Chapter 43: Adi

The battle did not endure for long. Afterwards, a group of individuals gathered in a nearby hamlet, listening to the tales of the witch Delan.

"I witnessed Lord Ouslo conversing with demons through the art of scrying. They have long been in collusion!"

"Ah, so it is... even more troublesome." After some deliberation, Ocrus addressed the somber assembly, "In that case, tomorrow morning, I shall attempt to contact the higher echelons of the Witch Council through magic, to see if we can garner some assistance..."

While nearby discussions unfolded, Panney Sean stood quietly within the village, pondering certain matters.

The sudden appearance of the crimson robes, the presence of the demon cult within Sael, the ambiguous stance of Mentor Jan Washi, coupled with domestic rumors, blurred together all previous clues. He suddenly felt himself drawing closer to his goal.

As he connected these threads of evidence and contemplated, Panney was suddenly seized by a chilling sensation. He realized that his investigative efforts had reached a point where further pursuit held no benefit for him.

With that realization, lingering in Laiserman held no meaning. As a Saelian, refraining from causing trouble in an enemy state was already an act of conscience. He had no interest in meddling further to quell the civil unrest in Laiserman.

Exiting the cottage, he surveyed the surroundings of the small village. He caught a glimpse of the head of the mouse "Belen" peeking out from the shadows of the grass. A few doubts began to arise in his mind.

He had recently noticed that this mouse seemed rather disobedient.

In fact, most of the time it doesn't listen at all. For instance, no familiar would ever bite its owner.

Because there's no stable contract signed, although Panney and the mouse have established a connection between their souls, allowing them to communicate like any other familiar, this mouse is different from the typical familiars seen with spellcasters. It possesses the ability to refuse him and seems entirely uninterested in any contract he offers. Its usual behavior is even more indifferent to Panney.

Panney also discovered that the mouse's abilities are far more complex than described by the artificer. For example, its recent behavior was an attempt to enter the Shadow Plane through its own shadow, a capability Panney initially overlooked. This indicates that this miraculous mouse, crafted by Imaskari high technology, possesses numerous extraordinary abilities that have yet to be fully realized — perhaps even unnoticed by the artificer who created it.

After over four thousand years of nurturing, it's likely that the capabilities of this "weapon" have surpassed the artificer's plans. Combined with its high intelligence, which is no less than that of a standard human — the soul core Panney endowed it with could rival that of three standard humans — though it's impossible to determine how much wisdom such a large soul could generate in the mouse's brain, Panney's observations over the past few days have revealed that this mouse is frighteningly intelligent; understanding human speech is just a minor feat for it.

Panney held the mouse up to eye level, examining it closely. Feeling the warmth beneath it, the mouse nestled into Panney's palm and began to doze off. Panney muttered to himself, "Your soul comes from me, so what should I call you? Son? But I don't even know if you're male or female..."

He muttered as he lifted the mouse upright, attempting to expose its underbelly before his eyes. Suddenly, the little mouse woke up with a sharp squeal, scratching Panney's paw so fiercely that it almost tore through his palm. Panney winced in pain, and as he lowered his head, he saw Belen leap downward, disappearing into the shadows, with the other end of the soul chain gradually becoming blurred.

It had entered another plane.

Panney, infuriated, repeatedly attempted to summon it through the soul but was consistently rejected, leaving him bewildered. Had it really just run off like that? If a sudden calamity struck and Panney found himself unable to withstand it, he would have to rely on this mouse.

"I still don't know whether it's male or female," Panney murmured after a moment of bewilderment.

He pondered for a long time, finally fixating on this one question.

...

After undergoing inexplicable awakening due to its altered innate talents, the mouse completed its first interplanar journey. It arrived in a realm of black, white, and gray shadows, where it felt a deep sense of unease. Gazing around at the lifeless surroundings, it hesitated upon seeing its own shadow, then continued to burrow downward, arriving in another place.

Standing with its four paws on the silver-white void, it sensed the stagnant state of the surrounding space-time, feeling puzzled. Upon entering, it noticed that the mental connection between itself and that person had significantly weakened.

