Chapter 501

In theory, it would take hundreds of tons of life water to get a player with a level 9 physique drunk, but drinking is all about mood. The people of Abyss Fortress were so warm and sincere that he couldn't help but get a little tipsy.

"They're just too enthusiastic; it's a bit overwhelming."

Yuki sat up and saw more than a dozen beautiful girls lying haphazardly around the large bed. These were all the girls who had come to raid him at night, but he had subdued them with his mental abilities, and they were now fast asleep.

The Abyss Fortress's view on love is simple: the most powerful hero surpasses all idols. People respect and adore you, and then launch a courtship offensive without hesitation, remaining loyal for life. This is fundamentally different from the inoculation of explorers in the 'Wizard's Tower'.

Unfortunately, I already have my senior and Hayasaka.

Yuki doesn't want to leave a trail of broken hearts everywhere. If it were just to satisfy desires, there wouldn't be much guilt in the Wizard's Tower, but the people here truly respect and love you, and it wouldn't feel right to go back.

He floated into the air, carefully passing over the sleeping girl, opened the door, and the bright sunlight immediately shone on his face.

With a cloudless sky and the azure sea right in front of the door, the magnificent scenery instantly lifted one's spirits. His residence, complete with a garden, was situated at the summit of a mountain, but it couldn't be said that this was Zhan Shuai's way of winning people's hearts.

Crimes must be punished, orders must be obeyed, merits must be rewarded, and kindness must be repaid.

This is an ironclad rule of Abyss Fortress: whoever kills the Sea Demon will receive the same reward. After learning this, Yuki actually felt much more favorably toward him.

"It's a good place, a place so good it shouldn't exist in the Reincarnation Game."

Yuki has rarely experienced kindness anymore. Even the Defense Force of the Global Insect Calamity were mostly suspicious at first, and they didn't show much enthusiasm as the apocalypse approached. Unlike here, if you do a good deed, people will genuinely love and respect you.

Just then, the sound of iron boots hitting the ground came from behind. Turning around, I saw that it was Coles leading a group of soldiers on patrol.

He also saw Yuki, and immediately a knowing smile appeared on his face as he stealthily approached.

"Crown, you did a good job last night, didn't you? This is the style of Abyss Fortress: if you like something, just do it. If everyone agrees, then share your love. Unlike those sissies in Lighthouse City who go around in circles with all that romance. They wait until after the baby is born to pursue romance."

He boasted with a face full of pride, leaving Yuki speechless. His views on love were far too direct, but speaking of which, she became somewhat curious.

"Is Abyss Fortress not a monogamous society?"

"No, no, a hero shouldn't have everything to himself. It's only natural for a hero to have beautiful women. As long as they don't mind, that's fine. I have three wives, and each of them has given me several children."

Yuki blinked, somewhat envious of this straightforward view of love, considering how much effort she had put in to win over her senior and Hayasaka.

"Wait a minute, why does the War General only have one wife?"

"Something's not right. I said it was on the premise that I didn't mind. But it's Mrs. Eiffel who does mind." Coles looked around and lowered his voice. "There were quite a few beauties who pursued the War General back then, but Mrs. Eiffel chased them all away. There's nothing we can do. She's too strong. It's a case of heroes matching heroes."

Yes, she is indeed a woman with epic combat power, and the War Commander did not object; the couple has a very good relationship.

Yuki, who had never liked gossip, frowned and said, "You all knew I would eventually leave."

"It's alright. We people of Abyss Fortress only pursue the present. Since you dare to pursue it, you're prepared. Besides, they'll find a way to find you."

"What if I can't find it? Or what if I'm dead?"

Coles took a deep breath and said seriously, "Then I will spend my whole life waiting for you to return, fighting with all my might to avenge you, and raising your child to adulthood. Abyss Fortress is not permitted in Abyss Keep; everyone will show the utmost respect to the families of martyrs. Lady Elfi commands this very all-female army."

Wow, thank goodness I didn't get carried away by the alcohol and do something reckless; this was too heavy a topic.

Each instance has its own unique situation, which naturally forms different worldviews. Yuki has no intention of judging right or wrong, but the values of Abyss Fortress are respectable.

A lifelong unwavering will of steel deserves respect.

"I didn't touch any of them."

