Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 839 Secret Talk
As the blindfolded nun's gentle and melodious voice faded, Xin Lailai nodded slightly upon hearing it, saying nothing more, but instead casting a curious glance at a corner of the crowd.

Hidden in the crowd, Quan Momo instinctively shuddered at the sight and frantically cried out to Bai Tian beside her for help:
'President…President! What…what do we do? He…he seems to be looking at us?'

"Calm down...we've never even seen Black Sword before! He probably just happened to glance this way; there's no way he could really suspect us!"

"But...but I've heard that those top-tier figures are almost all-around monsters. What...what if he happens to have mind-reading or causality-based abilities, and knows about my...our relationship with 'that'?"

Quan Momo spoke tremblingly in her mind, her face pale and frozen, looking as if she was about to cry. Hearing her worries expressed during the day, she also shuddered and answered in her mind with a slight tremor:

'No...it's okay! I've already thought of a solution for this!'

'If it's a causal ability, then...we'll just be frank and say we were threatened.'

'As for...as for mind-reading abilities, as long as we...we pass out first, even if he has...mind-reading abilities, we...we don't need to worry about him seeing through us!'

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Tian rolled his eyes with practiced ease and fainted like a corpse. To Quan Momo's astonishment, he collapsed into Xue Tu's arms, unconscious.

'Huh? President…President? President, wake up! Why did you faint again?!'

"Hey, open your eyes, you deadbeat! We can't just sleep like you like this!!"

The two stared at Bai Tian, ​​who was unconscious and even foaming at the mouth, and shook his shoulders desperately. Xin Lailai, who was in the distance, watched this scene and her expression stiffened slightly. For a moment, she didn't know how to comment.

"Pfft, Lai Lai, do you think if we send her a message now using the actor's pseudonym, and then walk over to greet her as your real name, will Mo Mo be so scared she wets her pants?"

"Just let her go... otherwise she'll probably be so scared she won't dare leave the house."

"However, speaking of which, I didn't expect the White Rabbit Guild to be so ambitious? They even dared to accept an expedition commission?"

Xin Lailai glanced at Bai Tian, ​​who was already being slapped wildly by his companions, and a look of surprise appeared in her eyes.

Although he was well aware that the guilds of Apocalypse Paradise had an obligation to assist in the expedition, to be honest, he was still quite surprised to see the White Rabbit Guild here.

After all, based on his understanding of Apocalypse Paradise, unless they were forced to the brink of bankruptcy, it was almost impossible for a guild like White Rabbit, which was below S-rank and did not have a mandatory recruitment requirement for expeditions, to accept such a high-risk mission as expedition commissions, which were so risky that just looking at the abyssal creatures could scare a large number of employees into a coma.

"Hmm, I have a feeling something really funny or farcical happened?"

"Hmm...that's definitely the most likely, but since they're here, we can only wish them good luck."

Xin Lailai withdrew her gaze and said in her mind.

Since they have participated in the expedition, no matter what their intentions are, only by facing the fear brought by the abyss can they survive in the expedition.

All he could do was ask the nun and Bell to look after the other party a little, but if they really wanted to make it to the end of the expedition, it still depended on their own abilities.

Of course, considering that the staff are basically only responsible for logistics during the expedition, theoretically speaking, there is not much risk unless the other party is unlucky enough to accept a commission for material transportation or front-line related matters.

"Lord Black Sword, the Commander asked me to tell you that he is waiting for you in the command room."

The blindfolded nun stepped forward and respectfully addressed Xin Lailai. Randy, standing nearby, asked with some curiosity:
"Waiting for Old Black? Does that mean we don't need to go and join the fun?"

"Yes, please forgive me, my lords, but the commander only intends to meet with Lord Black Sword alone."

"OK~ Let's go pick them up over there first~! Old Black, you can chat with that commander by yourself~!"

Randy waved casually as he spoke, then walked straight towards the crowd. Xin Lailai nodded slightly and addressed the blindfolded nun before her:

"Okay, I'll be there right away."

After speaking, he glanced around, scanning the crowd of familiar faces, before stepping into the spatial portal and disappearing from the spot.

……

World Fortress, Blackthorn flagship, command center.

"Welcome back, Black Sword Sir! I was worried that the high frequency of combat might make you uncomfortable, but it seems that you're in pretty good shape now."

"So-so, but the major was in such a hurry to call me over, surely it wasn't just for a casual chat?"

A calm voice echoed from the command room. Under the vast star map, Xin Lailai, who was walking out of the space tunnel, glanced at the major sitting in the main seat and spoke.

"Hehe, Black Sword Sir is still as perceptive as ever! In that case, let's skip the formalities and get straight to the point—"

The major chuckled softly, habitually adjusting his round-framed glasses, and squinted as he gazed at the black-haired youth before him, saying:

"Black Sword Sir, regarding that potential 'unknown crisis' you mentioned last time, have you obtained any new information?"

"Unfortunately, no, including the prophecy I made to you privately last time."

Xin Lailai gently shook her head, her gaze falling on the three-dimensional star map above her head. She stared at the red warning zone outside the tree-like elemental barrier, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Just as he said, during this expedition, they did not obtain any information related to the previously speculated 'anomaly that was enough to scare away the abyssal behemoth'.

Aside from the world where they first encountered the slug whale, whether it was Reef 35, which was completely covered by the ocean of abyssal energy, Reef 96, which left a 'deep' impression on them, or Reef 136, which was theoretically the closest to the warning zone and the end point of their expedition... none of these worlds, which might theoretically contain clues, ultimately brought them any gains.

The divination results from the deceased's side also showed that the deceased had undergone another divination on their way back, but the result was still an extremely ominous "pitch black".

