"70: The Eternal Bowing Apology Man"

When Luo Shu asked about the state of the world, Sharon slightly lowered her head in a gesture of humility, carefully choosing her words. After a few seconds of thought, she asked, "Which aspect would you like to understand?"

Luo Shu tapped his index finger on the table and specified, "The Abyss, and Abyssal Artifacts."

Given that Succubus Blood refined from the Heart of the Demon helped Kasumigaoka Utaha upgrade her mind-reading ability, and the Shroud of the Sacred Remains was one of the main evolution materials for Sharon's profession, Luo Shu strongly suspected that every Abyssal Artifact might function as a material for ability advancement.

Of course, that was just his theory. He needed Sharon to confirm it with actual intelligence.

"Information on the Abyss and Abyssal Artifacts, huh…" Sharon thought for a moment before explaining, "Currently, different organizations have their own interpretations of the Abyss, but there is a general consensus among government bodies and hidden organizations worldwide."

"The prevailing understanding is that the Abyss isn't a single isolated realm, but rather a collection of different otherworlds that have formed a connection with our world."

"For reasons still unknown—perhaps beginning around thirty years ago—certain portions of these otherworlds would suddenly link with our own, resulting in what's known as an Abyssal Descent."

"Usually, an Abyssal Descent is short-lived. The longest one on record only lasted about 12 hours. And to this day, even within the Demon Hunter organization, no effective method to predict these descents has been discovered."

She paused briefly in her explanation, then added, "Based on the intelligence I received before coming to Japan, most nations are actively researching the phenomenon, but no country has developed an effective monitoring system. At best, they can only detect some residual anomalies after a descent has occurred, using special investigative methods."

Luo Shu let out a dry chuckle. "Actively researching?"

Sharon wasn't surprised by his tone and replied flatly, "As you've likely guessed, that so-called active research is conditional."

"Because every Abyssal Descent inevitably brings with it objects—or sometimes even living beings—that don't belong to our world."

"If the arrival is an object, it's classified as an Abyssal Artifact. If it's a living being, it's either called an Abyssal Lifeform or Abyssal Monster."

"Governments and secret organizations alike are only invested in studying the Abyss so they can acquire these powerful Artifacts."

Here, Sharon paused, her expression growing slightly complicated. "To be honest, I myself am an Abyssal Lifeform. I arrived in this world about a year and a half ago."

Luo Shu wasn't particularly surprised. He simply gave a small nod to indicate he understood, then asked, "What's the difference between Abyssal Lifeforms and Abyssal Monsters?"

Realizing the divine being before her didn't care much about her origins, Sharon relaxed a little and answered, "Abyssal Lifeforms are usually intelligent beings capable of communication—most commonly humans. Though, according to legends from Europe, some of the arrivals have included fantasy species like fairies and demons."

"In contrast, Abyssal Monsters are irrational entities driven purely by instinct to kill. These are far more common and pose a real threat."

"They're often extremely aggressive and frequently possess innate abilities, which makes them especially dangerous to the general populace."

"That said, the global count of such monsters appearing annually—while rising slightly—still averages below 1,000. So international order is, for now, relatively stable."

Hearing that, Luo Shu's expression sharpened, and he immediately asked, "So the information is being suppressed?"

"Yes," Sharon nodded without hesitation. "All major global media platforms have been quietly nationalized. In China it's Tencent, in America it's Twitter and YouTube—even LINE and similar apps have been brought under control."

"Whenever someone posts the truth, a flood of distracting information is released to bury it, and the individual responsible is swiftly silenced, all to ensure the existence of the Abyss remains a state secret."

"Due to the bizarre appearance of many Abyssal Monsters, the public is led to believe they're side effects of 'nuclear wastewater pollution.' As a result, Japan has become the scapegoat for many of these incidents."

Luo Shu froze, his mind grinding to a halt. "Wait. You're saying Japan didn't release nuclear wastewater?"

"They did," Sharon replied matter-of-factly, confused why Luo Shu was so fixated on that point. "That's exactly why they were chosen. Since their government really did release it, all the other countries voted unanimously to pin the blame for the Abyssal fallout on Japan. There were other candidates initially, but once the wastewater incident happened, the rest were taken off the table."

So basically, moving forward, whenever Abyssal Descent incidents cause destruction or casualties, the international community will just… blame Japan? Because the public has already accepted that Japan is the villain behind these disasters?

What kind of genius came up with that logic?

While Luo Shu was still feeling weird about the whole thing, Sharon added another comment: "If you want to keep up with Abyssal Descent events, you can watch NHK news. The Japanese government holds a public apology press conference nearly every day. Just check which region they're apologizing to—that's probably where the latest Abyssal Descent occurred. Usually there's a two-day delay."

Then she added one final note: "From what I've learned within the Demon Hunter organization, in exchange for taking the blame, Japan was promised by China and America that their sea routes wouldn't be blockaded. Since their economy relies heavily on overseas trade, that assurance was crucial."

Wow. So, these so-called "great powers" took something Japan already had—guilt—used it to force them to take the blame, and then offered not to screw them over as a reward. Was this decision actually made by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council?

So, the five global bullies decided to collectively throw Japan under the bus?

Luo Shu internally rolled his eyes in disbelief. Then he looked at Sharon and said, "There must have been some extra incentives to get Japan to swallow such public disgrace, right?"

"…You're not wrong," Sharon replied after a brief silence. Her expression turned subtle. "As part of the compensation, Japan was granted covert permission to establish a black-market exchange for Abyssal Artifacts."

Luo Shu's expression instantly turned just as strange.

It gave off the same bizarre vibe as if someone had set up a nuclear arms trading floor in their basement.

"These bastards at the top… they really dare to do anything, huh?"