"Huh?" Coles blinked, as if he didn't understand. A beauty loves a hero, and a hero should love a beauty too, could it be—

"I understand. Heroism lies in actions, not in sexual orientation. It's alright, I'll explain the situation to everyone now. Love is like fire, equal and Incandescence, it's just that it's usually the opposite sex who pursues. Now that we understand your orientation, don't worry, there are people of the same sex who admire you too."

"You don't know anything!" Yuki couldn't hold back and almost slapped the bastard to death. She took a deep breath. "I have a lover, and they definitely won't agree to share me."

"Ah? I see." Coles looked regretful, and several soldiers behind him also sighed. Then he gave a chest-thumping salute. "In that case, I will explain to everyone that we people of Abyss Fortress Keep believe in mutual consent. We will send our sincerest blessings to those two ladies and wish your love to be as steadfast as steel."

Regardless of gender, they are all upright men, capable of both love and hate, and not prone to jealousy.

After the little incident, Yuki saw off the crying girls one by one. Knowing that he had no chance, he didn't curse his senior or Hayasaka, but only lamented his bad luck.

Then Yuki received many letters, mostly words of blessing, as well as instructions on how her older sister and Hayasaka should take care of their child, how to make their family prosperous, and how to be a good wife and the strongest shield behind the hero.

Yuki it all. She had to take this interesting thing about writing letters across dimensions back to show her seniors, and then things went peacefully for several days.

The Warlord didn't come looking for him, Abyss Fortress continued its peaceful life like a clock. Apart from occasionally contacting Mebius to urge him on the progress, Yuki spent most of his time wandering around the city.

After eating at all the snack shops, he nodded to the commoners who greeted him and then mingled among them, discovering that Coles was not exaggerating.

The people here are truly simple, warm, and resolute. I saw soldiers often helping to build houses and clear ditches, neighbors warmly helping orphans and widows, and women who had lost their husbands in battle wearing armor and training hard. I also chatted with an octogenarian woman about her husband who died fifty years ago and how she and her sisters raised their children.

He receives many small gifts every day, all from the families of the hundred-person team. It's nothing, but they feel like they owe him a huge favor, which makes Yuki feel a little embarrassed.

"Abyss Fortress is not bad, is it?"

Three days later, atop the giant wall, Zhan Shuai stood with his arms crossed, enjoying the comfortable sea breeze, Yuki stood beside him, holding three shrimp heads in his hand.

As the bell rang, another Sea Demon broke free. Yuki, who was eating grilled shrimp at the port, didn't hesitate and went straight to the deep sea to hunt shrimp, forcing the interception team to turn back halfway.

"A top-notch location. Your strategy is quite effective." Yuki tossed the shrimp head aside and sighed. At his level, winning people's hearts was child's play, or rather, very few people could afford to give what epic-level players wanted.

Only sincerity, genuine sincerity without any calculation, can trigger instinct. Yuki isn't an antisocial personality; if he thinks Abyss Fortress is good, he'll protect it even without orders. He not only helps with the interception but also sweeps up all the remaining survivors within hundreds of kilometers, scaring the lurking players so much that they never dare to show their faces again.

Even without going all out, he's still an Epic Tier II character, and a combat specialist at that.

"Hahaha, my wife always says I've gone mad from drinking. I don't know anything about strategy. I know Abyss Fortress best. I don't need to do anything; you'll naturally like it." Zhan Shuai laughed, patting Yuki's shoulder loudly.

"I grew up here and love it deeply. Of course, I firmly believe that you will love it too, and loving it means you will do anything to protect it!"

No rewards or incentives are needed; rather, the environment cultivated over thousands of years is the most powerful tool.

"You just got lucky to run into me." Yuki leaned against the wall, gazing at the sea. Perhaps it was because of Izu, but he really liked the ocean.

"I'm not stupid. If I treat you with sincerity and you don't, I'll naturally have ruthless methods. There are plenty of truly evil people in this world." Zhan Shuai stopped laughing, displaying a kind of profound wisdom.

"Can't I act and lie to you?"

Can you?

Yuki chuckled to himself; of course he didn't, and there was no need for him to.

A ruthless schemer who doesn't discriminate between good and evil could never get the senior student's team to follow him to the death.

"Impressive. I'm not afraid of scheming; the more cunning a person is, the more miserably they'll be defeated by me. What I fear most is a fool like you, who always has certain bottom lines that you're unwilling to cross."

"Pah, you can sigh as you please, but what gives you the right to curse me?" Zhan Shuai glared, then laughed and said, "A person without principles can't accomplish great things, nor does he want to. Although I don't know what your wish is, it must be something earth-shattering. How could such a strong person be a vicious and ruthless person?"

