Xyrin Empire-Chapter 1496: A Visitor?

The two Divine Realm experts have been inside Dingdang’s World Tree for over an hour, although they told us beforehand that it would only take a little while to finish. At the time, I forgot to ask if this "little while" was according to normal time perception or the Divine Race’s time perception. As a result of not asking this little question, everyone waiting at Temple Square felt at a loss. If it’s according to normal time perception, then I could wait for them a bit longer in the square, but if it’s according to the Divine Race’s time perception, then we could already go home and sleep, wait for a thousand years until the world is at peace, and then come back to pick them up from the square, it might not even be too late...

"It should be almost done, right?" Bingdisi looked at the World Tree with an expert’s eye. "They’re clearing the overdue logs now."

I strained my neck looking at Dingdang’s temple. Majestic rune screens were shimmering along the trunk of this towering tree, with those rapidly refreshing twisted texts incomprehensible, yet even without understanding them, I could imagine they might be listing the ultimate truths of the outside world. Usually, when Dingdang operates the world management terminal, it’s all about simple operations: one-click restore, one-click repair, one-click species creation, one-click adjustment of the cosmic expansion factor, and so on, so I rarely see the World Tree show such a magnificent side. Today is the first time I see it and realize how magnificent it can be when the World Tree operates normally: just this live footage could bring in a lot of visual believers among mortals. But these rune refreshes seem endless. Magnificent as they are, watching for too long gets monotonous. I felt a little bored and couldn’t help but turn to Bingdisi, "Can’t we fast forward through this part?"

Bingdisi gave me a look as if watching something inexplicable, "...You think the World Tree is a player, to fast forward on command? Right now, it’s integrating expired logs and accumulated bugs, my goodness... how much junk text has Dingdang accumulated?"

I turned my head to look at the Little One, wildly flying around in delight some distance away, playing more enthusiastically than anyone, "I feel like she’s using a high-end server to play Super Mario, yet with an incompatible emulator, wasting resources and accumulating a bunch of fragment files."

"That’s about right, but she isn’t using a high-end server..." Bingdisi glanced up at the World Tree’s canopy, "This thing’s version number is almost as old as I am, can you believe it?"

I thought about Bingdisi’s theoretical age and shivered, realizing Dingdang must have stolen and excavated an ancient tomb in the Divine Realm to retrieve this World Tree’s seed, right?

Just as I hesitated whether to go home first to get some sleep, handle some official duties, save several worlds, rebuild the New Empire and flatten the entire Abyss Zone before coming back to pick up the two experts at the square, the runes on the World Tree’s surface suddenly began decreasing visibly, and at the same time, the faint tinkling sound around us gradually diminished. Dingdang zoomed over, happily flying around my head, "It’s done, it’s done! Dingdang’s World Tree has completed its checkup!"

I effortlessly placed the Little Thing on top of my head and then saw Kertimos and Livia reappear at Temple Square following two teleportation beams. The expressions on the two Divine Realm experts’ faces showed fatigue, not from physical exhaustion, but purely mental...

"I’ve repaired many world management terminals with complex issues," Kertimos took a breath, "and even reinstalled or rewrote many world management systems rife with vulnerabilities, but today... I felt like I saw the entrance to a new world. Learning is endless."

I was taken aback by their reaction and quickly stepped forward to hold Old Ke’s hand, "Expert, expert, hang in there! There are still many beautiful things in this world, don’t go crazy..."

"Don’t worry, I’ve just refreshed my perspectives. I’m a bit excited now," Kertimos waved it off, then with an almost worshipful glance towards Dingdang, he respectfully bowed to my head (remember? My head is Dingdang’s throne) and sincerely said, "Dingdang, can I discuss something with you? Can you give me a copy of your world management system?"

"Sure," the Little Thing nodded readily, "but what do you want it for? Even Sister Bingdisi doesn’t dare look at it lightly."

"To take back for study and put in the database for admiration," Kertimos nodded vigorously. "With this copy, almost all the World Tree virus samples and bug cases in the archive could be discarded. We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of years trying to compile a comprehensive, convenient encyclopedia of malfunction cases, to no avail until now. Who would’ve thought the samples here were so complete... How did this universe make it to today?"

At this point, I really wanted to shake Old Ke’s hand with tear-filled eyes and tell him: because of sheer luck!

Dingdang may not understand the whole thing, but she seemed to feel she could be of great use, so she nodded happily, "Sure! Take it, I’m amazing, right?"

Bingdisi quietly echoed, "From a certain perspective, you are indeed quite amazing."

Then Livia turned to see the normally functioning World Tree, now in a much better state than ever before, and suddenly patted Kertimos on his shoulder, "Alright, Little Kertimos, I see no problem now. Go tidy up the tools inside and get ready to go home."

Kertimos showed a slightly embarrassed expression, "Mom, I’m not a kid anymore, could you please not call me by my nickname in public?"

