Chapter 38: Secrets in the Diary
Abyss possessed an uncanny intuition for subterranean spaces. Just by standing near them, he could sense the presence of man-made cavities underground. This ability had manifested during his childhood when he traveled the world grave-robbing with his master and had been honed to perfection over the years.
According to his master, this was because the flow of magical elements was influenced by the terrain, and Abyss was particularly sensitive to the flow within subterranean spaces—in other words, he was a natural-born grave robber.
Under the cover of Abyss’s illusion spell, Flora used Holy Light to cleanse the dust-filled room, making it spotless, as if someone still lived there. Once Flora finished cleaning, Abyss entered a room on the second floor.
It was clearly a bedroom. A simple bed stood inside, along with an empty wardrobe and a dressing table with a mirror. These were the only pieces of furniture in the room. It seemed that someone had cleaned up after Leona’s mother’s death, removing all her personal belongings.
“Where’s the secret room?” Leona asked, looking around. The room was empty, with no visible mechanisms for opening a hidden door.
Abyss pondered for a moment, quickly chanted a spell, and snapped his fingers.
A spot on the wooden floor lit up. It was a circular scar on the wood, seemingly just part of the grain pattern, but under Abyss’s magic, it glowed, indicating a magical reaction.
Abyss crouched down and placed his finger on the spot, but nothing happened. He wasn’t surprised, however. He stood up and said to Leona, “Press your finger on it.”
“Is it a magically activated mechanism?” Leona asked, crouching down and placing a finger on the glowing scar.
Before she could react, the floor beside her flipped and transformed, revealing a downward staircase just wide enough for one person to pass through.
“Let’s go, let’s see what’s down there,” Abyss said with a faint smile, leading the way.
He had to admit, the secret room was cleverly designed. Unlike the cliché mechanical contraptions that were easily guessed and opened, this magically activated mechanism that recognized its owner was both highly concealed and impossible for outsiders to access. Leona, as the biological daughter of the owner, might have been granted access at birth, but her mother never had the chance to tell her this secret before she died.
They descended the stairs, walking about five or six meters before reaching a pitch-black basement. Despite its depth, the air circulated slowly, avoiding the usual stuffiness of underground spaces. It seemed the mechanism that opened the entrance also activated some ventilation system, a thoughtful touch.
Abyss casually summoned a wisp of ghost fire, its bright green light illuminating the basement.
The most prominent feature was a desk. Several books and parchment scrolls were neatly arranged on the bookshelf above it. A closed notebook lay on the desk, along with a few quill pens and a capped inkwell. A small, dust-covered picture frame stood beside the desk.
Surprisingly, the basement wasn’t very dirty. There were no signs of pests, and thanks to the still air, only a thin layer of dust covered everything. The air was dry, with no signs of mold.
The basement wasn’t large, and it felt a bit cramped with three people inside.
Leona immediately noticed the small picture frame on the desk and picked it up.
After blowing off the dust, a palm-sized but exquisitely painted oil portrait was revealed. Only a few artists could create such small, detailed portraits, making them quite expensive. The one who likely commissioned this painting was the Emperor who had loved Leona’s mother. The portrait depicted a beautiful silver-haired woman with features strikingly similar to Leona’s. She held a white cat in her arms, her expression gentle and serene.
“Is this your mother? You really look like her,” Abyss said, looking at the portrait. “Your face is almost identical to hers, just… a few sizes smaller.”
“It’s not like I chose to be short!” Leona said, clutching the portrait protectively and pretending to hit Abyss.
Flora followed behind, using Holy Light to cleanse the basement. The dusty books on the bookshelf were cleaned, their covers regaining their original vibrancy.
“This just looks like a small study. Do these books contain any secrets?” Flora asked, voicing her doubts.
Her question was valid. If this was just for reading, there was no reason for a three-story mansion to lack a proper study. There was no need to use a secret room and strain one’s eyes reading by candlelight in this dark place.
“Abyss, hold onto this. I want to see what’s written in these books,” Leona said, handing Abyss her mother’s portrait. She was careful with it, showing that although she had no memories or feelings for her mother, she still cherished the opportunity to see her in the portrait.
Abyss solemnly took the portrait. Leona picked up the notebook from the desk and examined it. The cover was blank, without any writing.
She opened the notebook to a random page, revealing a page filled with tiny, densely packed handwriting.
“Ah, it’s a diary,” Leona realized and began reading.
“April 4th, I feel my body weakening. It seems even the power of Dou Qi can’t prolong life. Even heroes grow old. The world continues to turn according to its own order, but its future still worries me.”
Everyone’s expressions turned serious.
“Let me see what’s next… May 7th, Jolene got married today. I’m very happy for her, but she doesn’t have the strength to complete this task for me. I can only hope to live until her child grows up. Hopefully, her child will possess my strength.”
“This is Star Platinum’s diary,” Abyss said in astonishment. “I thought it was your mother’s. Why does his writing sound so worried?”
“June 1st, I finally managed to contact the Creator God through the System. I pleaded with him to prevent artifacts from other worlds from entering Haitville, but he didn’t seem interested. In fact, he seemed annoyed by my request. I haven’t been able to contact him since, which is disheartening. I must hide this crown. I can’t let anyone with less resolve than me obtain it. If it starts manipulating people, it will only lead to disaster. I can sense the pure destructive will within this crown. Its will is aimless, foolish, and slow, but it has an instinct to destroy everything.”
“Outer God?!” they exclaimed in unison.
***
Outer God : 域外邪神 – Can be translated to: “Outer Realm Evil God”, “Transcendent Evil Deity”, or “Outer Abnormal God”. I used the term in a general sense without specifying “Evil” because “” (邪神) can imply both “Evil” and “Abnormal”. Additionally, in many novels, Outer Gods are commonly depicted as malevolent beings, which is why I think it’s not necessary to add that term.
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