In its comprehension, Panney, intertwined with its soul, stood as its dearest kin. This implication formed the bedrock of its soul, rendering such a notion unshakeable—unless its soul were obliterated. Hence, it harbored profound concern, deeming the frail Panney inseparable from its protection.

In a certain sense, this notion wasn't entirely unfounded. Simply in terms of combat prowess, Panney paled in comparison to this monstrous mouse, whose celestial and terrestrial powers now far surpassed it.

Yet, the mouse, feeling despondent, discovered it couldn't locate its shadow in this realm—amidst the silver-white radiance dominating its field of vision, where could it find a suitable shadow for interplanar travel?

Moreover, even if a shadow were available for its traversal, it struggled to adeptly control this innate ability to navigate back to the primary material plane.

Suddenly, a spiral-shaped conduit appeared to its side. After a moment's observation, it sensed a resemblance between this conduit and the displacement experienced when passing through shadows. Consequently, it ventured its head inside, instantly disappearing into the conduit.

Belen remained oblivious to the fact that it had stumbled, quite fortuitously, into the legendary Astral Plane. Furthermore, it remained unaware that it had entered a conduit connecting to other planes.

Of course, it had no inkling as to which realm in the multiverse this conduit would transport it to...

In the outer reaches of Phelone, there exists a region so obscure that no being comprehends its true depth. Even deities, venturing to a certain depth, succumb to the chaotic forces within, descending into madness and corruption. Those dwelling in its profound layers seldom depart, for the power of order, for them, is equally lethal.

Hence, the precise number of its levels remains inscrutable, leading people to revere it with awe—calling it the Bottomless Abyss.

Many scriptures depict the dual serpents of Heaven's Mountain and Hell's Nine Layers, symbolizing the order of the multiverse. The Lady of Suffering in Imprint City embodies the absolute neutrality of the multiverse. Consequently, this infinite abyss serves as the wellspring of chaos in the multiverse.

Several of the most fearsome demon races in the multiverse dwell here, reveling ceaselessly in deceit and destruction. The tenuous threads of order among them rely solely on brute force and domination. Numerous demon lords control their subordinates through violence and soul magic, perpetuating endless conflict within the Bottomless Abyss. This includes internal struggles within the abyss and wars waged against the world beyond—such as the infamous Blood War.

In truth, labeling the abyss by its levels is irrational, as its structure is not merely layered but composed of various complex structures melded together. It resembles more a multidimensional sphere centered around chaos.

The abysses marked with layers are mostly creations and speculations from observers of Imprint City and some plane travelers. Of course, these markings also to some extent reflect the chaotic nature of the abyssal layers and have become conventional knowledge over time. For instance, the infamous demon lord Dimogorgen resides in the 88th layer, known as the Brackish Marsh.

Relatively speaking, the layers near the outer reaches of the abyss, such as the Myriad Plains, are more bustling due to their proximity to "order." Inhabitants are not limited to chaotic beings; some interplanar merchants, aspiring to profit from the Blood War, come and go, and some non-demonic creatures retreat to these layers for various reasons.

Adjacent to the Steam Marshes of the 14th layer of the Bottomless Abyss lies a plane known as the "Pale Forest," inhabited by a once powerful Tanar'ri demon named Amodeiraklath. As a former mighty Balor demon, he insists on being addressed as "Great Lakrath" but is casually referred to by other demons as "Adi." Whenever he hears this nickname, he becomes quite displeased, eager to demonstrate his formidable power and subdue those who disrespect him. However, when he raises his clawed hand, thin and with only three fingers, he will after thoughtful consideration extend a gesture of courtesy to the other party—

"This is the magnanimity of Great Lakrath."

The demon's nature always conveniently manifests itself at such moments. The cunning little demon Adi deceives himself, thinking, "I used to be a mighty Balor demon. I've eaten countless of these garbage creatures for dinner!"

Now, this sly demon Adi finds himself in his tower residence, his ridiculous four-foot body leaning on a seven-foot tall broomstick, laboriously sweeping the floor. In his view, tidying his abode is a graceful and daily necessity for him, as a former Balor demon, to maintain his demeanor, his demeanor!

He always thinks like this.

