Ancestors

It is clear that "ancestors" are common knowledge in hell.

Both Agatha, who only stayed around the Grand Monastery and never went to sea, and Karlien, who spent his life as Lighthouse Cleaner, understood this concept very well.

Moreover, Karlien seems to be very sensitive to this topic because he has worked at the lighthouse for many years.

He moved to the window as well, pointing to the intense beam of light emanating from the lighthouse.

"The light emitted by the Lord Eye is not primarily for guiding ships; otherwise, any lighthouse could perform this function, and there would be no need for the Lord Eye to donate an important eyeball."

The true purpose of light is to observe our ancestors and to chart a course for ships crossing the sea that allows them to avoid them.

Once a ship is detected that it might encounter its ancestor, the light will shine upon it, causing it to quickly deviate from its current course.

Agatha added, "The Chamber of Commerce cruise ship we're on now has its own inspection system, which tries to avoid ancestor-related issues as much as possible."

Luo Di recalled the ship information he had seen at the dock, which included precise data on shipwreck rates and passenger fatalities.

"Even so, there is still a risk of encountering our ancestors? The Chamber of Commerce's ships also seem to have a passenger mortality rate and a probability of sinking."

Karlien responded, "Even Lord Eye wouldn't dare guarantee 100% that they can capture traces of their ancestors."

Moreover, sometimes even if the ancestor is captured, the ship can hardly avoid it... because the ancestor may have already marked the ship, and no matter how the course is changed, it will be of no use.

Of course, this situation is relatively rare.

Ancestors are usually in an unconscious state and would not actively attack ships.

"What exactly are ancestors? No one has ever mentioned this to me since I came to hell."

Luo Di finally asked the question he cared about most.

Agatha patted the soft bed in the room, gesturing for Luo Di to sit down and explain:

"The early stages of the formation of the True Hell, hundreds of millions of years ago, were completely different from what we have now. Not only was the Hell world not compressed, but the Devil living on it were also completely different."

They are different from us in terms of form, posture, system, and so on.

They are collectively referred to as "ancestors".

These ancestors were not very rational; they were primitive and savage, not only exploiting resources without restraint but also engaging in reckless infighting.

They seem to lack the understanding of how to instigate external invasions, instead engaging in endless internal strife.

Ultimately, after a battle known as the "Ultimate Doomsday," all the ancestors perished.

Their bodies were swallowed, digested, and excreted by the world.

It took a long time for the Devil like us, who possess rationality and consider order and the development of the world, to slowly emerge. Soon, systems such as the Spine People, monks, and tumor people also developed.

However, although the bodies of our ancestors were swallowed up by the world, some of the powerful ancestors were not completely digested, and their remains came to this sea along with their excrement.

As time goes by,

Their corpses seemed to be regaining ancient power, but their consciousness remained in nothingness.

Those primal instincts etched deep within the remains would cause ancestors to attack any approaching ships, resulting in casualties or even shipwrecks.

If we encounter our ancestors before we've ascended to demonic status, we're almost certainly doomed.

Agatha touched the golden skull carving on the headboard again and continued, "However, since we're already on the merchant guild's ship, we most likely won't run into them."

Not to mention that you two both know that Eye Demon King, the Lighthouse will definitely take special care of us. Just rest well these next couple of days; things will get busy once we get to the Dark Side."

For some reason, it would have been better if Agatha hadn't said that last sentence; after she did, Luo Di always felt something was off.

Danger as it may be,

Luo Di himself was quite interested in the so-called "ancestors".

Whether it was the strange sight seen at the window earlier, or Agatha's explanation.

Luo Di had assumed his ancestors were powerful the Devil who had died in war, but he never imagined they were a different species, a being entirely different from the Devil of today. He also never expected that the True Hell had experienced a global extinction.

This is somewhat similar to Earth, except that humans do not refer to "dinosaurs" as their ancestors.

For some reason,

Luo Di actually had a slight desire to meet his ancestor.

"If we were to encounter our ancestors during a voyage, we would probably have a chance of survival, right? After all, the rate of shipwreck is different from the rate of death."

Agatha nodded. "Yes, there was more than one ancestor floating on the sea."

Some of the ancestors' remains were not particularly dangerous and would not cause large-scale damage.

Some ancestors would leave after killing enough, or there would be enough powerful beings on the cruise ship to force the ancestors to retreat.

In any case, it is still very dangerous for us.

"Um."

After waiting for about three hours, the giant skull-shaped ship named "Golden Ark" officially set sail.

The Chamber of Commerce's unique technology enables cruise ships to be propelled with minimal fuel consumption, resulting in a slow but extremely stable speed.

All relevant radar equipment was activated, and the situation within a ten-kilometer radius was clearly visible, especially the detection of ancestors, which was extremely sensitive.

The monitoring room also has a large number of skeletons on duty in shifts to ensure the safety of customers.

At the same time as departure,

The light from the lighthouse also swept across the cruise ship, representing the attention from "Oculus".

The guild cruise ship, which required a contribution to board, was indeed luxurious. On the First Day of their trip, the team enjoyed various entertainment areas.

Luo Di's two favorite places are two in particular.

One is a "Bone Massage" specially provided by the Chamber of Commerce.

