Hypnosis

"My guards acted rashly and lacked flexibility. If you felt offended, I am deeply sorry and will provide compensation, so I hope you can forgive them."

Xiaowalus bowed to Ye Chen to apologize, his manners elegant and polite, radiating an innate noble aura that befitted his background as a lord of a prestigious family.

"It's fine, I don't mind."

Ye Chen shook his head in response, then took a brief look at Xiaowalus's pale, gaunt face before suddenly lowering his voice.

"Rather than that, let's talk business. I believe you have already learned my identity from the guards, so you should understand the motive for my visit."

Upon hearing this, Xiaowalus's previously amiable expression changed abruptly, and the corners of his eyes twitched due to uncontrollable excitement.

"Of course. Of course! Lord Envoy, please follow me. Let us talk inside, we shall talk at length inside!"

He clasped his hands in front of his chest and invited Ye Chen into the room with a trembling voice. Both his eyes and the corners of his mouth were twisted into exaggerated arcs of joy and agitation, his attitude toward Ye Chen reaching the peak of enthusiasm and respect.

The mere claim of being an envoy of the Abyss was enough to make this noble lord of Frost White City act so ecstatic, making it truly hard to imagine just how fanatical his obsession with the Abyss had become.

Clearly, the Abyss had severely eroded Xiaowalus's mind, causing him to see nothing wrong with summoning the Abyss to destroy this world.

Xiaowalus's values had been completely altered by the Abyss, but this fanaticism of his happened to be something Ye Chen could exploit for his plan.

After all, Ye Chen was a Hunter, and Xiaowalus was the prey.

The dead of night today was the moment for the hunt.

When the time came, Ye Chen would help Xiaowalus find release from his madness and obsession—a permanent release.

Ye Chen followed Xiaowalus into the grand and luxurious reception hall of the mansion, stepping on soft, exquisite golden silk carpets, passing through a bright corridor filled with precious murals, encountering countless servants who greeted Xiaowalus and himself, and then ascending a pristine, magnificent spiral staircase to a spacious room in the center of the second floor.

Ye Chen walked into the room and briefly scanned the surrounding environment.

On both sides of the room stood several rows of bookshelves packed with materials, while a desk was placed in the center, cluttered with a large pile of documents.

"Excuse me, this is my main place for researching the Abyssal summoning ritual. Since your visit was somewhat sudden, I didn't have time to tidy up the files in the room. I hope you don't mind."

The lord gave the youth an apologetic smile, his attitude very sincere.

According to what Xiaowalus said, the documents and materials in this study should all be related to the summoning of the Abyss. This meant that for several years, Xiaowalus had been holed up here, reading massive amounts of text day and night, all for the sake of summoning the Abyss and destroying every living soul in the Eternal Winter Hidden Domain.

Ye Chen remained silent. His gaze shifted slightly, his attention suddenly drawn to a glass display cabinet at the back of the study.

Inside the cabinet lay a firearm that was silver-gray overall, imprinted with gorgeous patterns on its surface, and shaped like a rifle.

However, compared to an ordinary rifle, its appearance was even more slender and rugged, exuding a unique and precise aura.

Xiaowalus noticed Ye Chen's gaze and then smiled as he slowly introduced it:

"This gun is a sniper rifle I had a local gunsmith specially craft when I was young. Its power and range far exceed ordinary rifles. Keeping it in this study serves as my amulet. Of course, if Lord Envoy is interested in it, I would be happy to gift it to you after the successful summoning of the Abyss. There won't be any need for it by then anyway, hahaha!"

After finishing his joke, Xiaowalus invited Ye Chen to sit on the sofa in front of the desk and poured him a glass of red wine to show his sincerity in welcoming him.

Seeing Ye Chen reach out to refuse with no interest, Xiaowalus drank it himself with a knowing look.

Xiaowalus held the wine glass, took a sip, and then spoke with a playful expression:

"Oh my, I have spent these years studying the Abyss day and night, researching the Abyss, and constantly using the corpses of prisoners for human sacrifice, yet I have achieved nothing."

"However, just when I was feeling disheartened, I didn't expect you, who claims to be an envoy of the Abyss, to appear!"

"Could it be that the Abyss sensed my piety and specifically sent you to accept me? Hehehe."

Ye Chen shook his head and explained:

"No, I do not come from the Abyss itself, but am one of its believers. Sensing your constant attempts to summon it, I decided to come and assist you."

Xiaowalus nodded in agreement with a smile.

"Oh, so that's how it is. So that's how it is."

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, feeling the opportunity was too good to miss, and feigned curiosity as he threw his inner doubts at Xiaowalus.

"Then, before we discuss the main business, I must know the reason why you have been obsessed with the Abyss all these years. Because if there is no reasonable motive, then you are not worthy of my trust, nor are you worthy of my help."

Xiaowalus's expression froze.

"A motive that can convince you..."

He lowered his head and muttered to himself, organizing his thoughts, before giving Ye Chen an answer:

"If I say it is to uncover the 'truth of the past', I wonder if you can accept that?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen frowned slightly and responded in a cold tone:

"I really don't like it when people talk to me in such a roundabout way."

Xiaowalus reached out repeatedly to apologize.

"Ah, please forgive my rudeness, Lord Envoy. What I mean is, because the Abyss contains the entire past of the Frost White Person civilization, it aroused my curiosity as a lord, and eventually, I became so obsessed with it."

Hearing this, Ye Chen's eyes changed secretly. He had not expected Xiaowalus to give him such an answer, so he followed up in a calm, unhurried tone:

"The past of your civilization? What do you mean? Tell me."