If there was any real insight, it was probably that when they asked the Death Keeper to divine the outcome of the expedition—whether it would continue or end prematurely—the latter was a silent, deeper darkness, while the former revealed a glimmer of light in the darkness.

Retreat would lead to a more serious crisis, while moving forward might offer a glimmer of hope.

If it weren't for this divination result, they would have already suggested to the major that the expedition be terminated early, instead of frantically capturing one stronghold after another, pushing the battle line relentlessly, and trying to uncover further clues before the crisis arrives. "I see, that's really bad news. Heh, a crisis that clearly exists, but for which we can't find a single trace..."

"Black Sword Sir, do you think that if there really are other 'clues,' our failure in this matter is because those 'clues' just happen to be located on those unexplored planets and worlds, or because the 'clues' other than that abyssal behemoth have all been... forced to disappear for some reason?"

Under the star map, the major slightly pushed up his glasses, a deep, dark golden light flashing beneath his narrowed eyelids as he asked Xin Lailai a question.

“Personally, I would prefer the first answer, but if it’s the second one…” Xin Lailai said, but fell silent halfway through her answer and didn’t continue. However, the expression on her face said it all.

—If it's the second one, then it means that the potential crisis is so terrifying that apart from life forms like the Abyss Behemoth, other beings... don't even have the chance to transmit any useful information to it.

"Hehe, what a crisis that makes one's blood freeze! Just like what that Yamu Sir said, it seems that being by Black Sword Sir's side always brings moments like this that make one's adrenaline surge."

"Speaking of which, Black Sword Sir, regarding that divination, assuming it was going to happen anyway, what do you think that 'utter darkness' actually refers to?"

As the major spoke, he looked up at the star map in front of him and asked with narrowed eyes.

"Decipher it..." Upon hearing this, Xin Lailai also looked up at the star map in front of her, gazing at the dark ocean beyond the tree-like navigation. Her gaze narrowed slightly, and finally she gently shook her head.

“Unfortunately, I cannot give a definite answer on this point,” Xin Lailai said, her gaze involuntarily shifting to the tree-like flight path covered in white light. After a moment of silence, she spoke:

"But if we're talking about the worst-case scenario... I think it would probably be some kind of terrifying crisis that could instantly collapse this 169.37 light-year-long battle line in front of us."

As soon as the words were spoken, the huge command room fell silent, with only the huge star map slowly rotating from the projection device, as if telling the answer in this way.

It could cause a battle line spanning 169.37 light-years, with an entire Watcher Legion, five elite tiers, and over three hundred top-tier soldiers, to collapse instantly.

Looking across the entire astral plane, there is only one specific case that fits the criteria for such a crisis—

The Great Invasion of the Abyss.

"So that's it. This is Black Sword Sir's answer. It's quite a frightening guess, isn't it?" In the command room, the major, who was gazing at the star map, smiled, tapped the armrest lightly with his index finger, and squinted as he spoke:

"Yes, indeed, in the worst-case scenario, something beyond our imagination could happen."

"One regular legion, five non-elite teams, 372 super-elite teams, 5529 elite teams, plus 319 senior staff members."

"As Black Sword Sir said, under normal circumstances, apart from the legendary Abyss Invasion that is said to be enough to engulf the entire Astral Plane, there probably wouldn't be any other crisis that could instantly overturn such a lineup, right?"

"but--"

"If the prophecy spoken by Black Sword Sir is true and reliable, then with the military strength here, there is absolutely no way that there is any chance of survival that defies common sense, is there?"

"Ah, yes, so that's just the worst-case scenario."

Xin Lailai spoke, her eyes filled with a solemn yet calm gaze.

Yes, that's just the worst, and least likely, outcome.

If the impending crisis is indeed the Great Abyss Invasion, then the glimmer of hope divined by the Death Keeper would not exist, and the powerful beings of the Astral Realm would not have remained unresponsive until now.

In other words, from this perspective, what they are facing is more likely an unknown crisis that is beyond their imagination but not beyond their capabilities.

"We've unexpectedly received some good news, don't you think, Black Sword Sir?"

"It's not exactly a pleasant surprise for me," Xin Lailai said, then looked at the major seated at the head of the table and asked, "So, what are your next plans, Major?"

In order to avoid potential crises, they have practically tried every possible method.

Not only did the Deathbringer use the divination tools made by Hilona to predict the outcome of advancing and retreating, but the Major also replanned the expedition route, avoiding the warning zone to the greatest extent possible while ensuring that the route did not deviate from the Kashinom's course. He even compressed the second phase of the operation, which should have taken two to three months, into just one month and five days.

From their perspective, they have already maximized their role as an outsider in this potential crisis. As for the rest... until new clues are discovered, it all depends on the major's command and deployment capabilities.

"Hmm... what's next? That's a headache. We need to ensure the expedition continues, but we also have to be constantly on guard against potential crises..."

Upon hearing this, the major narrowed his eyes slightly, muttered something, then suddenly smiled and said:

"Sure enough, keeping such important news a secret is never a good thing."

"Black Sword Sir, do you think... if this matter were made public, with your leadership skills, you could inspire those who are afraid to face it all?"

The major spoke, glancing meaningfully at the screen beside him. Xin Lailai, after a moment of silence, looked at the top-tier and super-top-tier contractors moving about on the screen, lowered her eyes slightly, and said:

"I can't do it alone."

"but--"

Xin Lailai paused, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the contractors in the scene—some conversing, some drinking, and some looking curious—before continuing:

"If it's them, then yes."

"That's a rather subtle answer. May I hear the reasoning behind it?"

"They are top-tier contractors, nothing more."

……

(End of this chapter)