand, and the "worry" on her face disappeared instantly. She patted her chest repeatedly, showing a relieved expression.

"Well, this place, what is it exactly?" Kalina raised a perplexed question as she looked around the finely decorated and cute-themed girl’s bedroom.

"I’m not sure," Yumo replied, "It seems that Youlan placed Yuan’er here. But she hasn’t harmed her, instead, she took good care of her"

"Eh? Big sister did that? Why?" Kalina said surprised.

"I don’t know." Yumo could only shake her head, feeling a bit puzzled.

A strange knot formed in Yumo’s heart for reasons she couldn’t comprehend.

"Anyway, it’s hard to understand right now."

While she was still puzzled, Yumo suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but cast a grateful look at her daughter. She reached out and ruffled Kalina’s head affectionately.

"By the way, Kalina, thank you for your help just now. If you hadn’t arrived in time, I wouldn’t have known what the situation was."

"You’re welcome, Mom. It’s something I should do," Kalina replied with a smile.

Although she maintained a calm exterior, when she heard Yumo’s words of thanks and felt the caress from her mother, Kalina’s heart couldn’t help but be enveloped in joy. A slight smile curved her lips.

However, Kalina’s pleasant mood didn’t last long. It was shattered by Yumo’s next question.

"Speaking of which, Kalina, how did you know I was here?"

"..."

As soon as this question was asked, the smile froze on Kalina’s face, and a cold sweat began to bead on her forehead.

"Well... um..."

Yumo’s question caught Kalina off guard, and she struggled to find an answer.

"Moreover, weren’t you in the Winter Forest? It should take quite some time to travel from the north there to the Modor Kingdom. How did you arrive here so quickly?"

Looking at her obedient and understanding daughter, Yumo’s question was indeed a genuine curiosity.

For over a hundred years, ever since Youlan left the Winter Forest, her obedient children had been constantly searching for her whereabouts. However, Youlan’s ability to conceal her presence was truly exceptional, and their investigations had yielded nothing. No one knew where Youlan was or what she was doing.

This was why Yumo found it so surprising when she arrived at Red Moon Tower and discovered that Youlan had become a leader of a significant human faction.

From Yumo’s perspective, it seemed that the other children were equally clueless. Given her speed when she had flown out of the Royal Academy, it should have been challenging for anyone to track her.

’In that case, how did Kalina know about my presence at Red Moon Tower? Furthermore, wasn’t Kalina supposed to be responsible for guarding Winter Forest along with Liyu and Shuoyue? The distance from Winter Forest to Red Moon Tower was not insignificant. How had she arrived so quickly?’

As Yumo calmed down, her thoughts led her to these questions. She didn’t harbor any suspicion toward her third child due to her trust in her. Her curiosity was merely that—a curiosity.

However, to Kalina, these seemingly innocent questions held a much more significant weight.

With each question that entered her ears, Kalina’s eye twitched slightly, and her heart seemed to skip a beat. She realized that Yumo was beginning to suspect her motives.

’Oh no, is she becoming suspicious?’

Kalina murmured anxiously in her heart. Her sudden appearance here might indeed arouse Yumo’s suspicions, causing her to believe that Kalina had known about Youlan’s whereabouts all along and had intentionally kept it from her. If Yumo were to reach such a conclusion, it would shatter the image of honesty and reliability she had cultivated for so long.

Furthermore, if Yumo were to discover that Kalina had been deceiving her for so long, her back would be in serious trouble.

At that moment, thinking of that terrifying red-glowing ’artifact’, the Flame Demon King Inferno, felt uneasy. She instinctively reached behind and covered her buttocks.

’No! Absolutely not!’

’I must clear Mother’s doubts!’

With determination, the redhead clenched her fists, making up her mind.

In reality, for Kalina, coming up with a reason wasn’t a difficult task. She could easily fabricate a convincing excuse, but doing so would require time for adequate preparation. Clearly, there wasn’t enough time for her to prepare a fabricated story.

So, Kalina had two choices in front of her: either tell a lie that could be easily exposed at any moment or divert Yumo’s attention to buy herself time to come up with a suitable reason.

Faced with these two options, Kalina, in order to protect her image of honesty and reliability, chose the second path, which was to shift the conversation’s focus.

’But what kind of topic would best capture Mother’s attention?’

Kalina knew the answer to that question deep in her heart.

Taking a deep breath, Kalina’s eyes briefly flashed with a hint of guilt.

---

’Sorry, my dear brother~’

---

The next moment, Kalina quickly raised her head and earnestly addressed Yumo with a somewhat anxious tone.

"Mother, these matters are a bit complicated, and I’ll explain them to you later. Right now, there’s something more urgent that I need to tell you."

"Hmm?"

Seeing Kalina’s serious expression, Yumo furrowed her brow.

"What... what is it?"

"During my journey here, I received crucial information. Luminous Royal Academy was attacked by Abyssal Demon. And the one responsible... was Big Brother."

"What?!!!"

As Kalina’s words entered her ears, , Yumo was first taken aback, then her face turned noticeably darker...