Xiaowalus spoke frankly without hesitation:

"You have come from the outside world, so perhaps you are not aware of these things."

"In fact, this territory dominated by us Frost White People did not have such a narrow area a thousand years ago, and there was no such thing as a 'boundary'."

"This place was once a vast and magnificent kingdom."

"However, the arrival of the Abyss submerged it forever in the torrents of history, ultimately leaving us with only this tiny patch of land."

"All of this is a secret passed down through my family since ancient times; no one is qualified to know it except for the successive heads of the family."

"And now, I wish to integrate with the Abyss to uncover these truths of the past, which is why I have been immersed in it day and night."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen's pupils dilated slightly, and his heart gave a sudden jolt.

Before this, he had never heard such concepts from Lyle, nor had Lyle ever shown any intention of discussing such matters with him.

Therefore, Ye Chen had once assumed that the world of the Eternal Winter Hidden Domain had been this small and narrow from the very beginning!

Yet, now Xiaowalus was telling him that the reality was not so!

Ye Chen was naturally unwilling to blindly believe the words of such a dangerous individual obsessed with the Abyss.

However, the shocking inside information he had just heard from Xiaowalus was enough to make Ye Chen instantly recall questions he had hidden in his heart for many years.

That is, as a harsh, narrow, and barren world of perpetual snow, how could the native inhabitants here, known as the Frost White People—who were few in number and possessed average intelligence—develop their civilization to the point where firearms and electrical appliances coexisted?

Before this, Ye Chen had been baffled by these questions more than once, and Lyle had, as always, remained silent regarding them.

However, if one connected these words now spoken by Xiaowalus, then all the questions in Ye Chen's heart could find a reasonable explanation!

All the civilizational technology currently possessed by the Frost White People—agriculture, architecture, gunpowder, electricity, culture—everything, in fact, consisted of 'defective products' left behind by the dynasty that had perished outside the Abyssal realm!

In other words, the entire Frost White People civilization rooted here was composed of survivors from a fallen era, merely living off the scraps left behind since ancient times!

Thinking of this, Ye Chen bit his lip, feeling the origin of the Abyss to be even more eerie and unfathomable.

However, doubts aside, Ye Chen understood that his immediate priority was not to ponder such questions.

Thus, after a brief silence, Ye Chen feigned a calm demeanor and replied to Xiaowalus in a flat tone:

"So that's how it is. Hmm, I understand."

Xiaowalus asked in a low, probing voice:

"In that case, have you accepted my motives?"

Ye Chen nodded slightly.

"Yes, I accept."

However, the very second Ye Chen nodded in agreement, a strange light suddenly appeared in Xiaowalus's eyes. He stared straight into Ye Chen's eyes and then asked in a voice filled with magnetism.

"Then... Your Excellency."

"Here is the question."

"Do you... really... have a way... to help me?"

As soon as these words left Xiaowalus's mouth, Ye Chen immediately felt a numbness surge into his mind.

The words of the Lord of Frost White City were like a spider web suddenly shot out, unexpectedly entangling Ye Chen's consciousness and causing his thoughts to instantly stagnate.

Ye Chen remained expressionless, though his gaze sank slightly.

He understood that Xiaowalus still harbored a shred of suspicion toward him, and thus had begun to use his Spirit Art to test him.

Sure enough, the Lord's Spirit Art was an ability that used the vocal cords as a medium to launch hypnotic or other forms of mental manipulation against others.

The youth concluded as much in his heart.

Combining the tavern owner's phrasing with the desperate resistance of the guards at the door, he had easily guessed the true nature of Xiaowalus's Spirit Art.

Therefore, from the very first moment he met Xiaowalus, Ye Chen had condensed his Auling Power within his ears, ready to block his ear canals at the first sign of trouble to resist the Auling Power attacks emitted through sound.

Ye Chen did not speak, and Xiaowalus did not say another word.

The two sat face to face, staring into each other's eyes, beginning a minute-long silent standoff that plunged the atmosphere into stillness and tension.

However, even though Ye Chen had prepared in advance, the effect of Xiaowalus's hypnosis was incredibly significant at such close range, causing Ye Chen's mind to feel a distinct sense of anesthesia; one moment of relaxation, and he would be overwhelmed by Xiaowalus's words.

It seemed that this Lord of Frost White City was already very seasoned in the use of Spirit Art.

Ye Chen remained silent on the surface, while struggling internally.

He knew well that if he were truly hypnotized by Xiaowalus, he would soon spill the facts to him, which would lead to the immediate end of this hunt, and the third trial Lyle had given Ye Chen would also end in failure.

Yet, even with the situation so tense that a single mistake would mean total defeat, Ye Chen's expression remained fearless, showing no signs of wavering.

The training he had received under Lyle in the past had long since given him a firm mind; the more critical the moment, the more he could maintain his composure.

Then, Ye Chen naturally crossed his arms, but secretly pinched the flesh on his upper arm hard with his fingers.

Under the surge of Auling Power, intense pain immediately flooded Ye Chen's mind, and it was precisely by combining this pain with the wall of energy in his ear canals that he managed to successfully withstand Xiaowalus's verbal hypnosis.

"I can indeed help. But... before that, Xiaowalus, you had better stop playing these little tricks, because they don't work on me."

Ye Chen endured the stinging pain in his flesh and spoke with a tone full of disdain, even crossing his legs, looking full of spirit and not taking Xiaowalus's Spirit Art seriously in the slightest.