Chapter 390

Nari only sent Luo En to the edge of the Sea of No Light.

Because he would soon be in contact with the Void-remnant power of Yuteer, and as an apostle, it was inconvenient for Nari to appear.

She could only hide under the sea surface far away, casting her reluctant gaze upward.

The special small docking platform of the observation station was currently suspended between the boundary of the dark blue seawater and the twisted jungle.

Luo En walked to the edge of the platform, gazing at the dimness that was forever wriggling below.

Even across an extremely long distance, he could still feel that calling.

As time passed, silver light began to emerge from the platform.

That was the manifestation of the Void-remnant power.

The light descended slowly, dancing in the darkness like a glowing ribbon.

As it approached, Luo En could feel the powerful energy contained within Yuteer's Void-remnant.

But this feeling made his brow furrow involuntarily.

Too strong.

Strong to the point of being unreasonable.

When he saw it last time, the state of Yuteer's Void-remnant was clearly weakening.

That sign of life gradually slipping away could not be faked.

But now, the Void-remnant power rising from the Abyss was exceptionally stable, even more prosperous than when he first met him.

"This feeling..." Luo En activated "Transcendental Identification," carefully sensing the subtle changes in that silver light.

In his special field of vision, Yuteer's Void-remnant indeed displayed astonishing solidity.

But observing carefully, one would find that this prosperity was not a natural state.

Deep within those silver lights, an unstable fluctuation was hidden.

It was like energy being forcibly compressed, which could occur in a violent release at any time.

He remembered a term he knew from his previous life—the "flash of the dying."

Many terminally ill patients, in the final stage of life, would briefly display an abnormal mental state, appearing more energetic than usual.

This state often meant the final burning, the last outburst before death.

As this term surfaced in Luo En's heart, his own heart felt somewhat inexplicably heavy.

The silver light condensed in front of the platform, gradually forming the familiar phantom of Yuteer.

The old professor's appearance looked younger than ever, his silver hair shining, his eyes full of the light of wisdom.

But Luo En felt a deep sense of unease from that near-perfect state.

"Luo En, welcome back."

Yuteer's voice was still gentle, but the power contained within it caused the surrounding space to resonate subtly:

"It seems your gains this time are quite good."

"Professor..." Luo En spoke cautiously, his gaze lingering on Yuteer's phantom:

"Your state looks... much better than expected."

"Haha, keen observation." Yuteer nodded with a light laugh, approval appearing in his silver eyes:

"The decay process of the Void-remnant is not linear; sometimes there will be some... ups and downs."

He did not directly answer Luo En's potential question but began to guide the docking procedure.

The silver light wrapped Luo En gently like a ribbon and then began to slowly raise the altitude.

During the ascent, Luo En could feel the gradual distortion of the surrounding reality.

The direction of gravity began to blur, and the passage of time also produced a subtle sense of misalignment.

"In these few months, to cover up your frequent tracks of entering the Abyss, I have indeed spent a lot of effort."

Yuteer said calmly during the descent, his voice sounding exceptionally clear wrapped in the silver light:

"The inspectors of the Truth Court have significantly increased their attention to Abyssal activities recently."

"I've caused you trouble." Luo En expressed his apology sincerely.

"No need for formalities." Yuteer waved his hand, the edges of his phantom fluctuating slightly:

"Your growth is beneficial to the entire observation station, and besides..."

He paused, a certain deep meaning appearing in his silver eyes:

"The recent changes in the situation make me even more convinced that the resources invested in you are the right choice."

This sentence made Luo En's heart stir.

Yuteer rarely expressed his support for him so directly; this statement itself implied a certain urgency.

As the depth decreased, the surrounding environment began to change.

Blood-colored clouds churned in the silver light, forming various strange patterns.

In the twisted space in the distance, some indescribable shadows occasionally flashed; those were Abyssal creatures performing their daily activities.

"Speaking of which, your progress speed indeed far exceeds everyone's expectations."

