Cao Xianming nodded, his gaze settling on Chen Gen. The very first thing he said left Chen Gen stunned.
"Actually, at the very beginning, you could contact the Whale Lord yourself, couldn't you?"
Chen Gen opened his mouth, thought for a long time, then slowly nodded.
Yes.
He could.
He had simply forgotten it himself.
"In other words..." Cao Xianming's voice was as steady as a scalpel slicing through skin. "As the Whale Lord was increasingly corrupted by the Eerie, the permissions he granted you actually became more and more limited."
Chen Gen's face paled.
He felt a little hurt.
But Cao Xianming's next words made him jerk his head up.
"He wasn't forbidding you from contacting him. He deliberately cut off your channel for contacting him."
Chen Gen froze.
"Why?"
"Because he was afraid," Cao Xianming said. "Afraid that once the Eerie gained the upper hand, he would issue orders sending you to your death. So while he still had his reason, he personally blocked your way to him."
The air suddenly fell silent.
Chen Gen's eyes reddened at once.
"Then..." His voice trembled. "Then why did he give me those two incredibly dangerous missions in a row?"
"Because the Eerie half had the upper hand then." Cao Xianming's voice turned cold. "Both missions were issued when he was on the verge of losing control. It wasn't him trying to send you to your death... it was the Eerie."
Chen Gen lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Only after a long while did he say hoarsely, "So that was it. I knew it... the Whale Lord still cared a great deal about old ties."
Just as Chen Gen was mentally preparing himself, Cao Xianming spoke again.
"Actually, contacting the Whale Lord is both simple and difficult."
At those