Yuki silent, only taking down the War General's wine pouch, tilting his head back and taking a large gulp, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Ha, you've finally discovered the joy of drinking!" Zhan Shuai laughed, this was the first time Yuki ever taken the initiative to drink.

"No, it just reminded me of a saying: 'A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend.'"

In just a few days of contact, this war commander had come to understand him so well that Yuki couldn't quite fathom this bold and imposing man. Perhaps this was the legendary wisdom that appeared as foolishness.

Since this person suited his taste, he was too lazy to beat around the bush, so he handed the wine bag back and kicked a few shrimp heads next to him.

"Five days, two Sea Demon escaped. Something must have happened in this Abyss Grade. Tell me honestly, how much more frequent is this?"

Abyss Fortress Keep won't affect the main storyline; it's just that Tip 4 doesn't require players to be tied to a faction. However, Yuki likes this place and doesn't mind doing more.

"More than ten times. The dragons used to make mistakes occasionally, but they weren't this unreliable." Zhan Shuai pondered as he drank. "The dragons are the first line of defense against the Abyss Grade, but we can't contact them directly. The information comes from the Sea God's Oracle."

"And then you stopped receiving Oracle?"

"We haven't been able to receive them for ten years. It's possible His Majesty Tido was sleeping too soundly, or perhaps something went wrong." The War General touched the scar on his neck, gritting his teeth. "I'm preparing to take men to the Eye of the Abyss to see what those dragons are up to."

"Eye of the Abyss?" Yuki heard a key term.

Zhan Shuai paused for a moment, then proceeded to disclose the confidential information.

The Eye of the Abyss is a spatial barrier between the Abyss Grade and reality. It was created by the six main gods ten thousand years ago. Demons must pass through the Eye of the Abyss to come out of the Abyss Grade, while dragons are also trapped inside.

If the Sea Demon is lucky enough, it might be able to escape, but all the dragons are bound and none of them can leave. They can only suppress the Sea Demon inside for countless years.

It's a very simple premise. It sounds like the dragons are also victims. No wonder Dias is uneasy. The two sides have been fighting for countless years, so there must be hatred between them, but there is also a motivation to cooperate.

"Don't go, you'll definitely die if you go." Yuki didn't even think about it.

"Death is nothing, we need to get this straight. Do you know why I've been observing you lately?" Zhan Shuai waved his hand, his eyes fixed intently on Yuki, answering his own question, "If I die, I can rest assured with a powerful hero guarding Abyss Fortress."

This is the difference between people. If it were a scheme to win people's hearts and minds and to make Yuki a human spy, Abyss Fortress would probably be used very badly. But conversely, Yuki not only won't use them, but will also help them.

Of course, Yuki isn't the kind of person who's all-powerful and willing to go through fire and water. The [Akarin] Mystic Code prohibits the use of any Transcendental Grade powers, making it far less convenient than his senior's ability. Therefore, he couldn't possibly dive into the sea to conduct reconnaissance.

"No rush. You don't need to worry about the dragons and Sea Demon colluding. They are the losers. With the Divine Race above them, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble, otherwise they would be uprooted." Yuki is never reckless; he only uses his brain. He has also recently received a lot of information from Mebius.

The gods are the absolute rulers of this world, and becoming a god is the core value of this world; the difference in power is absolute.

Of course, this doesn't mean that becoming a god means you can crush everything. For example, Dias didn't become a god, but his power surpassed that of ordinary gods. His eldest son was one of them. The Divine Race gathered all the talents, somewhat like a combination of the 'Angels' and the 'Monster Race' in Race Game.

The six main gods are the strongest, and the six pantheons are the most numerous. Even the dragon race in its heyday would have lost, let alone now.

"You're right. If they dare to cause trouble, not only will they not be able to break through the Eye of the Abyss, but I'll immediately inform that foolish son and have His Majesty Tido lead the divine army to wipe them all out!" The war commander suddenly became beaming, and even the wine tasted better.

Yeah, why should I, a subordinate office of the Oceanic Pantheon, worry about this? If something goes wrong, let the big shots take the blame.

"Don't be too happy yet. If the dragons cause trouble, I'm more worried about the Divine Race." Yuki narrowed his eyes; he wasn't exaggerating.

This time it's Destruction Mission. Judging from the situation these past few days, the Hero Continent is peaceful and prosperous, and the order is extremely stable. So what's the point of destruction? Anyone who dares to jump out will be crushed by the Divine Race.

