I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

"Coming!"

A burst of golden light flashed, and Abu opened his giant maw the instant he appeared.

An invisible force field, like thousands of sharp teeth, tore at Kelpi's body, twisting and breaking it down into a hissing frequency.

No matter how much it struggled and howled, it was eventually swallowed up by that abyss-like devouring power.

"Burp~ That's really flavorful."

Abu patted his round little belly and let out a satisfied burp.

It twirled gracefully, floated in front of Duanmu Yan, and blinked with lingering fear: "Just now in that chaotic space, I was really afraid that you would be misled by that guy and do something foolish..."

"I'm not that fragile." Duanmu Yan chuckled helplessly, but his eyes darkened. "But those scenes... were indeed unpleasant. Wait, Second Miss and the others!"

He turned around abruptly and saw Koleta and the other two lying quietly on the ground. As the Black Tide creations were devoured, the darkness that enveloped them gradually dissipated, and they awoke one after another from their unconsciousness.

"Huh? What's wrong with us?"

Koleta rubbed her throbbing temples, vaguely remembering only fragmented pieces of nightmares.

"Are you all alright?" Duanmu Yan hurriedly stepped forward to help them up.

The three shook their heads, feeling dizzy, and said in unison, "It's alright, just a little dizzy... It must be the directional anchor that's working, resisting the erosion of the black tide."

Yuno suddenly looked up alertly: "Where's Kelpi? Where's that guy?"

She tried to get up, but a wave of dizziness caused her to stagger backward, and Duanmu Yan caught her steadily.

“It’s been taken care of.” He patted her shoulder lightly. “Abu and I have eliminated it.”

"What?! It's actually resolved?!" Lupa's eyes widened in disbelief. "Did I skip some important plot point?"

Duanmu Yan smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying: "In short, the current troubles have come to an end. Now..."

He turned to look at the blood-stained wasteland, his voice gradually becoming low.

"It's time to contact the camp and bring our heroes home."

……

……

"As expected."

Christopher gently closed the script in his hand, looked at the figures of Duanmu Yan and others in the distance, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

"Is this the show you arranged? It's far too boring." Scar squatted to the side, casually chewing on a blade of grass. "I'd rather go and meet him myself."

“No need to rush, your opportunity will come in time.” Christopher turned and left, his clothes fluttering in the wind. “Now that the Black Tide’s agent has anchored, it’s time for us to move on to the next step.”

"Is that so?" Scar heard him say that and could only shrug helplessly before following behind him. "Anyway, I hope it won't be too boring."

Volume 1: Chapter 110 Abu: Don't mess with the new account

"So, is that the fake God-King?"

Hunter's camp.

Duanmu Yan looked at Yuno, who was receiving treatment.

Rather than receiving treatment, it's more like checking whether the body has been eroded by the Kuroshio Current.

Yuno frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said with a hint of uncertainty, "I don't know how to explain it. The God-King... is the Black Tide itself. Unless it deliberately reveals itself, we generally cannot find it or even attack it."

"And that Kelpi..."

"Rather than a fake god-king, it is more accurate to say that it is the embodiment of its will."

"An embodiment of will?" Duanmu Yan frowned upon hearing this. "Does that mean... something like an avatar? But why would it do that?"

Yuno shook his head: "I don't know either. This has never happened before. This operation was strange from beginning to end. Its attack came hastily and ended hastily, as if it was done just to complete a mission. Even that trap... seemed to be luring someone in."

So, why is that?

The girl raised her eyes and quietly looked at Duanmu Yan in front of her.

In a daze, she remembered what Grandma Lilybe had once told her.

...(I) Neighboring Seal Seven] Company ⑸ Long time is blame? A blank.

Could it be that the God King's true target is actually Duanmu Yan?

But why would it do that?

Shouldn't it be focusing all its efforts on absorbing every bit of power it has devoured?

Why would they be willing to separate so many frequencies during non-high tide periods to specifically hunt them down?

Moreover, dying so casually was as if he had deliberately sought death.

"Duanmu," the girl called softly, "does your body... feel anything unusual?"