As he continues this labor, which has likely gone on for thousands of days, a roar erupts from the central hall of the tower, directed squarely at him: "Damn Adi! Hurry over here! You've boiled my poppies into mush! Damn you!"

In Adi's mind, his dignity as the "former Balor demon" would be better preserved if there weren't this shouting fellow in his tower. But now, he can only set down the broom and hastily dash over, plastering his face with the most humble and obsequious smile. This smile looks particularly unpleasant on the face of this lesser demon, but he believes that the enchantress in the hall will appreciate his charm. "Master, what are your orders?"

"I said! You've ruined my poppies!" The ensnaring sorcerer, Smospayne, angrily poured a pot of sticky liquid over the cunning demon's face, while stomping on Adi's body with his feet. "Can't you make me feel a little better, you imbecile?"

Due to recent events, the monstrous mage with four tentacles was feeling extremely displeased. This ensnaring demon, expelled for violating racial laws, had made no progress in arcane research for a stagnant period of forty years...

The cunning demon Adi howled in agony, "Sorry, sorry, my great master! Your most faithful servant knows his mistake! He will never make the same mistake again!"

"This is the one thousand and eighty-fourth time you've said that," the infuriated ensnaring demon stared harshly at the diminutive cunning demon, his gaze brimming with danger, his four tentacles quivering in the wind. "I warned you last time that if you made another mistake, I'd feast on your brain matter!"

Adi immediately broke into a sweat, "Master, like Laklax, such an obedient, clever, and smart, um... once great servant, you won't find a second one in the Abyss. Killing me would not only waste resources but also waste effort!"

"Once great? Ha, the Balor demon who got demoted by a few lower-level succubi? The biggest disgrace of the Saltwater Marsh? Haha! You're lucky your former colleagues can't find you here, you big fool!" The ensnaring sorcerer emitted a sharp laughter, seeming to find a sense of superiority over Adi, and his mood seemed to improve significantly. "Forget it, I'll spare you this time. But next time, I'll definitely feast on your brain matter, for sure!"

Adi picked himself up, wiping the sweat off with relief and a sense of satisfaction. If things continued like this, in a few days, he could intentionally ruin the poppy juice again to disgust that damned fool. As for "for sure"? When has that ever counted in the dictionary of chaotic beings?

He immersed himself in the joy of "playing" with the ensnaring sorcerer once again. He quickly forgot the dual pain inflicted upon his body and dignity, humming a tune as he left the hall to continue cleaning. "When will this damn foolish master hurry up and die?"

This was the biggest wish of the "once great Balor demon" now.

"Oh, master, please hurry up and die!" he muttered under his breath, suddenly feeling a wave of fear as the ensnaring demon rushed towards him like a gust of wind. He quickly shut his mouth.

"Damn it! We have another visitor. Let's see, who has triggered my dimensional mechanism this time?" The ensnaring sorcerer entered the hall, and Adi shrugged indifferently, knowing the mage's hobby. In various dimensions of the multiverse, there were usually floating debris, especially in the astral plane, often containing valuable items that had fallen through the dimensional conduits from the graves of the gods. Some spellcasters skilled in temporal research would set up magical mechanisms at home to capture such junk. If luck was on their side, they often scavenged valuable items. If by chance those items contained some divinity, then they would strike it rich.

Of course, to prevent terrifying monsters like divine abominations or demi-god mummies from falling in, these mechanisms' openings are never too large.

The ensnaring sorcerer, Smospane, was one such collector of dimensional debris. And now, he had another haul.

"A lump of astral whale dung, it must be dung!" At this point, it was time for the amusement of "Great Lakralas" again — he always speculated about what the ensnaring sorcerer had stumbled upon. The outcome determined his mood.

Once, the ensnaring sorcerer found a discarded pair of underwear belonging to a Gissyanky person, which made the cunning demon secretly laugh hysterically for three days.

Another time, the ensnaring sorcerer found a decent magic ring, causing the cunning demon to go without food for three whole days.

After a while, the cunning demon heard his master's frustrated voice: "Damn it, what is this? A mouse? Oh, the will of the abyss tells me, how could there be such a strange-looking mouse in the multiverse?!"