To be honest, discussing cooperation with Abyss Shilin put an extraordinary amount of psychological pressure on a person. Half a day ago, I would never have believed I would encounter something like this, but facts were facts—under the shadow of the Void Cataclysm, it seemed we had no path to choose at all.
I had now sorted through everything, including the causes, course, and outcome of Abyss Shilin's various actions. Once it was all laid out, many things became much simpler. At first, everything Abyss Shilin had done was merely meant to preserve the Empire. I guessed even she had never expected her Great Cause to gradually become a "feat" affecting the survival of every race throughout the Void. When she first received news from The Other Side, they had not yet sent over intelligence about the Cataclysm. At the time, Abyss Shilin had only thought she had found a road to revival. Everything that happened afterward was completely beyond her expectations.
Cooperation with Abyss Shilin had become inevitable. Though our long-standing opposition made both Sandora and me feel extremely awkward, before the Void Cataclysm, nothing else seemed to matter.
We boarded the shuttle back to Shadow City. This time, there was an additional "guest" aboard: Abyss Shilin, along with the strange oversized box she had brought. I had no idea how much of a stir it would cause when we got home. Everyone would probably be startled.
"I think it would be best for me to keep a low profile. If possible, this identity should remain confidential for now," Abyss Shilin said, sitting opposite Sandora and me. Though she seemed to be little more than an image similar to a Mass Projection, every movement she made was no different from a normal person's. "I imagine my reputation in the