Yuteer's tone carried emotion, as well as a certain gratification:

"From the moment you first arrived and already stood out, to now, whether it's interpersonal relationships, academic ability, or mental power cultivation, you have grown by leaps and bounds... this growth trajectory is extremely rare even in history."

"This cannot be separated from your guidance and the environment provided by the observation station." Luo En responded with habitual humility.

Yuteer shook his head: "Your talent and hard work are the main factors; the outside world only provided suitable conditions."

The old professor's phantom began to become more solid, indicating that they were approaching the core area of the observation station:

"Moreover, judging from your recent Abyssal exploration reports, you already possess the ability to handle complex situations alone."

He looked at Luo En meaningfully:

"It even makes me feel that you are three points stronger than Cassandra was back then, and you are even more... balanced than her."

Yuteer said the last term very lightly, but Luo En captured the meaning within it keenly.

Balance—this could be considered the highest evaluation.

It required maintaining rationality while pursuing power, and maintaining restraint while coming into contact with taboos.

During the conversation, the silver light finally reached the docking bay of the observation station.

The thick biological metal door sensed the Void-remnant power of Yuteer and slid open to both sides silently.

When they stepped onto the solid ground, Luo En felt a long-lost sense of order.

The flow of magic power here was more stable and orderly, forming a sharp contrast with the chaos of the lower Abyss.

"Let's go, let's go to my office."

Yuteer signaled: "There are some important matters that need to be discussed with you."

………………

Inside the office, the desk made of living bone emitted a faint "click" sound, as if it were chewing on some invisible food.

Luo En noticed that there were some items on the desk that he had never seen before.

A divination ball made of black crystal, its surface covered with dense prophecy runes.

Several rolls of ancient parchment emitted the heavy atmosphere of time precipitation, their edges already yellowed and curled, clearly having a very long history.

Most eye-catching was an exquisite silver hourglass.

What worried Luo En even more was Yuteer's state at this moment.

Some chaotic light spots occasionally flashed in the other party's projection.

Those light spots flickered irregularly like fragments of stars, giving people an extremely unstable feeling.

"Professor, you look..." Luo En opened his mouth carefully.

"Look like you just experienced a nightmare?"

Yuteer interrupted him with a bitter smile:

"Indeed. The divination performed earlier... the price was a bit larger than I expected."

He reached out and gently stroked the divination ball on the table.

"Chloe should have told you that my current state is no longer suitable for deep divination."

Yuteer's voice became somewhat hoarse:

"The divination backlash accumulated over thousands of years is like a poisonous snake hidden deep in the soul, which may strike at any time."

"Then why did you..." Luo En's voice carried worry.

"Because some things have to be confirmed." Yuteer's eyes became deep:

"About Eve's treatment plan, about your future, and... about the fate of all of us."

Blurred images began to appear inside the divination ball, but those images were extremely chaotic, like broken light and shadow reflected by a shattered mirror.

Luo En could vaguely identify some fragments:

The painful expression of a black-haired girl gradually eased, with light flowing slowly around her;

But in the next instant, the screen switched to a blood-colored sky and collapsing buildings...

"Prophecy is never a certain answer, but a collection of possibilities."

Yuteer seemed to notice Luo En's confusion:

"What I see are just fragmented symbols that need to be interpreted and pieced together with wisdom."

He pointed to a picture in the divination ball, which showed a blooming flower, but the roots of the flower were deeply embedded in the dark soil:

"Eve's treatment... there is hope, but the process will be very difficult. Relying solely on conventional favor feedback is not enough; the essence of magic-devouring is a rule-level backlash, which requires more powerful assistance to be completely eradicated."

Mercenaries, wizards, adventurers...

But they all shared one thing in common—a desire for and dependence on Abyssal power.

What chilled him the most was that every transfer was accompanied by bloodshed.

The puppet brought misfortune like a curse, and none of its holders ever met a good end.

Luo En realized that this was no coincidence.

The Substitute Puppet seemed to have a specific preference when choosing its master.