At this moment, even Lilina collapsed to the ground in laughter. I was dumbfounded, looking at Kertimos and Livia, and especially at the latter who had a much younger appearance than the former, feeling like my worldview was refreshing like pressing F5 endlessly, "What did you just call her?"

"Called her mom," Kertimos nonchalantly nodded, "This is my mom."

I couldn’t help but point at Livia, "I thought she was your sister!"

Mother Livia modestly cradled her face, "Your Majesty, you overpraise me. I actually didn’t maintain myself much..." she then slapped Kertimos’ shoulder, revealing a fierce demeanor, "You brat, get to work! No matter how old you are, you’re still my son. Did you think you had a choice about being called by your nickname?"

At this moment, I gained unprecedented insight into the seniority and age issues among the Immortal Species and finally couldn’t look directly at the prior affectionate names of "Old Ke" and "Little Li" from the initial meeting...

"The world management system should be alright, right?" After Kertimos went back to the temple to pack up the tools, Bingdisi approached Livia to inquire.

"That depends on what you mean by ’alright’," Livia seemed to have her thoughts, and she replied with profound significance, "If we’re simply talking about whether the management system is healthy, then this World Tree is the most cumbersome thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I almost see an artistic sense from the mountain of error logs. But if you’re asking whether this World Tree is related to the recent collective downtime incident, I must say—everything is normal. Apart from having system vulnerabilities piling up like a mountain, there is no anomaly in this terminal."

Bingdisi stroked her chin, "So, the downtime incidents indeed were unrelated to the terminal itself, correct?"

Livia nodded silently, and at that moment, Kertimos returned to the square after packing up his stuff and bid us farewell, "The work here is done, we should return to the Divine Realm." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

I quickly called out, "Hey, aren’t you staying for a meal before you leave?"

"No," Livia smiled faintly, "Our volunteer organization has its regulations, and there are several more worlds needing maintenance afterward. If we don’t hurry up, we might not make it back today."

Bingdisi laughed heartily, "Ah, whatever problems you encounter next won’t be as complicated as this. Consider it intense training in advance."

The two Divine Realm experts left, carrying a heartfelt admiration for Dingdang along with a precious bug library (...), but my heart began to feel uneasy. Bingdisi’s speculations about the imminent Void Catastrophe, along with the intelligence revealed by the two experts, caused deep concern.

All along, the Void Catastrophe in my mind was a relatively distant concept: even knowing it would eventually come, even realizing that it might not be as far off as I imagined, I still had never considered it an imminent issue. But now, with such a strange occurrence emerging suddenly, and Bingdisi associating it possibly with the Void Catastrophe, my heart was stirred.

The Void Catastrophe... according to Xiao Xue, it hasn’t caused much harm to worlds "sheltered" by Void Creatures, but it has changed everything.

After the Void Cataclysm, there were no Fallen Apostles. The peak of the Abyss outbreak followed the Void Cataclysm, and Xiao Xue was born after the Void Cataclysm... everything seemed divided by that event, yet we still haven’t figured out the essence of the Cataclysm itself.

Now it might be happening soon, and a senseless sense of urgency began to invade my mind — sometimes, it’s not the exact threat that causes unease; "the unknown" is the source of discomfort.

"Looks like you’re quite concerned about the Void Cataclysm," Bingdisi said, noticing my strange expression. Naturally, she could guess what I was thinking.

"How could I not be?" I shrugged at her. "Such a big matter... I’m still not ready for it."

Bingdisi laughed: "Even if I gave you ten thousand years to prepare, what could you prepare?"

Bingdisi’s words stumped me completely: Even with ten thousand years, or even longer to prepare, what exactly should I prepare?

"There’s no place to start, right?" Bingdisi wore that signature bold smile that feared nothing, as if even the Void Cataclysm didn’t bother her, "Let it come whenever it wants because no matter when it starts, we won’t be ready. You know, I’m quite an open-minded person..."

"That’s purely playing dead under boiling water," I couldn’t help but make a snarky comment, but Sister Bing had a point: Regardless of when the Void Cataclysm begins, it makes no difference because we’re never ready.

Harlan and Sandora seemed to have been discussing something on the side before ending their talk. Harlan walked over: "Chen, I might need to leave for a while."

"For what?" I was taken aback. Harlan had no family now, and Shadow City was his only home, with everyone to talk to present here. Why would he leave?

"To the border," Harlan smiled, "Sandora reset the boundaries of the Imperial District and Abyss Zone, right? There are a dozen worlds in the Abyss Zone that have just fallen into the Empire’s hands. This new frontier is not suitable for the normal Order Races to live in, and the geographical location is not suitable for colonization—but it’s the environment the Abyss Independent Group wants, so I plan to transform it into a colony point for them, saving me the trouble of building a semi-Abyss universe specifically. This issue has been bothering me for months."