In times of great chaos, the very foundation must have malfunctioned.

Zhan Shuai was stunned, blinking repeatedly. Yuki belonged to the players' cause and effect, while he was just a character in the story, which defied common sense.

"Impossible, impossible! The Divine Race are invincible; nothing can stand against them. Even if you all joined forces, you wouldn't be enough."

"Even the strongest fortress can be breached from within; the Divine Race themselves had problems."

This time, Dias thought for a while and still shook his head, "Impossible. The six main gods take turns ruling, each with their own pantheon. This is the most stable power structure. Besides, the God of the Sky is currently in power, and the other five gods are just asleep. They will wake up if there are internal problems."

"While the other five gods are asleep, can the Sky God mobilize their pantheon?"

"It's possible, but generally only for handling emergencies." Zhan Shuai didn't care about leaking secrets, because Yuki's words made sense.

Yuki fell into deep thought. The world's order seemed impeccable, but it couldn't explain three things:

First, the Destruction Mission can only be completed when the world is in chaos; reasoning from effect to cause is the basis of our thinking.

Secondly, regarding the dragons' unusual movements, aren't they, as the losers, afraid of being completely eradicated?

Third, Abyss Fortress, as a direct subordinate and outpost guarding the Sea Demon and even the dragons, reported all the unusual activity. Why didn't the Tido, God of the Sea say a single word about it?

"Something must have gone wrong with the Divine Race. Your inability to contact the God of the Ocean is irrefutable proof. We must not go to the Eye of the Abyss. We must search for indirect clues across the entire continent." Yuki looked at the somewhat bewildered War General. He was just a frontline commander; how could he possibly look at the entire continent? But he couldn't explain the strange phenomenon either.

Fortunately, he was a native and held a high position of power, so he certainly knew more than Mebius.

"Think about it, what other unusual situations exist on the entire Hero Continent that are directly linked to the Divine Race?"

Ah, this...

Dias scratched his head. He didn't understand how the conversation had shifted from dragons to the entire continent and then dragged the gods into it, but Yuki's thought process was interconnected, and he could just follow his question.

As the lord of the city-state, he possessed inside information and even had a son who was a god. After careful consideration, he hesitated slightly before speaking:

"The Demon-Hunting Army hunt everywhere, does that count?"

Incidentally, he explained the Demon Hunter team, and the setup was quite simple.

The Great War created the Overlords, the Demon Race collapsed, and the Sea Demon were the strongest and most complete due to geographical conditions, while the other Demon Races were scattered throughout the continent.

Most of them accepted the new order, and many even became gods through trials, but there are always those who can't change their ways and need to be eliminated. The demon hunters are the ones who deal with them.

The Demon-Hunting Army is led by gods drawn from the six pantheons. The soldiers are called heroes and they sweep across the continent, killing all evil, from small fry to great demons. This process is also known as the Trial of Godhood.

How many people are in the Demon-Hunting Army?

"The total force is no less than fifty thousand."

"Huh? There are so many ascended gods??" Yuki's eyes widened, suddenly realizing that his identity was worthless.

"That's not the case. Only the most outstanding heroes, those with the potential to become gods, are called Ascended Gods. Generally, a large army holds the line while an Ascended God hunts five great demons alone, each stronger than the last. This is called the Five Trials, which lead to godhood through the Gate of the Divine Realm. Ordinary heroes are only slightly stronger than my soldiers; they have to strive to become Ascended Gods and qualify for the trials."

Oh, so it's a one-on-one duel on the battlefield. It sounds complicated, but it's actually quite simple to describe.

These are heavenly soldiers and generals. Heavenly generals are gods, and heavenly soldiers are more powerful soldiers. The most outstanding among the heavenly soldiers are called gods, who become gods by accumulating merits.

But there's a logical problem here.

"The demon race is limited, and most of them abide by the rules. They want to undergo trials to become gods. Where are there so many powerful demons for them to accumulate merit?"

Zhan Shuai was stunned. In terms of intelligence, he was indeed far Yuki. He stroked his beard, wondering how he had never noticed this problem before.

Yes, the number of prey is limited, so the number of spots to become a god is also limited.

"So that's Demon-Hunting Army went on a killing spree. Wow, are there really that many people who want to become gods?"

"Yes, because everyone wants to become a god, and if there are no prey, they will create prey." Yuki nodded coldly.