The skeleton masseuse, smeared with bright red paint, will provide a completely different kind of massage.

The masseuse's fingers seemed to be able to reach every bone and joint in the body. The spine, in particular, received special care, a deep massage that is something that no Human World can experience.

After the massage, Luo Di felt lighter and more agile.

The other is the "Combat Room".

A customizable private room where Luo Di can not only perform regular weight training but also choose his sparring partners. He can even select guild members who have completed their demon ascension, for a fee, of course.

However, if Luo Di wants a sparring partner, Agatha is always available. And with Karlien as the perfect punching bag, he has no shortage of sparring partners.

This Combat Room is perfect for Luo Di to practice with the Hell Weapon he just acquired.

The blade structure is constructed by consuming its own components.

This will require Luo Di to try multiple times.

Adjust the proportions of flesh, bones, metal, and tentacles.

Once he was exhausted, he went to the cruise ship's buffet area to feast. He ate eight meals in the buffet area that day and had become familiar with the skeleton wearing a chef's hat.

unconsciously,

The First Day of the cruise went by quickly.

Luo Di was the last to return to the suite.

As soon as the door was opened, a metallic snoring sound came from Agatha's throat.

Karlien, who loves to sleep the most, was still awake this time. He was holding a merchant book, also from the cruise ship, which contained basic concepts about hell magic.

He had never been exposed to hell magic.

Karlien also wanted to help out a bit on this trip to the Hell's Dark Side, and he was also very interested in the Plague Staff and Robes he had just acquired.

"Mr. Di, Sister Agatha has reserved a bed for you. Please go in and sleep. I'll continue reading outside. I prefer to sleep inside the wall so I won't disturb you."

Luo Di wanted to explain something, but he was really tired after practicing all day.

He went to the bedroom, lay down on the empty bed next to Agatha, and fell asleep immediately.

Dream.

Luo Di woke up in a familiar bed. The pure white ceiling light and the poster of the serial killer on the desk indicated that this was his bedroom.

Snowflakes are falling heavily outside the window.

A thick, warm blanket wrapped around my body.

Even for Luo Di, it would be difficult to break free from the constraints of the bedding in such an environment.

Just as he was considering whether to get up and turned around, he was surprised to find a white-haired girl lying next to him, with her fair shoulders exposed.

However, this body was larger than Luo Di's, and the parts that touched his body were very soft.

"Agatha ..."

Although Luo Di remembered the name, he did not remember why the other person was there.

Just as he subconsciously reached out to touch the white-haired girl in front of him,

Knock knock knock~

A knock came at the door.

Luo Di quickly put on his clothes, instinctively covered Agatha with the blankets, and put on his slippers on the wrong feet before rushing to the front door.

It was during winter break, and it seemed that my parents and sister had gone on a trip.

Who is it?

When Luo Di opened the door, he saw Black-haired Girl with snow on her head sitting on the steps outside the door, shivering in a thick down jacket.

The schoolbag, unique to No. 4 Middle School, was still clutched to her chest, and her long, slender legs, encased in pantyhose, were tucked together.

"Squad leader?"

"Luo Di! You're only just getting up? You're even wearing your slippers on the wrong feet... Didn't we agree that I'd come to your house to do my homework today? Let me in, it's freezing."

Just as Luo Di was about to refuse, the class monitor suddenly squeezed inside.

"Phew~ It's so comfortable with the heating on. I guessed you might not be up yet, so I brought you some meat buns... Oh right! How about we watch a movie first before doing our homework?"

After taking the steaming buns out of his schoolbag, the class monitor immediately went to Luo Di's bedroom, seemingly having been there many times before, intending to go in and search for the two's favorite B-movie DVDs.

Luo Di strode forward and stopped the squad leader before he could enter the room.

"The bedroom isn't tidy yet. Class monitor, you can wait in the living room while I get all the discs out."

The class monitor frowned, staring at him with a suspicious look. "Something's acting weird. You weren't doing something strange in your bedroom, were you? Or...?"

Just then.

Knock knock knock~

There was another knock on the door, and Luo Di looked puzzled.

Logically speaking, only the class monitor should be visiting today. Who could be knocking on the door?

Just as he was about to pull the class monitor over to open the door and ease the awkward situation,

He found that the squad leader was standing still and had even pulled his arm in the opposite direction, preventing him from opening the door.

Moreover, the class monitor's eyes had completely changed.

"Luo Di, when you opened the door just now, I smelled a scent on you that didn't belong to you. I roughly know who's in your bedroom."

It's okay, I know you wouldn't do something like that. Besides, I don't care, after all, we live far apart and it's been a long time since we've seen each other.

Just don't let trivial matters make you lose sight of the necessary caution.

I, you, and your bedroom—your Girl is already at home.

Your parents and sister also went on vacation.

So what's outside the door now? Why is it knocking at this exact moment and trying to come in? Of course, it could just be that the property management has something to discuss, or it could be that someone is following me.

Remember to check carefully before opening the door, so you don't let anything dirty into the house.

Knock knock knock~

The knocking sounded again, but this time the dream was abruptly interrupted.

Luo Di was lying on the large bed in the ship's cabin.

Agatha was still fast asleep.

But then the same knocking sound came from outside the door...