Chapter 70: Chapter70-Seraphina
"You wouldn't dare! John, I'm warning you, if you throw me into the sewage, you're dead!"
"Watch me! You think you can control me, you pathetic remnant soul? I don't need you to tell me anything! You've been playing mysterious games, not even revealing who you are. Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
John half-squinted his eyes and flicked open the Eternal Alchemy Bible in his palm, threatening, "I've realized I've been way too gentle with you. How did I let a dead soul manipulate me?
Do what you want, you can choose not to cooperate. I'll accept not learning alchemy. But I'm not letting you control me anymore! No more of your conditions!"
"You insolent brat! Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that?"
"Yes, like this! If you won't cooperate without threats, I won't humor your whims. You can choose to stay silent. I'll just put you in storage!"
With that, John crushed a teleportation scroll.
The hexagram beneath him glowed, teleporting him back to Adela Village.
John had made many such scrolls during his idle time, so he didn't mind using one now.
Back in Adela Village, John headed straight to his small cabin, determined to deal with the troublesome spirit.
He kicked the door open and took out the Eternal Alchemy Bible, slamming it on the table.
"This is your last chance. Are you going to cooperate or not?"
"With that attitude, I'd rather die than cooperate!"
"Fine! You're a brave woman, I respect that! Don't worry, I won't kill you. You'll stay here, in storage, with plenty of time to think about whether it's reasonable for a remnant soul to boss around a living person!
Rest assured, you'll have all the time you need.
Even if I only have two years left to live, even after my death, you won't disappear. You'll stay here forever!"
With that, John opened a storage box in the corner and tossed the Eternal Alchemy Bible inside.
"John, you dare! If you lock me in this damn place, you'll regret it!"
"I'll be waiting for you to concoct yourself a body and come after me. Go cool off!"
With that, John didn't give her a chance to speak, slamming the box shut. In that instant, it was as if the outside world had been completely cut off.
No light, no sound—just an eerie silence as if her existence had been wiped away.
"Jo! Hn!"
The woman was furious. She had never met someone so infuriating, someone who needed her help yet had such a terrible attitude.
Trying to force her to cooperate willingly?
Ha! In his dreams!
It was just a matter of being alone in this dark, silent place, with no sense of time passing, no day or night, and no one to talk to or any way to pass the time... right?
The woman's anger gradually faded, replaced by a deep sense of loneliness.
After thousands of years of waiting, she knew all too well how terrifying loneliness could be.
She could never truly get used to it, only forced to accept it.
Now, she had finally seen a chance to reemerge into the world, but...
"How long will I have to wait this time?"
"Until you decide to cooperate."
John's voice echoed in her ear. She looked up sharply and saw John standing within the small world inside the Eternal Alchemy Bible, gazing at her with interest.
"You dare to come see me?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? What can you do, kill me?"
"Leave! I'm telling you, John, no matter what you try, you'll never force me to submit!"
The woman bit her silver teeth, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked at John.
"I didn't plan on forcing you to submit. I was just trying to scare you a bit. How could I dare lock you up? What if there's someone behind you who could erase me with a flick of their wrist? I'd die in vain, wouldn't I?
Earlier, I couldn't say certain things because someone was watching me. Now that I'm here, I don't have to worry."
John sat down in front of the woman, pointing to his chest, and continued, "You know, I made a deal with [Deception Apostle].
He promised me the power of the [Gods] in exchange for helping him kill someone. I'm curious, how much do you know about the [Abyss]?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because if I die, you probably won't have any chance of being resurrected. Is that reason enough?"
John shrugged and smiled bitterly, "If you don't cooperate, I'll just leave now."
As he said this, John stood up to leave. Watching his back, the woman sighed deeply.
"I don't know much about the [Abyss]. I only remember that it existed from the beginning. I don't know when it first appeared.
As for the [Lord of Abyss], that person is very mysterious. No one knows their identity, and naturally, their power is also a mystery.
But one thing I can confirm is that the [Lord of Abyss] created the [Apostles] and granted them their powers."
Hearing this, John's eyes lit up.
"Anything more specific?"
"Specific? What do you mean?"
"The identities of the [Apostles]? Why they were chosen, if there have been any iterations, and which one is the strongest?"
"I don't know. I told you, the [Abyss] gradually took shape after my death, becoming what you know now. I only have a fragmentary understanding of it, and I've told you everything."
"This... alright."
John ruffled his hair in frustration and sighed, "And the matter with the elves...?"
"Use automated sentries to monitor the area around the haven. If any outsiders approach, an alert will be triggered immediately.
As for the elves' weak combat abilities, you can create prosthetics to aid in battle."
"Prosthetics? Alchemy can do that? Cyber elves?"
"What cyber? Prosthetics are metal armor attached to the body. By inscribing magic patterns on them and activating them with chant essence, they function like most magical devices. As for the haven, there's nothing I can do."
"No problem, this is enough. Thanks."
John stood up and took a few steps before turning back to the woman, staring at her.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Well, at least tell me your name. How should I address you? It's rude to just call you 'hey' all the time."
"I don't want to tell you."
"Tsk, then I'll give you a name. How about... Invincible Alchemy Queen!"
"That's awful! What a terrible name! Just as bad as yours!"
Hearing this, John was annoyed.
"Ugh! My name was given by my grandfather. What's wrong with it? It's better than yours. At least I'm not too scared to say it!"
"Who says I'm scared? Why should I tell you?"
"Fine, whatever you say, Invincible Alchemy Queen. I'm leaving!"
"Shut up! Don't call me that! Call me Seraphina."
John's taunt worked. Seraphina fell for it, thanks to her fiery temper that hadn't cooled over thousands of years. If she could adapt even a little, she wouldn't be in this predicament.
It seemed John had finally gotten the upper hand with Seraphina.
"Seraphina... never heard of it, but it's better than nothing. Thanks for the advice, I'll head out."
"Get lost! Just seeing your face annoys me!"
"That's too bad because for the next few years, you'll be seeing a lot of it. You have no choice. Well, you could choose to lock yourself away and never see the light of day again."
"Get out!"
...
Meanwhile, in the deepest layer of the Deep Forest labyrinth...
The seal engraved on the ground glowed with a holy light, but as the ground continued to tremble, that light dimmed slightly.
From the cracks in the seal, a faint gray mist began to seep out.
Any monster that happened to pass by and catch a whiff started trembling uncontrollably, becoming increasingly frenzied and aroused!