"Me? I'm fine." Duanmu Yan shook his head, looking puzzled. "Why are you suddenly asking that?"

“I remember you said that Abu is now in a state of coexistence with you. And it previously devoured a sliver of the God-King's frequency... I suspect that frequency may have had some kind of influence on you.”

Upon hearing Yuno's guess, Duanmu Yan nodded thoughtfully: "In that case, I'll call Abu out and ask him."

"Abu."

Before he finished speaking, a golden light flashed on the sound mark on the back of his hand, and Abu instantly leaped out of it, shaking his body with great energy.

"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly call me out? Is it lunchtime?"

"Didn't you just eat? Are you hungry again?"

"Huh? That counts as a meal?" Abu protested, dissatisfied. "I want pizza! The kind with heated pineapple!"

"Alright, alright, when we get back to Laguna, I'll make sure you get your fill." Duanmu Yan sighed and shook his head. "Let's get down to business, Abu. Ever since you devoured that guy, have you felt anything wrong with your body?"

Abu scratched his head with his little paws, thought seriously for a moment, and then shook his head vigorously: "I don't feel anything wrong! I was a little uncomfortable at first, but I'm completely fine now."

"Really? There's nothing wrong with it at all?" Yuno leaned closer and gently poked Abu's round little belly.

"I'm really fine!" Abu proudly raised his little face and snorted, "I am the strongest being in Solaris! What false god-king? Even if a true god-king came, he would have to bow down obediently in front of me!"

Yuno's gaze towards Abu still held a hint of doubt, but he ultimately spread his hands and sighed softly, "Alright, maybe I was just overthinking it. Anyway, I'll report this situation to Augusta. You all should rest well at the camp today. Oh, by the way—"

Her tone suddenly brightened: "Tonight there's dinner prepared by Otter himself! You all have to try it!"

"Really? Then I won't be polite." Abu's eyes lit up.

……

……

As evening approached, a campfire was lit in the center of the hunters' camp.

This was not a celebratory feast, but a memorial ceremony for the deceased.

The hunters beat their war drums, sat around the flickering firelight, and sang ancient songs in hushed tones.

The song was melancholic and desolate, drifting with the wisps of smoke into the darkening sky.

Duanmu Yan did not join the group sitting around.

He stood alone not far away, holding a glass of scarlet fruit wine—a drink made from some kind of local wild fruit, with a low alcohol content and tasting more like sweet and mellow fruit juice.

He gazed silently at the faces illuminated by the firelight. Those scarred yet resolute profiles seemed to merge with their swaying shadows in the interplay of light and shadow.

Yuno doesn't know where she and the Second Miss went; they should be in the Four Directions Palace.

Lupa was holding her wine glass with great pride, loudly recounting her thrilling adventures to the gladiators at the table, occasionally casting a bright smile at Duanmu Yan, as if the gloom of the day had never lingered in her heart.

While he was lost in thought, Duanmu Yan suddenly felt his trouser leg being gently tugged.

Looking down, he saw a group of otters holding a full plate of roasted meat, surrounding his feet and making soft meows, their dark eyes full of anticipation.

Duanmu Yan was slightly taken aback, then understood and took a piece of fragrant roasted meat, smiling gently at the group of children: "Thank you."

Before the words were even finished, Abu had already eagerly emerged from the sound trail, grabbed a piece of roasted meat even bigger than himself, and started to devour it, his mouth glistening with oil: "It tastes really good. But why do you seem a little distracted?"

Abu asked indistinctly while chewing on some grilled meat.

"Me?" Duanmu Yan took a bite of roasted meat, the rich flavor bursting on his tongue, easing his tense nerves slightly. He looked up at the bright moon on the horizon. "Do you remember the voice you heard in the Sonora world today?"

Abu nodded vigorously, his cheeks puffed out: "Of course I remember! I thought you would believe those lies."

"How could that be?" Duanmu Yan smiled faintly, his gaze still fixed on the night sky. "I'm just... bothered by certain things said in those words."

"Ok?"

“That voice didn’t sound like the will of the God-King, but rather like… someone else, observing us from the shadows,” Duanmu Yan said softly. “The Black Tide can affect a person’s mind, and perhaps it was during that moment that he invaded my consciousness.”