"The Abyss Apostles are collectively moving to the border?" I raised an eyebrow, "The environment there is dangerous, and it’s adjacent to the Fallen Apostles. Aren’t you putting yourself in harm’s way? Those are just transitional zones; they weren’t meant for people to live in from the start."

"Dangerous to you perhaps," Harlan laughed, "but for us, the environment there is not an issue. As for being close to the Abyss Zone... it’s not a big deal. After all, the main task of the Abyss Independent Group is to monitor the Abyss Zone, and someone has to guard the border, suitable work for suitable people. My men are best suited for this. Stationing the Abyss Independent Group at the border will also make it easier to infiltrate the Abyss Zone."

Harlan spoke reasonably and decisively, and seeing Sandora’s approving expression next to him, I certainly had nothing more to say. On such significant issues, there’s no need for politeness; Harlan knows what he needs to do—just as each of us knows what we need to do.

I glanced at Dingdang performing an infinity dance in the air and Lilina talking to the wild grass on the ground, well, most of us...

"So when are you leaving?" I looked at Harlan, this reliable Imperial Commander who had once been the New Empire’s most dangerous opponent, but after regaining clarity, he had diligently assisted Sandora and me in managing the complex affairs in Shadow City. He usually kept a low profile, almost like a second-string player, but his seriousness and dedication always gave off a dependable big brother vibe. Now that he suddenly said he’d lead the Abyss Independent Group to the Empire’s most desolate and dangerous frontier to build a New World, I couldn’t help but be a bit taken aback. Along with the looming Void Cataclysm above us, a suppressed feeling spread within me.

Harlan smiled, "I’m leaving this afternoon."

"So soon?" I was somewhat surprised, then asked hopefully, "When will you be back?"

Harlan smiled again, "If quick, tomorrow afternoon, if not, the day after early morning."

Me: "... You’re just going out for a day, and you make such a big deal about bidding farewell!"

Harlan scratched his head in confusion, "You’re the one saying it. I’m going on a long trip; I have to temporarily put down a lot of work. Wouldn’t I tell you and Sandora before leaving?"

Me: "..."

"Actually, I’m just going to personally check the situation in those several worlds," Harlan explained on the side, "Some of the border worlds you attacked were my old territory... Hmm, leaving for some time; I don’t know what changes there have been. I’m going there to see if some old facilities left behind can still be used since you didn’t blow everything up. I’ll just take a look and come back. Things in Shadow City are piled up like a mountain; if I leave now, you and Sandora would probably kill me."

I continued: "..."

"Hey, why aren’t you talking?"

"Feeling mentally exhausted. You talk to Sandora..."

Returning from Shadow City, I realized one thing: I still can’t go the sensitive emotional route. Even if the sky falls, it won’t crush me. What matters could make me, a member of the Void Clan, so anxious?

Thinking that way cheered me up and relieved the pressure, so much so that at lunchtime, I served myself half a bowl more than usual — though maybe the extra half bowl was also due to frequently dining with a group of Wild Dingdangs. At some point, these little creatures learned from Dingdang to eat from others’ bowls, naturally making mine a disaster zone. Every time we ate, they would line up around my bowl as if coordinated... Do you know how much pressure there is eating a meal? With a single chopstick, who knows if I’ll pick up a dish or a Dingdang; these little guys look just like celery...

Of course, I consider myself less worrisome compared to Little Crow. Over there, a bunch of Split Lifeforms often gather, and those Handmade Crow Gods don’t like eating cooked meals; they eat raw lettuce leaves. Medivh always has to have two servings of food in front of her, one for herself and one to feed the kids. But Little Crow is a careless egg, usually getting mixed up halfway through her meal. Thus, the Handmade Figures get burned by the hot meal, flustered, and Little Crow ends up with a mouthful of cabbage cores and raw leeks, teary-eyed. By the end of the meal, things are always as chaotic as a battlefield.

Those Little Crows have sheer bad luck to have such a mother.

After eating, as usual, I went to the front yard to bask in the sun. In the past, during leisure time, I would rather stay inside watching TV, surfing the internet, and chatting. But now, this lifestyle habit of mine has long changed. For known reasons, the inside is more lively than the outside, so rather than dealing with naughty kids and the equally playful adults inside, I’d rather engage in photosynthesis in the yard like Lilina.

Unfolding the lounge chair on the lawn, with a pot of hot tea and two plates of snacks on the low table by my side, on one side lay a cunning loli with "exp+5" appearing above her head, and on the other side lay the Nine-tailed Fox Fairy Lord. I felt like some decadent landowner from the old society. The Fox Fairy Lord adeptly used her tail to scout the low table, quickly wrapping up pieces of snacks and sending them to her mouth. I patiently joked with her: Moving the snack plates occasionally and watching the golden fluffy tail tip point around the table. Seeing the Fox Fairy Lord train her tail to this extent, I wanted to ask her: Did you grow hands just to wear clothes with sleeves?

Just then, I heard the sound of brakes outside the courtyard gate. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for recommendations, and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)