"But didn't you not believe his nonsense?"

“Who would take those deliberately obscure riddles seriously?” Duanmu Yan’s gaze gradually became unfocused. “But some of the things he said made me pay attention. That scarred guy said something similar before, as if… they had heard about me a long time ago.”

Abu continued to munch on his grilled meat, and although he didn't quite understand what Duanmu Yan was saying, he still responded with "uh-uh" sounds, his big ears twitching slightly involuntarily.

“But I have absolutely no memory of those things.” His gaze slowly lowered, landing on Abu. “I don’t even know why we became symbiotic. Abu, I’m curious… what exactly are you? Could it be that I’ve really lost some important memories?”

A night breeze swept by, stirring up a few sparks from the embers of the campfire, which flickered in his deep pupils.

"Huh? Are you doubting me?" Abu suddenly raised his head, forgetting to chew the roasted meat in his mouth.

"No way," Duanmu Yan spread his hands, revealing a gentle smile that was no different from his usual demeanor. "I remember every contribution Abu made. But...aren't you curious?"

"What are you curious about?"

"For example, perhaps we...were sworn enemies in the past?"

Abu's movements completely stopped, his round eyes widened slightly, and he was completely unaware that the roasted meat had slipped from his hands.

"Ah, my roast meat—" By the time Abu realized what was happening, the roast meat had already fallen to the ground, covered in dust. It immediately showed a distressed expression, "Don't say such terrible things all of a sudden."

"Alright, just kidding." Duanmu Yan stretched. "Why are you so scared? Let's go, there's even more delicious food over there, let's go try it together."

Volume 1: Chapter 111 Tender Catgirl

The banquet lasted until late at night.

The people of Qiqiu never let grief linger. They send the souls of the departed to the heavens with songs and blessings.

"I...I'm not drunk...I can still drink...huff huff..."

Most of the hunters were already quite drunk. Although the fruit wine wasn't very strong, drinking it all night was enough to make them stagger.

Duanmu Yan looked at Lupa's swaying figure, sighed helplessly, and stepped forward to support the girl's waist.

"Hmm...who touched me?" Lupa turned her head groggily, then grinned when she saw who it was. "My partner...hehe...you smell so good..."

As the wolf-tailed girl spoke, she leaned close to his neck and sniffed him gently like a small animal.

"How much did you drink?" Duanmu Yan looked at the drunk wolf-tailed girl in his arms and sighed helplessly. "I remember the alcohol content of that fruit wine wasn't this high, was it? Even Abu drank several cups in one go and didn't feel any discomfort."

That analogy isn't quite right either.

After all, Abu's stomach is something most people can't compare to.

Even the Black Tide is nothing but a snack in front of it, so what is a mere fruit wine?

“Hmph, I…I’m not drunk.” Lupa struggled to sit up from his arms. “Look, I’ll prove it to you right now.”

She tried to stand firm and prove herself to Duanmu Yan, but her swaying body was completely out of her control.

In the end, Duanmu Yan caught her in time, preventing her from falling to the ground.

"Alright, alright, I believe you. You're not drunk."

Duanmu Yan spoke softly, as if coaxing a child, and steadily supported the swaying wolf-tailed girl with his arms.

"Come on, I'll take you back to your room. It's so late, you should rest."

"I...I'm not sleepy yet..." Lupa mumbled against his shoulder, her struggles so light they sounded like she was sleepwalking. "I don't want to sleep..."

"Good gladiators should all go to bed on time," Duanmu Yan coaxed softly, then paused as if remembering something. "Speaking of which...did Yuno arrange rooms for us? I haven't seen her or the Second Miss all night. What are those two up to so mysteriously?"

Thinking of this, he took out his terminal and contacted Yuno. She told them to find a place to wait for him, and she would be there soon.

So Duanmu Yan helped Lupa to a secluded cliff and they sat down side by side.

The stars twinkled in the deep night sky, adorning the heavens like exquisite diamonds set in the boundless darkness.

From here, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Karihara Plain.

But Lupa had no heart to appreciate the starry sky at that moment.